The border around her tactical map lit up, flashing urgent orange as someone got a target lock on her zord. She spun out of the way without thinking, the Power augmenting her reflexes and supplying knowledge she didn't know she had. She was out of one line of fire and into the next without a moment to wonder why--she just needed to be there.

She was firing. A velocifighter winked out. The forward view swung madly as she wheeled, diving through the formation and scoring two more kills before she emerged unscathed on the other side. Ashley barely had to look to see the wing regroup behind her--her wing, intact, unshaken, and perfectly able to follow where she led.

The exhilaration of the maneuver only added to the adrenaline racing through her system, compressing her reaction time even further and she felt the entire battle narrow to the tactical screen in front of her. She had no time to anticipate or even register her own actions. The stars moved, the numbers changed, lasers fired and velocifighters vanished. The Power hummed through her like a living thing.

"Red One, take over," Andros' voice ordered tersely. The words came in between Gold Group chatter and her attention zeroed in on the sound immediately. Wide screen system deployment made the problem instantly clear and all it took was a glance to know what he was doing.

"Acknowledged, Red Leader." Marsie's fighter slipped sideways and the rest of the wing would fall into position behind her in a matter of seconds. Andros' zord darted through the melee, arrowing for the atmosphere with obvious intent.

"Gold Five," Ashley warned automatically as the wing demanded her full attention once more. Kinsey was already moving, falling back into the defensive wedge as another wave of velocifighters drove toward them.

"Incoming 190 by 220!" The "gold-6" tag flashed on her tactical map as Leigh called out, and "gold-7" reoriented itself without prompting.

"Got your back, Gold Six." The two fighters covered the second prong of the attack as their wingmates engaged the first wave, and the chatter of Gold Group escalated until the other groups were completely drowned out.

She didn't have time to worry about Zhane, but she did anyway. His zord had been adrift, falling toward the planet with alarming speed only moments before. She had barely heard Andros cut Zhane's wing loose as he went after their teammate, but she knew instinctively that the Silver Ranger wasn't responding to comm signals.

"I'm hit!" She saw gold-10 flash out of the corner of her eye, and an orange glow settled over the ship's marker on her screen.

"I'm reinforcing Golds Six and Seven," Cara said calmly, as gold one fell out of formation and spun around. "Gold Eight, run cover for Gold Ten and fall back."

The nano-sequencers on board the fighters were nowhere near as sophisticated as the zords' self-repair systems, but they had brought wounded ships back into the fight before. Ashley's gaze tracked across the zord readouts, wing status, and SD screen before settling on the tactical map again. Her lasers found targets before she looked for them while her mind frantically processed the larger battle.

Andros and Zhane were effectively out of the fight. Zhane's wingleader had brought his wing around to reinforce Marsie, and neither had suffered permanent casualties. Ty had lost a fighter, and Gold Group was short two. Two more of Kerone's wing were "dead" but she was driving through the encroaching waves like nobody's business.

"Friendly fire! Friendly--"

"Red Leader down! Friendly fire at 200 by 340!"

"S Leader, what the hell are you doing!"

"Gold Group, fall back!" Cara's voice overrode the intership chatter before Ashley could get her mind around what was happening. The SD screen showed a zord cutting a swath through Ty's wing, lasers flaring as fast as they could lock. Zhane's zord.

"V Group," Kerone's voice declared through the chaos. "Open fire!"

Ashley was covering her own wing's retreat when she heard Zhane's laughter over the comm. "That's my girl!" he crowed. "But you're still going down!"

Kerone's wing was already blasting Zhane's zord, but his progress through black group was hindering their target locks. Ty's wing had finally gotten over their shock--half a wing too late--and were retaliating in kind. Unfortunately, the zords could take a lot more punishment than the fighters and Zhane wasn't slowing down.

"Gold One, take over!" Ashley ditched her own wing to the velocifighters, which they were at least equipped to handle, and threw her zord into the super-powered battle.

"Black Group, retreat!" The remnants of Ty's wing hastily fell back. Zhane now had three zords dogging his path, and their superior maneuverability and firepower were creating a dangerous crossfire. Still Kerone didn't order her own fighters out, letting them use her shields as cover while they darted in and around the zords.

Fighting a zord wasn't anything like going up against waves of velocifighters. Their weapons might as well have been useless as they hammered away at each other, and Ashley found herself looking for weak points, anything in her knowledge of the design that would give them the advantage. A cold, clammy feeling crept into her fingers as she realized Zhane would be doing exactly the same thing.

Some intuitive flicker of Power told her that he had beaten her to the punch. She could almost see the laser as it lanced toward Kerone's zord, and she knew too late to stop it that he knew what he was aiming for. Then there was a fighter between them and V-3 vanished from her tactical screen as the fire obliterated it.

Kerone's zord was already rolling, hiding its vulnerability with the seconds her wingmate had bought her, but Zhane was still firing. She saw his weakness at the same time Ty did, and they closed on his zord simultaneously. Ty fired first, and as she joined in the zord turned orange on tactical. They pounded on him while he pounded on Kerone, expending reckless amounts of energy trying to contain one of their own while the velocifighter battle raged around them.

The glow surrounding Zhane's zord seemed to intensify suddenly before it winked out. Kerone's zord, too, was bright orange, and even as Ashley watched her try to come about the marker that was "V leader" disappeared from her screen. She looked around quickly for Andros' zord, but its former position in the stratosphere was empty.

Three of them? Zhane had taken two zords and an undetermined number fighters with him, simply because they had been unprepared. They hadn't even seen his attack coming--how could they? That hadn't been part of the drill.

"Red One to all planetary defense groups," Marsie's voice announced. "Stand down. Transmit all onboard flight data to base preparatory to debriefing."

The "velocifighters" still lingering on the wide screen system deployment faded out of existence. The "dead" fighters reappeared, and the missing zords came back as the sim-lock on her tactical display was disabled. She let herself slump against the back of her chair, staring at the display as her brain tried to process what had just happened.

"All PD groups return to base." Marsie's order cut through her racing thoughts, bringing some measure of her attention back to the reality of the day. Rogue zords weren't unheard of, as Astronema's evilyzer ray had once demonstrated, but it certainly wasn't something they had expected to see in a sim. Just as they were starting to get a handle on zord-reinforced fighter battles, the leader of the PD threw another variable at them.

"Rangers," Andros' voice added. "Closed comm system patrol. Let's move out."

"Standard debriefing at 1500, Rangers and non," Marsie reminded them.

"Acknowledged, Red One."

They were away. Ashley settled easily into her place just off of Andros' starboard thruster, mirroring Kerone's position on the port side. Zhane and Ty were right behind them as they swept past KO-35's sister planet and headed out on their tour of the solar system.

"You are so dead," Andros remarked at last, almost casually. His words were clearer in her ears than any of the fighter pilots' had been, and Zhane's was no more distorted when it replied.

"I know," he agreed cheerfully. "So are you and Astrea. You didn't even know what hit you!"

"Excuse me," Kerone put in. "I knew exactly what hit me. And since you died before I did, you didn't technically kill me."

Relayed through the zord network instead of over the ship-to-ship comm they used with the fighters, the conversation was clear enough that they might as well have been in the cockpit with her. Kerone's quiet amusement was as clear as Andros' annoyance, and Ashley knew Zhane was just as aware of it. Had he expected Andros to come to his assistance like that during the drill?

"He inflicted the damage that destroyed your zord," Ty pointed out. "I'd say that's a pretty good argument for him killing you."

"I wouldn't," Kerone retorted. "And the two of you couldn't even take out his zord, so stay out of this."

"We destroyed his zord!" Ashley exclaimed indignantly. "Where were you? Oh, that's right; you were getting blown up."

"I was drawing his fire," Kerone replied with dignity. "It's not my fault that you couldn't take advantage of the opening I was giving you."

"Opening?" Zhane echoed. "I was pummeling you!"

"That's exactly my point," Kerone informed him.

"Well, it's a plan that could use some work next time," Ty interjected dryly. "Let's just leave it at that."

"I'd rather not," Andros insisted, surprising no one. "I was the one who got the laser end of a rescue mission!"

"Yeah, what were you doing trying to rescue me, anyway?" Zhane demanded. "It was a drill and I was out of it! End of story!"

"Or not, as it turned out," Ty's voice muttered. He was overridden by Andros' reply.

"We're supposed to treat those drills as though they're real," Andros said, sounding a little defensive. "They don't do us any good if we don't react the way we would in an actual battle."

Zhane didn't answer, and it was Kerone who broke the ensuing silence. "That's true," she agreed seriously. "We can't train for something we don't anticipate."

"And I sure didn't anticipate Zhane going crazy," Ty put in. "I guess we're going to see that one again, huh?"

"Dunno," Zhane said idly. "Depends what Marsie thought of my improvisation."

The silence this time was startled.

"When you say 'improvisation'," Ashley began.

"That wasn't Marsie' idea?" Andros' interruption was deceptively neutral.

"Nope." Zhane seemed untroubled by their shock. "I thought she'd call me on it when I started playing dead, but even my wing went along with it."

"You weren't hit?" Ty demanded.

"You really are dead," Kerone remarked thoughtfully, and Ashley bit back a giggle. That wasn't such an exaggeration. Andros participated in the drills with a minimum of complaints because he knew Marsie's experience was more extensive than his own. He wasn't likely to appreciate Zhane's input, especially at his expense.

"Let me get this straight," Andros said carefully. "In the middle of a preprogrammed battle drill--with all our weapons and scanners locked down by the sim--you decided to turn your weapons on the other participants without any warning... just to see what would happen?"

"It wouldn't occur to Marsie to turn any of us rogue," Zhane pointed out. "But we've seen it happen. It's something we should be prepared for."

"You interrupted a preprogrammed drill to fire on your teammates?"

A few quiet seconds ticked by, and Ashley could almost see Zhane shrugging. "Basically, yeah," he agreed.

They were skimming the outer asteroid belt by now, banking slowly in a gentle arc that would eventually send them back toward the center of the system. Ashley held her breath as the silence continued, wondering if there was anything she could say to defuse the situation. Unfortunately, without knowing exactly what Andros was thinking, any words she tried might make things worse.

When Andros' answer came, it wasn't at all what she expected. "You're bored," he said flatly. That was it, just two words and a simple observation that had almost nothing to do with Zhane's actions.

"Can you tell?" Zhane countered without missing a beat. "I admire the planetary defense, Andros, and I appreciate the time they've set aside for us. But we won't always be flying at the head of a fighter wing, and we need our own time to train."

There was another moment when she didn't dare say anything, just crossed her fingers and hoped this wouldn't be the thing that tore all the old arguments open again.

"You're right," Andros said at last.

"I am?" Zhane sounded as surprised as Ashley felt.

"Yeah." There was a pause, and then, "I'll talk to Marsie. We should be running some of our own sims."

The system's largest gas giant slid past on Ashley's starboard side, bright luminescence reflecting multicolored hues off of the sunward side. The rings rose and fell as their v-shaped formation curved around the ecliptic, and out of nowhere Kerone remarked, "You still didn't kill me."

"Oh, did someone else finish you off?" Zhane inquired, his insouciance back full force. "I must have missed that. Too busy being caught in the crossfire, I guess."

Ashley didn't bother to stifle her giggle this time. Kerone's indignant retort was cut off by Ty's bland observation that he was too busy taking care of the rogue zord to follow who was taking care of Kerone. But if she said that Zhane hadn't "killed" her, then of course he believed it.

"It's a good point," Andros said, quietly but soberly enough to get their attention. "Rogue zords, I mean."

"What about them?" Ashley asked, when Kerone and Ty paused. She suspected she knew what he meant, but sometimes it took Andros a minute to find the words.

"If... if one of us did go rogue," he said pensively. "Like Cassie... we'd have our biases. We wouldn't be indiscriminately evil."

"Indiscriminately evil?" Zhane repeated, sounding amused. "There's something to aspire to."

"I was thinking about the way you went after Kerone," Andros continued, undeterred. "You took me by surprise, but the only reason you got her was because you were focusing on her to the exclusion of the others. If you'd split your efforts between all three of them, they probably would have been able to neutralize you without losing anyone.

"I thought maybe your focus on Kerone wasn't fair, or at least... representative. I mean, if you were evil, you'd have gone for anyone who got in your way. But you weren't just evil--you were still you, too, the way Cassie was. She went for Saryn. You went for Kerone."

"I didn't--" Zhane sounded uncomfortable. "Well... sorry about that, Astrea."

"I'm flattered," she replied, with just the right amount of dry humor.

"It's just something to remember." Andros didn't seem to be listening. He might even have been talking to himself. "A rogue Ranger has more than strength and Power. They have their own memories and feelings on top of that."

"So, out of curiosity." Ty's voice was light. "Based on what you're implying, if you ever went rogue--would I be the first one to go, or the only one that was safe?"

Ashley bit her lip. Andros' rivalry with Ty might be entirely of his own making, but it was there and it was real. Ty couldn't be expected to just look the other way all the time.

"Depends how quickly you can draw your stunner," Zhane answered easily. "Andros' saber is heavier, so I figure you've got the advantage."

"With distance, too," Kerone added. "An energy discharge is a lot more practical than a close combat weapon."

"Says she who uses a staff!" Zhane hooted.

"A staff that discharges bolts of energy," Kerone reminded him.

"I see target practice in our future," Ty remarked, to the group at large.

Andros hadn't answered, Ashley noticed. That was probably for the best, but she couldn't help wondering what he was thinking. They were rounding the curve of RS-42 even as she wondered, so it looked like she wasn't going to find out. Andros was probably logging the patrol with the orbital satellites right now.

"Let's head down," he said abruptly, confirming her guess.

Their v-shaped formation dove toward KO-35 as one, flames licking the forward transparency as atmospheric friction helped steal some of their impossible velocity. The zords swooped in over the night side of the planet, still braking hard as they took the long way 'round to the Keyota hills. No one who was outside tonight would miss the five fiery trails against the inky darkness of the heavens--or the sonic boom as they failed to make it in under the sound barrier.

"Oops," Ashley heard Zhane mutter, and she suppressed a smile. They really tried not to make so much noise, especially when they were just sight-seeing. But it was hard to remember that people were trying to sleep with the thrill of spaceflight so near.

No one said another word until they were over their own continent and setting a more sedate pace. Keyota raced up to greet them as they cruised by, and then the hills were opening up to welcome them back. Ashley ran her fingers across the control panel to her left and the hum of transformation rumbled through the cockpit.

She had only seen it from the outside a handful of times, but she had a pretty good idea how impressive it was for the little delta wing ships to shift into "cat mode" without so much as a stutter. Speed and descent remained constant even as the zord's aerodynamics went straight to hell. Legs extended forward, the head came up with ears already back, and powerful haunches coiled beneath her, ready for touchdown.

Then she was racing through brush and stone, ghosting across the fragile alpine tundra with nothing but the displacement of air to mark their passage. The hangar loomed large in front of them, rising out of the hills like a giant stone den. The cats returned to it instinctively, and finally the increasing media pressure and frequent commute had convinced the Rangers to join them here.

Their former "v" inverted as Zhane and Ty loped ahead, Ty's black zord sinking into the shadows of the hangar just before Zhane's. Ashley followed, with Kerone on her heels. Her big cat stretched playfully as it found its accustomed spot: nose to nose with Zhane's zord, tail resting up against Kerone's when they settled down. Andros' would take the place nearest the door, the guardian's post, allowing the others to rest without worry.

Ashley patted the console fondly as she pushed herself out of the pilot's chair, whispering "thank you" as she reached for her digimorpher. Though the cats had never actually spoken, she had a sneaking suspicion that they understood more than their pilots knew. They certainly displayed social awareness and the capability for independent action.

Zhane, Ty, and Kerone were all out of their zords and unmorphed by the time she joined them, and Andros stepped out of the teleportation stream right beside her. "Zhane," Kerone was saying. She lifted one finger and gestured him toward her.

"Hello, Rangers." DECA's hologram appeared out of thin air next to her, and Ashley flashed her a quick smile in greeting. "How was the drill?"

"There were a few surprises," Andros told her, watching Zhane saunter over to Kerone. The moment he got within range, Kerone drew back and punched him in the chest.

"Hey!" The Silver Ranger feigned serious injury, flinching away when she came closer. "What's with the abuse!"

"That was for killing me," she informed him. She snuck her hand around his head and kissed him soundly on the mouth. "And that was for getting us out of doing those stupid drills every day," she added. She gave Andros a pointed look, and he just rolled his eyes.

DECA looked decidedly interested. "You were killed?" She gave Kerone a brief once-over, then turned her speculative look on Zhane. "What role did you play in this?"

"I killed her," Zhane said cheerfully. "Nothing improves a relationship like some totally safe target practice."

"I'm trying to decide whether to hit you again," Kerone muttered.

"Get back to me," Zhane advised, ignoring DECA's obvious curiosity.

"Zhane decided to add his own variable to the simulation," Ty said, taking pity on the Megaship's computer. "Namely, him. He went rogue."

"He started shooting everyone in sight!" Ashley corrected.

"It has been said that the drills in question may have that effect on a person," DECA agreed, with her usual equanimity.

"By whom?" Andros demanded, narrowing his eyes at all of them. "Someone could have said something before this, you know."

"And risk your wrath?" Ashley smiled at him to take the sting out of her words. She was maybe half kidding. "Besides, we do need the practice. It just gets old after a while."

"There are other training scenarios which would be just as valuable," DECA offered.

"Yeah," Andros suggested with studied indifference. "Ty mentioned target practice. And we need to start sparring again, probably on a daily basis."

Kerone was the only one who didn't groan at that announcement. They had put the sparring on hold while they moved, reasoning that muscles worn out by lifting and carrying didn't need any more strain than they were already under. Apparently that particular reprieve was over... Andros was by far the best of them at hand-to-hand combat, and he had no qualms about demonstrating it "for their own good".

"On a related topic," DECA remarked, deigning to segue for once, "your presence is required on the Megaship, Zhane. I have had more trouble adapting your Glider to its jump tube than I anticipated, and I would like you to test its performance before relying on it at a critical moment."

"Sure," Zhane agreed readily. "Can I try it now? When do we have to be at the luncheon thing?" he asked, glancing at Andros.

Andros gave him a look that said Zhane knew exactly when they had to be there, and he knew it. "Midday. Noon. Lunch is at lunchtime," he said impatiently.

"And not being served in a format that requires all participants to be present in order for it to begin," DECA observed.

Andros opened his mouth, then closed it again. Shrugging, he turned and headed for the nearest stairs without another word. His footsteps echoed on the metal grating before anyone found their voice.

"Want some company?" Ashley offered, glancing at Zhane. He was watching Andros and didn't seem to have even heard her.

"He's been doing that a lot lately," he said quietly. His eyes were troubled when he looked around at the rest of them. "Do you think he walks out in the middle of conversations more than he used to?"

"Considering he never used to do it at all?" Ashley murmured, mindful of the way voices echoed inside the hangar. "Yeah, I think he does."

"He's trying not to get mad," Kerone said softly. She was frowning a little as she caught Ashley's eye. "Isn't that... I mean, isn't it obvious? He's upset, but he doesn't want to fight. So he leaves."

Ashley looked after Andros, then nodded reluctantly. "Okay," she agreed. "I guess that makes sense. But..." She frowned too, trailing off as she thought back.

"But what?" Kerone prompted.

"He never used to fight with us," she admitted, giving Zhane a questioning look. Was that right? "Not with the Astro team, I mean."

To her surprise, Zhane smiled a little. "Sure he did," he said quietly. "You just never fought back. Andros always got his way, so what was there to argue? We do, though. We challenge him, and complain, and screw up his plans every time he turns around."

"Andros is not used to being part of a team," DECA interjected. When Ashley gave her a disbelieving look, she amended, "He has become used to giving orders, but he has never had to prove himself in terms of team building or leadership."

"We never asked him to," Ashley objected, troubled by the implied criticism. "He's a good leader."

"Agreed," DECA said gently. "But the fact that you did not ask him to prove himself is precisely my point.

"When the Turbo Rangers joined Andros on the Megaship, they were already a cohesive unit. Furthermore, they accepted without question that he was the guide they needed in unfamiliar territory. Never before or since has he had to bring a group of more disparate people together and convince them not only to work together, but to follow his example for its own merits, rather than for lack of an alternative."

"I knew we shouldn't have let you teach that psychogenesis course while the Megaship was grounded for repairs," Zhane remarked irrepressibly.

DECA gave him an arch look. "Would you like to hear my analysis of your role in team development?" she inquired.

"Not really," Zhane replied in the same conversational tone. "What I would like to hear about is how safe this Glider test is. When you say you're having trouble, do you mean 'it might scratch the paint' trouble, or 'I might be exposed to hard vacuum before I'm morphed' trouble?"

"I said that I had trouble," DECA corrected. "Not that problems were still manifesting themselves. Your Glider should perform to specifications at this time."

"Should, huh?" Zhane rolled his eyes at the others. "If I don't come back, at least you'll know where to look." With that, he flipped his digimorpher open and vanished into the teleportation stream.

"You scared him," Kerone observed, giving DECA an appraising look. "Unless that was a private joke?"

DECA's expression didn't change. "To what to you refer?"

"Your analysis of his role in team development."

DECA permitted herself a small smile. "It is a discussion we have had before, yes."

"And you're not going to tell me what you said, are you," Kerone guessed, watching the computer's hologram closely.

"No," DECA agreed pleasantly. "I am willing to discuss with you my perception of your role, however."

Kerone looked as though she was considering it, so Ashley decided this was the last chance she was going to get to excuse herself. "I think I'm going to wait outside," she said hastily, suppressing a smile when Ty shot her a rueful look. Maybe she wasn't the only one who didn't want their place on the team analyzed too thoroughly.

DECA inclined her head by way of farewell, and Ashley headed across the hangar without waiting for more. She gave the upper level a quick glance on her way past the stairs, but the catwalk was deserted. Funny... she was starting to retreat the same way Andros did. Did that mean anything?

It probably meant she should get her act together and figure out where her life was going, she thought irritably. She could study and train until she couldn't keep her eyes open, but anyone could take potshots at fake velocifighters. She wasn't doing anything here that someone else couldn't do just as well, and Ty proved it. He was a great guy, but straight out of agrec and he could shoot down as many simulated bad guys as she could.

Sunshine slid over her shoulders the moment she stepped out of the hangar, and she smiled involuntarily. The hills where the cats loved to play were bright and welcoming today, cool where the wind touched them but warm enough to notice when it was still. Green-gold waves of grass rolled in every direction, and the hills faded to blue and purple silhouettes against the horizon.

The city of Keyota spread across the valley straight ahead, interrupting the deeper colors of the landscape with garish sparkles. Roads and buildings washed up against the foothills, and here and there something stretched beyond the city boundaries as though nature might not notice if it kept itself small. The Kerovans were more respectful of their wild spaces than the people of Earth, but Ashley wondered if that wasn't because there were so few of them. Where you couldn't dominate by sheer numbers, you had to adapt.

She liked it here. She smiled again at the simplicity of the truth. She had missed KO-35 when she went back to Earth. Not just Andros, but his planet. She wasn't sure yet exactly what it was about the world that appealed to her, but it was enough to make her glad she had come back.

What she had come back to, of course, was a completely different question. She had thought she was coming back to Andros and the Rangers. But neither was what she had expected, and she couldn't help but wonder if she really had a place with them anymore. What might DECA have said about her, if she had waited?

She made a face at that, unable to ignore the fact that she was exaggerating slightly. As easy as it was to indulge in a good healthy dose of self-pity, she had never been able to keep it up for long. After all, she had chosen to come here, she did like it, and if it came right down to it... well, Andros had made Andros' life miserable plenty of times without her help.

"Hey," an unexpected voice said quietly.

She whirled, startled to find Zhane standing beside her. "Give a girl a heart attack, why don't you!" she accused. She winced as she heard the annoyance in her own tone, but before she could say anything else he gave her a wounded look.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Didn't expect you to be out here."

"Same here," she said, trying for an apologetic smile. "You surprised me, that's all."

"I'm good at that," he agreed earnestly, but the small smirk betrayed him.

She laughed, relaxing. "That's for sure. How did the Glider test go?"

"It's fine," he said with a shrug. "Just DECA being paranoid, as usual." Giving the view a cursory glance, he added, "What are you doing out here?"

Ashley hesitated, not sure exactly how to answer that. "Thinking," she said at last. Then, before he could ask what about, she told him, "DECA started psychoanalyzing the rest of us after you left, so I decided it was safer not to be anywhere near her until it was over."

He grinned at her in perfect understanding. "I have enough to deal with just having me in my head," he said, and she nodded emphatically.

"That's exactly how I felt," she admitted. "I love DECA, but..."

"She doesn't have enough to do?" Zhane suggested.

She couldn't help giggling. "Yeah, maybe."

He studied her for a moment, just long enough for her to realize he was doing it. "Ash--I need to ask you something."

"Sure," she said, making herself hold his gaze. Zhane didn't hesitate without a good reason. And when it came to the two of them lately, there were plenty of good reasons.

"I kissed Andros last night." The way he was watching her would get unnerving quickly if he kept it up. "I want to know how you feel about that."

She felt a flash of resentment and hoped it didn't show on her face. "It's none of my business," she told him.

"Why not?" he demanded. "And that wasn't the question, by the way."

"It doesn't matter how I feel about it because it's none of my business," she insisted stubbornly. "Why did you even tell me that?"

"Don't you want to know?" The stare was definitely becoming unnerving. "I think it's a lot easier to be jealous when you don't know what's going on. I don't want to be jealous. I do want to know what's going on with you and Andros. I figured maybe it works both ways."

She bit back her immediately defensive response. It wasn't that she wanted to fight with Zhane, but she hated that he made it so hard. "I wish you weren't so nice about all this," she confessed. "It makes me feel so selfish!"

Zhane smiled, but it wasn't the carefree look she was used to seeing on his face. He actually looked a little wistful, which wasn't an expression she had ever associated with Zhane. "In case you hadn't noticed," he said gently, "I have to be nice. You're the one who has Andros. If I want him, I have to share. You don't. I don't think you have anything on me when it comes to selfish."

She stared at him, remembering belatedly to close her mouth. "I... I don't know if that's comforting, or scary," she said uncertainly.

His smile became a grin as the wistfulness vanished. "It was supposed to be comforting," he told her. "It did come out sounding a little bitter, though, didn't it. Sorry. I didn't mean it that way."

"Really?" She wished she could read him as easily as he seemed to read other people. "Are you really not bitter? Because... I think I would be, if I were you."

Zhane's grin faded, but his gaze didn't waver. "I'm really not. Ash--" He paused, frowning. "I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think we look at things the same way. At least... not these things."

She just looked at him, waiting for him to finish before she decided how to react.

"I don't have any problem being in a relationship with both you and Andros," Zhane continued, watching her just as closely. "In fact..." His shrug looked a little self-conscious. "I think it'd be kind of nice.

"I mean, let's face it," he added, a smile tugging at his mouth again. "Andros isn't exactly Mr. Social. And I had a good time going places with you last summer."

She nodded before she thought, but she kept her mouth shut. She'd had a good time too, but they were friends. Friends were supposed to have fun together. She couldn't even handle Andros sometimes--most times, lately. There was no way she was going to date Andros and his best friend.

"You seem to think it's one or the other," Zhane said carefully. "You and Andros, or me and Andros. I don't think it has to be."

"Zhane..." She didn't know how to say this, so she just blurted it out. "I'm not in love with you."

"So?" Zhane didn't seem fazed. "You've never dated someone you weren't in love with?"

That prompted an involuntary smile, and he grinned in return. "See? I'll bet I'm more fun than some of the people you've gone out with, anyway."

"Some?" She pounced, unable to resist teasing him. If nothing else, it gave her a respite from his scrutiny. "Zhane, your insecurity is showing!"

He smirked, not looking the least bit insecure. "It complements my eyes," he said, batting his eyes outrageously at her.

She burst out laughing. "You're terrible," she accused him.

He heaved a dramatic sigh. "All that, and insults too! You'd think a guy could ask a simple question around here without being put through the wringer!"

"Simple?" she repeated incredulously. "What is there about any of this that's simple?"

"You love Andros. I love Andros. He loves us." Zhane rattled the words off easily, going from theatric to sober in a matter of seconds. "That's simple."

Ashley swallowed. "Ask a stupid question?" she murmured, a little shaken. Zhane wasn't a clown. She knew that, but she still let herself get taken in by his act. Why? Because it was easier to think he didn't care that much?

"Not stupid," Zhane countered softly. "It was a good question. And it's a good answer."

"Yeah," she admitted after a moment. That was only the truth, after all. "It is a good answer."

She sighed then, searching his expression. "I don't know how I feel about it. About you and Andros, I mean--last night. I don't even know how I feel about me and Andros anymore. And I definitely don't know how I feel about me and you. But I wish everything didn't have to be so weird with us."

She half-expected him to say it didn't have to be, that it was all in her mind. Instead he nodded once. "I know," he said simply. "Me too."

Encouraged, she went on, "I feel like I've lost two of my best friends, you know? I can't even say 'I'm sorry' and get you back, because it's more complicated than that."

"I know," he repeated. His tone was quieter but no less sympathetic. "It sucks. But nothing worth fighting for is easy, and this is. Worth it, I mean. We're going to figure it out."

"I hope so," she murmured, glancing out across the hills again.

"Do you?" The question took her by surprise, and she turned to look at him again. His expression was one of muted eagerness and she couldn't help being puzzled. What had she said?

"Of course I do," she told him warily.

"You say that like you think it's obvious," he pointed out. "You've been avoiding us lately and I don't know what that means. Not when we're with the group, or when it's just one of us alone, but when it's me and Andros you always have a reason to be somewhere else. Do you not want to be with us? Do you not want me to be with you? If you're fighting for something I don't know what it is, and it's really frustrating!"

She swallowed hard. She knew his anger was aimed at himself as much as it was at her only because she knew him so well. "I don't know what I want," she said softly. "And I'm sorry; I know that doesn't help anything, but you make it look so easy! It's not easy, Zhane; it's hard and I'm not you. Where do I even start?"

"You start with us," he said firmly. "Not with me, or you, or Andros--you start with us. We're friends first, all of us, and we should at least be able to talk to each other."

He frowned, but even when he hesitated he didn't do it long enough to let her respond. "Let's go out and do something tonight, something stupid that doesn't mean anything, like paintball or laser tag or whatever. We can all shoot each other and get our frustrations out, and then we can go eat something and try to have a normal conversation."

*Andros,* he added, before she could say anything. *We're going out tonight. You and me and Ash. We need to have some fun.*

There was a moment's startled silence, but when Andros replied he made sure she could hear it too. *What?*

*We're going out,* Zhane repeated. *Right after the fighter briefing. Rearrange your busy social schedule so the three of us can spend some time together. Alone.*

He didn't answer right away, and Ashley held her breath. When a response was finally forthcoming, however, it wasn't at all what she'd expected. *Where are we going?*

*Do I have to make all the decisions around here?* Zhane demanded, shooting her a woefully exasperated look.

*I vote for laser tag,* she said quickly, repeating it out loud in case Zhane couldn't hear her.

*I second that.* He was just as quick to back her up, and the fact that he didn't verbalize it meant that he was reading her just fine. *Andros?*

*Laser tag sounds fine,* Andros said mildly.

"Is this a private staring contest," a new voice inquired, "or can anyone join?"

Ashley started, but it was Zhane that Ty was staring at. "You're talking to someone," he announced, before either of them could say anything. "Not--" His gaze tracked toward Ashley. "Each other?"

They exchanged glances, and Zhane shrugged uncomfortably.

Ty's disbelieving look seemed to be solely for Zhane. "Are you a telepath?"

"No!" Zhane exclaimed, strangely defensive. "I told you, Astrea's the telepath. She just doesn't know how to stay out of our heads."

"You weren't talking to her just now," Ty pointed out. His glance included Ashley this time. "Unless you're telepathic too?"

Ashley shook her head. "Not the way you mean it," she said, making herself smile. "I can hear Andros, most of the time, and Zhane some of the time. That's all."

"'That's all'?" Ty repeated incredulously. He looked from her to Zhane and back again before seeming to conclude that they were serious. "It must be a lot more common on Earth if you think being able to share two other people's thoughts is nothing."

"It's... it's not really an Earth thing," Ashley said uncertainly, shooting Zhane a look of her own. "I could never do it with anyone until I met Andros."

"Andros was the only one I could talk to like that until you," Zhane agreed. "I've tried to convince him that Astrea's telepathy is genetic, but he doesn't listen."

Surprised, Ashley tried to judge how serious Zhane was. He was perfectly capable of saying something like that just to shift the conversation away from them, but he looked... far away. As though he was only speaking to participate in the conversation, not really hearing what he was saying.

"Do you really think that?" Ashley asked, trying to capture his attention again. "Kerone says Ecliptor taught her to read minds."

She was instantly on the receiving end of two very startled stares.

"What?" Ty glanced to Zhane for confirmation, but the Silver Ranger was shaking his head.

"Do you really buy that?" He deliberately muted his skepticism, but it was clear that he didn't think she had any idea what she was talking about. "Ecliptor is a machine. He's built. He may be self-aware and occasionally compassionate, but DECA would be the first to tell you--"

Ashley frowned when he stopped abruptly. She was about to prompt him when a flicker of motion made her look back toward the hangar. Kerone shook her hair out of her face as she stepped into the sunlight, looking casually and, Ashley thought fondly, annoyingly pretty.

"The real question," Zhane remarked, keeping his tone of voice exactly the same, as though he was picking up from where he'd left off. "Is who's going to drive."

*Looks like we're waiting on you, Andros,* he added silently.

"Not Andros," Kerone said, joining them in time to catch that last comment. If she had heard any more than that, she gave no sign.

"Agreed," Ty put in with a grin. He switched tracks as easily as Zhane had, sharing an understanding look with Kerone. "He doesn't really get the concept of 'roads'."

"Or 'not roads'," Kerone said emphatically.

"What do you say?" Zhane offered, glancing over at Ashley. "Want to practice?"

She brightened. "Sure," she agreed, trying not to sound too eager. Zhane had been trying to teach her to drive since Christmas, sometimes with and sometimes without Kerone's assistance. The amount of "help" she provided was questionable, but it did add an element of humor that Ashley had definitely needed lately.

They spent the time until Andros emerged arguing over the seating arrangements in Zhane's hover. Ty's usual preference for front seat seemed to wane when Zhane wasn't driving, and Kerone laughingly suggested that he only called that seat to annoy Andros. Ty grinned but didn't deny it, until Zhane threatened to take the front seat and let Ty fight over the back with Andros.

"Wait a minute," Ashley interjected. "If Zhane's not riding up front, Kerone has to, because I have no idea where we're going. That puts Andros in the back with both of you..."

"And that's just not a good idea," Kerone finished, with something that sounded suspiciously like a giggle. "Maybe Zhane should drive."

"Shotgun," Ty said immediately. Ashley privately decided she had used that word way too often if even Ty was picking it up.

"No," Kerone countered. "I'm not going to watch Andros fume the whole way!"

"What is this, the chicken and the rowboat?" Zhane sounded exasperated, but he didn't look as surprised as he should have when they all turned to him with varying degrees of confusion.

"It's one of Cassie's riddles," he elaborated. He gave Ashley a look that clearly asked for confirmation, but she had no more idea what he was talking about than they did. "You know, you have a fox, a chicken, and some corn on one side of a river, and you have to get them to the other side but you can only take one across at a time."

Ty said it for all of them. "What?"

Zhane sighed. "You can't leave the chicken alone with the corn, or the fox alone with the chicken, because they'll eat each other. You seriously don't remember this?" he asked Ashley.

"Maybe?" she said tentatively. "What's the answer?"

Zhane shrugged. "I don't know. If you ask Saryn, it's to eat the fox and let the chicken swim. I don't think he really understood the riddle."

"Is everyone ready?" Andros' voice asked, and Ashley exchanged guilty glances with Kerone. He had just arrived, right?

"Everyone except you, apparently," Ty remarked. There was no venom in his tone, but Andros' eyes narrowed at the words.

No one could blame Ty for not letting Andros ignore him, but she saw Zhane shoot him a warning look anyway. Ty pointedly avoided his gaze, acknowledging nothing. Any of the rest of them could have said the same thing and Andros would have just rolled his eyes, even smiled. But not Ty.

"Andros," Ashley said brightly, slipping her arm though his and tugging him toward the hovers. "Will you be my navigator?"

His expression softened immediately, and she thought he was pleased by her sudden attention. "Sure," he said, smiling back at her. "Going to brave the city traffic?"

"Only to keep you from doing it," she teased, and sure enough, he rolled his eyes at her. She took the opportunity to wink over her shoulder at the others, and she caught Kerone's amusement.

Andros pulled her subtly closer, smiled when she did, and for a moment it was just like old times. If only it could be like this all the time, she thought wistfully. Psychological evaluations aside, this was the place she knew: at Andros' side. And whether it was in life or on the team, that was the only role she really wanted.