I'm updating early, simply because I finished this yesterday and wanted you guys to get a taste of Maroon's true character before sending more suggestions for Jason. I figured out a way to twist the one that was given to me... Hopefully after reading this chapter, you'll find out just how dark Maroon can really be. I really liked the style of this chapter, and I hope you do too. Enjoy!
Edit 6/6/06: Changed some content of the chapter to reflect a point a reviewer brought up about Zordon.
Chapter 21 Temptations, Part 1
Rita glanced up as she saw Maroon re-enter the balcony area. The smirk on Maroon's face told her all she needed to know. "Succeed?"
"Of course. She was too easy. I left my mark on her for now so she certainly won't forget me too easily."
"Good, good. I have a new mission for you. As you know, we must hold off Zordon of Eltar's Power Rangers for as long as possible. As long as we keep them busy on Earth, they won't be able to come here right away. If you are successful, then you will have Kimberly for awhile longer. If not, you will surely lose her, and your source of fun."
"What is it that you wish for me to do?"
"I want you to go to Angel Grove Park and wander around. I will send a group of Tengas with you, who will hide away. Whenever Zordon's Rangers show up, the Tengas can distract them and you can torture one at a time. I leave the how to's of torturing them up to you."
"Who is Zordon sending?"
"I'm not sure yet. I have my hunches though. I know he will send Tommy and Jason. They are the strongest Rangers on the team and strength is a necessity. I am not sure of the third Ranger. Possibly Rocky, or even Katherine, since she has dealt with me before. Either way, you will take care of them. I don't care how, just as long as you prolong the mission. Understood?"
"Perfectly. I will do as you command," nodded Maroon. Gears were turning inside her head as she decided on ways of torture for the Rangers. She took what Kimberly's memories gave her and twisted them. Horribly. By the time she was ready to go, she couldn't help constantly chuckling to herself. This was going to be too fun. Maroon teleported to Earth.
When she arrived, she wrinkled her nose in disgust. There was too much greenery for her liking. Everything was too… clean. However, she knew she had to act the part of Kimberly for now. She put on her best smile, dismissed the Tengas to hide, and began looking interested in a bush of flowers. It took everything to actually find them "pretty".
Alarms blared in the Power Chamber and the trio of Rangers automatically turned to the viewing screen. Zordon began to speak. "I'm afraid Rita has sent down something to prevent us from going on the mission at the moment. Behold Maroon, her latest creation."
"But that looks like Kimberly," stated Kat.
"Indeed. I am not sure what Rita is up to. This could be our Kimberly, or it could not be. I only know she goes by the guise of Maroon now. You must see what information you can divulge for yourselves. I'm afraid I cannot offer you much information."
"Right Zordon," nodded the three teenagers.
"Zeo Ranger One, Pink!"
"Zeo Ranger Five, Red!"
"Gold Ranger Power!"
The three morphed Rangers teleported to Angel Grove Park where they found Maroon sitting underneath a tree, smelling a lilac. She acted like nothing had happened and simply focused on her flower, twirling it between her fingers.
"All right Maroon. It's time to get rid of you!" yelled Jason.
Maroon looked up at the three Rangers. "What are you talking about? My name isn't Maroon, it's Kimberly. You guys know that," answered Maroon.
"Kimberly what are you doing?" called Katherine. "You're following Rita's command!"
"Ah, so I am Kitty Kat, so I am." Maroon stood and dusted herself off before facing the Rangers. "I think the question is, what are you going to do about it?"
"We're taking you down and getting our Kimberly back," spoke up Tommy. "It's just you against the three of us."
"Oh I'm dreadfully sorry, but that's the wrong answer. Tengas attack!" called Maroon before disappearing behind the tree. Jason and Tommy started to chase after Maroon, but the Tengas swarmed them before they could get very far. Only Katherine was relatively free of Tengas and that was simply because they had been warned by Maroon to lightly attack Katherine before leaving her alone. Maroon had decided to target the Pink Zeo Ranger first.
Maroon relaxed against the bark of the tree, mentally going over her plan for Katherine. It was all too perfect, too unexpected. She chuckled softly to herself before being punched in the side. It wasn't enough to hurt too much; she did have Kimberly's strength after all. "So you've found me, Kitty Kat," called Maroon.
"Listen Kimberly, you've got to break free. We're here to help you."
"True, but I think you're the one that's going to need some help," answered Maroon. Katherine was playing perfectly into her plans. She still thought she was Kimberly. "Plus, I can have a little fun along the way." She threw a punch at Katherine, who dodged it. Maroon planned to back Katherine against the tree. She had to do that before being able to do anything else.
The two fought back and forth, kicks and punches flying. Katherine's were a little stronger thanks to her Ranger powers, but Maroon was just as agile and swift as Kimberly. It wasn't long before she had Katherine backed up against the tree. She smirked. "Kitty Kat is stuck like glue, yes it's true," she murmured.
"What are you talking about?" asked Katherine. It was then that she tried to pull her body away from the tree; her body wouldn't budge. Katherine pulled harder and harder, not caring if her uniform ripped, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't break free. "Tommy! Jason!"
"Oh they can't hear you my Kitty Kat. They are a little tied up at the moment with my Tengas."
"I'm not your Kitty Kat! I suggest you let me go!"
"I have a better suggestion," whispered Maroon in a sultry voice.
Katherine pulled back. She did not like the way Kimberly was acting. "What are you up to?" she asked, less confident.
"Whatever I want to be up to," whispered Maroon as she traced her fingers over Katherine's shoulders.
"Stop touching me!" protested Katherine.
"I believe you're in no position to tell me what to do," replied Maroon as she punched Katherine in the stomach.
Katherine felt the air go out of her, and she struggled to breathe normally. While she was distracted, Maroon removed her helmet. "Much better when I can see my Kitty Kat's face."
"This is not right. I demand that you give me back my helmet!" yelled Katherine.
Maroon put a finger to Katherine's lips. "And I demand that you be quiet, but that's not exactly happening, now is it?"
Katherine's brain was whirling with thoughts. She wanted out of the position that she was in, but she knew she was stuck to the tree by some invisible force of Maroon's. This new creation of Rita's was unlike anything she'd ever faced before, and she doubted that the other Rangers had faced anything like her either. Katherine was uncomfortable every time Maroon spoke to her. Something was up, and Katherine didn't like the feeling of it, and it wasn't just because her helmet was off. Kimberly was doing things she'd never even dream of doing. What had Rita done to her? "What do you want with me?" she questioned quietly.
"I want you," answered Maroon simply.
Katherine shuddered. "You can't have me…."
"I don't think you can argue with me on this," replied Maroon as she ran a hand through Katherine's locks. Katherine tried to pull her head away, but found it wouldn't go very far either. She was truly left to Maroon; Maroon could do whatever she pleased and Katherine couldn't struggle against her. The worst part was having to face Maroon. Every one of her features screamed Kimberly, but Katherine felt wrong. Kimberly would never do such things, Kimberly was never one to manipulate. Was this even Kimberly?
"Why do you persist?" asked Katherine.
"Because I can do as I please. You're my new toy you know. My old one is broken."
"Broken?" asked Katherine.
"Yes Kitty Kat. I am not Kimberly. I am Maroon. Kimberly is my pretty little toy to torture." Maroon intentionly divulged this information. She wanted to see the look on Katherine's face.
"Kimberly is not your toy, no matter what you think," spat Katherine.
"Oh but she's so fun to play with. And I guarantee you that with the mark I left her, she won't forget me too easily."
"What did you do to her!"
"Oh we just played. You'd be surprised at how bad of a toy she is. Hardly worth the price, but fine when necessary."
If Katherine would have, she would have taken out every ounce of anger in her body on Maroon. Just hearing the Kimberly clone talk about Kimberly as though she were an object was enough to anger anyone. No one deserved such treatment from one of Rita's henchmen. "You have no right to do what you are doing to Kimberly! How could you do such things?"
"I do them because I can. My queen allows me to do whatever I please… as long as I don't kill her. So I have my bit of fun, same as I am with you." Maroon leaned closer to Katherine until their faces were almost touching. She stared into Kat's blue eyes, the girl's nervous movements only encouraging her even more. "You are mine, Kitty Kat," she whispered.
"Back off," called Kat as she tried to push Maroon away.
"Come closer? I think I shall," whispered Maroon as her lips touched Katherine's.
Katherine's eyes grew wide in shock. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening. She was being kissed by a Kimberly clone? No way. This was all just a dream. A very terribly sick nightmare. She was going to wake up soon and it'd all be over. Katherine willed herself to try to pull away, but it wouldn't work. Whatever Maroon had used to bond her to the tree was holding firm. Katherine tried to move her head away at least, but there was only so many ways she could move it limitedly.
Maroon's response was to place a hand behind her head and force her closer. Katherine was not being a willing partner, and Maroon knew she'd have to force the girl if she wanted to torture her even more. She forced Katherine's lips apart and slid her tongue into Katherine's mouth, enjoying herself immensely. She allowed her other free hand to wander over Katherine's body. The spandex suit only helped.
Katherine wanted to cry. This… thing was taking advantage of her and she was powerless to stop it. Not even her Ranger powers could help her out of such a situation, not with the bond she was held fast by. She wanted to ignore everything that was going on around her, but how could she ignore being kissed by another girl who looked like one of her friends! Not to mention the fact that Maroon was only getting bolder and bolder as time passed.
Her tongue explored Katherine's mouth, enjoying the feeling of being enveloped in a warm place. Her tongue and Katherine's played out a sort of dance—Katherine tried to pull hers away while Maroon's only searched for it. The hunter and the hunted. Her hand rested on Katherine's breast, massaging it gently. She knew Katherine had pretty much gone stiff as a board, but that wasn't stopping Maroon from enjoying the pleasure. As she pulled away from Katherine, she smiled wickedly. "Mmm… you taste good Kitty Kat…" she whispered.
Tears feel as Katherine couldn't keep from sobbing any longer. Maroon moved a hand to wipe away the tears, but another gloved hand smacked her own away. "You back away from Katherine now or I swear to God I'll kill you here and now," growled Jason. Even if that really had been Kimberly…. Jason shook his head. This was wrong.
Maroon smiled sweetly. "No need!" she said pleasantly before teleported off.
As soon as Maroon had disappeared, the bond holding Katherine did as well. Katherine fell to her knees, sobbing loudly. Jason and Tommy bent down to help her, but she pushed them both away. "Don't touch me!" she yelled through her tears.
"We need to get back to the Power Chamber with her," said Jason.
"Right," replied Tommy.
The three teleported back to the Power Chamber. Katherine still stayed on the floor. She had no urge to move or get up from her spot. She simply continued to sob. Alpha moved behind her and tried patting her back to console her while Zordon spoke.
"I'm afraid Maroon is the most devious of Rita's creations yet. We are going to have to be careful in dealing with her. Unlike previous creations, she uses no weaponry, only simple spells and her own talent to affect a person."
"Zordon, how are we going to fend her off?" asked Tommy.
"You three are going to have to keep a sharp eye out for her traps. I have no suggestions beyond that. Weapons may affect Maroon, but she just as well may teleport away. If you scare her away, then she will only reappear again to cause more trouble. I would rather Katherine not take part in taking care of her the next time she appears."
"I agree," answered Jason. "Tommy and I will take care of her. We'll figure out a way to get rid of the evil in Kimberly."
Katherine had barely been listening to the entire exchange between the boys and Zordon. She was vaguely aware of Alpha patting her on the back. That had been no nightmare. It had been real. She had been Maroon's first real target and she had been powerless to stop her. What good were Ranger powers if they couldn't fend off Maroon? "That's not Kimberly…" whispered Katherine, her voice barely audible.
The other Rangers turned to look at her in shock, expecting her to tell more, but Katherine stayed silent. She had told what was necessary.
Yes, Maroon is really that bad. And Tommy's not going to be dealt with any lighter than this. Hopefully this will spark some ideas. I really like reading everyone's suggestions too!
The previous wallpaper contest didn't go as well as I'd hoped. However, one reviewer sent me a good idea and I won't reveal what it is or who sent it, but it will be made into a wallpaper and sent to everyone on my mailing list. Remember, if you want to be added, make sure I have some way of getting ahold of your email.
Next time on Windmill into the Fall: Rita contacts Maroon before she heads off to get her next victim, Tommy. Rita gives her something to aid in her torture, something that not even Tommy will be able to resist. And you know, we've not heard from the Machine Empire. What exactly do they think of Maroon's attacks?