Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter four of "Dark Desire." I'm glad it took just four days to get out. I can't believe I've already gotten over twenty-five reviews. I want to thank everyone who has reviewed so far. A special shoutout goes to Tasha Hill, Alex B Goode, SpecialK92, Ghostwriter, brankel1, Boris Yeltsin, TommyandKimberlyOliverFan4Ever, Sparky, Hope, Wolfgirl2013, RKF22, and necty25 for being continuous reviewers. Your support means the world to me. As for other readers, please don't hesitate to review. I'd love to hear what you'd like to see in this fic. I don't mind that at all. If you really like it, put it in your author alert and favorites lists. You'll be able to keep track of it better. Anyway, this chapter has more elements from "Green With Evil." If you want to know how I prepared to do the scenes from the mini-series, I watched them multiple times to get clear pictures of them in my head. Then I wrote them into the fic and added extra lines and more descriptive details. I wrote variations of some of the original lines or added words to them. Stay tuned for chapter five.

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Chapter 4: Still Searching/Some Talking

Alpha stood at the console before the plasma tube at the Command Center. He was still searching for Zordon. The computer let out a soft beep. He grunted in much frustration before stomping his foot. He looked toward the tube. He kept his attention on it for thirty seconds before turning back to the console. He shook his head in disbelief.

Alpha sighed heavily. He wished it wasn't so hard to find Zordon. In fact, he had been trying to locate him ever since the Power Rangers left. He did two previous searches, but they failed miserably. He took a break in between them before trying again. He was tempted to kick the console after the second failure, but he resisted.

"Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi!" Alpha said with a groan. "I've got to find a way to get Zordon back. If I can just manage to gain access to his dimensional files, perhaps it will make the search easier."

He took a closer look at the console. He tilted his head a bit, as he lowered his arms. Sometimes, he wondered why computers were invented. He thought they were very complicated at times, especially when he did everything right. The irony was he was made of computer parts himself.

"Let's see here. Numerical sequence is correct," Alpha whispered and exhaled in a soft manner. "It is Sector 10Q9."

Alpha pressed several buttons on the console while mumbling inaudible words. He heard a few quiet beeps a minute later.

"Hmm. Search initiated," Alpha commented. He heard a loud beep and became excited. "Access granted! I've done it! I'm in!"

He pressed a few more buttons on the console. His excitement seemed to grow by the second.

"Computer, begin search of sector 1-0-Q-9 sweeping all perimeters," Alpha said, turning toward the tube. "Well, Zordon, now it's only a matter of time."

Alpha made his way to the Viewing Globe. He observed bottlenose dolphins leaping through the ocean. He saw brown pelicans fly above them. The pelicans cawed in almost perfect unison. He sighed in relief.

"At least it is peaceful right now," Alpha said with a contented sigh. "I hope Rita doesn't attack again for a while. The Rangers need to rest. They are exhausted from fighting her minions this week."

Alpha tilted his head somewhat. He remembered all the times the team fought Rita's minions one day after the other. He could never forget them being so tired from the battles. In some cases, they looked about ready to fall over and end up asleep on the floor. He expressed relief when the day-to-day fighting ended, allowing the Rangers to get some well-deserved rest.

His thoughts drifted to Jason, Trini, Billy, Kim, and Zack. He was glad they were determined to free Tommy from Rita's spell. He hoped the weekend would be peaceful. He had no doubt they felt fortunate to have weekends to refresh themselves. He had to admit he felt the same way because he saw them as the perfect time to recharge himself.

He started thinking about Tommy. He was surprised that Rita chose someone so young to be her Green Ranger. At the same time, he understood why she did. He saw that Tommy was new in town and didn't know anyone, so he was easy pickings for her. He hoped Zordon would be able to provide answers on how to break the spell once his mentor return. He prayed it would be very soon.

Alpha shook his thoughts out of his head. He knew he needed to monitor the console's search for the sage. He wanted to make sure it wouldn't stop working since it was a critical time. He turned around and approached it. He stared down at it for thirty seconds before turning toward the tube. He raised his arms a little bit.

"Oh, Zordon. It will be so wonderful once you are home. The Rangers need your guidance. I do too. I've been so lonely, though the team has kept me company when they could," Alpha said. He resumed observing the console.

00000

The early evening moon beamed its light on the Hart residence. A strong wind blew through the trees. This caused their leaves to rustle loudly. Some branches looked about ready to break off. One branch tapped a second-floor window. The house happened to be large with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The basement contained one of the bathrooms. A wooden fence surrounded the backyard. The top of one plank located next to the gate appeared to be split in half. The sliding glass door led out to a deck. The front porch contained a swing and two foldable chairs.

Kim sipped coffee from a mug while looking out the sink window in the Hart residence's kitchen. She placed her other hand on it. She looked around the medium-sized kitchen. It had bright blue cabinets and white walls. Its floor was gray and was made of marble. It contained an oak table with five unmatching chairs. A bar with three stools could also be seen. She turned back to her mug. She sipped more of her coffee. She went over to the bar and placed it there.

She ran her fingers over her hair as she thought about her parents. She hoped they were having a nice time in Los Angeles. She hoped to go with them the next time they planned a trip there. She wanted to see its beaches very much. Of course, their biggest downside was they often got crowded, especially when it came to tourists. She didn't blame them because they were very popular.

Her thoughts drifted to Tommy. She wished she didn't have to fight him. She had taken a liking to him, though he hadn't been treating her right. Of course, she knew that was due to the spell. She hoped she and her teammates would be able to break it and recruit him to their side. She felt he would be a great asset to them, as did they.

Kim snapped out of her thoughts when the phone rang loudly. He turned toward it slowly. She didn't think it was her parents calling because they said they wouldn't call too often just before they left. She hoped it was one of her friends. She would love nothing more than to talk to them on a Friday night. She approached the phone. She picked it up in the middle of the third ring and put it to her ear.

"Hello?" Kim asked.

"Congratulations! You are a finalist to win tickets to a U2 concert!" a young woman shouted gleefully.

"Huh?" Kim said with much confusion.

The woman squeaked. "It's no joke. I am telling you the truth. The tickets dollars can be yours if you answer these three questions correctly. Just hold on. I will get the questions in a minute."

Kim huffed. "No way. This is just a prank call. I never entered a contest for U2 concert tickets. Your friends must've put you up to this. Please, never call here again."

Kim hung up the phone. She mumbled obscenities in Spanish before scoffing annoyingly. She hated it when people made prank calls. She wished they wouldn't do that. Prank calls to 911 were the ones she hated the most. She saw that as dangerous due to them tying up dispatchers when they could be tending to real emergencies.

Suddenly, the phone started ringing again. She wondered who it was this time. She hoped the caller wasn't the woman who made the fake finalist call. If it turned out to be her, she would have a few choice words for her. She moved her hand toward the phone slowly but surely. She picked it up as at the end of the second ring. She placed it to her ear.

"Hello?" Kim asked.

"Could I talk to Helen?" a middle-aged woman replied gently.

"Who?" Kim wondered confusingly.

"Helen. Is she there?" the woman said hopefully.

"I don't want to tell you this, but you dialed the wrong number," Kim admitted regretfully. "No one named Helen lives in this residence."

"I am sorry! I can't believe I called this number!" the woman yelled in shame.

"It's okay, ma'am. Everyone dials one number wrong and ends up calling someone else," Kim assured in a gentle voice.

"I should pay closer attention to what numbers I press," the woman whispered and made a funny noise.

"Yep," Kim agreed. "Anyway, I hope you reach Helen."

"Thanks for not yelling at me," the woman said in much gratefulness. "I've had people yell at me when I dialed their numbers accidentally."

"You're welcome," Kim replied and yawned. "Bye."

Kim laid the phone on its base. She groaned annoyingly while shaking her head rapidly. She felt she would go crazy if the next caller turned out to be a prankster or another who had dialed the wrong number. She never thought it would happen to her twice in one night, especially on a Friday. She hoped it wouldn't happen again. She went over to the sink window and stared out it.

She heard the phone ring again. She looked toward it while swallowing hard. She prayed the caller was someone she knew. She went toward it slowly but surely. She touched it as the third ring started. She bit her lip before emitting a soft snort. She picked it up carefully and put it on her ear. Her heart started to beat a little faster.

"Hello?" Kim whispered.

"Hey, Kim," Trini replied in much cheerfulness.

"Oh, Trini. Thank God," Kim yelled, her voice filled with much relief.

"What's wrong?" Trini asked confusingly.

"You won't believe this, but I got two calls a few minutes ago. The first was a prank call. The second was a wrong number," Kim explained.

"Whoa!" Trini said in awe. "It's not often you get a prank call and a wrong number on the same day."

"No shit, Sherlock," Kim agreed and made a funny noise.

"Prank calls and wrong numbers have happened to me more times than I can even count," Trini commented with a giggle.

"Yeah," Kim said honestly. "Who knows when the next prank call or wrong number will come?"

"Neither of us want to know," Trini said. "Anyway, how are you doing this evening?"

"I am doing fine. How about you?" Kim asked and exhaled slowly.

"The same. You must really enjoy having the house to yourself," Trini responded warmly.

"Oh, I do," Kim answered truthfully. "I don't have to listen to Dad screaming at the TV over his football team losing."

"Dad does the same thing," Trini grumbled in annoyance. "Sometimes, I have to close my door because he is yelling so loud. Anyway, you are a lucky girl to have your house all to yourself."

"Yep," Kim agreed.

"What are you doing right now?" Trini asked with much curiosity.

"I just fixed myself a cup of coffee," Kim answered and rubbed her nose. "I haven't even had dinner yet."

"I see," Trini said and cleared her throat. "I haven't had dinner either. Friday is fend-for-yourself night."

Kim couldn't help but giggle. She, Daryl, and Caroline had Friday as their fend-for-yourself night like Trini and her parents, Henry and Debra, did. She loved the fact that she and her best friend had so much in common. She wondered what else she would learn about her.

"So, what did you want to call me for?" Kim wondered with much curiosity. "You better tell me, or I will jump into the phone and tickle you on the other end."

"Oh, I am so scared," Trini taunted.

Kim smirked. "You should be. I am the queen of mean."

Trini blew a raspberry. "What you really are is the queen of shopping."

Kim couldn't help but laugh. It was a well-known fact that she loved shopping. With both of her parents being dentists, she had more money than most teens did. She enjoyed trying on many clothes and shoes before choosing which outfits and pairs to buy.

"Kim, I was wondering. Would you like me to come over and spend the night with you?" Trini asked hopefully. "Mom and Dad said I should do that because you were home alone and that we haven't had girl time in a while."

"I would love for you to come over and spend the night with me!" Kim yelled excitedly.

Trini squealed happily. "That's great. What would you like for dinner? Dad gave me money, so I could go get it."

"How about McDonald's?" Kim suggested. "I am craving a Big Mac, a large fry, and a large diet coke."

"That is a great idea," Trini said and made a slurping sound. "I am getting the same meal."

"Great minds think alike," Kim commented with great pride.

"I will see you in thirty to forty-five minutes," Trini said eagerly.

"That sounds good to me," Kim said and squealed in great delight. "This is going to be so much fun."

"It sure will," Trini agreed and spoke gibberish. She became quiet after ten seconds. "Bye."

Kim chuckled. "Bye."

Kim hung up the phone. She couldn't wait for Trini to be here with their dinner. She loved McDonald's very much, especially their hamburgers and fish sandwiches. She thought they were out of this world. She saw it as the perfect place to get an after-school snack. She went to the counter to pick up her coffee. She proceeded to take a sip.

00000

A northern mockingbird sat on the Oliver residence's sink window. It ran its beak through its wing feathers. It did the same to its chest and back feathers. It proceeded to chirp a beautiful melody. Another mockingbird flew in and landed next to it. It joined in on the chirping. They continued for thirty seconds before becoming quiet. The house happened to be large and had three bedrooms and one-and-a-half bathrooms. The back door was the sliding glass type. It led out to a deck that overlooked the backyard. A chain-link fence surrounded it. In its center were a football and a soccer ball.

The mockingbirds looked inside to see forty-four-year-old Lillian pouring coffee into a mug. She filled it to nearly full before putting the kettle back in the coffeemaker. She took a sip. She nodded in approval. Being Caucasian, she was tall for a woman. Her skin was very pale. Her brown hair was long and straight. Her face had so many pimple scars that someone could connect them and make a picture. It also contained some wrinkles, including bags under her light brown eyes.

She looked around the large kitchen. It contained bright blue cabinets and white walls. Its white floor happened to be made of tile. It had a hardwood table with four matching chairs. A bar with three stools could also be seen. She returned her attention to her mug. She sipped more of her coffee. She put it on the counter while smacking her lips. She moved her head from side to side, stretching her neck.

Just then, forty-one-year-old Marty walked into the kitchen. He was Caucasian and was slightly taller than Tommy. He was a little more muscular than his son was. His dark brown hair was in the style of a buzz cut. His dark blue eyes contained bags underneath them. His face had no other wrinkles. A scar could be seen above his left eyebrow. He came up behind his wife. He wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her temple, causing her to look up at him with a big smile on her face.

"You are always one for coming up behind me and kissing my temple, aren't you?" she teased.

"Yep," he responded and winked at her. "It is your favorite area to be kissed after all."

"At least I wasn't pouring coffee into this mug when you did that," Lillian said as she picked up her coffee. "It is quite possible I would've spilled it on myself." She winced painfully before putting it down. "Spilling coffee on yourself is one of the worst things ever. It's not only hot. It also leaves a big stain on your clothes."

"That's true. Of course, we have Cheer. It works wonders on get coffee stains," Marty pointed out while letting go of her.

"Let's not forget we have a great washing machine," Lillian commented.

He raised an eyebrow. "You know who bought that washing machine."

She rolled her eyes as she turned around. "Of course not."

Marty pinched Lillian's nose as well as her chin. He grabbed a glass from the cabinet next to the sink after going to it. He approached the sink and stuck it under the faucet. He turned on the water. He turned it off once it was nearly full. He sipped his water before returning to her. He eyed the clock, seeing it read ten-forty. He turned his attention back to her.

"When we can home from dinner, we heard the shower running," Marty said and cleared his throat.

"He will likely be sleeping in on Saturday and Sunday morning," Lillian added, giving a shrug.

"It's not unusual for teens to sleep in quite late on those days," Marty said and ran his tongue all over the inside of his mouth.

"I don't blame them, especially if they have sports practice that goes well into the evening and hit the books until eleven or twelve o'clock," Lillian whispered and let out a relieved sigh.

"It's good to know that his first week at his new school went well," Marty commented and took another sip of his water. "I hope he makes some new friends soon."

"Parents can't expect their children to make new friends on the first day at a new school," Lillian said honestly. "It's unrealistic."

"Being in a new school can feel a little intimidating for youngsters, especially teens. They want to fit in so much. At the same time, they wonder if their new friends will stick by them if something happens to them," Marty explained.

"Some people think the quantity of friends matters. It doesn't," Lillian said matter-of-factly. "Quality is what really matters."

"I'd rather have a few true friends than a bunch of fake ones who would abandon me at the drop of a hat," Marty said bluntly. "Both of us have been betrayed by people we thought were our friends."

"It's happened in both childhood and adulthood to us," Lillian said and frowned. "It was devastating every time it happened, but we picked ourselves up and moved on."

"Of course, some people try to hang on to those who don't want to be their friends anymore. They become so obsessed with it that they end up harming them," Marty muttered in fear. He bit his lip. "It happens more often than we realize."

Lillian nodded in agreement. She turned around to look at her coffee. Her husband joined her side as she slipped a lock of hair behind her ear before clearing her throat. She licked her lips.

"Bernadette Protti was obsessed with being like Kirsten Costas. She wanted to have the same accomplishments as Kirsten did, but she never got them," she said.

"On June 23, 1984, Kirsten was lured with a phony invitation to a dinner for the Bob-o-Links. Bernadette had planned to take her to the party to befriend her. However, Kirsten got angry when the girl told that no dinner was planned for the group. The girls quarreled. Kirsten ran to the home of Alex and Mary Jane Arnold. She told them that her friend had gone weird. Alex drove her home. He noticed a Pinto was following them. Arnold saw Bernadette attack her. He thought that he was seeing a fist fight. However, Bernadette stabbed Kirsten with a knife five times. Neighbors called an ambulance. Unfortunately, Kirsten was mortally wounded and died at a nearby hospital," he explained and frowned.

"It was six months before the killer was found. Bernadette passed a lie detector test," Lillian muttered tensely. "Her alibi was not confirmed. After attempting to confirm her alibi, the police suspected that the girl had lied. Bernadette realized her arrest was imminent when she spoke to an FBI officer. She wrote her mother a letter that contained a full confession."

"Bernadette said to have found the kitchen knife by chance. Her elder sister, Virginia Varela, claimed in court that she kept that knife in her car to cut vegetables. The Costases did not believe her story. They claimed Bernadette never intended to take Kirsten to a party, but she had planned to murder her. She was sentenced to a maximum of nine years. She was released seven years later on parole," Marty said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"This didn't have to happen. Bernadette could've moved on from not making the cheerleading team, the yearbook committee, and every other group Kirsten got accepted to," Lillian pointed out.

"Unfortunately, she seemed to be obsessed with being popular," Marty commented, rolling his eyes.

"Many teens are just like that, especially when they face pressure from parents to be part of the in-crowd," Lillian murmured.

"Nobody gets accepted into everything," Marty said truthfully. "It's just not feasible at all."

"Not to mention you'd be busy all the time. You wouldn't have time for friends or family," Lillian muttered, tensing a bit.

"I don't think I could've handled so many extracurricular activities when I was in school," Marty admitted, shuddering softly.

"Me neither," Lillian agreed. "It's not good to take on too much."

Footsteps caught the couple's attention. They turned to see Tommy walking to the cabinet next to the sink to get a mug. He looked at them.

"Hey, son," Lillian greeted warmly.

"Hey yourself, Mom," Tommy said, going over to the coffeemaker and grabbing the kettle. He poured coffee into his mug until it was nearly full. He returned it to its place. "How are you doing?"

Marty snorted. "We're fine, though we are a little tired from working and unpacking. You?"

"I am fine, but I am a little tired from school and unpacking. I feel so fortunate we have weekends. It gives kids like me a chance to catch up on our sleep if we had a few sleepless nights during the week," Tommy said and sipped his coffee.

"It gives adults like your father and me a chance to rest from long weeks at work," Lillian added.

Tommy ran his finger over the rim of his mug. "It's not every day a teenager drinks coffee."

"Nor is it every day that a sixteen-year-old starts his freshman year of high school," Marty pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Had you not been in that T-1 program at Apple Creek Elementary School in Moore, you would've started high school last year," Lillian murmured with raised eyebrows. "You were no longer in kindergarten, but you weren't ready for first grade. We enrolled you in it."

"I am one of the few freshmen who own vehicles. Mine happens to be a jeep," Tommy said, taking a tiny sip of his coffee.

Lillian sighed contently. "It's a nice jeep. You take great care of it."

Tommy chuckled to himself. He enjoyed washing his jeep and keeping it in good working order. He felt it was very important to perform maintenance on vehicles to keep them running well. He couldn't understand why some people neglected their vehicles to the point that their motors were on the verge of burning out completely.

"It feels like only yesterday when we adopted you after your parents died in that drunk driving crash," Lillian said in a warm voice.

"I was just five years old when that happened, Mom," Tommy admitted. "I couldn't understand what was going on. I was put into foster care because I had no other relatives." He sighed heavily. "I lived with you and Dad for ten months before you decided to adopt me."

"We became foster parents with the intent to adopt. We were eager to take care of you when you were placed with us. After five months of living with us, you began calling us Mom and Dad," Lillian explained as she remembered that day. "When we asked you how you felt about us adopting you, you got excited."

"What can I say? It was a wonderful day in my life," Tommy said, chuckling softly. "Even better was that I was there to see you sign the adoption papers."

"We started moving to Angel Grove in mid-August. That was a week before you started attending Moore High School. We spent our first night here last Friday," Marty said with a smile.

"It was hard moving our stuff here, but it was worth it," Tommy commented while moving his head from side to stretch his neck. "If we had waited until after school started, it would've been much harder moving here."

"No denying that," Marty agreed. "Of course, some people don't have time to prepare to go somewhere. They got the news they would be heading places on short notice." He cleared his throat.

"We don't have to deal with tornadoes anymore," Lillian admitted in a calm yet firm voice. "Now, we have to deal with earthquakes."

Tommy furrowed his brow. He recalled stories of major earthquakes hitting California. He wondered if it was a good idea for his parents to transfer for their jobs as police officers because one could strike at any time. The experience of warm weather during winter while the rest of the nation was freezing caused him to give living here a shot.

"Son, do you remember Joel Kirkson?" Marty wondered.

"Yeah. He is the guy who saw us taking our stuff inside while he was jogging. He decided to help us and told us about living two blocks away," Tommy answered. "You gave him our phone number."

Lillian smile. "That's the one. He called the house while you were in the shower. He asked if we wanted to spend Saturday and Sunday with him. Your father and I said we'd love to."

"Do you want to join us there?" Marty asked very curiously.

"No, thank you," Tommy responded while shaking his head slowly. "I'm not really up for spending time with our friend. I'll just hang around here."

Marty touched his son's shoulder. "All righty then. I hope you enjoy your time alone both days."

"We won't force you to do anything you don't want to do," Lillian added and winked at him. "Besides, you need all the rest you can get. The first week of a new school can be hard on a boy like you."

"So true," Tommy whispered with a chuckle. "I hope you two have a nice time at Mr. Kirkson's house. Tell him I said hi."

"Sure," Marty commented with much eagerness.

"We'll leave around ten o'clock tomorrow morning. We won't disturb you if you are asleep," Lillian said, giving Tommy another wink.

Tommy nodded at his parents. "That's fine with me. I'm going to eat dinner in a minute."

"Okay," Lillian said, grabbing her coffee. "We're going to go upstairs."

Tommy observed his parents heading out of the kitchen. He looked at the Cheerios sitting on the counter. He grabbed them before heading over to the silverware drawer to get a spoon. He got a bowl from the cabinet next to the sink as well. He returned to the cereal and set the bowl and spoon in front of it. He tapped his fingers on the counter.

Tommy sighed to himself. He started thinking about what he could do while his parents were at Joel's house. Suddenly, he got an idea. He could practice teleporting tomorrow morning. He felt that would help him battle the Power Rangers more easily. After all, surprising them would give him even more of an advantage over them.

Tommy shook his thoughts out of his head. He knew that he wouldn't be able to eat dinner if he kept thinking about the team. Moreover, he didn't want Marty and Lillian catching him staring off into space. Of course, he knew they were aware he thought about girls sometimes and would assume he was doing that. It was normal for a boy his age. He opened the box and proceeded to pour the cereal into the bowl.