AN: So I got to thinking in the five part Green with evil series what if instead of Jason being sent to the multidimensional prison it was Kimberly instead. What would happen to her? Would Tommy be able to fight enough of the spell to stop himself from hurting her or would he enjoy making the pink ranger cry? May also make a mature rating version of this story if it turns out good.
*****************************Command Center*********************
"What do you mean Zordon's gone?" Jason asked the frightened little robot Alpha 5. Billy had just been able to get him back online. The command center was a pile of ripped circuitry and torn consoles.
"You can get him back, can't you Alpha?" Trini worried.
"Ai yi yi! I'm sorry rangers, my circuits are still scrabbled. I can't remember what happened to the command center or to Zordon. Ai yi yi!" Alpha whined as sparks came from here and there and all about the rangers. The smell of melted plastic and wires hung in the air.
"Well someone sure did a number on this place." Zack said gesturing to the destruction around him.
"But I thought, like, only power rangers could, like, come into the command center." Kimberly worried, twirling a strand of hair. Her voice slipping into a specific vocal habit wording that she had long given up. She only reverted to it when she was feeling vulnerable.
Billy took notice of Kimberly's speech pattern. "I can try to get the command center online but I need some parts from my garage."He said with as much confidence as he could muster in an effort to try and calm his best friend's fears.
"Oh no, teleportation is down along with the communicators." Trini sighed, "I think we may have to walk back to town."
"But that's miles." Kimberly felt so frustrated and she definitely wasn't dressed for a hike.
Jason debated with himself. Miles through the desert was going to be trouble. He could do it for sure and maybe Zack but Billy and the girls. They didn't have his stamina but leaving them here was a big risk, if who or whatever did this to the command center came back. With the communicators down the wouldn't be able to call for help. Heck, he wasn't even sure they could morph at this point.
"What's the best was to cross the desert back to town?" Jason asked looking at Billy. Knowing the genius would have already plotted a course at least once for an emergency situation.
"If we cross over the mountain directly to the east we'll come to route 142 after 5.2 miles. The hike is a bit rough, but if we made it to the road perhaps we would be able to hitch a ride?" Billy offered. "If not, its about a 15 mile walk back town and in this heat, we would run a risk of hyperthermia."
"Heat stroke." Trini translated seeing Zack's questioning face.
"Rangers, there a few bottles of water in the infirmary. You can take those. "Alpha 5 said before glitching again.
"I'll get them." Zack offered, heading towards the infirmary.
"So whose going and who stays?" Kimberly asked.
Alpha spoke again. "Rangers, in the condition the command center is in, you are not safe here. The command center cannot protect you if we are attacked again. Ai yi yi."
"Alright we'll go together. Billy grab a compass." Jason took the lead as he handed out a water bottle to each ranger. "If anyone starts feeling weak or dizzy you need to speak up." The others nodded.
"We'll be back soon. Alpha." Kimberly promised as the teens headed out the front entrance of the command center and into the desert.
"By my calculations, that way would be the best coarse to take." Billy pointed to a steep, by hikeable, trail leading up a side of a rock face. Following his course, Jason took point. If they could keep up a steady enough pace they could be to the road in about an hour.
The bright, unrelenting sun began to take a toll after the first mile. By the second mile Billy and Kimberly were starting to trail behind. By the halfway point Zack was starting to worry about his friends.
"Jas? How about a break?" Zack asked. He had dropped his pace to match Trini's medium strides but the speed there fearless leader was setting was almost impossible to keep up with.
Jason frowned, trying to orientate himself with the sun. A break now would cost time and delays.
"We could all use a break." Trini said softly but with a deeper meaning in her voice. It was only then that Jason noticed how far behind Billy and Kimberly were getting.
"Yeah, let's rest up here." Jason said, worry in his voice as he looked over the two weakest members of his group. He immediately hated himself for thinking poorly of them. Zordon would never of chosen them if he had thought they were weak. It was not there fault if they had never been in such extreme conditions. They had never been trained fully in the ancient fighting arts. Kimberly was a gymnast and they never had practices in such heat and Billy, he was always in a climate controlled environment with his experiments.
Finding a tall outcropping of rocks the team rested in a small spot of shade they found beneath it. The space was small but even sitting shoulder to shoulder it was still cooler then under the sun. Drinking there bottles of water the group soon felt overwhelmed with fatigue from the heat. There eye lids were feeling heavy, there heat fatigued bodies begging for sleep. Jason sensing his friends feelings spoke, "We need to keep going guys. We're almost to the road." he promised.
There were no unhappy murmurs. Just silent acceptance. As the group crested the top of the hill they could see the road below them. There was a collective sigh of relief until Jason got a good look at the path down. It was narrow and very rocky with weak, sandy soil. "One at a time," Jason ordered. "Take it slow everyone."
Taking the lead again, Jason slowly made his way down the water and wind worn path. He kicked a few loose stones here and there, watching as the rocks rolled down the cliff side with a clatter.
"Oh that...makes me feel dizzy." Trini mumbled softly to Zack who was walking next to her. As she watched the stones tumble downwards she felt her own balance pitch forward slightly. Zack steadied her carefully.
"Just follow me. Keep your eyes on your feet and the path, not the ground. Its a long way down." Zack said with a smile, reaching for her hand. Even though Trini had gotten past her fear of heights, this distant to the ground was enough to make anyone wince. Fear of heights or not.
They made it to the road without event. Jason was thankful for small miracles as he looked back at the height they had come from. If Rita had chosen that moment to attack someone would have been seriously hurt. If not killed.
"Oh now what?" Kimberly asked sitting down on the ground near the road. She absentmindedly patted at her wind whipped hair trying to untangle the knots.
"We wait for someone to come along and flag them down. Jason said noticing now that everyone was starting to look slightly sunburned.
Billy flopped down in the sand near Kimberly. "It would be fortuitous if someone came soon. We lack the supplies for a night out here."
"Or the stamina to get back to the command center." Zack added, cracking his lower back.
"Guys look a car." Trini pointed to the white spot just on the horizon, coming closer to them.
"Alright, our luck is changing guys." Jason said with a bright smile.
"I don't know Jas, it seems sketchy." Kimberly hesitated. She had been taught since a child not to get in a strangers car.
Jason started waving his arms. "It will be fine." he assured as the work van pulled to a stop a little ways away. Jason jogged towards it. "Hey man thanks for stopping we could really use a ride into town." The white haired, overweight, unkempt facial hair forty something year old driving the car was not exactly trust worthy looking to Jason, but anything would do. Even if there was just something about him that raised Jason's sense of danger just a bit.
The man looked at Jason and then the other teens on the side of the road. "I don't have much room in the back...but I could take the girls into town if you wanted. There looking hot."
"No, we need to stay together." Jason said, surprised by the man. The white van seemed to have more then enough room for all of them, even if it would be alittle tight.
"Don't worry friend," he said with a sugary smile towards Jason. "I'll just take the girls and they can be back with help lickity split." The mustached stranger promised with a snap of his fingers.
Something in his tone made Jason leery. The way the man was staring at Trini and Kim seemed wrong somehow. Jason looked at them now from this man's position. They looked exhausted and sun burnt but more then that they looked like weak and easy prey. Jason felt a bubble of anger form inside.
"Never mind, we're fine." Jason said moving away from the van.
"But..."The man started to argue. Jason could now see the desire in his eyes as he glanced back and forth between Trini and Kim. It sickened Jason to his core. He knew his female friends were beautiful but he loved them like sisters. Jason had been raised better then that and he would never look at a women the way this man looked at his family now.
"We're fine." Jason growled now flexing his muscles a bit. Next time he would listen to Kimberly's warning. If something looked unsafe, it probably was.
"Screw you!" The man suddenly shouted, peeling away dangerously close to Jason, kicking up dust into Jason's face. Jason coughed trying to get the sand out of his eyes.
"Man are you okay?" Zack said rushing over to lead Jason off the road.
"Yeah just..." he lowered his voice debating telling Zack what the man really wanted but he changed his mind. "I'm fine. He just wasn't going our way. We'll try the next one." he said loud enough for everyone to hear.
So the rangers waited...and waited. Another hour passed. Jason kept pacing near the road looking for any sign of a vehicle. He was getting agitated now, believing that he had made a mistake. He should have just left everyone at the command center and come alone. Even if leaving them there would have been a risk. At least they wouldn't have be in the sun for so long."
"Jason?" Billy called gingerly coming over to him. Jason jumped a bit, being shaken from his thoughts. Once Billy saw the leader was paying attention now, he continued. "We're out of water. If a vehicle doesn't come along soon..." Billy let his words die in the air.
Jason nodded. "Fifteen more minutes, then we figure out plan B." he promised. Billy nodded.
"Guys a car!" Kimberly suddenly shouted. Squinting at the dot on the horizon.
"Its a bus." Zack corrected "Hey over here!" he shouted waving his arms as it came closer.
"They don't appear to be stopping." Trini said.
"Please stop." Kimberly called loudly, then softer. "Please, please stop."
"Is that? No way!" Jason yelled as the bus came to a sudden halt near them.
"Ernie!" The teens called as the diver side window of the brand new Angel Grove Youth Center bus opened.
"What are you guys doing out here?" Ernie asked.
"You wouldn't believe us if we told you." Zack said with a smile.
"Since when does the youth center have a bus?" Jason asked.
"I just finished getting this bad ride detailed in Central City. I figured, you know with all the different clubs the youth center hosts we could use a bus. Well come on, get in. I'll take you all back to the youth center." Ernie assured opened the bus door. As the teens climbed on the cool AC air caressed them lovingly. Jason came up with a believable story quickly and told Ernie, as he drove, all about there circumstances that led them to being in the desert. Five minutes later when Jason finished and turned to take a seat he couldn't help but smile. All four of his team mates were fast asleep on the cool and comfortable seats of the bus. It would be about half an hour till they were back at the youth center. Jason thought as he stretched out on a seat. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself a few deep breaths to relax. The battle that laid ahead would be rough on them all. It would be best if they rested whenever they could. Jason slowly felt his body begin to drift into sleep.
They would fix the command center and stop whoever was responsible for its destruction. As long as he had his friends everything would work out.
To be continued. Please review.