Disclaimer: We own nothing no really the cats have claimed it all we got nothing left.
Leaving Hayley in charge of the group, Tommy headed up the stairs to get ready to meet Carter for his swim to the island. Hayley was quiet for a few minutes, searching through some files on the computer. After a bit, she set a video up on the main monitor so everyone could see it.
"Clark," she said gently. "I think you need to see this. It should help you understand a little more about the history of the Power Rangers and, more specifically, Tommy's history. It'll take a few hours for him to get there and get in, and I think this will be a good use of down time."
Clark took his head out of his hands and looked up at the screen. Chloe and Oliver sat down next to him while the kids took seats off to the side. Hayley hit play and moved out of the way.
On the screen was a younger Tommy, dressed in green. He was at a martial arts competition, fighting a young man dressed in red.
"That's Jason, the original red ranger," Conner said, pointing to the man in red.
"He's got a mullet!" Oliver exclaimed, laughing.
"Oliver!" said Chloe said, smacking his shoulder.
Tommy was winning, but Jason made a comeback and the match ended in a tie. As they bowed to each other, the screen flashed to a shot of a crazy looking lady standing on a balcony. She was looking through a telescope, staring intently at something. When the video zoomed in, it showed the fight between Tommy and Jason, which she was apparently watching with interest.
"Who's that?" Oliver asked. "She really needs to get a stylist."
"Be quiet," Chloe hissed.
The screen went dark for a moment, and then came back into focus in an alley where Tommy was surrounded man-like creatures dressed entirely in grey.
"Those are Putties," Ethan interjected. "Rita's minions. She was the lady on the balcony."
"You mean the witch who cast the spell on Tommy?"
"Yep."
The Putties advanced, but Tommy defeated all of them. Their bodies disappeared. Before he could get away though, a wind appeared out of nowhere, holding him in place, and Rita appeared in the alley, standing on top of a building.
"Tommy, I have chosen you!" she cackled, pointing her long wand at him.
"No!" he screamed, but he couldn't move and disappeared in a flash of green light.
The screen switched views again and they saw Tommy again. He was laying on a table. Suddenly he sat up, his eyes flashing green.
"How may I serve my empress?" he said.
The next few clips showed a morphed Tommy as the green ranger. They showed him fighting against the other rangers, his superior strength overwhelming them. He took them out multiple times, but never finished the job. They kept distracting him, stopping him from destroying them. Another clip showed him destroying the rangers command center, tearing it to pieces.
"Wow," Chloe said. "He's really scary like that. I'm glad he didn't stay that way."
"If he had," Hayley said, "Rita probably would have succeeded. But thankfully he had friends who weren't about to let that happen."
Then Jason and Tommy were fighting on a beach. The other rangers were standing to one side. Jason hit Tommy hard, sending him sprawling to the ground, his sword flying out of his hands. As Tommy reached for it, Jason shot the sword, destroying it. Tommy de-morphed.
"What's happening?" Tommy said.
"You're no longer under Rita's influence," Jason answered.
"My head is spinning," Tommy said, starting to get up.
"It'll be alright, man," Jason told him, helping him to his feet.
"My head would be spinning too," Oliver said.
"Will you join us, Tommy?" Jason asked, holding out his hand.
Tommy nodded, shaking his hand.
The next shot showed Rita lighting a green candle, which started burning down. Before the candle could burn all the way down, however, another clip showed Tommy handing his power coin to Jason, putting out the candle. Then Tommy left, no longer a ranger.
"He gave up his power to keep Rita from getting it back," Hayley said. "If that candle had burned all the way down, she would have taken the green ranger powers back and Rita would have been able to find someone else to ensnare. Tommy didn't want that to happen."
"No one would," Clark said. "Not after what happened to him."
The other rangers were on the screen now, handing their power coins to Goldar in an attempt to get their parents back. But they were tricked and he disappeared with the coins. The screen flipped and all of the rangers were standing, de-morphed, in the command center. Tommy appeared in a flash of green light, seeming surprised to be there.
"Welcome back, old friend," Jason said, placing the green ranger coin in Tommy's hand.
Zordon recharged the coin with his own energy, allowing Tommy to morph into the green ranger again for a short time in order to get the other coins back. Tommy fought hard, but barely won. A force field around the box with the coins put him into a coma.
After Tommy woke up, more video played of him using his green ranger powers again, fighting alongside the other rangers, but they slowly got weaker and weaker. Eventually, they disappeared completely and Tommy left again.
"And that was the end of Tommy as the green ranger," Hayley said, pausing the video.
"I guess that explains a lot," Oliver said. "He really did a lot as a ranger."
"Umm… Not even close," Conner said.
"He's just getting started," Ethan added.
"He comes back," Hayley said, "with his first color change as the original white ranger. It was specifically created for him."
"Oh…" Oliver said as Hayley hit play again.
The rangers were once again in the command center. Zordon was announcing the newest ranger.
"And now my friends, I present to you, the white ranger."
A ranger in white floated down out of the ceiling, surrounded by a bright white light. He landed in front of the others and took off his helmet, revealing that the new ranger was indeed Tommy. Kimberly passed out while the others jumped in excitement and ran to greet him. He said hi to his friends, then went to Kimberly.
"Hey beautiful," he said, helping her sit up. "It's time to wake up."
"Awe," Chloe said. "How cute! They look adorable together."
The video paused again as Hayley turned to glare at Chloe.
"No, not cute," Conner said quickly. "She's a stupid lady. Stupid, mean lady."
Chloe looked at him in surprise as Kira smacked a hand against her forehead.
"Never say anything good about Kimberly when Hayley's in the room," Conner leaned over and whispered to Chloe, Clark, and Oliver. "I'm not kidding. Never say anything good."
He sat back up straight as the trio looked at each other in confusion.
"Stupid lady," Conner said again.
Hayley sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Let's continue," she said, shaking her head at Conner.
There were several clips of Tommy fighting as the white ranger. Then a ragged group of rangers appeared on the screen. Tommy, dressed in white, was covered in dirt.
"Our powers have been destroyed," he said to the group.
"After that," Hayley said, "Zordon sent the rangers on a quest to find Ninjor so they could gain their Ninjetti powers."
"Ninjetti?" said Oliver. "As in ninjas? Is that why he was so quiet in the forest?"
"Yep," said Ethan. "None of us can ever find him if he's invisible. We even have trouble keeping track of him when he's visible…"
"When they found Ninjor," Hayley said, interrupting. "Tommy was once again the white ranger, just with different abilities."
Clips played of the Ninjetti rangers fighting. Then suddenly, the rangers were gone, replaced by children.
"One of the bad guys turned the rangers into 8 year olds," Conner said with a grin. "Dr. O was a little kid! And then some space rangers helped them defend earth while the other rangers were running around as little kids."
"Conner," Hayley said.
"Sorry Hayley," he answered.
"Anyways, in order to return to their proper ages, Tommy and the other rangers went in search of the Zeo crystals. When they found them, the rangers returned to the correct age and gained new ranger abilities."
The rangers, no longer 8 years old, morphed on screen. Tommy morphed into the new red ranger.
"Wait, he's red now?" Oliver asked. "How many colors has he been? What's he gonna be next, the pink ranger?"
"Umm… Four colors, six powers," Conner said. "And if you ever suggest to Dr. O that he could be the pink ranger next, be prepared to spend the next month in the sparring ring. I swear the only time he let me leave was to go to school. I didn't spend a night at home that whole month. He didn't even want me to leave to go to the bathroom. It's like he never gets tired. I really don't know how he does it. So never, ever mention being a pink ranger. Yellow only gets you a week, but saying anything about a pink ranger is a really bad idea."
"You have no idea," Hayley said, glaring at Conner again as the video continued
Tommy was weight lifting while one of the other rangers read a letter from Kimberly out loud.
"Tommy, I've met someone else… Tommy, you know I'd never do anything to hurt you…"
"Oh!" Chloe exclaimed. "That's horrible. She broke up with him in a letter?"
Hayley just nodded as Tommy continued reading the letter.
"Everything would be perfect if it weren't for you. But I have to follow my heart. I'll always care about you Tommy. Please forgive me. –Kimberly"
"Between her and Kat, the other pink ranger in that last clip," Hayley said with a scowl. "I pretty much had to glue Tommy back together emotionally in college."
"And this is why we don't mention pink rangers," Conner whispered again.
This time Kira leaned over and smacked him in the back of the head.
"Knock it off, Conner," she said.
"Anyways," said Hayley. "Let's continue."
More clips played of the Zeo Rangers fighting, Tommy still going strong. Then it cut to the rangers' high school graduation.
"After graduation," Hayley said, "the rangers went on a final quest to save some friends and became the Turbo Rangers. Long story, please don't ask. It involves evil people and the ex-girlfriend, so let's not go there."
Oliver stopped whatever he was going to say, shutting his mouth quickly.
Tommy fought as the red Turbo ranger in several clips. Then the video showed him passing on his ranger abilities to TJ, who would lead the team as the new red ranger. The next series of clips flashed between Tommy behind the wheel of a racecar, in an MMA ring fighting, and sitting in a library studying with Hayley. His hair was short now. Then he was outside at a dig site, talking to another man.
"That's Anton Mercer," Hayley said, glancing at Trent who was studying his shoes rather intently. "First he was Tommy's mentor. After Tommy graduated with his doctorate, they partnered together to work on the technology that would lead to the creation of the Tyrannodrones, as well as all of the ranger gear."
"So how did Mesogog get the Tyrannodrones then?" Chloe asked. "No one ever gave us a straight answer. I know Tommy didn't give him the research. So did Mercer give it to him?"
"In a way, but this wasn't his intention," Trent said, but refused to elaborate.
"Anyways," Hayley said. "It was shortly afterward that the whole issue on the island happened."
Tommy could be seen fighting a large group of Tyrannodrones as he ran across the island toward the water. He was taking quite a beating. The beginnings of an explosion could be seen in the background. Just before everything blew up, Tommy reached a cliff. As he jumped he was pushed forward by the force of the explosion, which completely disintegrated the Tyrannodrones chasing him.
"See Oliver," Clark said with a grin. "Tommy fought the drones without powers. He took a beating too."
"Shut up, Boyscout," Oliver snapped.
"How did he manage to survive that?" Chloe asked in shock.
"Well," Hayley sighed. "One thing you learn about Tommy is nothing ever seems to stop him. Although I was hoping the concussion, broken ribs, burns over half of his body, and the exhaustion and dehydration from four days of swimming might at least slow him down."
Chloe, Clark, and Oliver just stared at Hayley in amazement.
"By the way," she added. "It didn't"
"Yeah, well," Conner said. "You said that about the coma he was in last week too, but he came out of that and saved our butts."
"He snuck out!" Hayley said. "When he woke up, I poked my head out the door for five seconds to have a nurse get the doctor and turn around to find him gone. I still don't know how he managed to get past me, even with the invisibility."
"I never would have thought Tommy was that important of a ranger," Chloe said. "He honestly doesn't act like he is."
"Which is one of the things we all love about him," Hayley said. "Tommy isn't just another ranger, he's special."
"He's THE Power Ranger," Conner said. "It's thanks to him that all rangers, past and present, are able to stay connected in a universal network."
"No one else has had as many colors or abilities as Dr. O," Kira said.
"Or his training," Trent added quietly. "I would love to be as skilled as he is one day. And he never lets anything stop him from helping anyone."
"He just keeps going," Kira said.
"Like the energizer bunny!" Conner burst out suddenly.
Everyone looked at him for a moment in surprise, and then they all started laughing. The teens were practically on the floor.
"I wouldn't use that in front of Tommy if I were you, Conner," Hayley said. "Or you'll be spending another month in the sparring ring."
"I know," Conner said, almost choking on his laugh. "But it would so be worth it."
"You know," said Oliver. "Conner's kind of right."
"What do you mean?" Chloe asked.
"Tommy's kind of like a boomerang. He just keeps coming back no matter what happens."
Conner started laughing even harder, actually falling off his chair this time. Hayley rolled her eyes.
"Ok," she said. "I think it's time to start winding down. We all need to get some sleep before Tommy calls us."
"But Hayley!" the kids chorused.
"You're right, Hayley," Clark said in agreement. "I still hate sitting here though, not knowing what is going on. It isn't something I'm used to."
"Clark," Hayley said. "No one likes that feeling. Maybe now you can understand a little of how I feel when they're on missions and I have no contact with them. Or even Chloe when she's sitting in Watchtower, unable to do anything but watch as plans unravel and her friends pay the price. It isn't as easy to sit on the sidelines as people think."
Oliver put an arm around Chloe and pulled her into a hug.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"For what?" she asked, looking up at him in confusion.
"For every time I've ever forgotten to check in with you, no matter what the reason. Because Hayley's right. You might not be in the direct path of danger in Watchtower, but it isn't any easier watching someone else put themselves there when you can't do anything but observe."
"Thank you, Oliver," she said sincerely.
Hayley stood up from her seat, moving to look down at the kids who were now all sitting on the floor.
"Time for bed," she said. "No more distractions."
The kids started to protest, but Hayley didn't let them say anything.
"All of you need to go call your parents now," she said firmly. "Standard overnight procedures. And then I want every single one of you in bed. We should have a signal from Tommy by morning and I want all of you rested."
"But Hayley—" Conner started to protest.
"No 'buts,'" she said, putting a hand up to stay any further arguments. "All of us will be getting what rest we can too. Yes we've infiltrated the island before, but never with the stakes this high. When we rescued Kira and Tommy, we were rescuing someone with ranger abilities and strength. Lois doesn't have that and we can't afford to make a mistake tomorrow."
Grumbling about being sent to bed, the kids headed upstairs without further argument.
"'Standard overnight procedures'?" Chloe asked.
"Yeah. We've had late nights before," Hayley said. "Sometimes it's just easier having them stay here instead of trying to explain why they're coming home so late."
"And their parents are ok with them staying here?"
"Well, kind of," Hayley said. "Conner and Ethan just say they're staying at each other's houses, and that's working for now. Kira tells her parents she's staying at the café with me for the night. And Trent. Well, Trent's father is, unfortunately, through no fault of his own, not in a position to notice right now."
The room was silent for a moment. Then Hayley started turning off lights and ushering the group toward the stairs.
"Anyways," she said. "We all need to get some rest too. Chloe, you can take the guest room down the hall. Oliver and Clark can crash in the living room with the boys and I'll share the den with Kira. Everyone make sure you can be ready to go on a moment's notice, because I don't know when the message from Tommy will come in."
Once everyone was up, Hayley hit the last light and headed up after them.
