Zordon was dead, to begin with. There was no doubt about that. Or at least as dead as a head in a tube could be, no disrespect intended to Zordon at all.
That was one of the things that Tommy was miserable about this holiday season, along with the fact that grant applications were an evil that should have been destroyed along with everything else, and the fact that Tommy no longer had his powers. Oh, and Kat had dumped him, all of Angel Grove was searching for the identities of the Rangers prior to the Space team, he had gotten a C in his English course, and he had to go back to Angel Grove for Christmas.
But if he was honest with himself, the real problem was that Zordon was dead, and that Tommy had no idea what to do with himself. Without being a Ranger, he was lost. He'd had no part in the last fight in Angel Grove - he'd been taking a midterm at the time. He hadn't been there, he hadn't saved Zordon, he hadn't done anything. By his standards, that made him a failure, one who probably wouldn't get into this program with Anton Mercer anyway. Being a failure wasn't something that he was used to.
He wasn't sure he could face feeling like this. He wasn't sure that he could go home to Angel Grove, either. He couldn't look at the damage and know that he'd done nothing to stop it. He didn't think that he could stand to look at the posters of the "real" Power Rangers that were plastered all over the city. Seeing them would just remind him of how he had failed.
He didn't think that he could face a world without Zordon.
Tommy lived in a crappy apartment that he shared with Hayley. It had been hard to explain to her why he'd been as upset about the battle of Angel Grove as he was. She didn't know about his past as a Ranger. She kept giving him looks, because everyone else from Angel Grove at their university was celebrating and speculating on the Rangers, while Tommy had done none of that.
He winced as he saw a copy of the essay that he'd handed over to Hayley for proofing. The whole thing was covered in red. He glanced at the comments, and sighed as he saw that she'd circled a giant section, with "what sort of education system does Angel Grove have, anyway?" written over it in bright red ink. Just another thing to do.
As he was about to sit down, something made him pause. There was something wrong in the room, something wrong in the air. He sniffed. It couldn't be. Everyone had said that he was destroyed.
"Rito," he growled, and turned around.
It wasn't only Rito that he was faced with, but Goldar was there as well, although he was once again missing his wings. And neither of them had their swords, but Tommy didn't have his powers either. Still, it was only Rito and Goldar. He could take them, even if they were ghosts.
"Tommy!" Rito said, opening his arms, and moving faster than Tommy could react, Rito engulfed him in a giant hug.
Maybe Rito wasn't dead after all. Tommy didn't think that ghosts could smell this bad. He was easily able to get out of Rito's arms, and he assumed a fighting stance, facing the two monsters.
"What are you two goons doing here?" he demanded.
"We came to warn you, Ex-Power Ranger," Goldar said. "It's part of our penance." Goldar practically spit out the last word. "Tonight you will be visited by three spirits."
"Not the friendly kind, either," Rito cut in. "Casper said he wanted nothing to do with this."
"Be quiet, you!" Goldar roared. "Expect the visits tonight, or else."
"Or else what?"
"Or else you doom the future, Power Brat," Goldar said, and without another word, the two monsters vanished.
"Wake up, Power Ranger," said a voice that was chillingly familiar. Tommy's eyes flew open. He was still in his room, but he wasn't alone any longer.
"You," he said, staring in disbelief at the figure who stood in front of him. Tommy was on his feet in an instant. "You can't be here."
"But I am," the Green Ranger told him, his tone mocking. "And I'm your guide, so let's go."
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Tommy told the Green Ranger. This had to be a dream. He'd simply been stressed out because of his papers and applications and he'd hallucinated Goldar and Rito. Just like he was hallucinating the Green Ranger standing before him.
"This is no dream, Tommy," the dark figure in front of him said, and Tommy was sure he hadn't actually said those words out loud. "And you will be coming with me, don't try to fight it."
Tommy clenched his jaw and said, "I will never give in to you." Still, he took a step forward involuntarily. The Green Ranger took his hand, and laughed again, and Tommy suddenly understood what everyone was always saying about his laugh. It was downright terrifying.
"Did you think I was another reflection of your evil side?" the Green Ranger asked, sounding more amused than anything else. "No, Tommy, not this time. This time is something else entirely."
Everything suddenly got very dark, and when Tommy could finally see again, he was standing in a place he never thought he'd set foot in again.
"The Youth Center," he said incredulously. It looked just like he remembered from high school, with Ernie there and everything. It was set up like it had been the very first time that he'd set foot in it, the day that he'd met the Power Rangers. The day that had changed his life forever.
"It is the exact same day," the Green Ranger said from his side. "You remember, don't you? The feeling of competition, the way that you and Jason clashed, trying to bring out the best in each other? The rush and feel of the fight."
The last part wasn't even a question, but Tommy answered it anyway. "I remember," he said, closing his eyes. He could still walk through every move of that fight. Every punch, every kick.
"Open your eyes," the Green Ranger said from beside him. "You don't want to miss this."
Tommy did what he was told, and the first thing he saw was his younger self going up against Jason. He didn't need to watch that fight again. Instead, he went and looked, and saw the other standing there.
He'd forgotten how good Billy had looked, even in the days of overalls and glasses.
He tore his eyes off of Billy, and looking at the other Rangers. Trini, serenely watching Jason, a little smile on her lips as she was silently analyzing the fight as it progressed; Zack, watching Jason with a look of pure joy on his face, although Tommy knew that at this time the two hadn't admitted they were dating. And then there was Kimberly.
Tommy had loved her once; loved her from the second that he'd laid eyes on her. And watching her now he was reminded of why. There was something about the way she moved, the way that she looked, that just showed exactly how special she was. Even without knowing that she was a Ranger, Tommy had been drawn to her instantly.
Even years later, a part of him would always love her.
"Time to move on," the Green Ranger said, and abruptly the scene changed.
"No," Tommy whispered, when he took in the scene before him. In all the years he'd lived in Angel Grove, he had deliberately avoided this particular alleyway.
"I'm afraid so," the Green Ranger said. "Just watch. This is what made you who you are."
"What do you mean that made me who I am?" Tommy demanded.
The Green Ranger just stared at him, and Tommy averted his eyes as Rita's spell took hold of his younger self. When he opened them, the scene had changed again, and he saw his younger self on the ground, being surrounded by his friends.
"You're one of us," Jason said, helping pull Tommy to his feet. "One of the Power Rangers. Fight with us."
"I still don't understand why they accepted me," he said, watching the scene unfold, the love and unquestioning forgiveness that his friends had given him. "Why did they do that?" he asked, as he turned to face the spirit.
It wasn't the Green Ranger that stood beside him, but the White.
"But," he said in surprise, and the White Ranger laughed at him. Not the same cold laugh as the Green Ranger had, but one that was just as dangerous.
"I am the spirit of Rangers Past," the White Ranger said. "That means all of them - the good and the bad. Come. What you see next is important." They were outside the Command Center, long destroyed (twice) in Tommy's time. He remembered this day. It was right before Jason had left - right when he had first realized that Jason, Trini and Zack had applied to the World Peace Conference.
"I'm sorry!" his younger self said, and Tommy could do nothing but settle down to watch, as his younger self stood there, waiting for Jason to acknowledge what he'd said.
"Look," Jason said finally. "You have nothing to apologize for. Zordon made his decision."
"I didn't mean..." Tommy trailed off, and Jason rolled his eyes.
"For once, Tommy, it isn't about you," Jason said firmly. "You're the leader now, you need to act like it. Everyone is going to depend on you." He paused, and sighed. "Look, Zordon saw something in you that would make you the best leader. Better than me. If you prove him wrong, I'm going to be pissed."
"But!"
"If I'm ok with it, I really need you to be," Jason said firmly.
Tommy nodded finally. "Okay, Bro," he agreed. "This isn't going to get in the way of our friendship, is it?"
Jason laughed, and held out his hand, which Tommy clasped eagerly. "Nothing will ever do that," Jason promised.
Tommy watched his younger self, and sighed. "Jase taught me so much about being a leader," he told the White Ranger. "I don't know why Zordon chose me to replace him. I just hope that I did half as good a job as he would have done."
Somehow, Tommy wasn't surprised as the White Ranger's uniform changed, turning red. What he didn't expect was for it to be the Turbo uniform that it changed into, and not Zeo.
"No," he whispered, as he realized what day he was at. "Please, don't show me this. I don't want to watch it again."
The Red Turbo Ranger simply faced him, and it was impossible to see any features behind the helmet, but Tommy was sure that if he could see, he would be faced with a glare, and that he would have no choice but to watch.
Watch as he stepped forward, and told TJ what a good Ranger he would make. Watch as he gave away the only thing that made him special.
Jason had accepted giving up the power. He'd gone on to do so much good. But Tommy... he hadn't done anything.
He closed his eyes at the last moment, not wanting to face seeing it. When he finally opened them, he was back in his room, with no sign of any of any other Rangers, and thankfully, no sign of Rito or Goldar either.
Shaking, Tommy got out of bed, heading for the kitchen. Hayley had clearly been through at some point, since there were stickynotes all over everything. Things had been rearranged to fit her system. Tommy had once tried to tell her that her constant moving things had been the reason that he couldn't find anything, but she'd promptly informed him that he hadn't been able to find anything before she had started organizing things, and if he would just listen to her, then he wouldn't have these problems with not being able to find his papers, or his pants.
To be fair, he'd only lost the pants once, and he didn't think it was fair that she kept reminding him of that.
But right now, he didn't want to think about her system, or anything else. Right now he just wanted some water, and at least there was no way for him to misplace that. It was just a bad dream. He'd been thinking of the Rangers for days, of course he was going to dwell on it. Tommy had passed Freshman psych, after all. He knew that much.
"Ay yi yi yi yi!" a voice said, and Tommy smiled broadly when he saw the robot in his kitchen.
"Alpha!" he said, rushing over. Dream or not, he hadn't seen Alpha 5 since Zordon had departed for Eltare, and there had been no word on whether or not Alpha was safe as well. He knew that Alpha 6 was safe with the Space Rangers, but Alpha 5 was his Alpha.
Even if this was a dream, he would take what he could get.
"Hello, Tommy!" the robot said cheerfully. "I am so happy to see you. Are you ready for me to guide you through the Ranger present?"
Tommy just laid his hand on Alpha's shoulder. "Wherever you want to go," he said.
The transition wasn't as awkward, now, as it had been with his other Ranger selves. He was more comfortable with Alpha. Alpha was a part of his life that had been purely good. The Green Ranger's legacy had been tainted by evil. The White Ranger had been a struggle to live up to Jason and be a good leader. His time as Red had been good for him - he'd been comfortable there, in that color. He'd done his best then - they had defeated the Machine Empire. He'd found a brother he hadn't known he'd had, completed a spiritual quest, and fallen in and out of love. And throughout all of that, Alpha and Zordon had been there, never judging, always there to help bring out the best in him.
But even the Red was tainted - that was the color he was wearing when he'd had to give it all up.
"Here we are, Tommy!" Alpha said, and Tommy found himself at Adam's door. He hadn't been to Adam's apartment (which was not quite as crappy as Tommy's was, since Adam and Rocky's dojo was doing pretty well for itself) before, but he'd seen plenty of pictures. He'd been too busy.
"What are we doing here?" Tommy asked.
"There's something that you need to see," Alpha said. "Haven't you figured that out yet?" The door opened for him, and Tommy followed Alpha into Adam's apartment.
"I'm not sure I'm the one to ask," Adam was saying, from his seat on the couch. Tommy couldn't see who he was talking to. "I mean, I did try and use a broken morpher because I wasn't coping."
"But you are coping now," the other person responded, and Tommy immediately identified the voice. Carlos, Adam's replacement. "I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing with myself. Andros and Zhane are off traveling somewhere, and Ashley and Karone went with them. TJ and Cassie are busy with all sorts of endorsements and I don't even know what, and I'm just... I don't even know."
"I thought we'd gotten you over this poor self-esteem thing," Adam said, sounding more bemused than anything else. Tommy crept forward, not sure that he should be intruding in this conversation, but Alpha gestured for him to move forward.
"You were a great Ranger, Carlos, and I couldn't have picked anyone better to replace me," Adam said. "And figuring out life after being a Ranger is hard - and it isn't like we got any instruction for that. You just have to move forward, remember what else it is you're good at, and start doing that. Or else you end up like I was, using a broken morpher."
"How'd you come to that conclusion?" Carlos asked.
"Rocky's becoming a social worker, remember?" Adam said. "He keeps using me as a test case." He laughed, and Carlos joined in after a minute. "Seriously, Carlos," Adam said. "You were chosen as a Ranger for a reason, but it isn't the only thing you are. Go play soccer or something - take a vacation. Figure out what you want to do."
"What did you do?"
Adam smiled, and gestured to a picture of him with Rocky. "Remembered what I had to live for."
Alpha led Tommy out of Adam's apartment before he could see any more. At least Adam had someone worth living for. He wondered what was up with the broken morpher bit - he hadn't heard anything about that at all. Was he really that out of the loop?
"Where are we going next, Alpha?" Tommy asked. "Are the rest of the Rangers okay?"
"All of the Rangers are coping as well as they are able," Alpha said. "But it isn't a Ranger that we're going to check on now. You do have other friends."
"Hayley?" Tommy asked hesitantly.
Alpha laughed. "Yes, Hayley. But other friends as well. Follow me." They rounded a corner, and Tommy found himself in one of the favored hangouts of the rest of his department. He'd avoided the place - it reminded him too much of the Youth Center, and of places that he could never go again. He wasn't going to find another group of friends like the one he'd had in Angel Grove, so why should he try and force it?
"I don't even know why you think Oliver is going to get the grant," Smitty was saying. "I mean, half of the requirement is networking - have you seen him try?"
"Tommy would be good for it," Hayley snapped back, not taking her eyes off of her laptop. "He's got the science, and that's more important."
"I thought you were going to try and drag him out here?" one of Tommy's other classmate's asked. He tried to remember her name.
Hayley sighed. "He's busy moping. You know how hard the Angel Grove thing was for him. And even if he does suck at the networking part, well, that's what I'm here for."
"You're not even in our department," Smitty accused.
"So?" Hayley asked. "I'll be the one with the great job later. I don't really need to network, I just like doing it."
Smitty rolled his eyes.
"He's got a point though," one of the others said. "If Tommy never shows up to these things, he isn't going to get the grant."
Tommy turned to Alpha. "I didn't realize," he said. "I mean, I just... is it really that important?"
"Making friends is always important," Alpha said, and he gestured for Tommy to follow him out.
"Where are we going now?" Tommy asked.
"There is only one more thing for you to see," Alpha said. "Besides, my time is ending. We are almost to the future, and that's when I will leave you."
They emerged in a jungle that Tommy was pretty sure was not on Earth. He'd been to other planets before, and this place had the same feeling that those did - just a sense that you were no longer home. He wondered if that was how Andros felt all the time. If that was how Zordon had felt.
"What did you take me here to see?"
Alpha gestured, and in the clearing ahead stood five people about Tommy's age. One already held a sword aloft, while the four behind him pulled their own swords from the stone.
"Who are they?" Tommy asked.
"Those are the Galaxy Rangers," Alpha said. "Not like you and the others, Zordon didn't choose them. But they should be good at this - their Red Ranger reminds me of you." Tommy was suddenly sure that if Alpha could smile, he would be. "He will always do the right thing. Zordon would be proud, to see that the tradition is being carried on."
As Tommy watched as the Rangers in front of him morphed for the first time, the world suddenly seemed to change, and he found himself back in his house, still in the kitchen. Alpha wasn't there.
"Wait," he said. "I didn't get to say goodbye!"
It didn't seem to matter, as a final spirit appeared in front of him, wrapped in a dark cloak.
"You're the future, right?" Tommy asked. "I did read some books for class. I earned that C."
The figure in the cloak nodded.
"And I'm supposed to go with you, and you're going to show me a doomed future," Tommy said, remembering Goldar's earlier words.
The spirit nodded again.
"Let's do this, then." Tommy held out his hand. The spirit didn't take it, but instead the world changed around him.
Tommy had seen visions of destroyed futures before - when you'd been a Ranger as long as he had, these things were pretty normal. But there was something about this one, something that was far more sinister than anything else he'd seen. The Millenium Message didn't even compare.
Everything was destroyed. Everything.
"This is Reefside?" Tommy asked in disbelief. "What happened?"
The figure in the cloak did not answer.
"Right, you're not going to tell me anything," Tommy muttered. "I hate time travel." He wandered into the town, staring at the destruction. It was worse than Angel Grove had looked immediately after Astronoma's invasion. The few buildings that were still standing were in bad shape. There was a general sense of despair lingering throughout the town.
"I don't understand," Tommy said quietly. "Where were the Power Rangers?"
The figure in the cloak just pointed, and Tommy headed off in the direction it was pointing in.
"You were such an idiot, Tommy," a familiar voice said, and Tommy froze. That was Hayley's voice, but he didn't see her. He'd thought that he was invisible to people in these weird dreams. Still, he went and followed the sound of her voice. He only had to round one corner before he saw her, sitting on a bench, clutching something in her hands. She looked tired and worn out, now at all like the Hayley he knew, who was always so full of life, always in the center of everything.
"I can't believe you didn't tell me," she continued. "I can't believe that you gave up. I would have helped you, if you'd just told me about it. But no, you had to go off on your own. And now everything is wrong." She sighed.
"Tell you what?" Tommy asked her desperately. "What did I do?"
She didn't seem to hear him, although she did react, turning away from Tommy, and then getting to her feet.
"No," she said clearly, and the last thing Tommy saw was something that looked like a dinosaur grabbing her. He ran towards her, trying to help, trying to save her. She was fighting back, but it wasn't enough.
"Hayley!" he yelled, as he finally got closer to her, but she faded away, leaving him alone with the final spirit.
"What happened to her?" he demanded. "What did I do? How do I fix this? I'll do anything, but I will not let this happen."
The spirit's cloak faded away, and a new Ranger, a Black Ranger, stood there.
"Tommy!" Hayley yelled, and he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay? You were having a nightmare."
Tommy's eyes snapped open, and he realized that he was back in his room, with a very concerned looking Hayley leaning over him.
"Yeah," he said. "I'm fine."
"Right," Hayley said, in the very familiar I-can-tell-when-you're-bullshitting-me voice that Tommy heard from her way too often. "Does this have anything to do with Angel Grove?"
"My town was nearly destroyed," Tommy said. "Of course I'm upset about it."
"I think you're more upset about the fact that you weren't there to help, and you're letting it destroy you," Hayley said. "Or were you never planning on telling me?"
The urge to redirect the conversation, based on years of practice keeping his identity secret was strong, but something made Tommy hesitate. The dream. Or vision. Hayley had said he hadn't told her. There was only one thing he'd been hiding from her.
"Tommy," Hayley said gently. "I'm not an idiot, you know. And if you don't want me to find important things, you might want to find a better hiding place then your sock drawer."
It didn't take Tommy very long to figure out what he'd left in that drawer - his old communicator, and a photo of the original team, helmets off.
"I forgot that was in there," he said.
"You and your memory," Hayley rolled her eyes. "Look, let's go have breakfast, and then you can tell me all about it."
"Sure," Tommy said. He hesitated, the details of his dream suddenly becoming clear. "Then do you think you could help me some more with the application for Mercer's grant? I was going to stay home tonight and work on it, but maybe I should go to that thing with the rest of my classmates."
"Probably a great idea," Hayley said. "And honestly, all you had to do was ask."