Author's Note: Hi! How is it so far? Getting interesting? Getting boring? Sorry for the lack of action from the last chapter. I wanted to have some down time since the chapter before that was so violent. For this one, I really wanted to move things along so there won't be too much 'contemplating' within the characters.
Enjoy!
Truths of the Hearts
Questions, An Incomplete Answer, and the First Step of the Plan
By genielou
"Ernie's Juice Bar is now just barely starting to recover from the damages of last week's events. But I must say, although these physical damages will be fixed and turned back to normal in a few weeks' time, the emotional impact of the Red Ranger's attack will always be embedded into the hearts of the Angel Grove citizens…"
Alpha shook his head as he watched the screen, making sure to pay equal attention to his application of medication on his patient. The television news has been all over the attack in Ernie's Juice Bar since it had happened, and the issue was yet to die down. Now, another expose is being done on it, showing various Juice Bar employees and other hired construction workers fixing the building that the Red Turbo Ranger had almost completely destroyed.
"It was just too good to be true, you know? I've always known that the Power Rangers were gonna turn bad someday, but nobody believed me…"
Katherine glared at the new occupant of the screen. Suddenly, the girl is pushed aside by a blonde in the same cheerleader outfit, quickly grabbing hold of the reporter's attention.
"Shut up, Veronica," she hissed to someone on the side of the screen that was not visible. She turns to the reporter and grins her signature preppy smile. "Hi, please don't mistake her opinions to represent the whole cheerleader squad of Angel Grove High. What she said reflects her own individual take…"
"And your name?"
Her grin widens. "It's Ashley. Ashley Hammond." She tries to quickly smooth her hair down. "You know, this whole thing, most of us believe that there's a good reason for it. I mean, it's the Power Rangers, you know? They've protected us for sooo long now…"
Alpha carefully removes a bandage from Kat's neck. She barely notices as her eyes focuses in admiration at their defendant.
"We have to believe in them. It's the least we could do…"
"Ow!"
"Stop being a girl."
"Stop ripping them so fast."
"It wasn't that bad."
"Ah!"
Rocky pulled another strip of bandage from Adam's back; the reply that came thereafter was the same. All three rangers, plus the respected side-players of their team, were all present in the Power Chamber, busy in their own little stations. Rocky was busy removing Adam's bandages, Alpha was tending to Katherine's fast healing wounds, and Justin typed away on a console away from the others as Zordon directed instructions down to him.
"So you think she's trying to communicate with you through your dream?"
"Yeah, I've thought about it, and I really don't think it's a coinciden-aah!"
"Sorry," Rocky said after pulling a bandage too fast. "I don't know, man. I wanna believe you but that's really out there."
Kat pointed a remote at the screen and turned it off.
Adam shifted his waist as Rocky starts working on lower back. "We're Power Rangers," he answered. "The term 'out there' is a big stretch for all of us."
"Yeah, I know. But we're talking about communication through the mind here. Even we're not that special."
Rocky stood up from his seat and walks toward a table, picking up a can of cotton balls before walking back. Adam looks over to Kat for support.
"Kat," Adam called out to her. She turned to him as Alpha smothers cream onto her arm. "What do you think?" he asked her.
Kat wrinkled her nose at him. "I agree with Rocky, Adam," she answered. "Maybe these dreams are just a reaction to your stress? I dreamt of past memories before when I'm under pressure. They're usually good memories too."
Adam winced as he heaves a sigh. Rocky starts to work on his calves. "You guys," he started. "It's the same dream over and over again, and each time is different."
Kat stared at him while Alpha wrapped more gauze onto her arm, sympathy in her expression.
Adam answered her stare. "It's not my memory, Kat," he said. "She said that it's her favorite memory. My favorite memory is different from that."
Rocky rearranges himself on his seat, heavily concentrated on his task as he listens to his friend's plea. "So," he started again, curiosity steaming from Adam's last statement. "If that's not your favorite memory, then what is?" he asked with an eyebrow raised. Adam throws a cotton ball at him.
Adam returned to pleading his case. "Kat," he tried again, "does Tanya think about me at night?"
Kat's eyes widened at the question, and the surprise is reciprocated throughout the room. Alpha abruptly stops wrapping gauze, the typing noise that came from across the room quickly stopped as both Justin and Zordon turned their way, and Rocky looked up from his mending as well, both shocked and proud of Adam's boldness.
"Adam, what does that have to do with anything?" Kat asked.
"Well," Adam replied. "When I was a kid, my cousin used to tell me that if you think about a person hard enough before you go to sleep, you'll be able to have a dream with that person."
Rocky nodded his head. "I've heard that one before," he agreed as he moved onto a different part of Adam's leg. "I've never really tried it though."
"I've never tried it either, but who knows if it can actually happen." Adam turned towards Kat again. "So what do you think? Do you think Tanya thinks about me at night?"
"Adam," Kat started. "I really don't know if I'm the right person to answer tha- -"
"Don't- - that's not an answer," he interrupted her, starting to feel frustrated that his friends did not share his belief. "I'll break the ice here then, okay? If you're concerned about keeping Tanya's secrets private, then how about I tell you my secrets so that we'll be even?"
Kat stared at him, still unsure. She heard the desperation in his voice and she wanted to try to relieve him, but the notion that he was presenting was just too outrageous for her. That, and she just didn't want to represent Tanya's most important secret to the one person that mattered.
"Katherine," Adam started again, softening his voice as he looked at her. The usage of her real name had had the proper effect; the room maintained its silence. "Ever since Tanya came here, I've thought a lot about her before I went to sleep."
Not wanting the medicine on the cotton ball to dry, Rocky's hands seemed to move on its own as he listened, careful not to disrupt Adam's speech. He was listening very intently. Although these were things that he had already known, he still wanted to be fully present as Adam reveals himself.
"It wasn't like I'd meant to, I just did it," Adam continued, his voice softening even more as he propped himself up by the elbows to face Kat. The lights on Alpha's head start flashing, indicating a vague expression that the robot was emitting. "And, to be absolutely honest, I've thought about her ever night since this whole thing started. I didn't mean to. I just did it."
Justin entire seat had now been adjusted to face Adam. The thirteen-year-old did not know much in the field of teenage romance, but he had had an idea of how complicated it was just by observing his friends. This declaration was something that Rocky had once mentioned to be way overdue. It was just unexpected that it would happen while the latter player of the romantic partnership was not present to hear it.
"Tell me, Kat," Adam directs the question to her solely. "Tell me, does Tanya think about me at night?"
Kat's eyes softened. Tanya is gonna kill me when she finds out I told. "I guess," she started, "I guess I would be surprised if she didn't."
The answer sounded like a compliment, and Adam couldn't help but smile. He then shifts his plea towards Zordon, his eyes asking for support.
"The notion is most improbably, Adam, seeing as human beings are incapable of such extraterrestrial capabilities," Zordon offered. "But, it is not completely impossible."
Adam heaves a sigh of relief, wincing when Rocky ripped a bandage too fast again.
"Sorry. I meant to do that."
Adam rolled his eyes. Rocky concentrates on another piece of bandage.
"So," he starts, trying to sound nonchalant. "What is your favorite memory of her again?"
His question was answered by another cotton ball to the head, thrown by the mischievous red robot.
((((( )))))
…thoomp…
"Hehe, do it again."
… thoomp…
"I told ya, didn't I? He doesn't even flinch."
"Okay, okay, my turn."
… thoomp…
"Hehe."
"One more time."
… thoomp…
"What the hell are you two doing?" Divatox yelled. Elgar and Rygog jumped up immediately to face her.
"Hey, Auntie D," Elgar greeted. "Uh, what's up?"
"What are you two doing?" she sneered. She pushed aside and peered down through the grates, to the dungeon where they had been throwing pebbles. She squint her eyes at Tommy sitting very still on a bench and leaning against the wall. "What's wrong with him?" she asked, making a face.
"I dunno, Auntie," Elgar appears at her side holding a metal pole.
Rygog stood to her other side. "He has remained unmoving for quite some time now, your highness."
Elgar turns to Rygog. "Wanna start poking him now?"
"Porto!" Divatox screamed.
The round alien hobbled over at her request, peering down at the dungeon just as she did.
"What's happening to him?"
"I will go check, my queen."
Porto hobbles away, and the three watches as he reappears in the dungeon with three pirhanatrons in tow. He held a device against Tommy that beeped as he pushed buttons on it. Tommy heaves a deep sigh but remained still, as if they weren't in the room at all. Finally, Port retreats out of the dungeon and reappears again by Divatox's side.
"My queen," he answered. "He's - - uh, well, he's very, very weak."
"How weak?"
"Well, ma'am," he stammered. "He's, for lack of a better word, dying."
"Dying, huh?" Divatox repeated.
"But, we've been feeding him, Auntie," Elgar offered, still holding the pole. "I swear we've been giving him food."
"Did he actually eat the food you've been giving him?" Divatox asked.
Elgar scratched his head, thinking. Divatox merely rolled her eyes and turned to Rygog.
"Prepare a school of pirhanatrons to be transported," she ordered. "And send some down there. Get him ready."
"But, my queen," Porto protested as Divatox walked away, hobbling a few steps behind him. "He won't be able to handle a battle. If you send him out there, it'll be his last."
"Yes, well, that's the point, Porto," Divatox said, her voice surprisingly not as demanding towards the nerdy alien as she is to the other two. "Now, make yourself useful and get that other Power Ranger. It's about time she made herself useful."
"And the Prince, Madame?"
"Where is he?"
"He has taken a momentary leave to collect more of his special potion."
"Then let him be," she sneered. "I'll control the outcome of the battle this time. It's been way overdue."
Divatox walked away, her cape swinging behind her.
((((( )))))
Kat switched channels again, looking for any news covering the Power Rangers' dispute with each other.
"Today, in Oprah, we have psychologist Ray Hart with us to discuss the possible break-up of the Power Rangers- - "
"Channel five news will cover the government's decision as to whether or not military response will be executed against the Red Ranger's actions last - -"
"Has the Red Ranger finally given into the dark side of the force? Later tonight for Entertainment Weekly - -"
Rocky turned from his seat on the console, shifting his attention towards the Pink Ranger. He watched her change the screen to other channels.
"Larry King here, now let's talk about last week's - -"
"We knew this was going to happen eventually, right? We can't expect them to protect us forever without wanting anything back - -"
"People are so full of it. They've saved us so many times, and the minute something goes wrong, we doubt them?"
Kat's finger suddenly stopped from pressing the remote button.
"But, Regis, we're talking about the Power Rangers here. Last week was only with one of them going berserk. Think of the damage that could be done if all of them were in on it."
Rocky stood from his seat and walked to her side as the figure on the screen shook his head.
"Look, all I know is that they've done more to us than the government ever has, and to no cost too! The least we could all do is have faith in them. We have to believe that this will all be fixed and it'll all blow over! If we don't, then we're just as bad as those ugly things that keep appearing around the state…"
The corner of Rocky's lips curled up to a smirk. "That's a famous line nowadays, don't you think?"
Kat's eyebrows rose inquisitively.
"You know," he continued. "'It's the least we could do'?"
Her head nods in understanding, then her eyes shifts towards the television again; her hand resuming its control on the remote. Rocky leans against her bed.
"Hey," he nudged her shoulder. "Talk to me."
Kat's eyes cast down before looking up at him with a smile. Rocky was quick to notice.
"I'm fine, Rocky," she told him. "Really, I'm okay."
"Kat," he started. "Last week. He wasn't himself - -"
"I know that." She cut in. "I know that."
"But?"
"But what?"
Rocky takes her hand. "It still hit you hard, didn't it?"
Kat sighed, her eyes avoiding his. "Please don't try to make me feel better about it, Rocky," she said. "I'm gonna need to stay upset if we ever want to get him back."
Now, it was Rocky's turn to raise his eyebrows. "I don't understand."
Kat opened her mouth to elaborate but was interrupted. "Hey, guys, I think it's ready," she heard Justin call out. Kat pushed herself off of the bed with a little help from Rocky, and started walking towards Justin's station.
They surrounded the table that Justin and Alpha stood by, each instinctively taking a crystal orb from the pile that Justin was carefully completing and already examining the rainbow-colored mist that swam inside each one.
"So this is it, huh?" Adam said. "And you're sure this will work, Justin?"
"Not just sure. Very sure," Justin answered. "Billy approved the calculations. And if he approves it, then it's as good as gold!"
"Wow," Rocky wondered aloud. "I wish I could try it out."
"I'm sorry, but can you explain to me again how this works?" Kat asked, the mist reflecting off of her blue-green eyes as she examined her orb closer to her face.
"It's very simple," he assured, picking up an orb from the table and holding it out to the rest of the team. "Each orb contains a certain amount of power surge. One orb would be enough to energize us so that we could keep fighting even after we've taken a bunch of hits."
Rocky's eyebrows rose. "So, it's like an espresso shot?"
"Exactly," the young genius exclaimed. "I got the idea from the last time we fought Tommy. Obviously, he's stronger and faster than us, and, after watching the videos, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be able to keep up with him. Well, you know, unless we wanted to kill him."
Kat winced at his words.
"So," he continued. "This is the next best thing that we can use without actually trying to do that. When we feel ourselves getting too weak to fight, we say 'Power Up,' and an orb will automatically transport into our hands. Crush it, and the energy surge will travel through our hands onto the rest of our suit," he said this as he tried his best to demonstrate, running his fingers along his arm and onto his chest and stomach. "And bam! We'll suddenly have the energy to keep going!"
Adam smiled. "Wow, Justin," he complimented. "This is incredible."
Justin blushed.
"How many are there?" Kat asked.
"Twenty."
"Twenty?" she exclaimed.
"Well," he started. "I wasn't sure how many we would need, so I decided to just make as many as I could. Who knows how many battles we'll have to use this for?"
The others nodded in understanding.
"But," Justin chimed again. "Keep in mind that the energy surges can be lethal to us too. Too many can mess with our body system, so when we do use it, try to stay within one or two orbs."
"One or two," Adam continued. "Do you think that'll be enough?"
Justin frowned. "Well, I'm not sure. But we have to try. Otherwise, just be ready to get very, very sick afterwards."
Rocky replaced his orb back onto the table. "So, Justin," he started. "You're younger, so does that mean that you'll be restricted to only one orb?"
Justin nodded. Adam shook his head, dejectedly, "Oh, great."
"Hey, it's better than nothing," Rocky said. "So now we just have to wait for Tommy to show himself, right?"
"Or Tanya," Kat's voice chimed almost as a whisper. The others looked at her, then turned to where she was looking at very intently. On the screen, where the channel had been left on a live news feed located right on the entrance of Angel Grove High, were a hoard of students looking intently at the camera, all trying to get in the shot.
"What?" Justin asked. "What is it?"
"Tanya," Adam walked closer to the screen, his eyes quickly closing in on what Kat had been staring at. His eyes traveled from the steps that led up to the Angel Grove High double door entrance, then to the entrance itself where a young woman with long auburn hair wearing a short black dress stood. She was leaning against the door post with her arms crossed, a knowing smile on her face as she stared intently at the camera.
"Oh no," the words came out of Rocky's mouth slowly. All occupants of the Chamber had now walked closer to the screen.
"What is she doing?" Kat asked, her eyes almost unblinking. The woman on the screen was making a beckoning gesture.
Rocky shook his head slowly. "This can't be good."
"Alpha, can you zoom in on her?"
"Ai-yi-yi! Right away, Adam."
The robot waddled away. Soon after, the view on the screen suddenly zoomed in on her as she continued her gesture. Her lips start to move.
"Is there a way to hear what she's saying?" Kat asked as she tried to read her lips.
Alpha pushed more buttons on the console and the audio was enabled. The four heard a whisper from the speakers of the screen.
"Come out and play.."
She said it a few more times, almost as if to taunt them.
"She knows we're watching," Justin said, fear evident in his voice.
"Okay," Adam said, his voice suddenly louder. "Now's our chance. Rocky. Did you make the call?"
Rocky nodded. "Yeah, I called her last night. She's supposed to come sometime today."
"Can you call her again and see if she can come now?"
Rocky nodded and took out his cellphone, quickly dialing and walking off to the side.
"Will you guys be okay?" Justin asked, turning to Kat and Adam. "You're not completely healed yet…"
Kat patted his shoulder, smiling at him. "We'll make do somehow."
"Alright, she's on her way," Rocky interrupted.
All eyes turned to the screen again. Tanya cocks her head to the side, her eyes teasing and seductive as her giggled echoed through the speakers. Suddenly, a dark mist appeared next to her, disappeared to be replaced by what seemed to be a Power Ranger in gray color.
"Is that- -"
"What's wrong his color?" Justin interrupted Rocky. The figure placed a hand on Tanya's shoulder and nodded at her.
"Why isn't he red, Zordon?" Adam asked, finally able to take his eyes off of the screen.
Zordon looked down on him. "I am not sure, Adam," he told him. "My speculations are that he is weakened severely and is in danger to himself as he is to others."
"So this is what Divatox intended," Rocky wondered aloud. "This is it."
"The last battle," Kat whispered, her words not reaching anyone's ears. Her hands start to shake at the thought.
Adam turned towards the others. "Alright, everyone," he started. "We already have a plan. Now, everyone stick to it, okay?"
An intense yellow light flashed through the Chamber before they could answer. Once the light subsided, a short girl with long, dark braids appeared. She smiled wide at her audience and was met by a hug from the former Blue Ranger.
"Sorry to make you hurry, Aisha," Rocky told her. "It was just an emergency."
She responded with a shake of the head. "Don't worry about it, Rocky," she chimed. "You should have called me in as soon as this whole thing started."
Her head turns to Adam and Kat, both greeting her with a mere nod. She understood the lack of a warm greeting from their current state of being, seeing as both was still covered from head to toe with various bandages. She instead focused her eyes on the screen.
"So are we going to do this?"
Justin walked over to her and handed her the morpher key that belonged to Tanya. "Here," he said. "You're going to need it."
She nods in response.
Adam turns his attention to Kat. "Kat," he started. "Are you sure you're going to be able to do this?"
Kat's eyes traveled back to the screen, her eyes focusing to who should have been the Red Turbo Ranger. "Yes," she answered. "Let's do this while I'm still angry."
Adam frowned at her words, but chose not to delegate. He instead turned to the others. "Alright, guys," he said loudly. "Rocky and Aisha, you know what to do. Justin and Kat, we concentrate on Tommy."
The faint sounds of screams suddenly emanated from the screen. Everyone faced the screen; Aisha in particular looked on with wide eyes, almost unbelieving what she was seeing. The Red Ranger had started his attack on the civilians.
Adam sighs deeply. "Let's do this." He holds out his key in time with the other two Rangers. "Shift into Turbo!"
