Copyright: Power Rangers, the name and characters are owned by Saban Entertainment.
A/N: In celebration of the 10th chapter we bring you an extra long chapter. Don't forget to R&R, because that just shows how awesome you are. Enjoy!
***At the Repulsa village***
"Let the ceremony begin!" Leanbow chanted and the celebration was on the way.
The whole village was gathered to witness their chief's marriage. He looked on with great delight as the native dance group was performing the ritual matrimony dance, under the guidance of the village priest.
"No!" Tanya screamed, as the guards were taking her to the altar. "Kimberly, help me! I don't want to marry him!"
"I'm sorry!" Kim whispered.
The guards led her to the altar and put her next to the chief, Leanbow took her hand and kissed it with great delight.
"Don't touch me!" She said and pulled herself away. However one of the guards held her shoulder, so she wouldn't move.
He didn't pay any attention to her resentment and demanded that the ceremony continued. The priest began chanting the ritual when suddenly the village scout began to blow the horn, signaling that someone had arrived. Leanbow and Tanya looked in amazement as the gates opened and in walked Madison, along with Tommy, Jason, Adam and Billy.
"Tommy!" Kim said and ran up to him. "Thank God, you came!"
"What the hell is going on here?" He asked as he saw the village guards aiming at him and his friends with their bows.
"Leanbow is forcing Tanya to marry him!"
Maddie, feeling outraged, made her way through the crowd of villagers and guards, walked up to her father and began to argue with him.
"...you actually escaped from the ape men!"
"I couldn't have done it without the help of these people, father!"
"Kim, what are they saying?" Tommy asked.
"She is trying to get him to show us the way out."
He felt confused. "I thought you had already taken care of that, Kim?"
"I had." Kimberly said, reluctantly and walked away.
After hearing his daughter's story about how she escaped the ape men, Leanbow got up from his throne and informed the village...
"The ceremony is cancelled!"
And unceremoniously walked away along with his guards. Maddie returned to her friends with a smile.
"Good news?" Tommy asked her.
"Yes! We will leave in the morning..." Madison explained. "...my father will reveal to me the way through the caves tonight and I will guide you!"
"How did you ever get him to agree?" An amazed Billy asked.
"I survived the ape men..." she stated proudly. "...no one has ever done that before. The people think I have godly powers."
"Nice!" Tommy and Billy giggled.
While Madison was explaining the situation to her friends, Adam walked up to Tanya, who was sitting there at a bench near the altar, holding her head. He took a seat next to her and tried to see if she was Ok.
"So um... did he hurt you?" Adam asked her.
"No..." she sighed. "...but I hate to think what would have happened if you didn't came back."
"This is not good..." He told her. "Maybe I shouldn't leave just yet..."
"Adam, no! You have your story to tell! It's what you've always wanted!"
"What if Leanbow tries this again?"
"Maddie will make sure that this doesn't happen again." Tanya said and held his hand. "Let's not worry about that now... you survived! You are a hero!"
"I guess..." Adam replied with a smile.
Meanwhile Kimberly was taking a walk outside the camp, when she was intercepted by Jason.
"So..." he asked her. "...where were you, during all this?"
"What can I do?" she said, annoyed. "Leanbow has all these warriors and he is not exactly what I would call a reasonable man. Is that all?"
"Are you in a hurry, miss?"
"No, I just get easily irritated when people start asking annoying questions!"
"I have just one question, miss Kimberly."
"Ask away!"
"How did Leanbow get up to the tree-house?"
"With magic!" Kim replied sarcastically. "How do you think he got up there? He used the elevator!"
"Ah, yes! Of course!"
"Aw, how am I going to miss these chats..." she said and began to walk away.
"And why did you sent the elevator down!" Jason demanded, by pulling her hand.
"Excuse me!"
"Leanbow could have arrived with a thousand men, but you still would have been safe in the tree-house! Instead you choose to send the elevator down!"
"We had just lost his daughter to the ape men! I thought the poor man could use some comforting."
"Comfort!" Jason laughed. "From you?"
"Or, at least, a stiff drink! How was I supposed to know that he had matrimony in mind?"
"Well of course, you would never think of selling Tanya out to him, would you?" he said sarcastically. "Unless in exchange for what? A few rubies perhaps?"
"You know, I am getting sick and tired of people accusing me of things!"
"Have you ever wondered why?" Jason said, to which Kimberly could not respond. A moment of silence followed. "Don't worry. No harm done... this time." he replied and walked off.
"You don't think much of me, do you?" she stopped him.
"Less than you know!"
"It doesn't matter! Tomorrow we will be on our way home, and once we reach Angel Grove, we will never have to see each other again!"
"Looking forward to it!"
***That morning at the tree-house***
Kimberly was preparing her luggage, when Tommy stopped by her room to see if she was done with her packing.
"Are you ready?"
"Almost!" She said as she pulled the zipper on her last bag. "Done!"
"Good!" He said. "Remember, once we are off this plateau, we still have a long way the nearest civilized outpost."
"Wouldn't that be something?" Kim joked. "Survive being eaten by dinosaurs and ape men, only to get killed by cannibals on the way home."
"I really don't see the humor in that!"
"Aw, lighten up, Tommy!" she told him. "Once we get home you will be famous! Your discovery will change this world, forever!"
"Well..." he said, almost nervous. "...first things first! I will take full responsibility for the Pterodactyl egg, since it is the most important evidence that we have..."
"Like you would trust anyone else with it..." Jason commented, as he passed by the door.
"How come every time I turn around I see you!"
"Maybe it's destiny." he teased her. "Pack light, Kimberly! We must be ready to drop our luggage at any time!"
"Drop our luggage? How will we ever reach home?"
"Well food, water, weapons; those are the most vital things. And you can carry those on your back." He then turned to Tommy. "That includes you too, doctor!"
"Jason, the Pterodactyl egg is the most valuable thing here! If we lose it, then everything we did in the last few days would be in vain!"
"Is it more important than our lives?"
"Come on guys..." Billy came by to ease the tension. "Tanya is waiting for us on the outside."
***Later that day***
Tanya and Madison led the team through the forest. During the trip, Kimberly accidentally knocked her foot in a rock. Luckily she wasn't hurt, thought she did drop a small bag, that contained several jewels with the Repulsa mark on them. She stopped to pick them up when Jason walked past her.
"I guess, greed has is its own rewards." He coldly told her, referencing how she probably obtained them.
"What the hell is your problem!" Kimberly told him, but he completely ignored her.
"Something wrong, Kim?" Tommy comforted her.
"He just annoys me so much!"
"So, what else is new?" He said and put his arm around her shoulder. "Seriously, do you have to keep arguing?"
"He started it!"
"Kim?"
"Ok, I may have a little fault as well..."
"Only a little?" Tommy asked, and she fell quiet for a moment. "Nothing wrong with apologizing. Who knows if once we will get back to Angle Grove, you will see each other ever again."
"Yeah I suppose it won't hurt. Thanks Tommy!"she said and gave him a hug.
"Any time!"
"I'll try and make amends later on, when we stop for a break."
After about an hour of walking, the team already felt tired, since they had to carry all of their additional load.
"We will rest up, here!" Madison said, and they all sat around for a break.
"There is stream down there..." Tanya explained, took a few empty bottles and went down a small rocky path. "I will go get some fresh water."
"I'll come with you." Adam said and followed her.
The two walked down to the stream and began to fill their bottles. After finally filling the last one, they both took a seat on a log, near the river.
"You know..." Adam said. "It may sound weird but, I'm actually going to miss this place."
"You'll be just fine without it." Tanya told him. "Once you get back home, everyone will worship you, you will probably have legions of girls after you..."
"I seriously doubt that it will be that good." He responded, laughing. "This was supposed to be my first real break. But now that I think about it, I doubt that it will have as much impact as I first thought..."
"What do you mean?"
"It's just that... I almost wish I could stay here for longer, to truly see what this world has to offer. I feel like there are more things in this world to explore, we have only scratched the surface."
"You can visit any time you want." Tanya said. "If things don't work out... then maybe someday you can decide that you want to come back and continue your story."
"Yeah..." Adam said and looked into her eyes "... and maybe there will be another reason for me to come back..."
"You think?" She said as she got closer to him.
"Yes, I do!" They both closed their eyes and slowly approached one another. They could both feel a very strong connection when suddenly a very familiar roar echoed across the river...
"Look out!" Tanya screamed, as she grabbed Adam, taking cover behind the log.
The roar came from a T-Rex, who was feasting on a baby brontosaurus's carcass, on just the other side of the river.
"That is probably the scariest thing I have ever seen!" Adam commented as he witnessed the dinosaur rip apart its fallen prey.
"Come on, let's get back to the others!" Tanya told him quietly and they both began to walk in the opposite direction, whilst remaining quiet, as not to attract the attention of the T-Rex.
While the others were taking a break, Jason was circling the bushes on his own. He was ready to light a cigar, when he saw Kimberly walking up to him.
"Hey..." she said, kindly. "...I just wanted to say that... since we will be going home soon... I want to apologize for my arrogant behavior." Kim told him sincerely, however Jason completely ignored her. "Did you hear me? I said I'm sorry! Isn't that, what you wanted to hear all along?" He continued to ignore her and even drew out his pistol. "You self-serving, pretentious pri..."
"Shut up!" Jason told her and put his hand on her mouth to stop her from speaking. "Adam? Tanya?" He whispered at the bushes, but didn't receive a response. "Every one, take cover!"
Suddenly from the bushes began to appear a small band of ape men, armed with spears. The team quickly took cover behind the various crates, trees and whatever place they could find.
"Ape men!" Tommy said, shocked, and drew out his AK. "How did they..."
"They must have followed us!" Billy deduced. "Probably want payback for our raid on their camp!"
"Everyone..." Jason yelled. "... hold your fire, until you have a target!" Then from the bushes appeared what seemed to be hundreds of beast, who wanted nothing else but to rip them apart with their daggers. They all relentlessly charged. "Steady, guys!" he said as the ape men were getting closer and closer.
"Open fire!"
To be continued…