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Andrew was going through the desk in his office one more time, looking for any personal items he might have missed, when the quiet tap on his door interrupted. He looked up to see a tall, broad form wrapped in a long, high-collared uniform coat, dark eyes watching him from a blue dog's head.

"I see you're finishing up here," Commander Cruger said.

"Yes, just making a last check." Andrew straightened with a sigh and looked around. "My things are packed. My notes and reports are filed; my computer records are all in order."

"Good." Instead of leaving, Cruger stepped into the room. "I hope you understand why I feel it's best for you to leave as scheduled, despite what's happened."

"I guess." Andrew shrugged. "To tell the truth, I'm not sure what I feel right now. Maybe you're right, that we need to take a break. I may be back, though."

"If so, you will be welcome." Again, Andrew expected Cruger to leave, but instead he reached into a pocket and held out a white envelope. "A personal letter has come for you. I believe it is from your son."

"For me?" Andrew said, and took it. Only a glance confirmed that it was from Mack. "Thank you."

"I'll leave you to read it."

Andrew sat down in his chair - perhaps for the last time, he couldn't help thinking - and slowly opened the letter. He could summon only a ghost of his usual enthusiasm at news from Mack, and told himself that he should be happy. At the very least it was a welcome distraction. More importantly... he hoped it would tell him that his son was safe and well.

"Dear Dad,

Funny, when I read your last letter I was wishing for some excitement. Now I know why they say to be careful what you wish for. Don't worry; obviously I survived since I'm writing this to you now. And it's another funny thing, I guess - I used to wonder what it would be like to meet other androids like me, and now I've sure gotten that wish too. My own kind of people, but I'm not as happy about that as I thought I would be..."

At first glance, it looked like any other nighttime street in any other medium-size city on any other reasonably technologically advanced planet in the galaxy. Vehicles looking a lot like sleek and brightly colored Earth sports cars drove back and forth; pedestrians strolled wide sidewalks looking into colorful storefronts decorated with electronic displays. Just like any of dozens of worlds Mack had visited with the Astro Rangers in the last months - until you took a closer look.

"Man, will you look at those two?" T.J. breathed reverently.

Mack followed his gaze, trying not to stare at the pair of young women passing them. One had a delicately porcelain complexion complemented by a cloud of wavy deep red hair; the other had long hair of gleaming gold, creamy brown skin, and grass-green eyes. Both were tall and slim, with faces and figures that would have had modeling agents chasing them down the street on Earth.

"And that one... wow!" Carlos said, almost falling over his own feet as he craned his neck to look at a platinum blonde with full crimson lips and sky blue eyes, wearing a well-filled short dress that showed a great deal of smooth tanned skin.

"Not to mention them," Cassie said, frowning slightly as she nodded towards a trio of men - all tall, broad-shouldered, athletically built, astonishingly handsome, with rippling muscles showcased in what looked very similar to skin-tight jeans and even tighter sleeveless t-shirts.

And that was the problem - almost everyone they saw was - perfect. Perfectly beautiful, perfectly handsome, in perfect shape, perfectly dressed and groomed, many with some kind of unusual coloring. The very few ordinary-looking people they saw stood out like sore thumbs, and not only because they all wore drab, loosely fitting clothing in shades of brown, gray, and black, in stark contrast to the bright colors of the beautiful people, but because of the way they moved quickly and with downcast eyes instead of with a confident swagger.

Mack thought he and his teammates fell somewhere in-between - their Megaship uniforms were flattering but not as revealing as most of the costumes around them, and even though they were an unusually good-looking group they didn't have the uncanny beauty of the faces and bodies in those costumes. And they were attracting attention - increasingly Mack saw stares directed their way, and not entirely friendly ones.

"Andros?" Ashley asked in a low voice as they instinctively drew together. "What do you know about this planet?"

"Only what the Phantom told us. It's called Perfection, and I guess we can see why."

"Yeah, those perfect aspects are pretty obvious," T.J. said. He looked around and shivered slightly. "I like eye-candy as well as the next guy, but this is just weird."

"Weird is a pretty good word," Mack said. "Come on; let's get to where we're meeting the Phantom. Maybe he can explain what's going on here."

"According to the Megaship sensors, it should be this way." Carlos led them in a direction that took them into a less active area, to Mack's relief. The streets were darker here; and the few people they saw were of the dark-clothed, ordinary variety - most of whom glanced their way and hurried in the opposite direction. The buildings began to seem different, too, as they walked along: not as tall, not as bright, many with a run-down and shabby appearance.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I think we've crossed to the wrong side of the tracks," T.J. said softly.

"I think you're right," Cassie agreed. She crossed her arms, hugging herself in a nervous gesture. "I wish Phantom had told us a little more than just to meet him here."

"He said he had to talk face-to-face." Ashley smiled a little as she put an arm around Cassie's shoulders and squeezed lightly.

"I know. But - all these years when I didn't even know if he was alive - all this time without a word and then it's just a set of coordinates and 'Meet me.' He could have said something."

"Yes, I could have. I'm sorry, Cassie."

They all spun around at the sound of a new voice - the voice of a young man. Mack thought he saw a shimmer in the apparently empty air between them and the nearest light post, and was sure of it as the shimmer blurred and changed into the solid form of a man wrapped in a dark cloak - a handsome man, almost as handsome as the ones they had seen before but without their showy degree of beauty, with brown hair and eyes, tall but no taller than Mack himself.

"Phantom?" Cassie asked faintly.

"Yes, it's me. I'm glad you came. All of you, including your new Ranger." His eyes moved to include all of them but immediately returned to Cassie.

"Why did you call us? What's going on here?" Andros asked.

Phantom glanced around. "Not here. Follow me and I'll tell you everything."

He led the way, almost invisible again in his dark cloak as they headed out of the city and the lights became fewer and farther between. In a few minutes, under the pale light of an almost full moon a little smaller than Earth's, they left the last sidewalk and climbed a gentle slope to the edge of a wooded area, whether a park or unsettled land Mack couldn't tell. The Phantom slowed, but they continued to walk uphill along the tree line.

"Thanks for meeting me like this," Phantom finally said. "I wasn't sure you'd come after all this time."

"You've done us quite a few favors in the past," Andros said. "Of course we came."

"It's worth it just to see what you really look like under that helmet!" Ashley exclaimed, glancing back at Cassie who was trailing behind silently.

"What I really look like is part of it." Phantom sighed and threw the cloak back over his shoulders, revealing a darker and more loose-fitting version of the clothing they had seen on the men downtown. "I owe you an explanation. Where should I start?"

"At the beginning, of course," T.J. said with a grin.

"I guess that would be the battle with Dark Specter's army, or the ending of it. Zordon's sacrifice won the war and destroyed the forces of evil, saving me and the Blue Centurion." He nodded at Andros, whose lips tightened a little. "Afterwards, I realized that for the first time in my existence I had no mission. Dark Specter was destroyed and all his allies were either gone or reformed. Zordon, whom I had tried to serve, was also gone. I attempted to find the ones who had sent me to help him, but my home planet had taken heavy damage and there was no one left to whom I owed allegiance. I found myself alone."

"Your planet?" Carlos asked. "Who are you, really?"

"You might better ask what I am." Phantom's head was high, but his eyes shifted in Cassie's direction again.

And she spoke up at last. "I don't understand."

"It's not easy to explain." He sighed again. "Hundreds of Earth years ago, my home world developed the science of robotics beyond anything then known in the galaxy. They used it for the usual purposes - to take the burden of hard or dangerous labor off human hands. But they went further - they created robots in the form of humans. Androids. Not only looking human, but acting and thinking and feeling as humans do. They wanted servants who were intelligent and pleasant to look at, but what they ended up with was many thousands of androids who saw no reason why they should spend their existence taking orders, doing the menial work humans were not willing to do."

"Don't tell me. The androids rebelled," T.J. said.

"Yes, almost two hundred of your years ago. After a bitter conflict, the planet's androids built, borrowed, and stole as many spaceships as they could, and left." He swept a hand around them. "This is the planet where they settled, along with a number of humans who sympathized with their cause."

Mack froze. The city... all those beautiful people. Those inhumanly beautiful people. Androids? Like him? The concept tumbled dizzily through his mind as he stared back at the lights they had left behind. Tyzonn had said there were places where he would not be unusual - and this must be one of them. And yet - he tried but somehow could feel no kinship with the cold physical perfection he had seen in them.

"What's that got to do with you?" Cassie asked, her voice low.

"After the android rebellion, the people of my planet outlawed the construction of human-appearing robots. They continued to build robots which were intelligent and capable of independent thought, but they treated them with respect, as valued allies rather than as inferiors." Phantom stopped and took a deep breath as everyone gathered around him, listening. "Some years ago, my world's government established ties with Eltar. They wished to do something to help Zordon in his work to ensure the safety of the Galaxy, so they sent him an assistant. He was called Alpha."

"Alpha?" Carlos exclaimed. "So - you're from Edenoi?"

"Yes. Some time later they sent him another ally, who discovered Zordon was not on Eltar and followed his trail to Earth." He tapped his chest. "Me."

"I see..." T.J. said after a moment. "Then you're...?"

Mack was glad no one was looking at him as Phantom answered, "A robot. An android. Yes." He spoke to all of the Astro Rangers, but his gaze was on Cassie. "I'm sorry I never told you."

She lifted her chin and said steadily, "We suspected you might be an android because you needed the ruby as a power source, of course. It doesn't matter."

"But it did matter, to me. When I was free of any obligation, I had time to think about what I wanted for myself. And I left, in search of the world we're standing on."

"Why?" Cassie was facing him now.

"To ask them to do something for me. You see..." He hesitated visibly. "I was never created to look human. I was a fighter. The armor you saw - that was me. I never showed you what was under the helmet because the helmet was all there was." Phantom continued as they all stared in silence. "For decades that was enough, and I was happy. But then - I found I had a reason to want to be more like a human."

He said it directly to Cassie, and Mack saw a very faint smile curve her lips.

"It took me two years to find this planet. It took three more for them to do what I wished, to completely rebuild my body without altering my mind. Then - I realized five years had passed, and that you had probably forgotten me, or found someone else, or simply wouldn't be interested in someone like me. I was a coward - I made excuses to delay finding you, and more years passed."

"I'm glad to finally know the truth."

He shook his head and looked away. "I shouldn't even be saying these things. Even with this body, I'm still not human."

"What if I don't care?" Cassie said softly. Her fingers barely touched his.

"You don't?"

"I don't."

"Did you...? Do you still...?"

"I think so... We never got a chance..."

As they gazed dreamily into each other's eyes, apparently having forgotten all about the other Rangers, whatever Phantom had contacted them about, and probably the entire planet they were standing on, Andros cleared his throat. "Sorry to interrupt, but we still don't know why you asked us to come here, Phantom."

"Huh? Oh, right." Phantom tore his eyes away from Cassie with an effort and collected himself with a deep breath, again looking back at the city lights spread below them. "The androids of Eltar may have named this planet Perfection, but the truth is very different. You saw them; they worship physical beauty. They modify and 'improve' themselves, compete with each other to be the most attractive and unusual-looking and the best dressed, and they've built this city to be a showcase, as perfect and beautiful as they are themselves."

"Well..." T.J. said as the Phantom paused. "That's kinda creepy and all, but it's their lives to do whatever they want with. What's the big problem?"

"I told you there were humans who came here too." Phantom frowned. "You saw them."

"Yeah, the regular-looking people," Carlos said.

Cassie glanced at him and then at the city. "And mostly in an area that looked like a slum," she said thoughtfully.

"Exactly. The androids have forgotten that these are the descendants of people who wanted to help them. They don't care for anything flawed, and to them that's all humans are - creatures full of flaws that can't be fixed by a little rebuilding or reprogramming. They've tolerated the humans here, but just barely, treating them as unwanted inferiors. Until the rebellion started, and the underground was formed."

The irony of it was enough to pull Mack's attention away from his own mixed feelings. "So - the androids rebelled on Edenoi, and now the humans are rebelling on Perfection," he murmured.

"Exactly." Phantom's head was bowed now, his face in shadow, but his voice was clear and steady. "My new body was built by the androids of Perfection, but I have not forgotten that humans created me. I owe a debt to both, and I must prevent the war I see approaching. That's why-"

"What is it?" Andros asked as the Phantom stopped and looked around, his head raised alertly.

"I heard it too," Mack said, his voice lowered. It was only a whisper on the breeze - voices, footsteps, the soft crunch of crushed grass and leaves...

"We've got to get out of here," Phantom said softly but urgently, a hand reaching out towards Cassie.

"Nobody move!" The harsh command rang out from the trees close above them. "Hands open, arms out!"

"Morph, now!" Andros cried, already reaching to flip his morpher open.

But there was no time, as the voice above them shouted "FIRE!" and a crisscross of brilliant golden beams struck at them. Mack ducked, his faster-than-human reflexes saving him from the first barrage, and saw Andros and Carlos outlined in yellow as they were hit. Ashley screamed and flashed with light; T.J. was yelling something until the impact of a beam cut him off; Phantom was pulling Cassie away as she too flared with golden energy. They were all collapsing limply to the ground; the Phantom had disappeared; and then Mack felt the light hit him, scorching, his body no longer responding as he fell stiffly and thumped into the grass.

Mack could hear dim footsteps and hear them talking as they came from the trees and bushes and stood over him. He could hear that same commanding voice asking, "Is it him?"

Something prodded him in the shoulder and then shoved him onto his back. Mack couldn't move his eyes and got only a confused impression of men in dark uniforms carrying rifle-like weapons. "No. He's the trace we picked up - but he's not the Phantom," another voice answered.

"Too bad. Still, he's one of us, and consorting in secret with humans." The voice was fading, along with the lights. Mack realized he was losing consciousness, but held on long enough to hear a few more words. "Maybe he knows something. Take the humans to the Fortress, and bring this one along to the Castle. Artemis will want to talk to him."

"Where are you taking me?" Mack demanded as a hand in his back pushed him forward down a wide hallway. He noted in passing the dark woodwork, the polished and patterned floor, the decorative tapestries and statuary along the walls, the ornate sconces lighting the way. It was beautiful, but seemed out of place somehow - better suited to a billionaire's home than a place where he was being held prisoner.

The three men escorting him gave no answer as they stopped in front of a door, its frame elaborately carved in mahogany. Their leader, a tall, muscular, classically handsome man with long curly hair - the same man whose voice had been giving the commands when Mack and his teammates were captured - raised a hand to knock.

"You may enter," a female voice answered.

The door opened and Mack found himself dragged into a large room with white walls and rich white carpeting, a large fireplace dominating one wall and decorated with furniture in dark wood tones. A woman stood silhouetted in the light from the fire, watching with arms crossed until they stopped in the middle of the room. Then she walked slowly forward, circling Mack with measured steps and a thoughtful expression. She was stunningly beautiful, of course, just like everyone else in this place: with strong, even features, a distractingly shapely figure in a black bodysuit shimmering with silver threads, long black hair falling past her shoulders with a liquid sheen Mack had never seen before outside of a shampoo commercial. Beautiful - but there was no human warmth in those ice blue eyes.

"Release him," she commanded.

"But Artemis, he may be dangerous," the leader protested.

"Thank you for your concern, Tyr, but I think I can handle one man." She shifted her sharp gaze to him. "Release him, and wait outside."

"Yes, ma'am." Not looking pleased, Tyr unlocked the handcuffs that had bound Mack's wrists, saluted stiffly, and led his men outside. The door closed behind them, leaving Mack and Artemis warily eyeing each other.

"You're not the Phantom," she said, beginning that unnerving slow pacing around him again.

"No, I'm not."

"Where is he?"

Mack answered truthfully, "I don't know." For the moment at least, he thought it might be wiser not to admit having met the Phantom or admitting any connection with him.

"Hmm." She stopped, facing him. "What were you doing with those humans?"

"'Those humans' are my teammates. Where are they? What have you done with them?"

"I'm asking the questions for now," she said mildly, and then her eyes narrowed and her voice sharpened. "Who are you? Our scans show you're not of Edenite design."

"I'm from Earth."

She ignored his answer. "Did Diana have you built to spy on us?"

"Who?"

"You don't have to serve the humans; we can modify your programming and set you free."

"Huh? I am free."

"You may think you're acting on your own, but if you were built by the humans who knows what's in your programming?" Artemis paused and smiled with more than a trace of mockery, her eyes running over him again from head to foot and back. "And I can tell you were built by humans. Only they would have made you with such - er - interesting flaws. The body's not too bad, but could use improvement. Hair - just ordinary. Basic facial features are okay, but that skin..." She shook her head. "Quite lovely eyes, though."

Mack could feel his face redden at her casual cataloging of his physical construction, but said nothing.

"Is that..?" Artemis looked more closely. "Why, they even made you with a blushing reflex!" She held up a hand, chuckling. "I take it back; Diana's much too clever to imagine you could pass as one of us. But then, what was the purpose of making you this way? To have you pass as human? How would that help her? Or are you meant to confuse us?"

"Look, lady, I don't know who you think I am, but I'm from Earth!" Mack retorted hotly. "I'm - yeah, I'm an android like you, but made to look like a human being, not like a - a walking Barbie doll!"

"A what?"

"Never mind," Mack muttered, and went on more calmly. "I was built on Earth by my - by someone, to be his..." He trailed off as Artemis raised a skeptical eyebrow. "It's a long story, but I'm a stranger here and so are my friends. We haven't done anything wrong! Where are they?"

"They're safe. For now." Artemis took a step closer. "Earth? I've heard of it: an obscure planet orbiting an insignificant star. It seems to attract a lot of attention from various conquerors and invaders."

"Tell me about it," Mack muttered.

"As I recall, it's one of the few planets to always have a standing Power Ranger team."

"That's right." Mack decided to pull what he hoped would be a trump card. "And I'm a member of a former team. So are my friends; we're all Rangers, from Earth and from KO-35."

"Are you?" Artemis' eyes narrowed slightly and her voice fell into deceptively soft tones. "Rangers, all of you. How interesting. Especially when the Phantom is also a Ranger!" She was confronting Mack almost nose to nose now. "You know him, don't you? From before he came here, perhaps? Where is he? How does he block our scans and sensors and disappear from sight? What technology is he using and where did he get it?"

"I don't--"

"What are his plans? Exactly how are you and your human friends involved?"

"I never met him before! I don't know his plans!"

"Never before?" Artemis said as Mack realized his slip. "So you did meet with him tonight. What are all of you doing here? Just happened to be in the neighborhood? And don't tell me Phantom had nothing to do with it, or that none of you know him."

"All right - all right, my teammates knew him years ago, before he ever came to Perfection. He asked us to come here. But then your soldiers grabbed us before he could tell us anything!" Mack glared at her defiantly. "All we were doing was talking, and they attacked us and knocked us out. When I woke up, the Phantom was gone and so were my friends! I don't know what's going on with him or anything else on this damn planet and I don't care! Where are my friends?"

He saw nothing but suspicion and anger in Artemis' face for a moment - and then her expression abruptly softened into the hint of a smile. "You're telling the truth, aren't you?" She shook her head. "Perhaps my men were overeager, after all. You're obviously an off-worlder whom the Phantom tried unsuccessfully to involve in our private affairs." She turned away from Mack towards the door and raised her voice. "Tyr!"

It opened instantly and Tyr appeared with a quick "Yes, ma'am?" He must have had his ear plastered to the door, Mack thought wryly.

Artemis nodded at Mack. "I have decided the prisoner is innocent. He's free to go."

"What? But..."

"You heard me." She faced Mack again, this time with a warm, sweet smile that left him feeling slightly dazzled. "By the way, I don't know your name."

"It's - it's Mackenzie Hartford."

"An odd name, but nice. Feel free to stay as long as you wish on our planet, Mackenzie. I hope you'll forgive us for our unfriendly treatment of you."

"I - sure. Uh, thanks." Mack almost turned to go - and then remembered one small detail. "Wait, what about my friends?"

"Yes, the five humans who were with you. Since they are the ones who know the Phantom from the past, I'm afraid we must offer them our hospitality for a short time longer, until my security and intelligence people are satisfied that they are not working with him or Diana."

"But - they don't know anything more than I do!" Mack protested in alarm. "Why let me go and keep them?"

"Because they're human, and you're an android," she said with a trace of surprise, as if it should be obvious.

"What?! That's nothing but - but prejudice. You of all people should know how wrong that is!"

"You're shocked by my attitude?" She raised an elegant eyebrow. "I understand - humans created you, you've lived with them for all of your existence, and you feel a bond with them. Try to see it from my point of view. I don't know how much or how little the Phantom told you, but the truth is that the humans of this world have turned against us."

"From what I heard, they're only here because their ancestors helped you after you rebelled against them. You should be grateful!"

Artemis only shrugged, infuriatingly calm. "The virtues of the parents are not always seen in the child. The humans we live with now have done violent things, even the ones I - we - thought were our friends." Her voice grew bitter and hard. "People have died. Good people, who never harmed anyone. The peace of our society has been destroyed because a handful of humans refuses to accept their place in it."

"Maybe they shouldn't have to accept their 'place'," Mack retorted. "Either way, my friends had nothing to do with that."

"Probably not, but their natural tendency will be to sympathize with their own kind." She looked up into his face. "And to answer your question, that's why I'm letting you go. You're an android, one of us, and while I think you may have been misguided, I believe you mean us no harm."

Mack glanced at the open doorway that awaited him, and then turned back to her resolutely. "I'm not leaving without my friends."

Artemis looked amused. "If you wish, stay here by all means, but it will make no difference." She moved closer and reached out to rest a soft hand on his arm. "I understand your concern, but you have my word that your friends will not be harmed and will be released as soon as possible. Now - it's late. Come back tomorrow and I'll try to arrange a visit. Agreed?"

Mack didn't like it, but he knew he had little choice. Maybe there would be something he could do if he was free - like find the Phantom and find out what the hell he had gotten all of them into. "All right," he said, nodding. He started for the door and turned back just long enough to add, "I'll be back tomorrow."

"I'll be looking forward to it," Artemis said, again standing before the fireplace with arms crossed.

While he had been looking into Artemis' beautiful face it had been so easy to believe her, but by the time Mack reached the street and looked up at the night sky he had realized that it might not be a good idea to find the Phantom immediately and in person, as he had intended. He had decided to transport back to the Megaship and see if DECA could help, and was trying to find a dark spot to transport from without being seen, when his quarry came to him.

"Mack Hartford," a disembodied voice said softly in the shadows of an alley.

"Huh? Phantom?" Mack turned and stared in the direction of the voice, and for a moment saw that strange blurring of the air again. It transformed into the face and cloaked form of the Phantom for just a moment, and then faded back into invisibility.

"Yes. Where are the others?"

"I think they're in some place called the Fortress. That's where those soldiers who captured us said they were taking them."

"Artemis' prison for rebellious humans. How did you get out?"

"She let me go."

There was a slight pause, and then, "Why? Why you?"

"Well..." Mack swallowed, but this was no time for secrets. Besides, Phantom of all people should understand. "Because I'm an android. She said I'm one of them, so she doesn't think I'd harm them."

A longer pause, and when Phantom spoke again his voice was low and deep with anger. "You're an android?! Do you have any idea what you've done by not telling me? They detected you with their scanners, an android leaving the city with a group of humans! My signals are blocked, they can't see me, but they picked you up and sent the city police! You're the reason Cassie and the others were captured!"

"Me??" But - it made a horrible amount of sense, after Artemis' remarks about the Phantom evading their sensors. "Me?! Look, I'm sorry, but I didn't know!"

"You didn't know." Phantom's voice dripped with sarcasm. "A lot of good that does now!"

"Fine, it's all my fault," Mack snapped. "Except that you might have told us what was going on before we transported down here! Then maybe I would have had a reason to tell you!"

Phantom took an audible deep breath. "Okay, point taken. Sorry. I've been going crazy out here, wondering what happened - barely escaped them myself - turned invisible when they hit me - I was dazed, crawled away and found a place to hide - I brought you guys here; I should have saved her - all of them..." Phantom's voice had gone from angry to miserable.

"It's not your fault either. What we should be talking about is how to get them out of there."

"Agreed." An invisible hand clamped on Mack's wrist, startling him. "Come on. There are some friends of mine - they need to know about this."

"Wait!" Mack pulled back. "That must be why Artemis let me go - they can follow me, and she wants me to lead them to you and your friends. They probably know where we are right now."

"No doubt. Call the Megaship and ask Alpha to teleport us to the location I give him." He could hear the smirk in Phantom's voice. "Maybe it's time the androids of Perfection learned that humans aren't as helpless as they think."

"I still think we're taking a big chance," Mack said a few minutes later as they materialized on a grassy, windswept hilltop under a sky thick with stars. The planet's moon had set, and it was darker than before, and chilly. He resisted the urge to shiver, knowing that the sensation of cold he felt was only a programmed imitation of human reactions.

"Not as big as you think. This rendezvous point is shielded from scanner detection, just as I am." Phantom was visible now. He threw back his cloak and looked around them expectantly. "There should be someone here on guard."

"There is. Nice of you to join us, Phantom." The voice came from a rock formation a couple of yards away. "Who's your friend?" Mack peered and made out the form of a man, human, dark-skinned and in black clothing, standing just near enough to the stone outcropping to duck behind it if attacked, holding a rifle-like weapon - and aiming it straight at Mack.

"This is Mack Hartford, one of the Rangers from the Astro Megaship."

The man's voice was even but cold as steel. "He's an android."

Phantom's was just as unyielding. "So am I - and I'm vouching for him."

There was silence for a few moments as they stared at each other, and as Mack wondered what would happen if the guard decided against him. Finally the man lowered his weapon a fraction and said grudgingly, "All right, I'll take you inside. Whether you get out again..." He shrugged and backed away from the rocks, still aiming not quite directly at Mack. "Keep your hands where I can see them, and no sudden moves."

"Nice friends you've got here," Mack muttered under his breath as Phantom led him forward into a narrow space between two boulders where he could see the dark opening of what looked like a tunnel.

"Just wait 'til you meet Diana."

Mack wasn't quite sure what he had expected. After twenty minutes of being marched at gunpoint through a dark, dank tunnel smelling of earth, leading to a series of caves which showed increasing signs of occupancy, finally they had emerged into a cavern large enough to hold a considerable number of people, crude electric lights strung along the walls casting harsh shadows over a floor leveled with packed dirt, and furnished with rough wooden chairs and tables. For the second time that night he found himself surrounded by armed guards and facing the person in charge. He wasn't sure what he had expected, but it wasn't a lanky young woman dressed in something resembling rumpled fatigues a size too large, with a girlish, freckled face and a mop of sandy hair falling in her eyes that looked like it hadn't seen a comb in days, if not weeks. She blinked at him, whether in surprise or because she had been gotten out of bed in the middle of the night, he couldn't tell.

"Hello, Phantom," she said in a pleasant voice, her eyes still on Mack. "You didn't tell us one of your Ranger friends was an android."

"At the time, I didn't know. He's not a Perfection android, not even Edenite. This is Mack Hartford, from Earth."

"From Earth." She came a little closer, eying Mack with more than a hint of suspicion. He noticed she was careful not to get between him and any of her guards' weapons. "He's not one of the names you mentioned."

"Well, no. He joined the Rangers recently," Phantom admitted. "But I do know the other Astro Rangers, and I trust both them and anyone they brought into the team."

"Hmm." She finished her examination of Mack and frowned. "So what you're saying is that your old friends - whom you haven't seen for ten years - have only met this android recently. You've never met him yourself before today, am I right?"

"Diana..."

Her voice was low but sharp as she cut him off. "He looks human - too human. How do you know he's not from right here on Perfection? How do you know Artemis hasn't sent him to spy on us? Do you really expect us to trust him?" She turned cold eyes on Phantom. "Or to go on trusting you, if you can be tricked so easily? If you were tricked."

"I don't think I deserve that." Despite his calm words Phantom was angry; his eyes narrowed as he took a step towards her, ignoring the guards as a couple of them moved to cut him off and a few others shifted their aim to him. Diana raised a hand and they backed off. "Diana - all of you - how long have I been your friend? Five years, at least? How many times have I risked my life to protect you? How much of the technology from my ship and my weaponry have I given you? And you still doubt my loyalty?"

"Loyalty can be a double-edged sword," Diana said softly. "Is it so strange we would doubt the sincerity of someone who sides with us against his own people?"

Phantom shook his head, his expression more sad than angry now. "I have not turned against my fellow androids. I want to prevent a war which will only end in destruction for both sides. My loyalty is for both the humans who created me and the androids who re-created me. Diana - you should know that."

For a few more moments she seemed to waver, and then blew out a little breath and smiled. "I'm sorry, my friend. Yes, I trust you. But him..."

"I can speak for myself," Mack said as the Phantom seemed about to answer. "Yes, I'm an android, but I've got nothing to do with the ones on this planet. They've attacked me and taken me prisoner, locked up my teammates and won't let them go - and Artemis suspected me of being a spy for you guys."

"Really?" Diana asked, raising a brow.

"Yeah, but she said you were too clever to make an android as imperfect-looking as me."

Diana stared at him for a moment as Mack realized how offended he had sounded, and then began to laugh. Phantom joined in, most of the guards smiled, and even Mack found himself chuckling. As they all quieted down, he realized that the tension in the room had ebbed - well worth a laugh at his expense.

"That certainly sounds like Artemis," Diana said. "Which makes me think you really were her prisoner. And we've gotten reports of five humans who appeared from nowhere being imprisoned in the Fortress."

"Yes, my friends. She only let me go so I could lead them right to the Phantom and to you," Mack said. "Using the Megaship's transporter and your shielding threw them off the track - but now what are they going to do to my teammates?"

"There are many Ranger teams, on many worlds." Diana glanced at the Phantom with a faint smile. "Don't worry. Artemis won't be happy about it, but she won't dare to harm your friends, or to keep them imprisoned for long. Probably the only reason she kept them at all was because she knew you'd contact Phantom for help." She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Let's say I believe you - for now. We will talk."

A few minutes later Mack, Phantom, and Diana were seated around a rough wooden table with a platter of bread, a sort of greenish cheese, and a few pieces of fruit being set on it. The woman who had brought it left silently as Mack eyed the food and decided not to take any - while he felt hunger, enjoyed eating, and used food for energy, he didn't need nourishment the same way organic humans did, and these people looked like they didn't have a lot to spare. He noticed Phantom also took nothing. The guards had retreated to the far reaches of the cavern, giving them privacy but still with weapons at the ready. Phantom briefly related the events of the night, with Mack's help, while Diana nibbled on a round, pink fruit.

"If you don't mind," Mack asked when their story was finished, "I still don't understand exactly what's going on here. It sounds like you have a bad situation, but why are you so concerned about a war now?"

"You can tell it better than I can," Phantom said to Diana. "Unless you'd rather not talk about it."

"It's something that needs to be told," she said quietly and pushed away the remains of her food. "Not a pleasant story, but I suspect not an unusual one." Her eyes looked past them into something only she could see, a trace of pain running over her face and disappearing.

"I suppose it began when our ancestors landed here and settled down to live as equals with their android friends. Judging by the history texts, all was well for the first generation or so. We worked together, and respected each other's abilities. But slowly the androids began to change. Maybe it was boredom - this planet is hospitable, and there were few challenges for beings who had spent their previous lives in conflict - maybe they were trying to live up to the name they had given it - Perfection. In either case, they began to turn their efforts to themselves, to improving themselves. A redesign, more speed, more strength, more intelligence, but most of all the 'correction' of any cosmetic imperfection. They became obsessed with beauty, while losing sight of the other qualities any thinking creature should have. As they began to look more and more different from us, they began to see in us only the flaws they thought they had left behind, and only the past they wanted to forget. They began to resent us, to exclude us, and to assign us the role they had once had on Edenoi - of inferiors and servants."

Diana sighed, and Mack saw her fingers curl on the table before her. "Humans don't take kindly to being second-class citizens. Several groups formed to advance human rights, some peacefully, some - more aggressively. The largest movement was headed by me and my brother, Seth. We tried to work within the system by placing human representation into the government and by appealing to those androids who sympathized with us. At that time there were many who helped us, including Artemis herself.

"But there was a faction that was impatient with such slow methods. They wanted to make a statement - with violence. Without our knowledge they planted a powerful bomb in the building where the government's highest officials met." She paused for a moment, eyes downcast. "I honestly don't know if they intended to harm anyone. There were some rumors that the timer malfunctioned. I don't know, and I suppose it doesn't matter in terms of their guilt. The bomb went off in the early evening, with twelve androids still at work in their offices. They were destroyed beyond repair."

"That was about an Earth year ago," Phantom said. "It started a massive investigation - a hunt, really, that quickly went beyond the humans who had committed the crime and became an effort to imprison everyone involved in the human rights movement."

"We were all presumed guilty," Diana said. "My brother, Seth, was among the first to be arrested when he voluntarily turned himself in as a gesture of good will. He disappeared, along with many others. I don't even know if he, or any of them, is alive or dead."

"The movement members have been hiding out, here and in other places," Phantom continued when Diana stopped. "There's a lot of anger. The rest of the human population is afraid. Anger and fear breed hatred, and with the weapons they've built and the sensor-shielding technology they've developed... the situation has come close to war."

"I see," Mack said, his eyes on Diana's pale face. "But you don't want that, do you?"

"Is it something anyone actually wants? No, I don't, but unless Artemis will talk to us, until she stops treating all of us as murderers, I don't see how to stop it."

Mack leaned towards her. "You think talking to her would help?"

"I don't know. Maybe. For all her stubbornness and her bias against us, Artemis isn't stupid. Once, before all this, she and I were good friends and worked together for our cause. Then the bombing, and she lost several people she was close to - and took my brother in revenge. If I could only make her see how unreasonable she's being, make her see how dangerous this is for androids as well as humans..."

It was just an idea, just the beginnings of a plan, but Mack smiled. "I'm supposed to go back to see her tomorrow. Maybe there's a chance we could take advantage of that."

Phantom looked interested; Diana looked skeptical. "What do you have in mind?" she asked.

It was midmorning when Mack stood again before the high, arched entrance of Artemis' Castle, and he was grateful for his android ability to go without sleep. He had to admire Diana's stamina; when he had last seen her she had looked as fresh and alert as if she had gotten a full night's rest instead of spending hours talking and planning with them. She'd need all the strength she had - they all would.

The guards on duty inside the courtyard seemed to be expecting him. Without any sign of surprise two of them came forward and one scanned him with a small instrument, probably checking for weapons. Fortunately it didn't react to his Tracker. By the time that was done, his old friend Tyr had appeared from a door leading inside, a scowl marring his perfectly handsome face. With a jerk of his head and a grudging command to follow, he led the way inside and down a corridor, perhaps the same one Mack had been taken through before.

It was the same room, only embers glowing in the fireplace now as sunlight streamed through floor-to-ceiling windows. This time Artemis was wearing a clingy midnight blue outfit with flowing sleeves. She kept her back turned as Mack entered and as Tyr left and closed the door after a last fierce glare. Then she turned and stared coldly.

"Did you have a good night?" she asked.

"It was fine." Mack wondered if she would actually confront him and admit that she had tried to have him followed.

"You disappeared from our scans. Where did you go?" Apparently she would.

"How do you know I didn't return to our ship?" Mack countered.

Artemis smiled tightly and stepped slowly forward. "But you didn't, did you? We picked up a transporter signature. You never left the planet; you transferred outside the city - but before we could get an exact location we lost the signal. Thanks to the Phantom and his human friends, no doubt. Congratulations, you outmaneuvered us. For now."

"After you tricked me and tried to use me."

Her smile widened but didn't quite reach her eyes. "Did you expect anything else? This isn't a game, Mackenzie. Tell me, what did you think of Diana?"

Caught off-balance, he shrugged. "She seemed - smart. Strong. Trying to do the right thing the best she knows how. A lot like you."

To his satisfaction, that obviously surprised her. "Like me?" She smirked. "I'm not sure whether to be insulted or flattered."

"It's meant as a compliment."

"I won't thank you. I suppose she told you all about how we androids are persecuting the humans of this planet. About the bombing gone tragically wrong, and how we're unjustly imprisoning her brother and the other innocent people who were part of their group."

"You admit they're innocent?" Mack demanded.

"Perhaps they weren't directly involved in the bombing, but the entire group protected the ones who were guilty. They did their best to block our investigation and conceal evidence. Did she tell you that part?"

"Well..."

Artemis smiled again, unpleasantly, and crossed her arms. "I'm impressed that you came back today, after hearing about what tyrants we are. Loyalty to your friends, I suppose. Are you loyal enough to trade their freedom for information - like the location of Diana's headquarters? Or what they use to block our scans?"

Mack scowled at her. "I'm not handing Phantom and those people over to you."

Her eyes narrowed. "Then your friends--"

"My friends and I are Rangers. Harm us and you'll have to answer to every Ranger team in this sector, plus the government on KO-35."

He caught a flash of anger in Artemis' face before she hid it. "Very clever, aren't you? Or maybe not. I could dispose of you and your friends and make it look like an accident - or even put the blame on the humans." She came closer, face to face with Mack as he tried not to betray dismay, holding his gaze as she added softly, "I could, but I won't. Take that with you as you and your friends go, and leave us to settle our problems ourselves."

"Sorry, but I can't do that." Mack took a deep breath and stared into her eyes as he said, "We decided that the only chance of ending this is for the people who can do something about it to talk. Really talk. And for Phantom and me to make sure you do it."

Artemis looked puzzled - and a hint of apprehension crossed her face. "What do you mean?"

"He means us."

The voice came from a few feet away, in the center of the room. Artemis' eyes widened; the flash of both fury and fear in them sent a twinge of guilt through Mack before she turned to look in its direction. The air blurred, hazed, two shadowy forms solidified from it and seemed to step into reality - and the Phantom Ranger and Diana were standing before them. Artemis fell back a step and whirled for the door, but Mack was ready and blocked her path.

"If you call the guards we'll transport out and take you with us," Mack said quickly. "You're going to talk to Diana - whether it's here or in her headquarters is up to you. I'm sorry, but this was the only way."

"We're not here to harm you," Phantom said. "We just want to talk. Just give us an hour and we'll leave."

"You've broken in here - tricked me - why the hell would I do what you want?"

"Because you have no choice. Our scanner shielding and Phantom's invisibility got us here, right into the heart of your Castle," Diana said. "You haven't been able to figure out how we do it. Think about what that means before you make any decisions. If it comes to a fight, humans aren't the only ones who will suffer."

"We'll capture one of your shielding devices sooner or later," Artemis retorted. "We'll crack it, and we'll improve on it. Our technology is superior to yours."

"Is it? Did you know we also have body armor to protect against your electronic pulse blasters, and a new type of laser shock weapon? What new inventions or discoveries have you come up with in the last two hundred years? You're better at improving what's already there - but humans are inventive and you're not. You know it's true, Artemis; you used to say it yourself."

"We're stronger. We outnumber you, and we have more resources. We'll still win."

"I know. That's why I've taken the risk of coming here." Diana paused a moment and added, "Do you remember something else you used to say - that the humans and the androids of this planet need each other? That we each have unique qualities to bring to this world?"

"Did I?" Artemis' voice had softened, and her expression had calmed. "I used to say a lot of things, didn't I? Until your people started killing mine and you did nothing to bring them to justice."

"That's something most of us regret almost as much as you do. But can you blame us for wondering how much justice the people who did it would get, and how much would be revenge, especially after you started imprisoning the innocent along with the guilty?" Again Diana paused as Artemis did not answer. "We were friends once," she continued finally. "I don't want more death, on either side, and I think you don't either. We can do this, if we work together."

For a few long moments there was quiet as Mack wondered if they had made any impression at all. Artemis' coldly beautiful face gave nothing away; her eyes were steady on Diana, her body still, with none of the nervous movements a human might make. Glancing at Diana he saw that same stillness, that same concentration, as if the two of them were still communicating in some silent duel of wills. Finally...

"No one wants more violence," Artemis said. "Let us talk."

"We're on a planet full of androids, thousands of them, built by the same people who built Alpha. Funny, they named the planet Perfection, I guess because they thought a world run by androids would be perfect - but they ended up with all the same problems people always seem to run into, like looking down on anyone who's different. Of course, the humans here haven't exactly been perfect themselves. I guess I sort of was expecting that if I did find other androids, let alone a whole bunch of them, that they would be different - smarter, or wiser, or better, or something - but after a while I don't even think about who's an android here and who's human. They're all really the same. (Except the androids look good like whoah. You should see them, Dad. Long story.) It's still kind of a tense situation here, but at least the two sides have been talking and made some progress. Artemis and Diana, the leaders of the androids and the humans, are both pretty cool and I think they're going to do okay.

The Phantom Ranger is an android too - another long story - and he was the one who asked us to come here. That didn't turn out too well at first - the other Rangers got captured and locked up - but it was only for a day and then Artemis let them go. That was when I finally told them I'm an android. Andros gave me a lecture about keeping secrets from the team, Ashley kissed me on the cheek and said it's no big deal, and T.J. and Carlos want me to help them meet android girls. Cassie and Phantom had a thing for each other back on Earth, and they were too busy gazing into each other's eyes and holding hands to notice anything else was going on.

We're planning to stay here another month or two, and then go back to KO-35 for a while. After that we're off to Mercuria for Tyzonn and Vella's wedding. Strange, I really didn't like this place at all at first, but now I think I'm going to miss it. I guess that's all for now, Dad. Write soon and let me know what's happening - I miss you a lot, and Spencer, and everything back home on Earth.

Love,

Mack"

Home. Andrew was a little surprised at how much it pleased him to see that word in Mack's letter. Even after finally finding a place where he could fit in without the loneliness of being an android among humans - Mack still thought of Earth as home.

He glanced up at the clock. Spencer was scheduled to pick him up that afternoon, in about four hours, and he had already said his goodbyes - all except one, the one whose finality he was most reluctant to face. There was time to start writing his next letter to Mack, plenty of time. He picked up a pen and fished in a drawer for paper.

The eternal question - where to start? There was so much to tell - and so much he would rather not give the added reality of words on paper. Where to start - not with what had happened to throw a pall of sadness over S.P.D.; he wanted to put that off as long as possible. No, with Rose, just as this chapter of his life had started with Rose and in a few hours would end with her. Start with her arrival at SPD. He bent over the paper and began to write.

TBC...

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