Author's Notes:
sz2000: *grins* Glad you are liking it! The playfulness of Tommy and Jason is inspired by my older two brothers, who love to play pranks on each other. They are hiliarous people. I knew it would be sad to kill Ernie off, but there is no further need for his character, and because I knew of his actual death taking place around the same time, I found a way to make it fit into the story.
TKfanatic: Subway is awesome! I figured for guys who were really into martial arts, healthier food is what they would prefer to eat to help keep their bodies in good condition. Subway fits the bill!
xxSt0Rm3yyxx: Thank you! I'm glad to know it transitioned well. That's great feedback.
Ghostwriter: I do love cliffhangers!
AmaranthShade: *does the super freak dance* Super freak, super freak, we're super freakayyy!
And now, onto the show...
Chapter 2: This Isn't Kansas Anymore
It felt like longer, but the sensation lasted only a mere few seconds before Jason's feet landed roughly on solid ground and the world opened back up to his eyes. He was knocked into something and fell forward, belligerently thrown off balance.
Stone floor smacked sharply against his right hip as he fell. Reaching his hands out instinctively, his elbows caught the floor and padded the fall to some extent.
Extremely disoriented and scared half out of his mind, Jason scrambled to get back up to his feet. He stumbled forward and fell against a row of bookshelves that leaned against a wall.
Wait, bookshelves? What?
Staring around, Jason saw that he was in a large room. Rows and rows of bookshelves lined along each wall. However, for the moment, that was the current extent of his ability to take in his surroundings. The extreme pressure in his chest had lessened, but it was still there. He was at least able to breathe, which he thankfully took advantage of in several deep gulps. He leaned his weight against the shelf, feeling like his body had just been hurled through a tiny crack in the wall from the fiercest tornado he'd ever encountered.
"What the hell?" he asked out loud to no one in particular but himself. He was definitely not in his apartment anymore by the looks of things. Why? How?
"Who the hell are you?!" came a seething voice to his left.
Jason turned his head and saw a woman getting up to her feet, her hands balled in tight fists. She wore a midnight blue dress that showed a healthy amount of bare skin at her chest, revealing a swelling of the breasts that were pushed up from a brazier. Just above the show of cleavage rested an oval sapphire pendant necklace. Light blond hair was pulled up in an intricate crown of braids that adorned her head. Her fair skin radiated, contrasting against the dark hue of her dress.
Her eyes, though were riveting.
They were crystal blue, as clear and bright as the tropical water of some exotic beach. And they were glaring daggers at Jason. Her face was contorted in fury. Judging by her reaction, she must've been what he knocked into when he arrived. . . wherever he was.
"Jason," he said in response to her query. "Who are you?"
"Why are you here?" she growled, ignoring his question. Her features were stunning. A beautiful woman in her prime. . . that is, when her features weren't screwed up into a grotesque display of fierce anger.
Right now, she looked horrifying.
"I have no idea," he replied, watching her with trepidation. "Where am I?"
She stared at him, ignoring his question. Her features changed into dawning suspicion. "Do you possess the Zeo Power?"
Jason's eyes widened in shock. His heart started hammering away. "Not anymore," he answered cautiously. "How do you know about the Zeo power?"
Those lips curled into a sneer. "Because I summoned it and you're here in its place! You lie to me!" she growled.
Jason's eyebrows rose higher. "You summoned it? Why?"
Those clear blue eyes darkened. "That's none of your concern! Why do you possess the power? Tell me!"
Jason shook his head slowly, completely confused. "Sorry lady, but whatever you're thinking, I don't possess anything. Not anymore."
That's when the thought suddenly occurred to him. Was that really true? He'd given the Gold Zeo powers back to Trey, but he'd been brought back to life by Tommy's Red Power. Save for a small surge of energy between his and Tommy's joined hands now and then, the Zeo powers hadn't manifested themselves at all. For all intents and purposes, they had both believed their powers to be gone. Was that really true?
The woman must have seen the doubt cross Jason's eyes, because her mouth quirked upwards in smug fashion. "Yes you do." She took a few steps forward. Jason tensed. "I don't get many things wrong. . . Jason, was it?"
The former Ranger remained mute, watching her advancements with extreme caution. Warning bells were blaring inside his head.
The woman raised her head up, pointing her nose in the air and drawing in one long breath through her nostrils. "I can smell it," she continued.
She closed her eyes as she stopped within a foot of Jason. He quickly glanced around the room for a means of escape. At the far corner stood a tall oak door. It was the only one in the room. He looked back at the woman. She was fairly tall. She stood head to head with him. He leaned back against the bookcase as far as he could when she raised her arms and spread her fingers toward him, but she halted their ascent. They remained inches away from him.
"I can feel it," the woman breathed out in a husky voice, her eyes opening to look at him. Currents of black liquid flowed in them, crossing the milky white of the eyeball and over the cornea and iris. That pressure inside of Jason's chest flared up, intensifying into a shock wave of pulsing life. It pulled inside of him, much like the Golden power when it was yearning to release itself as his body was losing the ability to wield it.
"Why did you summon the Zeo power?" Jason all but whispered, readying his legs to take off at the slightest advancement she attempted to make.
That mouth curled into a look of possessive loathing as those sapphire eyes of black horror bore into him. "Because I want it!"
He was already sliding away and making a dash for it when she reached out for him. Her fingers closed onto his right forearm, but he shook her off. The pressure in his chest screamed as he furthered his distance from her, urging Jason to turn around and go back.
No way in hell was he going to listen to that feeling.
"GET BACK HERE!" the woman screeched. The sound was hardly human. It resembled more of an eagle's shrill cry of rage when its food had escaped its clutches.
He ran for the oak door and threw it open. Two guards dressed in red and black attire stood sentry, jostled to active attention upon hearing the woman's scream. They reached for their sword holsters but Jason was already blowing past them.
He was in a large palace of sorts with white marbled halls that gleamed with a polish glow. It was a vastly different look from the room he just came from. However, all he was really concerned with was getting away from someone he felt sure meant him harm. Turning right was the only option he had available to him. Up ahead, the hallway yielded to a stone wall, intersecting with a corridor that bore left and right. He had to hope he could reach those options. More guards dotted themselves between here and there. And they were all looking at him.
Jason gritted his teeth and charged forward. Vaguely he was reminded of his recent fall on his hip, but the pain was inconsequential and far away. He reached the first two guards who attempted to bar his path, but he leaped into the air and landed a jump kick straight into one guard, who toppled into the other one. They both fell to the floor in a heap.
Two down, more to go.
The others weren't as easy to tackle. The two that had stood at the door were hot on his heels, followed by six others who were running towards him.
It was a damn good thing he was a double black belt, even before becoming a Power Ranger.
With a series of charges and attacks, Jason jumped and spun and deflected his way through each opponent who came up against him. His mission was more to stun than to do any kind of serious damage. He had no idea where he was, but it was obvious that it wasn't going to be friendly territory.
His mission was to get out of this place and get to somewhere isolated. He could figure the rest out later.
Two more went down.
Swords were now drawn. Jason slid away as one guard bore down with the extracted weapon. The bladed tip nicked his thigh. He spun in a blur of speed that would have been impressive even with his powers, knocking into the guard while grabbing onto his wrist and stealing away the blade.
Now armed, Jason was able to defend the attacks a little bit better, but unfortunately, he realized he was far less skilled as a swordsmen compared to the rest of his opponents.
"I WANT HIM ALIVE!" The woman screamed from behind, emerging from the room Jason had fled from.
The guards hesitated for the briefest second, realizing their new objective wasn't to kill.
It was all the time Jason needed. He shot past them all, running to the end of the hallway where he made a quick decision to bear left. He took two more steps and –
BAM.
For a moment Jason stood there, stunned. He was thrown back a few steps, but caught his footing and kept himself upright. Staring dumbly, Jason tried to make sense of what he was looking at. It felt like he had run into a wall, but directly in front of him, at eye level, he was looking at a very large hip.
A hip?
Looking up, far up, Jason found himself staring into the face of a. . .
Holy hell!
A troll?
Out of all of the monsters and villains he'd ever come across, Jason had never come across a troll.
Man the creature was huge! He was at least twelve feet tall.
And he looked down at Jason with a very aggravated expression.
The troll yelled, loud and fierce. Instinctively Jason raised his sword to block and defend. He didn't end up doing either. The Troll grabbed at Jason's arm and pulled. The weapon fell deftly, clattering to the floor.
Jason was heaved upward, his feet leaving the air. He flailed and kicked, but it was like trying to fight against a tree trunk.
The tree trunk was winning.
Pain sensors slammed into his feet and legs. The troll let out another yell. It sounded annoyed.
Jason was flung out and away from the Troll's body, as if the creature realized it had picked up a very disgusting rag that was trying to swat at him.
Jason wriggled and tried to free his right hand from the troll's iron grasp, but he wasn't having any luck.
The folk creature seemed annoyed that the object in its hand was squirming, and shook it in irritation.
Jason gasped out loud, hearing the distinct pop of his shoulder being dislodged from its socket.
Damn, that hurt like a mother!
The troll got its wish of holding onto a very stationary, ungainly pest. Jason's body immediately went limp in an instinctive mode of self-protection, temporarily paralyzed by the pain that was shooting through it.
At this point all of the guards had their weapons drawn and were circled around Jason.
Shit.
Troll scored one up. Former Power Ranger: zero.
The blond haired woman brazenly strode through her entourage of soldiers. Her nostrils were flaring. Her eyes were crystal blue again, but Jason could've sworn he saw lightning flash from within.
"Hold it!" She ordered. She approached Jason so she was within inches of his dangling legs. Numerous swords raised themselves into the air, daring the former Ranger to retaliate.
Jason was trying to find a way to breathe. His stomach was contorted in a fierce knot of anguish. Even if he wanted to, struggle was not something that would have been wise in his current predicament. His arm was dangling like a rag doll held in the teeth of a huge Troll.
The woman was sniffing the air loudly, closing her eyes and concentrating. "You're hurt," she muttered to herself. Those lids fluttered open. Their hue had changed again, matching the deep sapphire of her dress. "Put him down," she instructed.
Grunting with dismay, the troll dropped Jason without a further care. Jason bit back a groan as the impact of gravity smashed him onto a cold marble surface. Pain sensors shot up through his feet, and went off like gunfire to his dislocated shoulder. He bit back hard on a groan of anguish that wanted to escape his lips. His eyes rolled up into his head as he collapsed onto the floor, unable to fight the paralysis of torment overloading his nervous system.
He tensed as he felt a strong hand grab at his dislocated shoulder and pull.
That succeeded in bringing a roar of anguish to his lips.
"AHHHH!"
It was more than just the physical touch of someone clutching bone and cartilage that made pain burst in bright spectacled lights inside of Jason's skull. The pressure inside of him also jumped alive. It inflamed like a lake of boiling lava from within. It was a red dragon of supreme strength, roaring to the call of something Jason didn't understand. He just knew frustration was building inside because the creature wasn't getting what it wanted. Was this the Zeo power trying to answer the summons of Crazy Woman, who was clinging onto his shoulder?
Vaguely Jason felt himself hurled to his feet. However, the warring battlefield of exploding pain in his shoulder, coupled with a very active ancient beast from within, was too strong inside for the veteran Ranger to keep himself upright. Instantly his legs buckled. Rough hands from behind caught him. Jason screamed out in tormented agony as Crazy Woman's hands cleaved harder onto his dislocated shoulder to try and hold him upright.
From far, far away, he heard Crazy Woman yell out, "Get the physician!" before he passed out into oblivion.
"AHHHHH!" Jason yelled out, his eyes fluttering open. There was a pop as he felt with excruciating pain his shoulder slammed back into place. "Holy shit," he cried out in a high pitched tone, going up in decibel on the last word. He squeezed his eyes shut tight and bit hard into his lip, breathing hard.
If he thought that was the end of a very rude wake up call, he was sorely mistaken. Whatever hands had popped his shoulder back in weren't done with their ministrations. For a moment they were very still and comfortingly warm. It almost felt. . . nice. Soothing.
Oh hell, he thought that too soon!
Jason emitted a high pitched squeal that settled into a deep growl. Those hands were applying firm pressure and rubbing in circles, catching his shoulder on fire with gyrating agony from the intense friction.
Adding to his further torment, a second set of hands grabbed at his head and pulled it upward. Caught by surprise, Jason's eyes flitted open. The image was blurry at first, but Crazy Woman's face slowly came into view. Those startling clear blue eyes had the rivers of black current flowing through them, and she was staring intently at him.
Jason's eyes locked onto hers, and for the life of him, he couldn't look away. The pressure inside of his chest roared like a restless animal, caged and fidgety and bursting for escape. Crazy Woman's mouth opened, and Jason found his mirroring the same gesture of its own accord. Breath was drawn, and fire erupted from within. Red streams of smoky substance began pouring out of Jason's mouth in thin, wispy amounts. They flowed into Crazy Woman's opened jaws. Her expression seemed starved and needy for the elements.
It was like reliving the horror of the Golden Powers trying to take over Jason and use up his life's essence. Except this time around, someone else was siphoning it from him and seemingly the cause of such an event.
The wisps of smoke were red.
The Zeo power!
It still existed inside of Jason? As that thought struck him, the fierce fire exploding from within told him it was true.
The red dragon inside roared its delight at its summoning call.
No! This monstrous thing of a woman was attempting to take it from him.
No! He didn't know how it was possible, how she was doing it, how he could even stop it, but he just knew that he didn't want this to happen. He was helpless, though. Whatever this was, he couldn't find the willpower to close his mouth. He couldn't do anything except stare into eyes that had turned pitch black, absorbing the Zeo power as it leeched itself from his body.
No!
Quite suddenly, those wisps of red power thinned out and evaporated. They became nothing.
The woman held her mouth open, trying to draw in more, brows furrowed in sudden concern.
Nothing else came out. Jason's mouth closed. The fire inside still burned, but it too was subsiding.
It was still there, though. The Zeo power hadn't left. The red dragon closed its eyes, satiated.
Crazy Woman's hands crushed against Jason's face, those black eyes growing angry. "Nooo!" she cried out in an unearthly deep voice. He felt hands leave his shoulder, and realized he had no idea who they belonged to. For the moment, he didn't really care.
Except. . .
He realized that his shoulder was feeling fine. There wasn't any excruciating pain. What?
He didn't have time to dwell further on it, though.
The woman's hands abruptly left her clasp on Jason's head. He watched her warily. She stood up and backed away, apparently accepting that she could draw forth nothing more. Those eyes were still bottomless holes of black abyss, but at least they weren't staring at Jason anymore. They were looking around the room as she started to pace.
"This is magnificent," she breathed to herself.
Jason slumped down against arms that caught him. He felt weak and utterly drained. Looking feebly around, he saw that he was back in the room he had originally been pulled into. He craned his neck upward and stared in shock at the arms of his beholder. His mouth dropped open. A blond haired man with silver rimmed glasses stared down at him with assessing eyes.
"Billy? What are you doing here?" Jason croaked out.
Those blue spectacled eyes instantly frowned, and a spark of anger flared.
What was that look for? "You live on Aquitar now. This can't actually be Aquitar, can it?" Jason asked. He felt a sharp pinch in his side. He winced.
The woman turned her head, black gates of night staring intently at him. "This is Earth." Those eyes then shifted and stared at Billy. Her head tilted to the side. "Do you know each other?" There was a note of warning in her voice.
Whatever emotion flickered on Billy's face vanished. Instead, his features were smooth and calm. He shook his head once. "No, my Lady. We have never met. He is delirious. How did you mention he arrived again?"
What? Billy was pretending not to know him? What the hell was going on here?
Those black holes bore into Billy's face, assessing his words. "The details do not concern you, physician. If you two have never met, the name with which he addressed you by bears striking resemblance to your own. Billy is a nickname for William, is it not?"
Billy nodded solemnly. "You are correct, my Lady. However, it is a nickname I have never gone by. To any that know me, I am simply William. I could better assist the conundrum of his appearance were you to tell me how he arrived. You sought me out to attend to his injuries. That enabled you a measure of his power. I believe I can be of use to you and your quest."
Jason's stomach dropped. He couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. Never gone by Billy? Be of use to her and her quest? Billy was going to help her get the Zeo powers? Something wasn't right here. He fought down the urge to yell at Billy, er, William, and remained silent. Information was what he needed most. It felt like William was fishing around for that as well. Could his friend be possibly on some sort of secret mission? Is that why the odd behavior?
For a long minute, the Lady remained quiet, staring at William, who calmly maintained eye contact. At last, she spoke quietly. "You were called here because you are my physician, not my advisor, understood?" It wasn't a question.
William nodded, his expression untroubled. It was apparent he was used to being addressed this way. That didn't seem right. "Yes, Lady Ravindra."
Crazy Woman, apparently known as Ravindra, closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, a deep sapphire hue peaked out among the black liquid current. Then it, too, slowly diminished.
"Lift him up," she demanded, motioning her guards toward Jason.
Their sudden movement toward Jason startled him. He had no idea any of them had been present until now. Rough hands instantly seized at his shoulders and lifted him up out of William's arms. Jason's legs threatened to buckle from underneath him, exhaustion suddenly infusing his entire being. Falling wasn't an option, though. The guards were making sure of that from the firm grip they had on him. They were doing a marvelous job at keeping him from meeting the floor, something his legs terribly wanted to do.
Hmm. . . Jason noted that his shoulder wasn't protesting any of these rough movements like it would have moments ago. How was that possible? Dislocated shoulders weren't supposed to heal that fast, right?
Ravindra stepped casually over until she was a foot away from Jason, staring at him with the regal impassivity of royalty. Her sapphire eyes shifted to his shoulder. She inclined her head. "How does it feel now?"
It wasn't an inquiry born out of any real concern or care. Nonetheless, she stood there, expecting an answer.
"It's. . . better," Jason replied slowly, cautiously. He tensed when she reached out a hand to touch his shoulder. He was too weak to resist much. When her hands touched, an electric hum of warmth sang under Jason's skin. The red dragon awoke, wagging its great tail. His eyes went wide with surprise.
Ravindra's mouth pulled into a smug smile. Her eyes danced with unnamed emotion. "Yes," she breathed out in an excited hush. "You feel it too. My spell worked. It calls to me. It yearns to be claimed by me." Her excited features then changed instantly into a scowl of contempt. "And you stand in my way!" She pushed angrily against Jason. He didn't move much, due to the tight grip the guards had on him.
"What kind of sorcerer are you to create such a bond that the power pulls you along with it?" she continued on with a dark expression. "Mark my words, you will give it up. You have clearly made paltry use of the Zeo power. I captured you far too easily."
Although physically weak and, moments ago, screaming in absolute agony, Jason's pride wasn't willing to let some arrogant bitch think she was the Queen of the world. She thought him weak?
Hell no!
His jaw tightened in anger as he whipped out a snarky retort to her haughty arrogance. "Paltry use? Ask Lord Zedd, Rita, Goldar, or King Mondo what paltry use I made of the Zeo Power." He paused for a brief moment as her eyes narrowed. He smirked, then continued on. "Oh, that's right. You can't. They're dead. They were all big honchos trying to get a piece of Earth to conquer, but they failed. Go me."
Okay, he hadn't actually been the one to destroy King Mondo, and Rita's ultimate fate on planet Triforia was unknown to Jason, but Ravindra didn't need to know that.
A perfectly manicured eyebrow rose up in question. "Is that so?" she asked. It sounded more like a challenge. "You must command a larger piece of land than I for these beings to assault you rather than myself, for I've never heard of them." Her head tilted, regarding him shrewdly. "Strange that such news would not have come my way."
Jason had a feeling his pride had walked him right into a trap. Shit. She thought him a ruler? He shook his head. "I'm no ruler, Lady. I like to prevent that kind of thing. Earth deserves to be free from all tyranny."
Those sapphire eyes widened in surprise. Streaks of the crystal blue hue started to appear. It was so strange to watch how her eyes changed color. "You're a crusader!" she breathed out in enthusiastic awe.
Jason's face clouded in confusion. "I don't think so, no. I've never been called that."
Those crystal blue chalices narrowed. "What do you call yourself, then?"
"Jason."
He never saw the blow that hit him, but he sure felt the heavy sting from it. His head whipped sharply to the left. Tears pinpricked at the corners. He blinked rapidly to clear them, grimacing.
"Do not think me stupid!" Ravindra snarled, her face hardening. "The Zeo power has bound itself to you. You came when I summoned it for myself. There is a reason, and I believe you know it. Do not toy with me! One way or another, I will draw the truth from you."
Jason's mouth hardened. "I don't know why I came here," he ground out. "I don't even know where this place is, or who you are! It's news to me that I possess the Zeo power lady."
"That's a lie. You know of it. You made up some concocted story of how you wielded it to destroy conquerors. You feel it within yourself, same as I do. There is more to this than you say."
Jason blew out a frustrated breath of air. He shifted his weight, which spurred the guards to tighten their grip on his arms. He glared at Ravindra. "I used to carry the Zeo power, lady. I gave it up. It wasn't mine to command. It is no one's to command."
That earned him another hard slap to the face. His right side was burning with fire.
"That's a lie!" Ravindra hissed, her voice dripping with fury. "You possess it! You know you do!"
"I didn't know that I did until I showed up here!" Jason yelled out. "Nothing's happened for months! But if you're here to barge in and claim Earth, the Zeo power must have known that can't happen and it's come back to life to fight against that."
Those lips curled into revulsion. "I summoned it, you pathetic fool! Power doesn't just come back to life. It gets called! You were brought here because it is bound to its possessor! "
"Then I'll do everything I can to prevent it from going to your sorry ass! You are not stealing the Zeo power," Jason vowed in a heated voice infused with passion. "It doesn't belong to you."
Those crystal blue eyes turned instantly to black fathomless depths. It swallowed up the whites of her eyes. Red infused lightning flashed from within.
In a deep, midnight voice that sent shivers down Jason's spine, Ravindra replied with deadly calm. "You forget that I already began."
Red sparks started to ignite from within her hands. A small ball of energy formed, which she promptly threw toward Jason.
He screamed out in agony.
"Earth has been mine for a while, weakling crusader," Ravindra replied in that midnight voice. "I want what is mine!"
Jason's nervous system was alight with explosive fire. An electric surge of red lightning was sucker punching itself into Jason's gut. It felt like a livewire was attached to his stomach, sending bolt after bolt of extremely high voltage. How he wasn't dead yet, he had no idea.
After an unknown length of eternity, suddenly, thankfully, it stopped. Jason sagged, surrendering completely to the strength of the guards to keep him standing.
They did.
Their arms dug into him with bruising force.
"Drop him," Ravindra commanded.
Without word, they released their hold. Jason deftly fell to the stone floor in a crumpled heap of a mess. Pain shot to his knees when they impacted against the surface, but he hardly noticed. His system was still trying to reload from the electrical current that had previously tried to fry him alive from the inside out.
He heard a sharp intake of breath come from Ravindra. He glanced up in time to see her crystal blue eyes roll up into her head. She collapsed to the floor, her head slumping forward. A guard rushed to catch her, crying out. She remained motionless in his arms, apparently unconscious.
He didn't have time to wonder what had happened to her.
Blackness rushed into Jason's senses. A heavy blanket of iron weighed down on him, and for a long while, he knew nothing.
An ice cold torrent force blasted Jason's senses, propelling him into an instant state of awareness filled with coughing and hacking. Water had been poured over his face, filling his nose with burning fire. He gasped and wheezed and jerked upwards, but he found he couldn't move very far. He lay prostrate on some flat hard surface, his arms raised above his head and bound in chains that were held in place by something he couldn't see. They moved only a few inches. His feet, he found, were also bound in the same fashion. Something strapped itself across his hips. All he could really do was turn his head sideways and cough out the liquid that had invaded his breathing system. He felt hands gently but firmly place themselves at the sides of his head, providing a stabilizing force that padded against the hard surface as his body spasmed and convulsed.
Finally, thankfully, Jason's body was able to stabilize itself, and, taking small shallow breaths, he found he was at last able to breathe without his body protesting. His throat burned something fierce from the episode.
He felt those hands leave his head with gentle care. Looking up blearily, a body came into slow view. It was Billy, looking at him in a way he had never been looked at before. Like he was a new species that had just come back to life, and there was concern about what he would do.
They weren't the eyes of a friend who was glad to see someone. Two fingers reached at Jason's neck and pressed inward, checking for his pulse. A few seconds later they retracted.
"Billy?" Jason croaked out, his voice hoarse and weak.
Billy shook his head, frowning slightly. "William," he corrected.
Jason furrowed his brows. "Since when did you decide to go by William?"
The frown deepened. "Since when have I not?" he retorted in a calm but firm voice. Those blue spectacled eyes were gravely serious. "You put me at risk for addressing me thusly."
Jason's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What?"
William's expression was unreadable. "It's very informal. It inferences we have some kind of personal connection. We do not. We have not seen each other since childhood. And even then, I was called William."
Jason's bewilderment increased. "You said we never met."
"Yes, and I will deny it again if you ever try to tell her otherwise. We were childhood acquaintances from long ago, and that is best left forgotten, especially to the Lady."
"We're more than acquaintances."
"No, we are not. You are mistaken."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Jason cried out, wincing against the fire in his throat, sorely reminded of the water he'd just choked half to death on. Still, he persisted in his argument. "You came to my wedding five months ago. We were Power Rangers together, man. You've never gone by William. What the hell's going on?"
Those blue eyes narrowed, questioning and curious. Suddenly his fingers were at Jason's head, examining and probing. A light was shone in Jason's eye. "Did you hit your head very hard?" he inquired.
Jason squinted and turned his head away, aggravated. "No! I'm fine," he argued stubbornly. True, he was confused as all hell right now, but it wasn't due to any blunt head trauma that Billy, er, William, seemed to be examining him for. What did his friend mean, hadn't seen each other since childhood? Like hell they hadn't! Why was the veteran ranger acting so. . . different?
"What day is it?" William asked, ignoring Jason's insistence on feeling fine.
Jason glared at him. "I'm fine, William. No concussion here," he repeated through gritted teeth.
"Can you recall what you did this morning?" William continued on, ignoring the looks of anger Jason was giving him.
The former Gold Ranger huffed out a breath of irritation. It burned his throat, but he ignored the pain. He instinctively pulled down with his arms. They were getting a kink in them, but they protested further movement. The chains his wrists were bound in clanked loudly, a bedamned pest that furthered the odd predicament he found himself in. And here was Billy – William—seemingly unperturbed about the situation. What was going on?
Glaring daggers, Jason grudgingly acquiesced to the medical interrogation. "It was supposed to be a day off for me and Tommy. But he got called in to work. I was about ready to pick up lunch to bring it to him when I suddenly wound up here instead. Would you please tell me where the HELL I am?!" he demanded.
Again, those spectacled eyes narrowed. "What place of work would that be?" he asked, ignoring the one burning question no one was answering.
Jason's frustration was rising to anger. "The Youth Center, man! Ernie's old juice bar and gym! Tommy and I took over the business when he died. You know that! You couldn't come to the funeral, which was three months ago the last time we spoke. You felt awful."
There was a pregnant pause as those blue eyes stared intently into Jason. His expression revealed none of his thoughts. "What's your name?" he asked softly.
Was there a flicker of recognition flashing behind those glasses? "Jason, dude. C'mon, you know me," Jason pleaded.
William frowned slightly. "Not Jay?"
Jason shook his head. "No. I go by Jase, sometimes. But you've always called me Jason. Jason Lee Oliver-Scott is my full name. You've got to remember!"
This reminded him way too much of when Tommy was captured by Prince Gasket and his husband's memory was wiped away with new, more foreboding ones. Was there some kind of brain drain machine at work here? Was Jason going to be subjected to it himself? But then, where were the cogs? The Machine Empire? That device belonged to them.
William seemed about ready to reply when there was the sound of a door opening. Belatedly, Jason looked up and, for the first time, took in his surroundings. It was a small, stark white room with white walls. There were countertops on both sides, housing different vials of bottles with different colors of liquids. There were a few strange looking instruments laying about, none of which Jason really knew their purpose. It seemed the only color the room had was the multitude of books that filled the bookshelves up above and the bottles of. . . whatever contents lay inside them.
In the far right corner of the room was the door, open and revealing three guards dressed in the same red and black attire he saw earlier. One of them strode into the room, approaching William. He briefly glanced at Jason, his expression impassive. He addressed William.
"Lady Ravindra has requested an update."
William looked steadily at the guard, calm and cool mannered. "He's of sound health. I've questioned him some. I have a few theories she may be interested in hearing that might explain this. . . situation."
Theories? Situation? What did that mean?
The guard nodded. "Good. She grows irate. May your theories appease her. She expects your presence. Go now. We'll take care of the prisoner. She expects him as well."
Without further word, William stepped aside, allowing the man access to Jason. There was no hesitation as the brainwashed ex-power-ranger-now-turned-physician exited the room. No looking back. No signs of emotional distress. Nothing.
Jason was on his own.
After William left, Guard Two and Three entered the room. Guard Two joined with Guard One, near Jason. They stood at both ends of the medical table and unhooked a device that had clamped down on Jason's chains at his hands and feet. The belt around his hip was unfastened, and he was more or less dumped onto the floor, his chained hands and feet held tight by the guards so that he was unable to do anything to pad the fall. He grimaced as his right hip slammed down against the surface. He bit back a groan. His arms were then yanked, and he was ungraciously hoisted up, Guard Two dropping his feet and sandwiching him between Guard One, both of them gripping his forearms with enough force to bruise.
Guard three had his sword drawn and aimed it defensively in front of Jason, his expression warning that any struggle would be unwise. His bottom lip was split open with dried cracked blood, and his left cheek was swollen and bruised. Based on the hardness in those eyes, Jason knew the injuries were born from the fight that brought the former Gold Ranger here. He, Jason, had inflicted those wounds. And judging by how dangerously close the tip of that blade hovered to him, Guard Three was very, very upset.
Yes, a struggle right now would be unwise indeed.
He didn't have much leverage, either, being hauled forward, bound hand and foot. Guards One and Two were ushering him along with fast, wide footsteps. His chained feet only gave him so much stepping space, less than he had the ability to work with. He took many stumbling and hopping steps, trying in vain to keep up the pace. He was more or less being dragged down a white marble hallway that looked much the same as the previous one. Deep red carpets lined the path he was tripping down, the guards paying no attention whatsoever to his faltering steps. They seemed at ease with his discomfort. Every now and then Jason felt the tip of a sword press ever so slightly into his back, a 'friendly' warning from Guard Three who marched dutifully from behind.
Jason gritted his teeth, unable to hold back the sarcastic words that were bursting from inside. "What's the rush, guys? Does she want my autograph? I feel like I'm getting the royal treatment here."
Silence greeted him for an answer.
Jason was half dragged, half stumbling-like-an-idiot until they came to a set of brilliantly carved mahogany double doors. Four more guards stood at attendance, dressed in the same red and black attire. They nodded, opening the doors and allowing entrance.
Jason felt his eyes widen as he was dutifully carried in.
It was a large room. Though he'd never been, the elegant furnishings inside reminded him of Buckingham Palace. The walls were painted in a light beige cream with brilliant gold trimming along the ceiling and floor. To his immediate left stood a round glass table with the same gold trim along its edge, and two ornately decorated beige cream dining chairs.
The adjacent wall extended a few feet before another set of large mahogany double doors were left open, revealing another room with a massive bed inside and more furnishings that Jason couldn't see. Straight across from him, the other side of the room beheld two floor-to-ceiling windows framed with gold trim and draped in soft gray curtains. Light pooled out and cast the room in a bright glow. In front of those windows sat a plush chaise lounge.
In that lounge lay Ravindra. Her eyes were closed. She didn't open them when Guard One announced their presence. It was hard to tell because of her fair complexion, but Jason didn't think that color of pale looked good on her striking features. There was no color to her cheeks. Her brows were furrowed slightly, alluding to some sort of inner distress or pain. Next to her stood William. There was a tray by his side, and he was busy mixing something in a clear bottle that he was now currently pouring into a mug and handing to the Lady.
She took it, her long slender fingers grasping the ceramic handle. She brought it to her lips and drank deeply, her eyes remaining closed for several long minutes.
Jason glanced at Billy – Er, William—silently imploring those eyes to look up at him.
They didn't. They remained dutifully on Ravindra, watching her very closely.
When she emptied the cup, she handed it back to William, who took it without comment.
Although Jason was all but wanting to shout and demand for someone to tell him what was going on, he had enough sense to keep quiet. It was obvious that, whoever this Ravindra woman was, she was royalty, and everyone revered her. His presence, confusing as it was, was clearly not welcome. He wasn't what she wanted. She'd said as much earlier. She said she wanted the Zeo Power.
Though every fiber in Jason's being told him that would NOT be a good idea, information was key if he had a prayer of finding a way out of this situation. So he held his silence until those eyes opened up and looked at him.
Jason's heart did a weird jolt as those crystal blue oceans stared at him. His blood thundered. The red dragon inside lifted its head, aware of her presence. Its ears perked up.
"Where am I?" the former Gold Ranger asked quietly.
Impassive eyes looked at him, turning quizzical. She tilted her head to the side. "Do you not know who I am?"
Jason suppressed a wave of frustration. Was it so hard for someone to answer this one question for him? However, it was clear that this place was her environment. She had the say. Not him.
Slowly, Jason shook his head in answer to her query. One of the guards had called her Ravindra. That's all he knew.
She regarded those words, assessing their truth. Finally she let out a small exasperated sigh, seeming to accept his words.
"I am Ravindra, Lady of Canberra, ruler of the Green Realm." Her tone implied impatience, as if this were common knowledge that everyone should know. "You are here at my palace, The Keep."
Oh. She had finally answered the burning question of where he was.
And none of it made sense.
All it really answered was that this wasn't home, and he already knew that.
"Why am I here?" That was what he really needed to know.
The corners of that delicate mouth rose up in a humorless smirk. Color was returning to Ravindra's cheeks. "That answer remains illusive it seems. Though, I aim to find out."
That made two of them. Jason watched her warily.
"What planet did I summon you from?"
"Earth," Jason replied.
Those clear blue eyes narrowed. "Of the Milky Way Galaxy?"
Jason nodded slowly. She knew about Earth? Now they were getting somewhere. "What planet is this?"
Something flitted across Ravindra's expression that Jason couldn't read. Her crystal blue eyes were penetrating. "You don't recognize your own planet?"
Jason's eyes widened. "This is Earth?"
"The very one. I recall mentioning that earlier. You clearly don't listen well." Was that amusement in her voice?
Jason didn't respond right away. His mind was whirring, rapidly reviewing the new information. Ravindra said she was ruler of a realm, that she was Lady of Canberra.
Earth didn't have realms. They had states and countries and territories.
Unless. . . Could he possibly have. . .?
"What year is this?"
Her head tilted, regarding his question. "It is the fifth year of my reign, ruler and heir after the death of my sister. It is the summer solstice. You do not know this?" Her tone wasn't so impatient this time. It held curiosity. Bafflement.
Jason shook his head, feeling his stomach drop with dread at her explanation. "Time is measured by hours and days and months and years. Not by someone's reign. I've never heard of Canberra or. . . the Green Realm? I'm from the United States, where there is no ruler," he stated emphatically.
Ravindra's eyes lit up. Those lips quirked upward in amusement. She turned her head toward William. "Your theory grows more favorable, Physician. I do believe you are onto something."
William bowed his head. "It is an honor to assist you, my Lady."
Jason looked from one to the other, confused. "What theory?" he asked warily.
Ravindra lulled out the answer with silence for several seconds, reveling in Jason's perplexity. It seemed to entertain her. At last she spoke.
"It was presented to me that I summoned you from an alternate dimension. An alternate Earth, as it appears to be. A place similar to this, and yet. . . not. Does this summarize your experience thus far? Familiar, yet different?"
Unconsciously, Jason's eyes shifted to William. Ravindra smirked.
Familiar, yet different.
Shit.
Something clicked inside of the former Ranger's head, as if answering a silent yes. Like his subconscious knew something he didn't.
Ravindra's smirk deepened as the silence stretched. "I can see the revelation in your eyes. Yes, this must be true, then." Suddenly her expression grew serious. "Tell me, why is the physician familiar to you?" She jerked her head toward William.
Jason's eyes once again rested on those blue spectacled eyes. They stared back at him impassively. Wait, no, not quite. There was something there, just below the surface. Anticipation? Anxiety? He couldn't quite tell. It made Jason suddenly nervous to reveal anything. William promised he would deny any alliance if Jason attempted to speak of one.
Alternate dimension? Was this person in front of him really not his brainwashed friend, Billy?
Ravindra's eyes narrowed shrewdly. "Answer me, prisoner," she demanded. "Cooperation is to your benefit. How do you know the man beside me?"
What to do? Billy, William, whoever, was giving him no help. Jason sighed. There was only one way to find out what was going on. Say what he knew to be true, regardless.
"We're friends and comrades. We fought together," he answered softly, staring at blue eyes that flashed in the briefest of anger before schooling back into a calm, blank mask.
"Fought together. . ." the Lady tilted her head to the side. "In what way?"
With effort, Jason turned his gaze to Ravindra. Those crystal blue eyes were staring at him with intensity. "We fought against evil," he answered softly. His voice was calm, yet strong. "We were the Power Rangers."
Ravindra's expression switched instantly. Surprise flitted across her features, her eyes widening. Only for a moment, though. Then those clear blue depths narrowed. "Were you now?" She asked in a deathly soft voice. She turned her head toward William, who was regarding her warily, confusion written on his features. He shook his head to her silent inquisition, his brows furrowing.
Jason's stomach dropped as sapphire eyes turned back toward him. William—shaking his head and saying no to being a Power Ranger?
Alternate dimension?
"Would there have been a wizard by the name of Zordon as your commander?" Ravindra quizzed.
Something in her tone of voice made shivers race up Jason's spine.
"How do you know about him?" he asked cautiously, incredulously. Alarm bells were ringing inside of his head. The only ones who knew about Zordon – in any universe—were ones that had dealt with him personally.
Those slender shoulders rose up a small shrug of indifference. "I killed him," she answered simply. The corners of her mouth lifted upon seeing Jason's reaction snap into shock.
"No!" he cried out disbelievingly.
Ravindra nodded, anger flashing. "He killed my sister. He was trying to form a powerful resistance against me, as well. He failed. I made sure of it," she stated emphatically, enjoying the look of repulsion cross Jason's face, luxuriating in the power her information unfolded. "Power Rangers he would have called them. Interesting that I pull one from an alternate dimension," she mused. "Another version of him succeeded elsewhere, it seems. This puzzle begins to piece itself together." She glanced sideways at William, amusement in her eyes. "You, a Power Ranger?!"
William swiftly bowed, schooling his features into sobriety. "Indeed. An odd version of Earth this man has come from, my Lady. I shudder at the thought that therein lies someone else with my face hoodwinked to the charms of an alliance that would dare work in opposition with you. It is an ill fate I do not wish to inherit."
Jason's mind was reeling.
Holy shit.
He was in an alternate dimension, an alternate Earth, where Billy went by William, and William was a physician? Groveling to some bitch and revering her?
And there was no Zordon. He'd been killed, it was implied, by this Ravindra who was ruler over. . . the Green Realm?
Could this all really be true?
Yes, something inside him answered.
Ravindra's eyes brightened into clear blue diamond hues that radiated with joy. "What an unexpected trophy you are. . . Jason it was, yes?"
Jason's answer was a baleful glare.
The Lady held up her hand to William, who promptly took it and assisted Ravindra to her feet. Jason's silence didn't seem to perturb her this time. Color rose to her cheeks. Whatever physical weakness he originally perceived in her when he first entered the room wasn't there now.
She lowered her arm from William's grasp and began walking slowly. She had a saunter to her step. Her hips swayed provocatively, and her brilliant eyes gleamed with a hunger Jason instinctively wanted to run away from. All he managed to do was shrink against Guards One and Two, who were still holding him firmly.
Ravindra grinned widely. "Oh, running away won't do you much good, Jason. You wouldn't get very far." Her tone was authoritative and smug.
She was eyeing him like he was some kind of delicious candy to be devoured. Jason's stomach contorted and twisted. He could taste bile.
Her tongue ran suggestively along her bottom lip. "I have the delicious opportunity to ransack Zordon's power from an alternate universe. I will take every precaution to keep you as close to me as possible as I figure out how to take the Zeo power from you."
She stopped so she was inches away from Jason, smiling ever wider, unperturbed by the daggers he was staring her down with.
"Over my dead body," Jason ground out between clenched teeth, struggling against the guards.
Ravindra reached out and clasped the chains that bound his wrists, drawing his forearms upward and out so they were taut against the opposing force of the guards' grip on his biceps. Her eyes were bright and challenging.
"Were that such a fate could be in my favor, weakling," Ravindra's voice dripped with poisoned honey. "You would have succumbed to that demise earlier. However, my spell was successful in binding the Zeo power to me. Ordinarily, killing you for it would have been all I needed to do to gain its full possession, but there is other magic at work here. Apparently you are of better use to me alive. There is something in your life force that causes. . . ill effects when drained."
It was a rush of information Jason struggled to quickly make sense of. His mind flashed back to the ball of electric plasma energy she threw at him, how she had collapsed afterward. How he had passed out as well. He'd hardly had time to process that moment. Belatedly, he realized now that he was lucky to be alive.
Lucky to be alive.
Ravindra had been trying to kill him. And somehow, that had made her collapse. Or was it more than that?
"You almost died because of trying to kill me," Jason breathed out, realization dawning.
Ravindra's smile turned into an ugly sneer. Her eyes flashed to deep sapphire instantaneously, glittering with hostility. "Don't flatter yourself with such high thoughts, weakling," she snapped, pulling at the chains so that Jason took a micro step forward and was an inch away from those stormy eyes.
Her breath blew in his face. It smelled of electric charge. The red dragon inside opened its eyes and rumbled a throaty welcome.
What the hell?
This felt an awful lot like when the Gold power was trying to take over his body. That slithering coil of energy inside was answering to. . .
Her.
He stared into those stormy depths. Seething anger radiated from her, but also. . . yes, fear was there as well. His words had gotten to her. He had guessed right. She needed him alive because of the Zeo Power. It really was inside Jason still. He'd never known. . . how could this be?
Yet here was a woman who was breathing an electric storm of anger at him, and the Red dragon of Zeo power inside was waking up.
He didn't understand the why, and he didn't have time to think of how, but he could do something about this very moment.
This bitch was not going to get the power from him.
Since his arms were so kindly held in a vice like grip from the guards, he used them as leverage and in a quick flash, brought his chained feet up in a tight ball against his chest and sprung them forward, slamming them hard into Ravindra's chest.
She went sprawling backwards, eyes flying wide open in surprised shock.
"I am not a weakling!" Jason yelled out in triumph, smirking with glee as he saw her hit the floor with a gratifying smack. Guards immediately rushed to her aid.
Jason tried to struggle against Guards One and Two as pandemonium broke loose, but a sharp pain exploded on the backside of his skull, and he sagged against the arms of his captors, a sea of blackness enveloping his senses.