DISCLAIMER: No. 8. Better be Good To Me, Proud Mary, and I Don’t Wanna Fight are all courtesy of Tina Turner

REALITY GEMS 8: BEING CLEAR ABOUT BEING GREEN

On the Animarium, Shirley Partridge was happy about regaining her middle son, Danny, from the dark side. To celebrate, before the new wave of Danny’s new reality washed over, a mini concert was held. Diana, Wonder Woman 1, took Shirley’s place, with Bill Engvall filling in for Danny. Taking on the persona of Tina Turner, Wonder Woman 1 started-

You know, every now and thenI think you might like to hear something from usNice and easy but there’s just one thingYou see, we never ever do nothing nice and easyWe always do it nice and rough

So we’re gonna take the beginning of this song and do it easyThen we’re gonna do the finish roughThis is the way we do ‘Proud Mary’And we’re rolling, rolling, rolling on the riverListen to the story

Left a good job in the cityWorking for the man every night and dayAnd I never lost one minute of sleepingWorrying ’bout the way that things might have been

Big wheel keep on turningProud Mary keep on burningAnd we’re rolling, rollingRolling on the river

Cleaned a lot of plates in MemphisI pumped a lot of tane down in New OrleansBut I never saw the good side of the cityUntil I hitched a ride on the riverboat queen

Big wheel keep on turningProud Mary keep on burningAnd we’re rolling, rollingRolling on the riverSay, we’re rolling, rollingRolling on the river

I left a good job in the cityWorking for the man every night and dayAnd I never lost one minute of sleepingWorrying ’bout the way things might have been

Big wheel keep on turningProud Mary keep on burningRolling, rollingRolling on the riverSay, we’re rolling, rollingRolling on the river, the river

I cleaned a lot of plates in MemphisAnd I pumped a lot of tane down in New OrleansBut I never saw the good side of the city‘Til I hitched a ride on the riverboat queen

Big wheel keep on turningProud Mary keep on burningAnd we’re rolling, so we’re rollingAnd we’re rolling on the riverI tell you, we’re rolling, rollingWe’re rolling on the river

If you come down to the riverI bet you gonna find some people who liveAnd you don’t have to worry if you got no moneyPeople on the river are happy to give

Big wheel keep on turningProud Mary keep on burningAnd we’re rolling and we’re rollingAnd we’re rolling on the riverTell me one more time(Rolling, rolling, rolling on the river)

(Rolling, rolling, rolling on the river)(Rolling, rolling, rolling on the river)(Rolling, rolling, rolling on the river)(Rolling, rolling, rolling on the river)

Applause filled the Animarium, as they continued-

A PRISONER OF YOUR LOVEENTANGLED IN YOUR WEBHOT WHISPERS IN THE NIGHTI`M CAPTURED BY YOUR SPELL (CAPTURED)OH YES I`M TOUCHED BY THIS SHOW OF EMOTIONSHOULD I BE FRACTURED BY YOUR LACK OF DEVOTIONSHOULD I, SHOULD I

OH YOU BETTER BE GOOD TO METHAT`S HOW IT`S GOT TO BE NOWCAUSE I DON`T HAVE NO USEFOR WHAT YOU LOOSELY CALL THE TRUTHOH YOU BETTER BE GOOD TO MEYES YOU BETTER BE GOOD TO ME

AND I THINK IT`S ONLY RIGHTTHAT WE DON`T MEET AT NIGHTWE STAND FACE TO FACEAND YOU PRESENT YOUR CASEAND I KNOW YOU KEEP TELLING ME THAT YOU LOVE MEAND I REALLY DO WANT TO BELIEVEBUT DID YOU THINK I`D JUST ACCEPT YOU IN BLIND FAITHOH SURE BABE ANYTHING TO PLEASE YOUOH YOU BETTER BE GOOD TO ME

THAT`S HOW IT`S GOT TO BE NOWCAUSE I DON`T HAVE THE TIME FOR YOUR OVER LOADED LINESYES YOU BETTER BE GOOD TO MEYES YOU BETTER BE GOOD TO ME

AND I REALLY DON`T SEEWHY IT`S SO HARD TO BEGOOD TO MEAND I DON`T UNDERSTANDWHAT`S YOUR PLANTHAT YOU CAN`TBE GOOD TO ME

WHY I FEEL, I SURELY CANNOT SEEWHY CAN’T YOU BE GOOD TO MEAND IF IT’S NOT REAL, I DO NOT WISH TO SEEWHY DON’T YOU BE GOOD TO MEWHY DON’T YOU BE GOOD TO MEWHY DON’T YOU BE GOOD TO MEWHY DON’T YOU BE GOOD TO MEWHY CAN’T YOU BE GOOD TO MEBE GOOD TO ME

CAUSE I DON`T HAVE NO USEFOR WHAT YOU LOOSELY CALL THE TRUTHAND I DON`T HAVE THE TIME FOR YOUR OVER LOADED LINESYOU BETTER BE GOOD TO MEBETTER BE GOODCAUSE I DON`T HAVE THE TIME FOR YOUR OVER LOADED LINESAND I DON`T HAVE NO USEFOR WHAT YOU LOOSELY CALL THE TRUTHYOU BETTER BE GOOD TO ME

The concert continued-

THERE’S A PALE MOON IN THE SKYTHE KIND YOU MAKE YOUR WISHES ONLIKE THE LIGHT IN YOUR EYESTHE ONE I BUILD MY DREAMS UPONIT’S NOT HERE ANY LONGERSOMETHING HAPPENED SOMEWHERE AND WE BOTH KNOW WHYBUT ME I’M GETTING STRONGERWE MUST STOP PRETENDINGI CAN’T LIVE THIS LIE

I DON’T CARE WHO’S WRONG OR RIGHTI DON’T REALLY WANNA FIGHT NO MORETOO MUCH TALKING BABELET’S SLEEP ON IT TONIGHTI DON’T REALLY WANNA FIGHT NO MORETHIS IS TIME FOR LETTING GO

I HEAR A WHISPER IN THE AIRTHAT SIMPLY DOESN’T BOTHER MEBOY, CAN’T YOU SEE THAT I DON’T CAREOR ARE YOU LOOKING RIGHT THROUGH MEIT SEEMS TO ME THAT LATELY (SEEMS TO ME THAT LATELY)YOU LOOK AT ME THE WRONG WAY AND I START TO CRYCOULD IT BE THAT MAYBE (COULD IT BE THAT MAYBE)THIS CRAZY SITUATION IS THE REASON WHY

I DON’T CARE WHO’S WRONG OR RIGHTI DON’T REALLY WANNA FIGHT NO MORETOO MUCH TALKING BABEDON’T CARE NOW WHO’S TO BLAMEI DON’T REALLY WANNA FIGHT NO MORETHIS IS TIME FOR LETTING GO

HANGING ON TO THE PASTIT ONLY STANDS IN OUR WAYWE HAVE TO GROW FOR OUR LOVE TO LASTBUT WE JUST GREW APART

OH DON’T WANNA HURT NO MOREBUT BABY DON’T YOU KNOWNO, I DON’T WANNA HURT NO MORE…TIRED OF ALL THESE GAMESTHIS TIME I’M WALKING BABE

It was at this time that, without warning, the White Reality Gem in Megan’s body began to glow. “What’s going on here?” asked Megan in both surprise and panic.

But she needn’t have worried. Images were projected for all on the Animarium to see. “I think it’s showing us the last two Angels,” said Sabrina.

She was right. The images were of two young women. Jill, Kelly, and Kris recognized the first woman right away. “Oh my gosh, Tiffany!” cried Kris with a smile. It was indeed Tiffany Welles, Kelly and Kris’ former colleague.

Elle then asked, “But who’s the other one?”

Al, however, recognized the second woman. “Whoa!”

“You know who she is?” asked Wonder Woman 2.

“I do. She’s one of the best Divas of the WWE.” Keith Partridge spoke, his admiration and love for this new woman obvious.

Daniel Aydelott agreed. “She’s damn good.”

“So,. . . who is she?” Wonder Woman 2 asked.

Al turned to Wonder Woman 2, asking incredulously, “What do you mean ‘Who is she?’ I’m glad Keith and Dan watch, but don’t any of you watch wrestling? That’s . . .”

Boston:

A bored Tiffany Welles walked into her Colonial apartment and sighed. It was times like this she wished she had stayed in California. She loved Boston, but felt she didn’t belong there anymore. She was also feeling very restless lately, like life had something grand planned for her.

She sighed, thinking back to her days in Los Angeles, her days with Kelly, Kris, and sometimes, Jill. Tiffany had also heard of Julie, the girl who had taken her place, and Sabrina, the woman she took over for. Tiffany had missed the adventure, the danger, the feeling that she was doing something useful, and she wanted that feeling again. Recently, there were rumblings of Jill, Kelly, Kris, and both Julie and Sabrina helping out the Justice League. Tiffany chuckled, but couldn’t help but feel a little bit jealous.

At this very moment, she was aware of a green gem in a golden bracelet setting sitting on her lampstand. Picking it up, she asked herself, “How’d that get here?” As she examined it, it suddenly attached to her wrist, surprising her.

Tiffany didn’t have time to react as she disappeared in a streak of green-colored light.

Sacramento:

Eve Torres was body-slammed to the mat by her opponent, Alicia Fox. These two beautiful women were putting on a wrestling match for several people in attendance for this untelevised event. While Eve had gotten some offense in earlier in the match, she had found herself on the receiving end of Fox’s punishment the last couple of minutes. Alicia dropped an elbow into her chest area and covered, but Eve was able to kick out before the referee counted to three. Alicia helped her to her feet and gave her a knee into her mid-section, setting her up for her finisher, the Scissor Kick. However, Eve was able to move out of the way, and clotheslined her.

Alicia quickly got back up, only to receive a drop-kick for her troubles. Fox got up again, only for the same thing to happen. Eve waited for her opponent to get up and attempted to whip her into the corner. Fox, however, reversed it, sending Eve into the corner. But Eve stopped herself by grabbing the top rope and caught her opponent coming in with a back elbow. As Fox grabbed her face, momentarily stunned, Eve turned around and bounded onto the bottom rope in the corner. She then connected with a perfectly-timed kick to the side of Alicia’s head, causing her to plop down to the mat. Eve smiled. Alicia was right where she wanted her.

Eve began climbing to the top rope. Knowing what was coming next, the fans got their cameras out. The flashbulbs popped as Eve took flight, nailing her opponent with a moonsault! The fans counted along as the referee counted 1-2-3.

The bell rang as Eve stood up. The referee raised her hand as the ring announcer declared, “The winner of this match: Eve Torres!” Her theme music playing, Eve stood in the corners of the ring with a smile on her face, holding a fist in the air in a token of victory. More pictures were taken and soon, Eve stepped out of the ring to slap five and hug some of the fans at ringside. This was one of the things she loved most about being a part of WWE: Interacting with the people. She also hoped that her performance that day would go a long way towards convincing Vince McMahon to let her have another run with the Divas Championship belt.

After the show, Eve was in the locker room unlacing her wrestling boots when she heard a knock on the door. A voice outside asked, “You decent?”

“Yeah, come on in,” responded Eve.

The door opened, Arn Anderson stepping in. He smiled, saying, “Good job, Eve. That’s one of the best matches I’ve seen you put on.”

Eve smiled, saying, “Thanks, Arn. That means a lot coming from you.” Her smile disappeared though as she leaned back and stared out into space.

Noticing this, Arn asked, “Something on your mind?”

Eve sighed. “I don’t know. Arn, I’m going ask you a question. And be honest. Do you ever get the feeling that maybe . . . you’re meant to be part of something bigger?”

“What do you mean?” asked Arn. “You’re not quitting, are you?”

“What?” asked Eve in surprise. “No! It’s nothing like that! It’s just that . . . lately I’ve just got this feeling that something’s going to happen. I don’t know what. I don’t think it’s anything bad, but. . .” She trailed off.

“You can’t shake it?” finished Arn. Eve nodded. Arn continued, “I can’t answer that for you, Eve. But look, since you’ve got the next few days off, why don’t you just go on home and relax? Just kick back and enjoy yourself. Maybe it’ll help take your mind off things before you get back on the road.”

This got a smile out of Eve. “Thanks, Arn. You always seem to know the right thing to say. I think I’ll do just that.” She got up and hugged him, saying, “See you in a few days.”

After showering and changing clothes, Eve got in her car and drove home to her beach house in Los Angeles. After fixing herself a drink, she stepped outside and watched the waves of the ocean crashing on the beach. She loved this view. It was one of the reasons she loved living in California. She just hoped that when she had children of her own, it would still be around for them to enjoy. She looked up when she thought she saw a twinkle in the sky. She soon noticed the twinkle coming closer. Coming directly at her.

She finally saw that it was some kind of gold bracelet with a clear diamond gem. It latched itself onto her wrist, surprising her. She dropped her drink as she cried out, “Whoa!” She was teleported away in a streak of clear light.

Crossworld City:

At Ziktor Industries, Karl Ziktor was in his office, watching as his pet iguana Juliet slinked around in her aquarium. He was interrupted when a voice asked, “Sir?’

Ziktor turned to see a woman in a short black dress standing before him. The woman said, “We’ve just received word that the energy signature of the Reality Gems has turned up again. This time, we were able to get a better lock on it.”

“Excellent,” said Ziktor as he turned to face her. “Where?”

“We’re not entirely certain. All we know is that it is somewhere in Crossworld City.”

Ziktor nodded. “Leave me.” The assistant nodded before transforming into a Skug. The Skug then disappeared in a flash.

The blinds in Ziktor’s office were closed as he stepped behind his desk. He then touched the Prism of Empowerment on his desk. As power coursed through his body, he recited, “FORCES OF DARKNESS, EMPOWER ME! TAKE ME BACK TO MY VIRTUAL REALITY!” In seconds, Karl Ziktor was transformed into Grimlord. He then was teleported out of his office.

At the Virtual Dark Fortress, Grimlord appeared. All his subjects in attendance cried out, “Hail, Grimlord! Master of the Virtual World!”

“Report, my minions!” ordered Grimlord.

Dispera, Grimlord’s second-in-command, stepped forward. “Even as we speak, master, Orclan is attempting to zero in on the Reality Gem’s exact location. However, we also have a problem, and it’s not just the VR Troopers.”

“Explain yourself,” commanded Grimlord.

Doomaster stepped forward. “We have reason to believe that Rita Repulsa and Lex Luthor are seeking the gem as well. Also seeking the gem are the Power Rangers and members of the JLA.”

“We must stop them all!” declared Grimlord. “Leave nothing to chance! I want that gem for myself! Once we have it, we will make plans to seize the other Reality Gems! See to it that my will is done!”

Undisclosed Location, Dark Dimension:

Lex Luthor, Rita Repulsa, and Lord Zedd all came to. When they got to their feet, Rita asked, “What happened?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” asked Zedd. “We’ve been had!” He noticed the gems on the ground. He picked two of them up and examined them. He glowed red as he yelled, “These gems are fake!” He then crushed them with his bare hand.

Luthor had picked up another one of the fake Reality Gems and examined it with a beam from his armored glove. “Unfortunately, he’s right. It would appear that our foes now have eight of the nine gems. We have no choice now but to get involved directly. Our only chance is to retrieve the final gem.”

“But how do we find it?” asked Rita. “It could be anywhere on Earth!”

“Fortunately, I was able to record the energy signature of the gem Zedd had in his possession,” said Luthor. The three of them then walked over to a computer terminal. After bringing up the information he needed, Luthor continued. “Assuming all of the Reality Gems have the same signature, by activating a worldwide search, we should be able to zero in on the gem’s location in no time.” Minutes later, a result came up. Pointing to a dot on the screen, Luthor said, “There. It is somewhere in Crossworld City.”

“That’s the home of the VR Troopers,” said Rita. “Grimlord may want the gem as well.”

“Then we’ll get it first,” said Zedd. “After that, we launch a full-scale assault on the Animarium. And once the Reality Gems are back in our possession, the three of us will settle things once and for all.”

Rita and Luthor looked at Zedd with a frown. The only verbal response came from Luthor: “Indeed.”

The Animarium:

Two teleportation beams arrived, taking on the forms of Tiffany Welles and Eve Torres. Once the shock wore off, Eve was the first to speak. With a smile, she said, “Whoa. That was a rush!”

“But where are we?” asked Tiffany.

“You’re on the Animarium,” came a voice. Both ladies gasped when they saw that it came from Superman 1! “You’ve been chosen to help us save reality.”

Jason 1 then said, “And now that you’re here, it appears the Power Angel team is complete.”

Eve asked, “But what are you kids doing here with the Justice League?”

“We’re the Power Rangers,” answered Samantha. “Why else would we be here?”

Eve smiled and said, “Hey, I recognize you! You’re Samantha Dean, former teen model!”

“But how are we supposed to help save reality?” asked Tiffany.

“By helping us find the Reality Gems,” answered Flash 1. “Those bracelets on your wrists will give you special powers to aid in our fight.”

Tommy 1 then said, “We have to keep them out of Zedd, Rita, and Lex Luthor’s hands at all costs.”

“Zedd?” asked Tiffany. “As in Lord Zedd? But I heard he was converted to the side of good.”

“And you heard right,” came another voice, the voice of Tommy 2. Eve and Tiffany were shocked to see duplicates of the Rangers and the JLA standing before them, as well as the kids from Step by Step. “But this Zedd is from another Universe,” continued Tommy 2. “Our Universe.”

“We followed him here to stop him from gaining possession of the gems,” said Superman 2. “We’ve already succeeded in retrieving eight of the nine gems.”

A smile on his face, Superman 1 said, “Miss Welles, I believe there are some old friends of yours who are happy to see you again.”

Tiffany turned around. Her face lit up when she saw three familiar faces. “Kelly! Kris! Jill!” She ran over to her three friends and hugged them. All four of them were smiling. “Oh, it’s so good to see you again!” cried Tiffany as a tear escaped her eye.

“We’ve missed you,” said Kris. Sabrina and Julie just stood back and watched the scene before them, smiles on their own faces.

When the hug was finally broken, Kelly smiled and said, “Let me guess, you found one of these, right?” She showed Tiffany the bracelet on her wrist with the black gem.

“These go great with any outfit, you’ll find out very soon.” Jill joked, holding up her bracelet with the red gem.

“Yeah,” answered a surprised Tiffany. “It was just sitting there in my apartment, even though I swear it wasn’t there this morning.” She then noticed Sabrina and Julie standing close by. Nervously, she approached Charlie’s other two Angels and introduced herself. “Hi, I’m Tiffany Welles. The two of you must be Sabrina Duncan and Julie Rogers. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Likewise,” said Julie with a smile. “The others told us a lot of good things about you.”

Elle looked at Eve and asked, “But why was she chosen? I’m a former special agent and the other Power Angels are detectives. But she’s a wrestler, and pro wrestling’s not even a real sport.”

Batman 1 stepped forward and said, “She is also a practitioner of jiu-jitsu and kickboxing. Not to mention, she’s an honor graduate with a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering. And she does charity work, most notably for the Make-A-Wish Foundation as well as anti-bullying campaigns. As part of World Wrestling Entertainment, she’s even gone overseas to show her support for the troops, although I personally question Vince McMahon’s true motives.”

Eve then said, “Look, Batman, I appreciate the fact that you’re defending me, but if you already have eight of the nine gems, what do you need us for?”

“Everyone here is valuable,” answered Wonder Woman 1. “Each of us brings something different to the table.”

“Another reason is that once a Reality Gem has been found, each of the Power Angels can hide them inside of themselves,” continued Isis 1. “That is the best way to keep them out of the enemy’s hands.”

Green Lantern 1 stepped forward, holding the Green Reality Gem with a ring-generated hand. “Case in point, Miss Welles, you seem to have been entrusted with the Green Angel Gem. Therefore, you would be best-suited to hide the Green Reality Gem within yourself.”

Tiffany nodded in understanding. Without another word, Tiffany took the Green Reality Gem. When it began to glow, she placed it inside her body. “It’s done,” said Tiffany. “What now?”

“Now we wait,” answered Wonder Woman 2. “We know the last gem, the Clear Gem, is somewhere in Crossworld City, but we don’t know where. We’re attempting to zero in on it, even as we speak.”

Daniel Aydelott approached with an acoustic guitar, saying, “And while we’re waiting, how about a little music to keep us occupied?” He then began playing Earl Scruggs’ Foggy Mountain Breakdown.

As Daniel played, Eve smiled and soon began salsa dancing to the beat. Some of the others watched in curiosity, but she didn’t notice. Even as he played, Dan couldn’t help but smile. He was clearly impressed. He extended the tune as much as he could before finally stopping after a four-minute session.

When it was over, Kimberly 1 smiled and said, “Wow, Eve, you’re good.”

Eve smiled and said, “I’ve been dancing for a long time. When I was in college, I was co-captain of the USC Fly Girls dance squad and created much of their choreography. While there, I also did commercials and appeared in music videos to support myself. I was even a founding member of the Omega Phi Beta sorority chapter and was vice president for much of my time there. After graduation, I went into dancing and modeling full-time. I was even a member of the Los Angeles Clippers’ Spirit Dance Team for one season.”

Jill smiled and joked, “Too bad that doesn’t translate into wins for the Clippers.”

Eve chuckled and said, “Yeah, no kidding.”

“How long have you been doing jiu-jitsu?” asked Zack 1.

“A handful of years,” answered Eve. “Originally, I decided to take jiu-jitsu for self-defense purposes, but the more I got into it, the more I enjoyed it. When I’m not on the road with WWE, I spend many of my days off at the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy.”

“So what made you decide to get into wrestling anyway?” asked Mark.

“I’d like to know that too.” Laurie Partridge added, looking over at her brother Keith, and thinking of the ways she was going to tease him about this.

“Well, after one season with the Clippers, I was at a crossroads where I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do,” answered Eve. “I’d been watching wrestling for some time, and I learned that they were holding a Diva Search competition, so I decided to enter it. Well, as fate would have it, I ended up winning it, so basically, I got into WWE on a fluke. But even then, I knew that if I was going to make it in WWE, I was going to have to work for it, which was fine by me, because everything I’ve ever had, I’ve worked for. So, I was sent down to their developmental territories to train, but I did get to appear on Smackdown doing interviews. It allowed me to get some TV exposure and some time to get comfortable in front of the camera. And when it was time, I finally started competing, my first feud being with Michelle McCool, who at the time was in the midst of turning from face to heel, or good guy to bad guy. About ten months later, I was sent to Raw and won the Divas Championship six months after that. It was the highlight of my career.”

“Have you ever considered playing the heel yourself?” asked Keith with a smile.

Chris looked at his brother. “I don’t see that for Eve. I think she is just way too good. She is the definition of Angel.”

Eve smiled at Chris, then responded, “That’s sweet of you to say, but honestly, I wouldn’t mind giving it a try. One of the neat things about wrestling is that you can show your bad side and get away with it.”

Rocky 1, who was grinning like an idiot, looked Eve up and down, obviously liking what he saw. This did not go unnoticed by Keith, who simply bit his tongue. Zack 1 and Wonder Woman 1 couldn’t help but chuckle at this as it reminded them of their own situation in a way. Finally Rocky 1 said, “Wow. Beauty, brains, and brawn. What a combo!”

Eve smiled and said, “Or, as we say in the world of WWE Divas, sexy, smart, powerful.”

Soon, the fountain sprung up. “We’ve got it,” said Billy 1. “But we’ve also got big trouble. Who’s going?”

“My team’s going this time,” said Tommy 2, speaking for his entire team of Morphin Rangers.

“Now that our entire team is assembled, I think it’s only right that we should go too,” said Sabrina, speaking up for the now-complete team of Power Angels.

“You can count me in,” said Firestorm. “I haven’t seen any action in far too long.”

“I’m in.” Isis 1 spoke

“Add me to the mix. I have a feeling Zedd’s actually involving himself in this.” Isis 2 finished.

“No doubt,” said Superman 1 as he stepped forward. “We’ve pushed them to the point of desperation. And if Zedd does get involved, there’s no reason to believe Luthor won’t as well. I’m coming, too.”

“And me,” said Starfire.

“I’m going as well,” said Kat 2.

“There’s no way I’m missing this,” said Dan.

“If nobody objects, I’m not missing this either,” said Batman 2.

“I’VE JUST RECEIVED WORD THAT YOUNG JUSTICE, ALONG WITH THE GEO RANGERS OF OUR WORLD, ARE ALREADY ON THEIR WAY TO CROSSWORLD CITY,” said Zordon 1. “I SUGGEST YOU MORPH BEFORE YOU LEAVE.”

“GOOD LUCK,” said Zordon 2. “AND MAY THE POWER PROTECT YOU.”

“It’s Morphin Time!” ordered Tommy 2.

“PTERODACTYL!”

“TRICERATOPS!”

“TYRANNOSAURUS!”

“MASTODON!”

“SABER-TOOTHED TIGER!”

“GREEN DRAGON!”

“PYRAMIDAS!”

“WHITE TIGER!”

Next was Kat 1. “Go Zeo!”

“ZEO RANGER I, PINK!”

Dan: “FROM THE SHADOWS, COMES FORTH THE LIGHT!”

Finally, Sabrina commanded, “ANGEL POWER!”

For the first time, all nine Power Angels punched their fists together, the gems in their bracelets glowing. In an instant, they were suited up. Looking over her green suit and boots, Tiffany soon looked at her hands and said, “Wow. I’ve never felt anything like this!”

“Amazing,” breathed Eve. She too, was looking over her outfit. She wore an identical suit and boots, except hers was a glittering diamond-like color.

“Let’s get going,” said Starfire. “We haven’t one moment to lose!”

Crossworld City:

At Tao Dojo, Ryan Steele, Kaitlyn Starr, and J. B. Reese were practicing their katas. Jeb, their talking dog, was watching. Less than impressed, Jeb said, “You three need to work on your technique and form.”

“Easy for you to say, Jeb,” said J. B. “You’re not the one who has to train.”

Suddenly, the three of them heard a beeping. They went over to their bags, Ryan picking up a V. T. On the screen was Professor Horatio Hart. “Go ahead, Professor,” said Ryan.

“I need the three of you to come to my lab at once,” said Professor Hart. “It’s urgent.”

“We’re on our way,” said Kaitlyn.

When the three of them arrived, Professor Hart spoke. “I am receiving troubling transmissions from Princess Shayla. Lord Zedd has come from another dimension to capture the Reality Gems. Fortunately, the Power Angels have helped gain 7 of the Gems. However, Grimlord is also after them as well.”

“Wait,” said J. B. “Power Angels? Who are they?”

“According to the Princess, they are a group of young women, most of whom have worked as private investigators under one Charles Townsend,” explained the Professor. “They have recently been granted powers of their own, courtesy of the so-called Angel Gems, that grant them control over one of the elements.”

“How soon will we be expecting trouble?” Ryan asked.

“Very soon. Fortunately, the Power Angels, along with members of the Justice League are coming to help, along with heroes from another dimension.”

“Still, we’d better get ready.” Kaitlyn warned.

Ryan commanded “Let’s do this! TROOPER TRANSFORM!”

Ryan, Kaitlyn, J.B.: “WE ARE VR!”

New York:

Meanwhile, after stopping at One Police Plaza, the Jungle Fury Rangers were on the roof, ready for action. Casey Rhodes, the Red Tiger Ranger, looked at the team. “We can’t let Zedd, Grimlord, or this new Dai Shi get their hands on these gems.”

“Casey’s right! If any of the bad guys do, this world is toast!” Lilly Chilman, the Yellow Cheetah Ranger, finished.

“Good thing you came and got Bobby and me. I have a feeling we are all going to be needed.” Det. Alexandra Eames, the Pink Eagle Ranger, stated.

“Then what are we waiting for?” Theo Martin, the Blue Jaguar Ranger, shouted.

Dominic Hargan, the White Rhino Ranger, said, “It’s in Crossworld City.”

Robert ‘RJ’ James, the Purple Wolf Ranger, frowned as he said “Let’s be careful.”

Det. Robert Goren, the Black Lion Ranger, spoke for everyone. “Let’s get this done!”

“JUNGLE BEAST, SPIRIT UNLEASH!”

Crossworld City:

General Ivar, with a fleet of Skugs, commanded them to turn the city inside out to find the Diamond Reality Gem. “Leave no stone unturned. We must find it and the other Gems-”

“Then what? We will find them first, and you and Grimlord will be our slaves!” a disembodied voice snarled.

“DAI SHI! Stay out of this!” Ivar snapped.

“You and Grimlord will do the same thing! Those Gems are ours!” Rita Repulsa snapped, Lex Luthor and Lord Zedd standing behind her.

“Well, if it isn’t the useless witch! Go play with yourself, while we tend to more important matters!” Ivar snapped back.

“Oh, great, like we really needed this!” Ryan Steele shouted.

“THE VR TROOPERS! Get them!” Zedd shouted. In minutes, both Putties and Tengas attacked, followed by Skugs and Rinshi warriors.

“This day just gets better and better.” JB sighed.

“Need any help?” a voice asked. The seven Jungle Fury Rangers stood beside the Troopers. “The JLA and the Rangers are on their way.” The Pink Eagle Ranger confirmed.

Dai Shi spoke up with, “So? We’ll still finish you off! RINSHI!” Then, a pack of Rinshi warriors started to attack.

“Time to go to work!” Casey shouted. In minutes, the Red Tiger Ranger went to work, slamming and trashing as many Rinshi as he could.

“These clowns are starting to get on my nerves!” Lilly frowned. The Yellow Cheetah Ranger polished off her pack with her elephant ball & chain, trashing the lot of them, while Theo used his razor sharp bat fans. The Blue Jaguar Ranger made mincemeat out of them, while the Pink Eagle Ranger used her crossbow to nail as many Rinshi and Skugs as she could.

“It seems both Dai Shi and Grimlord are too chicken to get their own hands dirty.” Eames said afterwards.

Without one word, the Black Lion Ranger used his tailwhip to trash even more Skugs and Rinshi. “You guys are pathetic!” Goren sighed.

RJ and Dominic finished off their packs together without breaking a sweat. “Need any help?” the Purple Wolf Ranger asked the VR Troopers.

“You are going to need all the help that you can get!” a voice behind them shouted. It was-

“LOTHOR?” The Jungle Fury team shouted in shock.

“Lothor is dead. I am Dai Shi! And my new team of warriors stand with me!” the new Dai Shi turned to reveal-

“Thought so.” Casey sighed. The Ninja Storm team stood alongside Dai Shi.

“Turn over the Gems!” Shane Clark, the Red Wind Ranger, bellowed.

“You already know our answer to that!” Theo snapped in return.

“It really doesn’t matter, we are going to destroy you all!” Luthor started, when he was hit with a intense blast of heat vision, Zedd was also knocked down by a double blast of magic.

Superman 1 and both Isis 1 and 2 stood there with the Rangers who were already there. “Ready for us to knock all of you into the next millennium?” asked Superman 1 with a smirk.

“Even with you here, Superman, you are no match for us,” said Luthor, not the slightest bit intimidated. “I will crush you myself!” He then flew forward, attempting to tackle the Man of Steel. Luthor was able to push his foe backwards, but Superman 1 refused to go down.

“So, two Isis’, eh?” asked Zedd. “I’ve been looking forward to this rematch. Once I’ve dealt with the both of you, those Charmed Ones are next on my hit list!” He then fired a blast from his staff, but both Isis’ countered with lightning strikes.

“Not a chance, Zedd,” said Isis 2.

“Once we’re done with you, you’re going back to your own Universe where you belong,” added Isis 1. Staffs then appeared in the hands of both Isis’.

“We’ll see,” snarled Zedd. He then charged both Isis’, staffs clashing violently.

General Ivar blindly charged the Troopers. “You will be finished-by MY hand!”

“Grow up, Ivar. VR KAITLYN DOUBLE-TEAM!” Ivar was thrown for a loop as both attacked him, while JB got his double-edge VR Saber and Ryan set him up for the finish. Ryan and both Kaitlyns wore Ivar down long enough for JB to take care of both Ivar and Dai Shi. His earthen body destroyed, Dai Shi went in search for a new temporary host, while Ivar was simply no more.

Tori Hansen, the Blue Water Ranger, charged Lilly, saying “I am so going to enjoy killing you!” However, she didn’t take into account Det. Alexandra Eames, the Pink Eagle Ranger.

“Looks like someone needs a flying lesson-and is about to get it!” Eames then grabbed Tori by the throat, and shot into the sky.

Tori looked at her and smiled “Here’s the deal-we get the Gems-you can rule alongside of us. Deal?”

“Um-you see, you are not in any position to make any kind of deal. Let me show you-look down-and try not to scream.” Eames finished. Tori looked down-and saw she was now at least a thousand feet in the air.

The scream Tori cut loose with made the little imps in Det. Alexandra Eames dance with pure glee.

“You bring her back down NOW!” Dustin Brooks shouted. The Yellow Lion Ranger was about to send a chunk of earth up to knock out Eames, when a black whip knocked his sword out of his hand. Dustin soon found himself facing 2 angry Rangers-Casey Rhodes and Det. Robert Goren.

“You were NOT about to sneak attack our friend, were you?” Casey snarled.

“So what if I was?” Dustin snarled.

“Just this-” Goren started, then slashed the Yellow lion Ranger with the full force of the Lion’s Claw, sending him flying, and hitting a tree. “Hobson’s choice-you can either surrender, and continue to live healthy-or keep attacking-and wind up in a permanent body cast-behind bars.” Dustin surrendered meekly.

“Oh, yeah? What about me?” Shane shouted as he charged the 2.

“My turn, if you don’t mind.” Casey bowed.

“Of course, be my guest.” Goren smiled and bowed in return.

Casey jumped on top of Shane, and slammed him into the ground. Shane tried to sneak attack, but Casey was prepared, throwing him into a building, then smashed a branch into his helmet, destroying it. Shane was soon looking down the barrel of Goren’s Lion Cannon. “You give?” Casey snickered. Shane held his hands up in defeat.

Brothers Hunter and Blake Bradley tried to get them, but Lilly and Theo were ready. Using her Jungle Bo, Lilly knocked Blake’s staff out of his hands, then leaped onto Blake, at full cheetah speed, knocking him senseless. “You are a Ninja? You gotta be kidding me!” Lilly said in disbelief.

Theo didn’t even have to try with Hunter. Theo’s Jungle Tonfa just knocked Hunter on his knees, then Theo just kicked him into a nearby wall. “Dai Shi must be getting pretty desperate.”

Dai Shi jumped out of Lothor-into Cam Watanabe’s body. “Desperate, am I?”

“Damn straight!” Dominic Hargan chuckled, then attacked. The Green Samurai Ranger was simply no match for the White Rhino Ranger. Any attack that Cam/Dai Shi tried, Dom countered. “There really is such a thing as too much of a good thing-and this is it!” Using his Rhino Sabre, Dom trashed Cam’s shield, and knocked out Dai Shi. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay down.” Dom finished.

“The only thing wrong with this fight-I didn’t really have anything to do!” RJ sighed.

Rita stood face-to-face with both Kats. An evil smile on her face, Rita said, “So you must be Katherine from the other Universe. Zeddy tells me that on your world, I turned you evil just like I did with Tommy. Perhaps after all is said and done, I can do the same to your counterpart here on my world. If all else fails, I can destroy the Rangers from the inside out!” She then laughed.

“No way, Rita,” said Kat 2. “You will not play with her mind or anyone else’s ever again!”

“Now, let’s show her what real power is,” said Kat 1. Kat 1 then charged Rita with her sword, while Kat 2 charged with her Blade Blaster sword.

“Let’s help the others,” said Tommy 2 as he and the rest of his team sought to deal with the Putties, Tengas, Skugs, and Rinshi warriors. The Power Angels were trying to help out too.

As they fought, Jenny cried, “They’re trying to overwhelm us!”

“Just keep fighting!” cried a determined Trini 2.

At that moment, a green steamroller rolled over several of the enemy foot-soldiers. All turned to see Green Lantern Brian Taylor flying towards the scene of battle. He smiled and said, “Let’s get down!” Accompanying him were Young Justice and the Geo Rangers.

Seeing Jill and Kris there, Kay Thomas, the Green Nature Geo Ranger, asked in surprise, “Aunt Jill?”

Kris Thomas, the Yellow Energy Geo Ranger, asked in as much surprise, “Aunt Kris?”

This caused Jill and Kris (Munroe) to do a double-take. “Kay?” asked Jill.

“Kristine?” asked Kris.

Robin 1 lead the charge, saying, “Let’s take care of business!” He then began tearing into all four enemy types.

Superboy 1 quipped, “Hey, save some for me!” He easily fought off more with his super-strength.

Wonder Girl 1 (Vanessa Kapatelis) said, “I want in on this, too!” She fought off several enemies before wrapping up one Tenga with her lasso and swinging it into its own comrades.

Impulse knocked over several with his super-speed, crying, “Yahoo! Now this is my idea of a good time!”

Justin Steed, the Red Fire Geo Ranger, stood by Jill and said, “Greetings, my lady. Let’s cook their gooses, shall we?”

Jill smiled and said, “Let’s.” They then unleashed a humongous fireball, incinerating several enemies.

Karen Peel, the Pink Wind Geo Ranger, joined Julie, saying, “Most boys get blown away by our looks.”

Julie smiled and added, “You guys are just going to get blown away.” Their combined winds blew away several enemies.

Kay stood by Tiffany’s side and smiled under her helmet, saying, “Let me show you how it’s done.” She then caused various plants to burst from the ground, putting several of the villainous foot soldiers out of their misery.

Tiffany smiled back and said, “Anything you can do, I can do better.” She then repeated what Kay had just done.

Kris Thomas and Kris Munroe fought side-by-side. The elder Kris asked, “How long have you and Kay been doing this?”

The younger Kris shrugged and answered, “For a while now. I see you and Aunt Jill have joined in as well. Right now, let’s take care of business. ENERGY WHIP!” She then used her weapon to tear several enemies apart.

The older Kris smiled and nodded, clearly impressed. “You’re good. Now, it’s my turn.” She then unleashed a barrage of lightning bolts, taking out more.

Mark Stanton, the Blue Water Geo Ranger, looked Sabrina up and down, obviously liking what he saw. “Hey, babe, when this is all over, you think maybe you and I could get to know each other a little better?”

“Keep your eyes to yourself, boy,” responded Sabrina. “Besides, I’m afaid I’m a little too old for you.” They then proceeded to conjure up a small tidal wave powerful enough to wipe out more enemies without causing major property damage.

Kelly shot a field of darkness at the enemies in the immediate vicinity, rendering them defenseless. “That should buy us a few seconds grace.”

“Thanks, Kelly,” said Dan. “Now, to do my part.” He then ran into the field, tearing into the disoriented enemies with his Saber.

Adam 2 approached Franklin Park, the Black Earth Geo Ranger, saying, “Hi. I hear you’re my brother.”

This caused Franklin to do a double-take. “Adam? Why are you wearing Zack’s uniform?”

Adam 2 chuckled, “I’m not the Adam you know. He and Zack can explain it to you better. Right now, let’s take care of things here.”

“Right,” agreed a still-confused Franklin with a nod. He then summoned his Earth Lance and slammed it into several enemies while Adam 2 battled more with his martial arts skills.

Elle knocked down several enemies with a blast of sound. This allowed Firestorm to rearrange their molecules, making them easy pickings for the others. As he tore into his defenseless foes, Rocky 2 said, “We should do this more often!”

“Oh, come on, Rocky, where’s the challenge in that?” asked Aisha with a laugh as she did the same.

“Will you two quit it with the jokes already?” asked Batman 2 with a frown as he finished off more of the enemy foot soldiers.

As Tommy 2 fought, he chuckled and said, “Oh, come on, Batman, learn to live a little!”

Megan blinded several enemies with a bright shot of light. Starfire then proceeded to blast them from the air with her Starbolts. Trini 2 then gave more of them a beating. When the enemies in the immediate area were taken care of, she smiled under her helmet, saying to Megan, “I think you and the other Power Angels are starting to get the hang of this.” Megan managed a smile in reply.

Eve fought off several enemies, her jiu-jitsu and kickboxing skills paying dividends. As she did so, she discovered she was able to summon animals to come to her aid. Several animals throughout Crossworld City joined in the fight, biting, clawing, scratching, and stampeding over the various enemy foot soldiers. Even the birds of the sky helped out, pecking with their beaks and scratching with their talons.

As he fought off more enemies, Billy 2 said, “Eve, go! Find the gem!”

“We’ll hold them off!” added Jenny as she fought. Eve nodded as she took off, searching for the Clear Reality Gem.

Back at the Virtual Dark Fortress, Dispera said, “Master, Orclan has located the gem near the Ziktor Industries building. But our defenses are being broken through!”

“Even with the unwanted help of Zedd, Rita, Luthor, and Dai Shi, they can’t seem to stop our enemies!” added Doomaster.

Dispera then added “Dai Shi and his forces are down. The Jungle Fury Rangers took them out with almost contemptible ease.”

Grimlord said, “They’re muscling onto our turf! Doomaster, get down there and find that gem! This time, I will handle the VR Troopers personally!”

With General Ivar and all the foot soldiers down for the count, J. B. said, “That takes care of him.”

“Now, let’s find that gem,” said Kaitlyn.

However, they were forced to change their plans when all of a sudden, Grimlord showed up! “Not so fast, Troopers!”

“Grimlord!” cried Ryan in surprise. “So, you finally decide to show your face in battle for once.”

“Yes,” said Grimlord. “I supposed it’s true what they say on your world: If you want something done right, do it yourself!”

Ryan then turned to the other heroes who weren’t busy, saying, “Stay out of this, all of you. This is our fight.”

Tommy 2 nodded and said, “Understood. Good luck.”

“What about Superman and the others?” asked Aisha.

“They can take care of themselves,” said Adam 2. “Come on, let’s go help Eve find the gem.”

The Troopers turned to their long-time foe. “Alright, Grimlord, let’s see what you’ve got,” said Ryan. Grimlord then charged forward, the Troopers meeting the charge.

Eve was desperately trying to find the gem. However, Doomaster appeared before her, saying, “That’s as far as you go, Angel!”

Eve frowned and said, “We’ll see about that.”

Doomaster charged forward, knocking down Eve. Before the Diamond Power Angel could get back to her feet, Doomaster was already on top of her. He said, “Powers or not, you are still just a human. Unlike the Power Rangers and the VR Troopers, your fancy suit doesn’t protect you.”

“It doesn’t have to,” said Eve. She then wrapped her legs around Doomaster’s neck and began pulling on the back of his head, trapping him in a triangle choke. The surprised Doomaster never knew what hit him as he soon passed out.

With Doomaster down for the count, Eve got up and soon found the gem. She smiled as it began to glow. She then placed it inside her body.

Several of the other heroes soon arrived, seeing Doomaster down and Eve standing tall. “Wow,” said Jenny. “Looks like you didn’t need our help after all.”

Elle then asked, “But how did you manage to stop him all by yourself? I’d heard that the Troopers often struggle against him.”

Eve smiled and said, “Even guys from the Virtual World have to breathe.”

Luthor, thanks to his upgraded armor, had Superman 1 on his knees, threatening to crush his fists. “You, the mighty Kryptonian, defeated by a mere man,” said Luthor with an evil smile. “I have dreamed of this day for far too long.”

Defiantly, Superman 1 looked up with a frown and clenched teeth, saying, “Keep dreaming, Luthor. You haven’t beaten me yet.” He then landed a headbutt to Luthor’s exposed cranium, breaking his grip. As Luthor stumbled back, Superman 1 blew him away with his super-breath. He then flew forward and landed on Luthor, landing several super-speed punches, causing damage to Luthor’s armor. He then picked up Luthor and pulled him so they were face-to-face, saying, “You know, Lex, for a smart guy, you’re not very bright sometimes.” He then gave Luthor one more punch, ending the fight.

Rita continually parried with both Kats, also blasting them when she found an opening. As both Pink Rangers struggled to get to their feet, Rita laughed. “Thanks to Luthor and a few of his associates, I’ve managed to improve my fighting skills. What do you think about that?”

“I still say you’re all washed up,” said Kat 2. She then threw her chakram, catching Rita by surprise and knocking her staff out of her hand. Both Kats then leapt into the air, landing simultaneous flying kicks.

With Rita defeated, Kat 1 said, “And that takes care of that.”

Zedd and both Isis’ staffs continued to clash, none of them giving an inch. After one more clash, however, both Isis’ were able to knock Zedd’s staff out of his hands. Seeing their chance, Isis 1 gave Zedd a lightning blast at point-blank range, sending him flying and causing him to scream. Isis 2 then used a gust of wind to shoot Zedd into the air. He landed hard, effectively ending the fight.

Once both Isis’ staffs disappeared, Isis 1 touched her forehead. “Do you feel that?”

Isis 2 nodded, feeling the same sensation as her counterpart. “I do. There’s a strong magical presence somewhere. And it’s not the Reality Gem.” Isis 1 and 2 then closed their eyes and stuck a hand out, the sides of their hands touching. They concentrated.

Inside the Ziktor Industries building, the Prism of Empowerment began to move. It then flew out the window, landing in the joined hands of both Isis 1 and 2.

Zedd, Rita, Luthor, and Dai Shi stood side-by-side, defeated. As they backed away from the heroes, Sabrina asked, “Ready, Angels?”

“Ready,” cried the other Power Angels in unison. They then used their combined powers to send the four villains flying one more time for good measure.

As they recovered, Rita protested, “No fair! They just cheap-shotted us while we were defenseless!”

Rocky 2 smiled underneath his helmet and chuckled, “Nah, they couldn’t have. They’re Angels. Angels don’t do things like that.”

“Give it up, Rita,” said Kat 2.

“We’ve got all of the Reality Gems, Zedd,” added Tommy 2.

“Now will you do the right thing and surrender?” asked Superman 1.

“You think you’ve won?” asked Zedd as he glowed red. “Well, you haven’t!”

“We still have one trump card left,” said Luthor with a frown. With that, he, Rita, and Zedd teleported away.

“What about you, Dai Shi?” asked Casey. “You still think you can beat us?”

“Another day,” said Dai Shi. “But mark my words, I’ll be back!” He then left in haste.

The Troopers continued to battle Grimlord, but he kept knocking them away with sheer brute strength. “You’re no match for me, Troopers!”

“Oh, yeah?” asked J. B. defiantly. “Well, try this on for size!” All three Troopers then fired their laser pistols.

However, it didn’t seem to do anything to Grimlord! He laughed, asking, “What was that supposed to do? Tickle me to death?”

“It didn’t have any effect on him!” cried a surprised Kaitlyn.

“Maybe this will,” said Ryan. “VR Laser Saber Command, NOW!” His saber flashed and Ryan struck, this time causing Grimlord to scream in pain.

“My turn!” said J. B. “VR Laser Lance Command, NOW!” The lance was charged and J. B. proceeded to impale Grimlord. He then pulled the lance out and landed multiple strikes.

However, Grimlord was still standing! Despite all the abuse he’d taken, he remained defiant. He coughed, “Is that. . . the best. . . you can do?”

“I don’t believe this!” exclaimed Kaitlyn. “We’ve hit him with everything but the kitchen sink, and he’s still standing!”

“What does it take to stop this guy?” asked J. B.

“Don’t you get it, Troopers?” asked Grimlord as he limped towards his foes. “Nothing can stop me. Nothing!”

“Hey, Grimlord!” cried out another voice. Grimlord turned to see Isis 1 and 2 standing side-by-side. And Isis 1 was holding the Prism of Empowerment! Isis 1 asked, “This belong to you?”

“How did you get that?” asked the surprised Grimlord.

Isis 1 didn’t answer. Instead, she pointed the prism at Grimlord. Grimlord screamed, “NO!” as he felt his power leave him. The Troopers watched in hushed silence as Grimlord was reverted to human form. The other heroes approached to see what was going on. Doomaster recovered just in time to see what was happening. Quietly gathering Ivar’s remains, he promptly retreated.

The VR Troopers walked over to the depowered Grimlord. And their jaws dropped when they saw that it was none other than Karl Ziktor! “What?” asked a shocked Ryan. His shock then turned to anger as he yelled, “YOU!” Still in Trooper form, Ryan punched Ziktor in jaw, sending him flying! Ziktor landed hard.

The Power Angels were just as surprised as everyone else. “Karl Ziktor?” asked a surprised Kelly. “I would have never guessed.”

“I’d heard Ziktor was bad news,” said Kris. “But I would have never thought even he would stoop so low as to want to destroy his own world.”

Looking up at the Trooper leader, Ziktor rubbed his jaw, saying, “So, Ryan Steele, you finally know.”

“And now, I’m going to kill you,” said Ryan as he drew his laser pistol.

“Ryan, don’t!” yelled Kaitlyn.

“Don’t do this, man!” said J. B. “He’s not worth it!”

“Listen to your friends, Ryan,” said Superman 1. “Don’t fall into Ziktor’s trap.”

“He’s not worth throwing your life away!” Jill and Kelly both shouted.

“Yes, Ryan,” said Ziktor with a sick smile. “Listen to your friends. Let them finally see you for the coward that you are.”

“The only coward around here is YOU!” Sabrina shouted to Ziktor.

Ryan pointed at Ziktor, his finger on the trigger. “He’s right, Superman. This man stole my father from me. Tortured him, did God knows what to him for so many years. What reason do I have not to kill him? I’d be doing the world a favor!”

“Would you?” asked Batman 2 as he approached. “You’re willing to let one man die just because he calls you a coward? Well, I say, let him think you’re a coward. For he doesn’t know the true meaning of the word. And if you pull that trigger, everyone will know you’re a coward.”

“Why are you, of all people, trying to dissuade me?” asked Ryan as he looked at Batman 2. “You don’t follow the so-called ‘moral codes’ of Superman and the rest of the Justice League.”

“Perhaps,” admitted Batman 2. As he thought of the past, he asked, “What child doesn’t wish they could have their family back? Among heroes, most don’t approve of the way I do things. And I think it’s safe to say that most question my sanity. But the one thing I do not do is kill. I have never taken it upon myself to decide who lives and who dies. That is an idea from a sick, twisted, evil mind. So, if you want to pull that trigger, go right ahead. But know this: You will be just another soulless killer. Like him. Another name to add to my criminal database. Like him. Now tell me, is that really what you want? Do you really want to become this man by destroying him? Are you willing to let him win? To let him defeat you?”

“He’s right, Ryan,” said Julie as she stepped forward. “I’ve been in this same position. I once had a chance to blow a man I despised to Hell. I had every reason to do it, too. And I had no one to try and stop me. But in the end, I decided I wanted him to pay for his crimes. If I had killed him, he would have gotten away with everything he had ever done. Looking back now, it was the best decision I ever made. You blow Ziktor away, and you will regret it for the rest of your life. Trust me. I know from experience.”

Ryan lowered his pistol and holstered it. He looked down as he took several ragged breaths. Finally, he said, “Retroform command.” Once he reverted back to human form, J. B. and Kaitlyn sighed in relief and did the same. The Rangers and Power Angels, however, remained morphed. Ryan walked over to Ziktor and picked him up, holding him so that they were face-to-face. His eyes boring a hole through Ziktor, Ryan said, “I have to admit, you almost had me. You almost won. But almost doesn’t get the job done,. . . coward.” He then threw Ziktor back down onto the ground and turned away, walking into an embrace from J. B. and Kaitlyn.

“So what do you plan to do?” asked Ziktor. “Turn me in? You do that, and I will expose you to the entire world.”

Ryan turned back to Ziktor, saying, “Go ahead. Tell them. Then you can tell them how you got beaten by a bunch of kids.”

“But what are we supposed to do now?” asked Kaitlyn.

“He knows who we are,” added J. B. “He’s practically untouchable.”

Putting a hand on J. B.’s shoulder, Superman 1 said, “No one is untouchable. We’ll be working on it.”

Isis 1 then approached with the Prism of Empowerment, saying, “If it’s any consolation, Ryan, I believe this belongs to you now.”

Isis 2 said, “We examined it and it seems to contain great knowledge taken from your father’s mind.”

Ryan took the prism from Isis 1. He smiled to himself. In spite of all that Grimlord/Ziktor had done to him and his father, he now felt like he had his life back. He had gotten his father back long ago, now he had Grimlord’s power source. . . which had been created with his father’s knowledge. He looked at Ziktor, saying, “I’ll relieve you of this, if you don’t mind. Enjoy being powerless.” Ryan then walked away, followed closely behind by Kaitlyn and J. B. Ziktor sat there in despair.

Soon, the other heroes began walking away as well, leaving Ziktor to himself. Eve seemed to be the most nervous of them all. Noticing this, Superman 1 asked, “Penny for your thoughts?”

Eve looked at Superman 1 and answered, “I’m a little nervous. How is this going to affect my standing in WWE? I mean, Vince is bound to find out about this.”

Superman 1 patted her on the back and smiled, saying, “Oh, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that too much.” He and Eve stopped walking as they looked up into the sky.

WWE Corporate Headquarters, Stanford, CT:

Vince McMahon was watching the news in his office. He’d heard rumors pop up that Eve Torres, one of his employees, had been spotted fighting alongside the Justice League of America. Vince frowned as he turned off the TV. He had been considering putting the Divas Championship back on her, and now she went and did this behind his back? If she wanted to be a superhero, she was going to pay a high price.

As Vince started thinking of ways he could punish and bury Eve, a voice asked, “Impressive, isn’t she?”

Vince looked up in surprise to see Batman 1 emerging from the shadows! “What the. . .? How did you get in here?”

“I’ve gotten into the Pentagon undetected,” answered Batman 1. “You figure it out.” He then walked up to Vince’s desk and picked him by his shirt, pulling him up to face him. “Now, you listen to me and listen good, McMahon. You will leave Miss Torres alone or you will suffer the consequences. Because I’ve got more dirt on you and your family than you can shake a stick at.”

“You would dare drag my family into this?” asked a surprised McMahon.

“Only if you drag them into it first,” answered Batman 1. “Remember your steroid litigation trial? Well, that will seem like a walk in the park compared to what I can do to you.”

“You would destroy my company just to protect one woman?” asked McMahon.

“No, your company would be fine. The JLA would see to that,” answered Batman 1. “You, on the other hand, would not be. So here’s the bottom line: You try anything with Miss Torres, or even tell anyone I was here, I will find out, and I will expose everything about you. Everything. You have had the only warning I intend to give. I suggest you heed it.” He then shoved McMahon back into his chair.

Vince landed in his chair and looked down, holding his hand near his throat, sitting there in shock. When he finally looked up, Batman 1 was gone. Vince gulped nervously.

The Animarium:

The Jungle Fury Rangers and the VR Troopers stood as the Power Angels all looked at Princess Shayla. “Where do we go from here?” Megan spoke for the team.

At that moment, a groaning sound was heard, which multiplied by three. Then, three British Police Boxes, which the members of the JLA knew was a TARDIS, appeared. The doors of the middle TARDIS opened, and out came a Australian woman in an Air Hostes’ uniform, another young woman in velvet Victorian garb, a boy, not much older than Robin 1, and a young blond man in an Edwardian Cricketeer’s outfit.

“Doctor.” Green Lantern 1 spoke.

The 5th Doctor smiled, then looked at the team of Power Angels. “It seems that you have found the Reality Gems. Now we can do this.”

“Do what?” Sabrina asked.

“Restore Gallifrey.”

NEXT: The Final Throwdown!