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�That�s when we knew we needed help.� Jindrax looked hopefully at Cole Evans� face and then at Taylor Earhardt�s as Toxica finished their story.

Cole looked confused but Taylor was staring suspiciously, her arms crossed. �How do we know this isn�t some kind of trick?� she demanded.

Cole touched her shoulder. �It�s not a trick. They�re telling the truth; I can feel it.�

�But how�s this possible?� Taylor gestured at them. �They�re Orgs. How could they become - human?�

�Hey, you don�t have to insult us,� Jindrax protested.

Taylor frowned, but the doorbell cut off whatever she might have been about to say. �That must be Alyssa or Danny and Max,� Cole said as he stood up.

�I�ll go with you.� Taylor followed him out of the living room with a hostile backwards glance, leaving Jindrax and Toxica sitting alone on the sofa.

�Do you think they�ll help us?� Jindrax asked, his voice low.

�Who knows? I�ve never understood humans.�

�Yeah, me either,� Jindrax agreed with a sigh.

For all the years of their long lives humans had been the enemy, creatures to be despised as weak, soft, and powerless, no more significant or worthy of respect than an infestation on the Earth. Now - look at the two of them. Once powerful and admired Duke Orgs, reduced to sitting in one of the artificial caves people built to live in, asking for help from the Rangers they had battled so many times. Would they get it? He had been asking himself that since they had knocked on Cole�s door and saw the looks of disbelief and mistrust on his face and Taylor�s when they said who they were.

Toxica still looked angry. �The nerve of her,� she muttered under her breath. �Calling us human.�

�Yeah, as if,� Jindrax agreed half-heartedly.

Voices announced their host returning, and in a moment Cole and Taylor reappeared with a small, slender young woman who stopped short as soon as she saw them, shock replacing the smile on her face.

�Toxica? Is that you?� Alyssa Enrile asked hesitantly after a moment.

�Yes. Unfortunately.�

�And Jindrax??� She looked even more astonished, her eyes wide.

�Yep, it�s me all right.�

�Amazing... If I didn�t recognize your voice I wouldn�t believe it.� She came closer and seemed about to bend and reach out to touch his face, but stopped and took a seat on the couch facing theirs across a small coffee table. �How did this happen?�

�That�s what we�d like to know.�

�I can fill you in later about what they already told us,� Cole said. �Jindrax, Toxica - your powers were fading, and you were starting to lose your Org appearance. Was that when you decided to come back to Turtle Cove?�

Taylor frowned. �You said that was about a week after we defeated Master Org. A month ago now, just about,� she said with a return of her suspicious expression. �What were you doing all that time?�

�For a while we were sitting around in that cave trying to find enough to eat and watching our horns shrink,� Jindrax said.

�We couldn�t very well let anyone see us while we were changing,� Toxica added. Her voice was thin, and she hugged her arms around herself, her eyes staring into that same void of despair that had swallowed both of them during those weeks of being not-Org and not-human. �We didn�t even want to see ourselves...�

Jindrax tossed another branch into the fire, and watched the leaves catch into small flares of sparks and flame. He glanced at Toxica, sitting huddled in her usual spot at the edge of the flickering circle of firelight, leaning against a convenient rock. This was how they seemed to spend all their evenings now; after taking care of eating and the other, even more humiliating necessities of their newly almost-human bodies, they simply sat and watched the fire burn.

Another look at Toxica. She had changed. Her horn was almost gone, just a stub left, no bigger than a Putrid�s - but he had almost gotten used to that. The change that really alarmed him was the bleak emptiness in her eyes, the hopelessness in her voice.

�Toxica...� he said.

�What is it?� She didn�t even look up.

�Are you all right?� A stupid question, and they both knew it.

She only shrugged, still not looking at him. The same way she hadn�t looked at him for days now. He knew he had changed too, but couldn�t she even stand to see his face, after all they had been through together? If she was upset, how did she think he felt?

Irritated, he said, �It�s not so bad for you, you know. You always looked almost human.�

Toxica�s eyes narrowed as she finally looked up. �That�s a horrible thing to say!� she snapped.

�It�s true! Except for the horn and the marks, you could have passed for human!�

�So could you, from the neck down! And now - now you could walk through Turtle Cove and no one would look twice!� Toxica sneered. �But you don�t know that, do you? You�re afraid to even look at yourself!�

�I�m not afraid! And I�ll prove it!� Jindrax jumped up and stomped out of the main part of the cave, leaving her sitting by the fire. He paused just inside the entrance. It was night, but the moon was out, the forest around them visible in its silvery light. It was enough light to see himself by. Toxica was right; he had been afraid to look, careful to avoid even catching sight of his own reflection in the water. But now he had to know, to face the worst.

Hands shaking, he fumbled his mirror out and held it up. Hesitantly he turned so the moonlight fell on his face. And he stared.

A stranger stared back, so unfamiliar, so not him, that for a moment of denial he looked around wildly to see if someone else had sneaked up behind him. When he looked again, the stranger was still there. Not a bad face, really, he noted with a kind of numb detachment. High cheekbones and slightly slanted dark eyes, like Toxica�s. A straight, thin mouth. The only familiar thing was the long blond hair that framed the very human face that had somehow replaced his own.

Up until then Toxica was the only one who had cried, but when she found him he was hunched over the mirror, trembling at the strangeness of warm, wet drops running down his cheeks. Silently she stepped close behind him, slipped her arms around him, and leaned her head on his shoulder.

�It must have been hard for you.� Alyssa�s voice was hesitant, but filled with sympathy.

�You could say that,� Toxica said.

Cole looked up as the doorbell buzzed again. �Hold on, that must be the others.�

In only a few moments he was back, leading two more of the Rangers who had so recently been Jindrax and Toxica�s most bitter enemies. Max Cooper and Danny Delgado entered behind him - and stopped, staring with identical expressions of astonishment.

�Toxica?� Danny asked.

�That can�t be Jindrax!� Max exclaimed.

�Yes, it�s us,� Toxica replied with a sigh.

�That�s incredible!�

�What happened to you?�

�I can�t believe it!�

�Jindrax??�

Taylor interrupted with a sharp: �Guys! Let them talk.�

�They started to change a few days after we destroyed Master Org and the Org Heart,� Cole explained. �We can fill you in later. Right now...� He took his seat again and leaned forward eagerly, facing them. �What happened after that night in the cave? Was that when you decided to come back?�

Jindrax found himself with five pairs of eyes regarding him with expectant curiosity. �Yeah,� he said. �We waited a couple of days, until - until our horns were gone completely.� He started to reach up to his head, but let his hand drop back to his lap. It still depressed him to feel only hair and scalp where the horn that defined a Duke Org should be. �Then we knew we could pass for human. So we started back to Turtle Cove.�

�When we left, when we still had our Org powers, we could travel all day and night,� Toxica said quietly. �On the way back, we had to rest. We had to eat, and sleep. It was slower.�

�What about your clothes?� Alyssa gestured at the human outfits they were wearing - a sweater for Toxica, a shirt for Jindrax, jeans and sneakers for both - not their usual style and flair, but inconspicuous, comfortable, and good for travel. �And where did you stay at night? How did you eat?�

�We - improvised.� Toxica�s smile was the first one Jindrax had seen on her since the day they had left the cave and started on their return journey. Not that he could blame her; the trip had certainly had its rough spots, a lot of them. It had started out with only a thin hope, and something left over from their more magical days...

�Org Express. Never leave the cave without it.�

Toxica eyed the magical credit card in Jindrax� fingers and smiled. The expression faded as she asked, �Will it still work?�

�Only one way to find out.�

�If they arrest us, at least we�ll have beds to sleep on and enough to eat,� she said, rather grimly.

�How about if the card doesn�t work, we just run like hell.�

�Sounds like most of your plans.� But Toxica gave him a wan smile to show she was teasing. A good sign, after the days of watching her sit huddled and miserable.

To be fair, he had been just as miserable, but he had to be strong now, for Toxica. Pulling his newly human face into what he hoped was a happy expression, Jindrax led the way out of the cave. After a few yards he realized he was alone, and turned around to see Toxica standing behind him, looking back.

�What�s wrong?� he asked.

�I�m not sure. I hated that cave. But somehow - I�m sad to leave it.� Toxica sighed and shivered slightly.

�I guess it seemed safe. Like home.�

�I guess you�re right. But we can�t stay here.� She resolutely turned her face away from the cave and towards the path leading towards the nearby highway - and human civilization.

The exhaustion of walking several miles had almost overcome their fears when they entered the first clothing store they saw, and started the task of finding something to replace their now worn and dirty garments. It was a logical but unpleasant step - it somehow seemed like giving up the last traces of their lives as Orgs - but they could hardly continue to travel in a jester�s outfit and a long paneled gown.

The clerks and other customers were staring. �Costume party gone hideously wrong,� he growled.

�So - you paid with the magic card?� Taylor asked. �And it worked?�

�Yep. When we Orgs cast a spell, we don�t fool around,� Jindrax said. �Didn�t,� he corrected himself unhappily.

�Let me get this straight. You paid for clothes, and who knows what else - with a fake credit card.�

�Not fake. Magic.�

�What happens when those charges go through? Do funds get transferred from - from the Org National Bank? That�s stealing!� Taylor looked angry now.

�We had no choice!� Toxica matched her glare for glare.

�There�s always a choice!�

�Taylor, calm down.� Cole laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly. �They did the only thing they could. Anyway, we want to hear the rest of the story, don�t we?�

Nods greeted this, but before Taylor could respond the doorbell rang again.

�Who could that be?� Alyssa asked.

�I didn�t contact anyone else.� Cole got up and left the room.

�More people. Starting to turn into a party here,� Jindrax muttered. �Where�s the beer and pizza?�

�Maybe you can order some,� Taylor said with a disapproving eyebrow raised. �Put it on your credit card.�

�Very funny. Ha ha.�

They were saved from further hostilities by Cole�s return, this time with the one remaining member of the Wild Force Rangers. Merrick walked in with a smile for his former teammates - and stopped with the same look of astonishment that all of them had displayed. It was an expression Jindrax decided had gotten very old very fast.

�Yes, it�s really us, Jindrax and Toxica,� he said irritably. �Yes, we look human. Yes, it�s incredible and unbelievable. No, we don�t know how it happened. And yes, that�s why we�re back.�

Merrick surprised him, though, by saying, �I knew, but it�s not the same as actually seeing it. Amazing.�

�You knew?� Cole asked. �I had no way of contacting you, but you knew?�

�The wind brought me back, and Zen-Aku told me what to expect.� He nodded at Jindrax and Toxica.

�Zen-Aku? He�s back? Where is he?� The other former Rangers tensed.

Merrick smiled at their reaction and said, �He�s... nearby. But don�t worry, he�s no threat to us now.�

�How�s it possible that he�s alive, after we destroyed him?� Taylor asked.

�He�s not exactly alive; he doesn�t exist in a physical sense. He�s... maybe �ghost� is a good word. The ghost of the creature that was once a part of me, a real but not quite living reminder of my own past mistakes that will always follow me on my journeys.�

A bunch of mystical nonsense, Jindrax thought. On the other hand, it was hardly the strangest thing he had ever heard of. He said nothing as Merrick looked at them again and added, �You must have been telling the others your story. Don�t let me interrupt any longer.�

�Yes, go on,� Alyssa urged in her soft voice. �What happened after you got those clothes? Did you come straight here?�

�Well, not exactly,� Toxica said with a glance at Jindrax. �We were - unavoidably detained for a while.�

�Oh look, cable TV!� Jindrax crossed the hotel room in a bound. �Now we can find out what the humans think is so wonderful about television. How do you turn this thing on, anyway?� He jumped as the screen lit up, and turned to see Toxica pointing a small device at him. �Oh yeah, the remote control! Lemme see!� He began to flip channels as Toxica moved around the room.

�It�s pretty small,� she remarked.

�Uh huh.� On the television, a man was driving a shiny car along a city street, with everyone he passed staring and exclaiming in admiration.

�And the beds are so soft. No wonder humans are so weak.�

�I guess.� Now a woman was pulling a towel out of a drying machine and rubbing it against her face with an expression of ecstasy.

�But I�m tired enough to sleep on anything. I couldn�t sleep at all on that bus last night, and then we must have walked for miles looking for a place to stay.�

�Yeah, tired.� On-screen, a baby was performing some kind of dance step in diapers that were supposed to be superior to any others, according to the adults excitedly talking about them. Jindrax scowled in disbelief, hardly noticing as Toxica went into the bathroom and closed the door. He was only dimly aware of the sounds of movement and water running as the commercials he had been watching gave way to a scene of people being asked questions and screaming hysterically every time they got a right answer.

�I always knew humans were strange, but now I know they�re completely insane,� he muttered, pressing the off button on the remote control and turning as he heard the bathroom door open again. Whatever else he meant to say died a quick death at what he saw.

He had two quick thoughts: that they had forgotten to buy sleeping clothes, and that Toxica might be naked under the long t-shirt that was the only visible item she was wearing. It did nothing to hide a pair of legs that seemed all long, smooth, graceful curves that went up and disappeared under only a thin and very flimsy-looking layer of cloth. Jindrax felt his body react in a way that was unexpected, uncomfortable, and excruciatingly embarrassing. To his relief, Toxica seemed not to notice anything as she pulled back the covers on one of the twin beds and got under them.

She was frowning, and pressed a hand to her cheek and then her throat. �Jindrax?� she said.

�Uh... yeah?�

�I feel funny.�

�You too?� Was it possible she felt the same way? And if she did - what should he do about it? What would she expect him to do? What would a human do? Not that he wanted to do that, exactly, but the idea wasn�t entirely repulsive, and starting to look better every minute, and maybe she wanted to talk about--

�I feel hot, and I�m so tired, and I ache all over, and my throat hurts, and my eyes and nose are all runny and watery...� Her eyes widened and she wailed, �I�m sick! I think I�m dying!�

�So - you caught a cold?� Cole asked. He seemed to be trying not to laugh.

�Yes.� Toxica raised her chin and glared at him. �I�m sure it�s very funny to you. Humans are used to such things, but for me it was terrible!�

�Yeah. And as soon as she started to get better, I got sick too. It was a week before we could leave that hotel,� Jindrax said gloomily. �We bought every pill, spray, drop, and liquid in the drugstore, but none of them made us all smiley and happy like the people in the commercials. I guess they don�t work like that for Orgs.�

�They don�t work like that for humans either, except on TV,� Taylor said, grinning.

�What did you do then?� Danny asked.

�We came here. It was only another day�s travel.�

�How did you find me?� Cole asked.

�That was easy,� Toxica said. �We called information and asked for you.�

�Right.� Cole glanced around at the room they were all sitting in. �This is my parents� old house - some relatives kept it under their name for all these years, hoping they�d come back some day. Now it�s mine. I had the phone connected when I moved in after we left the Animarium.�

There was a brief silence, broken by Merrick�s thoughtful voice. �Jindrax, Toxica - I understand you came to ask for our help. What do you want us to do for you?�

�What do we want?� Toxica exchanged a glance with Jindrax. �Why, to be the way we were, of course. To be Orgs again.�

TBC...

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