It was time. Or, at least, it was pretty damn close to time. In some way, shape or form, every corner of the Power Ranger community knew all about what was going to happen. Communication had happened mostly through the Red Ranger Council but a few non-Reds like Xander, who was standing in as a replacement for the still absent Nick, received their information first hand. That meant either Ethan or Tommy had been in touch with him recently.
So much had happened in the past week or so, both Ranger and non-Ranger related. Kim had officially backed out of her record contract, something that didn't exactly go over too well with the executives at the label. She had signed a contract, a legal and binding agreement, after all. But when Kim set her mind to doing something there was no one out there who could stand in her way. Not even Tommy.
She made the drive to Los Angeles alone, leaving in the wee hours of the morning so she could get back to Reefside and Tommy by nightfall. With her checkbook firmly in her grasp she marched into the middle of a board meeting, wrote a check for two-hundred thousand dollars and forced it into the hand of the label's CEO. A hundred grand for her advance after signing the contract and an extra hundred grand just because she felt kind of bad about trying to weasel out of her contract.
It wasn't like she needed the money, anyway. For someone with as many endorsement deals as more than half of the National Football League, two-hundred thousand dollars was like a drop in the bucket for her.
A point had also been made by Kim to drop Kira's name at least a dozen times while she made out the check to the record label. By the end of the whole ordeal she was sure her newest friend in yellow would be getting a call sometime in the coming months. She didn't like using her semi-celebrity status to her advantage but if Kim had to namedrop and push her influence to make things better for Kira, she was all for it.
The young woman had been the closest thing to heartbroken any of the Rangers had seen since Tommy had gotten the letter from Kimberly at the Youth Center all those years ago. But to her credit, she maintained as much of her composure as could be expected considering the absolute unpleasantness of her situation. Out of all four of the younger Dino Rangers, Kira was easily the most mature followed closely by Trent than Ethan and Conner bringing up the rear, though as more and more time continued to pass, he was making a legitimate case for second place.
To say she took it with a grain of salt and was completely understanding of Kimberly's decision wouldn't be a very truthful assessment of Kira's reaction. Tommy and Kimberly hadn't really expected that from her anyway. A few tears were shed from the young woman but, in the end, she was as understanding as a twenty year-old woman who had just seen her dream seemingly disappear in front of her face could be. The truth of the matter, though, was that Kimberly was in no way going to let that happen to Kira.
Kimberly knew what singing meant to Kira. The passion she showed for her music was equal to the passion Kimberly had shown towards gymnastics when she was younger. She had been willing to leave behind everything to chase her dream of gymnastics fame, even Tommy. But somewhere in her subconscious, Kira was glad that Kimberly had gotten out of her recording contract.
Where the former Pink Ranger had moved across the country without ever really looking back, Kira didn't know if she had that in her. She had a fiancée that she loved more than anything in the world, her closest friends by her side, a college to return to in a few months and a world that was soon going to be in the need of Ranger defense and protection.
Maybe a career as a singer just wasn't in the cards for her. At least not yet, anyway. She wasn't willing to completely abandon her dream at such a young age but putting it on the backburner for awhile while she got her life in order wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It definitely wasn't a bad thing for Conner either. Though he'd never tell Kira, internally, he was glad that things hadn't gone through. And it's not that he didn't want her to shoot for the moon and achieve every hope and aspiration she had, either. It's just the thought of Kira running around the country without him scared him a little bit.
He was supportive when she broke down and cried, away from everyone in the sanctuary of one of Tommy's guest bedrooms. The road of having a dream put on hold was a road that he had walked before, putting the safety of the world and being a Ranger above the prospect of playing professional soccer for the Reefside Wave. Still, he was glad he had her there with him instead of on a tour bus two-thousand miles away.
And on the topic of achieving goals, Tommy had gone through two full interviews with the people at UCLA and was pretty sure he had the job in the bag. When you find out one of your closest friends is the biggest financial supporter to a department at a major university and that same friend is the one who told you to apply for a job in that same department, a PhD was like a big jar of fluff, icing on the cake if you will, for the good Dr. Oliver.
The first interview had been rather formal but he and Dean Waterman had spent the whole second interview talking about nothing but baseball. Conveniently, the Dean of the Physical Sciences was, just like Tommy, a devoted fan of the San Diego Padres ball club. When they had sat there for two hours discussing the need for a better starting rotation and the potential of youngsters Khalil Greene and Kevin Kouzmanoff, he knew he was in. It was only a matter of time before he got the call from Dean Waterman asking if he wanted to be the new Professor of Paleontology at UCLA. His answer? A resounding yes would suffice.
If he was honest with himself, he knew Kim was just as happy about the potential new job as he was. Reefside and Los Angeles weren't that far away; close enough to drive up on a Friday after work, leave Sunday by noon and be back in time to still get a goodnight's sleep for Monday but both of them living in the same city would make things a whole lot easier.
They hadn't even been back together for that long but she had never been more in love than she was every morning when she rolled over and saw Tommy sleeping next to her. Even his profound morning breath couldn't drive her away again. She'd put up with far worse to know a night where she didn't fall asleep in his arms would be a rare night indeed.
Then there were all the other veteran Rangers that had once again found themselves on the verge of yet another major battle. Two days before the much dreaded twenty-seventh day had come Jason, Trini, Zack, Rocky, Adam and Aisha all made the temporary move to Reefside. For some, getting the time off from work had been difficult. For others, it had been easy. Either way they were all there.
Jason and Trini along with Rocky and Aisha were taking up residence in the guest bedrooms at Tommy's house with Zack on the pullout couch in the living room. The kids: Conner, Ethan and Kira were staying with their parents and Adam was bunking over at Haley's place. Though a few were missing, for the most part, they were all together again.
At the present, the Rangers were working on Day 26, the literal dark shadow of the twenty-seventh day hovering over and practically teasing them. Every so often one of them would hear a random thunderclap or see a flash of lightning across the sky that caused many shudders and nervous looks amongst the eleven Rangers and Haley who were currently in Tommy's living room.
The group had planned to spend a peaceful day in the park filled with plenty of Frisbee and football and barbecuing but the beating of rain against Tommy's house when they woke up that morning put those plans to rest. Instead, everyone congregated around four o'clock in Tommy's living room to watch movies, eat pizza and try to enjoy what they knew would be their last day of peace.
Zack was sitting in the recliner rotating his Power Coin between his fingers with Trini on the couch staring down at hers, both of them still in partial disbelief of what was happening. They had been gone the longest, the idea of being able to morph again still something they were trying to come to grips with. On the couch opposite the one Trini was sharing with Jason, Tommy and Kimberly, Adam and Rocky were practicing the Zeo morph sans Zeonizers.
Even Rangers need a refresher course now and then, something that was blatantly obvious just by looking at Adam. Instead of touching the outside of his right wrist to the inside of his left one, he had his right forearm resting in the crook of his left elbow.
"Well fuck you too," Rocky said jokingly, a quizzical look coming from Adam and surprised ones from the others. "Dude, look at your arms. It looks like your flipping us off, bro."
"Huh?" Adam asked, blushing when he realized he was doing it wrong. Hayley gave him a pat on the head like he was a puppy and curled up next to him. His arm wrapped around her and the topic of the messed up morph had been dropped. Well, temporarily at least.
They were midway through the male film choice of The Godfather when Kimberly paused the movie in need of a bathroom break. Trini followed suit, splitting up to occupy both of Tommy's bathrooms and leaving Aisha and Kira alone with the guys. Tommy wore a look on his face that said he was really thinking deeply about something, possibly even worried.
"What's on your mind, bro?" Jason asked instinctively. When Tommy gave him the deer in the headlights look, he just rolled his eyes and laughed. "Don't give me that crap, Tommy. You're obviously worried about something so what's up?"
"I-I was just thinking," Tommy started, pausing for a moment to look around at the other Rangers. "I know that Jason, Kira and my powers still work but I'm not for sure about the rest of you. I've done tests on everything and the readings say their fully functional but I can't physically test a power that's not mine."
"You mean you gave us all Morphers without even knowing if they work?" Aisha asked in dumbfounded shock as Tommy nodded and blushed sheepishly, eyes fixed on the floor. "Boy, you must be outside your damn mind. What if we went out to fight and couldn't morph?!"
"Look, it doesn't matter. At least we have some kind of head's up so we can find out," Conner interjected as the voice of reason. Kira smiled up at him brightly. He was impressing her more and more every day. Even Aisha who the comment had been directed at gave him a respectful smile. Hell, so did Rocky. Of course, though, Ethan felt the need to raise his hand.
"Umm…when did Conner get smart?" he asked playfully.
A pillow, courtesy of Conner, came flying his way and he narrowly avoided it as it smacked Tommy right in the face. Conner tried to sputter an apology but the pissed off look on Tommy's face was making it difficult to say anything even remotely coherent. It only made things worse when Tommy got up from the couch and took a deep and dramatic breath.
"You pissed me off, McKnight. Now you're gonna pay. It's Morphin' Time!" he yelled, flicking his wrists as his Zeonizers appeared. Raising his arms to the sky, he brought the Morphers together and across his chest. Conner's knees had actually started to shake at this point. "Zeo Ranger Five, Red!"
The younger Rangers along with Aisha and Zack who had never physically seen Tommy in red watched as the spandex enveloped his body and the star emblazoned helmet covered his head. Once he was fully morphed, Tommy turned back to approach Conner. Without any warning he cocked his fist back and threw it at Conner's head. Instinctively, the Red Dino Ranger used his enhanced speed and was already across the room when Tommy's fist went through his living room wall.
"What the hell was that for!?" Conner screamed more than asked.
"Just wanted to make sure you were still on your toes," Tommy replied, pulling his hand from the hole. Shaking his head, he stopped to look at his handiwork, ignoring the stunned looks of the other Rangers. "That's gonna slim down the old wallet."
"You mean you just did that to be an ass?" Conner muttered, Tommy offering a nod and a shoulder shrug as an answer. "You're such a dead man. Kira, care to join me?"
"Gladly," she replied, hopping up from her seat to stand next to Conner. "Ready?"
"Ready," he answered. "Dino Thunder, power up!" came next, flashes of red and yellow entering the room as Conner and Kira morphed.
In some sick and twisted way that only a Ranger could stomach, this was exactly what Tommy had wanted to happen. It made everyone completely forget about him not testing their powers before they had all agreed to come back while, at the same time, actually doing the necessary testing. Unfortunately for him, Conner and Kira weren't comprehending the scheme or at least didn't care enough to let it go unnoticed.
With calculated steps the two young Rangers were approaching their mentor as he started to backpedal towards the kitchen. Conner he could handle but Tommy knew better than to mess with a Yellow, especially a Yellow with a scream capable of destroying eardrums. Though they couldn't see it because of the helmet, Tommy was looking at Adam, Rocky, Zack, Jason and Aisha with eyes that were pleading for their help. Even if they had been able to see his face they were too amused with what was happening to even think about interfering.
"They're just kids. What's he so scared about?" Zack asked. "Isn't he supposed to be our great and fearless leader? He looks like he's about to shit himself backing into the kitchen like that."
"They aren't just kids, Zack," Hayley interjected. She was the only one who knew the Dino Rangers and the original team enough besides Tommy to make that assessment. "Kira's got a Ptera-Scream that will blow your eardrums out and Conner's got lethal feet and super speed. Tommy's not scared, he just knows when to pick his battles."
Nodding his head in understanding Zack turned back to look at the kitchen, offering Adam the popcorn bowl without looking at him. Adam smiled that famous half-smile and took the bowl and extended it towards Rocky and Aisha. Each of them took a handful of the buttery treat before Adam set the bowl on the couch between himself and Hayley.
They took turns trying to toss pieces of popcorn into each other's mouths, often missing badly and hitting the other in the forehead or eye area, laughing all the while. For the first time since they had all met Hayley, Aisha looked at her oldest friend and realized that he was actually very happy around the new woman. She hadn't seen him really truly happy like that in a long time. It warmed her heart a little to see that Adam was enjoying Hayley so much. He deserved a good woman and she knew that. If it hadn't been for Rocky who she loved more than anything she knew she probably would have been all over Adam.
When Hayley finally got a kernel in his mouth he responded to the success with a soft kiss, a move Aisha didn't really see coming. Adam had never been that assertive around women before. In fact, he was usually too nervous to even talk to them. Hayley really must have meant a lot to him if he could break out of his shell around her like that.
Fortunately for Adam, aside from Aisha the attention was being focused on Tommy, Conner and Kira in the kitchen or he may not have been so affectionate around them. The trio was currently dancing around the island in the center of the kitchen as Tommy tried to devise a plan to get out. What he didn't know was that Kimberly was standing just outside the kitchen with, listening to what was going on. With a wicked grin on her face, she tucked her hand behind her back.
"It's Morphin' Time," she whispered softly. "Pterodactyl."
If Tommy, Conner and Kira had been paying attention they would have seen the pink flash of light coming from the hallway but they were too busy with each other to notice it. Kimberly muttered a few inaudible words and extended her hands, turning into the kitchen with her Power Bow drawn.
"Freeze!" she yelled, aiming it right at Conner who stopped dead in his tracks. Tommy and Kira did the same even though the arrow wasn't pointed at either one of them. "You and Kira have three seconds. I suggest you use that time to be smart and run."
Conner and Kira took that advice and were gone in a flash. Well, for Conner it was more of a red blur. Kim reached out and grabbed Tommy's hand, practically dragging him towards the back door to chase after the kids. They were almost to the back door when Kim turned to her right and looked at the rest of the Rangers seated in the living room.
Jason and Trini. Rocky and Aisha. Adam and Hay…no, scratch that. Hayley didn't have any powers and powers were what Kim needed right now. She pointed a finger in the direction of Jason and Trini, curling it back and forth as if telling them to follow.
"What?" Trini asked hesitantly. She had known Kim a long time and had a fairly good idea of where her mind was going right now.
"Jason, Trini, Rocky, 'Sha. Come on," Kim practically commanded. "Ranger couple war!"
Jason stayed firmly planted in his seat on the couch. It was pouring down rain and he wanted no part of that. The kids were stupid for going outside. There was no way in hell he was going to go out there and get soaked to the bone. No way. Not happening.
"Dammit all," Jason muttered when Trini yanked him out of his seat, pulling him towards the door.
"Put me down, ape boy!" Aisha screamed. Rocky had picked her up from the couch, thrown her over his shoulder and was carrying her behind Trini and Jason, the latter of the two looking like he wanted to run as far in the other direction as possible. "Dammit, Rocky! I'm serious. Put me down!"
She should have been more specific for now they were standing under the gazebo in Tommy's backyard, nothing in the distance but grass and trees for miles. But she wanted down so he obliged, maybe not how s he wanted him to but obliged he did nonetheless. He took one step outside of the protection of the gazebo and dropped Aisha like a sack of potatoes on Tommy's lawn.
Oh boy, was she pissed. She tried to run back under the awning but Rocky grabbed her, keeping her under the same torrential downpour that he was being hit with. With violent drops of rain smacking her in the face, it took every ounce of self-control Aisha had in her body not to yank free and smack Rocky when he took her hands in his own.
"Come on, 'Sha. This might be our last chance to have some fun for a long time," he said with pleading eyes. "Pleaaaaaaaaaaaase."
No matter how bad she wanted to fight it, he was right and she knew it. Plus she had never been able to say no to Rocky's puppy dog eyes and pouty lips. Aisha nodded her head and fell back to Rocky's side, looking over at Jason and Trini who were in the same position under the rain. Tommy and Kim had given chase to Conner and Kira, running off into the woods as soon as they had gotten outside.
"What do we do?" Aisha asked softly, almost begrudgingly. "I've never done this one before."
"Just follow my lead. Concentrate on the Zeo Crystal's power," Rocky explained, flicking his wrists as his Zeonizers appeared. Closing her eyes, Aisha followed his lead. A childish grin crossed her face when her own Zeonizers showed up on her wrists. "You're Zeo Ranger Two, Yellow, and we do it like this," Rocky educated. "It's Morphin' Time!"
Using the same motions Tommy had gone through, Rocky mimicked them perfectly only slowing the arm movements down so Aisha could keep up. He gave her an approving nod when her Zeonizers locked into place across her body.
"Zeo Ranger Two, Yellow!" Aisha called out.
In her years away from the Ranger world, she had forgotten how truly amazing it felt to morph. It was such a rush of power, making her feel like she was on top of the world. The bright yellow spandex covered her body, the helmet with double bars closing shut over her head as Rocky yelled his morphing call. Looking through the upside down triangle on his blue helmet, he nodded at Jason and Trini.
"Your turn guys," he muttered.
Jason returned the nod as he and Trini brought their hands behind their backs, taken on a trip through time to when the morphing calls had been so much simpler. Their morph had been easy. No elaborate hand movements, no keys or magical cell phones. Just the power of a coin and the utterance of the dinosaur they controlled.
"It's Morphin' Time!" Jason yelled, he and Trini bringing the Morphers from behind their backs, extended out from their bodies.
"Sabertooth Tiger!" Trini uttered the familiar call.
"Tyrannosaurus!" Jason followed.
The two couples in red, yellow and blue stood there in Tommy's backyard fully morphed with the prospect of a little last bit of fun on all their minds. The feeling of morphing again had put Aisha and Jason's apprehensions of playing in the rain to rest. As Rocky let out an intense, high pitched, bloodcurdling battle cry, the four of them took off towards the woods to find Tommy, Kimberly, Conner and Kira.
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With the Ranger couples outside, Zack had left the rest Ethan, Hayley and Adam to go on a food run. Taking Zack's place in the recliner, a laptop computer rested on Ethan's lap, intentionally blocking his view of the couch and its' occupants, Adam and Hayley. He kept his eyes focused on his computer and Super Ninja Space Wars, the only thing preventing him from staring at the rather affectionate couple on the couch. Looking out the window, he watched as the figures of Jason, Trini, Rocky and Aisha disappeared into the forest.
He felt a twinge of sadness run through him when he had watched Conner and Kira take their familiar stances to morph a few minutes earlier. That was their stance, their morph. Something only theycould share. He wanted to be out there with them but this was, as Kim put it, Ranger Couple War. With no powers and no significant other with powers, he didn't meet either one of the criteria to participate.
It really pained him to know that, very soon, they were all going to be charging into the biggest battle the universe had ever seen without him there to fight. Being a techie like Hayley had its' perks: no bumps or bruises to explain to his parents, no running off at crazy times without an excuse, no life threatening battles in the confines of Tommy's basement. He thought he could get used to that. After all, computers were his thing. Conner had his soccer, Kira had her music and he had his computers.
He was wrong. Seeing Conner and Kira stand in front of him and morph again only made him want to be able to do it that much more. Clenching his fists tightly, he stared bullets at the screen as his skin started to get scaly and toughen up. His strengthened skin was all he had left of his tenure as a Dino Ranger. That, an exasperated Dino Gem and a Morpher that looked like a kid's toy now that there was no power behind it.
Sitting on Adam's lap with his arm around her waist, hand resting on her thigh, Hayley caught Ethan's expression out of the corner of her eye. She turned her cheek when Adam, who was oblivious to Ethan, tried to kiss her. A "did I do something wrong?" look came next and she shook her head with a sad smile, nodding her head in Ethan's direction. The poor kid was somewhere in between breaking down in tears and flying into a fit of rage.
With an understanding expression, Adam kissed Hayley on the back of the neck and then lifted her off of his lap, gently pushing her in Ethan's direction. She looked back at him, getting only an encouraging nod which she returned before approaching Ethan. As she squatted down in front of him his eyes stayed locked on the computer screen, a single tear sliding down his cheek and splashing on the keyboard.
Her heart broke for the young man right then and there. Gently she reached out and took hold of one of his hands, softly rubbing his arm and trying to get him to relax. His watery eyes threatened an emotional collapse as he finally made eye contact with her and tried to blink away the onset of tears.
"Oh, Ethan," Hayley muttered, throwing her arms around his neck. She hugged him tightly as he buried his face against her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. I can't even begin to imagine how hard this must be for you."
The first time Hayley had met Kira and Conner she told the still wet behind the ears Yellow Ranger that she was all about information, that it was her business. Through Ethan's consistent visits to the Cyberspace Café and working with him as a Ranger, he didn't have to say anything for her to know what was bothering him. It only took one look to know he wanted to be out there with his friends and teammates, both new and old.
Trent was across the country attending art school in New York. Being a Ranger again was the farthest thing from his mind. Ethan, on the other hand, was right there at the center of everything that was going on. Even if he pretended like he was okay being a technical advisor like Hayley, she knew that that wasn't the case.
He had the look of a true Ranger in his eyes, the look that they all got when the world needed help. It said he'd be willing to put everything in his life on the backburner if he could just morph and fight with his teammates again. Truth be told, it pissed him off to think that someone like Nick Russell had active powers and an opportunity to save the world yet couldn't be bothered with answering their call.
"I-I'll be okay, Hayley. It's just…" Ethan's voice trailed off as he wiped at his eyes. When he looked up and saw Adam sitting on the couch he immediately felt embarrassed. In his whirlwind of emotions he had completely forgotten that Adam was even in the room. "Sorry, man. I'm sure seeing me cry like a five year-old is the last thing you want to deal with."
"Actually, it's good to see you care so much. So many Rangers don't really appreciate the power and opportunity they've been given. The fact that you're this emotional and passionate about being a Ranger says a lot about your character," Adam, who had moved and was now standing next to Hayley, replied. The comforting hand he laid on Ethan's shoulder earned him a warm smile from the woman squatting below him. "It's hard knowing there's danger out there and you can't do anything to stop it. I've been there twice so I know how you feel."
"I know but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with. Don't take this the wrong way but I don't care about the rest of you guys," Ethan muttered. Adam and Hayley looked back at him shocked. "I don't mean it like that. I care about you guys just not you guys being Power Rangers again. If it was just you and Dr. O and the others it wouldn't bother me so much. It's just so hard seeing Conner and Kira…seeing them morph again and knowing that I can't."
"Well, I can't speak to that. I've never been the only one on a team without powers," Adam responded. He opened his mouth to speak again but shut it quickly. He hadn't been through what Ethan was dealing with but he knew a couple people that had, one of whom was currently occupied outside in the rain. But then, there was still…"Come on, guys. Follow me."
"Where are we going?" Ethan asked.
"To do a little research," Adam answered, smiling down at him.
His words didn't really register with Ethan who would turn his head every few seconds, look out the window and stare at the cluster of trees in the hopes of catching a glimpse of his friends. Still, he was on his feet but that was mostly because Hayley and Adam had to pull him out of the chair. He didn't really want to go anywhere at that time. Nevertheless, he found himself following them down the hall towards the basement.
"You're amazing," Hayley whispered to Adam. She reached out and took his hand, placing a soft kiss on his cheek.
"Thanks," Adam quietly blushed as Hayley laid the side of her head against his shoulder.
"Has everyone gotten bit by the love bug except me?" Ethan asked in a mutter that he thought only he could hear. "First Conner and Kira, then Dr. O and now Hayley. Something's gotta give soon or I'm gonna go off the deep end."
Hayley squeezed Adam's hand a little tighter when she heard Ethan's words laced with sadness and maybe even subtle hints of jealousy. Even though Conner and Kira were some of his best friends, Ethan often felt like an outsider when he was around them. They both participated in things that were more accepted by the mainstream, singing and playing sports. Hayley was the only person who shared the same passion for computers that he had for them. And now that she was with Adam he felt like he was losing one of his closest friends.
The New Zealand import knew exactly how Ethan felt about her freshly blooming relationship with Adam. Ethan really liked Adam and he was happy for Hayley but she knew how he really felt about it. She had felt the same way when Kimberly had come flying back into Tommy's life, like her best friend wasn't going to have time for her anymore.
As they descended the steps into Tommy's basement, she promised herself right then and there that she wasn't going to let that happen to her friendship with Ethan. Even though she was much older than he was, Ethan and the rest of the Dino Rangers would always be a top priority for her. Besides, after what they had done for her, she owed them.
After Ethan's friendship with Conner and Kira had started to blossom, he had brought them to the Cyberspace Café with him one day. "Since we're going to be saving the world together," he had said, "I wanted you guys to see what I'm all about." The next day at school all of his computer buddies were telling people about how Conner McKnight and Kira Ford actually hung out at the café. Their one brief appearance at Hayley's had led to the Cyberspace Café becoming the newest hotspot hangout for the youth at Reefside High.
Actually, she reasoned, she didn't just owe them. She owed them big time. Especially after Anton Mercer had tried to buy the café for Trent to run because he felt that making drinks and waiting tables was work that was far beneath a Mercer. Even a Fernandez-Mercer. Yep, she really did owe a lot to Tommy, Conner, Ethan, Kira and Trent. A lot, indeed.
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Tommy and Kimberly were perched in trees on opposite sides of the dirt path like two animals preparing to converge on their next meal, a meal that was obliviously walking towards them in the red and yellow spandex forms of Conner and Kira. They were sitting ducks the moment they stopped in the path right between Kimberly and Tommy's trees.
What had started off as a couples versus couples free for all had, after a little more than ten minutes of unorganized war, turned into a more complicated team game. The group of eight had divided into two teams; Jason, Tommy, Kim and Trini on one team with Conner, Rocky, Aisha and Kira on the other. They had even gone to the trouble of making up rules for their little challenge.
All blasters were turned to the sub-lethal "stun" setting that each gun had, the only weapons allowed in hand-to-hand combat were the blades on their blasters, no projectiles outside of the blasters' lasers could be used which meant no bow for Kim or daggers for Trini, a competitor was eliminated after five visible scratches appeared on their uniforms and, last but not least, no multiple shots or strikes to your opponent unless it was in hand-to-hand combat. If you hit one of your targets via a blaster shot or a surprise attack you had to give them sixty seconds to get away before going after them again.
So far, Kim, who had been hiding behind a boulder at the time, had taken out Aisha with a sniper like blaster shot to the shoulder and Kira had given Trini her fifth uniform blemish with a spinning heel kick that sent her yellow counterpart flying into a tree. Conner was working very close to elimination with four scratches, Rocky had three, Jason, Kira and Tommy each had two and Kim still hadn't been hit yet.
The couple in the trees, even though their eyes were concealed by their helmets, were maintaining the closest possible thing to eye contact they could manage. Conner and Kira were back-to-back in the perfect spot for Tommy and Kim to strike, searching high and low for any sign of either them or Jason. Nodding at Kimberly, they released the small blades on their blasters and jumped from their respective trees, a good twenty-five feet off the ground.
Even through the darkness, Conner's peripheral vision allowed him to immediately notice the red body flying towards him. Unfortunately, to keep the game relatively fair, neither he nor Tommy or Kira could use the special powers given to them by their Dino Gems. Tommy could just go invisible and systematically pick everyone off without ever being seen if they were allowed to use their powers.
"Kira, look out!" Conner yelled.
It was too little too late, though. Kira looked up just in time to see Kimberly flying towards her with her blade pointed right at the younger woman's arm. She tried to sidestep it but Kim swung her arm in a way that made avoiding the attack impossible. Scratch number three for Kira, who punched her fist into the ground after being hit, landed on her forearm.
Conner knew he had no chance. An attempt to avoid Tommy's attack would be a futile one. He was prepared to be eliminated but if he was going to go down he was at least going to inflict some damage on his mentor. Instead of trying to dodge like Kira, he pointed his own blade right at Tommy who, as he slashed Conner's shoulder, got hit in the wrist by his former student.
"I'll see you back at the house," Conner muttered dejectedly at Kira, patting her on the shoulder as he powered down. "Kick some ass for me, girl."
"Thirty seconds, Kira," Kim interrupted before she could reply to Conner.
The Yellow Dino Ranger gave Conner a quick wave goodbye and then disappeared into the trees leaving him there with Tommy and Kimberly. With a wicked grin, Tommy just turned and pointed in the direction of his house. Conner stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket and rolled his eyes at the older Rangers before sprinting off towards shelter.
Not only was pride on the line but so was the prospect of making it back to the house without being soaked to the bone. Their helmets and spandex suits prevented almost all of the water from actually touching them which was why no one wanted to lose. Losing meant having to power down and make the trek back to Tommy's place in the rain.
"Ahh! Son of a bitch!" Tommy yelled, little clouds of smoke pouring from his right shoulder. He could hear a cackle coming from Rocky off in the distance and reached back to grab Kim's hand so they could go after him but got nothing but air. When he turned around to look for her she was on her knees, Kira standing above her with her own blade pressed against Kim's shoulder. "Don't do it, Kira. I'm warning you right now, don't."
"Sorry, Dr. O. Gotta split," Kira replied, slashing Kim on the shoulder as she turned around to run.
Kimberly didn't even flinch when Kira delivered the first blow she had received during their game. Tommy and Kimberly both converted their blades into blaster mode and fired single shots at each of Kira's legs. Poor little girl in yellow didn't even see it coming. She went down like a ton of bricks when Tommy's shot hit her left leg and Kim's connected with her right.
"I deserved that, didn't I?" she asked in a mumble, slowly pushing herself up to her feet.
"Yeah, but you did good, sweetie," Kim replied honestly. "Even though we're just having fun everything we're doing out here can be used in the real battles. Don't ever hesitate for anything. I know it sounds morbid but always go for the kill," Kim continued as Kira nodded in understanding. "Good, now power down and start running."
"Do I have to?" Kira questioned defiantly, arms folded across her chest. When neither Tommy or Kimberly replied but maintained their focus on her, she stomped her foot into the ground and powered down. "There. Happy?"
"Extremely," Tommy answered, both he and Kim laughing hysterically as Kira was drenched almost immediately. She didn't find it the least bit funny though and, with a very dramatic eye roll, turned around and ran back towards the house. "Well, I guess that just leaves Rocky, huh? We should probably go after him."
Kim opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by the sound of footsteps that were crunching leaves and quickly approaching them. Silently, they each moved to either side of the path and took to hiding behind tree stumps.
"Stupid freaking game. I didn't even want to play. Dragging me into this bullshit. Who do they think they are?" Jason muttered to himself. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and his head was pointing towards the ground to shield his face from the rain. Obviously, Rocky had eliminated him from the game. "Come on, Jason. It'll be fun. Okay, Trini. Whatever you say. Probably sitting there at Tommy's all nice and warm in front of a fire. Mmmmmm, fire."
His mind was going in so many different directions that he didn't see Tommy and Kim or hear their muffled laughter when he walked by kicking a soda can that was laying on the ground. He did jerk his head in Kim's direction when he thought he heard something but a squirrel that came running out of the woods made him think it had just been the small creature making the noise.
It took him quite awhile until he was out of sight. He wasn't exactly going at a fast pace like Kira and Conner when they had been taken out of the game. Tommy was pretty sure Conner had used his enhanced speed to get back to the house quicker but even then it still would have taken him a good nine or ten minutes. Nine or ten minutes in the middle of a massive downpour.
When Jason was finally out of both sight and earshot, Tommy and Kimberly converged again at the center of the dirt path. Out of nowhere, Kim pushed Tommy to the ground and then launched herself into a back flip just as a blue laser flew right by where they had been standing.
"Shit!" Tommy cursed. Still on his butt, he started scampering back into the trees, narrowly avoiding a burst of blue energy that whizzed over his right leg. Even with the protection offered by the suit he could still feel the hairs on his leg being singed off. "Oww, fuck! That little blue son of a bitch is going down big time for that one."
"Tommy," Kim hissed to get his attention.
He looked across the path at her and she pointed at her blaster. As if trying to convey a message to her boyfriend, she made a few simple hand gestures and then jerked her head in Rocky's direction. The Blue Zeo Ranger was doing his best to keep quiet but the leaves beneath his feet made that damn near impossible.
Kim poked her head around the corner to scout Rocky's location and yanked her head back to avoid another one of Rocky's blasts. It missed her head but completely destroyed the three thick branches above it. Looking back at Tommy, she slowly nodded her head to him. Nodding back, he took a few steps behind him as Kim did the same.
They each held up three fingers to each other, counting down in silent unison. As their third fingers dropped, they ran towards each other, diving across the path. Tommy went low and Kim went high, assuring that they both wouldn't be hit and fired single shots in Rocky's direction. With four hits against him, it was a risky move on Tommy's part but it paid off. Well, it sort of paid off.
One of their blasts had hit Rocky, obvious when they heard him yell a few obscenities in their direction but when Tommy looked across the path to where he had been standing a few seconds earlier, Kim was gingerly holding her right arm. Thin wisps of smoke were floating into the air from where Rocky's shot had connected. She had just gotten slashed in the shoulder at extremely close range by Kira and been blasted in the arm courtesy of Rocky yet hadn't even let out as much as a moan when she got hit.
Just as tough as ever Tommy thought, smiling proudly at her from beneath his helmet. Truth be told, he felt a little bit like a wimp for verbally expressing his pain when Rocky had shot him, especially when Kim hadn't done anything outside of holding her wounded arm. None of the male Rangers would admit it but the females were just as tough as they were. More often than not, though, they were even tougher than the guys.
"How many you got, Rocko!?" Kim yelled, sitting against a tree as she cocked back her blaster. Even though they were in the middle of a competition she knew none of them would ever try to cheat. Not even Rocky. Zordon had instilled far too much respect and honor in them to even give cheating a serious thought.
"Four!" he called back respectfully. "What about you guys!?"
"I've got four, too!" Tommy answered. He held up two fingers to Kim and she nodded in reply. "And Kim's got two on her!"
They waited a few seconds for Rocky to reply but they didn't get anything back. Neither one of them were really expecting him to say anything anyway. They hadn't asked a question pertaining to the game therefore he had no obligation to continue their conversation.
Surprisingly, it took quite awhile before Kimberly notice Rocky making a move towards them. It was surprising because it actually meant Rocky was taking this game extremely serious. It was even more surprising because it meant that Rocky was actually thinking about what he was going to do. Rocky never thought about anything outside of what he was going to eat for his next meal.
"Tommy, duck!" Kim yelled and he did. Just in time, too.
Rocky's blade went flying right over where his left shoulder had just been. Time seemed to slow down as Tommy turned his head and watched the blade go past his face. Instinctively, he rolled to his back and did a kip-up, kicking Rocky's Blade Blaster out of his hands in the process. He dropped to his knees to avoid a punch and then landed one of his own in Rocky's stomach.
The punch forced Rocky to take a few steps back as he doubled over, coughing and attempting to regain the ability to breathe at the same time. His added distance from Tommy who just so happened to be on his knees gave Kim an idea. With her own blade in hand, she knew she'd have to time this perfectly if it was going to work.
Taking a deep breath, she waited until Tommy started moving his hands to the ground to push himself up before she ran towards him. Launching herself into a front flip, Kim silently prayed that one simple detail of Tommy's past hadn't changed. For as long as she had known Tommy he had always gotten off the ground in the same way; he used his fists to push himself up and forward motion so he didn't have to go backwards onto his feet just to end up going forwards again.
As her feet met his back, she thanked her lucky stars that that hadn't changed. If he had gone backwards instead of forwards the angle of his back when her feet hit would have made her slip and fall, ruining her plan in the process. Not that he needed to know but just to reinforce who was boss, she pressed down extra hard on his back. The extra force applied as she jumped off his back and into another front flip pushed him back down to the ground, the face of his helmet landing right in a puddle of mud.
He looked up and wiped the mud off of his visor just in time to see Kimberly coming out of her front flip, her blade cocked back behind her head. Rocky didn't even have time to react. She threw her arms at him, the blade slashing across his chest and sending him flipping through the air horizontally.
"God dammit!" Rocky said loudly, chastising himself for getting hit. He did a kip-up onto his feet and angrily wiped some of the mud of his suit, flinging it towards the ground in disgust. "Good move, Kim," he muttered, not bothering to stop as he walked by her and Tommy who still hadn't gotten up from the ground. When Tommy opened his mouth to call out for Rocky, the Blue Ranger held up his arms completely out of habit. "I know, I know! Power down!"
Once again, he didn't bother to stop. He just kept walking as he powered down mid-step and continued his walk back to Tommy's house. Kim offered Tommy a hand when Rocky was gone and pulled him back onto his feet.
"You know you didn't have to do that," Tommy murmured with a hint of bitterness. "You could have flipped off me just fine without pushing me into the ground."
"I know. Sorry about that," Kim answered in a voice littered with innocence and sweetness. "I got a little carried away there, huh?"
"Yeah. Too bad I can't really be mad at you," Tommy replied, pulling off his helmet and ignoring the rain beating against his face. He wanted her to see the look in his eyes, wanted her to see the love and the pride he had for her. "Have I ever told you that you look amazingly sexy in pink spandex?"
"Yeah. But that doesn't mean I don't want to still hear it," Kim told him, running her hand seductively against his spandex clad chest. She wanted to kiss him right then and there but her hair and rain didn't exactly mix very well. The only way she was kissing Tommy in direct rain was if she thought it would be the last time they were going to kiss. Instead, she settled for pulling him under the semi-sheltered area that the ungodly amount of large trees offered to them. As she unlatched her helmet, Tommy pulled off his right glove and pushed a few buttons on his Communicator. He thought she hadn't noticed. She had she just didn't care enough to say anything about it.
With all her might she grabbed Tommy by the shoulders and pushed him back against the nearest tree. He stared down at her in surprise which was quickly erased as his back connected with the stump behind him. Surprise became pain which became surprise again almost as quickly as it had left. She cupped his cheeks and pressed her lips against his with fierce passion.
It took a few seconds to adjust to the kiss but eventually he did, dropping his helmet into the mud and wrapping his arms around her waist as he started to return the kiss. Their mouths were opening and closing in quick flashes, tongues trying desperately to wrestle with each other. Continuing to kiss her, Tommy found himself lost for what felt like hours.
When the sound of a rumbling engine coming from somewhere off in the distance reached their ears though, he realized that it had only been barely a few minutes. As the noise got closer, Kim jerked her head back and looked down the path to see what the hell was making that annoyingly loud and irritating sound. Slipping his glove off again, Tommy smiled and pushed another button on his Communicator knowing that Kim definitely wouldn't see him do it that time. He silently counted to three and then tried his as hard as he could not to bust out in a fit of laughter when a pair of headlights flashed Kim right in the face.
She had to yank her head back and shield her eyes to prevent herself from being blinded by the headlights of Tommy's black, four wheel, ATV. The ATV's and Raptor Cycles were all hooked up to the Communicator frequency of the Dino Rangers. Along with being on the same frequency, all the vehicles were attached to a Global Positioning System that allowed them to travel anywhere in a ten mile radius of the Rangers with no threat of crashing or being stopped. In theory, if Conner and Kira had been wearing their own gold bracelets they could have used them to call their Raptor Cycles instead of having to run in the rain back to Tommy's place.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Kim asked, trying to blink away the multiple Tommy's she was currently seeing.
"What? I'm insulted by that," Tommy answered in a voice that was dripping with sarcasm and mixed with an equal amount of defensiveness. "Just because you unnecessarily pushed me, your boyfriend and the man you say you love, into a pile of mud doesn't mean that I, the man who loves you more than anything in the world, would feel the need to come back and retaliate. That would just be so juvenile of me, Kim. Don't you think so?"
"Okay, okay. I guess I deserved that," Kim replied. It was her way of admitting defeat without actually admitting defeat. "No more meanness from either of us, k? Just lots and lots," she added, kissing him hard on the mouth. "And lots. And lots," she continued, kissing him again. "And lots. And lots," she just kept going and Tommy wanted no part in trying to stop her. He was enjoying it just as much, if not more, as she was. "And lots. And lots," she kissed him one last time. "Of amazing kisses."
"Marry me?" Tommy asked with a bright blush. Where the hell had that come from? Shit, shit, shit! He didn't mean to say that. Hell, he didn't even want to get married. But he said it. He couldn't back out now. Oh shit, what if Kim said yes? What if she wants to get married?
"Ask me for real in six months and we'll talk about it then," she replied, kissing him softly. She moved to walk away but then decided that she needed to add something. "Or after we kick the shit out of Zedd and Mondo. Whichever comes first."
With that, she turned on her heels and headed for Tommy's ATV which had pulled up just a few seconds after he had flashed Kimberly with his headlights. She stopped momentarily, picking up her helmet off the ground and putting it back on over her head.
Twirling the key to the all-terrain vehicle on his right ring finer, Tommy breathed a sigh of relief at Kim's reply. He really didn't know what he would have done if she had actually said yes to him. Stopping to grab his helmet as well, he looked towards the sky and thanked whatever higher power decided it wasn't quite the right time for marriage.
Throwing his leg over the top of the four wheeler, he climbed onto the vehicle and settled into the driver's seat with Kim in the seat directly behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly and resting the side of her head against his back. Breathing in his scent, she smiled under her helmet as Tommy turned the ATV around, pointing it back towards his house.
About a mile up the path they came across Rocky who was walking with his head down, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans. When he felt Kim poking him in the ribs, he knew exactly what she wanted him to do. Who was he to say no to her?
Rocky turned around to see where the noise was coming from. Mistake one. He also completely stopped moving to stare instead of backpedaling. Mistake two. Mistake three wasn't really a mistake, mostly just bad luck on Rocky's part. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or the right place at the right time from Tommy and Kim's perspective.
Yanking back on the emergency hand brake Tommy and Kim leaned forward, their combined weight pushing the ATV up onto its' front wheels. The four wheeler spun in circles, slapping mud in every direction including Rocky's. Sometime after the sixth or seventh rotation, Tommy started to get dizzy so he brought the ATV completely back to the ground, staring at Rocky who looked like he didn't know which of the many emotions he was currently feeling to choose. He chose somewhere between apathy and anger, which basically put his emotions back to normal.
Tommy and Kim laughed, waving goodbye as they tore off back towards the house. Lowering his head and stuffing his hands into his pockets again, Rocky bitterly continued down the path. Thinking it was Tommy and Kim again, he rolled his eyes when the rumbling sound of an engine started to get closer to him instead of farther away.
Somewhere during the time when Tommy's ATV was spinning around and slapping mud at Rocky, Tommy had summoned another ATV for Rocky. Muttering something about pieces of shit and the least they could do, Rocky climbed onto the newly parked ATV, turning it back around.
Gripping the handlebars tightly, Rocky gave it as much gas as he could, leaning forward over the bars as he took the vehicle straight towards a small hill. Launching the ATV into the air, Rocky was too preoccupied with his own flight to see the one occurring right above his head. Having not seen the giant projectile plummeting towards the ground and the engine too loud to hear it connect, Rocky paid it no mind when it slammed into the earth. He attributed the shaking that he felt to going too fast on uneven ground.
A few hundred yards behind him, what appeared to be a large orange egg had just landed and was currently resting deep in the soft, muddy earth. At the hissing sound of pressure being released, the egg split in four different directions, almost like a flower blooming. Steeping out of the egg/space pod, two figures in hooded black cloaks put their feet on the ground of Earth for the first time in almost a decade.
"Let's go," one of them muttered in what was obviously a male voice. "Tomorrow we attack. They will feel our wrath and the wrath of Lord Zedd, supreme ruler of all that is dark and evil!"
"Shut up, Goldar," a female voice hissed. She didn't even flinch when the one identified as Goldar made a motion to strike her. "Lord Zedd doesn't need you to kiss his ass. That's what Baboo, Squatt and Finster are for."
Snarling at his female companion, Goldar pressed the flat side of his sword against her cheek. He used the tip of the sword to pull back her hood and snapped at her one last time, growling in her face before he turned around and heading into the woods alone.
Wiping the saliva off her face, the woman turned in the opposite direction to look in the direction of Tommy's house. She pointed her sword at it, harnessing every ounce of evil energy she could manage to muster up. When she knew it had full power, she thrust the sword towards the sky, bolts of golden lightning illuminating the starless night.
As the outline of a "Z" started to form in the night sky, she returned her sword to its' sheath and turned back towards the woods. She had done what her master had ordered her to do. Scorpina had just delivered the Power Rangers their final warning.
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Oh man, you guys have no idea how good it feels to get back to this story. I know it's only been a couple weeks but since I've updated but for me that's like six months. I'm really going to try and maintain focus on this and The Longest Day. When I sat down to write this I found myself having to go back and read my older chapters to make sure I didn't forget anything or mess anything up. Actually, when I sat down to write this I didn't even sit down to write this. LOL. I was going to write a Thanksgiving oneshot to coincide with A Ranger Halloween but I figured you guys would like this better and appreciate it more as well. So I really hope you guys liked it. Hopefully you all haven't given up on this story cus I sure haven't. Talk to you all soon.
WK