"Hey! I was sitting there!"

Carlos shrugged unrepentantly. "Well, you got up. TJ, pass the ketchup."

"What's the magic word?" the Blue Ranger inquired, around a mouthful of pancakes.

Ashley set her plate down in Andros's place and snatched the ketchup off the table. "The magic word is, 'I'm sorry I took your seat, Ashley'!"

"That's more than one word," Carlos protested.

"Since when is that your seat?" TJ demanded.

"Since I put my juice there!"

"Well, move your juice."

"I'd rather move Carlos," Ashley said, giving him a gentle shove.

"In the interests of preserving peace," Carlos began, with a long-suffering sigh, "I'll move." He pushed his tray down a place and slid over, taking the stool with him.

"Very funny," Ashley said, taking Andros's stool and moving it into her place.

"Hey, where's Cassie?" TJ asked, reaching for his glass.

"Do you see her?" Carlos inquired.

At the same moment, Ashley added helpfully, "Not here."

TJ rolled his eyes. "DECA, did you wake Cassie up?"

"Cassie was awake at six-thirty this morning," the computer replied.

"But is she *still* awake?" Ashley demanded.

There was a pause, and DECA answered, "Unable to determine."

"In other words, no," TJ said, getting to his feet. "Don't hurt each other while I'm gone, guys."

***

TJ knocked on Cassie's door, but there was no response. "Cassie," he called, knocking again just to make sure. "It's TJ--are you awake?"

There was still no answer, and he shook his head. "DECA, what time is it?"

"Current time in Angel Grove is 7:10," she informed him.

TJ reached over and hit the keypad next to Cassie's door. The door slid open, and he glanced around before stepping inside. "DECA, could you turn the lights up a little?"

The lights came on, casting a dim illumination across the room. Cassie was curled up on her bunk, one arm buried underneath her and the other around her pillow. "Cass," he said gently, shaking her shoulder. "Cassie, wake up…"

"Hmm?" Her eyes fluttering open, Cassie rolled over onto her back and squinted up at him. "Shoot," she muttered. "What time is it?"

"Ten after seven," he told her, and her eyes went wide.

Scrambling into a sitting position, she impatiently brushed her hair out of her face. "Thanks, TJ--I'll be right there."

"No problem," he told her with a smile. "Just think, it's Friday. You can take a nap this afternoon."

"Good," she said with a sigh. "Would you grab some breakfast for me?"

"Sure--bagel?"

"That'd be great," she said, grabbing the bunk above her and pulling herself to her feet. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

***

She knew there was something wrong even before she stepped out of the lift. Shrieks were coming from the Glider holding bay, and she heard a crash as she ventured down the hallway. Peering into the holding bay, Cassie tried not to giggle.

"Carlos Vargas, you are so dead!" Ashley had wrestled Carlos's arm around behind his back and was glaring at him as he held her backpack out in front of him.

One of the stools at the table was overturned, but TJ was sitting on the other side of the table, calmly cleaning maple syrup off of his plate. "Hi Cass," he said, as she came in.

"Cassie!" Ashley exclaimed. "Make Carlos put my bag down!"

Though she tried not to, Cassie couldn't help laughing. "What are you guys *doing*?"

"Don't get involved," TJ advised, picking up his dishes and returning them to the Synthetron. "They've been like this all morning."

"He took my backpack!"

"You pushed me," Carlos argued.

"Well, if you hadn't been sitting in my place," she started, but Carlos interrupted.

"It's not your place! Andros isn't even here; why do you have to sit next to his seat?"

"I happen to like that place," Ashley retorted. "And if you drop my bag, I'm going to kill you!"

"What, are you afraid your pencil will break?" Carlos teased.

"Here," TJ said, and Cassie glanced away from her bickering teammates. He pushed a bagel and a cream cheese packet into her hand, nodding toward their friends. "They could go on like this for the rest of the day--*we* might as well be on time."

"Let go of me and I'll give you your backpack," Carlos suggested, looking over his shoulder.

"Oh, and I'm supposed to trust you?"

"Ash, I'm hurt!"

"You will be, if you drop that bag," she threatened.

"Have a good morning, guys," Cassie said. When that produced no response, she exchanged glances with TJ. He just rolled his eyes. She reached for her morpher, wondering how much sugar Carlos and Ashley had had for breakfast.

***

"I'm serious, Carlos!" She wasn't going to tell him *why* she would kill him for dropping her backpack, but she would. She really would.

"Then let me go!"

Reluctantly, Ashley let go of his arm and stepped back. He rolled his shoulder a little, shaking his head. "Man, I thought you were strong *before* you were a Ranger!"

He held out her backpack to her, and she snatched it out of his grip. Slipping the strap over her shoulder, she relaxed a little. "Remember that next time you steal my stuff," she told him.

He frowned a little at her serious tone. "I wouldn't really have dropped it--you know that, right?"

She hesitated a moment, then grinned. "Sure I do. But you have to admit, that was a great expression on Cassie's face when she came in."

He chuckled. "It was," he agreed, picking up his own backpack. "You ready to go?"

She glanced toward the doorway, but Andros was still nowhere in sight. *Must have slept through DECA's alarm again,* she thought, amused. There were some people that DECA really did seem to favor; TJ was right about that.

"Sure," she said, adjusting the shoulder strap on her bag. "Let's go."

***

The stars sparkled with a steady, luminescent fire, undimmed by the hazy air of an atmosphere. They were the first thing he saw when he woke, and for a moment, he forgot when he was. He pulled the sleeping bag closer over his shoulders and buried his head in his pillow, content.

As he lay there, though, sleep did not reclaim his consciousness, and he decided it must be late morning, at least. The steady blip, beep-beep, blip registered after a moment, and he rolled over on his side.

The solemn face of his best friend, subtly older than he expected, made him blink. The impression of being the only ones on the Megaship vanished, sliding away like the fragments of a dream as he remembered. *Two years,* he told himself firmly, but his mind knew that. He couldn't even quite recall how he had felt when he awoke--surely he hadn't forgotten about the other Rangers.

"You're the only person I know who needs two sleeping bags," Andros said, frowning down at the little digital screen in front of him.

"You have two," he pointed out, his words a little slurred from sleep as he pushed himself up onto one elbow. They were each lying on one open sleeping bag, with another serving as a blanket over them. He hated the feeling of something wrapping around him, the way a regular sleeping bag did, and Andros had always imitated him.

"More comfortable that way," Andros admitted, shoulders shifting as he poked one of the little buttons repeatedly. "Darn," he added, with another frown.

" 'Darn'?" Zhane repeated, pushing his pillow closer to Andros's and resting his elbows on it. He looked over his friend's shoulder, watching the little blue ship on the screen get hit over and over. "Man, Andros, you're still terrible at this game."

He reached out and hit the "two-player" switch, and a second ship appeared in the opposite corner. "Move over."

Andros obediently edged a little to the side, pushing the "fire" button again and actually hitting one of the tiny triangular fighters. The display beeped, then blipped again as one of them hit him back.

Zhane zoomed his own ship straight across the screen with no regard for the other fighters, shooting over and over. The screen beeped repeatedly, and Andros had to turn his own ship to the side to avoid getting caught in Zhane's path of destruction. "Watch where you're going!" he exclaimed indignantly.

Zhane turned his own ship and fired its miniature thrusters again. "I was watching. I thought you were going to move faster than that."

"I wouldn't have had to if you hadn't done that!"

Zhane grinned. "It's not real life, you know. You're not risking the Megaship. If you blow up, you just try again."

The mock lasers on Andros's ship blasted another fighter, and tracked in Zhane's direction. "Get out of the way, Zhane."

"I'm not *in* the--oops."

The screen blipped several times, and Zhane's ship turned bright orange. "That's not good," he muttered.

"I warned you," Andros said, his own ship slipping past Zhane's.

"Oh, you did not," Zhane complained. " 'Get out of the way'? What does that mean?"

"It means 'move your ship'," Andros answered firmly. He fired at the fighters closing on Zhane's injured ship, getting most of them before his laser status bar went to zero.

With a slight shrug, Andros pushed the thrusters on his ship to full and slammed into the last fighter. The shield status bar disappeared, and the screen flashed, "Game Over."

"Now *that* was good strategy," Zhane said dryly, as Andros pushed the "off" button.

" 'It's not real life, you know,' "Andros quoted. " 'If you blow up, you try again.' "

"Or you quit." Zhane glanced pointedly at the blank screen.

"I'm not quitting!" his friend exclaimed indignantly. "You're the one who lost his shields!"

"Yeah, but I didn't hit another ship."

"I did that on purpose," Andros informed him.

"Sure you did." He knew Andros had given his own ship to save Zhane's, but that wasn't the way the game worked. "You know both ships have to survive for us to win!"

"One of us would have gotten blown up either way," Andros said, pushing himself up.

"So you're going to quit?"

"I'm not quitting!"

"You said that before," Zhane reminded him. "But you're not playing anymore, either."

Andros rolled his eyes. "That's because I'm hungry."

Zhane considered that. "Well, that's a good point," he admitted. "Hey," he asked, as he sat up. "Has that game been up here this whole time?"

Andros nodded wordlessly.

Zhane was silent for a moment, then he grinned. "No wonder you haven't gotten any better at it."

Andros gave him one of those looks he was so good at. "Next time," he said calmly, "I'm going to let them blow you up."

Zhane put up his hands as Andros reached for his pillow. "You'll still lose," he said, but it didn't stop Andros from swinging the pillow at him.

Zhane grabbed it, and Andros grinned. "Yeah, but then I'll be able to blame you for it."

He let go of the pillow abruptly, and Zhane fell backwards, exclaiming as he saw Andros dive for *his* pillow. "Hey!" Zhane yelped, as his friend whacked him across the shoulders with it. "It's against the rules to hit someone with their own pillow!"

"Then you have the wrong pillow," Andros said, grabbing for it.

"You can't have bo--" Zhane's indignation was muffled as Andros tossed his pillow at him.

"Now give me mine!"

Zhane just laughed. "No!" he said, rolling out of the way. He scrambled after his own pillow, still holding Andros's, and heard his friend slip on the sleeping bags.

He made the mistake of looking back over his shoulder--just as Andros tackled him from behind. He couldn't help yelping as he hit the ground, and he heard Andros laughing at him.

"Incoming transmission from NASADA," DECA interrupted.

"Okay, DECA!" Andros called, hitting Zhane with the other pillow.

"Hey!" Zhane exclaimed, holding up Andros's pillow in defense. That was a mistake, for Andros just grabbed it again and started another tug-of-war over it.

"Incoming transmission," DECA repeated, and this time Zhane cut her off.

"Thanks DECA!" he shouted, wrapping his arm around the pillow and trying to roll away.

Andros was laughing again, and it made his grip weaker--Zhane found himself right next to his own pillow, and he threw Andros's back at him as he lunged for his own. "Hah!" he exclaimed triumphantly, grabbing his pillow by the corners and swinging it back at his friend.

"Forfeit!" Andros yelled, holding up his arms in defense, and Zhane tumbled forward to avoid following through on his swing.

He landed right next to his friend, his pillow cushioning his fall, and he rolled over onto his back, gasping for breath. "Cheater," he accused, when he had enough air. "You can't forfeit in the middle of an attack!"

"I can so!" Andros exclaimed. He paused for a moment, catching his breath, and then added, "It worked, didn't it?"

Zhane tossed his pillow half-heartedly at his friend. Andros pushed it back at him, sitting up. "Come on--we have to go find out what NASADA wants."

"Like *this*?" Zhane asked, looking at his friend in disbelief. They were both still in pajamas, and looking somewhat the worse for wear.

Andros just grinned. "Earth doesn't know who its Rangers are; NASADA included. We'll just morph."

***

Unconsciousness deserted him immediately, but he did not move or open his eyes until he was sure of where he was.

The surroundings were unfamiliar--there was no generator hum, and the whisper of nearby breathing was absent. He felt his heartbeat increase, and he held absolutely still as he let his eyes slide open carefully.

There was no muted, barely visible glow from the coral walls, and he knew with sudden certainty that he was not on Aquitar. His hand moved involuntarily, seeking the familiar presence that his mind had already informed him was not there.

*Cassie!* He tried to suppress the instinctive panic that leaped into his mind. What had happened to her? She was supposed to be here--but where was here?

Then he felt the subtle pressure on his mind, and he found himself relaxing involuntarily. Cassie, wherever she was, was not alarmed or worried. She was calm, and he could feel her doing her best to project that feeling onto him.

He let himself take a deep breath, telling himself that if she was all right then there was no need to be concerned. Wherever he was--

*The Megaship,* he realized suddenly. Of course. He closed his eyes, shaking his head in a futile effort to clear the fog away from it. He recognized the feeling abruptly; it was the same disorientation that always came when he strained his Power crystal. He couldn't remember what he'd done to drain it this time, but he knew it must have been necessary.

He drew in another deep breath. Cassie didn't need him distracting her, especially not while she was in school.

*School…* He frowned. Aquitar--they had returned to Earth from Aquitar. The others were in school. Why hadn't DECA woken him?

"DECA," he muttered, wincing as he sat up. He had pushed his crystal too hard, and he could feel it in everything he did. He was still tired, stiff when he tried to move, and the Power was sluggish to respond when he reached for it. "What time is it?"

"Angel Grove time is 11:05 in the morning," the computer replied, then added, "Aquitian Ranger dome time is six and a quarter."

*Early,* he thought, then smiled. *Or so Cassie would complain.* But it shouldn't matter--he had been sleeping last night during what would have been evening on Aquitar. It would have been more than enough rest, if not for--

The control room. The memory came back to him with breathtaking force, as he remembered the need to protect Cassie at all costs, the wall of fire overwhelming the strength of his ruby, and then nothing. Until the feeling of her soul, closer by than he had ever felt it, had reawakened his awareness, and Power, his and hers, had flooded through him with a strength he had never known.

He had been dead. He had died, for the second time in his life, and once more, his own will had not been enough to bring him back. He wasn't strong enough to stand alone. Had he ever been?

He just sat there, staring into the dimness. He owed Cassie his life--and he didn't care. He had owed his own teammates his life several times over, and that had not bothered him either. He owed the Astro team his life at least once, and the Aquitian team as well.

"In politics, it's everyone for themselves. You can't do that on a team," Jenna had said when he was first introduced to the Elisian Rangers he was to lead. "We have to be here for you, and you have to be here for us. Always--that's what being a Ranger means.

Ashley, years later, had reminded him of that first lesson with her own words. "You've always been one of us, in spirit at least. That's what being a Power Ranger is all about."

"I am a Ranger," he whispered. He smiled a little, seeing DECA's camera light flicker. *I am a Ranger.* Still. And always, as Jenna had first told him. And Rangers couldn't do what they did alone.

He was no longer alone. The steady presence in his mind assured him of that, as much the fact that his continued residence on this ship went unquestioned, even welcomed. He was again one of a team--as they were all meant to be.

***

Andros looked up as the lift doors slid open, somewhat surprised to see Saryn standing there. When the other Ranger had remained absent all morning, Andros had assumed that he preferred to have the time to himself--yet here he was, stepping hesitantly onto the Bridge, as though he wasn't quite sure of Andros's reaction.

" 'Morning," Andros greeted him, as he would any of the others. "We'd have come and gotten you for breakfast, but we weren't sure whether you wanted to be alone."

Saryn shook his head. "I--only just woke up. Your computer does not seem to consider me a member of the ship's complement yet."

Andros did his best not to grin at that "yet". Ever since the Phantom Ranger had demorphed, he had hoped that his longtime ally would consider remaining on the Megaship. He seemed to find a kind of peace here, though whether it was being with the team or simply being near Cassie, Andros had never been able to tell. Either way, he himself had managed to find happiness here, and he would be glad to see Saryn find--and accept--it as well.

"The Phantom Ranger has been listed as a transient member of the Megaship's crew for several weeks," DECA interjected, sounding a bit miffed.

Andros looked over at her camera. "So why didn't you wake him up this morning?"

"The request not to disturb the Phantom Ranger came from Cassie," DECA replied.

Andros caught Saryn's eye, and saw the other smile, just a little. Assuming that answered the question, Andros glanced back down at the console in front of him and diverted a little more power to the scanner array.

*Zhane?* he asked.

*Looks good,* his friend answered from the engine room. *The distribution curve is still stable. I'm going to check the laser arrays.*

"Andros?"

Saryn was standing by the nav station now, staring in bemusement at the digital screen that insisted on beeping at him. Andros reminded himself not to apologize for having fun, and walked over to join the other Ranger. "It's a game. It thinks you're going to play."

"A game?" Saryn repeated, as though he had never heard the word before.

"Yeah. Zhane brought it down here this morning--he and I have a kind of competition going with ourselves, trying to beat our highest score."

When Saryn didn't look any more enlightened, Andros reached around him and triggered the controls. "See, you're this little ship that starts over here in the corner. Here's your thruster controls, and your lasers--" A swarm of little triangles started to trickle across the screen, and Andros pointed to them. "Those are the enemy fighters. You win the game by destroying all of them."

"They are evil?" Saryn asked, staring at the screen.

"No--well, maybe," Andros said, firing the thrusters and sending the ship careening across the screen. The view shifted to follow it as it flew off the "edge". "It doesn't really matter. It's just a game."

"But why would you wish to destroy ships if they are not evil?"

"You're not really destroying the ships," Andros tried to explain. "They're not real. It's like a battle sim, only you don't do it to stay in practice, you just play for fun."

Saryn watched for a moment, while Andros used the simulated lasers to shoot at the leading group of fighters. A muted green flash in the upper left corner got his attention, and his ship zipped forward, the view shifting again as it hid inside the shielded station for the few seconds it took the fighters to fly past.

"These little bars tell you how much fuel, shields, and laser power you have left," Andros added, pointing to the right side of the display. "When you run low, you have to find these little green station things."

"This is a very complex game," Saryn observed, watching Andros maneuver through what was supposed to be a solar magnetic field.

"Nothing like flying a real ship," Andros said with a shrug. "It just takes practice. Here, you try."

Saryn shot him a dubious look, but he obediently took over the controls. He was hopelessly inexperienced at the game, but he had better coordination than Andros had expected. He managed to take out almost a dozen ships before his shields failed, and "Game Over" flashed on the screen.

"I am not very good at this," he remarked, as the computer displayed both his score and the list of high scores that Andros and Zhane had accumulated.

Andros snorted. "Neither am I, according to Zhane."

"He is very good?" Saryn asked.

"No, not really. He just likes to make fun of me."

"Zhane mocks many things," Saryn said, no expression on his face as he gazed down at the little screen.

Andros glanced at him, wondering if the other Ranger was upset. "He does, I guess," he admitted. "But--he doesn't mean any harm. He makes jokes to cheer people up, not to hurt anyone."

Saryn seemed to consider that. "Does it cheer you to hear him say that you are not good at this game?"

"Well--" He couldn't help smiling. "Yeah, it does. I know he doesn't *mean* it. And… I know he'd never say something like that to someone he didn't really care about. You can tease your friends, because they know how you really feel about them. You can't tease other people without offending them."

"It is a sign of affection, in this case," Saryn said slowly.

"Sure--I've heard Cassie tease you," Andros said. "It's the same thing. I think you just assume that when Zhane does it, he means it in a bad way."

Saryn's gaze shifted toward him sharply, but after a moment, he nodded. "I am afraid you are correct. Zhane and I--have little in common."

Andros looked at him in surprise. "I don't think that's really true. You've both lost an awful lot, you know. You just--deal with it differently."

Saryn looked away. "You and Zhane have a chance of reclaiming your home. I do not."

"Our people are still together," Andros agreed. "But none of them are the people Zhane remembers. It's been two *years* since the time he's still a part of, Saryn. He's lost everything he knew--it's all different now, and he can't ever go back. He has to try and make a new life, just like you did."

"Oh, it's not *that* bad," Zhane's voice drawled from somewhere behind them.

Andros did his best not to jump. Glancing over his shoulder, he demanded, *How long have you been listening?*

*Long enough,* Zhane answered, grinning at their discomfort. Walking over to the nav station, he draped one arm over Andros's shoulder and peered down at the game still sitting on the console. "I still have you, after all. Man, is this *your* score?"

"It's Saryn's," Andros replied, trying not to smile at Zhane's irrepressible attitude.

"He's even worse than you!" Zhane exclaimed, feigning astonishment. "I didn't think that was possible!"

Andros rolled his eyes. "He kept his shields longer than you did!"

"I was out of practice," Zhane argued.

"He's never *played*," Andros reminded him wryly.

"Huh," Zhane admitted. "Good point. Good job, Saryn."

Saryn hesitated, and Andros hoped the other was remembering what he had said about teasing. He could almost hear Ashley saying, "Don't take everything so personally!" and he tried not to smile.

"I do not see that I am deserving of congratulations," Saryn said at last, his expression neutral. "My score is significantly lower than any of yours."

"Those are the highest scores we've ever gotten, though," Andros pointed out. "We don't usually do that well either."

"Plus, me and Andros play at the same time," Zhane said with a grin. "See, if you hit this--" He switched the game to two-player mode, and the display changed. "Two ships always do better than one."

Andros reached over and hit the "play" button.

"Hey!" Zhane exclaimed, as little triangular fighters appeared on the screen. He automatically moved one of the ships out of the way as a fighter fired on it. "Saryn, move that other ship, would you?"

The other Ranger made no move toward the controls. "I do not know--"

"Those are your thruster controls," Andros reminded him, pointing over his shoulder. "Don't get too far away from Zhane's ship, or the screen will split, and then things get *really* confusing."

Saryn shot him a helpless look, and for a moment Andros almost felt sorry for him. But then he shook his head and grinned. "It's just a game," he said gently. "It doesn't matter."

"Oh, you're one to talk," Zhane said, his eyes still on the screen. "The person who got mad at me because I was flying too fast!"

Saryn edged his ship away from the wave of fighters, and Andros went around to the other side of the console to see better. "Go over this way," he advised, pointing. "They can't see inside the magnetic fields."

"Neither can we!" Zhane objected.

"So you stay outside it," Andros said, watching Saryn's ship struggle with three of the fighters. "Saryn, go inside here. You can use Zhane's scanners to tell where you are."

As his ship slipped into the magnetic field, half the screen went blank--except for the dotted outlines produced by the "scanners" on Zhane's ship. Saryn looked surprised. "That is very helpful," he said, and Zhane chuckled.

"To you, maybe. I just lost half my visibility."

"See, they don't know where you are." Andros pointed as the fighters followed Saryn's ship into the field, and then started to wander around aimlessly as their scanners were scrambled.

"Good, now come out," Zhane interjected. "I can't see anything!"

"You have your tactical map," Andros reminded him, tapping the little square. "Hey, watch out for those--"

"Oh, not good," Zhane muttered. "Andros, wasn't there a station around here somewhere?"

"Yeah…" He frowned at the screen, trying to orient himself. "I think it's over this way."

"Saryn, I'm moving out of range," Zhane warned. "You're not going to be able to see in that field--"

The screen split suddenly, and Saryn's half went blank. He fired his thrusters just as a green flash on Zhane's side caught Andros's attention. Zhane dove into the protection of the station, and Saryn's ship eased out of the magnetic field--to find half a dozen fighters waiting for him.

"Those weren't there before!" Zhane exclaimed indignantly. "I think this game cheats."

"Is that possible?" Saryn asked, doing his best to fight his way out of the tangle of ships.

"Why not? DECA programmed it," Zhane replied. Saryn's shields vanished, and the game blipped as his ship disappeared from the screen. "Game Over" flashed in large letters. "Oops."

"My apologies," Saryn said. "It appears I do not play on your level."

"Are you kidding?" Zhane gave him a wry look. "You should have seen me the first time I played this. I destroyed my ship by crashing into one of the stations."

Andros grinned. "He did, too. And the stations' shields are always supposed to let you through--you shouldn't be *able* to crash into them."

"I'm telling you," Zhane insisted. "This game cheats!"

"The game abides by all appropriate rules, with no variation since its original programming," DECA told him.

"And who decides what's appropriate?" Zhane demanded.

"I do," DECA replied. "Based, of course, on past experience with other forms of digitally interactive entertainment."

"Of course," Zhane muttered, giving her camera a suspicious look.

"Give up, Zhane," Andros advised, amused. "You know you can't win against DECA."

"Someday, I *am* going to win," Zhane informed him. "And believe me, you'll know it."

"TJ also seems to believe this," Saryn offered. "Logic does not stop him from arguing with the ship's computer."

"That's because computers have an attitude," Zhane said blithely. "They think they're always right. It's our job to remind them that that isn't true."

Saryn raised an eyebrow. "You do not seem to be succeeding so far."

"I will," Zhane replied confidently. "Just wait."

***

"It is 2:15 in Angel Grove," DECA announced, and he saw Andros look up.

"Thanks, DECA," Andros said. He reached for his communicator. "Zhane, how are you doing?"

"Good," Zhane's voice answered. "The engines are as close to optimum as they're going to get. You leaving?"

Andros nodded. "Yeah, it's almost two-thirty; I'm going to meet Ash. She says the others are planning to head to the park this afternoon--want to go?"

"Sure," Zhane replied, sounding more enthusiastic than usual. "I'll meet you down there in a few minutes."

"Great," Andros said, a smile on his face as he tapped his communicator again. "What about you, Saryn? Will you come to the park with us?"

He hesitated. "No one--will recognize me, on Earth."

Andros actually laughed. "No, they definitely won't. Earth doesn't even know who its *own* Rangers are, let alone anyone else's. You'll be just another kid, like the rest of us. It's kind of fun," he added. "Once you get used to it."

It was a strange feeling, being invited to join in the gatherings he had, once or twice, watched from the shadows. He was neither their age, nor of their world, and yet they all seemed willing to overlook that and include him anyway.

"I will come," he said at last, hoping he was not making a mistake.

"Good--I'll tell Zhane to wait for you," Andros said, reaching for his communicator again. But instead of calling his friend, the other Ranger disappeared into a flash of bright red, and he blinked.

After a moment, he went over to the comm console and signaled the engine room. "Zhane?"

"Right here," Zhane said, stepping onto the Bridge. "You don't have a communicator, do you. We should probably do something about that."

He hadn't needed a communicator outside of his armor for years. "It is not necessary," he began, but Zhane interrupted him.

"It's team policy to make sure everyone can communicate with everyone else--you can't without morphing, can you?"

He shook his head slowly.

"Andros says Ashley's not using her old communicator--he's going to ask if she'll let you have it," Zhane said a moment later.

"Andros left very quickly," he said, still puzzled by the other's disappearance.

Zhane laughed. "He wanted to surprise Ashley by meeting her as soon as she got out of school. I think she knows he's coming, though. Andros isn't very good at keeping secrets, especially from her.

"Oh--Ashley says she still has Carlos's communicator from a few weeks ago, and she doesn't think he'd mind. It's a better color for you, anyway," Zhane said with a grin. "I'll go get it."

Somewhat overwhelmed by Zhane's sudden energy, he nonetheless followed the other up to deck five. Zhane walked into Ashley's room without hesitation, and reappeared a moment later with a black-banded gold communicator.

"Found it," Zhane announced unnecessarily, handing him the device. "You ready?"

"No," he said carefully, sliding the communicator into his pocket. "I--wish to apologize, for the way I have reacted to you in the past."

He hesitated, but Zhane said nothing. "I have taken offense at things which Andros assures me you did not mean in a negative way," he continued. "I am sorry for this."

This time when he paused, Zhane shook his head. His enthusiasm was suddenly subdued, and the Silver Ranger looked, for once, thoughtful. "It's not your fault," Zhane said. "It's just--it's the way I deal with things.

"Like Andros said, we both have a lot of things we'd like to forget about, but we deal with them totally differently." Zhane smiled a little. "I talk more to hide things, and you talk less. Like Andros."

"And yet you and Andros are friends," he pointed out quietly.

Zhane shrugged, and the brief moment of solemnity was gone when he grinned. "Well, as Ashley would say, maybe there's hope for us yet. Come on; let's go."