Chapter 15

High above the tense scene, on the Youth Center roof, Rita was watching while perched on her bicycle. Lips curled in an angry snarl, she said to herself, “So, ol’ Tommy boy thinks he can talk his way out of this, eh? I don’t think so! Good thing Finster prepared that triple batch of Skeleton Warriors!”

Raising her wand, she aimed the crescent moon tip down into the parking lot. With a lightning-like crack and a swirl of curling smoke, the Rangers found themselves surrounded by dozens of the skeletal footmen.

“See that?” Bones said. “He summoned more Skeleton Warriors!”

“I did not!” Tommy objected.

“Then how did they get here?” Bones asked.

“You must have called them!” Tommy said.

But then several of the warriors aimed their swords at the false Green Ranger. Bones, confused that he was being attacked by his own minions, jumped backward, barely avoiding their attack.

“Wait. What?” he said.

Above, Rita cackled. “Sorry, bonehead, but I have to make it look good!” she said.

Understanding, Bones shouted to the other Power Rangers, “If I’m supposed to be controlling them, then why are they attacking me?”

With a rush of bony clicks, the skeleton horde swarmed forward, coming at everyone except Tommy.

“And why aren’t they attacking him?” Bones said.

“He’s right,” the Red Ranger said. He fired at the closest skeletons.

The Blue and Black Rangers went back-to-back, dodging sword strikes and making counterblows.

“There are too many!” the Black Ranger said.

As Tommy watched his friends under attack, he thought, I can’t worry about who they think I am now; I’ve got to help! He rushed toward the fray.

Seeing him, the Yellow Ranger said, “We’ve got to get to Bones. He’s at the center of this!”

After blasting a group of warriors, the Pink Ranger had a clear shot at Bones.

I could summon my Power Bow and hit him from here, she thought. But Tommy has been acting so strange. It seems crazy to believe they switched bodies, but could it be true?

Before the Pink Ranger could decide what to believe, she was shoved out of the way by the false Green Ranger!

“The rest of you deal with the warriors,” Bones said. “I’ll take care of that liar, Bones!”

Meanwhile, Tommy spotted two skeletons sneaking up behind the Red Ranger. Tommy was about to stop them, but a powerful blast at his back hurled him high into the air and across the parking lot.

As Tommy plummeted, he realized what had happened. Bones hit me with my own weapon, the Dragon Dagger! he thought.

He tried to curl into a ball to lessen the impact, like he’d learned in his training. But his body disobeyed. Instead, when he hit the ground, it broke apart.

Even faster than they had before, the parts reunited.

Tommy spun back around. The Rangers were up against a mass of Skeleton Warriors, but they were holding their own against incredible odds.

The false Green Ranger had left them behind, though. He was racing toward Tommy, the Dragon Dagger out, ready to fire again.

It’s like some weird dream, seeing myself running at me, Tommy thought. But if another blast like that hits me, it’s not going to feel like any dream. It’s going to hurt.

Tommy tried to plan a counter move, but his body had other ideas. His skull fired two eye-blasts that hit the false Green Ranger in the chest and threw him flat on his back.

“That’s how you do it!” the little voice said.

A moment later, though, Bones was standing again. He gave his fellow Rangers in the distance a thumbs-up to tell them he was all right, then turned back to Tommy and laughed.

“Excellent,” Bones said. “The more they see you use my powers, the more they’ll be convinced I’m you!”

Worse, the little voice in Tommy’s head was saying, “And soon, you’ll be convinced, too!”