Disclaimer: 1) These are Saban's characters, 2) I am not making any money here, and 3) Two words: suspend disbelief :)

Transition
by Starhawk

The Medical bay was as close to silent as any place on the Megaship ever got. The ever-present hiss of the air recyclers seemed muted, and the hum of life support systems that kept the ship warm was least intrusive in the patient ward. 

Thanks to the quiet stillness, Cassie could plainly hear the thrum of the engines as they came online. *We're moving out of Earth orbit,* she thought, glancing instinctively toward a nonexistent window. 

Without visual cues, she could only wait for the subtle shift in the vibration of the deck that would tell her the switch from thruster to engine power had occurred. As soon as it came, DECA's voice returned to the Medical bay to announce, "Hyperush three." 

Cassie attempted a smile. "Thanks, DECA," she said, and the camera flashed once at her before going dark again. 

*We're off after Zordon again,* she mused, gaze returning to the prone form on the patient bed. *You've been looking for him for months, and we're supposed to find him in a couple of days?* 

*Months…* Had it really been only months since she'd last seen him? *It felt like years,* Cassie thought, staring at the figure lying before her. He hadn't even said goodbye the last time, leaving only a recorded message that asked her not to forget him.  

At first, the words had cheered her, and she had asked DECA to upload the message to the terminal in her room. As the weeks went by without word, however, she had started to worry.  

She knew he was, by nature, a loner, even as she had been before she'd met TJ and become a part of the Ranger team. But his message had seemed to indicate that he would be in touch eventually, and she knew how badly injured he had been. As time passed, increasing concern for his well-being plagued her thoughts and even began to affect her dreams. 

*Don't you understand how hard it is to not know?* she demanded silently, knowing she could never be so harsh to him when he was awake. Now, though, she couldn't repress the anger that his apparent carelessness caused. 

*Do you have any idea how many times I tried to sleep and couldn't, because I was afraid I'd see you like this in my dreams? Defeated or dead, or injured too severely to call for help?*  

She continued to rail against him within the privacy of her own mind until she felt a little calmer. Gazing at him with less antipathy, Cassie shivered suddenly. It scared her sometimes, how much his absence affected her. 

"Why are you so important to me?" she wondered aloud, her voice a whisper. "I barely even know you…" 

From the day she'd first caught a glimpse of him--invisible, yet somehow reflected for her eyes only in a mirror--she knew he would change her life. She hadn't understood how, or why, but there had been no denying the connection between them. 

*Why?* she asked again, the question directed at herself rather than him this time. *Who *is* Phantom? Would I even recognize him if I saw him without his armor?* 

Logically, she knew she wouldn't--she couldn't; he had never demorphed around her or her friends. But there was a part of her heart that insisted that the answer was yes, she would know him anywhere, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't ignore that feeling. 

Lost in thought, she would have missed the sudden twitch of his fingers if she hadn't been staring directly at him. "Phantom?" she inquired softly, leaning forward to take his hand. 

At first he didn't reply, and she wondered if the movement had been her imagination. Then, slowly, he turned his head toward her. "I'm sorry, Cassie," he whispered. His voice sounded choked, but not particularly sleepy. "I'm sorry this had to happen." 

Her grip tightened at the pain in his voice, though she didn't understand its source. She had the distinct impression that he wasn't referring to the circumstances that had brought him to the Megaship's Medical bay. 

"What?" she asked, sympathy and curiosity fighting for expression in her tone. "Sorry what had to happen?" 

She waited, but no answer seemed forthcoming. *He started this,* she thought, feeling her earlier frustration returning. *It's not like I asked something he didn't want to answer--he answered a question I didn't hear.* 

"You don't have to talk to me," she said, trying to be as gentle as she could. "But I'm listening, and I do care." 

He stared at her for what seemed an interminably long period of time. Then, turning his head away, he repeated, "I'm sorry." 

Cassie sighed inwardly. *Don't be sorry,* she thought at him. *Just tell me what's going on!* 

She had not thought to hear him speak again, but after a moment, he said, almost inaudibly, "It wasn't supposed to be like this." 

This time, she said nothing. Her curiosity was screaming at her to ask, but in the end, silence seemed to produce better results than anything else. Cassie shifted on her stool and waited. 

Finally, Phantom looked back at her. "You asked why I was so important to you." 

Startled, she bit her lip to keep from exclaiming. *That's the last time I assume he's asleep,* she promised herself. 

His next words drove that concern from her head. "You are important to me, as well," he said, voice quiet. "More important even than my own life, and you have been so since the day we met." 

Cassie had no idea how to answer that, except with joy and amazed relief at the words she had never stopped hoping to hear. But she could vocalize neither feeling, so, after a violent struggle to get her emotions under control, she managed to ask simply, "How is that a *bad* thing?" 

"My people--" his voice was strained, as though he were forcing himself to say the words. "We love for life. We bond with our partner at first sight; a recognition that none of us truly understand, but no one can deny. 

"For some, there is an empathic link as well, which is probably the source of your feelings. I would--" he swallowed, and she felt his gloved fingers convulse beneath hers. "I would end it, for your sake, if I could. But I cannot." 

Cassie found herself speechless for the third time in as many minutes. "Empathic link?" she stammered at last, incapable of anything more coherent. 

He gave a short nod, expression hidden behind his visor. "Some partners can sense each other's feelings. It is stronger the closer they are to one another." 

"You mean--like ESP?" Cassie focused on the one part of his explanation that he seemed to be able to discuss without distress. 

"You do not question Andros's telekinesis," he retorted, and she blinked. She'd never heard him defensive before. 

"I'm just trying to understand," she protested, standing for a moment to nudge her stool a little closer to the bed. "You think I feel this way about you because of some… link we have?" 

"Recognition is not a common thing outside of my people," Phantom told her, his voice growing quieter again. "The blame, therefore, is mine. And I fear my own feelings have influenced yours to a greater degree than I would have expected." 

"What?" Cassie exclaimed, still on her feet. She let go of his hand to fold her arms over her chest. "Let me get this straight. Each of your people has some kind of connection with the person they're going to fall in love with, so that they know each other as soon as they meet?" 

She didn't wait for his confirmation, just plunged ahead, all of her frustration freeing itself in the form of anger toward Phantom. "And you think that because I'm human, I'm not worthy of this connection and it's all you. And on top of that, you assume I can't have any feelings of my own, and those are yours too!" 

She stopped, suddenly realizing that she was shouting at him. It was exactly what she had promised herself she wouldn't do--he was too fragile right now, and he didn't deserve her reproof even when he was well. *Not that he even cares,* she thought bitterly, remembering his plan to leave while she and the others were on Earth. 

The seconds stretched out, and Cassie found herself glaring down at him. Shaking her head abruptly, she looked away, ashamed of her outburst. 

"Cassie." His voice, soft as it was, got her attention. She turned, almost involuntarily, back toward him. "I did not mean to imply that you are somehow inferior to my people. I only meant that there is no reason for you to feel anything for me, except for what I have unknowingly projected onto you." 

"Why not?" she demanded. "Why can't I love you for my own reasons?" 

She was reacting, not thinking, and the words were out before she had time to consider what they meant. Once released, though, they seemed to echo throughout the room, and her eyes widened as she realized what she'd said. 

Cassie suffered through the long pause, wondering if she should take the word back or let it remain unaltered. *It was just because we were arguing,* she rationalized. *Or at least, I was arguing. It was just a rhetorical question…* 

But it wasn't. She knew it, and though the strength of her feelings frightened her, she knew they were *her* feelings. Which only left the question of why *he* didn't seem to believe it… 

"Because I don't deserve it," he whispered finally. "I am to you an alien, a Ranger without a team, without a purpose in life except for you. You are not one of my people, and as such there is no reason that my recognizing you implies any return affection on your part. I can come up with no reason for your feelings, except that they are a reflection of my own." 

"Can you tell what I’m feeling now?" Cassie asked suddenly, determined to end this empathic link theory of his. 

After a few seconds of consideration, he shook his head once. "No. I can not." 

Reseating herself on the stool, she shrugged at him. "I can't tell what you're feeling, either. You said empathy means we should be able to, right? And it works best over short distances--we can't get much closer than this. So…" 

She trailed off, assuming it wasn't necessary to explain where she was going with *that* train of thought. He said nothing for a few moments, but the entire conversation had been somewhat staggered, so she simply sat forward and watched him while she waited for him to work through what seemed perfect logic to her. 

Either he agreed, or he was willing to be convinced, because he lifted a hand toward her. His movement tentative, probably not certain how she'd react, he reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. Though their skin didn't touch, Cassie caught her breath, closing her eyes for a split-second. 

When she opened them again, he was still staring at her, his hand half-raised as though he couldn't quite decide what to do with it now. She captured it with both of hers and held tight, giving him what she suspected was a somewhat dreamy smile. "My feelings are my own," she assured him, in case he still had any doubt. "And…" She couldn't quite bring herself to repeat the word she'd used earlier. "I care for you very much." 

"And I you," he murmured. 

They stayed that way for several long minutes, silence speaking what neither of them could say yet. Finally, she felt him relaxing, and she lowered his hand so that he could sleep more comfortably. Cassie herself settled back on her stool to continue her vigil, with a lighter and far more joyful heart. 

***

"Hey, Carlos!" TJ's voice, muffled by inch-thick steel and concurrent with a loud rap on the door, woke Carlos out of a restless doze. 

"Just a minute," he mumbled, rolling off his bunk and standing up. It took a moment to reorient himself--he wasn't used to napping in the middle of the day, and it played havoc with his internal clock. 

Pushing his hair out of his face, Carlos went to the door and keyed it open. TJ stood there, full of his usual energy and looking so animated that Carlos wondered if it were possible to grow more tired simply by looking at such a person. 

Taking in his expression and general disheveled look, TJ raised his eyebrows. "Man, were you sleeping?" 

Carlos nodded. "Yeah…" Rubbing his eyes, he asked rhetorically, "Whose idea was it to stay up talking last night, anyway?" 

"Yours," his friend teased. "Come on--you want to get some lunch?" 

As he stretched, Carlos couldn't help but smile at TJ's unflagging enthusiasm. "Sure," he agreed, running a hand through his hair again in an attempt to smooth the tangles out of it. "Just give me a second." 

He ducked back into his room and retrieved an elastic from his bureau. Pulling his hair into a ponytail, he twined the elastic around it and grabbed his uniform jacket. He tossed the jacket over his shoulders and rejoined TJ in the corridor. 

"I already asked Cassie," TJ told him as he shoved his arms through the sleeves. Starting down the hallway, TJ continued, "She said she'd eat later." 

They exchanged a knowing look. "I suppose 'later' won't be until Phantom is better," Carlos remarked. 

TJ shook his head. "She has to eat. If she doesn't have lunch, I'll take her a sandwich or something later this afternoon." 

"No one really needs to stay with him, do they?" Carlos asked, wondering if there was more to this than Cassie's obvious infatuation with Phantom. "I mean, DECA's keeping an eye on him, and it's not like he's awake or anything, right?" 

TJ shrugged. "Actually, Cassie says he woke up earlier. She thinks it's been a long time since he slept for more than a few hours in a row, and she's worried he'll be disoriented if he keeps waking up in an unfamiliar environment." 

Carlos was impressed in spite of himself. Cassie was a good friend, and he had always respected her, but when it came to Phantom, she acted like a kid with her first crush. This time, though, he conceded that she might have thought, rather than just feeling.  

*Thought more than the rest of us, at least,* he thought ruefully. *It never occurred to me that he could be so burned out that he might not know where he is, but it's possible…* 

As they approached the Bridge, Carlos could hear muffled voices drifting through the open doors of the Megaship's nerve center. Neither Andros nor Ashley was visible from the hallway, however, and they must have been at enough of an angle to the doors that their words didn't carry around the corner clearly enough to discern. 

He wondered suddenly what they found to talk about. Andros had never struck him as a very good conversationalist--being alone in space for however long probably did that to a person. Ashley, on the other hand, loved to talk, and somehow he couldn't imagine her and Andros having the same kinds of discussions Carlos remembered having with her. 

His ruminations lasted only seconds, but it was long enough to carry him and TJ onto the Bridge and within range of the conversation. Being able to overhear their words, however, didn't make the subject any clearer. 

Ashley sat next to the auxiliary scanner controls, in almost exactly the same place and position Carlos had seen her in when he had left more than an hour ago. Andros, his back to the scanner readouts, was leaning against the console. "It's only because you don't concentrate hard enough," he was saying as TJ and Carlos walked in. 

"I *do* concentrate," Ashley insisted, clearly confused about something. 

Andros saw them first, and Ashley broke off, following his gaze toward the door. "Hi Carlos, TJ," she greeted them cheerily, her earlier puzzlement melting into a smile. 

"Hey, guys," TJ returned, lounging against the doorway. "You up for some lunch?" 

Ashley and Andros looked at each other, their hesitation obvious. "We'll join you in a few minutes," Ashley said at last, still watching Andros. 

He nodded, and she turned back to Carlos and TJ, an apologetic look on her face. "Andros is just trying to explain something to me…" 

She trailed off, reluctant to elaborate, and Carlos waved it away. "No problem," he assured her. He tried not to be hurt by her obvious wish that her conversation with Andros remain private. "Whenever you're done." 

"Thanks," Ashley said, giving him a relieved smile. "We'll be right there." 

Carlos could take a hint, and TJ pushed himself away from the wall and swung out into the corridor beside him. The short walk to the Glider holding bay was silent, but Carlos was too preoccupied to notice. *There was a time when Ashley and I told each other everything,* he thought, the image of her and Andros staring into each others' eyes still firmly embedded in his mind. 

As they entered the holding bay, TJ put out a hand to stop him. "Hey, man," he said, when Carlos looked at him in surprise. "Are you all right?" 

There was real concern in TJ's voice, and Carlos wondered if he had been that obvious. "Sure," he said, smiling and trying to dismiss his feeling of abandonment. 

"It's kind of weird, seeing them together," TJ said, apparently unwilling to let the issue go. "I know you and her are closer than the rest of us…" 

If it had been anyone but a fellow Ranger, Carlos would have told them to mind their own business. But he knew TJ was only trying to make sure he was all right, and Carlos appreciated it. Unfortunately, that didn't make it any easier to voice his thoughts. 

"I don't know," he said, shrugging uncomfortably. He tried not to sigh. "I guess I feel like I’m losing my best friend." 

The moment the words were out, he knew how forlorn they sounded. He wished he could take them back, knowing TJ would just say something about how he wouldn't lose her friendship just because she was interested in someone else. Under other circumstances, Carlos might say the same thing to someone else--but when he was the one in the situation, the phrase sounded hollow. 

To his surprise, TJ just nodded. "I know what you mean," his friend agreed. Carlos looked at him, not following--until he remembered TJ saying "I already asked Cassie…" 

*We're both the odd ones out, here,* Carlos realized, seeing past Andros and Ashley for the first time since he had left them alone on the Bridge the day before. *I've been a little self-centered,* he admitted to himself. 

They each regarded the other with sympathy, until TJ finally grinned. "Well, if we're going to be left on our own every time we turn around, we might as well have something to eat." 

His good humor was infectious, and Carlos chuckled. "There's no reason we should miss lunch, just because everyone else is." 

"My thoughts exactly," TJ agreed, heading over to the Synthetron. 

***

Ashley felt a twinge of guilt as she watched her friend leave. They had rarely hidden things from each other, but for some reason, she didn't want anyone to know what Andros was trying to teach her. 

With a sigh, she turned back to Andros. "Maybe I just can't learn telekinesis," she said, somewhat discouraged. He'd been helping her for months now, and she wasn't any closer than she had been when she started. 

"You can," Andros promised. "It's hard at first, but it just takes practice. I started learning when I was five, and it *still* took me longer than you've been doing it." 

"When you were five?" she repeated, surprised. "Why so young?" 

He shrugged, his gaze wandering away across the Bridge. "I don't know, really; that's just the way it is. Was," he corrected, and she winced at the shadow of pain that flitted across his face when he mentioned his abandoned homeworld. 

"What happened to KO-35?" Ashley asked softly, not sure he would answer but wanting him to know she cared. 

He looked down, shaking his head. His long hair was still loose, though less tousled than it had been when he raced into the Glider bay this morning, and it shielded his face from view. 

"I'm sorry," she apologized immediately. "I didn't mean…" Aware that anything she said might make things worse, she didn't know how to finish the sentence. 

Andros looked over at her, and his disconsolate expression made her sorry she had asked. *He looks like that too often,* she thought, only then realizing how long it had been since she had seen that sadness on his face. *And I had to go and bring it up again…* 

"It's all right," he said, drawing in a deep breath. "It's just--I've never talked to anyone about it."

"You don't have to tell me," she assured him, though she hoped he wouldn't back out of it now. 

Staring directly at her, he asked, "Do you want to know?" 

Ashley nodded without hesitation. "Please." 

He took her at her word, for which she was grateful. "The colony on KO-35 had only been there five years before it was attacked," Andros told her, though he was no longer meeting her eyes. "We were of little significance politically, not part of the mainstream--much like your Earth. We expected to be pretty much left alone." 

He was reciting, she realized, watching his impassive expression. He stared off into the distance, telling the story as though it had happened to someone else. "For whatever reason, we weren't. Our Rangers were young and completely untried--no one thought we'd be needed. We had had some training, but we weren't called to join the defense when the assault began." 

Andros looked at her for the first time, and she could see the pain the memory caused leaking out of his heart and into his eyes. "We were only children," he said, a pleading note in his voice. "And we were short a Ranger--no one ever replaced Kerone after…" 

Ashley stood up, unable to watch him suffer anymore. "I'm sorry," she murmured, stepping closer and touching his arm. When he didn't object, she drew him into a gentle embrace. 

He didn't return the hug, but he seemed to appreciate the comfort. She just held him, stroking his hair and letting him regain his composure. She could feel him beginning to breathe more evenly, and she closed her eyes, smiling to herself. 

Suddenly, he pulled away. "I'm sorry, Ashley… I didn't mean--" 

When he stopped, she cocked her head curiously. "What?" 

He hesitated. Then, in a rush, he said, "I like being with you. I like watching you look out at the stars, and see their beauty instead of their potential for danger. But I'm not like that--I *see* the danger, because it's happened to me." 

"So?" she asked, when he didn't continue. "Andros, I've been in danger plenty of times. That's what being a Ranger is about. But for me, it's also about forgetting that part when I can, and enjoying the rest of my life." 

He shook his head again. "I never forget," Andros told her quietly. 

She didn't know how to respond to that. She could only think that it had to be a hard way to live, and she wished she could take some of that burden away from him. 

Andros must have taken her silence the wrong way, for he turned away and walked the few steps to the navigator's station. Back to her, he put his hands on the edge of the control panel and stared down at it. "We're too different," she heard him whisper. 

Ashley had no idea what he was talking about, but he was obviously upset. She abandoned her own position, and, without a second thought, joined him next to Carlos's station. 

"Andros?" Putting a hand on his shoulder, she tried to catch a glimpse of his expression. "Andros, what are you saying?" 

He didn't move. "I'm saying that you're the friendliest, kindest, most cheerful person I've ever met. I'm not like that." Finally, he looked up at her. "It's never bothered me before." 

She didn't want him to think she was mocking him, but she couldn't help the laugh that escaped. "Why should it bother you now?" Ashley inquired, smiling at him. 

When he didn't reply, she tugged on his shoulder. He didn't move at first, just looked at her with an uncertain expression on his face. Then, reluctantly, he let go of the console and straightened, turning to face her. 

"Andros," she began, her hand sliding off his shoulder to rest on his elbow. "I like you the way you *are*. I'm sorry for what's happened to you, and I would take your pain away if I could. But you're here now because of it, and that's one thing I would *not* change." 

Almost unwillingly, the beginnings of a smile appeared on his face. "I wouldn't change it, either," he told her at last, and she squeezed his arm affectionately. 

"Good," Ashley said, satisfied. She was about to ask if he wanted to go have lunch, but the serious look in his eyes stopped her just in time. 

"Can I--" He gaze flickered to her hand on his arm before returning to her face, and the uncertain look was back. "Can I kiss you?" 

She smiled up at him. "You don't have to ask," she said, heart racing as she leaned closer to him. His arm slid around her shoulders, and his lips were warm on hers as she closed her eyes. Then the moment was over, and she couldn't help the sigh that escaped as she looked at him. 

He looked back, not speaking, and all she could think was that she wanted that moment back, to keep forever if possible. Screwing up her courage, Ashley drew him close once more and gave him another quick kiss. 

When she pulled away, searching his eyes for a reaction, she was relieved to see him smile. "Thanks," Ashley whispered, not sure whether she was thanking him for the kiss or just for being there. 

"You're welcome, I guess," he answered, the smile still on his face. 

She laughed. Before she could reply, though, DECA interjected, "The Megaship is approaching sector 439." 

"Thanks, DECA," Andros said, not taking his eyes off Ashley. 

She sighed again. "What do we do now?" 

Though she had meant it in reference to Divatox and her army, the glint in Andros's eye told her he had taken it differently. "You could promise to meet me later, if we don't get a chance to finish this conversation," he suggested. His tone was shy, at odds with the expression of mischief on his face. 

Ashley had to laugh. "Deal," she said, holding out her hand. He took it, and they shook on it solemnly. 

Then, letting go, Andros went to her station and began to play with the scanner controls, returning to her original question as though nothing had happened. "First, we have to try and locate the rest of Divatox's ships. They're probably here somewhere, and if we follow that ship blindly, we could walk right into a trap." 

"If the other ships *are* here," Ashley pointed out, joining him at the scanners, "won't they see us coming?" She tried to get the memory of that elusive grin of his out of her mind and concentrate on the task at hand. 

Andros nodded, glancing over at her. "That's why I want to find them as soon as possible. If they have Zordon, they'll be watching for us, especially if Astronema has reported to Dark Spectre already. They'll know we're not on Earth anymore." 

"Andros." DECA's calm voice intruded once more. "The ship currently being pursued is emitting an interdimensional energy signal." 

"What?" Far from looking pleased, Andros seemed troubled. "Why didn't we detect it before?"

He returned his gaze to the scanners, and his frown deepened. "I'm not picking up anything." 

"The signal is no longer being emitted," DECA replied. "It appears to be intermittent." 

"Which would explain why we didn't notice it before," Ashley said hopefully. 

Andros shook his head, and she could hear his trademark phrase coming. He didn't disappoint her. "Something's not right here." 

He looked her way again as she muffled a giggle. "What?" 

"It's nothing." She tried to wave it away, but he didn't seem inclined to let it go. "You always say that, that's all," Ashley explained, feeling a smile threaten to engulf her face again. 

Andros didn't seem to understand, but DECA saved her from having to elaborate. "Another ship has been detected," she told them, and something on the scanner console began to flash. "It is also showing signs of an interdimensional distortion." 

"They can't *both* be Zordon," Ashley said, baffled. 

"*Neither* of them are Zordon," Andros corrected, glaring at the scanners as though they were offensive to him. "DECA, show this sector of space on the main screen and superimpose locations of any ships the scanners can detect." 

The computer-generated simulation of faster than light travel disappeared, to be replaced by a tactical map of sector 439. The Megaship's position was represented by a green triangle, while red circles meant unknown or hostile ships. Two blinking red dots appeared immediately, relatively close to each other. As Ashley watched, though, another red dot appeared farther away, and then another, and another, this last one clear on the other side of the sector. 

"That's Divatox's army," Andros said grimly, as dot after dot flickered into existence on the screen. Here and there, two or more dots would be grouped together, but most were solitary pixels, slowly making their way across the screen. 

"I don't understand." Ashley found herself at a loss. "What does she gain from this?" 

"DECA," Andros said. "Whenever you pick up interdimensional distortion, circle the ship it's coming from." 

DECA's camera blinked in acknowledgement, and a purple circle appeared around each of the first two red dots. Then another purple ring encircled a ship on the other side of the map. Another formed around a trio of ships in the lower right hand corner of the screen. More slowly than the red dots, but just as unstoppably, the purple circles crept across the screen. 

"They're *all* distorting space-time?" Ashley exclaimed, watching the progression. 

Andros shook his head. "No. But that's what Divatox wants us to think." 

That sentence echoed in Ashley's mind for a moment before it sunk in. "She's hidden him in plain sight," she realized, as another purple circle blinked into existence on the screen. "*That* could be Zordon, and we'd never know." 

"She's solved the problem of shielding rather well," Andros agreed. "DECA, slow us down to thruster power, but don't disengage the engines." 

"The Megaship is decelerating," DECA announced. 

Staring at all those red dots, something occurred to Ashley. "Is it a good idea to just fly into the middle of Divatox's forces like this? Even if they are spread out?" 

Andros shrugged. She hid a grin; that was a typical Andros reaction. *Just charge right in, and if something gets in your way, negotiate it *out* of your way. Or hit it,* she added, acknowledging that there were some--quantrons and the like--who wouldn't be moved by his streaked hair and irresistible smile. 

"They have no reason to come after us," Andros pointed out, jolting her out of her contemplation. "The Megaship is a match for any of those ships alone, and even if they team up against us, there's the possibility of their capture.  

"All we would need is one person, or quantron, willing to give out a few details of whatever they're using to create interdimensional distortion, and we might be able to figure out how to distinguish that from the real thing. Their primary mission has to be to keep Zordon away from us, and the best way to do that is to stay away from us themselves and let us wander around the sector without a clue." 

"*What*?" TJ's voice demanded from the doorway. 

"It's about time you two showed up," Ashley commented, turning around with a smile to soften her words. "We arrived five minutes ago." 

"Well, if the onboard computer didn't hold a grudge," TJ complained, giving DECA's camera the evil eye as he and Carlos joined them at the scanner console, "we could have *been* here five minutes ago." 

"The first we heard anything had happened was when DECA announced the deceleration," Carlos confirmed when Ashley looked at him. 

"DECA," Andros reproved, the scolding undermined by his amused expression. "Please let the other Rangers know when we enter an area of space filled with enemy ships." 

"Yes, Andros," DECA answered, her tone slightly subdued. 

"Speaking of 'other Rangers'," Ashley remarked, looking around, "where's Cassie? I thought she'd be having lunch too." 

She didn't miss the look Carlos and TJ exchanged, but she didn't know what it meant, either. "Cassie's in the Medical bay," TJ explained. "She told me she'd eat later." 

"Should I go tell her where we are?" Carlos asked, looking in DECA's direction. 

"Cassie has been informed of the situation," DECA told them. 

"Yeah," TJ muttered. "And I'll bet she was informed when it *happened*, too." 

The light on DECA's camera flashed, but she did not deny the accusation. Ashley shook her head, putting a hand over her mouth to hide her smile. *When did this rivalry TJ has with DECA start?* she wondered, trying to call to mind some incident that might have started it, and failing. 

Just then, the lift doors slid open to reveal Cassie. "Hey," she said, coming onto the Bridge with far too light a step for one who had been sitting in a patient ward for the last few hours. "DECA said I should come to the Bridge?" 

TJ threw his hands up in the air. "I am *telling* you, that computer has a distinct predilection for some people…" 

This time, Andros ignored him, his attention on Cassie. "How's Phantom?" he asked apprehensively, and Ashley reminded herself to ask how those two had met sometime. 

Cassie shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest and joining the cluster around the scanners. "He seems to be all right. He's sleeping again now, but he did wake up earlier, and he was very--" She smiled, and her eyes went distant. "--coherent." 

Ashley made another note to ask what *that* was about later. It struck her, then, that they all had far more secrets than they used to, and she wondered about it as Andros started to explain the implications of the tactical map still stretched across the screen. 

Looking at TJ, his focus on Andros's explanation and his eyes studying the screen, she remembered him as the Red Ranger. He had never been anything but honest, with himself and with everyone else. And Carlos-- 

Shifting her gaze to her best friend, she knew he hadn't changed. He was the same warm, open guy she had known since elementary school. He looked away from Andros briefly and caught her gaze, giving her a quick smile as he did so. She smiled back, glad he was there the way he always had been. 

Her eyes wandered to Cassie, whose attention, if her expression was anything to go by, was a million miles away. Cassie had been a little close-mouthed when she joined the Turbo team, but she had loosened up as they all got to know each other. 

*She wasn't used to having people care about her,* Ashley thought, smiling at the once and present Pink Ranger. *I'm glad she accepted the Power. She deserved it, if any of us did.* 

Coming full circle, Ashley found herself staring at Andros again. The determination on his face--that resolve to drive away evil, or at the very least to make it fight hard for every inch it won--was plain enough as he related to the others what the map showed of Divatox's plan. It was a look she had seen often enough, and she suspected it was part of what had carried him through the lonely years of searching for his sister aboard the empty Megaship. 

Still, there was compassion there as well, a deep caring for all living things that made him the antithesis of the evil he fought against. Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered the full force of that tenderness turned on her--last night, when he had let her sleep in his room, and again just a little while ago, when he kissed her… 

Ashley shook her head, smiling at her own preoccupation. *Maybe it's me who's changed,* she thought, looking the others over once more. *We're each of us a little different than we were when we left Earth, but I've finally fallen for someone. Not as hard as Cassie did for Phantom almost a year ago,* she admitted wryly, *but hard enough.* 

She supposed, also, that they were closer now than they had been on Earth. The Rangers had always been friends, watching each other's backs and ready to die for one another if it ever came to that, but they had lived separately. Now they were with each other constantly, and even when they were apart, there was little between them but a few bulkheads. 

*This kind of environment lends itself to the desire for secrets,* Ashley conceded. Unfortunately--or fortunately, depending on which side of the argument you were on--it was least conducive to actually *keeping* secrets… 

She gave Cassie a speculative look. Ashley had always assumed her friend would get over Phantom when he stayed away for weeks, and then months, at a time. But it hadn't happened, and now that he had been held in one place long enough for them to actually talk, her curiosity demanded to know what they had talked *about*. 

Caught up in her own thoughts, Ashley didn't hear the lift doors slide open. She noticed when Andros stopped talking, however, and she saw Cassie turn. Following their gaze, Ashley's eyes widened. 

***

There was noise. Noise, and a kaleidoscopic whirl of color that made no sense, refusing to resolve itself into coherent images. *Keep moving,* came a discernible feeling--not thought, just impulse. *Have to get away--* 

He bolted upright, taking in the foreign surroundings and the absence of--of what? *Something's wrong,* the instinct insisted, but logical thought refused to come. 

He stared straight ahead for too long--*vulnerable*--but finally the noise began to subside, and the walls around him registered. The controlled panic didn't dissipate until he recognized them as the boundaries of the Megaship's Medical bay, and memories started flooding back. 

He winced at the overflow of information, but managed to relax a little as he realized he was in no imminent danger. *Where's Cassie?* he thought first, glancing around. 

The Medical bay was deserted. He had no answer for her absence, but, when he tried to think back on it, could not clearly remember her presence, either. He knew she had been here--at least, he thought she had. 

*How much is dream, hallucination, and how much is memory?* he wondered, as he had several times before. He hated crashing like this, but it was an inevitable result of pushing his crystal too hard. 

"DECA," he said, and waited for the camera light to come on. "Where's Cassie?" 

"Cassie is on the Bridge," DECA informed him. 

He swung his legs of the patient bed, and tried to ignore the dizziness that swept over him as he did so. Concentrating on the ruby embedded in his armor, he felt the Power respond dimly, and he managed to push himself to his feet. 

*She's going to kill me,* he thought, considering for the first time that he might not be thinking very clearly. But the need to *move* overcame his indecision, and he walked carefully toward the door. 

With the first few steps, the room swayed alarmingly, but he persevered. The environment steadied somewhat as he progressed, and soon he was in the hallway. It took only a moment to remember which way the lift was, and he found that if he concentrated on *moving* along the corridor, the Power responded by boosting his adrenaline levels. 

By the time he reached the lift and stepped inside, he was feeling semi-alert. With enhanced clarity, however, came the realization that he was being extraordinarily stupid. He had, after all, been in the Medical bay for a reason. And the familiar feelings of disorientation and detachment told him what that reason had most likely been. 

He lifted one hand to touch the ruby on his chest. *I pushed it too hard. But I had to--* 

And there was no point in going back now. "Bridge," he said, and the lift obediently hummed to life. 

They were standing at one of the Megaship's main stations when he arrived--he couldn't remember which one, but they were all gathered there, her included. She was staring at the forward screen, but she turned as soon as the doors opened, alarm written all over her face. 

"Phantom?" Andros asked, an unspoken question in his address. 

He nodded, regretting it when the room suddenly became unstable again. "I am well, Andros." 

"No, you're not." Cassie's tone had no room for argument. She left the group and caught his arm, gently, as though that small movement could throw him off balance. It almost did. 

Leading him forward, she swiveled one of the chairs around with her foot and looked pointedly at it. "Sit down before you fall," she told him, and he obeyed gratefully. 

Andros was talking again, and Phantom half-listened as Cassie whispered, "You were in the Medical bay for a reason, you know." He smiled, not so much at her words as her voice. It seemed it had been a long time since he last heard it, but he couldn't remember why. 

"So there's no way to tell which one is Zordon," Andros was saying. "They're all emitting some sort of false distortion field…" 

He didn't hear the end of Andros's sentence, but something about it seemed wrong. He struggled to *think*--the urge to move was gone, but the emptiness of his mind still bothered him.  

*I ought to be used to it by now,* he thought, staring at the purple and red scribbles on the screen.  

*Shielding.* He had no idea where the thought came from, but he heard himself speak. "There is a way." 

The Rangers all turned to look at him, and he was aware suddenly of Cassie's hand resting on his shoulder. "Some of Divatox's ships will be equipped to shield the true distortion from scanners, so that while in normal transit, or in the event that this ploy fails, she will still be able to disguise Zordon's location." 

He had no idea where the words were coming from--the memory was there, amazingly enough, and the principles of its execution, but he simply wasn't capable of expressing them right now. He *knew* that--and yet, he was doing it. The Power lay almost dormant, yet something was converting his raw knowledge into understandable sentences. 

"I will show you how to detect that shielding," he offered. "If we determine on which ships it is present, we will narrow the search parameters considerably." 

Andros nodded, and the rest of them seemed to accept this plan without question. How he had conveyed it still baffled him, however, and he looked up at Cassie, meeting her gaze with a puzzlement she could not discern through his visor.