Javier Vachon could still remember Billy's words. "I' m going to Nick's
loft and talk to Tommy, if I'm not back in six hours come get me."

Vachon looked over the outside of Nick's loft. Everything was dark. He
tried the door. It was unlocked. He went up the stairs and the first
thing he could see was that the living room looked like there had been a
fight, but no one was there.

Upstairs, one of the doors to the guest room was open. He flew up to it.
The window had been smashed. The room looked as if it had survived a
hurricane.

In the corner, against the wall, was a Tommy Oliver, naked. There as a
large gash on his head. Vachon could feel that this kid was vamped out.

"Don't move!" Vachon ordered.

"Trust me, I don't feel like moving." Tommy groaned.

"Where is Nick?"

"I don't know... he was here earlier," Tommy looked him over. "Your Billy's
friend,"

"How did you know that?" Vachon asked levelly. "Did Billy tell you about me?"

"No, we shared blood....."

"What have you done to Billy?"

"Billy's my friend. I wouldn't hurt him," Tommy reached up and touched his
head. His fingers hit blood.

"Why don't you get up? Slowly."

Tommy did. For the first time Vachon realized how hurt the boy was. He
was bruised, bleeding, as if he had survived a fight.

"Can you tell me what happened before you were knocked out?"

"Jacqueline was here. She's the woman that brought me across."

The name sounded very familiar to Vachon, but he couldn't place it. "What
happened next?"

"She had friends with her, we fought... and they took Billy."

Vachon walked over to him, he reached out his hand. Tommy took it and stood
up. "I think it would be in our best interests if we worked together to
find Billy."

"All right," Tommy agreed.

For the first time, Vachon noticed what looked like a watch on the ground.
He picked it up. "What's this?"

"Its mine, can I have it?"

Vachon handed him the watch. Tommy put it on. Then he sagged a bit. Vachon
put his arm around Tommy's waist. "I'm going to get you out of here,"

*       *       *

Vachon told Tommy that he was going to take him to his place. He picked
Tommy up in his arms, and flew off with him. The new vampire wasn't that
scared of flying. He had done it himself before. He was more releaved
that Vachon hadn't asked him about the communications bracelet, but to be
on the safe side, he turned it off.

He was surprised when Vachon set down in front of an unused church. "Why
did we come here?"

"Because I live here," Vachon unlocked the door with a ancient looking key,
then he carried Tommy into the church.

Tommy tried to fight down the feelings of panic that he felt. Vampires are
evil. They where supposed to be repulsed by good. How could Vachon live
here?

The church had boxes scattered around the walls. There was also some old
furniture. Vachon carried him up a staircase, and into a bedroom. He was
surprised to see that the bedroom looked so normal, unlike the rest of the
church, it looked as is someone actually lived here. Vachon sat him down
gently on the bed, then lit a candle.

Vachon opened up a small refrigerator, and pulled out a bottle. He opened
it, then handed it to Tommy, "Drink this,"

Tommy did, even though it was cold, he immediately recognized the taste, it
was human blood. He didn't ask, he just drank.

As he drunk the Spaniard said. "Your lucky your a vampire, you would be
dead if you where human."

"Why should that matter to you?" Tommy asked, "You wanted me dead."

Vachon took the empty bottle from him, he set it on the floor. He then
turned back to Tommy, he touched his chin gently, he looked into Tommy's
eyes. Vachon's eyes were dark brown. All Tommy could see was the eyes. . "I
don't want you dead, now sleep."

Tommy, though he didn't want to, fell asleep.

*       *       *
Tommy dreamt. A terrible troubling dream. All this was his fault, he
knew that now. He could feel Billy's memories as if they where his own.


The first thing Billy could feel when he woke was the cold floor beneath
his face. He reached up and touched his aching head.

"He's coming around," An unfamiliar woman's voice said.

"That's good," Nick said.

Billy opened his eyes. The woman was kneeling beside him. "How are you
feeling?"

"I'll survive," But something was missing, he could feel it. "Tommy...where
is Tommy?"

"I don't know. He wasn't brought here with you," the woman said.

"Can you remember what happened to you?" Nick asked.

"I was attacked by Scorpina," Suddenly the picture of Tommy's limp body
went through Billy's mind. The blood gushing out of his head. Tommy was a
young vampire, he was too young to get over an injury like that by himself.
He reached out to his lover mentally, and couldn't feel anything. That
could only mean one thing, Tommy was dead. He brought his wrist to his
lips. For the first time, he noticed he wasn't wearing his communicator.
"Damn! Have you seen my watch?"

"It wasn't on you when you came here," Nick told him.

"Oh this is great!"

"Is he hurt?" Nick asked.

"He'll survive," The woman answered after checking him over.

"I've been alive for two thousand years, a little knock on the head can't
do much to me." For the first time he realized he was nude. He sat up, and
found that the woman was trying to hold him down. "I'll be all right, let
me up, please."

"Are you sure?" She asked concerned.

"Positive," As he sat up, Billy got a good look at this place. It nagged at
the back of his mind.

"Do you know where we are?" Nick asked.

"Your not going to like it."

"I don't care whether we like it or not. We have to know!"

"You might not believe me, we are in Rita's prison."

"Who is Rita?"

"Rita Repulsa," Billy stopped, this woman oozed suspicion. "I'm not going
to answer any of your other questions until you tell me who you are!"

"This is my blood bonded, Dr. Natalie Lambert," Nick introduced. "Nat, this
is Billy Cranston."

Some putty's brought in clothes for Billy, then turned and left. Billy
got up and walked over to them. He picked them up, they where made out of
black silky like material. He put them on, they where an exact fit, like
they had been made for him. He felt better now that he was dressed.

One thing haunted him. Tommy was dead. His lover, his friend.....

*       *       *

Tommy woke up with a start, he was still in the bedroom in Vachon's loft.
He felt empty, as if he needed Billy here with him. It was a dream, he
tried to tell himself, but this seemed like more than a dream, more like
the truth. He tried to reach out to Billy with his mind, but only found
emptiness.

Jacqueline had his friend Billy, and Nick-an innocent! There was nothing he
could do to help, he had lost the power. Not only that, he wasn't strong
enough to save Billy.

He reached up and touched his injury. All there was a small ridge. He got
up, and got out of bed. He walked over to the mirror, and concentrated.
Slowly he could see himself. The terrible wound was looked like a bad cut
now, but it had scabbed over.

He was starving, he had to feed. But where? He remembered the refrigerator,
he went over to it and opened it. He took out a bottle of blood, opened it,
and drank it cold.

For the first time he realized he was still nude. There was a wardrobe in a
corner, he opened it, there where clothes for both Vachon and some woman.

Vachon had some nice clothes, mostly black. He found a black silk shirt,
and black jeans. He slipped them on.

He went in search of Vachon. He found him downstairs, sitting in a chair
playing his guitar.

Just then someone suddenly dropped in from above. He was dressed in civil
war gear. It looked exactly like Skull, but he oozed a confidence that
Skull never had. It was quite apparent that Skull didn't see Tommy, instead
he looked Vachon over. "I looked everywhere for Screed, even in his favorite
places, but he wasn't there."

"You see, you should have believed me." Vachon said.

"Damn it, he's my brother!" The vampire almost shouted. "I couldn't believe
he would just vanish."

"I agree Skull, but Billy's vanished too,"

"Skull, your Skull?" Tommy gasped coming out of hiding.

Skull turned to Tommy. The confidence faded from him, softly he asked.
"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Tommy said evenly, he got up, walked
towards Skull, he could feel that he was a vampire. "Did you have something
with Billy being kidnapped?"

"Of course I didn't!"

Vachon put down his guitar, and got between them. "Skull is an old friend
of mine, he is welcome in my house."

"How old of a friend?" Tommy said levelly.

"A very long time," Skull said.

"How long? How old are you?" Tommy demanded.

"Four hundred thirty...four forty... you loose count when your having fun."
Skull smiled.

He couldn't believe his ears. "Are you trying to tell me your over four
hundred years old?"

"As I said, I lost count," he shrugged. Suddenly his entire demeanor
changed until he was back to being the quivering Skull that Tommy knew back
in Angel Grove.

"You never told me what you were doing in Toronto,"

"Bulk and I came up to see his uncle...." Skull broke eye contact with
Tommy, he walked across the room, and stopped, his back towards Tommy.

"Where's Bulk now?" Tommy asked, "and does he know your a vampire?"

"No, Bulk doesn't know about me being a vampire. I have no idea were he is,
Scorpina got him."

"Scorpina? I thought she left Earth." Tommy said. "How do you know it was
Scorpina?"

"Skull is not as stupid as he looks," Vachon put in. "He's genius in his
own way."

"I can't believe that, you don't know Skull like I do."

"I've know Skull longer then you've been alive." Vachon paused. "Go on Skull."

Skull turned to Tommy. "I need your help. Scorpina has Bulk, you have to
help me."

"What can I do?"

"Listen Tommy, I know what you are."

"You mean a vampire?"

"No, I mean a power ranger."

"What would give you the idea that I'm a power ranger? I'm not a power
ranger."

Skull snorted. "Yeah right. you and your friends have gotten way too
careless around me. Morphing in front of me, thinking that stupid me
wouldn't remember. Well your wrong, cause I do remember, and I do
understand."

That shook Tommy, Skull knew his secret. "I can't help, I'm no longer a
ranger. I gave it up."

"Why?" Skull demanded. "What could you do that was so evil that you could
no longer be a ranger?"

"I killed an innocent, many innocents."

"Why?"

"What does it matter why I did it, as long as I did?"

"Until very recently, most of us vampire lived off humans," Vachon said.

Tommy looked into Vachon's eyes. "You've killed,"

"Too many to count. That doesn't make me evil, and you're not either."

"I lost the power when I crossed over,"

"Can you still help us?" Skull asked. "We'll have to work together to get
our loved ones back."

"Your right, we will," Tommy agreed.

*       *       *

Later, Skull took off to look for Bulk some more. Tommy was left alone with
Vachon. He sat on a couch, and Vachon was in an old chair.

"What are you thinking about?" Vachon asked him.

"Why do you want to know?" he demanded.

Vachon looked annoyed. "Listen Tommy, I'm not your enemy,"

"You tried to kill me!" he pointed out.

"I know, I was wrong." Vachon sighed. "Not every vampire is evil,"

"Every vampire I know is,"

"What about Billy?" Vachon asked.

A pang went through Tommy. "Billy is different, he's good."

"Your right, he is," Vachon agreed.

"How long have you known him?"

"I met him when I was a child, in Spain, he was my teacher, my friend."
Vachon paused. "You still feel guilty for his kidnapping."

"If I had been stronger, I could have helped him."

"You don't know that," Vachon told him.

"Before I crossed over, I was strong, nothing could have stopped me, I had
the power.:"

"Your stronger now," Vachon pointed out.

Tommy looked away from Vachon. "I lost the power when I crossed over." He
got up and began to pace the room.

"Billy never told you he was a vampire, did he?" Vachon asked.

He spun around to face Vachon. "Stop reading my mind!"

"I didn't need too, your telepathing to me,"

That struck Tommy like a thunderbolt. he sank down on the couch. "Have I
been doing it all the time?"

"No, only when your worried," Vachon said softly. "The gift comes to
everyone differently."

"Can you read people's minds?"

"I can't unless I've taken your blood,"

"Its almost like that with Billy," Tommy said softly. "I can still feel him."

Vachon sat down beside him. "Are you sure?"

He nodded.

"This could mean that Billy is still alive, have you tired to contact him
yet?"

"I can't contact him, I don't know where he is,"

"You don't have to know, just close you eyes and think of him. When you see
him clearly in your mind, talk to him."

"Your kidding!"

"Try it,"

Tommy closed his eyes, he thought of Billy. A picture of Billy formed in
his mind. It was almost like he could see through Billy's eyes. His friend
was in a cell, it looked familiar to him. But Tommy couldn't place it. Then
he spoke. "Billy, this is Tommy, can you hear me?"

"Is that really you?" Billy answered, "I thought you were killed!"

"You can't kill me that easily."

"I love you," Billy told him.

"I love you too," Tommy felt himself say.

He could feel hope surge through Billy. "Your alive, oh goddess. Were are
you now?"

"With Vachon, at his Church. Do you know where you are?"

"I'm in Rita's prison, but she doesn't control it now, Scorpina does."

"Is Nick with you?"

"Yes, there is a bunch of us here, tell Vachon that Tracy is all right,"

Suddenly an Asian woman came into view. The door to the cage was open.
Two putties came in. They grabbed Billy. The woman walked over to Billy.
"My instruments detected that you are talking to your friend!"

"No, I'm not!" Billy lied.

She snapped something around Billy's neck. Then she left with the putties.

"Billy!" Tommy yelled.

"Tommy, don't worry," He could hear Billy gasp in pain. Tommy could feel
the pain Billy was feeling. "It hurts...it hurts to talk to you." suddenly
everything went black.