Reefside, CA 2004
He stood there, facing around 20 Tyranodrones. It wasn't how many of them that bothered him, he could hold his own, it was their pattern of attack, or lack there of. It was almost like they were trying to keep or contain him. Tommy had no intention of letting himself be kidnapped and whisked off to Mesagog's fortress again. He tried again to break through the circle around him, but ended up back in the middle. He finally gave in and activated the com function on his morpher.
"Hey guys, we've got a lizard infestation out here in the North end of the woods. I could use some help."
"This is Conner, we're on our way."
In that moment Tommy was regretting not having gotten around to developing teleportation technology. The bikes that Hayley had made the rangers were fast, but they still had to get to the lab to get them first. He looked around. The Tyranodrones moved around to one side forming a line to his right. Simultaneously, he heard the loud zap of an invisaportal to his left. He turned quickly to see Mesagog, Zeltrax and Elsa standing there. He was surprised that Mesagog had shown up himself instead of just sending his lackeys. He had a bad feeling about this.
"Greetingsssss...Dr. Oliver." Mesagog hissed.
"What do you want lizard breath?" Tommy kept a defensive posture as he faced the three, yet was still aware of the movement of the drones behind him.
Zeltrax growled and stepped forward. "How dare you address Lord Mesagog in that manner. I will teach you to show proper respect."
Tommy braced himself for the attack, but Mesagog put a scaly hand out to stop Zeltrax. "Now, now children. Let's be civil." He spoke slowly, a hint of amusement in his scratchy voice. "I'm sure that Dr. Oliver will surrender without a fight." There was an air of confidence in the vilian's statement, and it made Tommy wonder what exactly it was that Mesagog thought he had up his sleeve.
"In your dreams Mesagog. I'll never surrender to you." He retorted, silently praying that he could stall until the others arrived.
"Then today is the day when dreams come true," Zeltrax intervened. As he said this, Mesagog motioned to his right. The air about 2 feet away from him began to shimmer and two figures slowly emerged, standing shoulder to shoulder. To the untrained eye they appeared as two men, but if you looked closely there was a shimmer that shifted about them. Tommy knew right away what they were. He tried to fight the dread that came over him as a sinister and angry voice hissed inside his mind.
"The Warrior clans must be desperate if you've resorted to teaming up with the likes of Mesagog." Tommy taunted, trying to sound confident.
'He is merely a means to an end.' Whispered the voice into his thoughts alone. 'These pathetic beings are of no consequence.' Then aloud the man on the right spoke. "It is more about vengeance, than necessity."
"Hadn't realized the mighty Warriors of the Earth, were so threatened by one little human," he taunted. "Killing me will accomplish nothing." He stood defiantly, but fear was starting to get a hold of him. He knew the powers these beings possessed, and that same smug air of confidence that Mesagog had displayed was emanating from them as well.
"You're right. Killing you wouldn't make much of a difference, however enjoyable that might be." They turned to each other and pulled a third figure out from the air behind them. "But killing her, might."
The woman that they now held between them was a mess. Her mouth was gagged and her hands bound behind her back. It took a moment for him to register who she was as he took in the scars, bruises and dried blood that covered her body. Her head had been shaved in various places, and cut in different lengths, however to one side of her head, a small patch of dirty gray hair cascaded over her shoulder and down her back. A few dirty rags were barely keeping her modest. He focused on her face. His dark eyes locked onto her bright cobalt blue ones. Tommy's chest grew cold and tight.
"Reenya." He mouthed silently. He sent a thought towards her, even though deep down, he knew it was futile. He heard nothing in response, meaning she had once again been stripped of her essence and turned human. Anger replaced dread as he looked at her, and he was about to challenge them when two loud blasts hit the ground in front of Mesagog and his goons, causing Tommy to stumble backwards. He turned around to see the other rangers arriving on their vehicles. His joy and relief at their arrival was quickly smashed as he saw and felt the field go up. The two Warriors had reacted quickly, enacting a force field that left the Tyranodrones and the other rangers separated from Tommy and everyone else. He looked back to Mesagog. This was what had given him such confidence earlier. Behind him, Tommy could hear the frustrated shouts of the four teens as they battled the drones and continued to try and blast the force field.
Tommy steeled himself. "What do you want?" His voice was defiant and strong, but inside he knew he was stuck. He had a feeling he knew how this was going to go.
"Ahhhh. Yess." Mesagog hissed, having recovered from the blast. "You see now, don't you." He motioned to the men on his right. One of them pulled a dagger from his belt and held it to Reenya's throat with a grin of evil pleasure.
"It's very simple, Tom-ee." Elsa chided and stepped forward. "You surrender your Dino gem and morpher, or your little friend dies."
He looked back at Reenya. Their eyes met. He didn't need telepathy to tell him what she was thinking. They both knew if he surrendered, they would both be killed. She would rather die than allow his battle to protect the earth be lost. And it made sense. He'd been in this position before. The bad guys never kept their word. Surrendering would gain them nothing, and they would lose everything. He gritted his teeth and looked at the ground, clenching his fists. All of this he knew, but he could not let her be killed. He couldn't watch her die, not after everything they had been through. He looked down at the bracelet on his wrist. The silver gleamed around the black gem. He looked back towards the rangers. The tyranodrones were gone and the teens were still trying to beat down the barrier. He looked back to the villains in front of him. Elsa stepped forward, one hand on her hip, the other extended towards him, palm up.
"So, what'll it be, Dr. Oliver?"
He wanted so badly to kick that smug look off her face. He looked once more at Reenya, imagining her true form, a being of immense beauty and magic, that had once, many years ago, decided to trust him.
"I'm sorry," he said as he met her eyes. They were sad and she shook against the hands restraining her, shaking her head and pleading with him. 'NO!'
He sighed heavily looking once again at the bracelet. He reached down and took it off his wrist. Shouts and protests rushed from the rangers behind him, but he ignored them as he placed the bracelet in Elsa's waiting hand. "Hmph." She replied with a smug grin and backed up to deliver her prize to her master.
"There, you have what you wanted," he looked in Reenya's direction. "Now let her go."
In that moment Tommy was unprepared as Mesagog's psy-beam hit him. An overwhelming pain burned through every inch of his head. Gold light danced before his eyes. He grabbed his head and sank to his knees. Tommy could barely hear the screams of the other rangers. He tried to stand, but every fiber of his being screamed in pain. Black spots began to swim before him. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate.
Mesagog ceased his attack and Tommy crumpled in a heap on the ground. The pain did not go away, but it did lessen a great deal. He tried to stand, he wanted to fight, but he couldn't make his body move, and his mind was still reeling from the pain. His thoughts were muddled and foggy, he thought he could hear voices in the background as a darkness was slowly creeping in.
A/N: Well whadda ya think? As Johnny 5 once said, "Need Input!" Both good and bad.
