The dark black of space filled his vision. Black again... his stay on the last world had been pleasantly brief and now he was back in the comfortable confines of his ship. He preferred the darkness. He kept the ship in low light, partly to keep the reminders of the ship's first owner at a minimum, and partly for his own pleasure. He found he preferred the dim light. It felt so... right.

The calculations were complete. His new course was set in. It would be a few days before the Hunt began again. He sighed as he got up. Not a long wait for sure, but enough of one that he knew he would find himself brooding about the past again. No matter what he did, how many he Hunted, how many Trophies he took, it never seemed enough. Soon though, if his master plan was correct, he would be done. His last Trophy was waiting. He allowed a smile to cross his face. Inside, the excitement of the moment was making his heart race. The final Hunt was upon him. For a long moment he savored the feeling. Pleasure was something he rarely indulged in.

He spied the latest Trophy, still lying where he'd dropped it when he entered the ship's cockpit. He picked it up, smiling just a little and walked into the spacious living quarters. The ship's prior owner had placed a high priority on personal comfort. He did not. After taking control of the ship, he had stripped the several rooms of their finery, and installed his own Spartan decor. The main room was his living room and it was minimally furnished. A futon bed, a small wardrobe built into the wall, a desk and some shelves filled with books and a rare few personal possessions served as his home. Other rooms were redone as labs and workrooms. And the Trophy Room of course. He planned the Hunts in the Trophy Room and he often meditated there.

The new Trophy wasn't ready to be placed there yet. Too fresh and wet.. it would mar the surroundings. He held it up to his face. It had been far too easy this time. " Why?" he asked it, his voice a low, melodic tenor, " Why were you so easy? You just walked right up to me. You were so happy to see me.... you knew me... and you didn't even flinch. You acted as if we were brothers... right to the end. " It puzzled him.

He set the Blue Aquitian Ranger's helmeted head down on a tray. He would process the Trophy later. First, he wanted to meditate on the last Hunt.

Zedd brooded as he sent his transmission. The palace sensors had spotted the strange two ship days earlier and at first, he had paid it little attention. A small ship was no contest to his forces. Then, he'd intercepted a garbled transmission from Aquitar. It disturbed him.

" So, Zeddie, what do you think it is?" Rita was annoyed. For the last two days, the odd ship had been approaching earth. She had watched Zedd simply brood about it, declining to even try to communicate with it. She had sent out several emissary monsters, only to have them returned in pieces. It seemed obvious that whatever it was, it was hostile. No doubt, as she had been harping on, it was probably some new power to help the rangers.

" I think," Zedd said coldly as he sat upon his throne, " that you have badly misunderstood our visitor. Have you forgotten about... the HeadHunter? The Aquitians mentioned it in their transmission."

" A legend. Nothing more." Rita scoffed. " Zeddie-Poo, that's a story not even Rito would believe. The Aquitians will believe any superstitious nonsense. And besides, even if its true, the Headhunter wouldn't help us. "

" According to legend, " Zedd said slowly, " the HeadHunter is a being that has mastered inter dimensional travel. He seeks out those he feels are evil and destroys them."

" And you think that's *good*?" Rita asked, her sarcasm obvious.

Zedd waved his hand at her. " Why is this being called "The HeadHunter? Because, my dear foolish Rita, he takes the heads of his chosen victims. And according to all reports from all the dimensions we have... the chosen victims... his ideal victims... are Power Rangers."

" What?" Rita was shocked. Zedd ignored her. He gestured to the viewscreen. The ship was getting closer.

" I suspect he'll be contacting us shortly. " Zedd said coldly. " I asked for his help."

As he spoke, the veiwscreen flickered and a transmission began. Slowly the picture came into focus. A cloaked being, its face hidden in darkness. It didn't move. Both Rita and Zedd felt a cold chill. The HeadHunter was something of a universal bogeyman. Moving from dimension to dimension. Never aging because of its ability to manipulate time. Its vengeance and violence was legendary.

" Why have you interrupted my solitude?" The HeadHunter snarled.

" We have a common goal." Zedd said quickly.

" We? Something in common? I have nothing in common with the putrid dregs of evil in this dimension. Your very presence soils this system with pestilence and filth. Lord Zedd and Empress Rita Repulsa... a disgusting pair of depraved, wanton monsters." His words were filled with veiled threat.

Zedd ignored the hostility. " There are rangers on this planet."

" Do you think I don't know that? What is your offer? Obviously you think you can help me."

" We offer our assistance." Zedd said quickly. " In return, you destroy as many of the rangers as possible."

The HeadHunter seemed to consider the offer. " There is only one Ranger I am Hunting. However, if your assistance pleases me... I may not restrain myself with the others."

" We are at your service." Zedd said quickly. He bowed deeply.

The HeadHunter leaned forward. His face was suddenly bathed in light and both Rita and Zedd drew in shocked breaths of surprise. " I trust you will not contact me until you have information I can use."

" N-no... I will only contact you when necessary." Zedd covered his surprise. Beside him, Rita was stifling a giggle. He jabbed her with his staff.

" Good." The HeadHunter leaned back, once again in darkness. " I can and will kill you if you attempt any trickery. My natural inclination is to wipe the universe clean of vermin like yourself. If you value your lives, there will be no .... unpleasantness between us." The transmission ended abruptly.

Rita burst out laughing. " The rangers are doomed Zeddie! Did you see?"

" Yes..." Zedd's concerned tone silenced Rita. " We must tread very carefully Rita. Regardless of his appearance, the HeadHunter is a dangerous enemy."

" And he never looses." Rita cackled. " Oh Zeddie! Things are finally looking up!"

" Rangers, I fear something terrible has happened." Zordon looked down at his young charges with concern. " Alpha and I intercepted a transmission from aquitar. I fear there has been some sort of tragedy there. Aquitar has its own team of rangers and they have kept in contact with me for many years. Please listen. "

The rangers nodded as one. If there was trouble of any sort, the Earth Rangers would lend a hand. Alpha pressed the communication panel and the recorded transmission began.

" Rangers of Earth.... inform... terrible... dimensional travel... The HeadHunter.... never thought... Cestro... to Earth... Beware.."

Tommy whistled softly. " It sounds like something bad went down. Zordon, can we enhance that somehow?"

Zordon shook his head. " Perhaps Billy can find a way, but I have exhausted my ideas. I have sent word back to Aquitar for clarification but they have not acknowledged." Zordon was very concerned. The Aquitians had always made it a point of keeping tract of the earth rangers's progress. On many occasions they had offered to lend help, something Zordon was glad he had not yet needed to take advantage of.

" But whats going on? I mean... you wouldn't call us here just for a vague warning." Kat said. She was concerned. It really was unusual for Zordon to overreact. They didn't have the power to teleport to Aquitar so regardless of what ever was happening, there was little they could do.

Zordon looked grim. " There are stories... legends of a creature known as the HeadHunter. If it truly exists, it could be a powerful ally for Lord Zedd."

" What sort of creature? What does it do?" Adam asked. The rest of the rangers nodded. They all wanted information. It was rare for Zordon to be so obviously worked up.

Zordon shook his head. " The HeadHunter is nearly a myth. His powers, his abilities... all are formidable, but none are proven. Rangers, you must be extremely careful. There is no telling how or when this threat will manifest itself."

" The HeadHunter, " Billy mused. " Is the name telling us something Zordon? Does it take heads?"

" The rumors say it does." Zordon said grimly. " According to the many legends, the HeadHunter considers himself an executor of justice and vengeance. For some reason, he seems to have a blind spot towards rangers. He has been known to kill rangers. Some of the legends say he only seeks out certain rangers. As I said before, you must expect anything. Be on your guard for anything unusual. In the last two days, I've been monitoring a small ship that is approaching Earth. It could be this HeadHunter. Be very careful."

Zordon watched his rangers teleport away. He was more worried than he wanted them to see. Interdimesional contact was difficult, even for him, so the rare tidbits he heard about the HeadHunter were few and far between, but all of it was ominous.

He meditated on the Hunt. The first Trophy rested on a shelf in front of him, backlit by special lights he'd installed himself. The Trophy Room, like his quarters, was very spartan. His Trophies lined the walls, each of the many helmeted, preserved heads lying in special compartments he'd hand made. The only furniture in the room was the small prayer rug he sat upon and the many black, ulitarian candle holders. The Trophy Collection was, on the rare occasion he needed real illumination, fully lit by artificial means, but for meditation, he preferred the intimacy of candles.

Still in a meditative trance, he opened his eyes and stared at his first Trophy. It still gleamed, even in the dim candle light, of the hated bright blue. It had been so long ago, and yet, looking upon the trophy, it felt like yesterday. His memories rose up against his will and he closed his eyes to concentrate. He regained his calm. The Final Hunt was upon him. It was not the time to dwell on the past. He opened his eyes and looked at the three shining horns.

Three, he thought suddenly. There had once been three...

*In a different dimension, in a different past*

... " Man, I'm hot! " Jason wiped his brow. He stood upon a high rocky point. Below him, the whole of Angel Grove could be seen, gently nested in the bowl shaped valley. " Who's stupid idea was this again?"

" I believe it was yours." Billy said with a laugh. He and Trini both chuckled as Jason slapped his forehead comically. They walked around the rock he was standing on and took in the view.

" It was worth it." Trini said suddenly. " Its beautiful." She withdrew her camera from the small pack she carried and snapped a few shots. " These shots will look great on our report cover."

" I wish Zack and Kimberly had come along." Billy said wistfully.

" I just hope Zack does well at that meet." Jason climbed down off his rocky perch.

" Why didn't you go with him?" Billy had been surprised that Jason had turned down the opportunity to show off his martial arts skills.

" Oh.... After a while tournaments start to get boring. And it never hurts to let Zack win one or two." Jason said with a laugh.

" Your ego certainly doesn't need any encouragement. You know, I sometimes think Zack's better than you." Trini whapped him playfully on the head. " Now, we better start looking for the rock samples we need."

" There's plenty here. I told you, this is a great spot." Billy said, but his words fell on deaf ears. Trini and Jason were running down the incline away from Angel Grove. He sighed. He loved it when his friends joined him on excursions but he really wanted to do well on the assignment and it was looking like they weren't going to be any help. Trini was more into taking pictures of the scenery and Jason was out of sorts for some reason. He'd never known Jason to skip karate tournaments but all of his prodding and questions had not gotten the truth.
He went back to work, prying the different samples from the rock face. Below, he could hear Trini and Jason laughing over something. Hopefully they found a funny rock, Billy thought harshly. For several minutes, he lost himself in the work. Then, an odd humming sound came to his ears. He ignored it at first, but it turned into a sort of resonating rumble. " Guys, you feel that?"

" Yeah... " Jason answered from the meadow below the rock outcropping. " Feels like an earthquake!"

" I'm coming down there!" Billy shouted back. He spared a glance back at the city. At the edge of his vision, he saw... something. He made a move to get his glasses, but before he could, a blinding flash caught his sight. Mesmerized by the bright glowing ball that was descending upon Angel Grove, he didn't turn away as the light grew and blasted by him.

Jason watched in horror as his friend toppled from the rock outcropping. He dove up the rock face, catching the fearsome light in his eyes as he pulled Billy down to safety. Whatever it was, the rocks were serving as a buffer between them and the blast. The whole mountain seemed to be shaking. Billy curled into a ball and started rubbing his eyes fiercely. His own eyes burning and tearing up, Jason did the only thing he could think of. He quickly pulled Billy's hands away and bearhugged him. " Don't rub them! " He shouted. " I know it hurts! Trini, get some water.. a cloth or something!" Billy fought in his arms.

Trini rushed over holding a wet bandanna. " Whats going on? This isn't any earthquake!"

Jason took the bandanna and quickly covered Billy's eyes with it. Immediately, Billy calmed down. Jason waited until he was sure that Billy wouldn't try rubbing his eyes again and let go, carefully laying Billy down on the grass. Above, the wind whistled through the rocks and a dark, ugly cloud was forming overhead.

Trini handed him another wet bandanna. " Your eye... your face looks sunburnt. So does Billy's. "

Jason took the bandanna gratefully. " Its not an earthquake. Oh that feels good." He held the bandanna to his eye. After a moment he removed it and blinked. It hurt still, but not as bad and he *could* see. It was a little blurry and the light made his eyes sting. Trini was looking at him, her concern obvious. He tried to reassure her. " I'm ok... it just stings a bit."

" Its a bomb." Trini said softly. Her voice shook. " It was a nuclear bomb. Oh god..." She trailed off.

" No.." Billy muttered. " Not a bomb... it... it didn't look like a bomb... I saw... there was a ship... I think." He sat up and removed the bandanna. Jason could see the tell tale redness of burns. Billy blinked several times and started to rub his eyes. " I can see... but it burns..."

" Then put that bandanna back over your eyes." Trini said. She forcibly made him put the bandanna back. " You both must have some sort of flash blindness. You're going to have to be careful." She sucked in a deep breath. The wind was starting to die off and they all could hear an ominous roar. " I'm going to see what happened."
Before they could protest, she climbed up to the outcropping. In seconds she was back, her face a shocked mask. " Whats wrong?" Jason asked, though he feared the answer.

" Its... its gone." Trini whispered. " The whole city... All I could see was flames..."

" It was a bomb..." Jason said slowly. The three teens drew together, their fear overwhelming any other emotion. Jason took charge. " We'll go back to the ranger station. Then we'll see if we can find out what happened."

*The present*

It hadn't taken long, the HeadHunter mused. A swarm of blue clad alien warriors surrounded them as they made their way to the ranger station. They had been in no shape to fight back, and in a manner of minutes they had been slapped into chains and thrown into a growing mass of captured refugees. It had only been a few days later that they had been transported to the Blue Ranger's mining prison. The beginning of the nightmare, he mused darkly, the nightmare that was going to end as soon as he held the head of the last Blue Ranger in his hands. He had saved the world that his ship was coming up on for last. It was the most similar to the world he had left behind, the world the Blue Ranger had destroyed in one vast sweeping attack.

He sighed heavily. Despite the passing of more years than he could easily recall, he missed his world. His home. The world lying before him was a near match to his home. That, more than anything, seemed to be disturbing his concentration. He would need to remedy that. Within hours, he would be close enough to launch an initial attack. The Aquitian Blue Ranger had sent a warning message so there would not be an easy win waiting.

He grinned coldly. It would be a good fight.

Tommy watched the viewscreen as the small spaceship approached. It was a sleek, alien looking vessel, with a series of deadly looking guns mounted on its nose and under its wings. As he watched, the ship entered Earth's atmosphere and suddenly disappeared. Tommy looked up to Zordon. " What happened?"

" I am not sure, Tommy." Zordon said. " It appears to be some sort of stealth device. A shield of some sort."

Tommy turned to Billy. " Do you think you could find a way to get through the shield?"

Billy nodded grimly. " If there's a way, I'll find it. Has there been any indication of hostility?"

" Not yet." Tommy replied. "I hope you're wrong, Zordon, I really do. We're still worn down from Kimberly's problems and the problems with Zedd. stealing the Falconzord. "

" I also hope I am wrong Tommy." Zordon said softly. " If even a tenth of the rumors are to be believed, the HeadHunter is a formidable enemy. His rage knows no bounds. " Zordon hesitated just a moment, enough for all of the rangers to notice. " I don't want any of you to leave the Command Center until we discover the intentions of this intruder. If this is the Headhunter, you are at grave risk and I will not risk any of you needlessly. "
They all nodded again. It made sense. It was inconvenient but no one disagreed. Zordon continued with, " Billy, continue trying to track the ship. Kat, why don't you and Adam help. I would like the rest of you to take turns monitoring the city."

The teens went to work. The place had the quiet bustle of a military war room and there was a feeling of urgency in the air. It wasn't an unusual situation in that respect but each ranger was on edge. Zordon taking charge over the team put a new spin on the problem. No one doubted the seriousness of what was going on but to a certain extent, they didn't understand why. The Headhunter was just another monster.

He watched over the quiet city. Would it matter, he thought suddenly, that the final battle ground looks so much like my home? He looked inward, to the steely cold center of his being and let the idea try to worm its way into his soul. After a long moment, he let it leave in failure. There would be no senseless mercy.

He walked to the back of the ship, where the source of his power lay, glowing gently in the dim light. He dropped to one knee reverently, and looked into the many, glistening facets of the crystal. The crystal seemed to glow brighter as he knelt and he smiled in response. He had found the crystal so long ago and yet it still gave him great pleasure to just be in its presence.

The crystal gave him the power to cleanse the multi-verse of evil and each time he went forth on a mission, he took a moment to commune with it. He didn't understand why it helped him, or why it had joined his purpose so effectively and for so long. He was thankful and often during the long nights in space he wondered why.
He rose, bowing his head to the crystal. It was time to begin the Hunt.

Adam watched the viewing globe. He was scanning the area for disturbances and it was starting to get boring. The city was quiet and after watching the normal doings of Angel Grove for hours, he was getting bored. Nothing was happening. He sighed. The truth was that he wanted to go home. It was starting to get late and he didn't like lying to his parents. One more scan of the park, he told himself, and then I'm switching with Tommy. Tommy had the slightly more interesting chore of monitoring the radio waves. Adam was supposed to be helping Billy, but Billy worked better alone and he'd shooed both Kat and Adam away.

Adam didn't really mind. Handing tools on request and trying to make sense of Billy's quiet technical muttering got on his nerves. He could hold out longer than the rest of the rangers which was why Zordon had a tendency to assign him as Billy's helper. He let his eyes drift away from the viewscreen to where Billy was working. Billy sat in a hunched, tangled sort of position, his legs entwined around the chair he sat in and one arm reaching into the console. He almost chuckled,but reminded himself that it was a common pose for Billy. He caught Kat looking in the same direction with her eyes twinkling. She nodded at him and then returned to her console. He took the hint and went back to work.

On the screen, a black armored individual suddenly materialized in the park. It looked vaguely like a ranger, though the helmet had a dark, ominous set to it. The armor itself seemed a lot more bulky and looked hard and unyielding. The person didn't seem heavily armed. All Adam could see was something that could be a sword scabbard on its back. " Guys... I think we have company."

The rangers gathered around the console. " It's just one guy." Rocky said softly.

" His power source is incredible." Billy said. He gestured to the scans he was running. " Zordon do you know what that is?"

" I have seen something... similar." Zordon said. " It may be only one man, Rocky, but you will need to be careful."

" He's not doing anything." Kat mused. " Is he waiting for us?"

" Maybe he wants to talk." Tommy said hopefully. " Zordon, why don't I go there and see what he wants? I'll be careful. I think have to find out what he's doing here."

" I agree Tommy." Zordon said. " We will monitor you from here. Do not engage the Headhunter. He is only one person but his power is much greater than the white power. If there is a fight, it will require all of the Rangers."
Tommy nodded grimly. " I understand, Zordon. If he makes a move, I'll teleport back here." He quickly morphed and teleported away.

Tommy ran down the grassy knoll, Saba in his hand. He didn't want to appear aggressive to the newcomer, but he also wanted to look s formidable as he could. He spotted the Headhunter standing by the lake in broad daylight. At the same moment, the HeadHunter spotted him. The mysterious figure didn't move and Tommy slowed his pace until he stopped 30 feet away.

" I am the White Ranger. " he called. " I don't intend any harm towards you. I just want to know your business on Earth."

The HeadHunter looked at him. Though its face was covered by a inscrutable helmet, Tommy felt as if the Hunter was sneering in disgust at him. He held up one hand as Tommy took a step closer. " Do not approach me... White Ranger. I despise all of your kind, but you are not the ranger I seek. If you give me what I want, I will leave you unharmed. Otherwise, " the Headhunter lowered his hand. " There will be bloodshed. Make no mistake of that."

" Well... what do you want?" Tommy was puzzled. The HeadHunter emanated menace but clearly didn't wish to fight if it wasn't necessary. Tommy was more used to taunting and a mindless charge from Zedd's minions.

" Deliver the Blue Ranger to me." said the HeadHunter. " Do not deliver a dead body to me or damage the Blue Ranger in any way. That will displease me."

" Why? What are you going to do to him?" Tommy asked. He had no intention of handing over Billy but it would be good to know what the guy had in mind.

The HeadHunter laughed. " Why... I'm going to kill him, White Ranger. That is the nature of the Hunt. You have one hour to decide. I warn you now, I will destroy as many of you as I have to. The Hunt will go on, with or without your cooperation. You have one hour." The HeadHunter dematieralized in a showy black wave. Tommy shook his head and teleported back to the Command Center.

" I don't think there's any question of what to do. I'll meet him." Billy crossed his arms, almost daring the other rangers to disagree. " I can't ask any of you to risk yourselves for me. That's not right."

" I disagree." Zordon said quickly. " As I told Tommy earlier, one ranger alone against the HeadHunter would face certain death. However, I've analyzed the HeadHunter's power and I think that if several rangers were to attack, he could be defeated. And more importantly, I will not allow a suicidal gesture before we have exhausted all means of attack. Is that clear?" Zordon's voice was harsh, harsher than any of them could recall. Billy quickly nodded his agreement but it was clear that he was not happy. Zordon looked over all of them, his visage grim. " This may be the hardest test any of you will face as rangers. You will have to defeat the HeadHunter in battle."

" I just don't understand." Kat said suddenly. " He doesn't know Billy at all. Why does he want to kill him?" It didn't make any sense to her at all.

" I only wish I knew." Zordon said heavily. " There is only legend surrounding the Headhunter. He asked for the Blue Ranger, not Billy. It may be that he was, in his own dimension, wronged in some terrible way by a Blue Ranger. We may never know."

" Our hour is almost up." Tommy said. " We'll have to meet him."

" Yes." Zordon intoned. " Billy, you will remain here. Your presence would only incite the HeadHunter."

" But..." Billy started to protest.

" He's right, Billy." Adam said. " He'll come right for you... we might not even be able to protect you."

" You should stay here and work on a way to get past the shielding on his ship." Tommy added. " That way we'll have a chance at getting to his power source."

The five rangers teleported to the park. It was deserted but that didn't surprise them. The people of Angel Grove had a almost supernatural ability to scatter in the face of danger. It was a rarity to have to deal with civilians. They stood for a moment in their transport formation, expecting the Headhunter to swoop down for an immediate attack. They saw nothing, and it was unsettling. Tommy gestured for them to start spreading out, and he made sure there were no gaps in their defense. Without Billy, their perimeter was weak. Tommy didn't like it. He never liked fighting without the full team. He scanned the park nervously, hoping that the HeadHunter would reveal himself.

It was as though the HeadHunter had a flare for the dramatic. He materialized int the center of their small circle. His stance was open yet Tommy could see the menace in his body. He looked them over. " I do not see the Blue Ranger."

" We're not handing him over to you." Tommy said. He took up a defensive stance.

The HeadHunter looked at him. It was as if his eyes were burning a hole into Tommy's suit and Tommy felt a twinge of fear. It's going to be bad, Tommy realized and the fear he felt grew. The HeadHunter took a step closer to him

" It does not have to be war. I despise all rangers, but it is only the Blue Ranger I want. Rethink your strategy, White Ranger."

" No. You want the Blue ranger, you have to go through us." Tommy felt a rush of pleasure as the other rangers nodded at his words.

" If I must..." The HeadHunter stood almost casually. He turned around slowly, looking at each ranger with a studied practice. His bearing showed that he had fought before, that fighting was something that was so ingrained in his being that facing the five of them was merely challenging. Not something he found difficult. He took a deep breath, preparing for battle. " This, " he said breathlessly, " is your last chance."

" We said no!" Rocky shouted. The Headhunter didn't even turn away from facing Tommy. He swung his arm around and a blast of energy went from his arm into Rocky's chest. The Red Ranger was lifted off his feet and slammed into a tree. He fell to the ground, stunned senseless by the strength of the blow. Adam ran to his side. Tommy, Kimberly and Aisha formed a wall between the fallen ranger and the HeadHunter. It didn't matter. The HeadHunter merely turned to face them.

Adam tapped Rocky's helmet. " Come on Rocky.... wake up..."

Rocky slowly started to respond but it was clear he'd taken a severe hit.

" It... I thought... I was hit by a zord..." Rocky gasped. His whole body seemed disconnected from him and he tingled all over from the electrical shock. The pain was wearing off slowly and even though Adam got him to his feet, he was dazed and definitely not up to speed.

" Aisha, " Tommy said softly, " Lets double team him." She nodded agreement. Adam watched helplessly as they sped towards the dark, ominously still figure. He could feel in his bones that whatever they did, it wasn't going to be enough. He started to rush forward despite his misgivings.

Aisha struck the first blow with the edge of her bladeblaster. The Headhunter grabbed the weapon as she swung, defusing the blow and disarming her at the same time. He kicked her back and shot her with her own weapon, throwing it aside as she crumpled to the ground. Tommy tried to follow up. He fired a volley of shots which did nothing to affect the headhunter's stance. Then he rushed the being and struck him with a flying kick to the head. That staggered the Headhunter but only for a moment. He eyed Tommy and then let loose with a flurry of blows that ended with him giving Tommy a well placed kick to the midriff that sent Tommy through the air. Tommy landed a mere few feet from where Adam had skidded to a halt. Adam dropped to one knee to help Tommy up. " Tommy, we have to call the zords. He's too strong for us."

" He doesn't ... have a zord, Adam. " Tommy crawled to his feet as the rangers regroup around him.

" Tommy, I don't think we can win without the zords." Kat said quickly. She pointed to the headHunter, who was circling them.

" I don't like it...." Tommy said grimly, " but we're gonna have to." In seconds, they were in their zords. Over the radio, Billy's voice crackled on the line.

" Guys, you can't call the MegaZord but I'm diverting my zord's power to yours. We're still analyzing his power. Be careful, ok?" Billy was earnest in his concern.

" Don't be such a mother hen, Billy." Rocky said with bravado he didn't quite feel. As the zords assembled, the HeadHunter watched from below, not moving from his position in the park. " What are we gonna do?"

" Let's try stomping him!" Adam cried out. He felt a rush of adrenaline flood his thoughts as he steered his zord towards the small figure. He pulled back for the hydraulics to get full effect, and leaped the Frog Zord onto the Headhunter. There was a satisfying crunch, and Adam let out the breath he'd been holding. It worked, he thought with relief.

Then an odd crunching noise reached his ears, coming from the bottom of the zord. " Guys, " he called nervously, " I hear something but I don't have visuals. Can you see whats going on?" He waited for a long moment as the other rangers maneuvered their zords. The crunching noise got louder and he realizing it was the sound of metal tearing.It was getting closer too. " Guys?"

" Adam, I don't see a thing." Rocky said. The others agreed.

" Look, it sounds like metal tearing." Adam said nervously.

" I'm gonna bring my zord down close, Adam. " Kat said. Adam could see the Crane Zord flying in closer. Her voice crackled over the radio again. " Try moving your zord a little Adam. Topside looks fine, but I'd like a look underneath."

Before he could respond, a huge ripping bang sounded behind him. He spun around in his chair, his eyes widening with shock as he saw the HeadHunter standing in the cockpit door way. The metal door had been torn apart, and Adam could just see more wreckage behind the HeadHunter. Without a word of warning, the HeadHunter charged him. Adam was lifted from his chair and thrown into the wall. The force of the blow caused his power suit to malfunction and he was demorphed. He struggled to stand, but was beaten to the floor by the HeadHunter's steely blows. " Please..." he gasped as he saw the Headhunter withdraw a large club from his armored uniform.

The HeadHunter cocked his head quizzically. " Please? There is no need to beg. This is merely a lesson you and your companions need to learn. I will have the Blue Ranger." He slammed the club down on Adam's head. Then he soundly beat the unconscious ranger until he was certain that it would be safe to move on to the next part of his plan. He set a sensor onto the unconscious bleeding ranger and teleported Adam to his ship.
Will one hostage be enough, he wondered. Probably not. When other rangers decided to protect one of their own, it usually took a great deal to convince them that his way was best. The Pink Crane Zord flew by and his musings turned into action. He jumped into the cockpit seat and jumped the Frog Zord on top of the Crane. The Crane Zord crumpled to the ground under the weight of the Frog. The HeadHunter dove through the cockpit window of the Frog Zord and pounded through the Crane Zord's metal structure. He ran down the zord's corridors, and reached the cockpit just as the Pink Ranger was getting out of her seat.

" What? Oh my..." Kat threw up her hands and tried to dive around the HeadHUnter before he could grab her. He let her brush by but snatched the power coin from her belt, causing her to demorph. She spun at him, forgetting that she was powerless and he quickly caught her and snapped a pair of oddly shaped handcuffs on her. Holding her by those, he dragged her over to the communications panel and opened a line to the other rangers.

" Rangers!" he snarled. " I now hold the Black and Pink as hostages. You will have six hours to provide the Blue ranger, or else the hostages will die!" He pulled Kat into a bear hug and they both teleported away.
In shock, the remaining rangers returned to the Command Center.

Kat gritted her teeth as the unfamiliar sensation of the HeadHunter's teleport system washed over her. It was a rougher ride, that was for certain, and as the dark interior of the HeadHunter;s ship materialized around her, she felt like she was going to throw up. The HeadHunter roughly hauled her over to a support post and linked her handcuffs to a metal chain that was set into the pole. " You will not be able to break the chains. If you do as I say, I will not have to harm you. If you.... annoy me, you will get hurt. Do you understand?"

Kat nodded quickly. She edged herself up against the wall, her fear starting to overwhelm her. The large room was very dark and she could barely see anything. The HeadHunter was moving around the sparse furniture and it made her more afraid. Then, he dragged Adam's body over to her. Kat was shocked. Adam was unconscious and bleeding. It was obvious that he had been beaten severely. " Oh my god..."

The HeadHunter ignored her words as he looked over Adam's wounds. He shook his head and walked off towards one of the side rooms. In seconds he returned, holding a small black bag. He thrust the bag into her unwilling hands. " You may tend the wounds of the Black Ranger. " He gripped her wrists tightly, grinding her bones. " If he will not live without medical attention, you will inform me at once."

Kat shook off his hands. " Why? So you can kill him?"

" Nothing would please me more. " the HeadHunter snarled. " However, to allow a hostage to die ahead of the deadline is a breach of my honor. I will not kill either of you until it is clear that the Blue Ranger will not honor the bargain. If the Black Ranger were to die in this situation, I would be no better than you." He stalked away.
Kat took the medical kit in her hands. It was well stocked, but in minutes she knew that it would be little use. She bandaged all of the visible wounds, but it was clear to her that Adam was badly injured. She tried to shake him awake and when that didn't work, she checked his pupils. They were dilated. Ok, she thought rapidly, that's a bad enough sign that I can probably get this creep to release Adam.

" Hey..." she called. She couldn't see the man anywhere. " Hey listen.. I can't do much about this... He needs a real doctor." She waited. " Hello?"

" I have needs other than yours." snarled the headhunter's harsh voice. It came from somewhere towards the front of the ship.

" Well, if you want Adam to die then just take your time." she called. She hoped that, more than anything else, would get the guy's attention. Somehow, despite his horrific actions, she didn't doubt his word.

He reappeared, dressed in black and wearing a dark hooded cloak instead of his armored suit. She still could not see his face, but his general shape told her that he was at least humanoid in form. Perhaps a littler shorter than her. He bent down over Adam and reached out to touch one of the wounds. His hand was small, pale, and calloused. Hands that had seen a lot of work. A human hand as far as Kat could tell. He stood up suddenly.
" You are correct." he said softly. " I will return him to your fellow rangers." He set a small sensor on Adam and before Kat could react, he'd teleported Adam away. He looked away from her. " I would prefer that you remain quiet. "

She watched as he stalked away to one of the side rooms. She only caught a glimpse of candles before the door slid shut. Wonderful, she thought darkly.

Minutes later, the HeadHunter reemerged. He shrugged off the cloak, revealing a slender, muscular build. He *is* human, Kat thought with wonder. She looked closer in the dim light, but could make out nothing more than his pale white skin and what looked like close cropped blond hair with a streak of grey. He moved back into what she assumed was the cockpit. She let her eyes wander around the room she was in, suddenly consumed with curiosity.

It wasn't as dark as she thought or else her eyes were adjusting. The place had the look of a large loft space, with the furniture thrown in as an after thought. On a second glance, she realized that there was a certain subtle rhythm to the set up. There were bookshelves set against all of the walls and even a few freestanding shelves were angled around to make small sitting areas. The few chairs were all next to shelves, and she could see that there were small angled lamps located by each chair. A futon bed was off against a far wall. It was made up with what looked liked a black satin comforter. The bed was set upon a set of built in drawers. There was not very much to give the place a personal feel. She did notice that the shelves were crammed with books till they almost overflowed.

Her curiosity overwhelmed her good sense and she got up from her seat. She tested the handcuffs and chain first, on the off chance the Headhunter had been lax. He hadn't, and she wasn't surprised. There was a certain methodical feel to him and how he did things. She edged over to the closest bookshelf and looked at the titles. To her surprise, most of the books were novels, with a generous helping of science texts. Some of the books were in foreign languages, languages she'd ever seen before. She looked at he titles, only recognizing a few. After a moments thought, she pulled out a small paperback. It was a tattered copy of Red Mars. The only reason she recognized it was because she'd seen a similar book on the workbench in Billy's garage. She flipped though it, and a small photograph fluttered from its pages to the floor.

She bent over to pick it up, hoping that it wasn't there as a place marker. He'd probably kill me, she thought. The idea brought a smile to her face. Already she realized that until the deadline came up, she was safe. Killing her over loosing his place just didn't seem like his style.

The photo had landed face down. She saw the tell tale Kodak imprint and her eyes widened. She'd guessed already that the Headhunter came from a world that was at least similar to Earth but she hadn't thought it would be that similar. She flipped the picture over, suddenly curious as to what a killer would keep a picture of.
As she looked at the picture of five smiling teens, her hands started to tremble and she felt as if a giant chasm had opened out from under her. She'd seen the picture before, that was the hell of it. On Kimberly Hart's bedroom vanity of all places. She remembered it well. Kimberly had pointed it out to her. It was a picture of the first team of rangers, taken just a few short weeks before they had all become rangers. It was a photo that Kimberly cherished, kat knew. Why on earth would the killer have it, she wondered. She slipped it back into the book and started to return it to the shelf.

" Those are my belongings you are pawing." She turned around at the sound of the Headhunter's growling voice. He stepped into the light, and Kat felt her knees grow weak. That's impossible, she told herself.

The Headhunter looked at her, his angry expression slowly turning to one of quizzical interest. " Are you unwell?"
" N-no...no, I'm... fine." She quickly rose to her feet and jammed the picture back into the book. She fumbled with the book and before she had time to cram it back into the shelf, he had taken from her.

He carefully placed the book back on the shelf, keeping the picture in his hand. He glared at her. " Somehow I find it unlikely that you have an overwhelming urge to read. However, if you do feel bored enough to read, please replace things exactly as you found them." He looked at the picture and frowned. Then he looked at Kat, his face dark and grim. " I would be... very angry if anything had happened to this picture." With that, he stalked away.

Kat watched him walk away, her thoughts a furious jumble. It was just impossible, she told herself again. She knew Zordon had said that the HeadHunter was from a different dimension. In theory, what she was seeing was possible. It just went against everything she thought she knew.

" Hey, " she called. She rose to her feet and walked to the end of the short chain the cuffs were hooked to. She could just see him sitting in the cockpit of the small ship. " Hey, I want to talk to you!"

After a long moment, the headhunter turned and slowly rose out of his chair. Kat wondered suddenly if attracting his attention was wise but shook off the doubt. She needed answers and the headhunter was the only one who could provide them.

" I trust you have something important to say." he said softly. He frowned as he spoke. Kat was again struck by his appearance. He's from a different dimension, she told herself, that's all. I have to find out what happened.

" I..." She hesitated. " I wanted to know who you are. And why you're doing this."

" I'm the HeadHunter." he said. " And I am cleansing this dimension of filth. " He turned to go.

" That's not the name you were born with." she called after him. He stopped in his tracks and faced her.

" Why are you so curious?" His tone was neutral, but she sensed that he too was honestly curious. She decided to be honest. She had a feeling he could tell if she lied.

" You look like someone I know." she said.

He sniffed. " I suppose that's possible. This dimension... is quite similar to the one I was born in." He smiled slightly. " I don't ever recall meeting any Australians though."

" So what is your name?" she pressed. Her eyes already confirmed it but she needed to hear.

He looked away. " I don't use that name anymore. It's no longer relevant."

" It was Billy, wasn't it?" Kat pressed. " Billy Cranston."

She watched as he stiffened at her words and slowly turned back around.

" So we have met... so to speak." he said slowly. " How... amusing. " He paused. " You understand that has no bearing on this situation. If the other rangers do not produce the Blue Ranger, I will kill you."

" Why? Why do you want to kill B... the Blue Ranger?" She sensed suddenly that revealing too much to the Headhunter would be bad somehow. How exactly she didn't know, except that she knew that the grim visaged man standing before her only looked like her friend.

He looked at her sharply and crossed his arms. " Because I must. This world.... Its beautiful. My world was just like this... and it was destroyed. Destroyed by a Blue ranger." He walked away slowly, his eyes focused on the photo. " Everything I cared about was destroyed. Now all I have is the Hunt." He stopped, and looked at her. " I will complete the hunt. Make no mistake of that."

He stalked into the Trophy Room, feeling his whole state of being come out of balance. I must meditate, he told himself. I must regain focus. He sat down on the small mat and crossed his legs. Instead of gazing at his first trophy, he looked at the worn photo he had taken from the Pink Ranger. She knew him, in some way, and that pleased him for some reason. However, he told himself harshly, there could be no room for such feeling. He stared hard at the picture, remembering suddenly how he'd gotten it. It had been so long ago...
 

*In the past in the HeadHunter's Dimension*

... He coughed as another blast of dust came out of the dark mining shaft. Some of the others had face masks to keep the dust away but so far he hadn't gotten one. He coughed again, almost doubling over from the force. In the distance, the work alarm blared, signalling the end of the nightmarishly long shift. Workers began to shove by. No one bothered to help him. Everyone was already wrapped up in their own misery and in seconds he was shoved up against the rock wall. He coughed again, feeling as though his lungs were on fire. Even though the shaft was dim, he knew he was starting to black out. He gripped the side of the wall even as he felt himself dropping to his knees.

An arm encircled him and something covered his face.. He tried to struggle but he was already too weak to do much other than try to bat the hand away. His breathing started to ease after a moment and he realized someone was holding a face mask over his mouth and nose. He looked up.

" Take it easy... don't freak out...." Jason pulled him up to his feet. " We better get moving if we're gonna get anything to eat." Jason pulled him along, dragging him until he regained his feet.

He took one last deep breath and handed the mask back to Jason. " Thanks..."

" Keep it." Jason put it back in his hands. He patted his shirt pocket, which bulged. " I got a new one."

Billy looked at him and then at the mask in his hands. " How?" Masks were hard to come by.

" Guy next to me... Got whacked by a guard." Jason shrugged. " Anyway I guess he doesn't need it anymore. We need to get going. I want to get into line before they run out of food."

They moved through the dark tunnels until they reached the main cavern. The line up for rations was already long but they quickly found a place, just the same. Billy didn't know how Jason felt, but he was starving. He was so hungry, the smell of the poorly cooked unidentifiable food was making him salivate. The work schedule was crazy and they often worked sixteen hours straight. The shift they had just gotten released from had been fourteen hours long and they hadn't managed to get breakfast. He edged closer to Jason. Jason was bigger and better built than most of the people in their work area. If a scuffle started in the line, and there was always a scuffle, it was better to be close to Jason.

The line moved fast for once, and in minutes, a surly member of the food service detachment shoved a small parcel into his hands. Jason held out his hands but the worker just shook her head. A loud grumbling started as soon as she did so. Billy grabbed Jason's arm and quickly pulled him away. " Come on, "he said softly as the angry people behind them started to surge forward. " I'll share. We stick around..."

" We're just gonna get hurt." Jason agreed. They pushed their way out of the crowd. Billy could hear the thump of the guards's boots as a detachment ran into the area. They were out just in time, he realized. A few more seconds and they would have been caught in the riot. He shuddered involuntarily as Jason pulled him into the cave alcove that they had staked out for themselves.

" You ok?" Jason asked. He steered Billy over to the small collection of blankets and old clothing that made up their meager positions. When they had first arrived at the mining slave colony the idea of leaving things around was ridiculous. Everyone was stealing anything they could find. Once the first large wave of people had died, and that had happened very quickly, it wasn't hard to find things.

Billy sat down up against the wall. He carefully set down the small package. Jason took a seat beside him. Finally, after a moment, Billy said softly, " We should wait for Trini."

" Right." Jason tossed a dirty shirt over the package of food. Trini worked in the food service group, cooking in one of the industrial kitchens. She normally got rations every workday. She also had a better idea of how many people were in the colony. Their work area was one of many littered around the moon. Which moon, no one was certain, but the light gravity and lack of atmosphere on the surface made Billy guess that it was earth's moon. Suddenly, a low wail started to reverberate through the stone passageways. Billy cocked his head at the sound. The difference in atmosphere made sound more difficult to hear but after a moment he realized what it was. He paled.

" Billy, you look sick...." Jason edged closer. " Whats wrong?"

" Can't you hear it?" Billy rose. Something inside him snapped. " They're screaming! Those people..."

In an instant Jason was on his feet. He blocked the exit. " Calm down Billy." he said softly.

" Calm down! That bastard Blue ranger is gunning those people down!" Billy knew he was shouting but he didn't care. " All they wanted was some food!"

Jason grabbed him and slammed him up against the wall, knocking him so hard that his teeth rattled. " Goddammit Billy," Jason hissed, " You keep shouting like that and he's come down here when he's done and kill us too. I *know* he's killing those people. I *know* its damn hard to sit here and listen, but I don't want to die along with them. I don't want you to die along with them so you better calm down. Ok?" He let go of Billy's shirt but kept his hands up.

He didn't need to bother. Billy dropped to the ground in a boneless thud. He curled into a ball and began to sob. " I just can't take this..."

Jason sat down next to him and put his arm around him. " Yes you can. You have to. *We* have to. We're gonna get out of this. You can't give up on that. Here, look..." He reached into his shirt pocket and came up with a photograph. Billy's eyes widened in surprise. It was a picture that Kimberly had taken of all five of them some weeks before the Blue Ranger had destroyed their world.

" How long have you had this?" he asked after a moment. " I mean... I don't..."

" I had it in my pocket." Jason said. " Kimberly gave it to me that morning. She was gonna give you and Trini copies..." He hesitated. " Listen, why don't you hold on to that for me... Your shirt has pockets that button. " He tugged at his own shirt, which was a little more worn than Billy's.

" Are... are you sure?" Somehow just holding the small photograph made him feel better, but he knew in his heart that it was just as important to Jason.

" Go ahead." Jason pressed it into his hand. " Just keep it safe, ok?"

*the present*

... The Headhunter carefully set the photograph down on the small shelf that held his first Trophy. While he held the Pink Ranger captive, the photo would stay in the Trophy Room. The young woman had shown far too much interest in it and while he didn't see any malice in her intent, he was not going to risk loosing the only picture he had of his prior life.

He wondered if Jason had known that by showing him the photo and then letting him keep it, that he was staving off the nervous breakdown that had been building up inside him. Probably, he realized. He let a slight smile come to his face. Jason had coped much better than either he or Trini and he had never lost hope. The HeadHunter sighed. He could not say the same.

Enough, he told himself. The Hunt is at hand. He returned to a crosslegged position. Still, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't clear his thoughts enough to reach a meditative state. Finally he rose to his feet. The Final Hunt was not to be planned ahead, that much was clear. So be it, he thought coldly. It doesn't matter. The system will be cleansed of evil.

Tommy watched as Aisha and Rocky worked over Adam. Adam was looking much better but he was still unconscious. The only good thing was that Zordon assured them all that Adam was going to be all right. That did very little to lower Tommy's fear. It was just dumb luck that Adam wasn't dead.

" Zordon, what should we do? This guy... He's vicious." Tommy heard the fear in his own voice and hated himself for it.

" I know what we should do..." Billy muttered darkly. He glared at Zordon before he returned to the computer he was working at. Tommy turned to look at him. Of course, he had to be feeling guilty, Tommy realized, but didn't he understand that they weren't going to just let him kill himself? Because as far as Tommy was concerned, that was all he'd be doing. The Headhunter would break Billy in half in less than ten seconds. Billy had to know that. It wasn't that Tommy didn't think he could fight, though he did think that Billy wasn't the team's best fighter, it was that if the Headhunter could tear apart a zord with his bare hands, then Billy just didn't stand a chance.

Tommy shook his head. So far the only saving grace to the whole miserable situation was that Zedd hadn't attacked yet. That and the fact that Adam wasn't dead. " Zordon how much time to do we have?"

" Four hours and twenty minutes." Zordon said. He hesitated. " I believe I have identified the Headhunter's source of power."

They all looked up. " What is it?" Aisha asked breathlessly." Can we stop him?"

Zordon looked at them grimly. " I do not know. I believe the headhunter is using some form of the formidable Zeo crystal. The signature is right, but it must be the crystal from his own dimension. The zeo crystal is very powerful, almost too powerful for one individual to hold."

" But if you have information," Aisha began, " Then maybe we can think of a way to stop this guy."

" I have some information..." Zordon said. " I am making it available to your consoles. Billy, please examine the energy data. I think you will find it very useful."

Billy looked down at the console's screen. After a moment he looked up. " If this is right, then we might be able to get his shields down. Guys look..." He pointed to the screen. " The energy is masking the ship but if we can find a way to disrupt the wavelength, we could find the ship."

"Then lets get on it." Tommy said excitedly. " If we can find his ship, we could get Kat back and take this guy down."

The HeadHunter watched his captive out of the corner of his eye. He was watching the consoles, keeping track of the rangers in their hideout. He couldn't see them, of course, he could only track their power signature. The Pink Ranger was looking through his bookshelves again. He wondered about her curiosity. She seemed to find him a great curiosity. Did these Rangers actually know his other dimensional self? He found himself suddenly intrigued. The Rangers were going no where, that much was clear. Perhaps, the dark side of his mind said quietly, she might reveal useful information. He left the console, determined to find something, anything out.

" What is your name?" he asked. He knew he'd never met the girl on his world. His circle of friends had been rather small and he definitely had not known any foreign girls.

She looked up at him. " My name is Kat. " Her tone was neutral. There was fear in her voice, but also interest. No doubt she hoped he'd slip up somehow. She looked at him intently.

" You know me...on this world. Do you know the others?" The idea of his friends being alive, even in some other dimension pleased him.

Kat looked at him carefully. " I know Kimberly pretty well. I've met Trini and Zack and Jason but we aren't close. They're in Switzerland right now..." She hesitated. " In your dimension, where are they?"

He stiffened. " They are dead. All dead. All killed by the Blue Ranger. My friends, my family, my world all destroyed."

Kat watched him carefully. It had crossed her mind more than once that the Headhunter was mentally unstable. Something had snapped in his mind at some point and while outwardly he seemed quite rational, his obsession was what ruled his actions. If the person standing before her had the similar background she suspected, then something had happened...something so horrible that it had broken his rational mind. No doubt it involved the destruction of his world, but somehow she knew there was more to it than that.

" Are you sure?" she asked after a moments thought.

" Am I sure that they are dead?" He looked at her, incredulity crossing his face. " Do you think I would have left them there? What kind of person do you think I am? They are dead! Let me assure you, it was more painful than anything I could inflict upon the Blue Ranger. Once the Hunt ends, your Blue Ranger's death will be mercifully quick." His words were angry and for a moment Kat felt her fear rise. Then she really looked into his eyes. There was rage there, and anger, but deep in his she could see an overwhelming sorrow.

" What happened?" she asked.

" Why do you care, Ranger?" he snarled.

" Because," Kat thought fast. She was making him angry and she didn't want that. " Because I know you here, on this world... Whatever happened, it must have been terrible, to make you change like this."

" It is unimaginable." he said flatly. He hesitated for a moment and then gestured for her to sit down. She did so, hoping against hope that he would reveal something she could use.

He also sat down in one of the small chairs. " Perhaps telling you this will help you understand." He hesitated. " The Blue Ranger destroyed my world. It was luck that I wasn't killed. At first we all thought we'd been lucky. Lucky to survive the attack with nothing more than flashburns. " He chuckled, a dark mirthless sound. " I was the one that'd been hurt the worst, I could hardly see for months. Even... " His voice trailed off and his expression darkened. " After a few months of being held as the blue ranger's slave laborers, it became unbearable.... Trini just never came back one day from work detail..."

*in the HeadHunter's past*

... He trudged along behind Jason, barely able to keep up with the small work crew. He wasn't the only one having problems. The rough terrain of the tunnel was causing most of the new people to trip and fall. Stragglers were being beaten by the guards of course and he tried to close his ears to the sound.

Jason never seemed to get upset and more and more, Billy saw himself as a burden to Jason. Jason kept him from being beaten up by the other prisoners, and kept him from going over the edge mentally when they realized that Trini was not coming back. He'd barely been able to keep himself together after that and Jason had pretty much led him through the days tasks. It was simply too hard to even try to think and Jason's orders were welcome. If Jason saw him as a hinderance, he had not said, but then Jason had become a cold, stony figure in his life. Not that he cared much to be honest. He'd stopped caring about pretty much everything. It was just easier to not think at all.

They went to the rock face and started to work. After several hours, a thought broke through his dulled senses. The new workers had slowed down and their production had slacked off. There were quotas to make, and ever since the newcomers had arrived, they hadn't made quotas. There were penalties to not making quotas. Their detachment was already in trouble over quotas. The rations had already been cut. The guards, merely prisoners that had been promoted and given truncheons, were striking anyone that so much as looked away from the rock face. He tried to work faster but he could dig only so fast.

The sound of footsteps resounded through the stony caverns. Billy stole a glance. He saw the harsh blue outline of the Blue Ranger, and pressed himself up against the wall. The worst thing anyone could do was draw the Blue Ranger's attention. He'd seen the Blue Ranger torture workers to death for much less than the inability to make quotas.

The guards called for a halt. Billy felt his fear increase. Nothing good ever came of the Blue Ranger's inspections and that was clearly what was about to happen. He turned around and stood stiffly at attention, keeping his eyes down. Looking directly at the Blue Ranger was a quick way to get beaten or worse.

The Blue Ranger strode down their ragged line, pausing only to strike those who were either too slow to get in line or looking at him with open defiance. That was only the newcomers and not many at that. Most learned very quickly and the slow ones usually died long before being sent out on a mining team. Beside him, he heard Jason take a deep breath as if bracing himself.

" So, " the Blue Ranger snarled. " None of you think it's important to make quotas. My quotas! The quotas I give you are not to be mocked and set aside! " He reached out and grabbed the nearest laborer. With a quick blow, he punched the older man in the face and snapped the man's neck. Billy tried not to flinch.

" I think, " the Blue Ranger said loudly, " that this work shift needs a lesson." He began to pull people out of the line at random. His hand fell on Billy's shoulder and Billy almost jumped out of his skin. After a second though, the hand dropped away. The Blue Ranger seemed to size him up and then grabbed a hold of Jason instead.
The Blue Ranger pulled Jason towards him and lifted his sidearm. Jason started to struggle, but the Blue Ranger was far too strong for him. The Blue Ranger calmly held the weapon to his head and pulled the trigger. Long ago, when Billy had still cared to muse about how the Blue ranger's various devices worked, he had theorized that the hand weapon that the Blue Ranger loved so much was a sort of energy disrupter. As he watched Jason's head and upper chest explode and splatter on the rock wall and the other workers, any such thoughts left his head. He looked down at his blood splattered clothes and hands and then at the stone wall that was smeared with blood, bone and brain tissue. Numbly, he reached up to his front pocket and touched the photo that Jason had given him.

As he stood there, the Blue Ranger walked down the line and killed every person that he had pulled out. Billy merely stood there and watched, his mind slowly blanking out in shock. He only looked away when the Blue Ranger stood directly in front of him, with the shift leader a few steps behind.

" I need this one," he dimly heard the Blue ranger say, " I've got something that needs fetching." He stepped away, towards the dark corridor. The shift leader roughly shoved Billy along and Billy finally picked up his feet and followed the dark overlord. The fact that he had been singled out for a special task by the Blue Ranger didn't register except that somewhere in his shattered mind, he understood that he was being taken for a job.
He followed behind the Blue Ranger taking care to keep up. Even in the broken recesses of his mind, he knew that to fall behind would be bad. After a long walk through the darkened tunnels, they came upon another work crew. There were dead bodies littered around a small hole.

The Blue Ranger grabbed him and shoved him toward the hole. " Listen to me very carefully. You are going to crawl into that hole. You will continue to crawl until you reach a small cavern. There is a large crystal on a pedestal. You will grab the crystal and bring it to me. If you do everything I ask.... You will be rewarded." His last words were followed by a harsh chuckle.

Billy knew, almost instinctively, that the Blue Ranger was going to kill him. He didn't care. All he wanted to do was complete the task. Nothing mattered except the task at hand. He crawled into the hole, taking no real care to protect himself from the sharp jagged rocks. The dark tunnel seemed to lead on forever and he found himself loosing track of time.

Finally the tunnel widened into a passageway tall enough to stand in. There was a light, a light that grew painfully bright the closer he got to it. The light was so bright, he found it impossible to move closer. He could just make out the shape of the crystal he was told to seek but the pain from the light kept him from getting close enough to grab it. Despair ran through him. If he didn't return with the crystal, then it would be very bad for him. He started to shake.

Suddenly, as if responding to his thoughts, the light dimmed. He stepped forward, feeling drawn to the now gently pulsating crystal. There was a forcefield but it seemed to drop as he drew closer. In the back of his mind, he started to feel worried but reassured at the same time. He carefully set his hand down on the softly lit gem. He expected the crystal to feel hot to the touch, even to burn his hand but it was merely warm. After a moment, he carefully picked it up.

It pulsed several times and a series of streamer like energy trails rose from it. They twirled around over his head in bright color and then slammed into his chest. It should have hurt, but instead he felt a rush of exhilaration. The crystal started to hum in his hands and he could feel its power coursing through him.

*This is a force of good* He heard the words in his head and implored them to continue.

* Only those pure of heart can defeat the forcefield. Take the power here and use it to fight evil. That is all that is asked*

Billy almost dropped the crystal in shock. How, he thought with wonder, how can I do that? In a rush, the memories of the last few months returned. I have to stop the Blue Ranger, he thought suddenly. I have to stop them all. With sudden clarity he saw that the task was not a simple one. Blue Rangers were in every dimension, every time. He would have to hunt them all down. The crystal would help him.

It seemed as though he stood there forever, entranced by the crystal's waves of power. Finally though, he came back to reality. He looked down at his gore streaked hands and shirt. In his mind, he relived the horrible memory. Jason's dead, he thought with shock. That bastard blew his head off. I should... I should take *his* head.

As if in answer to the thought, he found himself suddenly clad in black, glistening armor. A sword appeared in his hand. He knew what he had to do....

*In the present*

" Then I killed the Blue Ranger." He said it so matter of factly, it was as if he was reciting a grocery list. Kat almost cringed at his monotone words. Whether it was his story or the flat emotionless way he told it, all she knew was something evoked within her an overwhelming wave of pity. She understood why he was so driven, so pitiless. Everything the once gentle young man had in life had been destroyed in the most brutal fashion possible. It was no wonder he had snapped. Still, he hadn't answered all of her questions.

" Why didn't you just stay in your dimension?" Kat asked. " Try to rebuild?" No doubt what remained of his world could have used someone with ranger like powers.

He blinked and looked at her quizzically. " Because there are rangers everywhere. They're like vermin, breeding in every dimension. " He shrugged diffidently. " There's a lot of evil all around. I do what I can, but my purpose is to stop the Blue Rangers, where ever I find them." He rose to his feet and walked away, clearly wishing an end to the conversation. Kat watched him walk away with sadness in her heart.

Billy watched as the data flew across the screen. The deadline was drawing closer and they still hadn't come up with a plan. So far, Tommy had been blustering about a full assault but Billy suspected that Zordon wouldn't let that go too far. Zordon was not going to allow a mad rush on the HeadHunter that was going to accomplish absolutely nothing.

He looked at the small stack of envelopes that he had sealed only moments before. He doubted there would be anytime for good byes, and he had no intention of letting his friends face another battle.

What he was looking for was a way to buy some time. Kat was still being held by the HeadHunter, and if he was going to throw his life away, he was going to do it knowing his friends were safe. It was lucky that Adam hadn't been killed. He had no intention of letting any of the Rangers get hurt. Not in a futile attempt to save his life, that was for sure. He had no wish to die himself either, but he doubted he'd be able to live with himself if anything happened to his friends.

He stopped the computer's data flow as something registered. I can get around the shields, he realized. His mind started to consider the possibilities. If I could distract him, get him out of that ship for some reason, then I could get in. Technically he supposed sending the other rangers would do the job, but that also put them at risk, especially since it was sure to enrage the headHunter if his prisoner escaped. Suddenly his thoughts went back to something he'd heard the HeadHunter say to Tommy. He was on a Hunt, Billy recalled. His mind turned that over.

Suddenly, it all came together. He smiled grimly. If this bastard wants a hunt, he thought, I might as well give it to him. He glanced at his watch. The team had almost an hour left before the deadline was up. That gave him more than enough time to prepare.

Rocky stepped into the back room. It was a place he didn't go much, since it was where all of the mechanical equipment was kept. He'd seen Billy ducking in and out for the last few minutes. Between their worry for Kat and Adam, and the impending deadline, Rocky was sure that none of the other rangers had noticed that Billy was acting decidedly strange. It wasn't like Billy to hide himself off, even though Rocky knew it had to be a nightmare for his friend. The letter writing had not escaped Rocky's attention either. He knew exactly what that was for. Still, it seemed clear to anyone paying attention that Billy was plotting something.

Billy had his back to the door and was bent over the small worktable. He didn't seem to hear Rocky, even when the door was closed. " Billy, " Rocky said softly.

Billy jumped. He spun around as if he was going to attack. " Rocky, you scared the hell out of me."

Rocky looked around Billy to see what was on the table. A series of small round compact discs that had been modified in a strange electrical way were set up in neat rows. There was almost twenty of them , including the one Billy was holding. " What are those?"

Billy set the device down. " They're holographic projectors." He tapped on and a full sized image of himself as the blue ranger appeared. Rocky whistled in approval.

" Neat. What do you plan to do?" It was clear to Rocky that Billy was planning to take on the headHunter by himself despite Tommy and Zordon's orders to the contrary. It didn't surprise Rocky in the slightest and he suspected that even Tommy understood that it was how they were going to resolve the problem. No one had to like it though, and Rocky didn't want Billy to throw his life away without some sort of fight.

" I'm teleporting these all over the city. They're all timed to go off at different moments. I figure they'll distract the HeadHunter for long enough. I can get into his ship, free kat and get her out." Billy kept his eyes averted.

" Then he'll kill you." Rocky said softly. He decided to throw out the idea that'd been rolling around in his mind for the last few hours. " Billy, he just wants to kill you... What if you let him think he's won?"

Billy grinned wryly. " Aside from actually killing myself, how do I accomplish that?"

" Fake it." Rocky said. " Billy, there's a ton of drugs that if you took enough, it'd make you look dead. You know, slow your heartbeat to next to nothing, stop your breathing. He'd think you were dead. Then why would he have to kill you?"

Billy considered that for a long moment. " Rocky, that's a good idea, but I have no idea how to make a drug like that and that's not something I can afford to take a chance on."

" Perhaps I can be of assistance." Both boys jumped as Zordon's voice boomed in the small room. They looked at the small computer screen, surprised to find Zordon's face peering back at them. " This room is easily monitored. I was attempting to give you some privacy Billy, as I know you are making some...difficult decisions. However I couldn't help but hear Rocky's idea. Rocky, that is an excellent plan and I think I can help you." A small box rolled out of the computer. " This is dulogicene. Taking your plan into consideration, this is the best possible choice. Billy, if you take one of the pills in the box, just before you implement your plan, you will have almost one hour before the drug takes affect. It will mimic death. Your heart will slow to an imperceptible level, your breathing will be negligible. To all appearances you will seem dead."

" Billy, this could work." Rocky said excitedly.

" As long as he doesn't kill me before the hour is up." Billy said thoughtfully. He picked up the box and took one of the pills out. " We have a half of an hour left, but I think it'd be better if I took the advantage of surprise." He teleported the discs out. " Zordon, you know how dangerous this is..." Billy took a deep breath. " I don't want a rescue. I don't want anyone else involved."

Zordon nodded almost imperceptively. " I can't say that pleases me, but I understand."

Again, Billy took a deep breath. He was, Rocky realized, just short of being terrified. He looked at Rocky as if coming to a decision, and grabbed the small stack of envelopes. " Rocky... Just in case..."

Rocky took the envelopes. " Good luck... " He gently held Billy's hand. " Be careful."

Billy grinned wryly as he withdrew his hand. He dry swallowed the pill grimacing just a bit. " God hates a coward Rocky. See you in a few hours." With that, he teleported out.

The ship had grown very quiet. Kat tried to keep alert as the time wore on, but it was hard when the only thing the HeadHunter did was sit by the computers in the cockpit. He clearly never got bored with scanning for the Blue Ranger. He'd been sitting in the same awkward position for several hours. With his legs tucked under him, Kat was almost amazed to see him in the same pose that she had last seen Billy in. She was more awed by the fact that his legs hadn't fallen asleep.

Suddenly, he stood. He stalked over to her. " The Blue Ranger has appeared ahead of schedule. I will soon finish with him." Before her eyes, he transformed into the armored, black clad individual that first appeared in Angel Grove Park. " Don't worry... As soon as I am finished, you will be released." With that, he disappeared.
Kat rose to her feet. She didn't know exactly what she expected, except that she felt cold fear for her friend. She examined the chains again, wishing she could find a weakness. The minutes ticked by and still she had no idea what to do.

The crackling whoosh noise of teleportation made her jump and turn around. Standing there was Billy, clad in the blue ranger's armor. " Kat, are you all right? Did he hurt you?" He started to examine the chains.

" No, I'm fine. Is Adam all right?"

" He'll be fine. " Billy held up one of the chains. " I'm going to break these, then I'm going to teleport you back to the command center. " He started to break the chains.

" Billy, he's crazy." Kat couldn't quite figure out how to explain it to her friend. " He plans on killing you..."

Billy broke the last chain. " Kat, believe me. I know he wants to kill me. I have a plan, don't worry. I'm not planning on throwing myself at his feet and begging for mercy. Do you have any idea where his power source is?"

" I haven't been able to look around," she said quietly. " Billy you don't understand... This man.... he's you. I mean... It's you from some other dimension."

Billy stopped scanning around the room only for a moment. " Kat, I don't have a lot of time. Do you think that... fact is going to help me out in any way?" He was serious but nervous at the same time and Kat suddenly got the impression that Billy was a lot more nervous, and a lot less confident than he was letting on.

She thought for a moment. She doubted that it had ever occurred to the HeadHunter that a Blue ranger could be anyone but the person he'd first known. " If you can.... take your helmet off. You might surprise him."

" Understood." He pointed at the small door that the HeadHunter was fond of popping in and out of. " What's in there?"

" I don't know... I think he meditates in there." Billy nodded and ducked into the room. Kat followed, more to keep close than in any interest of what the HeadHunter had been doing.

They both gasped in surprise as they made out what was in the room. Row after row of shelves filled the space. On the shelves, stored neatly were helmets. rows helmets, all blue in color. The patterns were different on a number of them, which, Kat supposed, only made sense. There were bound to be differences in various dimensions. In the center of the room, on a small stylized mat surrounded by candles, was one helmet. A helmet that looked exactly like Billy's.

Billy picked the helmet up, and turned it over. He drew in a breath in surprise as he examined it. Kat looked, and understood his surprise. There was a spinal column visible behind some clear substance. The head had been sealed into the helmet. " I guess this is why they call him the headhunter." Billy's voice shook just a little. " I guess my plan wasn't that smart after all."

Kat spotted the picture she'd seen earlier lying on the floor. She picked it up, not sure why except that she thought it might be important. " What's the plan?"

" It's not important." Billy said softly. " It's been about a half hour since I started the holograms. He's figured out that its a trick. Kat, " Billy handed her a small communicator," This will take you back to the command center. Don't worry... I think this can still work."

He didn't give her a chance to say no. As he pressed the communicator into her hand, he triggered the delayed teleport sequence.

The HeadHunter destroyed the hologram. It was merely an annoyance. He'd seen the same trick before, although not quite so thoroughly done. The Blue Ranger was trickier than most. Now, he mused, was the Blue Ranger taking advantage of the time to run? Or to plan further tricks? He decided to return to the ship to run scans.

He teleported in, and knew as soon as the feeling of teleportation passed him that his captive had been released. He walked over to the chains and examined them. They had been broken, and he knew that the Pink Ranger had been unable to morph. It had to have been the Blue Ranger. That thought made him smile despite his annoyance. This Blue Ranger, he thought, clearly understands what it is to have a Hunt. More often than not, while he enjoyed a good chase, the Blue Rangers often gave up and begged him to leave their compatriots alone. He went right to the scanners. Sure enough, the Pink Ranger's energy was back at their command post. Good enough, he thought. He had no wish to kill her. It was the Blue Ranger he sought.

Billy waited in the woods. He wished suddenly that he could demorph, if only to wipe the sweat off his forehead. He was hot, and he knew full well that it wasn't just his nerves that had him burning up. He felt slow and it was getting worse. By the timer in his helmet, he had about fifteen minutes left before he was going to collapse. Maybe less.

It wasn't helping that he was positive he was going to die. The plan Rocky had given him was a good one but it depended on the HeadHunter being satisfied with his death. After looking into the HeadHunter's ship, he knew that his death was not the only thing the stranger wanted.

He heard crackling leaves and branches shifting around but he couldn't place where it was coming from. To hell with it, he thought suddenly, I don't have time for this. If he didn't get into a confrontation soon, he wasn't going to at all and any chance he had of surviving would vanish. He had no doubts about what would happen if the HeadHunter found him lying unconscious on the forest floor.

As he stepped into a clearing, he found himself thinking about Kat had said. Something about the HeadHunter being him, an alter-dimensional version of himself. He didn't know what to make of that, it had barely registered on him. Still he knew it was something he had to consider. The problem was that he was barely able to think.
" I see the end has come for you, Blue Ranger." Billy spun around again at the sound of the harsh, gravelly voice. His voice, he realized in shock, but somehow cold and different. The HeadHunter stood before him, black armor glistening as the sun hit it. Billy put up his hands to fight, and that was the HeadHunter's cue to strike.
With lightening speed, he kicked Billy in the chest. The next few minutes were a flurry of fists, kicks and pain to Billy. His reactions were already slowed and by the time he was able to react, the HeadHunter had already nearly beaten him senseless. He crawled to his knees just in time to see the HeadHunter raise his sword.
" A good fight, Blue Ranger. " Billy could barely see the dark figure looming over him. " Do you have any last words?"

Billy looked up at the dark visaged monster-like being, Kat's words resounding in his head. Why not, he told himself tiredly, the pain and the drug adding to his muddled thoughts, it beats doing nothing.

He slowly reached up and undid the clasps on his helmet with shaking hands. " I want, " he said softly, " for you to look at me. Look me in the face... I'm not just this mask." He let his hand touch his helmet. For one instant he saw the HeadHunter hold his sword and then, perhaps luckily, the drug Zordon had given him took its final effect.

*Minutes earlier*

" Dammit Zordon, I'm fine and I don't care if Jason is addressing the Pope, the President and the entire United Nations security council. You are going to get him here right now or I'll bloody well get him myself!" Kat shouted. " I don't have time to explain how this is going to work but it will *if* you get Jason here. "

" Give me a moment." Zordon said. The other rangers waited in silence as Zordon and Kat argued. It was that, or watch the HeadHunter pummel Billy into oblivion. Kat was quiet too. She knew that as soon as she started to explain, she would get bogged down by questions and there just wasn't time for that.

Jason appeared in a flash of light. He was dressed in a red sweater and slacks, rather formal and entirely inappropriate for california but there wasn't time to quibble. She thrust a headset and the small picture into his hands.

" Jason there's no time to explain. Put the headset on." Kat held up her hand to forestall his questions. " If you value Billy's life you'll shut your mouth and do it. Zordon is going to teleport you... Just say exactly what I tell you, no matter how odd it sounds or how wrong it seems. Got it?"

Jason nodded. " Will you be monitoring?" His voice was calm and while she had never before met the previous Red Ranger, she could see in an instant why everyone held him in such regard. He didn't hesitate for instant. " Then let's do it. Zordon, go ahead and teleport me."

Jason looked around at the forest in surprise. It was the last place he expected to be in. Of course, technically he was supposed to be in a morning discussion group on oil production versus the use of solar power. He saw the black armored clad individual raise the sword. At the same moment, Billy, who looked sicker than Jason had ever seen, fell forward , clearly unconscious. That didn't shock Jason in the slightest. Someone, or something had managed to breach the power ranger armor in a number of places.

* Jason, tell him to stop.*

" Stop!" Jason called. The black armored individual turned and looked at him. Slowly the blade lowered.

" Jason?" The HeadHunter looked at him, his voice taking on a gentle tone. Jason couldn't help but think he'd heard the voice before but he was concentrating far too hard on what Kat was saying to even attempt to make sense of anything he was seeing.

*Agree with him, Yes, you are Jason and you don't understand what he's doing*

Jason nodded almost imperceptively. " Yes, it's me, Jason. What are you doing? I don't get it."

The HeadHunter cocked his head. " I'm finishing the Hunt by taking the trophy. The Hunt is over... the Blue Ranger is dead. They're all dead."

* The trophy is Billy's head. You don't want the trophy. Billy's not dead but he will be... He'll listen to you.*

Kat said even more but Jason ceased listening. He stepped closer to the HeadHunter sensing that he would come to no harm. " Listen...Bro. I don't want you to do that."

" But... all the others..."

" And that's fine." Jason started to wing it. " I always wanted you to kill them but you don't have to take their heads. You've done fine. Its just..." He gestured to Billy's body. " This is the last one. Do you need the trophy?"

The HeadHunter hesitated. " I thought you wanted the Trophy." He nudged Billy's body with his foot. " I never thought... I never thought it could be me... " He looked at Jason again. " It was me... Was it always me?"

* No, tell him no. And you aren't mad... you just don't want the trophy. Tell him he did everything exactly as you wanted. Show him the picture.*

" It wasn't always you." Jason had a sneaking suspicion of what he was dealing with. " Its not ... necessary to do more. I'm glad you did this, really. " He held out the photo." We're all glad. It's over now though, and none of us need you to do this. You've done enough."

" Enough... " The HeadHunter looked down at the picture. " Its enough... its over... I can stop the Hunting now." He looked at Jason. " Thank you." With that, he teleported away.

Jason didn't hesitate. He ran to Billy's side. As near as he could tell, Billy wasn't breathing, and hadn't been since he'd started the bizarre conversation. " Kat, we help here!"

" It's not as bad as it looks." Jason looked up at the sound of the soft voice. It was Rocky, clad as the Red Ranger. For a short moment Jason had the strangest feeling of deja vue as he looked at the red costumed figure. Rocky bent down and carefully picked up Billy. " He took a drug...to fake his death..." He looked at Jason carefully. " What did you do? Kat went into one of the back rooms. We could just watch..."

" I... don't know." Except, he realized, he had a dawning suspicion of what had just really happened. " What in hell has been going on?"

Billy snapped awake. He felt as if his nerves were on fire. He sat up, realizing that he was lying on the medical table that had just recently held Adam. Everyone, Adam included, gathered around.

" Billy man, you scared the heck out of us." Tommy said. Billy could hear the concern and relief in his friend's voice. He looked around, seeing all of the team there, and Jason, who looked as out of sorts as he felt.
" What happened?" he asked, as he got off the table. He was sore as hell and he still felt like his whole body was on pins and needles.

" Kat had Jason talk him down." Rocky said, with a certain amount of awe. " He went back to the ship, but we haven't been able to get the shields down since then. Its been about five hours."

" Well, its not impossible to get the shields down." Billy said after a moment. He carefully stepped over to the console, conscious only of his relief and the pins and needle sensation in his hands and feet. He tapped a few instructions into the computer and then looked up at the viewing globe. The ship slowly became visible even as they all watched. " Zordon... are you finding the same things I am?"

" Yes, Billy." Zordon said. As the others looked at him inquiringly, Zordon added, " There are no life signs on board."

Kat felt her heart skip a beat. It hadn't been her intention for the HeadHunter to die or leave. " We should check and see what happened..."

" I will check." Billy said it quickly before anyone else could jump in.

" And me." Kat said. " You aren't totally fine, Billy. "

Zordon nodded. " Be very careful.... It's possible there are booby traps."

They teleported in, and Kat found the dim interior of the ship to be just the same. She started looking around, while Billy merely looked around. He took in the dark, spartan room with a glance. " He's dead, Kat. You know we're just looking for a body. I'm guessing its in the....." He pointed to the room they both had been in only hours earlier. " I don't know what to call that place but he's in there.

Kat looked at him. She felt sick. " I didn't mean for that... I thought maybe he'd go back...."

" To where he came from." Billy shook his head, and demorphed. Kat followed suit, knowing in her heart that there was no danger there that required ranger powers. Billy sat down on one of the small chairs. " We might as well talk before we head back. It was me from some other dimension." Billy paused. " Do you know what caused him to snap? It must have been pretty awful."

" How did you guess that?" Kat asked.

" Its not one of my usual habits to decapitate my enemies." Billy said. " What did Jason have to do in this mess?"

" He was...." Kat paused. " From what he told me....In his world, everyone he cared about was killed. Jason was the last. That's when he...."

" Snapped like a twig." Billy looked around at the dark interior and sighed. " You know, I remember thinking a couple of times over the last few years... that I'd probably go nuts if Zedd ever did anything to my family and friends. Its interesting to be proved right."

" Do you think that this could be you someday?" Kat could understand his worry. " Billy, if something happened to my friends, and my family.... If I saw everyone I cared about brutally murdered before my eyes and then found a way to get revenge...."

" I know, I know...." Billy rose to his feet. " Its just not pleasant to know this much about myself. We better find the body...to make sure."

They both headed towards the trophy room, sensing that what they needed was there. The room was much like they left it, with one glaring exception. The HeadHunter was lying on the floor as if in repose. His hands were on his chest, and clenched between his hands was the picture he'd taken back from Jason. It was an eerie moment. Kat almost expected him to jump up and attack them. Finally, Billy stepped forward and knelt down. Hesitantly, he placed his hand on the HeadHunter's neck, and felt for a pulse. " He's dead."

" But how?" Kat asked. He looked as though he was sleeping to her eye. She knelt down beside Billy. Suddenly the strong scent of almonds reached her nose. " What's that?"

" Cyanide." Billy said. He stood up. " This was all planned, Kat. You can't just whip up cyanide. He had it here.... He wanted to die." Billy smiled just a little. " You have to give him some credit. He was as methodical about all of this as he was thorough. "

" We should do something." Kat said suddenly. She rose and walked out of the trophy room. When she returned seconds later, she was holding a blanket from the small bed. She placed it over the body.

Billy rose to his feet. " I can program this ship to leave earth and take a direct trip into the sun.... Its not much of a funeral, but I doubt anyone wants to dig a hole. Or write a eulogy for that matter. "

" He didn't do this because he was evil Billy." Kat said suddenly.

" I know that, and you know that." Billy said tiredly. " His suffering is over, and I don't doubt that he was crazy. I just don't think his death is going to arouse much sympathy beyond you and I, and maybe Jason. Zordon will want to spend a lot of time researching everything that happened. I know, that if I had died, I wouldn't want anyone picking apart my bones or my belongings trying to figure out what happened. He didn't get a lot of dignity in life did he?"

" No."

" Then maybe he should get some in death, Kat. " Billy looked at her intently. " Zordon and the others can have a full report, but not the ship. Not his body. Its not right."

Kat thought for a long moment. " You're right."

The ship drifted along it's course. In the quiet cockpit, the only thing visible was the brilliant glare of the sun as it poured through the windows. The rest of the ship is utterly dark. As it veers towards the sun, it overheats and in one brilliant explosion, it is gone.
 

The End