A\N: Well, liron-aria and I were working on fics asking the basic question: What if Tommy turned evil? And this was my response. I'm not quite sure if it's too graphic to count as T, but it's almost Halloween, so...happy Halloween? If you aren't a fan of horror, bad fic. If you are, enjoy. Edit: I just took the 'finis' out because I'm putting up a new chapter soon, if you already read this part, you don't need to re-read or anything.
His head was splitting open.
Tommy Oliver could hear someone screaming. It was probably him—Mesegog was terrifyingly skilled at torture.
And for some reason, the bastard's chosen weapon was mind-rape.
Tommy wasn't bad at mental fighting, but he wasn't anywhere near the level of this monster. Anton's psychic prowess was only amplified when Elsa helped him, and Tommy was only barely holding on to coherent thought.
He'd been fighting for as long as he could remember.
It was like the world was sitting on his mind. Tommy closed his eyes. Oh, god. He just wanted this to stop. Just to curl up and sleep forever.
Please, God. Please. Let the pain end. Please...
Mesegog laughed.
Tommy heard it in the new silence. His vocal chords must have worn out. That would hurt soon...
"Theere isss...noGod." Mesegog whispered, caressing Tommy's aching head, somewhere in the physical realm. "No...helpfor...you. No one...but meee."
The pain struck even harder.
He was going to lose. Tommy knew that. He would fall soon, after an eternity of waiting, like rock that crumbled into the sea. And he could feel it happening already. Vague flashes of color, reminders of children who depended on him, had come and gone.
All that was left was the weight of the world.
Tommy.
Somewhere in his mind, the creature called Tommy looked up.
Tommy...
A figure in green, a brother-in-arms, was waiting, holding out his arms. Tommy reached up like a child, and the green man knelt, holding him.
Tommy. Poor brother. What did he do to you?
Tommy tried to speak and failed.
Shh. Shh shh shh. The Green Ranger stroked Tommy's hair. You don't have to feel that.
Tommy managed speech this time. "H...have to. The kids..."
The Green Ranger smiled. Don't worry. I'll take care of them.
"P...promise?" It was important. He couldn't...
I promise.
Tommy could feel a sense of light. It was waiting behind the Green Ranger, a doorway of peace, calm...
Go ahead.
The Green Ranger helped him up. For the first time, Tommy smiled, beginning to shuffle and limp to the door. As he grew nearer, he grew stronger, until he was erect and proud as he opened the door.
The Green Ranger waited until Tommy had shut the door behind him to laugh.
He laughed and laughed, letting the low sound fill the entire mind, a dark sound that would have made the dead man tremble in fear. Then he stood, smiling.
Brother. What a fool you are.
"Hey, Dr. O?"
The man turned.
The Dino Teens grinned and ran to their mentor in relief. To the man's ears, their cries sounded like gibberish, birdcalls all running together.
"Dr. O! You're okay!"
"You didn't come to Kira's gig-"
"We were worried-"
"Thought maybe you were on vacation-"
"Where'd you go?"
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"Yeah, I wanted to go to Hawai'i!"
"Guys!"
The teens fell silent.
The man had to resist the urge to grin. So sweet, these children. So kind. So concerned.
So easy to break.
"I didn't go on vacation. I was busy. And right now, I'm not, so why don't we start training?" The man stood, allowing himself a smile as he reached out and picked up Conner by the collar, lifting the boy off the ground. "Lesson one."
Conner made a sickening crunching noise as he hit the wall.
"Anyone is your enemy. Even me."
The remaining two were frozen for the barest second. It was enough time for Tommy to backhand Ethan, sending the younger boy spinning to the ground, but not enough for him to attack Kira, who let loose a Ptera-Scream.
The man waited calmly in the midst of it.
Kira was strong, of course, the man realized, but he wasn't surprised when she coughed, suddenly unable to breathe. No child could keep that scream up forever. His hand snapped out, grasping her throat and lifting her up.
"What a pretty little songbird." The man said, running a fingertip down Kira's face. His tone turned cold and deadly as he sharply pulled her nearer, making her tiny body shake.
"Don't ever do that again."
Kira landed silently, without even whimpering, but Ethan was starting to get up, and Conner was cursing under his breath. The man turned to Conner, letting his smile show as he stalked over.
"...f*cking...bastard..." Conner shoved his shoulder back into place, gritting his teeth at the pain. "Knew we couldn't trust you!"
The man kicked Conner's arm out from under him, watching in amusement as the boy collapsed. "Of course not. That was foolish." He crouched and tilted Conner's chin up, trying to judge the boy's eyes. Pity, the Red Ranger was still trying to fight him. "You want to fight me, don't you, boy?"
Conner spat at the man.
The man chuckled and wiped it away, then slapped Conner, hard enough so the sound echoed throughout the room. What a beautiful sound, the man thought.
"Enough f*cking around."
Ethan charged at the man, who turned and swept the boy's legs out from under him, catching him as he fell to pull him up by the arms. Ethan screamed as his shoulders both popped out. The man chuckled and forced Ethan to his knees, catching a tear of his on one finger.
This was delightful.
"Leave him alone!" Was that a note of panic in Conner's voice? The man turned happily. Did Conner realize what was going to happen next?
"You've been very foolish, Conner." The man said, almost as if he were telling a child that ice cream wasn't for breakfast. "And this is what happens when you're a fool."
He snapped Ethan's finger.
The man had forgotten Kira. The girl was small, but suicidally stupid or brave, and had leaped on his back. How irritating. As the man reached up to get her off, Conner used his superspeed.
Very well, the kid gloves were off.
Conner was easy to counter. The boy relied on speed alone, and the man had trained with the finest warriors. It was easy to know where to strike, and the boy stopped speeding after one snapped rib. Almost a pity, the man had been hoping to do more than just punch him in the face.
Kira was a bit trickier. The girl had clearly studied her fighting, and knew to stay out of his strike range. Her attention seemed more focus on drawing him away from her teammates, giving them a chance to recover.
Well, that was easy to change.
The man leaned back, making it look like his range was farther away. Kira, fearful of losing his attention, danced inward.
He struck.
This time he hit her hard and quickly, making sure she was incapable of fighting back. It still only took four or so blows, but she actually screamed, from either fear or pain, before he stopped. The scream was so good...
No. The man breathed deeply, forcing himself to control his hunger. He would have all the screams he wanted, from all of them.
Soon.
He turned to the boys again. Ethan was still on the floor, but intact enough to begin the training. The man pulled him up onto his knees again, ignoring the whimper of pain. "I told you we were training today." The man began. "So, here's the second lesson."
He kicked Ethan in the stomach.
Ethan, to his credit, didn't scream. He tried to use his Gem's power, that pathetic harder skin. The man narrowed his eyes, then yanked the boy's wrist up.
"Tell me, Conner. Do you see this?"
Conner glared.
"Answer me, boy."
Conner spat again.
Tommy sighed and kicked Conner in the face. Kira let out a short scream, and the man smirked. Children. "Kira. Look at this." He shook Ethan's arm at Kira, who nodded in terror, shrinking against the wall.
"Now," The man said conversationally as he walked over to a table, "I understand the temptation to use your powers against me, I really do." He slammed Ethan's arm down, pulling a knife from his pocket.
Ethan started struggling.
The man resisted the urge to hit him over the head. Brain damage wouldn't do, not with this one. He needed the Blue Ranger capable of higher thought. Anyway, it would dull the pain. So the man set the knife to Ethan's hand and slit in.
Ethan whimpered.
The man slowly carved the superstrong skin away. Not all of it, no, that would be a waste, but the back of Ethan's hand and wrist weren't incredibly vulnerable areas. Ethan still refused to scream, although odd noises were escaping his lips.
He finished disappointed. None of them had screamed or shown pain. He might actually have to cause permanent damage to them...a thought he disliked. They would have no place in his new world order if he damaged them.
He let Ethan's hand go.
The boy fell to the ground and let out a gasp, clearly struggling not to cry. The man smiled slowly. That was delightful, at least. Not enough, but a good start. He reached for the other hand and slammed it on the table.
Ethan's eyes went wide.
Well. Well, well, well. So the boy's endurance had its limits. The man reached out with the knife, flicking it over Ethan's skin, and the boy whimpered.
"Stop."
The man glanced over Ethan to see Kira, hunched against the wall, speaking in a broken whisper. "S..stop. Please. We'll listen. I promise."
"Really?" The man asked.
Kira nodded, a gesture that could have been called eager if it weren't for the horror reflected in her eyes. He could probably stop now and leave her scarred for life, not that he had any intention of stopping. "Promise."
Still looking into her eyes, the man made the next cut.
Ethan screamed, a bloodcurdling sound that made Kira nearly scream as well, shutting her eyes and starting to cry. When it died down, the man gave her a kindly, paternal look. "I'd love to stop, Kira. I really would." He cut down again, earning another scream, this one dying off into sobs. "But you wouldn't learn your lesson then, would you?"
"What lesson?" Conner all but shouted from where he knelt on the floor. "What the f*ck is this?"
"It's simple, really." The man's voice turned cold as his eyes flashed green. "Do not defy me. Ever."
Silence.
"Green Ranger."
The Green Ranger gave a genuine smile of pleasure. "You've heard of me?" He slid the knife further down.
"Dr. O told us about you." Conner whispered. He didn't seem to be able to look away from Ethan's hand.
"And what did my brother say?" The Green Ranger inquired, cutting a bit faster to see if another scream would emerge from Ethan's helpless sobs. It didn't. Pity.
"To run." Kira whispered.
The Green Ranger thought this over for a moment, finishing his cuts. He got a final scream from Ethan and the entire patch of skin free before he answered, letting Ethan fall to the floor sobbing in pain.
"Tommy was very smart." The Green Ranger said. "You should have run. All of you." He set the knife aside, turning to find a towel to wipe his hands on. "But there's no choice now. You all belong to me."
Mesegog had been thrilled.
Conner had never seen Mesegog before. The thing was freakin' ugly. And really, really disgusting.
But the Green Ranger got him to leave the Dino Rangers in one cell.
Ethan was asleep, his head on Conner's lap and his hands bandaged with the tatters of Conner's shirt. Kira had waited until Ethan was asleep too to cry herself into dreams.
Conner couldn't do either.
He stroked Ethan's hair quietly. Damnit. He should've done something. Should've been faster, smarter...
He should've saved them.
The door opened.
Conner pulled Kira and Ethan a bit closer to him. The Green Ranger watched him dispassionately, almost as if he didn't notice the protective urges of the Tyrannodrone.
"Conner. Get up."
The boy's eyes turned suspicious. "Why?"
The Green Ranger sighed. "Do you need another lesson?"
"No." Conner scrambled up, stepping between his teammates and the Green Ranger as quickly as possible. "No, I'm up."
The Green Ranger reached out. Conner flinched, but instead of pain, he felt a soft touch.
The man's eyes glowed green as he petted Conner's head. Then he grabbed Conner by the scruff of the neck and shoved him out into the corridor.
They went through enough twists and turns so Conner was completely lost, but ended in a large room, some kind of training room. The Green Ranger threw Conner into it and shut the door, turning to lock it.
"Are you going to kill me?"
The Green Ranger paused, then returned to locking the door. "Why would you think that, Conner?" He turned back, his face pleasantly blank.
Conner shivered. "You're going to kill us all."
The Green Ranger sighed. "And you're so promising, too." He reached out, this time slapping Conner, hard enough to make the boy stumble, before grabbing Conner's hair. "No. I'm not going to kill you."
He shoved Conner back, a smile starting on his face. "I'm going to train you."
Conner shuddered.
The man smiled. It would have been warm, if the Green Ranger were capable of emotion.
Then he struck.
Conner blocked out of instinct. The Green Ranger sighed, then grabbed Conner's wrists. "Did I tell you to block?" He asked calmly.
Conner shook his head.
"Of course not. You defied me. And defiance should be punished." Conner's stomach turned to lead. "But," The Green Ranger continued, "I'll give you a choice."
Conner had a very bad feeling about this.
"Either I can beat you again," the man said almost conversationally, "Or I can burn your wrists. Your choice."
Well, that explained the bad feeling.
"Do I have to?" Conner tried to joke weakly.
The Green Ranger slapped him again.
"Do you want me to choose?" The older man asked, and Conner felt like he was having some sort of demented flashback to his childhood. Conner shook his head. "Good. Then choose one."
"B...beat me." The images of Ethan's bloodied hands was floating behind Conner's eyes. He wasn't going to let the Green Ranger do the same to him.
The Green Ranger smiled.
He pushed Conner down to his knees, then there was the sound of a belt being undone. Conner shut his eyes in horror. Now he was-
-There again.
Conner was five years old and staring up at the man he called Daddy. The vase, broken, was in Daddy's hands, and Conner was scared that Daddy would take the vase shards and cut Conner with them.
"Conner. Tell me what I should do."
He couldn't say anything. He was going to get hurt sooo bad. And he would probably cry, too, because he was a baby and couldn't do anything right.
"I...I'm sorry—"
Daddy hit him and knocked him down.
Conner tried not to cry. Only babies cried.
"Answer the f*cking question."
Conner looked nervously from the shard to the belt. Shard, belt...
"You should cut me." He muttered, staring at the ground.
Daddy sighed. "Wrong answer." He stood up, starting to undo his belt.
Conner watched in silent horror.
When Daddy grabbed him, Conner freaked out. He started screaming, trying to run away, until Daddy slapped Conner again, making Conner shake like a leaf. Then he raised the belt and brought it down on Conner's back.
Conner screamed-
Conner screamed.
The Green Ranger smirked. He loved those screams. "Starting to remember, Conner?" He brought the belt down again, laughing to himself as the boy put out his arms, trying not to fall. The flashback must be horrible.
What a stupid thing to tell your mentor...
"You...you sick bastard!"
Conner felt the blow knock him down, felt the other blows, but he was angry now, surging up to defend himself in pure rage. The Green Ranger could barely counter them-
There was a snap.
Conner fell to the ground.
"There. All better?" The Green Ranger asked soothingly, crouching next to Conner. "Got all of our anger out?"
Conner was shaking like a leaf.
"I can be that father you wanted." The Green Ranger whispered. "I can be everything. Father, mentor, god. And all I ask is one thing."
The belt hit Conner's back again.
"Obey."
The Green Ranger dragged Conner to his knees, then struck him again, harder. "Obey."
Another strike. "Obey."
Another. "Obey.
Another. "Obey.
The word rang around and around in Conner's head. Finally he fell to the ground.
"Get up."
Conner obeyed.
The Green Ranger surveyed his new pet, satisfied. This was the fastest he'd completed the initial breaking. There would be more work, certainly, but the trickiest part was over.
"Tell me, Conner." The Green Ranger whispered. "What am I?"
"My...master." Conner whispered.
The Green Ranger would never tire of hearing that.
"Good boy."
Conner didn't shudder when the Green Ranger reached out to pat his head. Instead, he smiled.
Kira didn't ever particularly want to know what Hell was.
Unfortunately, she did.
Conner was gone. He had been for...how long? Days? Weeks? It was impossible to tell how long, and she may have squabbled with him at every chance, but they were all practically family, and she had to force herself not to cry every time she thought of him. The irony was that he wasn't even physically gone; he would be thrown back into the cell every so often.
He would be smiling and telling her all about the mercy and wisdom of 'Master' while his injuries bled freely. And when Kira tried to stop him, remind him that 'Master' was the reason he was nearly passing out from pain, he would turn on her. He'd actually hurt her, breaking two ribs (or maybe more, it was hard to tell) because she wouldn't call the Green Ranger 'Master'.
She'd stopped talking to him out of sheer self-preservation.
When Conner wasn't there, Ethan would crawl into her lap. He was dying. Kira could feel his skin burning up, and she'd torn the bottom of her shirt and pants to make more bandages, but they weren't helping, and his hands were so infected he whimpered every time they brushed anything. He spent most of the time in a daze of hallucinated dreams.
If this had been the work of Mesegog, Kira could have handled it. She really could have. She would have simply waited, kept the boys together as much as she could, because no matter what Mesegog had done, Dr. Oliver would save them.
But the man who had done this was the same man her mind clung to as a hero.
Dr. Oliver had done all of it.
Sure, he called himself the Green Ranger, but Kira wasn't stupid. He was having a psychotic break. In reality, he was Tommy Oliver, a hero, and for some reason, for some Godforsaken reason, he had lost his mind and joined Mesegog.
That was Hell. When everything had been taken from you, by the one person you trusted most.
Kira shut her eyes.
She didn't want to cry. Not for Conner, for Ethan, for Dr. O, but for all of them together it was as if she had no choice but to cry sometimes. The most she could do was wait until Ethan was passed out and she thought it was night.
She hated-
The door opened, interrupting her thoughts. Kira tensed, pulling Ethan a bit closer, as much for comfort as to protect him.
Someone fell through.
Elsa made a disgusted noise before walking away. Kira frowned. What was Elsa doing here? The Green Ranger was the one who usually tortured Conner, not-
She stared.
The man on the floor groaned, and Kira gently moved Ethan off her lap, setting him behind her just in case. "Dr. O?" She called, crawling over to him. "Dr. O, is...is that you?"
He sat up.
Kira reached out cautiously, too afraid to go near him, too afraid not to. "Dr...Dr. O?"
The man's eyes met hers.
"Kira..."
"Dr. O!" She flung herself into his arms, not realizing she was crying until she heard her own sobs. It was real, it was him, her mentor was back!
"Shh. Shh-shh-shh. It's okay. I'm here." The man soothed, stroking Kira's hair.
"Oh my God I thought you were totally gone and Conner's gone nuts and Ethan's dying and I didn't know what to do and-"
"Kira!" The man chuckled weakly. "Breathe."
"Right." Of course. She was being stupid. She should've known he'd come back. But still, she clung to him, resting her head against his shoulder, thrilled just to have her mentor with her. "I knew you'd come." She whispered. "I knew it."
The man smiled and kissed her temple. "Of course. Hey, come on." He stood up, helping Kira with him and groaning a bit. "We gotta get out of here..."
"Ethan needs a hospital." Kira went into her 'leader mode', as Conner (normally) called it, kneeling to help Ethan up. "And we have to find Conner."
"I found him already. Ethan..." The man knelt beside Kira, then set his hand over hers. "Kira, wait a minute."
Kira frowned. "Why? What's wrong?" Oh, god, Ethan wasn't going to die, was he?
The man didn't respond.
For a few agonizing minutes, he examined Ethan, Kira slowly becoming more and more frightened. What if something was really wrong? What if they couldn't save him? What if-
"Kira." The man sighed and set Ethan's hand gently on the ground. "Kira, we can't take Ethan."
"What?" Was he insane? "We have to! Ethan needs help!"
"Kira, he's..." The man shut his eyes. "He's too far gone."
No.
"But..."
The man put his arms around Kira. "I'm sorry."
The tears were unexpected, and Kira had to fight to keep them back. "No." She whispered into his shoulder. "No. We can't...he can't be..."
"Kira. It'll be too painful if we take him."
Kira shut her eyes.
The man helped her up, leading her to the door. "Come on. The best thing we can do now is get ourselves out alive."
He knelt beside the door, doing something, and then it sprang open. Kira grinned, and the man did as well, gesturing her out.
Kira caught a glimpse of Ethan laying on the floor. Before the door shut on him, she almost imagined she saw him lift a hand to her.
Just imagination.
The man led her through the hallways easily. Of course he could, Kira reasoned. He must have been here while he was evil. That must be why. Nothing wrong with that...
Except it felt like they were going deeper.
"...Dr. O?" Kira asked warily. Was it just her imagination, or was it getting colder?
"What?" The man snapped.
Kira stared. "A.." She was being stupid. It was Dr. O. She took a breath and composed herself. Nothing was wrong, he was just tense. "Are we going the right way?"
The man's face became one Kira didn't often see. Disappointment.
"I mean, it just feels like we're going down and I don't think anyone would put a door leading outside underground and-" Kira started babbling, hating that face, that expression.
"Kira." She fell silent. The man gave her a look filled with hurt before sighing and reaching out. "I don't know why you don't trust me."
Ethan flashed into Kira's mind.
"I do!" Kira protested.
The man gave her a different look, more questioning. "Really?"
"Really! Always!" Oh, god, she never should've said anything.
The man sighed again and turned away. "Kira, I don't expect much. Just trust. Without that, we'll never make it out of here, understand?"
Kira nodded.
"Come on."
Kira followed without a word.
It grew colder and colder. Kira was having a hard time not crying, and she didn't know why. Ethan kept flashing in her mind, how he would mumble conversations every so often, how he reached for her in his sleep...
She could imagine Dr. O breaking down the door. Rushing to their side, kneeling and helping Ethan up, telling Kira it was going to be okay.
But that was stupid, wasn't it? Dr. O was right here...
She glanced at the man leading her.
Right here. And reality didn't match her fantasy. Okay. Fine. Reality never did. It wasn't supposed to...
That was okay.
Everything was fine.
Wasn't it?
The man leading Kira stopped.
She waited on tenterhooks. "Dr...Dr. O? Is Conner here?" Maybe that was why they'd gone down. Maybe they were looking for Conner...
"Shh." The man tilted his head, shutting his eyes. "Something's here..."
Zeltrax's sword caught Kira in the back.
She fell into a crouch, then turned and let out a Ptera-Scream. Somewhere she heard the man shouting, but her instincts were kicking in. Zeltrax flew against the wall, and when he collapsed he didn't move.
Kira stood slowly.
Zeltrax stayed still.
"Is he gone?" Kira asked cautiously. The man didn't respond, so Kira went over to Zeltrax, reaching into his strike range.
He was out cold.
Kira turned to the man triumphantly, only to freeze at his furious expression. "Dr. O? What's wrong?"
The man stormed up to her and grabbed her by the arm.
"Kira, how loud do you think your Ptera-Scream is?" He hissed. "Because right now, if we make it out of this hallway alive-"
"I'm sorry!" Kira gasped, belatedly realizing her mistake. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"
"No! You didn't think!" The man shook her, all but snarling his words. "You idiot!" He shoved her away, breathing slowly and rubbing his hands over his face.
Kira bit back tears.
The man stopped short, punching the wall in a display of fury that made Kira flinch. He leaned against his fist, clearly forcing himself to breath slowly.
Kira didn't realize she'd shrunk against the wall until the metal made her back feel cold.
"I'm sorry." She whispered pathetically. "If...if we run-"
"No." Almost to emphasize his point, footsteps sounded from above them. The man sighed, then straightened, turning to face the hallway. "Run, Kira. Now. I'll keep them busy."
"No!" He was freaking nuts. Kira stormed up to him, eyes narrowing. "You're Tommy f*cking Oliver! Leader of the Power Rangers! Like hell I'm letting you do this!"
The man stared at her.
"Go! Now!"
"Kira." The man said. "I-"
"If one of us has to die, it's better that it's the idiot kid instead of the Ranger who can actually do something!"
"They won't kill you! They'll turn you! You'll never survive that, you're too weak!"
Kira's eyes narrowed. "So I won't let them turn me."
The man paused.
Then he turned and ran. Kira let a breath of relief out as he did. Now she could...
She turned.
Tyrannodrones began to fill the hall. Kira let out a series of Ptera-Screams, trying not to think, to fear...
Too late.
She'd gotten through what felt like hundreds of them before they overwhelmed her. She was just a hair too slow—they grabbed her arms, forcing her to her knees, then chattered among each other, relaying some message before running off. Kira struggled weakly. Damn. She'd hoped to take more with her.
The hall went silent.
Kira could hear footsteps approaching. The tyrannodrones parted.
Mesegog grinned at her.
Kira shrank back. Something, something very deep inside of her, was screaming at her to run.
Then Mesegog stepped aside to reveal the Green Ranger.
"No..!" The whispered protest was involuntary.
The Green Ranger sighed and glanced around. "Look at this. Just look at this." He shook his head, giving Kira another hurt look. "Didn't I teach you anything? You weren't even trying."
"Wh...what? But you're...you're with him..." Kira was struggling not to cry again.
The slap rang out like a gunshot.
"I'm not talking about me, am I?" The Green Ranger snarled. "What the hell was this? If this had been a crisis, I'd be dead. Don't you care at all about me?"
"I..." What was going on?
"I, I, I." The Green Ranger mocked, rolling his eyes. "Damn. You were right. She's not worth it." He turned away, sighing. "Let them kill her."
"No. Please." Kira didn't even know what was going on anymore. All that mattered was Dr. O. She couldn't let him leave her. He'd saved her...
The Green Ranger snorted. "You aren't worth it. Kind of sad, really. You had so much potential."
"No! No, I am, I promise-" She was struggling not to say don't leave!, struggling not to cry, struggling to even comprehend what the hell was happening.
The Green Ranger turned.
He and Mesegog glanced at each other for a moment, then the Green Ranger walked over to Kira, signaling the tyrannodrones to release her. Kira tried to get up, to stand, but the Green Ranger slapped her again.
"You don't get to stand. Kneel."
She knelt, looking at the ground to hide her tears.
The Green Ranger ran a hand through Kira's hair, his tone gentling. "I don't like having to punish you, Kira."
"I'm sorry." Her voice was so weak. So pathetic. He must hate her.
"I know you are." He played with a strand of her hair, seemingly fascinated by it. "Will you be a good girl for me, Kira?"
"Yes."
"Yes, what?"
The image of Conner screaming flashed into her mind.
"Yes, Master."
The Green Ranger smiled.
How had this happened?
Trent had been walking home from school. It wasn't dangerous, he should have been fine.
He should've...
The man had just...walked up to him. Said that Trent should go with him. When Trent said no and tried to run, the man had attacked him. Trent was a good fighter, but this man was insane—Trent had been laid out in three moves.
And then he'd woken up here.
The man hadn't told Trent his name. Just that he wanted to be called 'Master'. Trent hated him. The bastard had locked a bracelet with a white gem around his wrist, and was trying to force him to 'morph'. Trent was fairly sure it was some kind of prank until the man had started to attack him again.
It had been days.
Sometimes the man would let Trent sleep, or at least pass out. Most of the time he was careful to keep Trent in just enough pain to strike a balance between being awake and pure agony.
Finally, Trent morphed.
The pain stopped.
For a pure, blissful second, the pain stopped, and Trent nearly cried with relief. Then the man had thrown a single punch and Trent had been on the ground again, too dazed even to sob as his morph shimmered away.
Then he'd left.
Trent had slept. Woken. Managed to actually get bored. By the time he was doodling with his own blood (because boredom plus the urge to draw something equaled a surprising lack of disgust), the man came back in.
Trent shrank back against the wall.
The man crouched next to Trent and grabbed his wrist, clamping something onto it just over where the morpher was. Then he yanked Trent up and dragged him out of the room.
The building they were in looked like it had been taken from the set of a zombie film, broken walls and flickering lights everywhere. The man dragged Trent through what felt like a hundred hallways before opening a door and shoving Trent in.
A boy was there.
He was dark-skinned and wore clothes that might once have been blue, but were now covered in filth. His hands were swollen and inflamed, and he lay perfectly still like he was dead.
Then he moved.
Trent almost jumped out of his skin. The boy groaned, pushing himself upright, and Trent scurried over to help him up.
"Ethan?"
Ethan stared blankly at Trent. "Kira...?"
"Trent. I'm Trent. Come on, damnit, wake up!" Trent shook Ethan's shoulders a bit, trying to will him into awareness.
Then he whirled.
"What the hell did you do?" He demanded, turning to face the man who was in the doorway.
The man's response was simple.
"Kill him."
Trent gaped.
The man backhanded him, lashing out with a fist to the ribs so quickly Trent couldn't block. Trent fell to a knee, and the man struck his back, again and again. Punishment, not torture, Trent realized, and then a second later realized how truly sick it was that he could distinguish between the man's beatings.
The blows stopped.
Trent waited for a moment before pushing himself back up again. F*ck this bastard. He wasn't letting Ethan get hurt.
"Kill him."
"No."
This time the blows were worse, angrier. Trent forced himself to stand amidst them.
He would not fall.
Ethan was curled up against the wall by this point. When the man stopped, Ethan actually spoke.
"Trent. D...don't. N...not worth it."
"See?" The man caught Trent's cheek, cupping the boy's face in his hand and turning it to face him. "He knows. He's weak. Useless. Killing him will be your first act of power." The man leaned in, his lips almost touching Trent's ear. "Take it."
He really, really should.
"No."
Trent actually flinched when he said it.
Nothing happened.
The man walked away. Trent could hear his footsteps, although his eyes were shut too tightly to actually see them.
And then there was-
Trent woke. Someone was crying. It was him.
Ethan's pawlike hands touched Trent's face. "J...just k...kill me al...already."
"No. Let him wake."
Trent wiped the tears from his eyes and slowly sat up. "Shh. S'okay, Eth. S'okay."
The man was smiling.
Trent met his eyes.
"Kill him."
"No."
Trent flinched and-
The nightmare continued. Over and over. The words felt burned into Trent's mind, as if the man's voice were imprinting on his soul.
And then the blank spots started to have dreams.
At first they were calm. Pleasant. Then came the pain. Always the same way, joy to pain, always, and always ending with a final whisper.
Just kill him, Trent...
Trent...
kill...
KILL HIM.
The pain was sinking in to him.
Somewhere, Trent could hear Ethan crying. The crying faded somehow, as if Ethan almost weren't there...it was so odd, this pain, this beauty. Trent was fascinated with it. It was welcoming him...
Just kill...
Trent's head turned.
The pain was so beautiful.
"Yes...Master."
Ethan had always loved the Power.
It had been meant for him. He had waited for it for most of his life. Bullies, being called a loser, none of it had mattered, he had sailed through all of it, because something had been waiting for him.
The Power. The Triceratops. It had greeted him and he had known, this is what I was waiting for, this is who I am, this is where I belong.
And maybe it was fitting that the Power's finest bearer would have him killed.
Trent snapped his neck.
The Green Ranger smiled and petted Trent's head before summoning a tyrannodrone. "Take him to the others." His smile became a cruel smirk. "When he attacks the Yellow Ranger, don't interfere."
Trent obediently walked away.
The Green Ranger began to laugh.
Slowly. Chillingly. The laugh was rolling through the room, filling everything.
And then the Green Ranger pulled out Zeltrax's body.
He glanced at Ethan and smiled. "Ethan, Ethan, Ethan. You have no idea what's in store, Little Boy Blue. None at all..."
The laughter rang throughout the night.
Mesegog was pleased.
Elsa was working on a new monster. Zeltrax was gone—initially a problem, but now that Mesegog thought about it, really an improvement, especially since Elsa seemed to work better without Zeltrax distracting her. He had the Dino Rangers captive to study.
And he had the Evil Green Ranger.
That was a weapon that could not be underestimated. And in the hands of Mesegog! The monster grinned, all but preening himself in delight.
A weapon. A formidable, living weapon—Mesegog's favorite kind—one which not only was strong, but strong enough to have turned on its own creator.
Rita was a fool. Mesegog would take her weapon and return the world to the age of the dinosaur.
He'd have to send her a fruit basket.
ZAP!
The Green Ranger looked up, smirking, at Elsa.
Mesegog's body fell to the floor. The Green Ranger, elegantly dressed in bloodstained clothes, was holding a blaster, and behind him filtered in the morphed White Ranger, an armored Conner McKnight, Kira Ford armed to the teeth with sharp objects, and Zeltrax. Or rather, Ethan James in Zeltrax's body.
Elsa gaped.
The Green Ranger stalked over to her. "Oh, come on. You didn't really think I'd let him live, now did you?"
"Y...you...you were-" Elsa stammered.
The Green Ranger lifted a finger to her chin, shutting her mouth.
"I have exactly one question, Elsa." He said, turning with a swirl of his coat to march up to Mesegog's throne and sit on it. His generals, broken and warped, surrounded him. "And it requires only one answer."
Elsa really hoped it wasn't what she thought it was.
"Will you join me? Or die?"
...It was.
Elsa cautiously approached the throne. "Why me." It wasn't as if they were friends or anything, after all, and best to know now if he planned to shoot her in the back.
"Well, you know where the coffee machine is."
...He was insane. Totally insane.
"Elsa." The Green Ranger's smile was kind. His eyes were less so. "Mesegog's plan was unworkable. Under me, you can have power. Not unlimited, not without restraints, but you won't die." His face grew as cold as his eyes. "Yes, or no?"
Elsa had no choice. She knelt.
"Yes, Master."
Somewhere, there was laughter.