Disclaimer:Trip and Nadira forever! WOOO! Yeah. I'd like to thank Multi-Facets, who helped me through this one. This is so great, I finished this. Well, try this. I'll follow up soon.

A high-pitched squeal erupted from the far corners of the base. The gold mechanoid clapped his hands over his audio receptors. What could the problem be now? That whiny little twerp can never keep her mouth shut! She even complains in her sleep! He hurried across the room to the door to find the cause of the trouble.

Nadira came storming out of the shower, wearing nothing but a towel. Her long pink hair was soaking wet, and she was dripping water everywhere she stepped. "Daddy! DADDY!" she screeched.

Frax sighed. "What is it? Your father isn't here. He's away on business."

She frowned. "Then perhaps you could tell me why there's no hot water, Frax. I got in there, and there was hot water for all of three seconds. Tell me why! Now!"

"We're working on a new weapon to destroy the Power Rangers, and we need all the available heat energy in the place to construct it. That's what happened" he explained.

She screeched again. "Why does my father even keep tin cans like you around? You're nothing but a nusiance that can't do anything right!" With that, she flung her hair around, getting the robotic henchman soaking wet, and stormed to her room.

Frax kicked the wall in utter frustration. " Someday, you'll follow my order, and it will be my own robotic daughter flinging water in your face!"

Ransik was, as Frax had said, away on business. Intergalactic mercaneries were a thing of the past in the year 3000, with the signing of the System Kadok 2 Treaty making it illegal for any sentient being to practice mercenary or bounty hunter occupations. It was very unsatisfactory..no outside forces were available for help in 3000.

This was the year 2001, and it would one hundred and thirty years before disscussion about such a treaty would be brought to the attention of the public. Ransik had recieved a message from the ruler of the M-51 Galaxy, Master Vile, who had made many vain attempts to destroy an earlier set of Power Rangers. All his attempts had failed.

The barbarian was told that a monster of immense power had been retrived, and he was allowed the first chance at claiming. Very few villains were left at the turn of the century, because of something called "the great equalizer". However, Ransik was told Vile had survived. This "great eualizer" had only a select number of targets in mind, and one of those targets was not Master Vile, for he had not been set on conquering Earth or surronding planets.

He was ushered into a caliginous and lengthy hallway by a silver armored Tinesian. Ransik had taught himself to recongize all alien species, and spoke a few words in each tounge. "Ervat ni cou de kli yunga?" he said, which loosely translated as "How might you be this evening?"

The creature surprised Ransik by answering him in English. "I am fine, thank you. The master has great need of you, Sir Ransik. He has hoped that you might do what he has failed to accomplish. I am Honrar, brother of the fallen warrior Goldar."

Ransik nodded. "I have heard of this one called Goldar. How is it that he died?"

Honrar did not look Ransik in the eyes when he answered him, a move that both confused and delighted the warlord. The beast was quite repugnant. "The Astro Power Rangers destroyed him. That's all I know for certain, and I hope you can destroy these Rangers. Anyone connected with my brother's death." He paused as they came to a pair of solid oak doars that rose ten feet high. "Good day, Sir Ransik." He turned and walked away.

Ransik pulled the door open by the brass handle and stepped inside. Immediatley he was ambushed by a platoon of purple-feathered footsoliders. He fought them off as best he could, driving a blade through one of them as carefully as you might skewer a piece of hamburger. He wrapped his hands around two throats, and squeezed until the warlord felt throats crush under his strength. Finished with that, he began pushing his blade in and out of the beings. When he was finished, there were thirteen slain Tengas around him, and the others began to back off.

"Bravo!" A clap sounded off to the right of the room, as a hideous monster entered. He had the outline of a metal skeleton, and his face was covered by a visor. He held a tall, silver staff with a crooked Z on the end. " You are an excellant fighter, Ransik."

"Master Vile, I presume."

"You presume in error. I am the Emperor of Evil, Lord Lucien Zedd. Master Vile sent me in beforehand to make sure you could defeat the Tengas. And I do aplaud you. Not since the Rangers has someone done a number on our foot soldiers"

The warlord was confused. "Lord Zedd is dead."

"I am bemused. Not only can you fight, you can rasphodize as well. In truth, I am not the true Lord Zedd. I am merely a clone of the emporer. The actual person who portrayed Zedd is human, and lives on Earth. Nasty little bugger, he is. We couldn't even turn him back to Lord Zedd, what, with the irrevisability of the spell and all."

Ransik just gazed quizzically at the monstrosity. "Where is Master Vile? It was him who called me here, not some clone of the emporer."

"I am here." proclaimed another voice, although this one was far more menacing than that of Lord Zedd. A figure entered in a wave of darkness, and instead of staying in one area of the room as the fake Zedd had, he strode across the floor to greet his guest. " Lovely evening, isn't Ransik?" With a wave of his hand and POOF!, a table set for three appeared. " Join us, Zedd."

The imposter leaned his staff against a wall and joined the other two warlords at the table, which was elegantly set with exquisite china, well crafted silver and fine crystal. A lovely arrangment fit for a king. More accuratley, a lovely arrangment fit for three beings that had always failed to defeat the Power Rangers.

A green meat with tubers dish adorned the plate, but it was surrounded with usual Earthern utensils. There was a basket full of some sort of bread-like food that Zedd and Vile passed between them. Vile filled Ransik's glass with a honey-colored liquid and Ransik drank it down fast, before pouring himself another.

He sat down on the ground, and watched the clouds drift in the sky. It was beautiful in the year 2001. No large buildings, nothing to block out the view of the above. It was comforting to Trip, and helped him unwind and relax.

"That one looks like a cow!" cried a small voice near him. A small girl with curly, ash-colored hair pointed a chubby finger to the sky. The mother, who had a hair that was burnt umber in shade, laughed. She was petite; a short, delicate woman who looked to be in her early thirites; with them was another young child, a boy.

"It's not a cow, June!" He shouted, " It's an alligator!"

"Is not! It's a cow!"

"Alligator!"

"Cow!"

"Alligator!"

Trip sprawled backwards and pushed his hat down so it covered his eyes. The never-ending shouts of "Cow!", "Alligator!" and the occasional "It's not a cow, stupid!" were really starting to annoy him. He shifted, but the noise persisted.

"COW!"

"ALLIGATOR!"

He plugged his ears, but he could still hear them. At last resort, he jumped up and started to walk away. He didn't need to sit around and listen to two children bicker over which animal the cloud more closely resembled. Trailing a beaten path to a clearing in the trees, he started plop down, but heard a distinct voice, along with some struggling.

"Hey, knock it off! Let go!" It was Jen, but instead of morphing quickly, Trip approached the situation quietly. Maybe I can get close enough and sneak attack whoever's hurting her....he inched closer and closer until he could almost hear breathing.

"I mean it, Wes!"

It's just Jen and Wes! He peeked out from behind the tree, and saw the two who were formerly engaged in combat, but were the Red Ranger had Jen's hand locked behind her back, and his other arm around her neck. Seeing the Pink Ranger starting to weaken, he freed her.

It was just a trap. Jen spun around and roundhouse-kicked him in the chest, and Wes went sprawling backwards. The red-clad warrior propped himself up on his elbows and congratulated his opponent.

"Help me up?" As Jen reached over to help her fallen comrade, he swept his legs out from under her. The Pink Ranger collapsed like a house of cards in a hurricane, but managed to work herself up to a sitting position. Worming her way next to Wes, she flopped next to him.

I don't need to be watching this, thought the green-haired Zybrain as he strolled away from the scene. Jen really hasn't been alone, not with Wes around. And Lucas has been seeing some girl so exclusivley that's all he talked about at dinner, and I'm alone. Just plain alone.

I'm not alone, of course..I have my friends. While Katie is a nice girl, I consider her more of a friend and sister-type than girlfriend material. I know there's someone out there for me. Love is a complicated thing, and my love could come from anywhere. However random it maybe! He continued his walk, pausing only momentarily to see if he could locate the cow/alligator in the sky.

"Anyway, as I was saying," sloshed the intoxicated Zedd, explaining one of his "adventures" agains the Rangers, "I was presumably under a 'love spell'....so I told Rita we were gonna have a child. And she was like..." With out warning, he slumped over, unconcious.

Master Vile glanced at the clone, knowing (except for his weakness to alcohol) that the clone was a suitable replacement for Lord Zedd. Turning back to the future bane of the Rangers, he watched as Ransik downed at least his twentieth glass of Ambrosi 80.

"Too much alcohol, perhaps?"

Ransik laughed. "Perhaps you should've researched more carefully! In my mutated state, there is no way I can get buzzed, drunk or falling-down drunk, like the clone over there," He indicated Zedd.

Vile's voice expressed his emotions. "Oh.... well. Maybe we should get down to business?" Without waiting for a reply, he rose and practically glided over to a small corner, where a table stood, littered with various objects. The Master of the M-51 Galaxy was looking for one in particular, and couldn't seem to find it.

"Wait a minute! Of course!" The evil entity reached into one of the many folds of his cloak and drew out a small, black lamp. It was a coal black, with a long neck and a handle that curved out of the back. A genie's lamp!

Ransik hustled his way to Vile's side. "What is that?"

Vile didn't even stop to look at Ransik. "This, this is a genie's lamp. A genie, if you must know, is a being entrapped in this lamp prison, and when is freed, grants the owner of the lamp three wishes. In fact, back in the day, this genie's father was the one that almost spelled certain defeat for Zordon's first Power Ranger team!" Solemnly, he handed the lamp over to Ransik.

The metal-plated villain turned the lamp over in his hands. "What do I do with it?" He questioned.

"When you're ready to make a wish," started Vile, "you rub the lamp and wish for whatever you want. Be careful though, you get only three wishes, so use them carefully!"

Ransik was still confused. "You are the ruler of not a planet, but an entire galaxy. Am I correct?"

"Indeed, you are," answered Vile.

He wasn't finished. "And you yourself are a sworn enemy of Rangers everywhere?"

"I am," came the second answer.

Now the barbarian was royally confused. "Then why would you entrust this massive responsibility to me? You can't make the time to send your clone against the Rangers with the various weapons of destruction spread about this palace?"

The evil ruler chuckled. "I can't leave. With the rebel uprisings in Sectors 56 and the overthrow of the Governor of Sector 36, it's important that I stay behind. And as much as I would like to send the clone, he, too, is needed to maintain order. He is, after all, second in-command.

"But I am trusting you because you are a hated enemy of the Power Rangers. Not of this time, but of the future! If you can destroy the future now, then there will be no Power Rangers to contend with. So go, and take Honrar with you. God knows you need a warrior at your side.

"Godspeed, Ransik. May the ultimate power of Death guide you in your quest." With that, he ushered the warlord out the grand oak doors and into the hallways. Making his way back to the table, he sank into the chair as the fake Zedd came into conciousness.

"Anywhoz, I had a great idea once!" he began, slurring his words . "Why not take the former Green Ranger and make him into my lieuten..."

A hand smashed the wizard's face back into the plate. "Shut up, would you?'

Damp, with just a towel wrapped around the middle of her body, the sultry vixen wiped a hand across the foggy mirror. She cringed as it made a sleek, hissing noise. Taking a quick glance at herself in the mirror, she found a few minor flaws and set about to correct them. After pulling the mirror slightly, the medicine chest's door was ajar, and she grabbed her lipstick and applied it evenly.

Grabbing a tissue and blotting, she scampered across from the bathroom to her room. She smiled as she toweled her long, pink hair. Today will be a great day to show Daddy I can take care of myself while he's gone. I really don't want to unfreeze a monster will out him.... Pulling off the towel, she slipped her undergarments on and remembered how awkward it had been when Frax had to tell her, as a teenager, about her changing body.

“You see, Nadira,” the mechanical voice told her, “these **ahem** undergarments are set up to help support your changing form.”

The pre-teen Nadira reached up and grabbed both pieces. “I recongize this piece,” she began, holding up the panties, “but what exactly is this for?” she finished, holding up the bra.

“Well, you’ve seen adult women right?”

Nadira nodded. “Daddy says they’re “the scum of the Earth, except when they’re-”

“Right, so anyway,” He popped in, not wanting to hear Ransik’s sexual desires, (Author’s Note: If you feel sick reading that, remember; I had to write it.)”this indergarment supports their…how do I say this-”

“Hoo-hoos?” The younger of the two finished.

Frax placed both hands on his hips. “I see someone has been watching old, not to mention bad, movies again? Didn’t your dad tell you not to watch ‘Dude, Where’s My Car’?”

Nadira slid open the door to her massive closet. Hmm...the black leather statement is always fashionable. Pulling her usual ensemble out of the closet, she slipped it on. Shutting the closet, she left her room, in search of some devious deed to perform.

"Royal Base, this is Multi-Sniper 37, requesting take off."

"Roger that, Multi-Sniper. Request granted. Began takeoff procedures."

"Thank you, Base. Over and out." growed the silvered-clad simian before shutting off the com-link. He flicked a few switches to start the engines, and then banged in a course set for Earth on the autopilot controls. Pulling the lever up, the Sniper took off in a blaze of orange and gold from the boosters. Setting her in autopilot, Honrar went back to check on Ransik.

If I wish for world peace, then I could easily go in and conquer. But if I gave myself invunerability, I would be nigh-unstopable. I need...the mutant leader was pondering to himself as the Tinesian strode in.

"Ransik?" Honrar snapped his fingers, "Sir?"

Ransik glanced up at Honrar, gathering himself together. "I think I have decided what to wish for," he explained, getting prepared to rub the lamp and make his wishes. Just as he about to release his elbow grease, a graveled voice spoke up.

"Are you sure, sir? You must remember that your wishes are exactly correct, or they may end up backfiring. Trust me, I would know....I wished to be as powerful as my brother and look at me." He observed his armored hands. "I was wrapped in this blasted armor for eternity!"

"Quiet! I know exactly what I want to wish for, and I am positivley certain what I want." With that, the vandal rubbed the lamp vigourously, as though trying to remove a spot from it. Rose-colored smoke filled the room, and a unseeming genie appeared before him with a POOF!. Wierdly enough, the POOF! Was more than just a sound; the smoke spelled it out. (Author’s Note: Rest in peace, Adam West’s career.) In total awe, Ransik barely listened to what the genie had to say.

“I am the Meanie Genie, " began the being, "and you have released me from 4,000 years of imprisonment. I bid you thanks for releasing me. I will now grant you three wishes."

" Marevlous. Simply marvellous," stated Ransik. "I am your master, Ransik, and Meanie Genie, my first wish is that I never again need my serum to keep the form I have now."

"So you have wished, Ransik, and so it has been done." The Meanie Genie responded, and flicked his wrist.

The warlord grinned. He felt that some great weight had been lifted from his shoulder. Checking his neck, he saw the bite Venomark had left was gone. Relieved, the menace from the future turned back to the bluish ethereal in pointy shoes and a turban. His second wish would concern someone a bit closer to him.

"Genie, my second wish is that my daughter, Nadira, be a litte more sensitive, not as ditzy and perhaps a little less...annoying."

The Genie paused. "I am assuming that is all one wish, then." He halted a second time, glowing with magic. As soon as the shimmer appeared, it dispersed. "Again, my lord, you have wished. What you have wished has been granted."

Honrar was baffled. "Sir, aren't you going to wish for-"

"Quiet, you!" Ransik returned. "Genie, what is it you would have me wish for?"

"My release from this prison," came the booming reply.

"Genie, you may consider yourself released," explained Ransik, baiting his trap, "but first, you must make sure the Power Rangers have been exterminated. Understood?"

"Please phrase the reply in the form of a wish."

Ransik groaned in annoyance. "My third and final wish is for the release of the Meanie Genie, upon the destruction of the Power Rangers. Is that good enough for you?"

"Is that your final wish?"

"YES! Why WOULDN'T it be?!!?"

"It has become obvious you do not spend enough time in front of the television set. The base for my release is the destruction of the Power Rangers. The latter part of the wish is soon to be granted." With that, the Meanie Genie's trademark scented fog filled the room, and he disapeared from the Sniper.

"Do you think he can accomplish the goal?" inquired Honrar.

Ransik snorted, retorting, "Certainly. What have I got to lose?"

The clang of silverware being set and the slosh of drinks being poured greeted Trip upon his arrival at the abandoned tower the Rangers called home. The lime strands on his head shifted as he turned to check the clock. One! Damn, I knew I was late for something. Lunch was usually a meal all the Rangers shared together, but he wasn't baffled when he only saw flashes of yellow and blue going to and fro from the table.

Katie looked up long enough to see Trip shedding his hat and shoulder bag. "Damn, Trip, where have you been? You haven't seen Wes and Jen by any chance, have you?"

"I saw them in the park, together," recollected the Green Ranger, " 'sparring'." he finished, using the two-finger quotes.

Lucas had apparently been eavesdropping. "I knew it. You guys owe me, because I'm not making lunch three days in a row ever again."

The Zybrian shrugged. "If I make it, you're going to get a nice dish of Zybrian food that will taste absolutely delicious to me. But to you guys, it'll be worse than eating styrofoam."

"For the sake of eating human, Earth food, I'll make lunch tomorrow," began Katie. "So, what were Wes and Jen up to?"

Before Trip could describe what he had seen in detail, the Red and Pink Rangers sauntered in, hand in hand. As soon as they saw the others, their hands quickly parted as they took seats on the bench where they ate. Trip and Katie sat as well, with the cook going over to get the food to serve them.

"I hope you guys like macaroni and cheese...cuz that's what I made."

Everyone made various noises of disaproval. "How mitigating! Lucas, we've had instant macaroni and cheese for lunch for the past three days! Couldn't you have made something different?" Jen complained.

Lucas raised an eyebrow as he finished scooping generous helpings of the food onto everyone's plates. "I'd like to see you try to be a gourmet cook on our budget. Besides, I do a have nice desert to prepared after the finish of the macaroni and cheese."

"If it's five-minute instant chocolate pudding, I'll scream," said Katie.

"Of course it isn't! I do like a little variety. It's butterscoth this time around." The Blue Ranger sat and picked at his food as the others ate, eyeing him from time to time. "Hey, at least I didn't order takeout for the meal!" he sputtered defensively.

Wes almost turned as red as his costume. "I thought you guys might like to try McDonald's for a change!" he griped.

"Give him a break," backed up Jen, "he didn't know, that by our time, McDonald's wasn't just worldwide. That they have more than three million locations across the universe alone. How does a freakish clown sell so much food, anyway?"

Trip stopped eating enough to make kissy noises, then returned to scarfing down the pasta. He only paused long enough to sip his limeade. He tried not to make eye contact with Jen, knowing she had one of her "looks" on her face.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

"He'll have to explain later, Jen," interrupted Circuit, "there's a monster in downtown Silver Hills. He's not attacking, he's asking for the Power Rangers. What's wierder is, I can't identify him!" finished the robotic owl.

"Always when we're eating!" grumbled Lucas, throwing down his napkin. “Just like those telemarketers we get at Nick of Time!” The other Rangers got up, ready to morph, as Trip approached the mechanoid.

"Give me a visual, Circuit." The droid called up a screen, with the monster blasting around. "That's peculiar. I can't seem to place the time we froze him either." That remark made Jen come around and observe the visual.

"Funny, I don't recongize him either. He's not listed in the Time Force directories, so we''re dealing with-"

"Outside forces." Wes completed Jen‘s sentence. "Take no quarter, right, captain?"

"You nailed it on the head. Time for...Time Force!"

Ransik lumbered into the base, Honrar tagging along behind him. He still had a smile on his, before entering the main room.

"Frax! Nadira! Gluto! Get in here! NOW!" he shouted.

Frax merely appeared from behind a door, as Gluto stumbled in from the bathroom. A unearthly stench followed him closely, leading one to hold their nose. Nadira, however, took a little longer to get to there. Frantically running down the hall and trying to dry her nails at the same time, she bustled into the room.

"Sorry, Daddy. I was right in the middle of-"

"Sir," Frax interjected, "the Ranger Destroyer 3K is almost finished. I had to sap out whatever energy in the base I could to complete, but it's finally done. Finally"

"Well, we won't be needing it." stated Ransik as a matter-of-factily, "I visited Master Vile on my business trip and got myself a genie. The Meanie Genie. I made three wishes, and one was for the genie to destroy the Power Rangers. Which is what he is doing right now."

"Daddy.... what if he turns on you?" questioned Nadira.

"It won't happen. This is Honrar," he explained, motioning towards the silver-armored warrior, "he will be helping us as chief warrior of the Cyclobots. Any missions that need strike force-like fighting skills will be lead by him. All right, all of you, get out of my sight! Frax, show Honrar to his room."

"He doesn't have one."

"Then show him to yours. You'll room with him. Nadira," he called after his turning-to-flee daughter, "I'd like a word with you, if you wouldn't mind."

She bit her lip, and turned about face. The warlord waited for everyone to exit the room before turning to shout at his daughter.

"You think this is some kind of joke? That genie will not betray me! You know how I know! Because I am Ransik, damn it, and this is my game. The Power Rangers will be destroyed. Look at me when I'm talking to you!" He smacked her across the face.

He paused when he saw tears begining to roll down his daughter's cheeks. Pulling her into an embrace, he stroked her long, pink hair lightly.

"Shh...Nadira, princess, I'm sorry. I get carried away just thinking about those jackassed Rangers. I have their defeat almost literally handed to me on a silver platter, and when you questions it. Come now, darling...don't cry."

Instead of taking comfort in her father's arms, she ran out of the room, hair and cape fluttering behind her.

He followed her, albiet more slowly. "Nadira...sweetie, what is it that's troubling you?" Ransik inquired, following his daughter into her room and sitting on the edge of the bed she was sprawled upon.

"Nothing, daddy," She whimpered back, "just please go."

“Where are you, Rangers?” cried the Genie, blasting a nearby tree. “Get out here, so I can destroy and go off on my own! Come out, come out wherever you are!”

A flash of color answered him, and before he could make them out clearly, they were there. One red. One blue. One pink. One green. One yellow. Weapons drawn, and aimed at the Genie. No need to flash a badge; they weren’t arresting the genie; they were destroying him.

Meanie Genie studied the Rangers. “I asked for the Power Rangers. You are not they. Where is the Black Ranger, huh? The Green Ranger is supposed to have a golden vest and a dagger. Your helmets and costume…they are all wrong! Wrong! I asked for the Power Rangers, not some cheap wanna-be ripoffs.”

“What are you talking about? We are the Power Rangers.” Wes said angrily.

“No! These are the Power Rangers!” The Meanie Genie produced a large hologram with vibrant colored characters. “See, six Rangers. Red, Blue, Black,Yellow, Pink and Green! These are the Power Rangers, the ones that killed my father!!!”

Wes blinked. “Those Rangers? The old Rangers? Their powers are gone…they’re not a team anymore.”

The Meanie Genie sighed. “Oh well, then. I guess you guys are gonna have to do then.”

With that, he blasted the Rangers with one gigantic burst of energy. Spears flew from his back, and knicked each Ranger. Content with his work, he sprayed webbing over them. Little did the Rangers know, the webbing was constructed to drain their power. The Genie pulled out his lamp, intent on trapping at least one Ranger inside.

A voice screeched as Nadira and Honrar came up behind. The simian joined Ransik’s daughter as she looked upon each Power Ranger individually. She had successfully hid the red marks from the slap across her face under makeup, and her devious, yet empty, smile concealed her pain.

“Finally, it’s happened. The Power Rangers are helpless against us. The Pink Ranger, always so stubborn.” She stopped to kick the weak Jen in the head, “and you, Yellow Ranger. Always so strong. How strong are you now?”

“Blue Ranger. From what I’ve heard, quite the ladies’ man. I know what hurts ladies’ men.” She pulled the Ranger up by his collar, and with precise accuracy, kneed him right where the sun doesn’t shine. Lucas doubled up and collapsed without a sound. “And you Green Ranger….what the?”

She halted her insults as the Genie’s smoke surrounded her. “What is going on here? Genie?!!?”

“Move, Nadira, move!” shouted the ethereal, but it was too late. Nadira had disappeared into his lamp, along with the Green Ranger. “Shoot…Ransik is not going to be happy about this mess up.”

“Mess up? What mess up?” It was Ransik. “I don’t see a mess up here! The Rangers are contained. Kill one of them, Honrar. Anyone you wish. Why not start with the one who deserves to be put out of her misery? Kill the pink one.”

As Honrar raised his sword, Ransik looked around. Beffudled, he questioned Honrar.

“Honrar, where is my daughter?”

“She is….well, she’s trapped inside his lamp.”

While the villains stood conversing, the small pattering of footsteps was heard to those that were paying attention. The silver-banded black boots were barely recongizable to the Rangers. Drawing out his blaster, he stood ready to fire. Reconsidering, he holstered the blaster and thought for a minute.

I *could* let them free, but what would the fun be in that? If they die, I can take their morphers and make my own Rangers out of select Silver Guardians. Turning to walk away, he paused, hearing a faint cry from one of them. It was Wes. The supposed “leader” was flat on his back, reaching slightly up to Eric.

“Eric….help us.” The gloved hand fell, and Wes stopped moving.

Regretting what he was about to do, Eric cut them loose with his blade and silently helped them up. Jen and Wes were able to stand under their own power, but Blue and Yellow Rangers had to be helped onto the Red and Pink Vector Cycles. The two injured Rangers demorphed, and the Cycles were gone in a flash of light.

Amazing, the villains were totally impervious to this whole thing. This day is getting a little weird. Eric retracted his blade, and holstered. He quietly snuck away, lest one of the villains saw him.

Ransik turned to glare at the ethereal next to him. “And how did she get in your lamp?”

“Err, well, you see,” the Meanie Genie stammered, “I was going to trap the Green Ranger and Nadira got in the way, so I ended up trapping her as well. I’m dreadfully sorry, master.”

Ransik shrugged. “Well, I guess it does get her out of my hair for a while. Proceed, Honrar. Cut the Blue Ranger’s head off.”

“I can’t. They escaped.”

“How is that possible?”

“While we were talking, they slipped away.” replied Honrar.

Ransik pointed a finger at the Genie. “You, next time….I don’t want any long talking, no explaining, no pondering, nothing! Just kill them! Understood?”

The Genie nodded wordlessly. Ransik stormed away from him, Honrar in tow. The Genie knew he would have to do something drastic to call the Rangers’ attention to him again, but he had no idea what that could possibly be. Sighing, he trailed Honrar back to the base.

A large bump on the Zybrian's head was the first thing he noticed upon awaking. Rubbing the raised area on his skull, he tried to figure out where exactly he was, and why he had demorphed without meaning to. The bulk of the matter weighed specifically on his ability to recall his memory. Trip stood up, still woozy, and looked around.

Whomever furnished this place must have a fortune stashed somewhere! Padded chairs and tables that barely rose above one's ankle; thick carpets and a plush bed. This is.... decadent, to say the least. Did I die and join the Spirits in the World Beyond? He knew that to die for your own cause was a direct route to the World Beyond. Dragging himself onto one of the chairs, the Green Ranger started to drift off.

A squeal of outrage jerked him straight from the edge of unconsciousness. Trip yelped in shock and fell out of the chair, hitting his head again on the floor. Mercifully, the carpet broke his fall, but it still hurt like a bitch, and it gave him double-vision.

"You!" a familiar, furious female voice shrilled. "Of all the people to wind up in here with me, it had to be you!"

"Nadira?" Trip gasped in disbelief, trying to see straight. "Is that you?"

"Of course it's me, you brainless alien!" Nadira yelled, hobbling into view. "I just can't believe my luck...."

"What about mine?" Trip muttered to himself, sitting up slowly. His vision was starting to clear, but the situation didn't look any better. Neither did Nadira, for that matter. Her face was distorted by anger and pain, and she didn't seem to be able to put any weight on her left ankle.

The young woman flopped down on one of the chairs and sighed heavily, lifting her foot and probing it through the boot, checking to see what was wrong. "Oooohhh!" she snarled finally. "I think it's broken."

I guess that means I'm safe for now, Trip thought. She won't be able to do much damage with a hurt leg.

"Don't relax too soon," Nadira stated, propping her foot up. "I heal fast."

"Hopefully we'll both be out of here by then," Trip reasoned, and moved to another chair.

Back at the clock-tower, Wes was sitting with an icepack on his head as he borrowed Jen's holocomputer to surf the Internet. He was trying to find something on the original Power Rangers and how they dealt with the Meanie Genie's father, with hopes that a similar technique would beat the Meanie Genie.

Jen limped over to check on his progress. "Anything yet?" she questioned, gingerly sitting on the couch near her desk.

"No, not yet," Wes answered, clicking on a new link. "I think I'm getting close, though."

He closed the Internet Explorer in frustration. "I hate this! This IE is so slow, nothing ever loads up. Now, the godamn thing made the whole computer freeze, and I have to restart the computer. Tell me, Jen, do computers freeze in the future?"

"Well sometimes they-"

" Where is my movie?" bellowed Katie from another room. Wes had managed to buy a small TV and VCR, and Katie had been glued to it, watching movies everyone except Wes thought were "ancient". This week, she'd been stuck to the Aladdin series, and was watching the second movie.

"If we knew," Wes started, "don't you think we'd tell you?"

His inquiry made Katie stammer with an "you're right, but you're not" answer.

Lucas came up behind her, holding a rectangular black casette tape. "This is it, Katie?" He questioned.

She checked the label, then glanced at everyone in apology. Turning for the TV, she loaded in the tape and pressed play. The screen flashed for a brief second, then emulated the familiar faces of the Genie and Jasmin.

Lucas just rolled his eyes as the cartoon voices filled the usually empty sound area of the Clock Tower. "I guess my research has been stumped as well. I searched all over that damn library, but nothing on how to destroy a genie. Sorry, guys."

"If you destroy Jafar's lamp, then you will destroy Jafar."

Wes had to think to himself a split second before dashing towards the TV. "Rewind that!" he sputtered, barely able to put his thoughts in words.

The cartoonic voice of the big blue Genie once again spout the words:"If you destroy Jara's lamp, then you will destroy Jafar."

"That's it!" cried Jen, "if we get to his lamp, and destroy it, then he's history."

"But where is it?"