DISCLAIMER: Chapter 4.

REALITY GEMS 4: POWER OF THE SUN

On the Animarium, the Batman was going over a recent conversation that he had with Lucius Fox around 5 months ago-

Five Months Ago:

The Batman was going through a recent conversation he had had with his Chief Officer, Lucius Fox. Fox ran the daily dealings in Wayne Enterprises, leaving Bruce free to be-the Dark Knight.

Bruce had asked Lucius about the Shadow ThunderCat’s motorcycle-how it seemed to be almost a virtual twin to the Batcycle. The answer: “You aren’t the only hero whose secrets I keep”

Not too long afterwards, Fox had a conversation with Zordon. “Mr. Fox. I trust all is in readiness?”

“Yes Zordon. The weapons, cycle, and outfit for the Shadow ThunderCat are ready. All they need is the right candidate.

Zordon was looking down at a military bio of Capt. Daniel Aydelott. “Trust me. I have found the right person for the job.”

No

Batman looked over the documents he had discovered from hacking into Luthor’s computers. The discovery that what he had found out about Danny Partridge, quite frankly, made him rather ill.

Lex Luthor had his seed implanted in Shirley Partridge 14 years ago, when she thought she was pregnant with her husband’s child. That seed was destroyed, and replaced with Luthor’s own. “The Partridges do not need to know this-it would destroy them.” Batman said to himself. He then destroyed all evidence about Danny’s true father in the file-and vowed to never reveal this to anyone-

14 years ago:

Lex Luthor was fuming. The mysterious Blue Tiger had once more interfered with his plans to ruin some of the top CEOs in America, even though he had successfully gotten most of their monetal assets. The Blue Tiger had been a thorn in his side since his costumed days. He had suspected that he was San Pueblo Police Captain James Partridge, and was married to a Shirley Renfrew Partridge. They had a 4 year old son, and a 2 year old daughter, and were trying for three more.

–This couldn’t have come out any better than if I had planned it myself.- he grinned evilly as he called his personal doctor. “Doctor Kelley! I would like you to take some of my-seed-for an experiment that I would like to test as soon as possible.”

14 years later-

Reuben Kincaid, the group’s manager, had arrived at the Partridge home. Keith, Laurie, Chris, and Tracy were with Bill Engvall on an emergency as the ThunderCats, unknown to Danny, and Shirley was busy. “Danny, my boy, I received a personal letter addressed for you-and only you. Where’s your mother?”

“She’s inside. Thanks.” Danny grinned, momentarily forgetting about his recent exchange with his brothers and sisters about their new, strange behavior, and why he wasn’t included. Instead, he put this aside as he opened the letter. He read-

Danny Partridge:

I have been chosen to tell you that you have chosen to be the heir of Alexander Luthor-and why you are so different from your family. You, it seems share several things in common with Mr. Luthor, especially your same mindedness in how to make money. Please meet me at the taco stand tomorrow around noon, and I will try to explain everything.

Sidney Happersen, ESQ.

“HMMM.” Danny mused. “I have an appointment to keep-”

Three days later, using the codes he had gained from Happersen, Danny walked into the elegant boardroom. He had already transferred large amounts of cash into his own account, but felt there was more he needed to know. He had a DVD disc-and had found a computer which took that specific disc. Popping it in-Danny was shocked when a full blown holographic image of Lex Luthor appeared.

“Holy-Danny started, when the holographic image spoke. “Hello, Daniel. You are probably wondering why I had sent for you. The reason is this-you may have been raised by James and Shirley Partridge-but your lineage is not theirs. Daniel-you are my son. And as such, heir to the Luthor fortune.

The news floored Danny. “Wait-why doesn’t my mom know this?” He felt shock. He always wondered why the Justice League and the Power Rangers always went after Lex Luthor-and why he was upset when they caught him and put him in prison. This answered a part of his question-why was he so different from his family.

“The reason is in these medical files in your safe deposit vault in the World HQ for LexCorp. Your father was my main foe back then-long before Superman. With the Luthor resources-now nothing will stand in your way. When I am gone, these resources will be yours, for you to use these resources as you see fit. Farewell, my son.” With that, the image faded.

“Son? Now things will be explained! Watch out world, there’s a new Luthor in town!” Danny snickered to himself.

Recently, it also seems that Keith, Laurie, Chris, and Tracy were spending a LOT of time with Bill Engvall, which really confused him. One recent time, he came into the garage where they were talking-and they threw him out. They spent a lot of time with Engvall-and for some reason, he just bugged the hell out of Danny-as if he took his place in something. Ever since the ThunderCats first appeared, they have been running out at all hours of the night and mom seems to allow this-for no-NO WAY!

He then came upon Shirley and Bill talking. Bill began to tell her “The way it was explained to me, Keith, Laurie, Chris, and Tracy needed a like-minded person on their team, which is how I came to be the Blue ThunderCat. Danny was supposed to be, but it turns out that the No. 1 rule that they must abide by is: ‘Never use your powers for personal gain.’ Turns out that Danny would have used his powers for profit.”

Shirley sighed. “This explains a lot. Things are already rather fragile between you and Danny as it is. If he finds this out, he’ll really hate you for it. What about Keith, Laurie, Chris, and Tracy?”

“For some reason, they’re happy with it. They totally agree with Zordon’s decision about this, and we’ve been getting along great.”

“Keith looks at you as an older brother, and Laurie, Chris, and Tracy see you as a substitute father. They adore you-and-my feelings go without saying. You are a brave, wonderful, heroic man, Bill Engvall, and I am madly in love with you.” Shirley then finished the conversation with a passionate kiss, which he eagerly returned.

Fuming, Danny stormed out of the HQ into the night air. 'NO! Why him? What’s wrong with making money with superpowers? He’s stolen my family, my powers-and my birthright! I do NOT believe this, this can’t be happening! Alright, they really feel like this, they can have Mr. Bill super cool Engvall! I can do without any of them!–

And with that, the seeds of hate and revenge were sown. Danny Partridge was determined to one day bring down the ThunderCats, The Justice League, and all superheroes-along with his own family. 'You all asked for this-god help me, some day you’re gonna regret it!–

Present:

While the Batman 1 was pondering what he had found out, Lilly Foster-Lambert was walking around, holding her favorite doll, Mr. Buttons. “Are you bored, Mr. Buttons?” she asked. She motioned the doll to make it look like it was nodding. “So am I. I wish the others would finish fighting so we can go home.” She soon walked up to Isis 1. “Isis?” Isis 1 looked down at the child and smiled. Lilly continued, “I was thinking-how did you get your powers? I mean, how does a person become a superhero, anyway?”

Isis 1 looked at Lilly. “Bored?”

“Uh-huh.”

The Human Egyptian Goddess of Nature sat Lilly on a pedestal, and began to explain, without revealing her identity, “Well, it all started when I was on an expedition in Egypt about 6 years ago-

Egypt, 6 years ago:

Andrea Thomas looked over at the head of the expedition and frowned. He was full of himself, and it showed. Fed up, she decided to go on her own, when a voice that only she heard, summoned her to a certain pyramid.

Once she was there, she started digging only 4 feet away. She didn’t know why, she just felt that she should. Soon, she uncovered a jeweled box, decorated with a scarab on the top. Andrea started to summon the rest of the party, when the same voice told her not to; that this was for her and her alone.

Opening the box, she found an amulet, shaped like cow’s horns holding a sun disc, on a chain necklace. A scroll was with it, in Egyptian hieroglyphics. Andrea felt that she should put the necklace on, and after she did, she found that she was able to read the scroll. It told her-

You are heir to the powers of the Goddess Isis. Originally owned by Queen Hapsetsut, this will give you powers over the animals and elements. You will soar as the falcon soars, run with the speed of gazelles, and command the elements of sky and earth. To gain these powers, simply speak the words ‘Oh, Mighty Isis!’

Andrea looked at the amulet. 'Can’t lose anything by trying- she thought to herself. Standing, she soon spoke the three words-

“OH, MIGHTY ISIS!”

In minutes, she was reborn as Isis, ready to protect humanity.

Present:

“-and that’s all, in a nutshell.” Isis 1 told her.

“Wow. Neat,” said Lilly with a smile.

Isis 1 returned the smile. “It is, isn’t it?”

Just then, the Charmed Ones and the Power Angels walked up to them. “The fake Gems are ready. Your counterpart has created their signal so that no one outside of the Animarium can tell the difference.” Prue Halliwell told her.

Sabrina added “Before the heroes go to Port Washington, we can take hold of the real Gems and hide them within ourselves. Jill, Kelly, and Julie can protect the Red, Black, and Pink Reality Gems.”

“-and whoever’s going to Port Washington, I’m going with them.” Kris finished.

“Me, too. I haven’t seen any action so far.” Tommy 1 spoke.

“We’re going, too. We haven’t done anything either.” Rocky 1 spoke for the Zeo 1 team.

“I’m going as well.” Superman 1finished. “Anyone else on the team?”

“Count me in,” said Brendan. “I’m the only Geo Ranger who hasn’t seen any action yet.”

“We’re going too,” said Robin, speaking up for his team of Titans.

Wonder Woman 2, Martian Manhunter 2, and Flash 2 walked up. Wonder Woman 2 said, “And us as well.”

“Don’t forget about us,” said Aisha as she and Adam 2 stepped forward.

“And me,” said Samantha. “I want to see what your world is like.”

“Then it’s settled,” said Superman 1. “Let’s go!”

In Port Washington, Wisconsin, Dana Foster was sitting on the couch watching TV with her boyfriend Rich Halke and her stepbrother, John Thomas (J. T.) Lambert. They were at the apartment that Dana shared with J. T.’s girlfriend, Samantha “Sam” Milano. J. T. and Rich shared their own apartment across the hall and were over for dinner. Currently, Sam was at the grocery store buying what they would need for dinner tonight. J. T. was flipping through channels when he came across a news report about the Power Rangers. “Hey, check this out, another story about the Power Rangers,” he said.

Dana rolled her eyes and asked, “When are they going to stop shoving these stories down our throats?”

“Oh, come on, honey, they can’t be that bad,” said Rich.

“Rich, when are you going to grow up?” asked Dana. “We don’t even know if these ‘Power Rangers’ exist. And even if they do, they’re nothing but a bunch of immature, publicity-hogging phonies who do more harm than good, especially with those big robots they’re supposed to have.”

“Give it a rest, Barky,” said J. T. “One: You’re just jealous because they can do more than you, and Two: At least they aren’t a bunch of lying, thieving ambulance chasers.”

“Low blow, J.T. Not all lawyers are crooks.” Rich corrected him.

“Thanks, Rich. Anyway, jealousy has nothing to do with it,” said Dana. “And as far as the female Rangers go, they’re just another reason why society thinks they can hold women down.”

“I don’t think that at all,” said Rich. “If anything, I think the female Power Rangers empower women.”

Sam then walked in, saying, “Hey, guys. Dinner should be ready shortly.” As she was sorting through her groceries, she realized she was missing something. “Oh, I forgot to get some eggs. Would one of you mind running down to the store and getting some for me?”

“I’ll go,” said Dana as she stood up. “No offense, Rich, but I just need to get away from J. T. for awhile.”

As Dana picked up her purse and walked towards the door, J. T. quipped, “Don’t hurry back.”

“Oh, believe me, I won’t,” said Dana just before shutting the door.

Dana was in the parking lot, walking towards her car, when something hit her in the back of the head. “Ow!” Turning around, she yelled, “J. T.!” She soon realized he was nowhere to be found. She looked around, then looked down and noticed a yellow stone lying on the ground. “What’s this?” she asked herself as she knelt down and picked it up. She stared at the stone and was surprised when it began glowing. Suddenly, it flew into her heart, suiting her up in a yellow costume. “WHAT THE H***?” yelled Dana in surprise. She looked into her car window and saw what she was now wearing. “This is not happening.”

Elsewhere in Port Washington, the selected group of heroes landed on top of a building. Looking around, Brendan smiled and said, “Home, sweet home. Too bad we can’t stay long.”

As Superman 1 searched the city with his x-ray and telescopic vision, Kris asked, “Anything, Superman?”

“Not yet,” answered Superman 1. Then he saw something. “Wait. Trouble.” Deactivating his vision, Superman turned to the assembled group of Rangers and said, “You’d better morph, Rangers.”

“Right,” said Adam 2 with a nod. “It’s Morphin Time!”

“MASTODON!”

“SABER-TOOTHED TIGER!”

Tommy 1 gave the same command. “It’s Morphin Time!”

“TIGERZORD!”

“STEGASAURUS!”

Adam 1 then cried, “Go Zeo!”

“ZEO RANGER I, PINK!”

“ZEO RANGER II, YELLOW!”

“ZEO RANGER III, BLUE!”

“ZEO RANGER IV, BLACK!”

“ZEO RANGER V, RED!”

“ZEO RANGER VI, PURPLE!”

“GOLD RANGER POWER!”

Brendan then made the call for himself, “Geo Rangers, Unite!”

“POWER OF EARTH!”

Finally, Kris commanded, “ANGEL POWER!” She punched her fist forward as the yellow gem on her bracelet glowed, suiting her up in her yellow bodysuit. She then said, “Let’s go!”

Dana Foster, now the Yellow Solar Geo Ranger, said to herself, “This is not happening.”

“Oh, but it is,” said a sinister voice behind her. Dana turned to see a group of villains behind her: Darkonda, Metallo, Solomon Grundy, Giganta, Bloodsport, Silver Banshee, Golden Glider, Scorpina, Louie Kaboom, as well as several Cogs and Quantrons. Darkonda, the previous speaker, said, “It appears the Yellow Reality Gem is inside you. Give it to us!”

Dana was too frightened and shocked. Finally, she managed to get out, “I can’t.”

“Then we’ll just take it from you,” said Bloodsport, pointing a bazooka at her. “After we kill you!”

Bloodsport fired his bazooka at Dana, only to have a figure in green land in front of her. The Green Earth Geo Ranger swung his Earth Axe, sending the blast back to the source. Bloodsport screamed in surprise as his weapon was destroyed. Dana’s green-clad savior turned to her and asked, “You okay?”

Dana just nodded, saying, “Yeah. Thanks.” She then tilted her head slightly, thinking to herself, That voice. . . that can’t be. . .Brendan?

“She’ll die of old age before any of you creeps hurt her!” another voice bellowed. The gang of thugs turned to see Wonder Woman 2 standing there. “Hello, Bloodsport. Still acting like a complete jackass, I see.”

“Jackass doesn’t even begin to cover it!” Kat 1 added.

-This cannot be happening!- Dana thought to herself.

The fight was on. The Titans engaged the Quantrons and Cogs. Robin skillfully fought them off with his bo staff. Cyborg 2 blasted more with his arm cannon. “Carefull, guys,” cried Cyborg 2. “Try not to damage any cars out here.

“That won’t be a problem for me,” said Robin. He then jumped on the roof of one car and threw an exploding batarang, causing major damage to both enemy types.

It soon became obvious that the Cogs and Quantrons were no match for Superboy and Wonder Girl’s combined strength. As Superboy destroyed some of the enemies with his heat vision, he said, “And they say I’ve got no brains.”

“Are you saying I’m a dumb blonde?” teased Wonder Girl. “You don’t want to make me angry, do you?” She then wrapped her lasso around as many Cogs and Quantrons as she could, destroying them with electricity.

Changeling changed into a lion and pounced on several Cogs, tearing them apart. He then changed into a hawk and used his talons on a Quantron, attacking its eyes. As more Quantrons tried to help their comrade out, Changeling flew away, causing one Quantron to strike one of its own. In mid-air, Changeling changed into an ape, and landed on more Quantrons, taking them down. He then beat his chest, saying, “Me Changeling, king of jungle!” He laughed as he reverted back to his normal form, smiling as he saw more coming. “I’m having so much fun.” He then charged the Quantrons and Cogs.

As Cogs and Quantrons surrounded her, Raven 2 used her telekinesis to send them flying. Having heard Changeling’s comments, she frowned and said, “This isn’t supposed to be fun.” She then used her shadow manipultion power to trap both enemy types and slam them into each other.

Speedy fired an exploding arrow, destroying Cogs and Quantrons. “Oh, come on, Raven, learn to live a little. I did.” She then fired an EMP arrow, putting more enemies out of commission.

Giganta then said, “If you want to talk fun, how about fifty feet of fun?” Once she grew, Changeling responded by changing into a tyrannosaurus. He roared and overpowered Giganta, putting her down while making sure not to smash any cars.

Superman 1 was giving Metallo a beating. After a hard fall, Metallo stood up, saying, “It always has to come to this, doesn’t it, Superman?” He then opened his chest, revealing his Kryptonite heart. . . only it didn’t seem to affect his adversary at all! “That’s impossible!” yelled Metallo in shock. “The Kryptonite…”

“Won’t help you this time, Corbin,” interrupted Superman 1 as he flew forward and landed three more hard punches, finally putting Metallo down for the count. Superman 1 crossed his arms and smiled, saying, “It pays to come from an alternate universe.”

Golden Glider flew after the new Ranger-only to be stopped by the Flash 2. “Hi honey, I’m home!” he quipped.

“DON’T HONEY ME, YOU SON OF A-” Glider started.

“Ah ,ah, ah! Watch your mouth before I wash it out with soap!” Wally said as he created a vortex, knocking Golden Glider to the ground. He then tied her up, and gagged her.

Brendan ran into the fray, skillfully tearing through Cogs and Quantrons with his axe. Kris Munroe, the Yellow Power Angel, fired electricity bolts at the Quantrons, blowing some up, and short circuiting others while making her way over to Dana. “Ahhh. It’s good to be me right now.” Turning to Dana, she asked “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, thanks. Please don’t take this the wrong way, since you just saved me from those creeps, but I’d rather not be involved with all of you.”

“I felt the same way at first. But then, I realized that at least I can really do some good, unlike greedy, self serving politicians, thieving lawyers, and, corrupt judges and sexist, bigoted senators.” Kris spoke up rather bluntly.

“Why does everyone seem to have it in for lawyers recently?” Dana spoke up.

“I’m sorry, it’s just that most of them seem to be just in it for a quick payout. I need to remind myself that there are still some who are still interested in justice. BTW, you can call upon your power at any time.” Kris said.

Dana looked at the Power Angel, then at a pack of Cogs, then shot a blast of intense sunlight at them, first blinding them, then causing them to implode. Shocked, Dana looked at Kris, saying “I did that? And-why do you look like Cheryl Ladd?”

“Who?” Kris spoke up.

Meanwhile, as Wonder Woman 2 was busy trashing every weapon Bloodsport called on, the Zeo Rangers went after Louie Kaboom and Scorpina. “Wow. Scorpina is just as ugly here as she is on our world.” Tanya 1 joked.

“Tanya. Now, guys, let’s put them out of their misery!” Adam 1 commanded. Adam 1, Tanya 1, Rocky 1, and David then proceeded to engage Louie in hand-to-hand combat, while Kat 1, Jamie, and Trey took it to Scorpina.

Adam 1 and David clashed with Louie. They were evenly matched, but Louie gained the upper hand by blasting Adam 1 at point-blank range with a cannon on his left arm and blowing David away with purple eyebeams. He then fired a blue energy bolt from his sword at Rocky 1 and Tanya 1, but both Rangers leapt to avoid the shot. Rocky 1 then struck Louie with his arm blades, while Tanya 1 did the same with her nunchucks. This allowed Adam 1 and David to recover. Adam 1 added two shots with his sword, while David added a hit from each of his hatchets. As Louie stumbled back, he quickly recovered and said, “Is that all you’ve got?”

“Not by a long shot!” said Adam 1. He then jumped towards Louie and landed his flying kick special attack. His sword then glowed red and he put struck Louie again. Tanya 1 then hovered in front of Louie, her nunchucks glowing as she spun in mid-air, striking him again. Rocky 1’s arm blades flashed as he crossed them and flew forward, striking Louie hard in the chest. Finally, David’s hatchets charged and he dove head-first, slashing both hatchets at once, finally putting him down for the count.

Scorpina struck down Kat 1 and Jamie with her sword before engaging the Gold Ranger one-on-one. She said, “I don’t want them, Trini. Just you.”

“Thank you kindly, Scorpina, but I’m not Trini.”

It took a moment to register before Scorpina’s jaw dropped. “Th. . . that’s impossible! Trey? But you’re dead!”

“So I’ve been told,” said Trey. “Would you like to try killing me again?”

“I want nothing more!” cried Scorpina as she charged forward. They clashed with their weapons. After matching each other strike for strike for several minutes, Trey finally managed to land a kick to Scorpina’s mis-section. As she stumbled back, Trey ran forward and struck Scorpina in the jaw with the Gold Power Staff. One more kick sent her flying. Scorpina got to one knee and snarled, saying, “You’ll pay dearly for that!” She then ran her hand across her sword, charging it before throwing it like a boomerang, striking Trey in the chest. When he went down, Scorpina’s sword returned to her. As she approached the Gold Ranger, she asked, “Any last words?”

“Yeah,” said Trey. “Look behind you.”

“You don’t think I’m stupid enough to fall for that, do you?” asked Scorpina.

“Actually, no,” said a voice behind her. Scorpina turned to see Jamie, Sword of Lightning in hand. The Purple Zeo Ranger then added, “You’re stupider.” She then pointed her sword at Scorpina and fired a bolt of lightning, knocking Scorpina’s sword out her hands. Kat 1’s shield then glowed as she flew forward and spun, sending Scorpina flying and knocking her out.

Martian Manhunter 2 engaged Silver Banshee. She tried to use her ultra-sonic scream, but J’onn stayed out of the way. He landed a hard punch to her jaw. Two more put her out. He then landed on the ground and proceeded to engage Quantrons and Cogs as they tried to move in on Dana, Kris, and Brendan. He bashed away several. He then turned into a Quantron and used its weapons against them. He then shapeshifted into a large creature and jumped, crushing more under his weight. As he reverted back to his regular form, more Quantrons attempted to attack him from all sides, but he made himself intangible, causing them to strike and destroy themselves. As Flash 2 joined him in battling Cogs and Quantrons, he asked, “Don’t these guys ever learn?”

“Apparently not,” answered Martian Manhunter 2 bluntly.

Wonder Woman 2 continued to counter everything Bloodsport threw at her. Finally, she said, “Enough of this.” She took her lasso and roped Bloodsport before swinging him around, throwing him in front of another car. She then knocked him out with one punch.

As Brendan fought Cogs and Quantrons, he saw more coming on. He stopped them in their tracks by cracking the ground open and causing them to fall in. He closed it back up, destroying them. More came, but Brendan stopped them by causing the ground to rise up just enough to catch them by surprise and cause them to clumsily fall. He then noticed some of the cogs open their eyes, ready to fire their eyebeams, but he wasn’t their target.

As Dana attempted to fight off the Cogs and Quantrons alongside Kris, Dana asked, “This is what you have to deal with on a regular basis? It’s like no matter what you do, they just keep coming back for more.”

“And you’re surprised?” asked Kris.

“Sorry,” said Dana. “It’s just that I never realized what kind of scum the Power Rangers have to deal with. I always thought they just did things for publicity and attention. Now I see that what they do isn’t easy.”

Suddenly, a large portion of the ground rose up nearby, catching them by surprise. Brendan had caused a chunk of the ground to rise. It was a barrier just thick enough to block the shots the Cogs had fired at Dana and Kris. Soon, the ground was lowered back into place as Dana and Kris saw a group of Cogs turn towards the Green Earth Ranger, who proceeded to put them down with his weapon. He then cast a look at the two yellow-clad women, saying, “Sorry, they were trying to cheap-shot you.”

Even as they reengaged in combat, Dana asked, “Why does he sound so much like my stepbrother?” A pair of daggers then appeared in Dana’s hands. Instinctively, she crossed them in front of her, causing an intense glow, blinding the Cogs and Quantrons with sunlight. The glow was so intense, they even started melting! She then charged forward and used her Solar Daggers to tear into both enemy types.

Tommy 1, Samantha, Adam 2, and Aisha took on both Solomon Grundy and Darkonda. These four particular Mighty Morphin Power Rangers had never fought together before, but they still had great chemistry in battle. This was evidenced as Tommy 1 and Adam 2 engaged Solomon Grundy, landing hits whereever they could. With Grundy slow to respond, they were able to avoid his fists and landed several hits to his head. A double flying kick caused him to stumble. He roared and cried out, “Stay still or Grundy crush!” He swung wildly, allowing both Rangers to kick him in the back of the head and put him down momentarily.

Aisha and Samantha took on Darkonda. They used their Blade Blaster swords while Darkonda parried with his own sword. When they finally got an opening, each girl landed two strikes. They then kicked him simultaneously, causing him to stumble back. In retaliation, Darkonda attacked with super-speed strikes, putting both of them down. He then laughed and said, “You Rangers are weak!”

“Anything you can do, I can do better, Darkonda!” said Aisha defiantly. “Metallic Armor, power up!”

Her suit now glowing, Aisha was able to temporarily blind Darkonda. “I can’t see!” cried Darkonda. He also didn’t see Aisha land a flying kick, two punches and a roundhouse.

With Darkonda on the ropes, Aisha cried, “Alright, Sam, do your stuff!”

“Kiss your butt goodbye, you worthless piece of slime!” cried Samantha before firing her Power Slings, sending Darkonda flying.

With Darkonda out of the fight, Samantha shot Aisha a look and asked, “How come we don’t use our Metallic Armor as much as you guys?”

Realizing that the Purple Ranger was referring to the Metallic Armor, Aisha answered, “Talk to your Zordon about it.”

Meanwhile, Grundy slowly got to his feet. Tommy 1 said, “It’s not hard to knock him down. It’s getting him to stay down that’s the trick.”

“Maybe this will help,” said Adam 2. “Metallic Armor, power up!” His armor was activated just as Grundy threw a punch. However, Adam 2 caught his fist, much to the zombie’s surprise. This allowed Aisha to land a flying kick. Adam 2 landed two punches, Aisha two more kicks, and Adam 2 two kicks of his own.

With both Rangers still in their Metallic Armor, Adam 2 and Aisha managed to lift the groggy Grundy over their heads. Aisha cried, “Hey, strong guys! Catch!”

Aisha and Adam 2 then cried, “Heave, ho!” They then threw Grundy towards Superboy and Wonder Girl, who punched him simultaneoulsy, sending him flying towards Martian Manhunter 2. He landed a punch of his own, sending him towards Wonder Woman 2. After a punch from her, Grundy flew towards Superman 1, who finally put Grundy down with one more punch.

As the villains gathered around the fallen Grundy, they realized they were outnumbered and outmatched. David said, “The Cogs and Quantrons are history.”

“And you’re all alone,” said Jamie.

“Surrender or we’re taking you down the hard way,” said Adam 1.

“You can do whatever you want with this Earth-scum,” said Darkonda.

“As for us, we’re out of here!” added Scorpina.

“Wait a minute!” cried Golden Glider. “What about us?”

“You’re on your own!” said Louie as he, Darkonda, and Scorpina teleported out.

“Traitors!” screamed Giganta. Wonder Woman 2 and Wonder Girl then wrapped up the remaining criminals and took them away.

When they were gone, Dana said, “Look, I appreciate the fact that you saved my life, but could someone please tell me how to get out of this suit and get this rock out of my body?”

“Hmm. We didn’t expect this,” said Superman 1. “If you’ll come with us, we’ll see what we can do.”

“Fine,” said Dana. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Several teleportation beams arrived on the Animarium. Wonder Woman 2 and Wonder Girl joined them moments later. The Rangers then proceeded to demorph, except Dana. When they did so, Dana’s jaw dropped underneath her helmet. “Brendan?” asked Dana in surprise. “So that was you that saved me from that bazooka blast!”

Frank and Carol then approached. Frank said, “So, Dana, you got caught up in all this too, didn’t you?”

Dana turned in surprise. “Mom? Frank? What are you doing here? Never mind, how do I take this thing off?”

“Just put your hand over your heart like I did,” said Brendan.

Dana did so, reverting back to civilian form. Once demorphed, the Yellow Reality Gem extracted itself from her heart, landing in her hand. “Thank God that’s over,” said Dana. “But what’s with this rock?”

“That’s what we came to Port Washington to find,” answered Kris as she walked towards Dana. “That’s the Yellow Reality Gem. Would you mind handing it over?”

“Gladly,” said Dana as she handed the gem to Kris. She then turned to Carol and Frank, asking, “But what’s all this talk about ‘Reality Gems?’ And how did you get involved with the Power Rangers and the Justice League?”

“Oh, it’s a long story, Dana,” said Carol as she approached her eldest daughter and put an arm around her. “We’re just glad to see you’re safe.”

“As for how we got involved in this,” said Frank, “well, they can tell it to you better than we could.” He pointed towards Al, Brendan, Mark, and Karen.

Seeing the others, Dana asked, “Al? Karen? Mark? You’re Power Rangers, too?”

“Yeah,” answered Karen with a smile. “I’m pink, Al’s red, and Mark’s blue.”

“And as you just saw, I’m green,” said Brendan.

Another voice broke in, saying, “Hey, Dana-Burger!” Dana snapped her head around and watched in horror as Cody approached. He then put her in a head-lock and gave her a noogie, adding, “Good to see you again!” He laughed as he let her go.

Turning to her sister, brother, and step-siblings, Dana groaned as she said, “Please don’t tell me this cheesehead is a Ranger.”

Mark smiled and said, “Sorry. But Cody’s black.”

Jason 2 then approached and asked Al, “‘Dana-Burger?’ Isn’t that an. . . unusual pet name?”

A smile on her own face, Al answered, “To us it might be, but not to Cody.”

Jason 2 smiled and said, “Point taken.”

“You think that’s strange, look behind you.” Karen told her sister. Dana turned around-and saw-

“DAVID CASSIDY? But-you have to be older than 22? How-” Dana stammered.

“Sorry about that,” said Keith with a chuckle. “We had the same reaction when we met your brothers and sisters. I’m really Keith Partridge. This is my brother Chris, my sisters Laurie and Tracy, and my mother, Shirley, and her boyfriend, Bill Engvall.”

“Wow. You are real. Are the Angels-” Dana began, when Sabrina, Jill, Kelly, and Julie walked up to meet her.

“Hi. I hope my sister didn’t get too out of control.” Jill joked.

“Ha,ha.” Kris said sarcastically

“FARRAH FAWCETT? JACLYN SMITH? KATE JACKSON? TANYA ROBERTS?” Dana spoke, referring to Jill, Kelly, Sabrina, and Julie, respectively.

Tracy looked at Dana. “Who plays each of us?”

Dana smiled and spoke “In order, respectively: Shirley Jones, David Cassidy, Susan Dey, Brian Forster, Suzanne Crough, and assuming you have a Danny-Danny Bonaduce.”

Al looked at Dana. “Feel like you’re in an episode of the ‘Twilight Zone’ yet?”

Jill smiled. “We had the same reaction.”

Kelly agreed. “Nice to meet you. I hope this isn’t too much of a shock for you.”

Dana looked around as she said, “Thank you. It is nice to meet you all.” Dana looked around at the large group of people there. She found it hard to wrap her head around when she saw two of so many as well as the Partridge Family, the Charmed Ones, and Charlie’s Angels, among other things. Finally, she said, “And to think this all started when I left to get some eggs.”

“DANA FOSTER,” came a booming voice. Dana turned and was surprised to see both Zordons. Zordon 2 spoke again. “YOU HAVE BEEN ENTRUSTED WITH A GREAT SECRET. YOU KNOW THE TRUE IDENTITIES OF THE POWER RANGERS.”

“AND HAVING BEEN A RANGER YOURSELF FOR THIS BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME, WE NEED TO KNOW THAT WE CAN TRUST YOU TO KEEP THIS SECRET,” said Zordon 1.

“Oh, believe me, I can keep a secret,” said Dana. “It’s J. T. and Rich you’d have to worry about. They’re too stupid to keep this secret. I’m sure I could trust Sam, but I’m not willing to take the chance.”

“Your J.T. and Rich sound like our Kelso. Are either of them always trying to get girls?” Jackie asked.

“J.T. is. Rich and I are seeing each other.” Dana told her. “How bad is this ‘Kelso’?”

“Good looking but dumber than a bag of bricks. Hopefully, Rich is smarter than that.” Hyde spoke.

“Are they really that bad?” asked Superman 1.

Dana looked at both Hyde and the Man of Steel, saying, “Superman, Rich filled out a job application once, and under sex, he put, ‘I really, really hope so.’ What does that tell you?”

Superman 1 smiled and chuckled, saying, “That tells me everything I need to know.”

Hyde added “Kelso has a spiritual brother. God help the universe.”

Wonder Woman 2 then smiled and asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to stay on as a full-time Ranger?”

Returning the smile, Dana answered, “Nah. It’s not for me. But I now have a greater respect and understanding for what you Power Rangers do. Besides, the world could always use more good lawyers, right?”

“You’ll get no arguments from us,” said Tommy 1 with a smile.

“I need to get back,” said Dana. “J. T., Rich, and Sam are probably wondering what’s taking me so long. And I’ll be involved in my first big case this weekend. We’re hoping to put away a repeat-offender for life.”

“GOOD LUCK TO YOU, DANA,” said Zordon 2. “AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE.”

Dana smiled and nodded, saying, “Thanks.” Taking one last look at everyone on the Animarium, she waved and said, “Bye.” Moments later, she was teleported back home.

When Dana was gone, the Yellow Reality Gem glowed in Kris’ hand. She then placed it inside her body. “The yellow gem is safe. What now?”

Approaching the fountain, Superman 1 never took his eyes off of it. “Now, we wait.”

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE:

Capt. Daniel Aydelott was walking from his new X29, thinking he needed to be doing something importand, when a blackish gray item caught his eye. Picking it up, it turned out to be a ThunderMorpher, the Shadow ThunderMorpher. “What in the-” Dan started.

A voice came from the item. “DANIEL AYDELOTT. YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO AID THE WORLD”S GREATEST HEROES. USE THIS, AND COME TO THE FOLLOWING LOCATION ON THIS MOTORCYCLE, AND ALL WILL BE MADE CLEAR.”

Dan walked to a black Ninja Motorcycle, and looked at the item in his hands. Without knowing it, he held up the morpher, and shouted-

“FROM THE SHADOWS, COMES FORTH THE LIGHT!”

Now clad in a Gray and black ThunderCat outfit, he hopped on the cycle, and took off.

NEXT: Crystal Blue Persuasion