Chapter 10
Peace, Love & Woe
(Original Posting Date: April 26th, 2009)
Author's Note: I'd like to thank Saturnian Sorceress for letting me use a little something from one of her fics entitled Stupid Cupid. I highly recommend this little oneshot that I enjoyed so much I just had to infuse a little bit of it in here. Fans of Kimberly and fans of Skull should all greatly enjoy this little gem. Check it out, it's listed in my favorite stories (this site won't let me post the full addie) and if you like it, do me a favor and leave Saturnian Sorceress a little review! =)
Angel Grove
They arrived in the city where it had all begun sixteen years prior early on Saturday. Although most of them had come down from San Angeles aboard the Astro Megaship, some had decided to drive down instead. Those who had settled down in Angel Grove had offered a place to stay to those who were visiting. Many had accepted, although some had decided to remain aboard the Megaship, which had more than suitable accommodations. By the beginning of the afternoon, some of them had gone off on their own or in small groups to explore the place the first teams of Rangers had defended for years.
Having dropped her things off over at Trini's place, Kimberly had decided to go down to the park. When she had lived in Angel Grove, it had been one of her favorite places to go to. She now sat on a large rock by the lake, strumming her guitar's strings absently as she gazed at the water's surface. As painful as it was for her to be back in Angel Grove, being here, in this exact location, gave her a certain measure of peace.
"Trini told me I'd find you here," Tommy said as he sat down cross-legged on the rock next to her.
"Hey Tommy," she greeted him with a smile. Though she was happy to see him, she couldn't help but feel a wave of sadness wash over her whenever he was near.
"I came here a lot too after you left," Tommy admitted, squinting a bit from the sun. "This was where I asked you out to our first dance, after that whole deal with the green candle. It's also here that we shared our first kiss."
"I remember," Kimberly said wistfully, as she continued to pick on the strings.
"I missed you," Tommy told her, looking in her direction even though she didn't meet his gaze. "Every single day. And ever since you came back, well, things have been weird between us. I wish they weren't, Kim."
"I sent you into Kat's arms, Tommy," Kimberly explained, her voice sad. "That last time we spoke, I told you to be with her, to live your life. I'm happy you did that, but I never stopped loving you and I never thought I'd be back. It's just hard to be here, and it's hard to be just the friend. Give it time?"
"Alright, I can do that," he answered, flashing her a warm smile. "How about we head back? Hang out with the others, remember the good old times?"
"Okay," Kim responded, accepting the hand he offered her to help her to her feet.
"Hey, Tommy!" she heard a familiar voice call out from behind them. She turned towards it, instantly recognizing it.
"Kimberly?" the young man asked, looking as if he had just seen a ghost.
"Skull!" she shouted, handing the guitar to Tommy. She hopped off the rock and ran the short distance that separated her from him. The last time she'd seen him had been right before Dark Specter's final assault on Earth. He and Bulk had saved Tommy's life and, in the craziness that had ensued, the two had also managed to figure out their former secret identities.
"I can't believe you're here," he said, his eyes tearing up.
"Well you'd better believe it, mister," she replied joyfully, closing the gap between them and giving him a hug. To her surprise, he not only reciprocated the gesture, but he also didn't seem intent on letting go of her.
By the time Tommy finally joined the two of them, Skull reluctantly let go of Kimberly, letting her take a step back.
It was then that Kimberly noticed the pink gift bag that swayed gently in Skull's shaking hand. Pink satin paper seemed to flow out of it.
"You got me a seal, didn't you?" she asked him, pointing to the bag, smiling even as she felt her own eyes begin to water. "The whole time I was gone, you always did."
"I heard you were back. I thought you might be there tomorrow," Skull said, offering her his trademark smile as he handed her the bag.
Kimberly took it and took a seat on a bench that was a few feet away. Slowly, she pushed aside the pink satin sheets to get to the bag's contents. Eventually, she pulled it out.
It was just like the one he'd given her in the fourth grade. A tear rolled down her cheek as she looked at the small stuffed seal. It was pure white, with a black nose and eyes, and on its' nose, it balanced a stuffed heart with the words "Be Mine" sewn on in cursive.
She held it silently in her hands for nearly a minute. When she finally stood up, she looked Skull in the eyes and gave him a teary smile. "Thank you, Skull."
"I missed you, Kimberly," he whispered in her ear as she gave him another hug. This time, she was the one who almost squeezed the life out of him.
Cole was sitting on a dock over at the Angel Grove marina, his legs dangling over the water. Andrew Hartford's loss had affected him greatly. All things considered, he had barely gotten to know his son in the time he had lived as a human. It had been the same for Cole as far as his parents were concerned. They'd been taken from him, before their time, killed.
The others hadn't realized that this had been bothering him. They thought it was more of a fraternal bond that existed between red rangers, but that had very little, if nothing, to do with it. The simple truth of it was that a lost parent or a lost child hit too close to home as far as he was concerned.
Cole had also wanted to be alone to sort things out in his mind. At Mack's funeral, something had bothered him. It was a feeling he had had, that something wasn't right, that something had been very wrong. He hadn't been able to peg it down then, but he hoped that now, given the chance to focus, he'd be able to place his finger on it.
Eventually, the sun went down and the docks became deserted, leaving Cole alone with his thoughts. Almost alone, he thought, as he saw a stray dog make its way toward him.
Cole held out his hand, inviting the animal to approach further. Soon, the animal lay by his side, Cole stroking its fur, and the two of them just gazed out into the distance at the moon, rising in the sky. They stayed like that for nearly an hour.
For no apparent reason, the dog suddenly grew agitated, and Cole could sense fear coming from his new-found friend.
"What's wrong?" Cole asked the animal in a reassuring voice, trying to calm it down.
He tried to hear its thoughts, but with no success. The dog started barking loudly, its panic evident. They weren't alone.
Cole stood up on the dock and, followed by the stray dog, he jogged down to a well lit open area where he was certain no one would be able to sneak up on him. The entire time, he felt the animal getting more anxious and he started feeling it too, that someone out there was watching them.
He took his cell phone out of his jacket pocket and dialed Taylor's number. A loud thud behind him caused him to spin around, but he found that there was no one there. By this point, the dog was in a mad frenzy.
"Hey Cole," Taylor answered casually.
"Taylor, I'm at the docks," he said loudly enough to be heard over the dog's barking, "something's wrong."
Again, he heard a loud thud behind him, only louder, closer. This time, when he turned around, he wasn't alone. His cell phone was knocked out of his grip before a pair of hands grabbed him roughly by the jacket.
Kendrix was alone in the Megaship's lab area, looking over the information that had been compiled over the last few days. Photographs of Mack and of the crime scene, a copy of the police and coroner's reports, various newspaper clippings and personal notes were all spread out on the counter in front of her.
As they had done many times over the last few hours and days, Kendrix's eyes went to the crime scene photographs and, more specifically, the close-ups of the symbol on Mack's lower torso. Nor the Mystic Rangers nor their mentors had been able to identify the mark. Not even the Mystic Mother or some of their former enemies who had worshipped dark magic, Nikki, Itassis and Matoombo, had been in any position to provide assistance.
Examining the pictures, Kendrix frowned when she realized that, despite the fact the cuts had been deep, minimal bleeding had occurred when the symbol had been carved into Mack's skin. She pulled out a shot of his upper chest, immediately noticing that he had bled out much more profusely as a result of the killing blow.
"Something's wrong," she whispered to herself, recalling some of the information obtained from Itassis. While the Master's former follower had been of no use in identifying the symbol, she had nonetheless proven to be an invaluable source of information as far as the dark arts were concerned. Among other things, she had mentioned that the symbol had to have been carved into Mack's skin while he was still alive. Apparently, dark spells involving the marking of a victim or a sacrifice were enhanced through fear and pain.
Kendrix studied the picture of the symbol once again, realizing that these cuts had been made after Mack's death. Unless the killer had seriously messed up, then that meant that they were intentionally being led down the wrong road.
She pushed the pictures aside for a moment and landed on a clipping pertaining to the anniversary celebrations of the anniversary of Dark Specter's defeat. Though the timing of Mack's death hadn't been lost on them, mystical causes had seemed like such a obvious conclusion that they'd chosen to devote themselves to pursuing that track.
Starting to feel frustrated, Kendrix closed her eyes and thought back to the night Maya had told her and Karone about her dream. Rykon had killed her. Why Rykon? Surely, between Scorpius, Trakeena, Deviot and all the major evils they had gone up against, there had to be a reason why her vision had shown her Rykon. Kendrix's thoughts drifted to the image of her friend clutching her stomach, feeling the phantom pains of being impaled in her dream as she tried to reassure her. She also recalled the distant look she had seen in Karone's eyes.
"Okay," Kendrix said out loud to herself as she opened her eyes. "Rykon. What was so special about you that she had to see you? You arrived on Terra Venture, pretending to be Shondra. You pretended to be Maya's friend."
"Oh no," she whispered, figuring out the missing link. Rykon had been an enemy of the Rangers, trying to pass herself off as a friend in order to take them down when the right time came. It all made sense to her now. It was the tenth anniversary of the fall of Dark Specter's forces, of Astronema's forces. It was her, somehow. She was going to try to wipe them all out.
Kendrix was about to contact Maya to get her friend's opinion on her findings when she noticed a flashing icon on her laptop's screen. She had received an e-mail. Accessing her inbox, the first thing she noticed was the subject line, as it appeared to be a response to an e-mail she had sent to all her contacts with regards to the mysterious symbol that had caused them so much trouble. She then looked at the sender's identity and frowned. The message had been sent by Carolyn Pickets.
Carolyn was an actress she had met during the journey that had led Terra Venture to the planet Mirinoi. She had even gotten to replace the other woman in some of her roles because of their identical looks. Despite a bit of a rough start, the two women had ended up becoming good friends and Carolyn had even dedicated an award to her when she had accepted it.
Kendrix hadn't expected to receive an e-mail from Carolyn on this particular topic. True, the woman had extensive knowledge when it came to what was happening in the entertainment industry and she also had a very keen eye with all things fashion-related, but what would she know about what seemed to be a mystical symbol that even the greatest sorcerers and magical beings knew nothing about?
She opened the e-mail and started to read along, clicking on the links that Carolyn had provided her with. Although Kendrix was slightly confused when she clicked on the first link, which provided an image of a similar bloody carving, it was the second link that made all the pieces fall into place in her mind.
"How cool is it to be in Angel Grove, the place where Doctor O's ranger days all began?" Kira asked her boyfriend excitedly as they sat side by side in a booth at the Surf Spot.
"It's cool," Conner answered, his tone distant.
"Conner, are you okay?" Kira questioned, looking over to him curiously, not used to hearing that in his voice.
"No," Conner stated as he looked down to the ground. "Ever since Mack's death, you've been acting like everything's fine. I could understand you not wanting the others to see how hurt you are inside over this Kira, but I don't get why you're acting this way when we're alone."
"So, what?" Kira asked him. "You're upset because I haven't come crying to you so that you could comfort me like a good boyfriend?"
"Don't make this into a joke, Kira," Connor pleaded, his eyes meeting hers. "Please. It's not an ego thing. I know that Mack spent time with you while you were recording your album at the studio. I know there was a friendship there. And I know your heart too well to accept that you'd be unaffected by his death."
"I'm sorry, Conner," Kira apologized, reaching for his hand and taking it in hers. "I didn't realize how worried you were. I guess the reason I haven't been mourning Mack like everyone else is that I just don't think he's really gone."
"Not really gone?" Conner asked, confused by her words. "Kira, he's dead."
"And I know that," she replied, giving his hand a squeeze, "but we're Rangers. Since when has death meant the end of the line for us?"
"Doctor O told us that was a onetime deal," Conner reminded his girlfriend.
"So there'll be another way," Kira countered, as if she was stating the obvious. "Mack will figure out a way to come back, or we'll find a way to bring him back. It's not over, Conner. Deep inside, I know it. We just need to have hope."
He gave her hand a squeeze then and she noticed his eyes momentarily moisten up. He then pulled her into his arms, holding her close. "You really had me worried there, you know that?"
Before Kira could answer, the familiar chime of Conner's cell phone started up. Reluctantly, he let go of her and picked up the device, which was sitting on the table in front of them. "It's Ethan," he said casually, looking at the phone's display.
Kira and Conner exchanged a worried glance when her own phone then started to ring. In her case, the call was coming from Trent. Quickly, they both accepted the incoming calls.
"Hey Trent," she answered uneasily, "what's up?"
"I've got Kira," she heard him say urgently, though the comment clearly wasn't directed at her. She also heard Ethan's voice, confirming that he had Conner on the line.
"Trent?" she asked, feeling more and more worried.
"You're with Conner?" he questioned her instead of answering her question, his voice tense.
"Yes," she responded. "What the hell is going on?" Next to her, she could hear the same frustration in Conner's voice as he told Ethan where they were.
"It's Cole," Trent told her. "The Wild Force Rangers found his body over at the docks."
"We're on our way to the lab right now, Leo," Maya spoke into her transmoprher as she and Cassie sprinted through the brightly lit halls of the Megaship. "Kendrix contacted me just a few minutes ago. She thinks she's figured this whole thing out."
"Alright," came Leo's voice through the communicator. "The three of you stay together. Mike and I will be down as soon as we've checked in with Damon and Kai. Then we'll head down to the docks, meet up with the Wildforce Rangers. Dana and Carter are already on their way."
"Got it," Maya confirmed before she pushed a button on her transmorpher, ending their conversation. A few moments later, she heard Cassie do the same with Ashley.
It wasn't long before they reached the lab. When they stepped inside, it was deserted. Kendrix was nowhere to be seen, but her laptop and her notes were spread out on a large counter right in front of them.
"Kendrix?" Maya called out tentatively as she walked to the counter and started looking down at the various papers.
"Kendrix?" Cassie echoed as she started making her way around the counter. She seemed to freeze in place for a fraction of a second, and Maya noticed that she was looking at something on the floor. "Kendrix!" she yelled out, her voice tinged with panic as she disappeared behind the counter.
Maya dropped the papers she had picked up and rushed to get to Cassie. When she saw her, the young woman was down on the cold metal floor, sobbing as she held on to her best friend's now lifeless body. Maya, noticing the crimson stain expanding on the other girl's pink sweater, knew there was nothing to be done.
"Please wake up," she could hear Cassie sob, over and over again as she rocked the body in her arms, lost in her grief. There was no doubt in Maya's mind that Cassie was reliving the moment when Kendrix had sacrificed her own life for her back on Rashon. Back then, she'd blamed herself for Kendrix's death. Clearly, she was doing the same now.
But it wasn't Cassie's fault, Maya thought as she fell to her knees, her eyes losing focus as they filled with tears. Maya had brought her friends back to Earth, despite Loyax's warnings. "I'm so sorry, Kendrix," she whispered even as she heard the doors sliding open at Leo and Mike's arrival.
To be continued...
So, I've gotten some requests to move the story along a bit. That's why we've got a bit of a longer chapter this time around, in order to still have the character moments. This, everyone, is the point of no return. If you choose to continue reading, know that no one is safe and that this ain't your traditional Power Rangers anymore. At the beginning of this story, I warned that this was going to be dark, well darkness is about to descend on the Rangers like it never has before. Can you handle it?
So, Kira & Conner finally made it with their very own scene. What can I say? project314 promises, project314 delivers.
Little continuity tidbits. For the lowdown on Bulk & Skull saving Tommy and finally discovering the identities of the Rangers, as well as the official end of Tommy and Kimberly's relationship, check out Power Rangers: Countdown, which is my other big ongoing story. Either that, or just know that in my continuity, they did those things. As for that little adorable seal, check out the story I mentioned in the author's note at the top of the page by Saturnian Sorceress.
Next time, we'll finally see the RPM Rangers and we'll also have a bit of focus on the Time Force Rangers.
Reader's column! Thanks to everyone who wrote in. I really enjoy getting your impressions so keep 'em coming! Big thanks to prophet144, Pinkyy, Red shadow Ranger, Linnea212, milordo-z 2.0, Original-Red-And-Pink-4ever, guardianranger, LoneWolfVampire13, Iron-Mantis, Puggles Master, snake screamer, ImaSupernaturalCSI, Yellow At Heart, Grass King & cloverbot. It always brings a smile to my face to hear from you all.
1) So, Danny as Z's dad, with their names, it's a question that came up in SPD. I think it adds a fun dynamic in this story considering not too many characters are related by blood. A talk will come eventually, though I'm not sure when.
2) Dustin's poke at Cam. That was a popular one, and a moment I particularly loved. A funny Dustin is my favorite Dustin.
3) Clare is still at Rootcore, though we might see her again eventually.
4) No major plans for Venjix, though he will appear in the next chapter, most likely, with the introduction of the RPM Rangers.
5) The Rangers will figure out who killed Mack by the end of Chapter 13.
6) Carter/Dana will have their time to shine, particularly when that scene from the trailer comes around. I will try and give them more than that, though. Cole/Alyssa, sadly is not something to expect, due to the events of this chapter.
7) The mystic symbol is a tricky thing as you'll have seen. There's more to it than meets the eye, though there is at least one interesting clue in this chapter.
8) RPM will definitely be introduced with a twist. Ziggy will most likely get the final word in one of the next two chapters and then you'll be able to picture the episode fading to black, just like an ep of RPM (which I am loving, what with the fights and the flashbacks).
9) No more Buffy, as far as I know. Unless there's an awesome reference that comes up, we're now strictly PR.
10) The whole stuff with the ritual might be nothing more than smoke and mirrors if Kendrix turned out to be right. Still, Dustin definitely put the pieces together nicely.
11) SPD pairings? Not so much here. Though Sky/Syd isn't out of the question, I will be exploring them more in a future SPD-based arc over in PR: Countdown. I'll keep you posted.
12) I will say Grass King is most definitely onto something with his theories relating to Andrew Hartford. His tragic tale will eventually be told, in PR: Countdown as well. Cliff notes version will be available for readers who just want to read End of Days. =)
13) cloverbot found me through Funky in Fishnet's oneshot But a Child, a great little Eric story about his relationship with that little girl he met in Time Force, Alice. A different side of him, very sweet. Awesome moments with both Wes and Taylor. I highly recommend it. The site won't let me put the full addie, so just check out my favorite stories in my profile to find it!
That's all for now. Thanks for reading, thanks for writing in and I'll see you all next time! Anyone who's yet to press that little 'submit review' button, feel free to do so. Guaranteed response. And for anyone wanting to know when this story is updated, remember to select the story alert or author alert options in the drop-down menu.
Power down!