AN: Saban/Disney owns the characters you know. I own the ones you don't.
CHAPTER TEN
THE REUNION - PART ONE
Tensions were high on the main deck of the Astro Megaship. Ashley still sat in the same position since the last transmission from Mesogog, crying softly into her palms as Cassie held her. Cassie looked almost as upset, her gaze on her shoes. Zhane sat close to her, his knuckles under his chin as he rested his elbows on his thighs. The anxiety was more than evident everyone's demeanor. T.J. had remained very quiet and reserved as he sat in the back of the room leaning against the wall closest to the door. He was deep in thought; his forearms relaxed and rested upon his knees. His eyes were focused straight ahead of him, where they had been for over half an hour. The door closest to him slid open then to reveal Carlos. T.J. got up immediately to confront him as everyone in the room looked over at them.
"What's going on?" He asked worriedly, "I just saw Jason out there looking like he wanted to kill somebody." Carlos had barely come onto the main deck before T.J. was pulling him back out into the hall.
"Let's take a walk, Carlos."
The two of them left and walked down the hall. As T.J. got Carlos up to speed, Jamie almost bumped into them on her way out of her room. Carlos looked down at her with a inquisitive look as T.J. gave her a sympathetic grin. She looked up at them with a blank expression. The men could hear the distant music coming from the headphones she had in her ears. She didn't acknowledge them and quickly made her way down the hall they had just come from.
She tried to keep her head down and go unnoticed as she made her way to the entrance of the Megaship. She began to wonder how everything had gotten so screwed up. 'I wish I could just see him again.' She thought as she turned another corner. She missed her dad more and more every day and had never felt this level of both uncertainty and worry. Jamie continuously told herself that she would not let melancholy take over; she was an Oliver, she had to remain valiant.
She considered going outside to see where Jason was but instead walked into the auditorium that would house this weekend's festivities. She looked around the room, a smile coming onto her face for the first time in a while. There were large banners all around the auditorium representing each group of Rangers and at least 100 chairs set out around tables reserved for each group as well.
"I thought this place would be full of people by now." Jamie was caught off guard by the voice of a man behind her.
"Hey there!" The man said as he approached her. "I'm Leo."
"Jamie." She replied shaking the hand he had extended to her.
"That's a nice name." He said with a smile. Before he could say anything further he turned around to see his team in the hallway. "Hey guys… in here!"
"I've got to get going." Jamie quickly told him making her way out the door before any of the Galaxy team could come inside. He watched her leave with a puzzled look.
"Look at this place!" Maya said excitedly, "It's wonderful!"
"Really though… this is going to be fantastic." Kendrix added with a smile as she walked up next to her.
"I like the banners." Kai told them as he set down a wine basket on the table closest to him.
"You ready for this, man?" Damon asked Leo as he took a seat at the Galaxy team table.
"You kidding me? I'm going to love this, I've been preparing for weeks now." Leo was looking down at his index cards that were written with all sorts of notes for the weekend. It was then that Mike walked in holding a massive cake.
"Thanks a lot guys for leaving me out there in the cold. It took me forever to find my way inside with this stupidly sized cake in my face."
"Quit whining, Mike... It's time for the fun to start!" Leo looked at his brother with pure exuberance before walking up onto the stage.
"You're sure excited, baby brother." Mike noted as he placed the cake on one of the long tables in the back of the room. His friends watched as he walked over to the stage and joined his brother.
"You're going to be nervous." He continued, his eyes scanning the auditorium.
"Oh, I'll be fine. Don't you worry, unlike you I'm not afraid of crowds."
"Uh-huh." Mike smiled as he walked behind Leo, "I'm going to go check on the sound."
"Kendrix!" Cassie yelled ecstatically as her and T.J. entered the room. The Galaxy Rangers came over to greet them with warm smiles and open arms. "It's so good to see you guys again." Kendrix replied, beaming.
"Where are the others?" Leo asked as he walked off the stage to greet them.
"They're here… but Andros will be a little late." Before him and Cassie could take any further inquiries T.J. spoke again, "We'll go get them and grab some food to bring out here. Make yourselves at home." Cassie smiled at them before looking at T.J. for the queue to exit. As the Galaxy Rangers began to settle in, the Space Rangers continued to put on facades for their guests. Carlos, having just found out, hadn't left the kitchen since T.J. had spoken to him. He needed time to process it all at this point. Ashley and Zhane had both fled to their rooms to gather themselves before going into the reunion. T.J. and Cassie walked into the kitchen to gather food from the simulator. Upon seeing them come in, Carlos quickly left not wanting to talk.
"How is he doing?" Cassie asked, grabbing a basket of separated silverware.
"He's upset that we didn't tell him about this sooner. He's taking it better than the others though."
"He would… he hasn't seen what we have." Cassie replied somberly, her thoughts redirecting to Jason's and Kimberly's whereabouts. "They haven't come back since the transmission, have they?"
"Jason and Kimberly? …I don't think so."
"Maybe we should go see if they're alright." Cassie suggested.
"No, they'll come in when they want to. We just need to give them some space I think."
Cassie nodded, frowning slightly knowing that T.J. was right.
"Let's get these plates out while they're still hot." T.J. walked toward the hallway with two platters full of assorted cooked meats, Cassie right behind him.
More people would arrive within the hour.
The sound of a text message being received could be heard from on top of a counter in the Cyber Café. "Hayley's on her way back." Trent said looking down at his phone. "She said to close down and wait for her out back. We're going to follow her to the Megaship."
Kira looked up at the clock as she got up, "6:13… the reunion just started."
Ethan, who had been sitting across from Connor at another table looked over at him. Connor was still staring at the salt and pepper shakers on the center of the table. "We're coming." He told Kira and Trent as they walked into the back room.
"Did you hear them?" Ethan asked as he walked over to Connor's table. "Connor?"
Connor looked up at him in a daze, as if he had just been woken up from a dream. "Yeah, sorry… I was just thinking about everything."
"Aren't we all." Ethan responded in just above a whisper. "Come on."
Connor got up and followed him into the kitchen, as they made their way outside to meet the others.
"It looks like it's going to rain." Ethan said as he got outside and noticed the dismal looking sky. He sat down with Connor at the only table outside of the café.
"You okay, Connor?" Kira asked, looking over at him.
"I guess…" He started, "It's just… I have this overwhelming feeling that hasn't left me since we found out about Dr. O."
"About what?" Trent broke in.
"I feel like he's back…Mesogog… he's got to be behind this all."
"We destroyed him… there's no way, Connor. We saw it." The thought of Mesogog's return made Ethan feel uneasy.
"Think about it for a second, guys." Connor began again, "Whoever it is was able to break into Dr. O's lab undetected… they're not new to this game. And to be able to take someone like Dr. O so easily…" He paused to look at his teams' expressions before finishing, "Mesogog was partnered with a scientist for years, he would have figured out in that time a way to prolong his life or bring himself back in the chance he was defeated."
"That's entirely plausible." Trent added quietly.
"I'm not going to make assumptions at this point," Kira said, folding her arms to try and keep warm. "We'll find out who it is soon enough."
Headlights could be seen coming from down the alley as the group looked up to see Hayley pulling into her parking spot near them.
She got out of her car and swung her bag over her shoulder. "Hey guys…" She said with a small grin as the former Dino Rangers walked over to meet her, "Did you lock up, Trent?"
"Yep, front and back."
"Are you okay, Hayley?" Kira asked, seeing she looked a bit stressed.
"I've had better days."
"Did anything else happen?" Connor asked her. He hated not knowing what was going on.
"They saw new footage…" Hayley began slowly, "Tommy was getting beaten pretty badly, Jamie told me he couldn't fight back." The four young people stood in silence, listening as intently as possible. "She didn't get a good look at who they were."
"Wait… did you just say 'they'?" Connor asked, giving a stern but startled look.
"Yes, there were six of them fighting Tommy… they were each taking turns. That's as much as I know." Hayley's face was starting to tighten. It had already been hard enough telling Kim all of this.
"This just got so much worse." Ethan stated in a defeated tone.
"It's 6:34 guys… we should probably head over there." Trent announced.
"I'll ride with you, Hayley." Kira said, putting her hand on Hayley's shoulder.
Hayley pulled out first, allowing the boys to follow behind them in Trent's car. They were going to be an hour late to the reunion.
Emotions ran high after the video of Andros was revealed. Jason and Kimberly were standing by the side of the Megaship. Jason had made the walk over there after being seen by Carlos. He couldn't go into the reunion like this and he didn't want anyone else seeing him this way either. Jason paced from side to side with his hands on top of his head as Kimberly watched. Kimberly wished she would have brought her umbrella back out since the two were standing directly in the rain. It had been about forty minutes since they'd seen the latest video transmission and Kimberly was afraid she wouldn't be able to get Jason to calm down enough to go back inside.
"Jase… we have to go back in. The reunion has started. Everyone should be here by now." She was practically yelling at him, trying to be heard through the heavy rain.
"Something real bad is going to happen, Kim." He said as he continued to pace. Nervousness was an emotion Jason had rarely shown in the past but now he couldn't help but show it. "I just can't."
"What?" She asked him frustrated, "What do you mean you can't?"
He stopped pacing and walked closer to her. "I can't go back in there… I can't face any of our friends." He was looking directly at her now. "I can't tell that little girl in there that she'll get to see her father again and that thought just about kills me inside, Kim…" He stopped then, realizing that he had been raising his voice at her. He turned away not wanting to see Kimberly's purely sympathetic eyes. She walked over to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Jason…"
He continued to face away from her. "This isn't how it's supposed to be." He said as Kimberly pulled him back around and put her arms around him.
"We'll get through this… we always do." She reassured. Jason returned the gesture, closing his eyes. "He'll be okay."
Jason wished he could believe her. He pulled away again. "It's not just Tommy… we're about to have a new battle on our hands and none of them in there even know it yet." He added, pointing back at the megaship.
His peripherals then caught something, his view redirecting to the woods behind Kim. His focus changed as worry and confusion came over him.
"Hey!" Jason yelled running past Kimberly toward the woods. Kimberly had no choice but to follow, running after him. "Someone was looking at us from over here." Jason told her as she caught up with him. "Jason, look!" Kimberly yelled, startled as she pointed to an area left of them. She thought she could see a boot in the brush from where she was standing. Jason went first, quickly going over to see what it was. She gasped as she watched Jason pull one of the bushes back. A man lay before them in a notable silver uniform, his head covered with a brown cloth bag, his wrists and ankles tied together.
"Andros…" Jason called out to him as he bent down and turned him over gently. They immediately noticed the blood coming from his abdomen. Jason removed the head covering and felt for a pulse as Kim watched with a worried expression.
"He's alive." Jason told her, "We need to get him inside."
"But what about everyone in there?"
"Just help me, Kim."
The two of them managed to get Andros's arms around their necks as they hoisted him up and walked at a comfortable but steady pace out of the woods. As they came around the corner of the Megaship to the back entrance, Hayley and the Dino Rangers could be seen pulling up and parking nearby. As they got out of their vehicles they immediately ran toward Jason and Kimberly.
"Jason! What happened… when did you…" Hayley managed to say before being cut off.
"Hayley, can you go inside and get T.J. and Carlos?" Jason asked between breaths.
Connor took over for Kim, seeing that she was getting tired. He and Jason brought Andros up the ramp and under the covered area as they waited for Hayley to return with the others.
"Where was he?" Kira asked.
"In the woods right over there." Kim replied, pointing to the area they had just come from. She was trying to catch her breath.
"This is a sign…" Jason spoke up, everyone's attention now on him.
"What do you mean?" Ethan asked.
Kim's gaze told Jason that she was thinking the exact same thing and just like that she finished for him. "They're coming."
Everyone was still chatting and eating dinner. The reunion's festivities weren't set to start for another half an hour.
"Have you seen Jason yet?" Zack asked Billy as the two walked up next to Rocky at the buffet line.
"Not yet. I haven't seen Kim or Tommy yet either." Billy replied as he dished out some potato salad onto his plate.
"Billy! Hey…" Rocky said looking at the two of them.
"Rocky!" Billy said as he extended his free arm around Rocky's neck for a hug. "It's good to see you. You remember Zack?" He asked as Zack extended his right hand.
"Yeah… I met you at Zordon's funeral, right?"
Zack nodded, "Yeah… it's nice to see you at a happier event."
"Hey, look… it's Rocky!" Tanya said as she walked into the auditorium with Kat. The two of them walked over to join the three men. Kat extended her arms to embrace Rocky, who happily returned the gesture before hugging Tanya.
"You look great, Rocky." Kat told him with a warm smile.
"You really do… this is so amazing guys, I haven't seen you all in so long." Tanya was more than excited at this point. She turned to see two of her predecessors standing there. Tanya paused, looking over at Zack with a satisfied expression. "I remember you… Zack, isn't it?"
"That's right," Zack replied with a smile. He used both of his hands to grab one of hers. "I most definitely remember you too, Tanya."
Tanya looked a little embarrassed but flattered at the same time. She glanced over at Kat who was already beaming."I may just have to come over to your table for a chat later." Tanya told him with a coveting look in her eyes. Kat walked around her then to hug Billy.
"It's great to see you both again." Billy said to the two women.
"Adam! Over here!" Rocky yelled suddenly.
"Hey guys!" Adam happily exclaimed as he joined the group. "I see you've already started in on the buffet, Rocky."
"Ha…ha." Was all Rocky said before turning around to grab another handful of chips. Adam gave Kat and Tanya a hug before turning to face Billy.
"Billy… It's good to see you." Adam told him politely as he shook Billy's hand.
"And you." Billy replied before taking another sip of Merlot.
"How have you been, Adam?" Kat asked placing her hand on his shoulder momentarily.
"Oh, just great. Really great. My band has been touring most of Europe for the past year."
"I heard about that! That's so awesome, man. Are you going to perform here for us?" Rocky asked excitedly.
"Maybe… we'll see." Adam began as he picked up one of the appetizers closest to him. "I'm kind of enjoying the break… How about you guys? …Kat? What have you been up to these past few years?"
She looked down for a moment, her hand covering her mouth as she finished a bite of Caesar salad. "I've been good. I went back to diving for a little while actually. It was a great way to travel being on a professional team. I'm actually writing a children's novel now."
"Wow, that's really great, Kat." Adam replied with a sincere smile.
"Yeah, maybe my kids will come across your book someday." Rocky added.
"You have kids, Rocky?" Tanya asked immediately with a grin.
"Yeah, I have two. Aaron is nine and Eliza is six now."
"What did you tell your wife you were leaving for this weekend?" Billy asked out of curiosity.
"Well… I filed for divorce about four years ago. When I dropped off the kids with her yesterday I told her I was leaving to go to a conference for work."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Rocky." Kat told him sympathetically. She hated the thought of divorce. Having never been married herself, she couldn't even fathom the idea of it.
"It's fine… really it is. But uh… yeah, what did you end up doing after your Ranger days, Billy?" Rocky asked in a quick attempt to redirect the attention from himself.
"Well… I originally wanted to be a doctor but after all of those years in the command center, working on the zords and the time I spent on Aquitar, I was drawn to NASA."
"What do you do for NASA?" Zack asked as he poured himself some more water.
"I am an electrical engineer. I truly love what I do, having always had a fascination for the universe. This way I can help others discover what I have been so fortunate to see."
"It's a beautiful thing, doing something you love to do." Tanya added.
Billy smiled, "It definitely is." His attention was then redirected toward the entrance to the auditorium behind him, where a frazzled looking Hayley had just emerged. "Will you guys please excuse me?" He asked the group before quickly walking over to her.
When she noticed him, she wasted no time wrapping her arms around him. "Oh, Billy…I am so happy to see you right now." She began before pulling away to look at him. "You have to come with me."
"Hayley… what's going on? You look like you haven't slept in days…"
She began to pull him out of the room after she noticed the group Billy left behind were giving them bewildered looks.
"I tried to get ahold of you sooner… I don't have time to explain it all right now, I have to find Carlos and T.J."
"I'm so sorry I didn't return your calls, Hayley. I'd been waiting this past week for a replacement phone to come in the mail."
"It's fine, Billy. Really it is…" Hayley reassured as she rushed down the halls of the Astro Megaship. She was knocking on every door she came across. The next one she went to knock on opened before she could reach it.
"Hi…" A woman said as she walked out of the room, "Did you guys need something?"
"…You're Ashley?" Hayley asked with a questioning look. She used her memory of Tommy's video history of the rangers as her source to remember everyone's name.
Ashley nodded. "I'm looking for Carlos and T.J., can you take me to them?"
"Yeah, I think they may be in the kitchen." She confirmed as she walked ahead of Hayley and Billy. She led them down a little ways to the kitchen where the rest of the Space team was.
"I need Carlos and T.J." Hayley said again upon entering the kitchen.
"What for? We're almost done here." Carlos responded looking back down at the fruit bowl he was organizing. He wasn't in the mood to do much of anything else.
T.J. noticed the pleading look Hayley was giving them, "What's going on?" He asked as he set down some plates and walked over to Hayley.
"Jason asked me to come in and get you guys. He and Kimberly found someone unconscious out in the woods... I'm pretty sure it's Andros." Her final words instantly grabbed the attention of everyone in the room. They all immediately stopped what they were doing and made their way out of the room toward the entrance to the ship. Zhane stopped to close the door to the auditorium as he heard Leo's announcement being made. "Everyone take your seats… let's get this thing started!"
Zhane looked back at the door where he could see Carlos and T.J. taking over for Jason and Connor, lifting Andros's arms over their shoulders as they walked inside. He joined the rest of the space team in the walk to the medical bay, unable to take his eyes off of his best friend who was out cold.
"Jason… Kimberly…." Billy greeted, looking at them with worry.
"You guys should go inside and join everyone. I'll let you know if anything changes." Hayley told the Dino team. They all gave her a look of concern before turning around to go into the auditorium. Trent closed the door behind him leaving only her, Billy, Jason and Kimberly out in the hall.
"I'm going to go find you both some towels to dry off with." Hayley told Jason and Kimberly before disappearing back down the hall.
"What's-"
But Billy was cut off. "Tommy was taken a week ago." Kim said, not wanting Jason to have to talk about it. Kim held herself trying to keep warm as Jason leaned against the wall across from Billy with his hands in his pockets and his view on the floor.
"Do you know who took him?" Billy inquired almost instantly.
"All we know…" Jason started as he looked up at Billy with a forlorn expression. "Is that Andros wasn't able to bring him back."
"They're coming here soon, Billy." Kim stressed.
"They? Who are they?" Billy asked, starting to feel uncomfortable.
Before either of them could answer, Hayley reappeared with towels. Jason and Kimberly started to dry themselves as Leo could then be heard speaking to the other Rangers. The four of them fell silent as they began to listen.
"I wanted to begin this ceremony on a serious note," Leo began. "We are all here because this is our time to be honored and truly acknowledged for all of the amazing things we have accomplished in our time as Power Rangers. This world is safe because of us… because of our never-ending desire to fight for what is right… what is just." He paused, taking a moment to swallow. "There are a couple of people that couldn't be here with us today that I would like to recognize, the first being Trini Kwan. We lost Trini a number of years ago, her death being incredibly hard for many to accept. But her spirit lives on within us all, a spirit that those closest to her could tell you made her the perfect choice to be the first yellow Ranger."
Kim was finding it difficult to pay attention to what she was doing upon hearing Leo speak of one of her greatest friends. She was on the verge of tears. Billy walked over to her, pulling her into him. He kissed the top of her head before resting his chin on it. Jason watched, relieved that Billy was there for her. Even after all of these years, they were all still so close.
"The second person I wanted to recognize is the wise galactic sage that always inspired and looked out for us as our mentor, Zordon of Eltar. If it weren't for him, none of us would be here today. The sacrifice he made for us all was so substantial that there is really no way to truly recognize it. His death brought down some of the biggest names to ever fight for the forces of evil, including Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd. His death allowed Earth to be free from the threat once again. And most importantly, his death showed us all what it really means to be on the side of good." Leo paused, taking in a deep breath. "It's at this time that I would like to have a moment of silence for these two incredible beings."
"I'm going to get some dry clothes from my car." Kim told the others quietly. She wanted a few minutes alone at this point. The day's events had completely worn her out and the mention of Trini was just about too much for her.
"Did you need some help?" Hayley offered.
"No, I think I'll be fine. But thanks, Hayley." Kim pulled her towel over her head as she walked back out of the megaship into the cold, the others watching her leave.
At the same moment, Jamie could be seen walking inside.
Billy and Hayley watched as Jason walked over to her, bending down to give her a hug.
"Why were you out there?" He asked her.
"I was looking for you."
"Are you okay, Jamie?" Hayley asked, placing her hand on Jamie's back. She looked a little upset.
She nodded. "I just wanted to find Jason. I was scared not knowing where you were." She finished looking back at him.
"I'm going to take a walk to clear my head before going into the reunion. Billy, do you want to come with me?" Hayley hoped some alone time with Billy would help her feel a little better.
"Of course." He told her, "We'll be back, Jason."
Jason nodded as he and Jamie watched the two walk away.
"You look like you're going to be sick." Jamie noted.
"I'm just really tired…" Jason was partially telling her the truth but he got the feeling Jamie knew that already.
"You're worried too..."
Jason would always be impressed by how perceptive Jamie was for her age. "Yes… I am worried. But that doesn't mean you have to be too. This will all be over soon, Jamie. I promise you, it will."
"I saw him… I saw you all with Andros outside of the Megaship." She said sternly as she took a couple of steps back from Jason, "He wasn't able to bring my dad back so don't lie to me and tell me that it will all be over soon." Jamie placed her headphones back in and proceeded to walk down the hall away from the auditorium.
"Hey!" Jason spoke loudly enough to cause Jamie to turn back around. "Don't walk away from me like that."
She took one earbud out. "You're not my dad." She spoke so forcefully that Jason didn't really know how to respond. She turned around, walking away and out of sight.
He was alone now in the quiet hallway. He heard Leo announce something about putting on a video and assumed they were currently trying to do so. He decided he would wait for Kim to return before going inside to join their friends. All he could think about was Tommy's well-being and when the enemy would arrive.
'They won't know what hit them.' Jason thought as he stared at the auditorium door.
I awoke to sounds foreign to my ears. The temperature of the room I was in told me immediately I was no longer inside of the cell I had called home for the past week. I was so cold that it made it more difficult for me to move than it already was. It was a lot brighter in this room. I squinted my eyes as I tried to open them as much as possible. They burned, no doubt from lack of sleep. I could see computers just a few feet away from me. The curiosity of what those computers were being used for was just enough to renew some of my strength. I couldn't help but let out a groan as I tried to get up off the floor. The room was spinning. I knew I didn't have a whole lot of strength to begin with considering I hadn't had anything to eat or drink in a couple of days now. I did my best to walk over to the computers as I held onto my injured arm. It hurt like hell, that arm. I had to stop halfway to support myself on one of the building's pillars. I took in a deep breath before attempting to walk the rest of the distance. As I neared them I suddenly felt numb. The computers were connected to five life forces. I looked up at five enclosed tubes, a human being inside of each one. While entirely concerned, I felt a small sense of relief knowing none of these people were my friends. But what were these people being used for?
The door to my right swung open then. Andros emerged completely out of breath as he fully locked the door behind him.
"Tommy!" He yelled as he ran over to me. He placed his arm under mine as he walked me back over to the wall. "You need to rest." He told me forcefully as he leaned me back down onto the floor.
"What is Mesogog using those people for?"
"Those five," Andros began, "Are five of our enemies."
"What?" I asked in disbelief.
"Here." He said as he handed me a small bottle of water. "Drink as much of this as you can."
I drank from the bottle like I had never tasted water before. I watched him then stuff something into his medical bag before pulling out some antiseptic for my arm.
"So Mesogog is using their life forces for the other five. But that doesn't explain how their spirits came to be." I said to him slowly. "We can't attack them… we'd be killing these people."
I grunted then as I clenched my teeth. My arm felt like it was on fire as Andros applied the antiseptic.
"I know… I'm sorry, Tommy." He told me. "But if you want to keep your arm, I have to do this… you're lucky this is your worst injury. You've lost a good amount of blood but you're probably more weak from lack of nourishment."
"How long has it been?" I asked, "Since you brought me in here?"
"About ten minutes or so. When I left you here you were unconscious."
"Where did you go?" I asked him as he finished wrapping my arm back up.
But he would never get the chance to tell me. The door burst open then, smoke coming through it now. Andros did his best to cover me, the blast startling both of us. Mesogog walked in, followed by the other five former enemies. Andros had his Astro Blaster up immediately.
"You're waaaasting… your time." Mesogog cautioned. "You're only… prolonging… the inevitable."
"And what's the inevitable, Mesogog?" Andros countered.
I couldn't let Andros face them alone. I started to try and get up again. Divatox laughed as she watched me struggle to do so. Her laughter prompted Andros to notice me. "Tommy… stay down! This isn't your battle to fight."
"It isn't yours either." Prince Gasket said as he slashed Andros's abdomen with his sword. Andros was caught completely off guard, the hit sending him into the wall and onto the floor next to me. The cut was deep enough to cause him to bleed. I watched as he lay on his side holding the wound with both of his hands. 'That was a cheap shot.' I thought as I watched him demorph.
"Andros!" I yelled as I tried to get over to him. "Andros!" I yelled again after no response, hoping he was okay. I was being pulled out of the room by Trakeena and Prince Gasket.
Andros looked over at me trying his best to speak. "Tommy… I'm so sorry…" He managed to say with a look of pure devastation.
"You have nothing to apologize for." I reassured him, as I was pulled further and further away. I was still looking back at him as Mesogog used his psionic powers on Andros. Andros held onto his head as he tried not to yell out in pain. Mesogog didn't let up and I saw Andros hit the ground unconscious just as I was pulled back into the hallway.
"It's time… we send our message to those rangers." Mesogog announced as he walked out of the room and into view.
"Let go of me!" I tried not to let on how much it hurt having Gasket's hand squeezed so tight around my wounded arm. It was like he knew though as he squeezed even tighter.
"It's time for your fate to reveal itself, Tommy." Lord Zedd taunted.
"Can't wait." I told him as I calmed myself as best I could. My anger was more than obvious by now but I refused to show them the extent of it. They let go of me a moment later as Tyranodrones took over for them. "You won't succeed in anything you're planning to do, Mesogog."
Mesogog seemed more than confident. "I think I have already succeeded, Oliver… I have you."
At that last word I felt a needle go into my neck. I could hear their laughter. My eyes began to cloud as whatever they injected me with began to take effect. The last thing I saw was a pair of eyes staring at me.
They were Rita's.