Sweat beaded his brow as the siren song of rage reverberated through his disjointed mind. Muscles twitched, ready to unleash blow after blow of putrid vengeance. The full upper lip lifted slightly in a frightening signature snarl..Tommy's eyes closed briefly as he attempted to reorient himself to reality.
I'm not evil anymore.
Zordon had warned him that it would take time for the volatile swirl of emotions from his dark counterpart to completely calm. The evil Ranger mentally controlled by Rita; however, the entity had seized upon Tommy's own haunted past to feed upon and grow: all the anger, fear, anxiety, obsessiveness, emptiness. It used these feelings as a design for its own demented personality.
Drawing a slow, measured breath, the Green Ranger steadied himself and again opened his eyes to the sight of his drunken father who stood before him. The man's blood shot eyes were full of wrath as he continued to scream and jab his finger into Tommy's chest. The stench made his nose wrinkle but he stood still and waited for this episode to end.
"And I'll tell you another thing, Mr. Bad Ass! I'm putting my foot down! Do you hear me, you fuckin' reject? Because I'm laying down the almighty law in this house!"
His fist pounded the kitchen counter top and rattled the few dishes stacked upon it.
"You think you can come in here and run that punk mouth of yours. Like you own this joint! You forgot where you came from, pal! No one wanted you! You were a mistake! If it weren't for us, your ass would have been tossed in a fucking ditch out in some God forsakin' backwoods …..."
Bitter tears were suddenly engulfing the teen's eyes and he blinked rapidly, trying desperately to control them. Crying would make things so much worse. The deep emotional pain then swiftly blossomed into a serpentine iciness that almost took his breath away. Savage yellowish eyes flicked open, the midnight pupil a narrow slit.
Raw terror arched up his spine as he quickly shoved his way past the suddenly faceless form in front of him; the disheveled man grunted in pain as he slammed into the wooden cabinets.
"You little shit!" he bellowed at his son's retreating back as the boy darted through the backdoor into the rainy night.
"You just committed assault, asshole! Get back here! I'm stomping a mud hole in you before the cops get here and haul you off!"
Tommy barely registered the voice; the only noise he was aware of was the thick, guttural voice of the Dragon whom he'd realized was the remnants of Rita's spell. He had heard voices regularly as an evil warrior but they were fragmented and insulting. The Dragon must have been in the background and was most likely the catalyst of his more extreme and violent behaviors.
He ran as hard and as fast as he could, not going in any particular direction. He'd just had to get out; real fear that he might act on his aggression and return to Rita on his own consumed him. Heart racing, muscles firing, his chest burned and he screamed out his anguish into the stormy darkness.
The rain felt like icy needle pricks on his bare skin; soon his green t-shirt was soaked and clinging uncomfortably to his torso. Powered through exhaustion by his distress, he managed to reach the park before doubling over and vomiting into the slick wet grass. His wet hair clung to his face as he heaved and he absently swiped the dark tendrils from his cheeks.
Slowly, the volatile emotions were draining away and he was starting to feel empty and alone. Shivering, he looked around for shelter. He wondered wearily through the park; his legs felt heavy. The nearest building was the public restrooms near the lake and he began to feel ashamed.
I'm going to hide out in the toilet and then what?
But for now, it was a place out of the rain and thunder, where he could gather his thoughts and decide what came next. Going back home was out of the question; he would definitely loose control of his rage and risk reverting back to evil. There's no way he could let that happen.
Trying the knob, he found the building locked and cursed in frustration. Huddling under the eaves, Tommy considered his next move. He wished he had a friend to call who could take him out of the rain, comfort him, and support him while he struggled with this sudden dilemma.
Truthfully, he had never had a single solitary soul to turn to when life sucker punched him in the back. He was a loner; he had his own back. Still a friend would be nice... His eyes fell on the green banded communicator strapped to his wrist and he ran a fingertip over the device as he considered. Could he call one of...them?
It had been mere days ago that Jason had destroyed the Sword of Darkness, freeing the Green Ranger from Rita's hold. They didn't really know him and they had risked their lives to save him instead of turning him into ash. He'd hurt them, some more horribly than others. The only side they'd really seen was the Dragon, not Tommy Oliver.
He sniffed and licked his trembling lips. It was embarrassing to ask for help; he almost didn't feel like he had the right. He should suffer for the things he'd done to innocent people and to the Rangers themselves. Especially the Red Ranger. The Dragon had singled him out and made his life absolute hell.
And strangely, it was with the Red Ranger that he had felt an almost instant camaraderie. Jason had taken Tommy's hand without hesitating and declared that he was one of them now. He remembered the strong grip of the other boy's hand, had felt the tremendous power behind it as it seemed to radiate into his own flesh. Jason was brave enough to take Tommy on alone and he admired the Red Ranger's skill as a fighter.
Maybe...
After several false starts, Tommy lifted the communicator to his lips.
"Jason? Hey? Are you there?" he asked tentatively.
"Hey, man? What's up?" Jason's warm voice made him feel hopeful.
"Ummmm... I think... I think I need... help. Jason, I'm at the park. I..." he couldn't find the words.
"Is it Rita?" Jason's voice rose slightly.
"No, no. Not that. Well, not exactly," Tommy admitted with reluctance. "I don't know if you'd feel comfortable if I came over?"
"Tommy..." Now Jason's voice was exasperated. "Just teleport your butt over here. My parents are out at some business dinner and they won't be home until late. Whatever it is, let's talk about it."
Without responding, Tommy manipulated the dial and teleported in a green flash into Jason's living room. The lights were off but a movie played on the TV.
"Hey," a voice spoke from behind him and Tommy almost jumped out of his skin.
Jason was perched on the couch as he took in Tommy's bedraggled appearance.
"What happened to you?"
The other boy's face was a mask of worry as he took in the soaking wet newcomer. This simple gesture caused the Green Ranger's face to crumple. The next thing he knew, he was pulled into a warm embrace and Tommy's guard was broken. He sagged against the Red Ranger as everything seemed to crash down.
In the back of his mind, he knew he should be embarrassed; technically Jason didn't know him and he was his leader now. Not to mention, he was getting his potential new friend soaking wet as well. But Jason stubbornly held on and refused to budge until Tommy began to regain his composure.
"I'm sorry," Tommy stammered when they parted and he took in Jason's shirt.
"Don't worry about it, man. I'm not," he answered. "You wanna change clothes and we can talk?"
The Green Ranger nodded and followed Jason up the stairs to his room. A room he'd actually been in before without the Red Ranger's knowledge. Rummaging through drawers, the teen found them both something to wear. He didn't really own anything green.
Tommy was glad to be rid of the cold, clingy clothes as he pulled Jason's red sweatshirt over his head. He turned to find the Red Ranger staring at him almost curiously.
"What?" he asked, feeling self conscious.
"Nothing; its just seeing another Ranger in red... it feels kind of.." he shrugged. "Its nothing."
Jason peeled his own t shirt off and tossed it in the general direction of the hamper where it landed in a heap. In the soft lamplight, Tommy could make out light almost silvery marks on the Red Rangers body: a few jagged lines along his rib cage, another snaking around from his back, and a small scar across his abdomen. Two other wounds stood out much more vividly.
The first resembled a burn as it extended from the side of his neck down his collarbone and upper chest in a sharp diagonal. The other was obviously a puncture wound in the process of healing; centered over the left side of his chest, Tommy was acutely aware of its origin as well as the former. His mouth felt dry and he turned his head away in disgust with the Dragon.
Pulling on a new shirt himself, Jason settled on the bed and motioned for the Green Ranger to sit next to him. "Here."
Tommy slowly rested his gaze on the Red Ranger and moved to sit on the bed, careful to keep some distance.
"I'm sorry I'm bugging you, Jason," he started; Jason held up his hand sternly.
"You're one of us now, Tommy. I want to help you. So tell me what's going on."
Tommy sighed. "Answer me honestly, Jason. Are you really ok with me being here, just the two of us?"
Jason's eyes knitted in confusion before the Green Ranger continued.
"I mean with our history. The last time it was just us, I was chasing you around the Dark Dimension trying to kill you."
Jason growled. "What is it going to take for you to get it? You were controlled by Rita; you weren't free to make your own decisions."
"That's part of the reason I'm here though. I almost snapped tonight. On my dad," he admitted, averting his eyes.
When Jason didn't respond, he carefully moved his eyes to rest on the other boy's face, trying to read his thoughts. The Red Ranger hadn't moved away from him or otherwise appeared nervous; his expression was difficult to interpret.
"I know what Zordon said. That it'd take time for this "energy" to leave. But what if it doesn't and I snap and I do something awful again..."
"You won't though," Jason interrupted gently. "I don't get that vibe from you."
"Yeah and you didn't get it the day I kidnapped you either. You were standing right in front of me with no idea you were in danger. I looked in your eyes knowing what I was about to do would probably kill you. And I did it with no guilt. I had time to reconsider and stop and I didn't."
Before Jason could speak, Tommy barreled on. "You say Rita controlled me. But not everything I did was solely because she commanded it. She left me some room to make decisions on my own. And I made the decision to stalk you and the other Rangers before you knew about me. That was my choice; I wanted to know my enemy. And knowing you didn't make any difference when it came to killing you or not."
"You stalked us?"
"Yes, mainly you though. Because you were the leader. I singled you out on my own. In the Dark Dimension, I was supposed to kill you but I made the choice to make you suffer by breaking your leg. And here I am, in your room, on your bed asking for help because I feel like I'm losing my mind."
Now that everything was out there, he felt guilty. Jason probably had his own demons from their violent encounter and here he was calmly talking to the person involved. Well, he at least didn't outwardly show any anxiety.
"This probably wasn't a good idea," Tommy felt himself shutting down. He moved to get up but Jason's sudden grip on his wrist stopped him.
"Hold it right there, Oliver," he ordered. "We're talking through this. Everything on the table. Then its history and we move forward."
He ran a hand over his face and stood. "But I'm going to need a drink for this."
Tommy's eyes rose at Jason's words. "Huh?"
"Coffee, Green. I need coffee," he chuckled.
Tommy found himself smiling for the first time in days. "You like that nasty stuff?"
"No, but its my life now. Ever since I became a Ranger. And especially after you giving me gray hair recently."
Tommy's smile started to falter when Jason put a hand to his shoulder. "I was making light of it; I'm sorry if it came out wrong."
The Green Ranger curtly shook his head and the two boys made their way to the kitchen, where Jason immediately started prepping his coffee pot. Noting the time on the device, he lifted a brow at Tommy.
"I'm guessing your parents won't be expecting you back soon?"
"Hell no." Tommy's face turned the color of his sweatshirt. "Sorry..."
But Jason was already shaking his head, dismissing Tommy's language.
"You should have heard some of the words I was using the past few weeks. It doesn't offend me."
Tommy slid into a chair as Jason pulled the fridge open. "Soda?"
"Yeah, thanks, man."
Turning from the fridge, Jason slid the can across the table as he too settled in a chair. For a few minutes, the only noise came from the coffee pot as water started to bubble. Awkwardness began to fill the air before the red clad teen cleared his throat.
"So why don't you tell me went on tonight? You almost snapped on your dad?"
Tommy briefly pursed his lips as he considered how much to reveal. Talking about the Dragon was scary enough without dragging out the details of his home life. He didn't quite want to go there just yet. Maybe in time... The Red Ranger would see he was insane but he didn't have to know he was utter trash just yet.
"Well, we were having an argument and he said something that really upset me. And it was like something inside me was suddenly awake; I could see it in my mind. I wanted to start punching my dad and I knew if I started I wouldn't stop until he was dead. I felt so close to doing it, Jason. I got scared so I ran out of the house before I could slip up."
Jason's eyes were soft as he listened intently, his arms resting on the table top. Inside, he was holding his tension in check. He truly wasn't getting the feeling that Tommy was dangerous any more but the Green Ranger was right: he hadn't know the full extent of the danger he was in last time and he had almost paid the price.
"My dad and I have really bad fights. A lot of them." That he was willing to reveal. "I can't go home until I get a handle on this."
"What did you see? You said you saw something?" Jason prodded gently as he stood to fill his mug.
Jason's back to him made it easier for Tommy to confess this truth.
"A dragon," he whispered. "When I was evil, I sometimes heard voices. Of course one was Rita but there were others."
He drew a shaky breath and closed his eyes as he continued his story.
"I didn't always understand them. Sometimes it was just a word or two, usually insulting me, working me into a rage. But there was one that was more dominant. I can see that now; my mind was too foggy before. It was the one that suggested the awful things I did."
A tear slid down his freckled cheek unnoticed.
"I call him the Dragon. He loved the chaos, the fighting, the blood. I could hear him that day in the hallway at school when I sent you away. And before I broke your leg; that was his idea. Right before I was going stab you, he told me one time was not enough. I was going to keep going over and over."
He thought he saw the Red Ranger's back stiffen slightly but again he wasn't entirely sure of his mental status right now so he couldn't be sure.
"You're still not scared of me, Jason? Because most people probably would be right now."
Gathering control of his growing nervousness, the Red Ranger returned to the table and was silent a moment. The teen sitting across from him looked so miserable and distraught it was difficult to remember that this person was the one who had terrorized them. That Tommy was a mix of aloof and icy with violent consuming rage. They weren't the same teen, Jason reminded himself.
"No, Tommy I'm not scared of you," he murmured as he decided.
"Tell me honestly. Please."
"Alright, Tommy. Its time for me to get my truth on the table." Jason wrapped both hands around his dark red mug as he drew a breath and prepared his confession.
"No, I'm not scared of you now. In the Dark Dimension? Yes, I was afraid. And it pissed me off. But it wasn't all you. Most of my nightmares involve Goldar. I'm fighting and hiding and dodging but he still grabs me and I can feel his fingers around my neck all over again."
Jason swallowed a nervous gulp of coffee as he remembered being held in the air, helpless and hurting as he gasped futilely, his lungs straining and the world starting to go black. If Goldar hadn't dropped him... He suddenly shook himself loose from that thought and went on.
"Sometimes it is you," he admitted carefully. "I don't teleport out in time."
Tommy's head dropped and more tears trickled as he swiped at them.
"Hey, man. Its ok. Because I see the difference between you and the Evil Green Ranger now. The past few days, as I got to know you a little better, it was obvious that you are almost complete opposites."
The long haired boy sniffed. "But there's pieces of me that the Dragon used. Made it stronger. Maybe a part of me is light but there's darkness too."
"I've heard that light always drives out darkness, Tommy. Plus I think if you were truly a danger to me you wouldn't have went through all this just to get close to me."
"There's not many people in this world that I care about Jason. I've never had anyone who cared about me or what I did."
Jason's mouth curled in a gentle smile.
"Well now, you have a whole group of friends you can turn to. You're a Ranger. If you need to talk, we're always here. Any time. We'll talk to Zordon tomorrow too. See what he thinks."
Tommy gazed at Jason and realized he'd never noticed how full the Red Ranger's lips were. A flush spread across his face as he feared he'd stared too long but the other teen didn't appear to notice as he sipped his drink.
Not a good idea, Oliver.
The Green Ranger studied the soda can in his hand; he'd never even cracked it. His eyes suddenly felt heavy. His body slumped down in the seat as exhaustion nestled in.
"Come on, Tommy. You're about to go face first on the table."
"Huh?"
"You can sleep in my bed. Its fine," Jason replied as he stood and helped pull Tommy to his feet.
Again, the Green Ranger felt his hand engulfed in the Red Ranger's hand, his strength steadying and sure. That flash of camaraderie again. He could see why Jason was the leader. And it wasn't just his fighting or tactical skills. He was so much more.
From that night one, the Red and Green Ranger's bond grew. When the nightmares became too intense, they turned to each other no matter the time of night. Jason had grown up with the others, but Tommy became the closest to him. He knew the stories behind each scar decorating the Red Ranger's flesh, his greatest hopes and fears, his weaknesses.
Sure they often butted heads as each was fiercely stubborn and bull headed. But they always came back together stronger. Tommy often wanted to ask Jason if felt the connection between them but found no way to ask that he was comfortable with. The Dragon steadily faded into the background and was eventually no more.
With his mind clear and learning ways to come to a place of peace with himself, Tommy found himself realizing something else about his leader.
He's something special.