Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers.
A/N - This is a follow up one-shot to both my story The Winged Lord and Lady of the Skies, as well as the previous follow up one-shot, Countdown to Destruction. You might be confused in places if you haven't at least read The Winged Lord and Lady.
The Oliver family vacation of 2002 consisted of the ten minute travel across their hometown of Angel Grove at the behest of two old friends who had recently opened their own hotel named 'Bulkmeiers.' The place reminded Tommy and Kimberly of the Youth Centre, and its happy, welcoming atmosphere, though on a much larger scale. Bulk and Skull seemed to be doing well for themselves the number of guests were any indication. Upon their arrival, they were met by the two proprietors themselves.
"Uncle Bulk, Uncle Skull!" eight year old Kira cried launching herself at two of her many uncles.
"Hey Monkey." Said Skull who'd been the one to catch her, earning a playful glare from his niece at the use of the nickname he and Bulk had given her after their time spent as monkeys when she was but three. Apparently she took great delight in them as monkeys, playing with them constantly and acting like a monkey herself; something she remembered nothing of, though had prompted the nickname.
"This place is great guys, thanks for inviting us." Kim said greeting them with a hug. They had seen the place a couple months ago when Bulkmeiers officially opened, however a tour had been the extent of their visit.
"We're glad you came." Said Bulk.
"Did we really have a choice?" Tommy muttered earning a smack from Kim. Tommy had been gunning for a real honeymoon this summer, not a family vacation. Due to Tommy's racing schedule, they'd had but a few days after their '98 wedding, and in the near four years since this was the first opportunity they'd had to have a true honeymoon. He hadn't planned on anything extravagant, they didn't have the money for a trip to Hawaii or anything, but time alone with his wife would have been nice. Then, Tommy's hopes had been dashed when they'd gotten the invitation from Bulk and Skull, and they'd come here instead.
"Hey, where else were you going to get a free room, free services, and free babysitting?" Skull asked.
"Wait…free?" Tommy asked incredulously.
"Yep. Have fun you two." Said Bulk. "Come on Monkey, let's go to the pool!"
"Yay!" Tommy stared after them with an open mouth until Kim reached up and closed it for him.
"Come on Handsome."
"You knew didn't you?" he asked as they carried their bags up to their room.
"I knew about the free babysitting part, not the room and services."
"But why do we need babysitting on a family vacation?"
"Tommy I know you wanted to go on an actual honeymoon this summer, and I'm sorry we couldn't. I asked around and between everyone's summer plans there was never a time we could have gotten away for more then a few days while still leaving Kira protected, so this was the best alternative. We've got two weeks almost to ourselves. Bulk and Skull will keep Kira occupied but we'll still be on site in case something happens."
"You expecting something to happen?" he asked and she shot him a knowing look.
"It's us, Tommy. Every time we think things are going well, something happens."
"Ok I'll give you that one." They arrived at their room and Kim pulled out the key card, opening the door and throwing their suitcases inside.
"But until something happens," She said with a seductive smile. "I fully intend to take advantage of all the childless time we're given." She pulled Tommy into a kiss, which he was only too happy to deepen as he swept her into his arms and carried her into their room.
-T/K-
Tommy was actually quite happy with this compromise, he admitted to himself as he went down to the pool area some hours later to watch Kira swim while Kim slept; even at eight years old, he didn't like being far from his daughter and this offered the best of both worlds. Once seeing that Kira was happily playing with some other children, Tommy took a seat on a nearby deck chair and began to read the paper he'd brought with him. He was interrupted only once by Bulk and Skull as they reverted to their old teasing ways and tried to embarrass him about the fact that they'd been asked to babysit specifically so he and Kim could have sex. A glare from Tommy, however, had them backing down and apologising, retreating to the outdoor bar. Hours passed in which Tommy looked up occasionally to check on his daughter but other then that he quietly read his paper as his wife slept in their hotel room. That she was still sleeping had Tommy inwardly smirking at the thought that he'd worn her out. His solitude was once again interrupted by Bulk and Skull.
"You really think we oughta bug him?" Skull stage whispered.
"It sounds important!" Bulk insisted. "Excuse me, sir, you have a phone call." Tommy shook his head and held out his hand for the phone, which was handed to him followed by Bulk and Skull's quick retreat.
"Hello?"
"Tommy, it's Andros."
"Hey, Andros, what's going on?"
"They finished digging it out." Tommy's face immediately fell, knowing exactly what he was talking about.
"How long do we have?"
"Sunset…at the latest."
"Alright, call the others in." Tommy sighed. "And send Carter for the rookie. If you're right and we don't have much time he'll believe Lightspeed Rescue before any of us. I'm on my way."
"Tommy wait!" Andros cried knowing he was about to hang up. "There's more…"
"More? What else could possibly be happening? Spit it out Andros!" he snapped when the Space Ranger was quiet for too long.
"They have Kira." All the blood drained from Tommy's face and he whipped around towards the pool.
"That's impossible. Kira's right…" His eyes scanned the pool again but found no sign of his daughter. "Here…" He began frantically searching the rest of the pool area, drawing the attention of Bulk and Skull.
"Tommy what is it?" They asked, knowing the look on his face all too well.
"Have you seen Kira?" he demanded.
"Last I saw she was in the pool." Said Skull as he and Bulk began searching as well, though like Tommy they came up empty.
"Shit!" Tommy cursed, bringing the phone back up to his ear. "Get it done. Now!" he barked. Before throwing the phone at Bulk and taking off.
"Tommy what…?"
"No time, don't tell Kim!" Those last three words alone had fear racing through the two, for nothing good ever came of not telling Kim.
-T/K-
By the time Tommy made it to the NASADA spaceport, where they were all to gather before heading out, most of the others had already arrived, introductions had been made, and Tommy was just in time to dramatically enter upon Andros telling the newer guys that they'd been assembled by a veteran Ranger, their leader for this mission.
"Who is that?" Asked the one who must be the rookie for Tommy didn't recognize him at all.
"That's Tommy." Said TJ. "The Red Zeo Power Ranger. He's a legend." Tommy tried not to laugh at that last bit, wondering what Jason would say about him, Tommy, being called a legend in the context of Red Rangers.
"Thank you guys for coming on short notice." He started.
"So what's going on? The call sounded urgent." Said a guy with a red beret who Tommy identified as Wes, the Red Time Force Ranger.
"I was hoping this day would never come. Andros has recently tracked down the remains of the evil Machine Empire."
"But I thought the Zeo Rangers destroyed them years ago." TJ said.
"We destroyed their leaders, but unknown until recently, some of their generals managed to survive. They've been hiding all these years, but they've finally regrouped their forces and are amassing on the Moon. Preparing to invade Earth."
"The Moon?" the rookie asked, and Tommy reminded himself to learn the rookie's name. "So…how are we supposed to get there to stop them?"
"In this." Andros said with pride. He hit a button and some lights came on behind them, revealing a giant ship. "I present the Astro Megaship Mark II. Fresh off the construction yards of KO-35, the fastest space ship in the galaxy."
"Guys. This is going to be a very dangerous mission." Said Tommy. "But I can't force you to go. This is a decision you have to make on your own"
"I don't know much about space ships, or this Machine Empire, but I will go wherever I must to protect the Earth." The rookie spoke like a true Power Ranger.
"Same goes for us." Wes said.
"Count me in." said Carter.
"It's not even a question." TJ told his predecessor.
"Then it's settled." Andros finished.
"Let's do it." Tommy said, ready to get up there and kick some Machine ass.
"Wait, wasn't there another Red Ranger here on Earth?"
"I was hoping he'd show up." Tommy muttered, reminding himself to kill Jason when he got back for leaving Tommy to save Kira on his own, even though no one save him and Andros even knew Kira had been taken. "But I guess he couldn't make it. We'll have to go on without him." Suddenly, the rookie's head snapped to the door.
"Guys!" he said before running outside, all of them seeing a lone figure on a motor cycle approaching.
"Jason." Tommy said with a shake of his head when the figure had removed his helmet.
"You guys weren't gonna do this without me were you?" he asked. He went over to the rookie first, preparing to go down the line, greeting his friends and 'co-workers.'
"So you must be the new guy." He said and TJ whispered to the rookie who this was. The hero worship then set in, as it had with most of them at some point.
"Hi, I'm Cole." He held out his hand and both Jason and Tommy filed that name away. Jason merely patted him on the shoulder before making his way down towards Tommy.
"I recognize some of you guys." He greeted TJ and Andros. "Some of you more then others." He directed to Carter, Wes and Eric before stopping at Tommy.
"I was starting to wonder whether you'd show up at all."
"You didn't think I was going to let you do this without the Original Red Ranger did you?" The two clasped hands before they all made their way onto the ship. They went to one of the conference rooms where Alpha 5 was greeted with surprise and enthusiasm.
"Alpha's been helping me out." Andros explained. "What with Alpha 6 being on Mirinoi. Speaking of which, I've contacted Leo, and Aurico on Aquitar. They'll be here as soon as they can."
"Good."
"It's all ready, Tommy."
"Let's get started." Tommy pressed a button that Andros had handed him, it acting very much like a control to a protector screen, though this one being a hologram that appeared in the centre of the table they all sat around. "Several years ago, the Machine Empire emerged from deep space, and tried to invade Earth. Myself and the other Zeo Rangers succeeded in stopping the invasion by destroying their leader, King Mondo, and most of the Empire with him. But now, the last surviving members of the Machine Empire have re-grouped under the command of General Venjix, and are gathering here in the Sea of Tranquility on the Moon."
"Looks like they're digging something." Eric said as the screen switched to recent footage Andros had taken.
"What would they want on the Moon?" Wes asked.
"Serpentera." Said Jason. Tommy nodded.
"Years ago when Lord Zedd was defeated, his personal Zord remained hidden on the surface of the Moon."
"I spent the last few months monitoring General Venjix, since he and the other Generals re-appeared." Said Andros. "Which they only did, upon discovering the hidden location of Serpentera."
"If the Machine Empire gets their hands on Serpentera, they're gonna have more then enough power to destroy Earth." Jason informed them.
"Then we have to stop them here on the Moon." Said Cole simply. "We're the only chance Earth has." Tommy nodded in agreement before he finally took his seat with a deep sigh and turned to address Jason alone.
"There's more. And please don't kill me for not telling you sooner."
"Whenever you start something with 'please don't kill me' I always end up wanting to kill you." Jason retorted with narrowed eyes, a fact that Tommy couldn't deny.
"They have Kira." He muttered, not looking his best friend in the eye. Jason's face turned to stone and the others were immensely glad they weren't Tommy.
"They what?" he breathed. Tommy didn't bother to answer, knowing it was a rhetorical question. At his hung head, Jason jumped up and towered over Tommy. "They have my goddaughter and you're just telling me now?!" He roared. "What the hell Tommy?! You gather us all together, waiting on me cause I'm late, then give us all a history lesson before you tell me this?! That should have been the first thing you mentioned! I would have teleported in, Alpha could have teleported us right to the Moon! Why are we wasting time here?!"
"Wait back up." Said Carter. "What's going on, who's Kira?" Although they'd known of each other's existence, none of them had really had any contact until now, save for Tommy, Jason, TJ and Andros. Tommy may know Wes and Eric's names and be able to recognize them as Rangers, but apart from that he didn't know the first thing about them, and had never met them before.
"My daughter." Said Tommy. "The Machine Empire captured her."
"I'm with Jason, you definitely should have led with that." Said TJ, to which Andros nodded; though he had already known, he was against Tommy's decision to wait to tell the others. The Originals through to the Space Rangers were all friends, most dating back to childhood, and so both TJ and Andros knew Kira well.
"Aye yai yai!" Alpha cried. "Why didn't you say anything Tommy?" He was just as worried about Kira as the others, and Tommy had no answer for him.
"I'm sorry." Wes said. "We'll get her back." Carter, Eric and Cole nodded. With the knowledge that a child was in danger, and one of their own for that matter, there was no way they were letting the Machine Empire get away with this.
"Hold on a minute." Jason said as a thought hit him. "Where's Kim?"
"Kimberly, Tommy's wife and the Original Pink Ranger." TJ muttered to the newer guys.
"She was asleep…" Tommy murmured and Jason managed an expression few before him had. His glare intensified, while his face lost its colour and his eyes betrayed his fear.
"And you didn't wake her up?!" he asked incredulously. "You do know the world of pain we're going to be in when she finds out right? And not just her! Trini's gonna kill me! Screw the fact that I had no idea our goddaughter was missing when I left, she's still gonna kill me!"
"And yet I see that you're not contacting her." Tommy defended, pointing towards the still ever present communicators they both wore. Jason sat back down with a sigh and rubbed a hand over his face.
"Obviously my brain is malfunctioning almost as bad as yours, but I'm gonna say it's too late to contact them. By the time I found out, we were arriving on the Moon and there was no time to get them…that's my story and I'm sticking to it."
-T/K-
Kira was wholly unimpressed with the machines that were a flurry of action around her. When they'd first brought her here, Venjix had deemed her nothing but a stupid, weak, kid and had taken great delight in informing her of his plans for Earth, and for her family. This had ignited her anger and she'd quickly felled the Cogs that held her and got a hit on Venjix before the others had overpowered her, resulting in her current situation of being tied up against a couple of pipes. On the other hand, once they'd given up on the weak part and had tied her up, they left her alone knowing she couldn't escape, which gave her the perfect opportunity to observe, and learn; her family had taught her well. So, by the time the rescue team came, as she knew they eventually would, Kira would know enough of their plans to be of help.
"General Venjix, installation of the neo-plutonium reactor to Serpentera is complete." One of the other Generals informed their leader.
"Excellent Gerrok. Finally we can avenge your untimely destruction, King Mondo." Kira rolled her eyes as the five Generals bowed to a statue of their deceased leader. "Let's begin!" Realizing what was happening, Kira began to panic. They were headed for Serpentera to begin the attack on Earth, but the Rangers hadn't arrived yet. This was not good. Thankfully, just before she could do something both stupid and heroic, like draw the attention of the machines that wanted to kill her, an explosion sounded and a few Cogs came flying into the room followed by some familiar, and not so familiar, people.
"You know if you miss King Mondo that much, I promise we can help you join him." Said Jason.
"You're late!" Kira yelled angrily, though she let out a sigh of relief that they'd arrived in time nonetheless.
"You alright?" Tommy asked his daughter, sparing her a quick look and assessment for injury before turning his attention back to the enemy.
"I'm fine." She growled, fighting against her bonds and Jason shuddered at how much she looked like his sister when she'd been that age. "Just take care of them and get me out of here!"
"Don't worry, we will." TJ assured her.
"We're not gonna let you bring back Serpentera!" cried Cole.
"Try and stop us." Venjix said. "Cogs, to battle!" The Rangers fell into fighting stances and headed the Cogs off, though the Generals stepped in when it came to Tommy and Jason, having recognized them as two of the Zeo Rangers who had destroyed their illustrious King. This meant the two were unable to reach Kira, who had been their primary concern, leaving her rescue to the first Ranger who could get to her, which happened to be Carter as his battle with the Cogs had led him right to her. Pulling out his blaster, Carter shot the six Cogs down then used it to blow a hole in the ropes holding Tommy's daughter.
"Thanks." Kira said as she observed the battle and rubbed her arms with a shiver. She'd been captured right from the pool and wore only her swimsuit, and now without being curled up against heated pipes, she felt the coldness of space.
"Here." Carter said as he shrugged out of his jacket. Kira turned her attention away from the battle in time to see his kind gesture, but also the Cog that tried to sneak up behind him.
"Hiyah!" she cried, hitting the Cog with a kick before dropping into a crouch, grabbing Carter's blaster, and shooting it in the chest. Carter looked at her with wide eyes and an open mouth, one arm still through his jacket, it had happened that fast.
"Thanks." Kira said again as she took his jacket, wrapping it around her and handing him back his blaster.
"What…how…" he stammered.
"When your family is made up almost entirely of Power Rangers you learn a thing or two." Came her reply. Any response Carter may have had was cut off as General Venjix spoke.
"Generals, let us board Serpentera." The two whipped their heads around, seeing Tommy and Jason no longer fighting them, but a large group of Cogs. Along with the other Rangers, Carter and Kira ran outside the base, glad for the power still surrounding the area, left over from Rita and Zedd's palace, that allowed them to breathe on the surface of the Moon. Cole had run ahead to stop the Generals and was hit from a blast from Venjix, only for the lead General then to be hit by one himself as a streak of red came out of space and picked Cole up out of the line of fire. They watched as the Red Galaxy Ranger and his Jet Jammer, along with Aurico who hitched a ride, came around and landed beside the others.
"Leo, Aurico, you're just in time!" said Andros as he and the others went to greet the two newcomers. Kira hung back, knowing they were probably about to morph, and she'd only be a liability.
"Andros, we got here as soon as we could."
"Rangers!" Venjix yelled as he and the other Generals came over to face them. "What?! Ten Red Rangers?!"
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Jason asked with a smirk.
"Let's do it guys!" Tommy added before both he and Jason cried as one.
"It's Morphin' Time!"
"Red Ranger Power! Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers!"
"Zeo Ranger V-Red! Red Zeo Ranger!"
"Red Aquitar Ranger Power! Red Aquitian Ranger!
"Shift into Turbo! Red Turbo Ranger!"
"Let's Rocket! Red Space Ranger!"
"Go Galactic! Red Galaxy Ranger!"
"Lightspeed Rescue! Red Lightspeed Ranger!"
"Time For Time Force! Red Time Force Ranger!"
"Quantum Power! Quantum Ranger!"
"Wild Access! Red Wild Force Ranger!"
Coming out of their morphs, the Rangers struck a pose and the usual explosion of run off power followed.
"Alright guys, we're here to save the Earth. Let's take them down!" No one could find fault with Cole's words and so they did just that. The ten Red Rangers paired off into groups of two to go against the five Generals, each of the veteran Rangers pairing off with one of the newer guys. Cole and Jason fought together against Venjix, and Jason couldn't help but tease the rookie with a bit of veteran cockiness.
"Hang back, rookie, and let me show you how it's done." However, while teasing was well and good, the Original Red readily admitting that the rookie was a good fighter, a good teammate, and it was only Jason's knowledge of the Machine Empire that really gave the Original the advantage.
"Go for it newbie!"
Tommy had teamed up with Wes and the two fought Gerrok, using their Chrono Sabres and Zeo Power Sword to great success. Aurico and Eric went up against Tezzla, the Aquitian using his unique abilities to keep the General busy until Eric could get a clear shot with his Quantum Defender. TJ and Leo fought Automon in much the same fashion as Tommy and Wes had, by utilizing their Turbo Lightning Sword and Quasar Sabre. A powered up blast from both weapons brought an end to their General.
"You're finished!" Steelon said aiming a large blaster at Andros and Carter, though the two were not without their own blasters.
"You ready?"
"Let's do it!" The Lightspeed and Astro Blasters were enough to destroy Steelon's blaster, and with the added power of Carter's Thermal Blaster, they sent the General right off a cliff. With the other four Generals defeated, the Rangers regrouped around Jason and Cole who were still fighting Venjix. A hit from Cole's Crystal Sabre sent the head General flying backwards, landing near Kira's hiding spot, a fact he took full advantage of.
"Still number one!" Jason's exuberant and adrenaline filled cry was cut off as the General reached behind a large boulder and pulled out the now not so little girl; though 'little' was certainly a word all ten Rangers thought off when seeing her against a General of the Machine Empire.
"Let me go you bucket of bolts!" she cried, fighting against him. Venjix's hold on her stopped the Rangers from attacking for they knew he had a blaster built onto his wrist, which was currently pointed directly at Kira's head. However, like the last time Venjix tried to physically restrain her, she was able to break free and get in a good hit, and as this time those around her were on her side, her actions allowed Aurico to use his abilities to truly fell the General as the others made their way over, Tommy and Jason engulfing Kira in their arms.
"We are so proud of you." Tommy murmured, not for the first time glad that he'd started her training early in life to ensure she could get out of just such a situation.
"Thank you Aurico." Jason added.
"What are friends for?" he replied, using what had become one of all the Aquitian Rangers' favourite sayings after all their dealings with the Rangers of Earth over the years in which they refused to acknowledge the debt the Aquitians' honour demanded they owed to their Earth bound counterparts for the services they had done for them, and for Aquitar. A groan brought the group's attention back to the General who was still far from defeated.
"Give up?" Leo asked, levelling his Quasar Sabre towards the machine. With a quick glance backwards the General responded, "No, I still have Serpentera!"
"No!" they all cried surging forward but a blast from Venjix had them converging to cover Kira, and giving the General enough time to get inside the monstrous Zord.
"Aww man. That is one ugly Zord!"
"He's getting away!
"We've got to get back to the Megaship!"
"There isn't time. We have to take out Serpentera before it leaves the Moon."
"There's only one chance!" said Cole. As he prepared to call on his arsenal, a hand clamped down on his shoulder stopping him.
"He's mine." Said Tommy, his voice low and filled with rage.
"But-" Cole started as Tommy stepped forward and de-morphed, but another hand on his shoulder stopped him once again.
"I wouldn't get in Tommy's way right now if I were you." Said Jason, knowing it had taken years of practice for Tommy to be able to control Tom for this long, but also knowing that that control was slipping. "Venjix hasn't just threatened Earth, he's threatened Kira. And if there's one thing you should know about Tommy, it's that you don't threaten his family and live for very long." After Jason spoke, the Rangers all turned their attention to an un-morphed Tommy, waiting to see what would happen, for only one of them had an idea.
"It's Morphin' Time!" Tommy's cry rang out, but instead of the Morpher he had used previously, the Rangers saw him pull out one that greatly resembled Jason's.
"White Ranger Power!" Forgoing the all Red Ranger mission as planned, Tommy once again morphed into the White Ranger. Feeling the Flacon come to life. As The Great Power enveloped him, Tommy called on his Animal Spirit to form the Falconzord.
"Did that Zord just come out of his chest?" Eric asked in disbelief. Every other Ranger there, save for Jason, had never heard of such a thing, all their Zords coming pre-made and requiring a Zord Bay or hidden location.
"Yep." Jason answered simply, and they watched as Tommy and his Falconzord flew circles around Serpentera before calling on his missiles. As Serpentera had not been used against the Rangers after they gained their Ninjetti powers, it is unknown whether Venjix didn't know nearly as much about Serpentera as Zedd had, whether the Ninjetti Zords were just that powerful, or if it was because of Tommy's added rage, for the Falconzord's missiles were enough to blow the feared, 'indestructible' Zord into thousands of pieces. Cheers went up when he succeeded and Tommy gave them all a lift over the ridge to where they'd landed the Megaship out of view of the Machine Empire. Once inside, Kira was accosted by a worried and immensely relieved Alpha, only to be crushed by her father once she'd escaped the robot's tight grip.
"Dad…dad…ok dad…really I'm fine, I promise. Now can you let me go? I kinda need to breathe."
"I'm just so glad you're alright." He murmured into her hair, not releasing her one bit as he knew she was just embarrassed and he wasn't really crushing her. "One minute you're playing happily in the pool, the next I get a call from Andros saying you've been captured. How did they capture you? Any reason beyond the obvious?"
"Two Cogs were disguised as humans and grabbed me. Venjix said something about using me as collateral and when you all were negotiating for my safety with the other Generals, he'd take Serpentera and destroy Earth. So no, nothing beyond the obvious."
"I was so worried."
"We both were." Jason said. "Not that your father saw fit to tell us you were missing until we were nearly at the Moon."
"And I've apologized for that." Tommy said turning to Jason, and allowing Kira to escape his death grip. Sensing a fight brewing, Kira rolled her eyes and left them to it, turning instead to the other Rangers, the only one not present being Aurico who left immediately for Aquitar being unable to be away from pure water for too long.
"Uncle TJ, Uncle Andros." She greeted the two with a hug, knowing both really well.
"Glad you're safe." They both murmured. She then turned to the newer guys, none of whom she'd met before, and only one of whom she recognized thanks to TV and Lightspeed's open identities.
"Carter, thanks again for helping me out."
"Not a problem."
"I'm Kira," she directed to the group in general. "Though I'm sure those two bozos mentioned that at some point." She looked behind her to her father and uncle who were indeed having one of their fights. Her uncles called them an old married couple and there were times her mom and Aunt Trini wondered who was married to whom. "It's nice to finally officially meet you all." She stuck out her hand and they all gained bemused expressions at this eight-year-old who appeared far more then she seemed.
"Leo." Said the Red Galaxy Ranger, the first to snap out of it and step forward to shake her hand.
"I'm Wes, this is Eric."
"And I'm Cole." The rest of the flight was spent pleasantly, especially after Kira expertly stepped in and diffused the fight between Tommy and Jason by asking why her mom and Aunt Trini weren't here. It was a question that went unanswered as they arrived back on Earth and disembarked the Megaship, gathering outside the hanger.
"Thanks for letting me use your jacket Carter." Said Kira, now being back under the hot Californian sun. "I'll just go put it in the Rescue Rover for you." She didn't give him a chance to argue as she ran off and it was left to Jason to explain.
"It's an excuse to check out the Rescue Rover. Kira's very mature for her age as I'm sure you've noticed, but it does get to her at times when kids at school start talking like they know the Power Rangers and she can say nothing in return. Being able to one up them and say she met Lightspeed Rescue and give a detailed account of this very important part of Lightspeed's arsenal appeals to kid in her." Carter let out a laugh and nodded.
"Thank you Rangers." Tommy said, bringing them back to the present. "You've done a great service to the entire universe.
"Don't mention it bro." Jason said with a shake of his head. It was weird for him every time Tommy started in on his 'veteran Ranger' voice; though he supposed he himself had one when addressing, and directing, the new guys. Putting his fist out, Jason started the chain reaction of a group fist bump, as well as the meaningful nods they all sent each other, which were apparently mandatory for every Ranger pow-wow.
"May The Power protect you all." Said Tommy who then turned to find his daughter and get back to Bulkmeiers, hopefully before Kim woke up. Their bond had been silent this whole time, Tommy not seeing anything even now, and so his only conclusion was that she was indeed still sleeping.
"Why don't you go get the car?" Kira suggested to her father. "I haven't said goodbye yet." Not seeing anything more into his daughter's request, Tommy nodded and walked off. Jason, however, shot his niece a look, to which she merely shrugged.
"You are so up to something." He told her with narrowed eyes, but then pulled her into a hug. "But I'm relieved you're safe, so right now I don't care." The moment was unintentionally interrupted by Cole, whose rookie hero worship of the veteran Rangers was kicking in.
"Wow." He breathed. "So that was Tommy. He really is the greatest Ranger." Jason and Kira led the laughter that had Cole looking at them all confused.
"What? What'd I say?"
"Well, I wouldn't go that far." Said TJ. "After all, I was the one that replaced him."
"Are you kidding me?" Jason asked, having this down to an art. "I was the one doing all the work while he was at the Juice Bar kissin' on Kimberly."
"Ok…ew." Kira muttered swatting her uncle.
"Well at least his haircut's regulation now right?" said Carter.
"Eh my Q-Rex would eat his Dragonzord for lunch." Said Eric earning a look from Wes as the ever-serious Quantum Ranger made a joke. Jason laughed at Eric's statement though this time not at Tommy's expense for he knew it would be the exact opposite. The only Ranger and Zord that could stand up to the Original Green Ranger and his Dragonzord would possibly be the Original White Ranger and his Falconzord.
"Hey, I discovered the Lost Galaxy!" said Leo.
"Hey wait, wait, wait, I changed history. So why does he have a fan club and I don't?" asked Wes.
"Hey I saved two worlds." Countered Andros. "What about that?"
"Wait, wait, wait, wait…did I ever tell you guys about the time I got baked in a giant pizza?" asked TJ.
"Yes!" they all cried together. Some had heard the story many times, those who hadn't simply joined in. The guys ribbing of each other, however, was suddenly cut off as another cry was heard, though this one not teasing in the least. They turned around to see Tommy sprinting back towards them, a look of utter terror on his face.
"Run!" He yelled. "Jase run!" The others fell into fighting stances, thinking there was an attack of some kind, and though they were right, it was not one they'd be able to fend off in a million years. All the blood drained from Jason's face as he turned to his goddaughter.
"You knew, didn't you?"
"I saw her car when I was checking out the Rescue Rover." Kira answered with an innocent smile. With a squeak unbefitting the Original Red Ranger, Jason turned to run but hadn't made it two feet when he came face to face with the Original Yellow Ranger. A quick kick to the stomach had him flying backwards landing near Tommy who didn't even stop in his run, his self-preservation instincts overriding any concern for his friend. His escape, however, was cut off as two arrows landed in front of him and exploded on impact; a warning shot. Moving backwards until he met up with Jason, the two huddled together, seeing one of their combined terrors, but not the other until a battle cry was heard and the Original Pink Ranger jumped off the roof of the hanger, landing beside her yellow counterpart, both approaching the boys menacingly.
"What the hell is going on?" Eric muttered, and the other Red Rangers turned to Kira for an explanation, for obviously she had one, though the answer didn't come from her.
"That's the Original Pink and Yellow Rangers." Said TJ, not without his own level of fear.
"Otherwise known as Kimberly Oliver, and Trini Scott." Finished Andros. "Their wives." A couple of the Red Rangers shuddered, knowing how bad it was to piss off their Ranger girlfriends, while the others were still pretty clueless. They all watched as the scene unfolded. Kim and Trini de-morphed when they got near Tommy and Jason, though this was by far not an improvement for their faces, and the pure unadulterated rage written on them, could now be seen.
"Thomas James Oliver…"
"Jason Lee Scott…" They both hissed through clenched teeth. Knowing that it was impossible to diffuse the situation, and that it'd go better for them if they just stayed silent, let the girls do and say what they want, and agree to everything.
"Do you know how I was woken up this afternoon, Thomas?" Kim asked, Trini letting her go first. "A frantic Bulk and Skull were pounding on my door. Then after they let themselves in they go off on some cock and bull story about how my daughter's been kidnapped and my husband has gone to save her. And I'm thinking no, that's impossible. Tommy would, nay, could, never be that stupid, that much of an imbecile, would never be that suicidal, that he'd leave me sleeping if our daughter had been kidnapped. And then I find out that they were right."
"Then Kim calls me frantically," Trini says, picking up seamlessly. "Asking Jason and I for help, only for me to discover that my husband has disappeared too. No note, no message of any kind…simply gone. Now some people may call that a coincidence. Me? I call it two morons being stupider then usual." At this point it was obvious that the two of them were tampering their words, knowing full well an eight-year-old was present, and Tommy and Jason could well imagine what their wives really wanted to say to them. "So we start thinking, who could have captured Kira? It can't be a human, cause it would have been sorted long before Bulk and Skull could wake Kim, and as far as we know all our enemies have been destroyed. So that leaves the current enemy of the current team of Power Rangers."
"Which is not that far of a stretch." Kim continued. "Enemies we've never actually fought, or even met, have been after her before. So we think, how do we find this new team of Rangers? We know they're in Turtle Cove, but their identities aren't public. So we contact the one being who can make just about anything happen, and Alpha happily informs us that the 'Red Mission' as he dubbed it, is going well and that we shouldn't worry about Kira cause of course you'll bring her back safe."
"He seemed to be under the impression that we knew exactly what was going on and were just checking up on things. Though he did seem surprised that we, Kim especially, weren't a part of the team and would let the Red Rangers have a go at it while Kira's missing. Which, of course, would never, ever, happen." At this point their anger seemed to recede into disappointment, which was often worse, for disappointment could last a long time, while anger was harsh, but quick.
"How could you?" Kim asked, going over and wrapping Kira in a tight hug now that she was calmer. "Our daughter had been kidnapped. How could you just let me sleep?"
"Kim, I'm sorry." Tommy started now that it looked like he'd actually get a word in if he tried talking. "I just couldn't put you in danger like that. You know I'm incapable of knowingly letting you walk into danger beyond what we normally face."
"And what danger was that, Tommy?" He opened his mouth to answer, but Jason slammed a hand over it.
"Before he condemns us further, I want it on the record that I had absolutely no idea Kira had been captured until we were already in space. If I had, I would have told you." He told Trini.
"And yet you still left without a word." She growled, neither as prone as tears to Kim, nor as quick to let go of her anger. "Meaning there was another reason you were going on this 'Red Mission,' which I think is safe to assume included every Red Ranger, and only Red Rangers. But the question is why, and to what purpose?"
"General Venjix." Said Tommy. "He located Serpentera."
"What?" Kim said as her and Trini's eyes widened. The two, along with their entire group, knew that there were some survivors of the Machine Empire and that Alpha and Andros were monitoring them; the boys weren't stupid enough to keep everything from them, but beyond that they knew nothing.
"A couple weeks ago the Generals came to our galaxy. Andros tracked them to the Moon where they were digging up Serpentera."
"And why are we just hearing about this? That's what this mission was about right?" Kim demanded. "You set up this 'Red Mission' to stop them. Why weren't we told? Why weren't the other Zeo Rangers and I consulted?"
"Because it's Serpentera!" Tommy growled, getting a bit defensive when it came to Kim's safety. "You know how powerful that Zord is, how it only didn't destroy Earth cause Zedd miscalculated and it malfunctioned, how blood thirsty the Machine Empire is. What do you think they'd do if they got their hands on that Zord? You think I wanted you anywhere near that? But I couldn't just keep you out of it cause it'd never happen, which meant I had to keep Trini out of it, and the rest of the girls, and since you all have us guys both wrapped around your fingers and terrified of you at the same time, the fewer people who knew the better."
"That wasn't your decision to make Tommy. But we'll talk about that later." She added before he could open his mouth again.
"You, on the other hand," Trini growled. "Should have known better then to encourage him. You should have told me."
"Trini, if you want to fight, bring it on." He answered, knowing she was itching to take a swing at him. Sometimes when she got really angry, as he knew she would be when she learned about the 'Red Mission,' let alone once Kira got involved, she needed the physical release to calm down, and he was well equipped to be on the defensive side of a sparring match. Looking him in the eye, Trini waited for a final nod from Jason, loving him, even as she was so mad, for knowing her so well. Their fight broke out and the others gained bemused expressions, seeing the powerful Original Red Ranger on the defense; apparently even the all-powerful Original Rangers weren't all-powerful.
"I wouldn't look so smug if I were you." Kim said. "Aren't you even curious as to how we, two civilians as far as anyone at NASADA is concerned, got into their spaceport?" It was a huge clue that that there was something they were missing, and Carter, being Lightspeed Rescue and needing to know if there was a security breach, took the bait.
"How did you get them to let you in?"
"I'm glad you asked that, Carter." Came a voice he recognized all too well and instilled in him nearly as much fear as Trini and Kim instilled in Jason and Tommy. Turning around, he was met by a short blonde wearing a jacket almost identical to his own. "You see, when a pissed off Pink Lightspeed Ranger tells you to do something, you do it, including letting a bunch of 'civilians' into the NASADA spaceport."
"Dana…" he muttered cowering under his girlfriend's narrowed gaze. The two had started dating some months after the demons had been destroyed, and after he'd gotten around her Titanium Ranger brother and head of all Lightspeed Rescue father. Though admittedly the later hadn't taken much convincing, and the former didn't seem to have a problem with him either, but rather just seemed to be trying to make up for years of not being able to play the overprotective big brother.
"Well you're definitely right, Dana, but I think it might have also helped that two of the well known Space Rangers were present." Andros and TJ whipped around coming face to face with their wife and fiancée. Andros ran over to his wife of three years and helped a heavily pregnant Ashley to the nearby Rescue Rover where he sat her down, worrying as he always did. She was nearly eight months pregnant with twins, and Ashley had found him to be similar in his treatment of her as to Tommy when Kim had been pregnant, both men treating them like they would break.
"Ash, you shouldn't be on your feet."
"I'm fine, Andros." She ground out.
"But-"
"Now, now." Came Cassie's voice as she smacked her fist into her palm, her glare switching between TJ and Andros. "Ashley's been cleared to be moving around, she has permission. You two on the other hand…"
"Leo." A voice called and the remaining Rangers turned from one unfolding drama to another.
"Hi Kendrix." He said as he went over to his girlfriend, hanging his head under the glare that always had him feeling like a petulant child. There was no screaming or threats from Kendrix, merely some well placed looks and comments, but they had the desired affect. Wes, on the other hand, was not so lucky.
"Collins!" A loud, commanding voice sounded, followed quickly by the appearance of Jen.
"You called all our girlfriends/fiancées/wives?!" he hissed at Kim before heading to meet his fiancée who greeted him with a punch to the gut, a leg sweep that sent him to the ground, followed by lots of yelling. After their joint mission with the Wild Force Rangers against the Mut-Orgs, the Time Force Rangers, along with Ransik and Nadira, had elected to not return to the year 3001. Alex and Captain Logan had put up a very brief fight before quickly giving in, and had told them to keep their Morphers, and to have Circuit contact them if they ever needed the Zords. Although their commanding officers' quick submission to them staying had the Time Force Rangers thinking, knowing, they were missing something important, they were too happy to really care, and knew they'd eventually find out what it was. Wes and Jen wasted no time in picking up where they left off, which admittedly wasn't far, but since their confession on the beach when they'd first been separated, they both knew and were sure of the other's feelings. They had officially been together two weeks when Wes proposed, and he'd only waited that long because he'd taken seriously Jen's teasing comment about actually going on a date before things got too serious between them.
"Yep, there are definitely perks to being a bachelor." Eric muttered as he watched his friend get his ass handed to him.
"You won't be saying that for long." Said Kim. "From what I hear you and a certain Yellow Wild Force Ranger are getting along real well, and Jen says she's a female version of you, meaning you step out of line and she'll kick your ass for it." Kim looked down at her daughter with a smile before kissing her on the head, telling her to stay with Cole and Eric, and then dragging Tommy off for that chat.
"I know I'm only eight years old, but let me give you a piece of advice." Kira said to the two currently unattached Red Rangers as the three of them watched the various dramas unfold; some of them, like Jen and Wes and Cassie and TJ, breaking out into a physical fight like Jason and Trini's. "If you ever get involved with a female Ranger," she looked specifically to Eric, who apparently wasn't that far from doing just that. "Never lie to them, never hide things from them, and never act under the delusion that you know what's best for them, cause they will band together to kick your ass, and…well." She gestured to the fights going on around them. "You don't need to guess as to what will happen then."
A/N -I know I said later in the week and it's only been two days, but I wanted to get every last prequel wrapped up and start the New Year with the sequel. Luckily, apart from the family thing, I've not really had anything to do this holiday except write so I'm getting ahead on the sequel, which means it'll be up sooner then expected, and I'll still be able to get out regular updates!
As to this one-shot, much as I like Cole as a character, and a Ranger, I thought they put too much focus on him for this episode, and all just because it was his season to be the Red Ranger. Even though he broke with the Red Ranger theme so he could have a Zord that could fly, I think Tommy destroying Serpentera is a lot better. The girls showing up at the end was great fun to write and ever since I first saw the episode I wanted to write it that way, which especially worked with my story line given how interconnected everyone is and how much closer they are then we were led to believe they were in the show. There is no chance of the girls, or really any of them, letting the Red Rangers have their own mission when it's something as big as Serpentera, unless it was kept a secret from them, and then they'd just be pissed off at the guys.
Happy New Years everyone! I'll see you in 2014!
Review please!