DISCLAIMER: Saban, DC, Warner Brothers, Columbia Pictures Television, Paramount Pictures Television, and others. Lipstick Lies by Pat Benatar. This is Part one of the Reality Gems crossover with Jason Adams, a/k/a jasonstoneface. This chapter deals with the 2 halves of the Ruby Red Gem. The beginning sequence has the Partridges, Zack, Kim, Tommy, Trini, Jason, and Wonder Woman performing as before from the prologue. BTW, the title is…
REALITY GEMS 1: FIRES OF PASSION, RED WITH JUSTICE
By. C.A. TURNER & JASON ADAMS
Keith Partridge looked at the band before him and smiled. His sisters Laurie and Tracy, baby brother Chris, and new friends Jason Lee Scott, Kimberly Hart, Zack Taylor, Trini Kwan, Tommy Oliver, Donna Pinciotti, and Eric Forman had just performed onstage, and was asked to do an encore. Keith looked around when Wonder Woman, in jeans and a red t shirt, joined them onstage. Keith looked at the princess, asking "Wow. What's up?"
"This." Diana then grabbed a spare guitar and began to play. Everyone else caught up as she began to sing a Pat Benatar song…
You've gotta admit, you paint a pretty
picture
No one would ever suspect, your so adept at the art
I hear the lonely lover sigh
You hide behind cosmetic eyes
Kiss them off with lipstick lies
Lipstick lies won't hide the truth
They won't keep you waterproof
The victim of your vanity
You're the Picasso of pain, a fantasy in fleshtone
And though you're never the same
You're never far from the mark
Now and then you close your eyes
To see the heartbreak in disguise
Kiss it off with lipstick lies
Lipstick lies won't hide the truth
They won't keep you waterproof
The victim of your vanity
You see just what you want to see
Who's to blame
Love is love by any name
Who's to blame
Lipstick lies won't hide the truth
They won't keep you waterproof
The victim of your vanity
You see just what you want to see
Who's to blame
Love is love by any name
Who's to blame
Love is love by any name
Who's to blame
Love is love by any name
Who's to blame
Applause ripped through the auditorium, taking their minds off the conversation they had at the satellite 2 days before…
JLA satellite, 2 days before:
Kimberly was sparring with both Laurie and Diana, when a signal blasted throughout every level of their HQ. "Something's up. That's the call for an emergency meeting!" Diana spoke.
Laurie and Kimberly looked at each other. Nothing else needed to be said
Within moments the satellite was filled to capacity with the complete Justice League roster. Wonder Woman, Batman, Black Canary, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Hawkwoman, Martian Manhunter, Isis, Firestorm, Superman…plus the Flash…Barry Allen. With his return, Wally West returned to being Kid Flash…and to the New Teen Titans. Also in membership were Jason Lee Scott, Kimberly Hart, Zack Taylor, Trini Kwan, Tommy Oliver, Samantha Dean, and Billy Cranston…the Morphin team of Power Rangers, plus their protégés Keith, Laurie, Christopher, and Tracy Partridge, and Bill Engvall…the ThunderCats.
In the middle of the meeting table, a plasma tube appeared…containing Zordon. "Rangers, JLA…the Reality Gems have been stolen!"
Isis asked "Reality Gems?"
"Yes. I've read about those. Both sets have a positive and negative effect on reality, affecting major elements of the Earth. They also have their own physical power. These are the gems…
Red=ruby=passion/lust= fire
Pink=garnet=innocence/temptation=virginity
Black=onyx=wisdom/doubt=success
Yellow=topaz=energy/greed=electricity
Blue=sapphire=hope/defeat=water
Purple=amethyst=love/hate=luck
White=quartz=time/space=light
Green=emerald=nature/destruction=plants
clear=diamond=life/death=animals
If Luthor or any of crew has those…this world has had it!" Batman told her.
"It is even worse than that! Lord Zedd has returned!" Zordon told them.
"Zedd? But, he's Larry Zedden now! He forsook those powers." Jason spoke in shock.
"True. This is a Zedd from another dimension! He and anyone this Zedd comes in contact with must be stopped before they join forces to gain the Gems!" Zordon informed everyone.
"We'll have to get in touch with his dimension's Rangers and JLA!" Hal spoke.
"There is something else. It seems that when both halves of the red gem are brought together, they create a subset of gems; they have nothing else to do with the main gems, but these 5 can create a team of heroes on their own. These are called the Angel Gems; Ruby, Onyx, Sapphire, Garnet, and Topaz. They will find find 5 honest, heroic women, and turn them into an almost like Ranger team." Zordon spoke.
Barry Allen spoke up "Um, Zordon…if what you're saying is true…whoever has these can basically change reality…and not for the better?"
"Exactly, which is why we must get in touch with this other universe…along with Princess Shayla and her Wild force Rangers. The Animarium is the only facility that can safely span both universes with no adverse effect.
Present:
Laurie and Kimberly went to the satellite weapons range to practice their shooting. On their way, however…they were met by…
"Hello, little girls. Time to die!" Cheetah snarled, and attacked. Unfortunately for her, the 2 were not in the mood for her. Kimberly didn't waste any time, and slammed her into a tree, while Laurie just kicked and beat the hell out of her, and as she did, shouted "GET OUT OF MY FACE, YOU FLEA ADDLED BITCH!"
"I'll do no such thing…not until I have the other half of this!" the Cheetah then showed them half of a ruby shaped in a heart. "Now, be good little girls and let auntie Cheetah kill you."
"You heard them both the first time, Barbara. Get lost!" Diana shouted behind her, now in full Wonder Woman gear. Wonder Woman then changed her mind, saying "Of course you're not going to listen to me, so let's just get this over with…with you in the hospital!"
The fight lasted about 2 and a half minutes. Cheetah only got one punch in, and after that, it was pretty much a bloodbath for her. After the Cheetah was carried off first to the hospital, then to jail, Wonder Woman, Kimberly, and Laurie took a look at the gem.
Diana told them "Could you get this to Zordon, please? I need to talk to Zack, it's important." She then disappeared in a gold flash
"What's that all about?" Laurie asked.
Kimberly looked at her protégé and told her "I think we just found ½ of one of the Reality Gems. See, there was some hidden feelings Wonder Woman has…"
Laurie quickly got the picture. "…you mean, she's …for Zack? Does HE know?"
"Yup, but he was with Angela when it first came up, so it was never an issue. But now…" Kimberly finished. Both girls looked skyward toward the satellite and wondered.
At this point, Isis received a message from the Animarium. Princess Shayla spoke quickly "Isis…could you and some of the other JLAers and Titans come to the Animarium as soon as you can. There are some people you have to meet."
"On my way. Isis out." The goddess was interrupted by 2 talking. She turned the corner…and found Wonder Woman and Zack Taylor, their lips only about 4 inches from each other, Roberta Flack's 'The First Time ever I Saw Your Face' playing in the background…
The first time ever I saw your face
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave
To the dark and the endless skies, my love,
To the dark and the endless skies.
And the first time ever I kissed your mouth
I felt the Earth move in my hand
Like the trembling heart of a captive bird
That was there at my command, my love
That was there at my command, my love.
And the first time ever I lay with you
I felt your heart so close to mine
And I knew our joy would fill the earth
And last till the end of time my love
And it would last till the end of time my love
The first time ever I saw your face, your face,
your face, your face
"A-HEM!" Isis interrupted, almost giggling.
Not even trying to hide this, Both turned to Isis, each with a kinda pissed off look. "Yes?" they seemed to snarl.
-Oh my god. Kim told me they had ½ of one of the Gems.- Isis dropped this and said "We need to get to the Animarium. We may have some help in finding the other…gems, and they need our…WERE YOU 2 ABOUT TO…"
Wonder Woman shook her head just as Zack did. "We DEFINITELY need to talk." Zack told her.
"That we do. Isis, we're sorry. What's up?" Diana asked.
Isis filled her in on her very short conversation with Princess Shayla, and how the JLA and the Titans are to meet on the Animarium…along with other heroes, when Keith Partridge, Jason Lee Scott, Chris Partridge, Tracy Partridge, Trini Kwan, Laurie Partridge, Kimberly Hart, Tommy Oliver, Samantha Dean, and Billy Cranston arrived. "Bill's on his way, he's finishing up a new comedy album." Billy told everyone.
"I've gotten a hold of the Titans…and the other JLAers. Hawkman & Hawkwoman are already on the Animarium with Green Lantern, Batman, Black Canary, Martian Manhunter, Flash, and Superman. The Wild Force Rangers are there too, along with…you still gotta see it to believe it!"
"Thanks, man." Jason turned to the others and told them "That was Adam. The Titans and the Zeo Rangers are on their way."
"In any case, Bill's here. Let's roll." Zack told everyone.
Meanwhile. . .In an Alternate Universe
The Power Rangers were at the Justice League Satellite HQ watching as their new proteges, the Geo Rangers, sparred with each other. Cody Lambert, the Black Thunder Ranger, wasn't participating since he was already a black belt, but the others were much greener, therefore they needed the practice more. He sipped some water as he and the veteran Rangers watched.
Alicia (Al) Lambert, the Red Fire Ranger, was dueling with her younger brother Brendan, the Green Earth Ranger, her stepsister Karen Foster, the Pink Wind Ranger, and Karen's younger brother Mark, the Blue Water Ranger. And Al was giving them a pounding. Having been a tomboy growing up, she was always into this sort of thing. She took down Mark with a kick to the groin, dropping him to his knees and causing him to clutch his midsection. Karen tried to move in, but Al flipped over her, then swept her off her feet. Brendan attempted a punch, but Al caught his arm and flipped him down onto his back. Finally, as Al kept his arm in a twisted position, Brendan said, "Alright, alright, Al, you've made your point!"
"I'll say," said Mark as he got to his feet. "I took karate lessons once before, and I still got whooped."
Karen sat up and shrugged, saying, "Well, at least I've still got a pretty face."
"Aw, quit whining," said Al as she finally released Brendan's arm. "No pain, no gain."
A slow clapping sound got everyone's attention. Everyone turned to see Batman stepping out of the shadows. "Brilliant. Now, Alicia, how about you show me how you intend to lead your team against someone like me." Mark, Karen, and Brendan backed away as Batman stepped onto the sparring mats. Casually, he just stood there and said, "Attack me."
Al hesitated for a moment before throwing a punch, which Batman easily avoided. She tried a series of kicks, but nothing connected. Al tried another punch, but Batman grabbed her arm, spun her around and bent her arm behind her back before dropping her face-first onto the mat. As Al winced at the pain that shot through her arm, Batman said, "No pain, no gain." He finally released her and stood up, saying, "Keep practicing," as he walked away.
Al got up to one knee and shook the pain out her arm, saying, "Jerk."
Batman never looked back, simply responding with, "I've been called worse."
As the two teams of Rangers were getting ready to take a break, the alarm sounded. "Uh oh," said Tommy Oliver, the White Ranger. "Trouble."
"No rest for the weary," said Rocky DeSantos, the Red Ranger.
Within moments, the Justice League (Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, the Flash Wally West, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Isis, Martian Manhunter, and Black Canary), the Power Rangers (Tommy, Rocky, Adam Park, the Black Ranger, Aisha Campbell, the Yellow Ranger, Katherine "Kat" Hillard, the Pink Ranger, Jenny Oliver, the Green Ranger, Billy Cranston, the Blue Ranger, and Trini Kwan, the Gold Ranger), and the Geo Rangers were all gathered as Alpha 5 worked at the computers. "Ay, yi, yi, yi, yi! I had hoped this day would never come!"
"What is it, Alpha?" asked Jenny. "How bad is it?"
"Oh, ay, yi, yi! Bad's not the word for it!" exclaimed Alpha. "This is awful! This is a disaster! Ay, yi, yi, yi, yi, yi, yi, yi, yi!" He was in such a panic that he began spinning and smoking. Billy and Trini quickly went over trying to calm him down.
The Geo Rangers watched Alpha in surprise. "Does this happen to Alpha all the time?" asked Karen.
"Only when an emergency is REALLY serious," answered Aisha.
"But what is the emergency?" asked Mark.
Zordon materialized in his plasma tube, saying, "ALLOW ME TO ANSWER THAT. I WAS JUST IN MY LAST REST CYCLE WHEN I FELT A DISTURBANCE IN THE MORPHING GRID. LORD ZEDD IS NO LONGER IN OUR UNIVERSE."
"WHAT?" asked the veteran Rangers in surprised unison.
"I'm probably going to regret saying this," said the Flash, "but that's a good thing, right?"
"I WISH IT WERE SO, FLASH," said Zordon as he shook his head. "HOWEVER, LORD ZEDD HAS NOT LEFT THE UNIVERSE OF HIS OWN FREE WILL. THIS IS THE DAY THAT I HAD HOPED AND PRAYED WOULD NEVER COME: LORD ZEDD HAS FOUND THE REALITY GEMS."
"The Reality Gems?" asked Kat. "What are they?"
"According to your archives, they are nine gemstones that allow whoever possesses them to control all of reality itself," answered Batman. "Each gem has both a positive and a negative effect as well as its own individual power."
"THAT IS CORRECT, BATMAN," said Zordon. "THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO ON ELTAR, MY ANCESTORS DISCOVERED THE GEMS AND HID THEM AWAY, SCATTERING THEM THROUGHOUT MULTIPLE UNIVERSES IN THE HOPES THAT THEY WOULD NEVER FALL INTO THE WRONG HANDS. DETAILS ARE SCARCE DUE TO POOR RECORD-KEEPING AT THAT TIME, BUT THE GEMS WERE OBVIOUSLY TOO DANGEROUS FOR ONE PERSON TO POSSESS."
"These are the gems," explained Isis. "The red gem is a ruby. Its effects are passion and lust, with the power of fire. The pink gem is a garnet. Innocence and temptation are its effects, virginity its power. Then there's a black onyx. Wisdom and doubt are its effects, success its power. The yellow topaz has the effects of energy and greed. Its power is electricity. The blue sapphire has the effects of hope and defeat and the power of water. Next is the purple gem, an amethyst, with the effects of love and hate and the power of luck. The white gem, a quartz, has the effects of time and space and the power of light. There's a green emerald with the effects of nature and destruction. Plants are its power. And finally, we have the clear gem, a diamond. It has the effects of life and death with the power of animals."
"Wow," said Adam. "If Zedd gets his hands on those, he could have the power of a god!"
"And he's already gotten a head-start!" realized Brendan.
"We'll have to move fast," said Superman. "And hope it's fast enough."
But as the League walked away, Zordon spoke up again. "THERE IS ONE OTHER THING YOU NEED TO KNOW." Everyone turned back to Zordon before he continued. "FOR REASONS UNKNOWN, THE RED REALITY GEM WAS SPLIT IN TWO. LEGEND HAS IT THAT WHEN BOTH HALVES OF THE RED GEM ARE REUNITED, THEY CREATE A SUBSET OF GEMS CALLED THE ANGEL GEMS. THESE GEMS ARE A RUBY, AN ONYX, A SAPPHIRE, A GARNET, AND A TOPAZ. THEY ARE UNRELATED TO THE MAIN GEMS, BUT THESE FIVE ARE SAID TO BE ABLE TO CREATE AN ALMOST RANGER-LIKE TEAM OF THEIR OWN, CONSISTING OF FIVE HONEST, HEROIC WOMEN. HOWEVER, THIS MAY ONLY BE A MYTH."
"But what if the myth is true?" asked Trini nervously. "Whoever posseses these 'Angel Gems' could possibly alter the very fabric of reality itself. . . for better or for worse."
"YES," said Zordon with a nod. "WHICH IS WHY IT IS ALL THE MORE IMPERATIVE THAT WE FIND WHERE LORD ZEDD HAS GONE AND STOP HIM BEFORE HE GETS HOLD OF ALL OF THE REALITY GEMS. HE CANNOT UNLOCK THEIR FULL POWER UNTIL HE HAS THEM ALL."
"At least we've got something going for us," said Cody. "All we have to do is get our hands on a Reality Gem. Piece of cake."
"You think it's going to be that easy?" asked Wonder Woman with a raised eyebrow.
"Naw, I just want a piece of cake," answered Cody before laughing.
"Come on," said Martian Manhunter. "We must get to work trying to find Zedd and the Reality Gems."
"Since we're going to be searching across multiple universes, those of us who are tech-savy need to begin searching immediately," said Batman. "J'onn and I will work with Alpha here at the Satellite."
"Mark, you can help me at the Command Center," said Billy. "I'll show you how to work the equipment there as best I can."
"And Adam and I will work from the Watchtower," said Trini.
"I WILL GET IN TOUCH WITH JUSTIN, ROBIN, AND CYBORG," said Zordon. "WE WILL NEED ALL THE HELP WE CAN GET."
"What about the rest of us?" asked Rocky.
"Just go about your normal routines," said Superman. "We'll contact you when we know more."
The next day Kat, Aisha, and Karen were walking towards the Youth Center laughing as they held some shopping bags. "Wow," said Karen. "I never thought I could get out-shopped, but you two did it."
"Oh, believe us, Karen," said Aisha with a laugh, "if Kimberly were here, she'd be carrying more baggage than the three of us put together."
"I remember when I first moved here, Karen," said Kat with a smile. "Even though I was under Rita's spell at the time, I meant it when I told Kim that she gave a whole new meaning to the word 'shop.'"
"Somehow I just can't picture you as a bad girl, Kat," said Karen. "I mean, you're so nice."
Kat's smile disappeared as she spoke solemnly. "Everyone has a dark side, Karen. When Rita brought mine out. . ." She trailed off she shivered. This brought up a lot of bad memories.
An explosion in the distance halted their conversation as a few people came running, screaming in fear. The three girls looked at each other then took off to check it out. They eventually reached an area where they could see a woman firing violet energy beams as people scattered. She screamed, "WHERE IS IT?"
"Who is that?" asked Karen.
"Star Sapphire," answered Aisha. "One of Green Lantern's enemies."
"Come on, we'd better morph," said Kat as they went to find a hiding place. Once they were satisfied that they wouldn't be spotted, Kat commanded, "It's Morphin Time!"
"PTERODACTYL!"
"SABER-TOOTHED TIGER!"
Karen then made the call, "Geo Rangers, Unite!"
"POWER OF WIND!"
The three Rangers approached Star Sapphire, the Yellow Ranger crying out, "That's enough, Star Sapphire!"
Star Sapphire turned to see the three girls standing before her. She smiled and said, "Ah, Power Rangers. I didn't expect to see you. But then again I shouldn't be surprised, should I? After all this is your city."
"What are you doing here?" asked the Pink Wind Ranger.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm looking for the other half of this ruby," answered Sapphire. In her hand was half of a ruby shaped like a heart. "Tell me where it is, or I'll destroy everyone and everything in my path until I get it!"
"We don't know where the other half is," said the Pink Ranger. "But if you think you can just go around hurting people, then you're wrong!"
"Try and stop me, weaklings!" yelled Sapphire as she unleashed a stream of violet energy. The three female Rangers rolled out of the way as the blast left its mark on the ground where they had just been standing.
"Whoa! That was close!" exclaimed Aisha. "Let's get her!" She and Kat then leapt into the air, only to be blasted back down.
Karen ran over to her fallen companions. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"We'll be fine," answered Aisha as she and Kat got to their feet.
"But I think it's time to up the ante," said Kat. The three of them then summoned their weapons and jumped towards Star Sapphire. Kat and Karen fired their bows while Aisha threw her Power Daggers, but nothing hit Sapphire as she was protected by an energy field.
Star Sapphire smiled and said, "My turn." She then created a giant energy scythe and swung it at the three female Rangers. Fortunately, they were able to avoid the scythe as it slammed into the ground.
"We can't hit her as long as she's got that protective shield," said Aisha.
"Let's see if it can protect her from this," suggested Karen, before conjuring up a tornado. Caught off-guard, Star Sapphire held her throat as she struggled to breathe. Her shield disappeared. Seeing the opening, Kat threw her chakram, nailing her adversary in the forehead. She fell to the ground unconscious, dropping the ruby as she did so.
Once Kat's chakram returned to her, she reholstered it and said, "Good job, Karen," as she gave her protégé the thumbs-up.
"Wow. Thanks," said Karen. The three girls then looked around before demorphing.
As they approached Star Sapphire, Aisha asked, "So what do we do with Star Sapphire?"
Karen then knelt down and picked up the ruby, adding, "And what's this?" But even as she asked this, she seemed to become entranced. Kat and Aisha walked over to her, wondering if the ruby was what they thought it was
A green energy stream then took the ruby out of Karen's hands, catching all three girls by surprise as a voice said, "Best not touch that." The three turned to see Green Lantern touch down. "So what'd I miss?"
"Truthfully, not much," said Aisha with a shrug.
"I was on my way, but I guess you didn't need me," said GL. "Good job."
Kat then asked, "Do you think that could be one of the Reality Gems?"
"Maybe," answered Green Lantern. "Zordon did say that the red gem was split in two." He then encased the gem in a ring-generated box. Holding the box, he then placed Star Sapphire on a ring-generated stretcher with straps and placed her in a straight-jacket. "I'll take care of Star Sapphire and get this to Zordon. See you, girls." The three of them watched as he took off.
As the three of them picked up their shopping bags, Karen said, "Listen, why don't you go on to the Youth Center? I'll join you later." Kat and Aisha looked at each other quizically as Karen walked away.
At the Oliver residence, Jenny was in her room, playing her keyboard and humming a tune. Not satisfied, she shook her head and said, "No." She then hit the keys and hummed again before hearing a knock at her door. "Come in," she said.
Tommy, Rocky, and Cody walked in, Cody saying, "Hey, there, Jen-Jen."
As Jenny looked at Cody quizically, Rocky shot Cody an amused look, asking, "'Jen-Jen?'"
Cody shrugged and said, "These things just come to me. It's like my brain's got a mind of its own." He then laughed.
Tommy smiled and shook his head before asking, "So, is my baby sister working on another song?"
Jenny slammed a fist on the keys of her keyboard, yelling, "Don't call me your baby sister! I'd rather be called Jen-Jen than your baby sister!"
Surprised by this, Cody said, "Whoa. Sensitive subject. Hey, what's with your hope chest?"
Turning to the said hope chest on her nightstand, Jenny answered, "Oh, that's where I put my best songs and poems. Everything else gets trashed. During the three years I was away from my family, I threw myself into my poetry and songwriting . It was very therapeutic for me. So, how was your sparring match?"
"Great," answered Rocky. "Got a good workout in. Oh, and Jenny, you should've seen Cody's moves."
"Let's just hope all of our moves are good enough to stop Lord Zedd from getting the rest of the Reality Gems," said Tommy. Everyone nodded in agreement.
After Green Lantern arrived at the Satellite, the ruby that had been taken from Star Sapphire was analyzed. Zordon said, "THIS IS INDEED HALF OF THE RED REALITY GEM. NOW THAT WE HAVE ITS ENERGY SIGNATURE, IT WILL MAKE OUR SEARCH FOR THE OTHER GEMS EASIER. WHEREVER LORD ZEDD IS, THIS WILL BE A GREAT HELP IN HELPING US FIND HIM AND THE OTHER GEMS."
The ruby then began glowing. It opened a portal. On the other side was a woman dressed in white. She said, "Incredible! A parallel universe with its own Power Rangers and Justice League of America!"
Batman, Martian Manhunter, and Alpha stopped what they were doing as they looked at the woman on the other side of the portal. Alpha said, "Ay, yi, yi, yi, yi! Are you from the universe that Lord Zedd has traveled to?"
"That I am," answered the woman with a nod. "I am Princess Shayla. The Lord Zedd from your universe is here and he's already joined up with Rita Repulsa and Lex Luthor!"
"Luthor and Rita Repulsa?" asked Martian Manhunter in surprise. "Strange. They're both dead here in our universe."
"Dead?" asked Princess Shayla, equally surprised. "That is strange. Here in our universe, Rita and Luthor are alive and well and Lord Zedd was converted to the side of good."
Batman then spoke up. "If Zedd is in your universe, you may need our help."
"Agreed," said Shayla with a nod. "We've been trying to get in touch with your universe with no success. But you've saved us the trouble. Gather your teams of Rangers, JLA, and Titans. We will do the same."
"Where do we meet?" asked Green Lantern.
"We will all meet here at the Animarium," answered Shayla. "It is the only facility that can span both of our universes with no adverse effects."
"VERY WELL, PRINCESS SHAYLA," said Zordon. "ALPHA, GET IN TOUCH WITH EVERYONE." Alpha nodded as he went over to the communications deck.
At the park, Jason was helping Al practice martial arts, holding up padded targets for her to hit. She attacked with a vengeance, scoring hit after hit. Finally, Jason took the targets off and shook his hands, saying, "Wow. You're a natural, Al."
Al shrugged and smiled, saying, "One of the perks of being a tomboy, I guess." Her smile then disappeared as she asked, "But did Batman really have to show me up like that?"
"According to Robin, Batman is hard on everybody," said Jason. "Batman's trust is very hard-earned. That's probably why none of us Rangers know who he really is. The other Justice League members know, but not us."
"It's strange," said Al. "The other Justice League members who have secret identities revealed theirs to us, but Batman didn't. Although I still can't believe how Superman has managed to keep his secret as Clark Kent."
"Alright, let's take a break," said Jason. He and Al then sat down on a bench and drank some water. After taking a few sips, Al dumped the rest of the water from her bottle into her hair and onto her face. Jason smiled at this as he said, "You know, you look hot when you're wet."
Al smiled back, responding with, "Don't get too cute." She then asked, "So what was it like going to the peace conference in Switzerland?"
"It was certainly different, that's for sure," answered Jason. "A little bit of a culture shock at first, but it was great. When we left, Trini came home while Zack and I decided to tour Europe. We got to see the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, the Running of the Bulls in Spain. You name it, we probably did it."
"Is there anything you can't do?" asked Al.
Chuckling, Jason answered, "Well, for starters, as embarrassing as this may sound, I can't beat Trini at arm-wrestling."
Smiling, Al barely avoided breaking out into a laugh as she asked, "Are you serious?"
As serious as he could be, Jason answered, "Al, I can't even move her arm an inch." His tone then became more somber as he continued. "Another thing I couldn't do was save Tommy's Green Ranger powers."
Realizing this was a sensitive subject, Al thought about her next words carefully. However, a voice broke their silence. "Hey, guys."
Jason and Al stood up to see Karen approaching, holding her shopping bags. Surprised to see her, Jason said, "Hey, Karen, what are you doing here? I thought you were with Kat and Aisha?"
Setting her bags down, Karen smiled and answered, "They went on to the Youth Center. As for me, . . . well I just had to come and see you." Jason slowly backed away, not liking where this was going.
"Karen, what are you doing?" asked Al, wondering what was going on.
Looking at her stepsister, Karen's smile was replaced by a frown as she answered, "This." She then moved in and kissed Jason, surprising both of them!
Frantically, Jason pushed her away, yelling, "Karen, what do think you're doing?" Even as he asked this, he was wiping his lips.
Turning Karen around to face her, Al asked angrily, "What's going on here?"
Karen scoffed and asked, "What's going on? I'm just showing Jason I'm more woman than you. I don't know what he sees in you, Al. Why would he want to go out with a tomboy like you, when he could do so much better with me? For that matter, why do you get to lead the Geo Rangers? I could do a much better job than you."
"Oh, really?" challenged Al, as she got in Karen's face.
"Yeah, really," answered Karen with a nod. "And to prove my point, here's something else I've always wanted to do." Jason watched in shock as Karen punched Al!
"Al!" yelled Jason. Quickly getting to his girlfriend's side, he asked, "Are you okay?"
Not answering, Al just sat up and wiped the blood off her busted lip. She looked at the blood before looking up at her stepsister. Pointing at Karen, she growled, "You, Barbie, just made a big mistake." She then launched herself at Karen and tackled her.
As they scuffled, Jason ran over and attempted to pull Al off, yelling, "That's enough! Break it up!" Kat and Aisha then came along and restrained Karen. Even as Jason held her, Al was still kicking with her legs, trying to get to Karen.
"What's going on here?" asked Aisha.
"Karen just tried to steal my boyfriend!" said Al angrily.
"You're just jealous because I'm better than you!" said Karen.
As Al and Karen argued, Kat finally yelled, "STOP IT! THAT'S ENOUGH!" The fighting stopped right then. Jason and Aisha looked at Kat, surprised at this side of her. When she clamed down, Kat said, "Look, I think Aisha and I know what's going on."
"Yeah," said Aisha with a nod. "We just had a run-in with Star Sapphire. We think she had half of the Red Reality Gem. Green Lantern took it to Zordon, but not before Karen touched it."
"Of course," said Jason. He remembered what he had been told about the Reality Gems. "One of the effects of the red gem is lust."
Not taking her eyes off her stepsister, Al angrily stated, "That's no excuse for what Karen did."
Karen processed what she had just heard. When it sank in, her jaw dropped in horror. She covered her mouth with her hands, and seemed to hyperventilate. She then ran off crying. "Karen!" cried Aisha.
"I'll go talk to her," said Kat. She then took off after her.
When Kat found Karen, she saw her sitting on the ground, curled up into a ball. Kat knelt down next to her and asked, "Karen, are you alright?"
Tears streaming down her face, Karen answered, "No. No, I'm not alright. I just. . . I just. . ."
"Lost control?" finished Kat. Karen nodded. Hugging Karen, she said, "It'll be okay. I've been in your shoes. Just be glad you didn't put Al's life in danger like I did Kimberly's."
"Is this what you meant by everyone has a dark side?" asked Karen. Kat nodded. Karen continued. "I never thought I was capable of doing such a thing. I mean, sure, I've pined over boys I couldn't have before, but I've never done anything like this. How do you get over something like that?"
"You want the real truth?" asked Kat rhetorically. "The truth is, you don't. You just learn to live with it. When I was growing up, the difference between right and wrong, the line between good and evil, was black and white. When Rita placed her spell on me, those lines became blurred. Even after I broke her spell, the lines were still blurred. I can't look at things in black and white anymore because all I see are shades of grey." She then broke the hug and had Karen look at her face-to-face. Pointing to her heart, Kat continued, saying, "There's that little bit of darkness in here that I can never get rid of because it is a part of what I have become. But it doesn't have to be all bad, Karen. Looking back, I like to think that little brush with darkness helped make me a stronger, better person. The way I see it, you have two choices, Karen. One, you can use this experience to become stronger. Or, two, you can dwell on it and let it destroy you. So, what's it going to be?"
As Kat's words sank in, Karen wiped her tears and hugged her. "Thanks, Katherine."
Kat smiled and said, "Anytime." Just then, their communicators went off. Kat answered into it, "Yes, Alpha?"
"Katherine, Karen, teleport to the Satellite, quickly!" came Alpha's response. "It's urgent."
"We're on our way," said Karen as she and Kat stood up. They then teleported towards the Satellite in streaks of pink-colored light.
The Justice League, the Titans, and three Ranger teams were now gathered at the Satellite. Surprised to see Princess Shayla on the other side of portal, Adam asked, "What's going on here?"
"EVERYONE, THIS IS PRINCESS SHAYLA," answered Zordon. "SHE IS FROM THE UNIVERSE THAT LORD ZEDD HAS TRAVELED TO. LIKE OUR UNIVERSE, IT HAS IT OWN TEAMS OF POWER RANGERS, A JUSTICE LEAGUE, AND ITS OWN TEAM OF TITANS. AND ACCORDING TO THE PRINCESS, RITA AND LUTHOR ARE STILL ALIVE IN THEIR UNIVERSE."
"Yes," said Princess Shayla. "And while I see a lot of familiar faces, I see some unfamiliar ones as well. You will see what I mean when you arrive."
Seeing Karen, Batman frowned and said, "Karen can't come with us. She has already been affected by one of the Reality Gems. She can't be trusted."
As Karen looked at Batman dejectedly, Superman said, "We have to take the chance, Batman. Besides, how do you know you're immune to the gems?" Batman frowned, but didn't argue.
"Well, looks like this is it," said the Flash. "I'm ready. Is everybody else?"
"As we'll ever be," answered Tommy.
"Let's go," said Wonder Woman. "We haven't a moment to lose."
As the entire group approached the portal, Zordon said, "GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU. AND MAY THE POWER PROTECT YOU." When all the heroes stepped through, the half of the red Reality Gem that was in the Satellite flew into the portal after them. The portal closed with a flash.
On the other side of the portal, half of the Red Reality Gem flew past the large group of heroes and set itself on a fountain. Forgetting her little ordeal for the moment, Karen looked around and said, "Wow. It's beautiful here."
"Yeah, totally," agreed Cody. "I saw a lot of jungles and rainforests on my world tour, but this puts them all to shame."
"No time for sightseeing, you two," reminded Black Canary. "We've got a job to do."
Princess Shayla then approached and said, "Welcome to the Animarium. I'm Princess Shayla. We thank you for your assistance."
"We just hope it's enough, princess," said Superman with a slight bow.
Seven unfamiliar teenagers then approached. A boy in red said, "Welcome to our universe. We are the Wild Force Rangers. I'm Cole Evans."
As everyone shook hands, the other Wild Force Rangers introduced themselves. A girl in yellow simply said, "Taylor Earhardt."
A boy in blue: "Max Cooper."
A woman in purple: "Paige Matthews."
A boy in black: "Danny Delgado."
A girl in white, with pink trim: "Alyssa Enrile."
A boy in silver: "Merrick Baliton."
"Wild Force?" asked Mark in confusion.
"As far as I know, there are no 'Wild Force' Rangers in our universe," said Trini.
"WHAT?" asked the Wild Force Rangers in surprised unison.
"That's not important right now," said Shayla. "Right now, our goal is get the other Reality Gems before Zedd, Rita, Luthor, or any of our enemies do. Come." She then walked away, the others following her …when more teleportation sounds started, along with flashes…and…
"Princess Shayla…Wild Force." Isis smiled…then found she was looking at herself. "Whoa! This is just too weird…even for me!"
The Pink Pterodactyl Ranger who came with her took off her helmet, looked around…and stared at Kat. "I guess I'm Zeo in your universe." Kimberly Hart asked.
Wonder Woman was also with them. "I think I came in contact with a gem…I tried to make out with Zack."
The Black Mastodon Ranger confirmed Diana's story. "It seems that we have both wanted to get together for a long time…but…my feelings for Angela at the time…" Zack stopped…and stared at his counterpart. "ADAM? You lead the Zeo Rangers here!"
Laurie Partridge took out the half of the gem that affected Wonder Woman…and both pieces flew together. Alighting on a pedestal, five colors shot from the ruby…Ruby, onyx, sapphire, garnet, and topaz. Forming into gems with golden bracelet settings, they shot towards Earth. Laurie sighed "Now we know…it's not a myth."
"But…who will they find?" Hal Jordan asked.
Los Angeles:
In front of an upscale office building, Sabrina Duncan, Kelly Garrett, and Jill Munroe were amazed to find three of the braceleted gems coming towards them…as did Julie Rogers in Santa Monica…and Kris Munroe in San Francisco. A new team was about to join the fight for justice…three were already involved by way of Charlie Townsend.
After the Angel Gems were gone, all the heroes from both universes were soon gathered. The Superman from the visiting universe spoke up, even as he stared at his doppleganger.
"Now that everyone's here, I believe introductions are in order. As I'm sure you can tell, I am Superman. With me are Wonder Woman, Batman, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, the Martian Manhunter, Isis, Black Canary and the Flash. . . Wally West." Both Flashes never took their eyes off each other.
Superman continued, "And these are our Power Rangers, Tommy Oliver, the White Ranger, his sister Jenny, the Green Ranger, Katherine Hillard, the Pink Ranger, Billy Cranston, the Blue Ranger, Rocky DeSantos, the Red Ranger, Adam Park, the Black Ranger, Aisha Campbell, the Yellow Ranger, and Trini Kwan, the Gold Ranger." Both Tommys and both Billys seemed to recognize each other right away. But then the visiting Billy noticed that his counterpart had something on his right ring finger. . . a Green Lantern power ring?
Jenny looked over at the heroes from this universe, wondering where she was. She noticed that the other Tommy didn't seem to recognize her, and that worried her. Kat noticed that while she did have a doppleganger, judging from what she'd heard the Kimberly from this universe say, she guessed that here, she was a Zeo Ranger. Rocky looked at his doppleganger, and noticed that he had shorter hair, and seemed to favor blue rather than red. Adam stared at his doppleganger and was surprised to see him in red. He still couldn't believe that in this universe he leads the Zeo Rangers, even after hearing Zack blurt it out. Aisha, like Jenny, noticed that she was nowhere to be found. Trini stared at her look-alike the whole time, figuring in this universe, she was still the Yellow Ranger. She also noticed someone that looked a lot like Trey of Triforia. In her universe, he had died after passing the powers of the Gold Ranger to her.
Superman continued, "With us are the Titans. You probably recognize them as Robin, Superboy, Wonder Girl, Changeling, Cyborg, Raven, and Speedy. As you can see, the Titans also have their own Ranger team, the Zeo Rangers: Kimberly Hart, Zeo Pink, Tanya Sloan, Zeo Yellow, Justin Stewart, Zeo Blue, Zack Taylor, Zeo Green, and Jason Lee Scott, Zeo Red."
Kimberly and Zack had already seen that in this universe, they were still the Pink and Black Rangers, rather than Kat and Adam. Tanya, like Tommy and Billy, recognized herself right away. Justin noticed that he was didn't seem to have a counterpart. Jason stared at his doppleganger and guessed that here, he was still the original Red Ranger.
Superman finished up with, "And last but not least, these are the Geo Rangers, proteges of the Power Rangers and Zeo Rangers: Al Lambert, the Red Fire Ranger, her brother Brendan, the Green Earth Ranger, their cousin Cody, the Black Thunder Ranger, Karen Foster, the Pink Wind Ranger, and her brother Mark, the Blue Water Ranger." The Geo Rangers looked around, noticing they didn't have counterparts. But there was something about one of the groups of teens that seemed awfully familiar . . .
The other Superman spoke up. "Here in this universe, we are the Justice League of America, JLA for short. Here, I am also known as Superman. And our team consists of Wonder Woman, Batman, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, the Martian Manhunter, Isis, Black Canary, Firestorm, Hawkman, Hawkwoman, and the Flash. . . Barry Allen."
Barry noticed the visiting Flash's jaw drop. He smiled at this, as he had a feeling they were in for a long conversation.
Superman continued, "Like you, we also have a team of Power Rangers on our roster. However, unlike in your universe, Jason, Trini, Zack, and Kimberly are the Red, Yellow, Black, and Pink Rangers, respectively. Tommy and Billy, however, are still the White and Blue Rangers. Billy is also a Green Lantern." The two Billys stared at each other.
Superman then said, "Our Rangers have neither a Green nor a Gold Ranger. They do, however, have a Purple Ranger: Samantha Dean." Samantha couldn't help but smile when she saw the looks of surprise on the faces of the visiting Rangers. It took everything she had to keep from bursting out into laughter.
Superman then said, "And these are the Rangers' proteges, the Thundercats: Keith Partridge, the Red Lion, Laurie Partridge, the Pink Cheetah, Chris Partridge, the Black Leopard, Tracy Partridge, the Yellow Cougar, and Bill Engvall, the Blue Tiger."
All of the visiting heroes raised their eyebrows at this. Bill Engvall, a well-known country comedian, was a Ranger? Also, the Thundercats stared at the Geo Rangers. They looked so familiar. . .
Before introducing the Titans, Superman said, "As you can see, our team of Titans and your team of Titans are two different teams. These Titans consist of Nightwing, Troia, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, Green Lantern Kyle Rayner, Supergirl, Red Arrow, and RPM. . . Wally West, the former Flash. Just like your team, the Zeo Rangers are also a part of our Titans. You may recognize our Zeo Rangers as Katherine, Zeo Pink, Tanya, Zeo Yellow, Rocky, Zeo Blue, and Adam, Zeo Red. Unlike your Zeo Rangers, however, there is no Green Zeo Ranger. Instead, David Trueheart, Tommy's brother, is Zeo Black."
The visiting Tommy raised an eyebrow at this, as he knew for a fact that on his world, Jenny was his only sibling. Superman continued, "Plus, the Zeo Rangers also have two additional Rangers: Jamie Zedden, Zeo Purple, and Trey of Triforia, the Gold Ranger."
The Batman of the home universe then spoke up, saying, "In our universe, there is no Jenny Oliver. There is, however, an Aisha Campbell, but she serves as the Purple Lightstar Ranger." Aisha was confused. She would have to find out who the Lightstar Rangers were later. For now, she continued to listen to what the Batman of this universe was saying.
"Robin, Superboy, and Wonder Girl are a part of Young Justice." Robin, Superboy, and Wonder Girl were surprised by this, considering Young Justice broke up prior to them reforming as the Teen Titans and eventually cutting it down to just Titans. Batman then continued, "And assuming your Wonder Girl is Cassie Sandsmark, in our world, Cassie Sandsmark was stripped of the Wonder Girl title by Zeus. The powers of Wonder Girl were instead granted to Vanessa Kapatelis."
This surprised Wonder Girl. In her universe, she was Zeus's daughter, for crying out loud!
Continuing, Batman said, "And while there is a team of Geo Rangers in our universe, they too work with Young Justice." Pointing at the visiting Justin Stewart, Batman said, "And while you look like our Justin, Justin in our universe is Justin Steed, grandson of former British special agent John Steed. He leads the Geo Rangers."
Both teams of heroes stared at each other. They were so similar, yet so different. Soon, five more teleportation beams arrived on the Animarium, taking on the forms of Sabrina Duncan, Kelly Garrett, Jill and Kris Munroe, and Julie Rogers. When the five of them got their bearings, Sabrina spoke up for all of them, asking a simple question:
"Where are we?"
NEXT: Confrontations and Tropical Temptation