Disclaimer: Saban/Hasbro owns Power Rangers and the characters within, not I.
3 Months Later...
Jason looked down at the compass in his hand and then back up to the group standing in front of him, waiting expectantly. He furrowed his brow and looked past them to the wooded area surrounding the group. He gave a slight shrug of his shoulders.
"So... is this the right place?" Zack questioned crossing his arms.
"It is supposed to be," Jason responded.
"I don't like this," Trini reacted, looking around nervously.
"Yeah... I mean... we are kind of sitting ducks here," Billy agreed.
"We've fought these things before," Jason countered.
"Not like this one..." Billy replied quickly, his tone very matter-of-factly.
"Well... I mean... we don't even really know what we are up against," Jason stated.
"It's another creation of Rita and Zedd... what more is there to know really?" Zack questioned with a shrug. "They turn something into a monster intent on killing us and anyone it comes across and we get sent to save it... same old song and dance."
"Yeah," Jason responded with a nod as he considered Zack's words. He could see it on him and the rest of the team. They were exhausted. These constant battles had gone on all summer long and now were moving into the fall and the start of the school year once again.
"Let's just keep moving... we will eventually have to come across it," Kimberly suggested. The group started to move through the heavy woods, all but Jason. Kimberly turned back to him and saw his mind was a million miles away. She walked back and placed a hand on his wrist. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing... let's move," Jason responded as he offered her his best reassuring smile before moving to catch up with the others. Kimberly watched him for a moment before catching up herself.
"This thing... it was made from a wolf?" Trini questioned, she clearly was the most unnerved of the group, judging by her body language and jumpiness.
"That's what Alpha said," Billy replied, his sense of uneasiness nearly just as evident.
"I don't like that," Trini replied. "I've got a bit of a phobia..."
"Hadn't noticed," Zack quipped with a grin, garnering him an eye roll from Trini.
"Do we have to destroy it?" Kim asked.
"Of course," Jason replied looking straight ahead.
"What's wrong?" Zack asked, in Kim's direction.
"It's just... I mean... it's not these creatures fault that Zedd and Rita keep doing this," Kimberly explained.
"True... but what's the alternative?" Zack countered. Kim nodded and sought out Jason's face again. He was still looking ahead, stoic expression. Suddenly he stopped and on instinct, the rest of the group followed suit.
"What is it, Bossman?" Trini questioned, as she sunk back into Jason.
"Listen," Jason replied, his voice barely above a whisper. The rest of the team strained to hear what he did.
"I hear it..." Billy was the first to speak up. "Rustling?"
"No," Jason rebutted with a shake of his head. "Breathing."
"Bre..." Zack began to speak, but Jason's hand coming up stopped him. Zack followed Jason's eyes as they raised and it was then he saw it, in the tree branch directly above them. It looked like a werewolf. No other way to describe it. Ripped right out of a horror film. Only very real and very close. Zack swallowed the lump inside his throat.
"Guys..." Trini started to sense the dread on both Jason and Zack. Zack moved quickly to put a hand over her mouth and moved closer to her ear.
"Don't panic... don't.. panic," Zack's whisper was meant to calm her, but it seemed to be doing the opposite.
"Everyone... morph," Jason's voice was barely audible. The team recognized the command fully however when they saw the red armor encase Jason. They followed suit.
"Move!" Zack commanded as he grabbed Trini and rolled clear. Jason pushed Billy into Kimberly and the two got clear just as the wolf leaped down and crashed into Jason, pinning him to the ground.
"Jason!" Kimberly reacted instinctively upon seeing him in peril. She raced over to grab the creature around the neck. It stood up from its attempt to maul the Red Ranger and focused on removing the grip around its neck.
"Help?" Kim asked as she felt her grip being broken. Zack got to her first and kicked the creature in the chest. It stumbled back into a tree, squishing Kimberly between the two. She let go and slumped to the ground. The wolf turned to her with fang's at the ready but it was hit from the side by a tackle from Billy.
Jason sat up from the ground and shook the cobwebs clear from his head. He looked over to see the rest of the team attempting to subdue the wolf creature, all the while trying to avoid its jaws and claws. He cursed and turned over and slammed his fist in the ground. He stood up and summoned his sword.
Zack landed nearby to Jason and was slow to stir. Jason could hear the labored breathing from him and he knew it was not from the battle, at least not this one. It was compounded from all of them. Jason felt a rage rise up in him and without thinking he was charging the creature. Within seconds the full weight of it slumped forward into his arms as Jason's eyes focused on the sword sticking out the other side of it.
Jason felt the last breath leave the beast and he pushed it forward to the ground and retracted his sword. He hesitantly looked over to see Kimberly with her head hanging down and Billy bent forward trying to catch his breath. He glanced behind him to see Trini helping Zack to his feet, both of them looking in his direction.
"It's over..." Jason said, before letting out a sigh. "Everyone... go home."
"Jason?" Billy questioned the demeanor of his friend. Jason didn't respond and disappeared in a flash of red.
(****)
"I don't know... I can't get him to answer," Kimberly said as she lowered her phone and slipped it back into her pocket.
"It's not like him at all," Billy said before taking a long drink from a water bottle and then sitting out on the porch railing in front of him.
"Has he been acting funny lately or anything?" Trini asked as she rubbed a sore shoulder from her place on the porch swing next to Zack.
"No... I mean..." Kimberly considered the question. "I guess... I mean... all of us have kind of been out of it lately haven't we?"
"How do you mean?" Zack questioned.
"Tired," Billy surmised.
"Yes," Kim agreed.
"Yes... I've been very tired," Billy stated. "These monster attacks... they are almost every day now."
"I guess it has been pretty taxing," Zack added. "But what do you think that has to do with Jason?"
"I just... I know how he is..." Kim responded. "He... he still blames himself for what happened with Tommy... and now..."
"He sees us wore down..." Trini finished the thought. Kim nodded. "He's blaming himself for that too."
"I know he is," Kim replied.
"He shouldn't do that, we are all in this together," Zack said with a dismissive shake of his head. "And I know he is exhausted too... I can see that."
"The fight today..." Billy began, garnering all the eyes to him. "I've never seen him that way... so... emotionless... cold."
"Yeah me neither," Trini agreed.
"What can we do?" Billy questioned, mostly in Kim's direction.
"I don't know..." Kim answered honestly. "I've tried to convince him that he's not to blame for anything, and I know that deep down he knows it's true..."
"Just... a lot of responsibility on all of us," Zack said. "But him most of all as the leader."
"Yeah," Kim said as she pulled her phone out of her pocket again, hoping for any sign from him. Her heart sank when she saw nothing.
(****)
"Have the Rangers reported in from the fight?" Zordon questioned of Alpha who was working at the control panel beneath his field of vision.
"Zack did," Alpha replied.
"Mission was a success?" Zordon questioned.
"Yeah... yeah, it was a success," Jason's voice from the entryway garnered the attention of both in the room.
"Jason," Alpha greeted him.
"I detect by your tone, that something is wrong?" Zordon questioned, moving along to wall to be closer to the Red Ranger. Jason took a deep breath as he considered his mentor. He shook his head and turned, losing his nerve to speak. "What is it, Jason?"
"It's..." Jason stopped and turned back to Zordon. "The team... we..."
"Are tired?" Zordon asked. Jason lifted his eyes up to him and nodded. Zordon's gaze shifted over to Alpha momentarily before returning to Jason. "I've noticed... we both have."
"Listen... I know we got to suck it up... and fight... it's not that... it's," Jason paused.
"You have to stop blaming yourself, Jason," Zordon said. His words caused Jason's eyes to move from the center of the room back up to the wall. He started to protest, but something in him knew that it would be useless to do so with Zordon. "Tommy... was not your fault... the attacks... are not your fault..."
"But you made me the leader," Jason replied.
"I did..." Zordon agreed. "And I'd do it again, and again."
"As the leader... how can I not feel responsible?" Jason questioned.
"It's not easy..." Zordon stated. "I felt very much the same way you did... under my watch, I lost a team member and friend... to the darkness... and I watched the rest of my team die... and the world came crashing down around me as I took my last breath."
Jason considered Zordon's words and even through the digitalized projection on the wall he could see the change in his expression as he spoke.
"How do you... I mean..." Jason wasn't sure how to ask what he wanted.
"It's not easy," Zordon replied. "Some days... the memories are fresh and the hurt just as much so..."
Zordon moved around the wall to be more center of the room. Jason moved a few steps closer.
"But I live with it... because I know in my heart that I gave it the very best that I had..." Zordon continued. His eyes moved over to Jason. "And I know in my heart that you are too... that's why you are feeling the way you are."
"I don't know what else we can do," Jason spoke. "We fight... we win... but it doesn't stop... they don't stop."
Jason turned from Zordon to look at the center console where the team first morphed together.
"I want it to stop... I want them to be able to catch their breath... I don't wanna..." Jason lost his voice and there was silence. After a moment he turned back to Zordon. "I can't lose any of them."
"Jason," Alpha's voice from Jason almost startled him, if it had not been for the softer tone of it. Jason turned to the robot. "We won't let that happen... trust us..."
"I do," Jason replied with a nod.
"And trust yourself and your team," Zordon added.
"I do," Jason responded.
"So do we," Alpha said as he reached up and patted Jason the shoulder.
"We know that Rita and Zedd as a team... are too much for what we have right now... they are determined to wear us down," Zordon stated.
"Doing a good job of it," Jason commented.
"Indeed," Zordon agreed. "So we are working on something right now... to even the odds."
"What do you mean?" Jason questioned.
"Just trust us... it's too soon to give the details, but just hang on... we'll turn the tide soon I promise," Zordon responded. Jason nodded a hopeful gesture.
"We'll keep fighting... trust that," Jason replied before he turned to leave.
(****)
Kimberly fought the urge to toss her phone into the sea in front of her. Her frustration continued to grow as she still had not heard from Jason. She was almost angry at him now. He had to know how worried she'd be. She was determined to cuss him when he finally did respond.
"I'm sorry," Jason's voice from behind Kimberly made her forget her anger. She smiled as she turned to see him standing on the beach behind her. She fought the smile and attempted to show her displeasure with him on her face. "I didn't mean to just go off the grid."
"But you did," Kim replied.
"Yeah," Jason agreed with a nod, before settling his gaze on the sand between them.
"Why?" Kim inquired, she crossed her arms. The hurt at his actions, starting to return.
"Honestly?" Jason responded. Kim nodded. "You probably already know."
"Jason... you..." Kim began.
"I know... I know..." Jason cut her off gently. "It's a bad habit."
"It is," Kim agreed.
"It comes from a good place I guess... I just," Jason replied and shrugged his shoulders.
"I know it does," Kim said. "You care about us..."
"I love you," Jason corrected her. His words caused a grin to threaten to form on her lips again. "All of you guys... it's more than care..."
"We love you too," Kim replied. "So you can't go shutting us out like that."
"I know..." Jason agreed before taking a hesitant step to close the gap between them. "Won't happen again.
"Promise?" Kim questioned as she too took a step.
"Promise," Jason responded as he wrapped his arms around her and her head found its place just below his neck. They were content to stay in this position as the only sounds were those of the waves crashing on the beach below them.
(****)
Trini smiled as she read the message from Kim. She was glad to hear that Jason had come around and things seemed to be okay again. She placed her phone down on the bed, slipped her shirt off and tossed it in the basket in the corner of the room. She walked over to the mirror to examine her shoulder. She saw the slightest hint of bruising.
She reached up and began to rub the shoulder just as her phone began to ring. She considered letting it go to voicemail to continue her attention to her pain. At the last minute, she spun around and scooped the phone off the bed. She wasn't expecting to see who was calling and hurriedly accepted the call before it ended.
"Tommy?" Trini spoke.
"Hey," Tommy's voice came through the phone. She had not spoken to him in weeks.
"What's up?" Trini questioned, curious about the nature of the call.
"Just..." Tommy paused. "How is everyone?"
"We are good... tired... but good," Trini replied.
"I've been hearing about all the attacks... it's crazy," Tommy responded.
"Yeah, basically daily now," Trini replied before she sat down on the edge of the bed. "What about you... how are you?"
"I'm..." Tommy paused once more. "I don't know to explain it... I guess it's why I'm calling you."
"What is it?" Trini inquired, concern trickling into her voice.
"It's just... lately... I've been feeling weird," Tommy explained.
"Weird?" Trini asked, furrowing her brow. "Weird how?"
"I don't know how to explain it," Tommy answered. "Like... I've been getting these... I've been having these moments where it feels like I'm morphing again but I'm not."
"I don't understand," Trini reacted.
"Yeah, me either really," Tommy replied. There was a moment of silence.
"Maybe you should come and talk to Zordon?" Trini suggested.
"No... I don't think... I mean it's probably nothing... just some residual stuff or something," Tommy dismissed the notion.
"One of us could come to get you... I could," Trini offered.
"No... no... it's fine," Tommy replied. "It's nothing... I don't even know why I called."
"Oh..." Trini replied, struggling to not find the words at least a little biting.
"I didn't mean it that way," Tommy clarified, sensing her feelings. "I just mean, I don't know why I bothered you with it."
"You didn't bother me," Trini replied. "It's good to hear from you again... you hardly text back."
"I know... I'm sorry," Tommy replied.
"Don't be... I'm sure you are busy getting used to a new school," Trini said. "I know what that's like."
"Yeah... but it's no excuse to not keep in touch with my friends," Tommy replied. Trini smiled.
"So... you wanna tell me about it?" Trini asked. "The new school..."
"You got time?" Tommy asked.
"Of course," Trini replied as she settled back onto her pillow.
"Well in that case... where do I even begin?" Tommy responded with an amused chuckle.