****IN THE MOONS PALACE EAST WING: HAYDEN'S POV****
For the past 6 hours, ever since the apparent arrival of the Red Ranger, the walls of the palace had been filled with the horrendous screams of the young teen, and it was getting on my last nerve. How long did Tommy think he needed to be tortured? Hadn't Rita told him to just torture him enough to get information? What was he even doing to the poor sap to cause so much pain? From the sounds of his screams, Tommy might as well be killing him.
I began to feel as if I needed to intervene , but decided against it to avoid causing more trouble than needed. However, curiosity did manage to creep its way into my mind, and I decided to check up on my Brother's progress. In order to conceal my identity, I adorned my green cloak, and draped the hood over my head.
When I walked through the door of my room and out into the long hallway, the painful cries of torture began to grow louder the closer I got to the entrance of the Dark Dimension. Thanks to Rita's magic, the actual doorway had been sealed with a cloaking spell that made it look as if it doesn't exist, but of course I would know where it was located, as everyone else in the palace knows. I walked down the winding corridor until I came across a painting of Rita hanging on the wall, and held my hand out. As expected, the wall began to simmer away as if it were an ice sculpture melting in the sun, and the dark, foggy chamber was revealed. As I stepped through, Tommy (morphed) hadn't seemed to notice me, so I stood there for a few seconds, admiring his handy work.
The Red Ranger was dangling about a foot off the ground by his hands, which were tied to a metal rod above his head. His torso had been exposed, and I could atleast make out 6 deep gashes, all covered in dried blood. The expression on the Teen's face wasn't one of pain, to my surprise, but one of absolute hatred, mixed with fear. Suddenly intrigued by the site, I leaned against the wall, and kept silent as best I could. I wonder why Tommy hasn't noticed my presence yet, seeing as how we can practically see through each others eyes.
" You...really think...I'm going to...ta...tell you about our plans to try and find Zordon..." This ought to be interesting. " Think...again...go ahead...and kill me." He obviously has no Idea how my Brother likes to do things, and I actually began to feel a little sorry for him. I heard my Brother laugh, and watched as he walked over to the opposite side of the room where a marble table with an assortment of "instruments of torture" were sprawled across its surface. " Ah Red Ranger, you seem to think I actually care about you and your pathetic little team's failures. Pitty they couldn't be here to join you in our little games."
I really hoped those games didn't involve me witnessing the shocking confirmation of my Brother being gay. At that thought, my thoughts were filled with the sound of Tommy's laughter, and I rolled my eyes. " How long did you know I was standing here?" I thought to myself. " The second you walked through the door, and besides, I figured you were enjoying the show. Also...for the thousanth time, I'm NOT gay, or bisexual, or any of those other freaky terms our generation likes to use to identify relationships. "
I smirked, thankful that Tommy couldn't actually see my expression. " Yeah, because being obsessed with another guy to the point of kidnapping him, chaining him up, and practically shredding his entire wardrobe totally isn't considered rape. You know normal people would just introduce themselves, ask for a phone number, and if they get lucky, go on a date with said person." I knew this would drive him absolutely insane, probably to the point where he'd want to kill me, but I couldn't resist picking on him, especially in the middle of moments like this one. " But wait...I forgot...you like to be in control of everything, which is why you have him chained up the way he is."
Tommy slammed his hands on the table, causing everything on it to raddle, and I couldn't help but notice the Red Ranger jump at the sound. The look on his face told me that he was expecting to be killed at any moment, and I didn't blame him. My Brother began to slowly walk in the direction where I was standing, and aimed his dagger towards me. " You know very well that Rita ordered me to torture him, so why don't you just take your stupid little fantasies elsewhere, and leave me alone to do my job!?" " YOUR JOB WAS TO TORTURE HIM, NOT KILL HIM, BROTHER!" I shouted back, stepping out of the shadows.
The Red Ranger's eyes widened in shock, and he began to stare back and forth between us. Although he couldn't see my face, I knew he could see my eyes, which were glowing iridescent green. I could feel them burn as I glared at my brother in defiance, and when I turned my attention to him, he flinched. " Can't you see that he's had enough for one night? He's practically developed a second layer of skin just from the amount of dried blood and scars, his nerves are shot so high that he makes being on meth look like a child's game, and not to mention, he hasn't been fed or given water since the moment he arrived, which was over 2 days ago!"
" Y-your...the g-good...hearted...sibling...aren't you? How charming." The Red Ranger managed to croak out in a raspy chuckle. Tommy turned his attention back to him, and zapped him with his dagger. " SILENCE Red Ranger, this doesn't concern you!" " Of course it does, Brother! Don't you see that if you continue to put him through these 'games' for too long every night, he'll die before you get anything good out of him. You have to atleast give him proper nourishment for him to live longer."
At that, Tommy seemed to be intrigued by my ideas, and nodded his head in agreement. " Very well then, Sister...YOU get to be the one to patch him up after every session." I scoffed, and pointed at the Tortured teen. " ME!? You were the one that was assigned to this 'job' by our Empress. Do you know what would happen of she were to find out that you went against her orders after she specified that it had to be YOU?" Tommy's fist balled up, and I knew I'd struck a nerve.
" You wouldn't..." He said, clenching his teeth." I smirked, and shrugged my shoulders. " You know, your absolutely right, I wouldn't tell Empress Rita that your abusing her orders and twisting them to your own satisfaction. Instead, I'd set the prisoner free, and tell her that you had a...oh what do you call it...a change of heart?" Tommy sighed irritably, and shook his head.
I rolled my eyes, and shrugged my shoulders." Well if your just going to be pissy about it, then fine, I'll help, but...on ONE condition. I get to be the one to kill him in the end." At my proposal, the Red Ranger began to struggle weakly in his bonds, causing me to laugh. " Oh don't worry, unlike Mr Grinch over there, I will be merciful and make it a quick end."
" That's...exactly...what your..dear old Brother...said...and now look...a-at...me." I don't know what caused it, but at that moment I began to feel guilty. As I continued to stare him down, I began to notice the extent of what my Brother has actually done to him, which was more than just the scratches and bruises it seemed. By using my powers, I was able to see that he had 2 broken ribs, a partially dis-located shoulder, and his wrists had deep lacerations from the ropes holding him in place. All of a sudden, Rita's screechy voice cut through the silence, bringing me out of my trance.
" Tommy, forget about the prisoner for now. I need you in the throne room at once to discuss our next plan of attack. Your sister is more than capable of finishing the job, I'm sure." At first I was shocked, thinking that Rita had just blown our secret identities in front of our enemy, but the Red Ranger seemed to be confused as to why we were both nodding our heads, so I assumed she had just spoken to us telepathically, which I was thankful for. I waited until Tommy left the room before walking over to the battered teen he had used as a punching bag, and reached above his head to untie his bonds.
He began to pass out as I fiddled with the ropes, and I smacked him in the face. " HEY, don't you go passing out on me. I may have just saved your arse, but that doesn't mean I care enough to not just leave you to bleed all over the floor!" He shook his head, and began to blink rapidly to re focus his vision. " Pl...please...I-I know...your not...as cold-hearted...as him. I ca...can see it...in your...eyes. Deep down...you...ha-hate what Rita...is making you...do ARGH!"
I squeezed his hand to the brink of it being crushed, and my eyes began to glow green. " You don't know anything about me, or my Brother! Our parents are dead because of you and your cowardice 'Leader', and Rita took us in while he did nothing but hide behind a glass tube, and make up lies and banter about her!" I continued to squeeze his hand until I was sure I felt a finger dislocate, causing the teen to cry out even more. All of a sudden, as fast as the rage inside me had built up, I began to feel it wither away, and my eyes turned back to normal.
For a few seconds, all was silent, except for the sounds of me breathing deeply. I let go of his hand, and undid the rest of his bonds, letting him drop to the floor in a heap. He grunted in pain from the impact, clutching his bruised chest. From underneath my hood, I stared down at him in defiance. " Let that be a lesson to you, Red Ranger."
"You may think that I helped you because I care, but the truth is that I want to watch you suffer a lot longer. I want you to watch as your world is slowly destroyed, piece...by piece. Only then will I allow for your life to end." He tried in vain to keep a straight face as he sat up, but I knew that the pain he felt was excruciating, and I laughed. " It's a shame you won't be around to see the great aftermath of Rita's empire."
To my surprise, the Red Ranger turned his gaze to me, and had a look of defiance in his eyes once more. " Do you...realize...you'll be...the cause...of your own race...going extinct? Why are you doing this? I ...understand...that Zordon...failed you and your brother but...you don't have to kill of your own species...think of what your...doing...it-it's anarchy!" " NO...it's justice...for what Zordon has done..."
The Red Ranger shook his head, and had a look of disbelief on his face. I felt the need to inflict more pain upon him for being so ignorant, but I knew he couldn't take much more in his condition, so I went to leave. Once I reached the entrance to the dimension, I stopped in my tracks. " The ONLY reason our visions are different even though we are from the same race that I plan to play a part in its destruction..." I turned to face him. " Is that My Brother and I don't feign affection!"
At that, I turned back around, and left him alone. As I walked through the corridor leading to my room, I could hear his words echoing through my head as if I were listening to it on repeat. "...not as cold-hearted as him...you hate what Rita is making you do...Your own race!" I began to squeeze my head between my hands, and fell to my knees. " GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"
