Thanks to everyone for the encouragement. Things are about to heat up for our heroes, but fear not, they're going to have a little help along the way. I know that the Zuelle/Zordon character is kinda strange but I just wanted to try something new :) Anyway, onto Dreamland to kick a little butt. Enjoy. Please R&R.
Chapter 9 Exorcising Demons
Heather felt the all too familiar sensation of leaving her physical body and turning her mind inward allowing her to travel at-will into the Dream Realm. The feeling of weightlessness always made her feel free. Free of the heaviness that people in general carry around with in physical world. She felt exhilarated as she focused her mind on taking herself and the Power Rangers to a safe place where they could readjust to the dream world and mentally prepare for the task at hand. Her brows furrowed as a new feeling began to creep up on her; an unfamiliar feeling. Without warning, time seemed to stop.
She opened her eyes and fought the panic that was rising in her throat. She found herself floating in a sea of dense fog. "Hello." She called out, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "Is anyone there?"
"Heather?" Kim's voice barely cut through the mist. "Tommy?"
"Kim!" Tommy's answer came.
"Tommy, I can't see anything."
"Hang on, Kim. I'm going to try to find you. Billy, you still with us, bro?"
"I'm here." Billy said. "Jason?"
Heather's breath caught in her throat when Jason didn't answer. "Jason!" She tried to turn around but realized that she had no sense of direction.
"Heather, what the hell is going on?" Adam's voice carried through the haze.
"I don't know. But we need to try to stay together."
"How are we supposed to do that when we can't even see each other?" Billy's tone was tense.
"Kim." Tommy said. "Talk to me, I'll follow your voice."
Heather closed her eyes and tried to focus on the individual voices. "It's got to be the Shadow. He's trying to separate us. It will make it easier to manipulate…"
"AAHHHH!" Kim's scream cut her off then there was silence.
"Kim!" It was Tommy. No answer.
"Kimberly!" Billy yelled.
A strong wind began to swirl around them, howling loudly. Heather struggled now to hold her focus. "Tommy! Billy!" She screamed into the wind. Neither Tommy nor Billy offered any answer. Her head began to swim as she felt an invisible force begin to pull at her. Suddenly she was jerked back when a strong hand closed around hers, pulling her forward. Her eyes flew open. "Adam." She breathed.
Adam pulled her to him so they were face to face only inches separating their noses. His dark gaze penetrated her fear as he held her upper arms in an iron grip. "Heather," he had to yell over the wind thundering in his ears. "You have to get us out of here."
She shook her head wildly. "I don't know if I can."
"Yes, you can!" He narrowed his eyes at her. "Focus, Heather. Focus on a destination and get us the hell out of here."
She finally nodded and closed her eyes. With Adam holding on to her, she felt a renewed sense of confidence. She turned her mind inward and an image began to form in her mind. As she concentrated on the image, she felt the wind dying down and began to feel solid support beneath her feet.
When the wind finally subsided, she slowly opened her eyes to find herself still standing nose to nose with Adam. The intensity that had been in his expression previously had faded into a relieved smile. "Nice job." He said.
Where she had felt safe in his arms earlier, she now felt somewhat vulnerable staring at his handsome features. She disengaged herself, hoping that he didn't notice her cheeks slowly turning pink. He gave no indication that anything was amiss. When she finally got a good look at her surroundings, she realized that they were standing back in the cave where the Power Rangers had reconnected with their powers.
"What happened?" Adam walked around the stone pillars where the Power Spheres once rested. The granite boxes now lay empty.
"I have no idea."
"Perhaps I can answer that." From the shadows of the room a figure emerged. She was tall with porcelain skin, her snow white hair fell almost to her knees, mingling with her white robes.
Neither Adam nor Heather needed an introduction. "Zuelle." They said in unison.
"The Dark Lord used his power to intercept your group, in an attempt to separate you. It will make it easier for him to take you each one by one."
"What has he done with them?" Adam instinctively balled his fists up.
Zuelle approached the pair, her demeanor calm. "I am unable to sense the Red and Pink Rangers. I would assume that the Shadow has already taken them to his tower."
"And Billy and Tommy? What about them?" He was beginning to feel sick to his stomach.
"I can still feel their presence, but they are in great danger. The Dark Lord will be anxious to find them. When he has them all, he will take their powers and use them to take over the rest of the Dream Realm."
"But he can't do it without Adam, right?" Heather thought out loud.
Adam nodded. "He's got Zack. Zack was the original Black Ranger. He won't need my powers once he has the others." He turned back to Zuelle. "How can we help Tommy and Billy?"
"He will look deep into their subconscious to find a weakness in their psyche."
Heather noticed his expression. "He will try to find something that they are afraid of. It will weaken their defenses when confronted with something or someone they fear."
"You must find them quickly." Zuelle continued.
"There's not enough time." Heather said. "It will take too long for me to track them down."
Zuelle was unaffected by the urgency in Heather's voice. "I can help you find them. You must get to them and go to the Dark Tower. You will need these…"
At Adam's feet a brown messenger's bag manifested out of thin air. He bent down to peer inside then he looked up at Zuelle. "The Power Spheres. They're all here."
"Their powers combined will destroy the Sphere of Asterove, the source of the Dark Lord's power."
Adam picked up the bag and placed it over his shoulder allowing it to fall across his chest.
"Now," Zuelle raised her arms. A white circle of light appeared in the center of the stone pillars. It slowly began to spin in the air. "Step inside the circle, and you will be taken to where each Ranger is."
Adam and Heather did as instructed, placing themselves in the center of the circle. Heather tried to control the quick beating of her heart. She had spent many years moving about in the Dream Realm, but this was a whole new experience. Reflexively, she reached out and grabbed Adam's hand. He squeezed it reassuringly.
"I have sensed the White Ranger's presence and can send you to him." Zuelle spoke. "Dream walker, focus on his essence. Allow yourself to sense him."
Heather nodded, closing her eyes. She focused on Tommy, willing her mind to take her to him."
Zuelle raised her hands in the air. "To the White Ranger."
With one swift stroke of her hands, Heather and Adam were gone.
There was nothing. No sound; no light. He thought for a moment that he might be dead. No, he remembered, I'm dreaming. This is a dream. Tommy closed his eyes and centered himself. If he couldn't see with his eyes, he would rely on his other senses. He would not allow himself to be caught off guard. His feet felt heavy underneath him as he moved slowly in a sideways direction moving one foot across the other. Then, out of the darkness, he heard a voice.
"Tommy." The female voice was vaguely familiar, but Tommy couldn't place it off-hand. "Tommy." He concentrated on the voice; racking his brain to remember.
He stopped moving. A feathery soft hand caressed his cheek. He opened his eyes and found that he could see. His eyes widened in fear as he recognized the source of the voice. Losing his focus, he staggered backwards. "Ma…Mattie?"
The tall, athletic blond smiled at him. "Tommy." She moved toward him.
He moved quickly away from her, shaking his head furiously. "No…you're dead. I watched…" His mouth suddenly went dry. "I watched you die." All of the sudden the memory of that night flooded his mind like it was yesterday.
He had been a senior in college when he met her as a freshman. He had tutored her in freshman Algebra and Chemistry. They had spent a lot of time together and she had begun to see their relationship as much more than it was. When he had tried to explain to her that he didn't feel that way about her, she went over the edge. Then, at the spring dance, only three months before he was to graduate, she had thrown herself at him, claiming her undying love for him. All he could do was let her down as easy as he knew how. She had run out of the dance in a rage. Not an hour later, the news spread throughout the student body, bringing the dance to a halt. Mattie had climbed to the top of the clock tower and jumped.
Tommy remembered kneeling in the grass, holding her head, tears spilling unchecked down his cheeks. He had screamed, he had cried, he had whispered that he was sorry. None of it exorcised the overwhelming feeling of guilt. After the incident, he had been unable to cope. His grades fell, and he eventually dropped out all together. Eventually he was able to bury the guilt down. But it had constantly affected his life ever since.
Now, he faced the one thing that scared him the most.
"Mattie…"
"Tommy, I know that you feel guilty about what happened to me."
"Mattie, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"
"Its okay, Tommy. I forgive you. You see, when you love someone with all your heart, you can forgive them." She slowly advanced on him.
As he listened to her words, her voice began to affect him. He felt his will begin to give into to what she was saying.
"Yes," he found himself saying, as she moved into his space only inches from his face.
"And I know that you have come here to be with me." She stood on her tiptoes, planting a soft kiss on his lips. "You are going to stay here with me, right?"
"Tommy! No!"
In his daze, Tommy heard another familiar voice. Adam? He shook his head, confusion filling his mind. Even as he tried to turn his head, Mattie reached for his face, turning his chin back to her.
"Tommy, you belong here with me."
"Tommy!"
He jerked his head around to see Adam and Heather standing nearby. "Adam?"
Adam walked up to the pair. "Tommy, don't listen to her. She's lying to you. She's not Mattie."
Tommy looked back at the woman in front of him, searching for some truth in Adam's words. She simply smiled at him. "Tommy, I died for you."
"Listen to me!"
She laid her head on his shoulder. "They're trying to take you away from me." Tears welled up in her eyes. "Don't let them take you away again."
Without explanation, her words moved him. He stroked her hair back gently. "Its okay, Mattie. I won't let them hurt you anymore."
Adam looked at Heather helplessly. He shrugged. "You're the psychologist. You talk to him."
"Tommy," Heather approached cautiously. He narrowed his eyes at her while still holding on to Mattie. Heather took a deep breath. She was well aware to whom she was speaking. Tommy Oliver, the Green and White Power Ranger, could be a deadly force if provoked. "Tommy, I want you to think about what you are doing right now. Does this feel right to you, really?"
His jaw ticked ever so slightly, unconsciously showing Heather that he was listening. "Mattie's death was not your fault. You have got to let it go." She saw his grip on Mattie loosen. "You have been living with the guilt for too long. Think of all the things it's ruined in your life. School…jobs…relationships…"
She reached out and took his hand gently in hers. "Her death, tragic as it was, was not your fault, and I think that deep down you know that. You just have to let the rest of you believe it too."
Tommy shook his head as if walking out of a fog. He glanced at Adam, who nodded. Disengaging himself from Mattie, he moved to leave with Adam and Heather.
"No!" Mattie screamed in a foreign voice. Not the sweet, sugary voice that had taken Tommy in, but a screeching so loud that the retreating trio had to cover their ears. "You are mine, White Ranger!"
The image of the girl that Tommy and Adam had known in college faded and was replaced by an ugly, gnarled goblin. Heather recognized him instantly. It was the same goblin that attacked Kimberly. She reached out to her companions. "We have to go." As she turned to leave, she found herself face to face with a half dozen more ugly goblins.
Suddenly, she was moved backwards as Adam and Tommy stepped in front of her, each lowered into his own fighting stance. Watching the trained fighters as they launched into swift series of punches and kicked left Heather in awe.
Tommy moved with deliberate grace as his foot shot out in one direction, then the other, with a quickness paralleled only by his strength. It had been a while since he had been in battle, but the fighting instincts came back to him quickly. He felt exhilarated as his muscles carried him from one difficult move the next. He had never stopped his diligent practice of martial arts, but somewhere along the way it had become less focused and more mechanical. Now, with a renewed sense of purpose, he found his energy flowing through him like a river, allowing him to quickly subdue his enemies.
Unlike Tommy however, Adam's intentions and focus came from the guilt and anger that he felt rising from his very core. His kicks were fast and his punches were strong, but in the end, he lacked the centered attention that made him a great fighter.
Madeove shrank back as the Power Rangers quickly pummeled his henchmen. When Tommy and Adam turned to him, he shrieked loudly, and moving his arms in wild circles, he disappeared leaving behind only a dark puff of smoke.
"Man," Tommy grinned at his friend. "That felt good. It's been a long time since we got to do any real ass kicking."
Adam nodded his agreement then turned serious. "You okay?"
Tommy was thoughtful for a minute. "Yeah, you know what? I think I am." He realized how true his words were. Carrying around the guilt of Mattie's death had turned him into a shell of the person he once was. Now, that he had faced the irrational shame that had plagued him for so long, he felt like a new person. He felt at peace.
Tommy and Adam turned to find Heather still standing unmoving staring at them like they had turned blue and grown another head.
"Wow," she breathed. "That was incredible. I mean, I've seen like every action movie ever made, but seeing it in real life. You guys are amazing."
The two men unwittingly looked at their feet as they blushed deeply at her praise.
"Thanks." Said Tommy quietly.
"It was nothing." Adam muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
Heather clearly saw that she made them uncomfortable and turned the conversation to the matter at hand. "Right. We need to find the others. Zuelle." She called out, seemingly talking to thin air. "Zuelle, we need your help." Then to Adam and Billy. "We have find Billy."
