Author's Note: Here's chapter 8. Please read and review! Feedback is greatly appreciated. :)
Lunar Palace
Training Room
The Moon
Three weeks later, Tuesday
Local time, unknown
"So what am I learning today?" asked Tommy. He was standing in a faded green t-shirt and gray sweatpants, hair tied back in a tight ponytail.
"There's nothing left for you to learn. I've taught you everything you need to know."
Tommy raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought there would be more."
Scorpina gave a half smile. "It is like your karate that you speak of. You learn a skill, but it is practice and dedication that sharpens it."
He considered this. "That's true. So I just have to keep practicing what you've taught me in order to get better."
"Precisely," she said.
"Then can we spar?" he asked, grabbing the bo staff off the wall. "I want to practice more with the staff."
Scorpina smiled, picking up her swords off the ground. "As you wish."
The two bowed to each other, and Tommy came at Scorpina fiercely. He liked the staff the most of the weapons he had been trained in, loving the weight and feel of it in his hands. It was easy to move around his body and was good for both defensive and offensive moves.
He blocked her swords coming down on him with the staff, quickly shooting a blast of green energy at her chest. Scorpina stumbled back, and the green ranger grinned.
"Good," she said. "You're combining your offense and defense. Again."
Tommy twirled his staff quickly before running at her, only to stop when the door to the room opened. Goldar stood in the doorway.
"Zedd wishes to meet with you," he growled.
Scorpina nodded, bowing to Tommy as a sign that their match was over before sheathing her swords. He watched her walk quickly out of the room. Tommy knew if Zedd was calling Scorpina, it had to do with the Dark Empire.
Goldar stared at him as if he were stupid. "You, too, pup."
Tommy raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
The gold plated warrior nodded. "Seems it's your lucky day."
Tommy dropped his staff, following behind Goldar as they headed to Lord Zedd's throne room.
"What's he want me for?" asked the teen.
"How would I know?" asked Goldar irritably. "Our master has yet to realize how much of a nuisance you are. I can't imagine why he wants you around for anything."
The two entered Zedd's throne room, and Tommy was surprised to see several faces looking back at him from floating screens.
"Ah, there you are, Tommy," said Zedd as he waved the teen over to the open spot next to him. "Sit."
Tommy sat in the seat beside Lord Zedd and looked curiously at the faces around him. Scorpina and Goldar sat on Zedd's other side; across from them were the faces of several hideous beasts that the teen had only seen from his lessons with the emperor.
"We can now begin the meeting of the Dark Empire War Council," said Zedd.
Tommy's eyes bugged slightly. 'War council?' He had only heard stories about it, from what Scorpina would tell him in their off time between training. She explained to him that any major battle decisions were brought before the council to be planned out. The war council consisted of the best warriors and tacticians of the Dark Empire.
'Why did he want me here?' Tommy thought curiously. 'Oh right… General Oliver...'
"Lord Zedd, may I begin by reiterating that I do not believe invading the Earth is the best course of action," said one of them.
"And why not?" asked Zedd.
"Zordon of Eltar and his team of power rangers still exist on the planet, do they not? It would be unwise to invade while they still pose a threat."
"We are currently creating a plan to be rid of Zordon," said Lord Zedd. "Zordon will not pose a threat for much longer."
"And how do you know this?" asked another nameless face.
"Zordon will be recharging soon, given that a century has passed since he last charged and it happened around this time. This will take him out of commission; if we can get to him while he is defenseless, we can take control," said Goldar.
"And you have access to Zordon?" asked one skeptically.
"Access to Zordon's Command Center requires a power coin to get in. Only his power rangers can get inside," Scorpina answered.
"Precisely," said the first with a smug look. "This invasion cannot happen."
Tommy looked around, the wheels turning in his head. "Yes, it can."
All eyes turned to him, and he suddenly felt extremely self-conscious.
"Who is the child? A slave?" asked one of the generals.
Tommy scowled. "I'm not a child. I am Thomas Oliver of Earth, and I am Lord Zedd's green ranger."
The silence in the room was deafening.
"Scorpina says you have to be a power ranger to get into the Command Center." He reached into his pocket, pulling out the small coin.
"I may not be one of Zordon's rangers, but I should be able to get inside just like they can. I can take care of Zordon from the inside, removing him from the equation. If we take away Zordon, the power rangers would be without a mentor and without direction."
"Leaving them vulnerable to us," finished Zedd. Tommy felt the older man's hand clasp his shoulder firmly.
He took it to mean he did a good job.
"You trust this boy to do this? Zordon of Eltar is a powerful wizard, sir. I am not convinced your… ranger can handle this task."
'You ugly piece of shit,' Tommy thought. 'Who the hell are you to question me?'
Zedd's grip tightened on Tommy's shoulder, and the teen took it as a sign to calm down.
"My green ranger is more powerful than you realize, Rygog. I have no doubt he can take care of Zordon while he is doing his centurial recharge." Zedd glared at the general, glowing slightly.
"Any more questions?"
Hearing none, Zedd nodded. "Now, I want a fleet from each colony sent to Earth immediately. Zordon and his power rangers will be taken care of on our end. The invasion will go as scheduled."
Tommy listened to the generals discuss the logistics of gathering their fleets with child-like curiosity. They were bringing in nearly 500,000 foot soldiers and 150 warships.
'This invasion will be massive.'
"Tommy," said Lord Zedd, and Tommy realized the meeting had ended; the screens were now black, no longer floating.
"Yes?" asked the teen.
Zedd stood. "When you go into the Command Center, you need to be careful not to destroy Zordon's energy tube."
'Go into the Command Center? Oh right… that.' Tommy frowned. "But wouldn't that be the best way to get rid of him?"
Zedd nodded. "In the sense that it would kill him, yes, but destroying his tube would have irrevocable consequences. Zordon is a source of pure Good, and the energy he wields is consequently of the same nature and very old, making it incredibly powerful. If you were to break his tube, it would send out a wave so powerful, it could wipe out the entire Dark Empire."
'Damn,' he thought. "I understand. Then what can I do?"
"Zordon is only on Earth through a link between him and the Command Center that keeps him suspended in his time warp. If you sever that link, you break his ability to be on Earth," supplied Goldar.
The green ranger nodded. "So I need to destroy whatever is keeping him here."
"Exactly," said Scorpina. "His assistant, Alpha 5, will try to reestablish the connection. He needs to be taken out, as well."
"Can't the little machine just be turned into scrap metal?" Goldar asked.
The green ranger shook his head. "He's a computer. Breaking him apart only destroys the shell; you have to destroy his core, the data inside."
"Do you know how to do that?" asked Scorpina.
"I may have a way," said Tommy thoughtfully. He was sure he could find some tech geek girl at school to write the code for him.
"What happens after we get rid of Zordon?"
"You said it yourself," said Zedd. "The rangers will be lost without their precious mentor. We can't kill Zordon right now, not without hurting ourselves in the process, so their power will remain with them. But we can dismantle them piece by piece."
"So then what's next?" asked Goldar.
"Their zords," supplied Tommy. "They can cause some serious damage with their zords, and if they're operational during the invasion, we'll have a problem."
Zedd nodded. "Then that will be our focus for the time being, finding a way to destroy their zords."
He turned to Tommy. "Can you take out Zordon soon?"
Tommy nodded, excitement coursing through him. He had been off duty for some time, spending his time training with Scorpina to hone his skills for the invasion. He was itching to get back into the fight. It was strange to be the one helping to plan things as opposed to being the one sent out to just do the dirty work.
It was a welcome change for the green ranger.
But at the same time, Tommy didn't want to go after Zordon.
He and Kimberly had begun a strange relationship of sorts. They had begun seeing each other more frequently, sneaking around during the week and meeting up on weekends. More and more, the two would talk while together, and Tommy learned very quickly how important Zordon was to the pink ranger. The way she spoke of him was as if he were a father to her. He guessed that made sense, given how Kim's real father was never around growing up. Zordon was someone she felt she could depend on and trust.
'She might never forgive me if I hurt him,' he thought to himself.
"Tommy?" Zedd asked again, impatient.
The green ranger blinked rapidly, looking into the expectant face of his master. "Yes?"
"Zordon. I asked when would you be able to take care of him."
Tommy licked his lips, brows furrowing. He made a deal with Zedd that he would be his general, and he needed to honor that commitment.
But Kimberly would be crushed.
Tommy glared when he heard Goldar's fingernails tap against the table. "It'd be lovely if you could respond today."
The green ranger looked back to Zedd, coming to a decision.
"I can do it tomorrow night."
Hart Residence
Kimberly's Room
Angel Grove, CA
Wednesday, 11:31 PM
"What's wrong?"
Tommy looked down into Kim's brown eyes, watching her fingers play with the chain around his neck.
"Nothing," he said softly.
He felt her sigh against him. "You're lying."
"I'm just thinking. Last time I checked, that wasn't a crime."
She sat up, moving so that she lay flush against him; he could feel her everywhere against his body. "Talk to me."
'Where do I even begin?' he thought, reflecting on the last few hours silently.
…Tommy had received a call from Kim earlier that evening at his house; she needed to see him.
Being the dumbass that he was, he went.
Apparently, Jason had noticed that their relationship had changed. Kim wasn't as attentive anymore or as happy about seeing him. She was distant, detached…
They barely kissed, touches were scarce, and he wanted to know what he did wrong.
When Tommy asked her why she was pulling away from the red ranger, her response was that it felt wrong to be intimate with Jason when she was already intimate with him.
He couldn't help the smile on his face at that comment.
Jason didn't kiss her or hold her like he did. She told Tommy it felt like she was cheating on him with Jason whenever the red ranger tried to be with her.
Tommy suggested that she break up with Jason, tired of seeing the two of them together day in and day out.
She told him she couldn't do that. Not only would it hurt Jason, but it would also hurt her because she was still in love with him.
"The problem isn't Jason; it was never Jason. The problem is you, Tommy. I'm falling for you when that's the last thing I want to do," she said to him.
A combination of dread and pleasure hit him at her confession. Part of him was happy to know she felt so strongly for him, but another part was scared of the implications.
When he looked at her, he knew she wanted some type of reaction from him. Happiness… his own confession… something.
He could only tell her he was sorry she felt that way.
His stomach twisted inside when he saw tears gather in her eyes, a sure sign that he hurt her. He didn't expect her to yell at him, calling him a coward for not admitting how he felt.
He told her he couldn't, and she pointed out that just because he couldn't didn't mean that he wasn't in love with her.
He tried to argue back but was unable to bring himself to say the words.
She kissed him then, and he knew he was a goner.
Hands and lips were everywhere, clothes strewn across the small bedroom. He found himself on his back, naked and more aroused than he had ever been in his life. His hands were on her hips, and she set the pace to one he wasn't accustomed to.
Sex for Tommy was always about release, getting his partner off as fast and hard as possible. Kim rode him slowly, deliberately drawing out their pleasure. She brought him to a point of near delirium, and he rolled them over so that he was on top.
He kept at the pace she set, using only deep, slow strokes. Their fingers had locked together on their own, his hands pushing hers into her purple sheets. Her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist, and he took pleasure in every moan she let out.
Tommy knew they weren't just having sex anymore, and he ignored the panic that stirred in him. He focused instead on the soft gasps she released when his thrusts came a bit harder, his release building steadily.
She clenched around him tightly then, whispering in his ear that she had always wanted to cum with him making love to her like he was now.
Her words startled him, and he came with unexpected force inside of her, groaning her name into her neck as he shuddered. He hadn't realized that she came when he did, moaning his name loudly in his ear.
Tommy had never felt so weak after a climax before, limbs too weak to hold him up. She kissed him as he lay on top of her, and he responded as best he could. He summoned the strength to roll off of her, mindful of his weight on her small frame. She curled into him immediately, head resting in the crook of his shoulder as he tried to recover…
"Tommy?" He looked down at her.
"Sorry."
She crossed her arms over his chest, eyes staring down into his questioningly.
"What?" he asked, not comfortable with her scrutinizing him.
"How is it?"
He raised an eyebrow. "How is what?"
"Working for Lord Zedd."
He shifted, wrapping his arms around her back. "It's not so bad, I guess."
"Isn't he scary?" she asked. "He looks terrifying whenever he calls in to talk to Zordon from the viewing globe."
Tommy considered this. "When I first met him, yeah, he was pretty creepy. And I guess even now he has moments where he's scary." He rubbed her back softly.
"But he's pretty okay… for a villain." Tommy bit his lip. "Zedd kinda looks out for me, as crazy as that sounds. Makes sure I'm okay, checks on me and stuff. It's weird…"
"Do you like that?" she asked.
He shrugged. "It's not really a bad thing so much as it's unexpected. They're all different than you would think." He paused. "Except Goldar, he's more of a jackass than you know."
Kim giggled softly. "I never doubted."
He smiled. "But other than him, Lord Zedd and Scorpina aren't that bad. Rita was an idiot and annoying, but she wasn't really all that mean. Squatt, Baboo and Finster are alright, too. Dumb, but harmless."
"Hm," she said. "I guess I just never think of them outside of being evil."
"That's fair," he said. "It's the only way you've seen them. Why would you think otherwise?"
Kim nodded, staring at him as she ran a finger along his hairline.
A comfortable silence fell over them as they lay together, and he closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of her small fingers caressing his skin.
The two of them had begun sleeping together regularly, managing to keep their trysts off the radar. What started as random meetings around Angel Grove had evolved into a routine for them. They had an insatiable appetite for each other, sometimes meeting up during school to alleviate their need for one another. At night, a pink flash of light would appear in his room, and he would feel Kimberly crawl into his bed beside him or the reverse would happen at her house.
The green ranger couldn't recall when exactly their relationship evolved to this…convoluted affair, but he knew the turning point was Kim's appearance in his garage three weeks ago. Tommy still wasn't entirely comfortable with the notion of being with her, knowing that he would most likely be killed by Lord Zedd if he ever found out what they were doing. He figured Kim was in a similar position, and it was obvious from her quietness and the way her blissful expressions would turn to looks of raw guilt after their coupling that the pink ranger was also having serious reservations about whatever was going on between them.
And yet, they continued to see each other as if they weren't aware that they were digging a hole for themselves.
Sex with Kimberly was usually rough, which he realized very quickly she craved. She told him once that she liked how uninhibited he was in bed, loving that he was comfortable enough to take charge and be in control. Lately, however, sex with Kimberly had taken an unexpected shift. It was less aggressive, less frantic… more time was spent on pillow talk and cuddling…
Somehow, their relationship turned from sexual to intimate without him realizing it.
And now there wasn't a damn thing he could do to change it.
Part of Tommy was absolutely terrified about his situation with Kimberly. His need for her was something he couldn't fight, something he couldn't control, and he knew it needed to end. He had considered breaking things off with her in the name of self-preservation, and she had even attempted to end things between them on several occasions. But as usual, logic was overrun by desire and a need for each other that was hard to ignore, and they would find themselves back at square one. Tommy was quickly learning to accept that being with her was like a drug for him – she intoxicated him and left him with such desire that he was utterly addicted to her – and that was not a good thing.
He was also scared of what would happen if Zedd found out about them. There was no doubt in Tommy's mind that he would be gutted and beheaded for being with her. They managed to go unnoticed this far, but how long could they really keep this up? And would it even be worth it in the end?
In the back of his mind, though, was a part of him that was incredibly happy about his situation with Kim. Back in his junior year, he had often fantasized about Kimberly, and when his feelings for her progressed beyond mere friendship and attraction, he had even considered possibly dating her if she and Jason were to ever end. Although their current situation was admittedly anything but an official relationship, he couldn't help but think of their time together as a glimpse of what could have been between them. Power rangers and the Dark Empire aside, he was with her; not necessarily in the way he had pictured it, but enough to make him silently yearn for more.
Her finger made its way to his lips, tracing them softly, and he gently nipped at the tip, causing her to grin.
'God,' he thought as he felt her finger trail down his chin to his chest. 'What is she doing to me?'
No woman had ever left her mark like Kim did, pulling such intimate thoughts and gestures from him.
It was unsettling.
"It's strange to think you fit into their world," she said softly. "I don't really consider you evil."
He laughed hard, eyes opening slowly. "I'm sure your teammates would strongly disagree."
She rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah, obviously… but they don't know you the way I do."
'No, they don't.'
His fingers traced her features lazily. "What would you consider me?"
"There are too many words for what you are," she said with a smile. "Rude, arrogant, a complete jackass…"
He laughed underneath her, wide smile on his face. "Nice to know you think so highly of me."
She smiled softly. "I do."
"What about you?" he asked, changing the subject when he grew uncomfortable with the direction of their conversation. "What's it like being a power ranger?"
Kim sighed. "At first it was a pain; I almost said no. The helmet kept messing up my hair."
He rolled his eyes. "Please tell me you're joking."
She laughed. "It did! You know how difficult it is to keep my hair like this?"
Tommy ran a hand through her chestnut locks. "I can imagine… but clearly you kept the job."
"Well, it became easier," she admitted. "Not the fighting or anything, but the situation. I was surrounded by my best friends every time I went into battle. And in the Command Center with Zordon and Alpha… they took care of us. It wasn't so bad when I had my own little family to come back to."
He looked up at the ceiling, unable to maintain eye contact with her. Here she was telling him about her family that he was trying to destroy.
He swallowed thickly. "So you decided to keep doing it."
She nodded. "I couldn't just not do it anymore. Even if the hours are long and the pay is terrible."
She gave a crooked smile before her expression went serious. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if the Earth was terrorized and I had the opportunity to stop it."
She traced a finger on his chest. "I value this world too much to let it be destroyed by – "
He noticed she paused, and his eyes locked with hers. "By someone like Zedd? Or me?" he finished.
"By anyone," she whispered.
Tommy could feel the fragile bubble they built around themselves beginning to tremble by the weight of her words, reality threatening to shatter the little world they made.
No matter how they felt about each other, they were on opposite sides. That fact was going to keep rearing its ugly head over and over again, reminding them why this thing between them was a terrible idea. He was supposed to be fighting her, not having intimate conversation after…
'Just calling it sex cheapens it, but I can't go there with her,' he reminded himself, choosing to deny that the two of them made love as she suggested earlier.
He wrapped his arms around her, rolling them over so that she lay on her back. He held himself up over her, dark eyes scanning her features.
"I don't want to talk anymore," he whispered, relieved when she agreed to end the conversation.
He kissed her tenderly, tongue curling around hers as her hands made their way to his hair. Their kisses grew more heated, and Tommy could feel his erection pressing against her stomach.
Maybe he wanted to hold on to this world for just a bit longer.
Angel Grove Desert
Outside the Command Center
Angel Grove, CA
Thursday, 3:11 AM
'Where the hell is the fucking door?'
Tommy was outside the Command Center, the base of operations for the power rangers. He could barely see in the darkness save for the small circle of light available to him by the flashlight he took from his room.
He was shivering in his clothes, mentally berating himself for not wearing warmer clothing. It had slipped his mind that the desert was freezing at night.
He caught sight of a small panel with a circular indentation, and immediately grabbed his power coin out of his jean pocket, shoving it inside the groove.
'Come on,' he urged.
He heard a soft beep and a click, and then the door slid open, allowing him to slip inside. He pulled his hood off his head, sliding the door shut behind him.
"All right," he said aloud to himself. "The control room they're in looks pretty sizable whenever Zedd contacts them. Big rooms have big doors… so I just need to look for a really big door."
He wandered the halls as quietly as possible, taking note of the general layout of the Command Center. Their Medical Bay was quite impressive, as was their Weapons Room. Any other day, Tommy would spend the time trashing the area, but he didn't come for that purpose.
That was for another day.
He walked around for nearly fifteen minutes, believing himself lost until he happened upon two of the largest doors he had ever seen in his life.
"This has to be it," he whispered.
He pressed his power coin into the panel next to the entrance, and the large doors slid open slowly. Tommy entered the dimly lit room, surprised by how expansive it was.
'Holy shit,' he thought in amazement. 'Much better than the Lunar Palace for sure.'
Tommy walked down the small ramp slowly, taking in the large pillars and brightly lit control panels. He had to admit he was impressed. At the head of the room was a huge cylindrical tube, and at its base stood a small red robot. Tommy saw the lightning bolt on the robot's chest and recognized it as Alpha 5 from Kim's description.
His throat constricted suddenly. 'Kim.'
He didn't even want to think about what she would say about this. Kim considered Alpha 5 and Zordon to be family. She might never forgive him for what he was about to do.
'Can't think about that right now,' he thought to himself.
Tommy reached into his backpack, grabbing the small CD with the virus and sliding it into the back of Alpha 5. The small robot began to beep in alarm, jerking as the virus corrupted its system.
'One down, one to go,' he thought as he made his way to the panels.
"TOMMY."
'Fuck.'
Tommy looked up, staring at the face of Zordon, his master's enemy. "Can't talk right now," said the teen. "Busy."
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ALPHA 5?" Zordon asked.
"Shot him up with a virus," Tommy said distractedly, ripping out cables and plugs from beneath the consoles. He saw no reason to lie; there wasn't much Zordon could do to him from inside his energy tube.
"TOMMY, YOU DO NOT REALIZE WHAT YOU ARE DOING. LORD ZEDD HAS CAST A SPELL ON YOU THAT –"
Tommy rolled his eyes. "Has made me evil and do things I wouldn't normally do in my right mind… blah blah blah… I know already. You're not the first to try and tell me."
"THEN YOU KNOW THIS IS WRONG."
"I don't know what's right or wrong, only that you are a nuisance to my master, and that you and your rangers must be dealt with… permanently," hissed the green ranger.
"TOMMY, PLEASE, LET US-"
The teen raised his hand, green energy cackling at his fingertips. "Goodbye, Zordon."
He shot energy blasts at the control panels in the room, sending sparks flying everywhere. All that remained where the panels were once before was charred metal and burned wires. He looked up at the energy tube, smiling when he saw it was now dark.
Zordon was gone… for now. The rangers could get him back, but the time it would take to reconnect with the Eltarian would be more than enough time to destroy the rangers, especially with Alpha out of commission.
Tommy quickly ran over to the robot, grabbing the CD from its back and tucking it back into his backpack. Without the CD, it would take Billy far longer to get rid of the virus that was now in Alpha 5's system. He blasted the robot, sending its head and limbs flying in several different directions.
'That should buy us more time,' he reasoned. 'Even if they put you back together, the virus is still in your memory banks.'
He'd give it three, maybe four days tops until the rangers found out what happened at the Command Center. From what he gathered, Zordon only contacted them when something was wrong. Three days of inactivity from their mentor would definitely rouse suspicion.
That gave him three days to find a way to explain himself to Kimberly.
