DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Power Rangers. I do, however, own the characters of Gahaleigh, Belstan, Denlione, the Tinneanites, Angelina Gomez, Andie Pridgen, Katie Oliver, Anthony, Keema, Win, Alexa, and Daniel.
Kim's POV
Last night was a nightmare. I have been poked and prodded and humiliated in ways I never thought possible, but it did happen to me, nonetheless and it was by my friends, which makes it so much worse. Zordon is back among us and if he hadn't been here, Tommy and I would have been questioning things for the next month or so, wondering if I was pregnant. I guess you can say I am slightly thankful that I know I am not, but it still does not make up for the embarrassment the both of us felt. I'm not sure if I will ever be able to look at the rangers the same way again.
"Morning, sleepyhead," Kim said, as Tommy rolled over at ten o'clock and looked up at her. She had woken up about an hour ago, but had not felt like getting out of bed and had just sat there and let her thoughts roam. She knew that it was best to let some of it out of her subconscious before Tommy woke up.
"Morning, how are you feeling?" Tommy asked carefully as Kim just shook her head and looked away from him. She couldn't stand to look him in the eyes right now. "Baby, please, don't pull away from me."
"Tommy, they're our friends. Why couldn't they just wait? Why did Zordon have to know last night? Why couldn't we have, at least, waited until everyone else was gone?" Kim cried as Tommy quickly sat up and pulled her into a tight embrace. He knew that this was going to happen, although he had fully expected it to happen last night instead of this morning.
"I don't know why and I don't know if knowing the answers would help you any. Zordon confuses all of us most of the time. You know there is no use trying to understand when he doesn't want us to," Tommy whispered as he felt her shaking in his arms and held her even tighter. Why was it that every step in their relationship had emotional scarring to go along with it?
"Isn't it enough that we were found out by your sister? Tommy, I just don't know how to handle this. How can I look them in the eyes again?" Kim croaked out as she continued to cry.
"Katie is on our side, trust me. If she wasn't she would have come home with us last night and not let us have the time we need. She may be a lot younger than us, but she understands more about things than I do some times and you know that Jason and the others don't hold it against us. They would have made that clear last night. They have always been honest with us when it comes to things like this," Tommy said as Kim gave him a small smile.
"Well, Katie did make me feel a little bit better last night when I talked to her. I just wonder why we had to go through everything at once. What would have been the harm in waiting a few more hours?" Kim asked as Tommy shrugged his shoulders and then moved over to the edge of the bed, with her tailing right behind him.
"Zordon seems to know that these battles are going to be coming much more frequently soon. I don't know if that means that we will be fighting today or next week, but it seems that he thinks it is important to know all the facts. I don't know if we can question his judgement. He knew what was best for us in the past and until he proves it differently, we'll all still listen to him, even when it doesn't make any sense," Tommy said as he picked Kim up off the bed and carried her out of his room.
"Tommy, I can walk," Kim said with a smile as he just looked at her and continued down the stairs. She might not be feeling the soreness but he was sure that she was sore as hell right now from everything that had happened last night and he wanted to prolong her figuring that out. "What's with you?"
"Kim, have you tried to walk yet?" Tommy asked, as Kim shook her head no and he then placed her on the ground at the bottom of the stairs. He knew that she was not going to last long, as he could only imagine how sore she really was.
"Oh my God," Kim moaned as pain seared through her and she found herself being held up by Tommy's arms. "Why does it hurt so much?"
"Whatever that machine was, obviously causes pain, which was aggravated by everything else," Tommy said as he walked her into the kitchen and she sat down at the table.
"Tommy? Kim? Is it safe to come in?" Katie yelled as she twisted the door open and then peaked around the first floor and saw them in the kitchen.
"Yeah, you're good," Kim said as Katie walked over and gave her a hug, which surprised both Kim and Tommy.
"Do you feel like hell?" Katie asked, as Kim nodded her head yes and Katie walked over and took the frying pan out of Tommy's hands, who was known to be a dangerous cook. "I'll cook. Conner has practice, so he had to drop me off earlier than I would have liked. Ya'll probably needed some more time, sorry I couldn't stay away longer."
"We're all right," Kim said as Tommy walked over to the coffeepot and turned it on. Both of them knew that he was more than competent to fix the coffee without the risk of burning down half the house. "Katie, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, shoot," Katie said as she began cooking breakfast.
"Do you know why they had to do that test last night?" Kim asked, as Katie just shook her head no. She was not brave enough to ask that of Zordon and none of the others were either.
"Zordon didn't tell us anything, actually he didn't say much to us at all after you went back, he just looked at things on the computer. I don't really know what he was doing, but he didn't want any help from us. The only one who might know why it had to be done then is Billy and I think he's pretty traumatized that he had to perform that test in the first place," Katie said, as Billy had not been himself when he walked back out.
"He can't be anymore traumatized than me," Kim said, as Katie nodded her head in agreement.
"I agree. Does it bother either of you that Zordon comes back and there just happen to be rangers here from Eltar? I mean, I had never heard his name until last night, but you have to admit it is odd that they are here now and he's back," Katie said as Tommy nodded his head in agreement.
"Yeah, it is, but you have to admit that the Dycon rangers did help us and from the looks of it they will continue to help us. They may have been sent here to try to find something out about Zordon too, but they're not leaving right away now that they've found him, so maybe we'll be okay," Tommy said as Katie just nodded.
"I think Anthony knows more than he's letting on," Katie said as Tommy and Kim exchanged a glance.
"Why would you say that?" Kim asked, as Katie shrugged her shoulders.
"The way he looks at people. It's like he can tell what is going to happen to us next and he can't stop it. It's a curse and a blessing. The others have powers that help people, but his power is no help here, other than determining the sincerity of those that are around him," Katie said as a bright flash occurred in the kitchen and Jason landed there.
"How in the hell did I wind up here?" Jason asked as they all looked around and saw that Conner had been teleported in as well.
"What's happening?" Conner asked as he walked into the kitchen and Katie just started shaking her head.
"We have to get out of here, now," Katie said, urgently as they just nodded and sprinted out the front door, with Tommy grabbing his keys on the way out.
"Where are we going?" Tommy asked as Conner noticed Katie had gone into a daze again and looked like she was about to collapse.
"I don't know yet," Katie muttered as the other three looked at her and Conner just picked her up.
"Just do what she says. She saved both of our asses last time," Conner said as he placed her in Tommy's jeep and he then drove off down the driveway.
"School, Tommy," Katie said as Tommy looked back at her and then turned the wheel of his jeep towards Reefside. "Something's going on there."
"Is this what happened last time?" Jason asked, as Katie leaned against Conner, looking deathly pale but still very much alive.
"Yeah and I don't like it. It scares me every time it happens," Conner said as Tommy had floored it and he then looked down at his attire.
"Oh shit," Tommy said as they looked over at him. He was still in his boxers and a wife-beater and he was sure that if he showed up like that on school campus, his job would be out the window. "Kate, you're sure about school?"
"Yeah, but we'll have to morph before we get there. We'll be attacked before we can make it," Katie said as she passed out against Conner's chest and he began lightly shaking her in an attempt to wake her up.
"Come on, Katie, wake up, sweetie," Conner said, as Katie eyes fluttered open then closed again. "Katie! Katie, come on!"
"Hey Kate, wake up sweetheart," Tommy said, joining in on Conner's attempt to wake Katie up by reaching back and shaking her leg, but it was no use.
"Morph now," Katie muttered as they all looked at her and then did what she said and they were glad they had in the next few seconds as the dubons surrounded Tommy's jeep.
"Kim, stay here and try to wake her up. We'll take care of what we can without you," Tommy said as Kim nodded her head and started shaking Katie's shoulder while Tommy, Jason, and Conner dove out of the vehicle and began fighting the dubons.
"Come on, Katie. I know you want to wake up," Kim said as Katie jerked away and then released a powerful pulse that knocked Kim back several feet. "Katie, come on, wake up."
"I'll take it from here, Kimberly," Anthony said as he was teleported in and landed next to her. "They need you out there."
"Okay," Kim said as she stood up and jumped out of the jeep and quickly engaged in a battle with the nearest dubon.
"Katie, come on, wake up," Anthony whispered as he gently shook her shoulder and she merely jerked away from him, but she did not, however, send a pulse towards Anthony. He knew it was odd, but quickly pushed it to the back of his mind. "Come on, wake up. Kate, wake up."
"Uh, what happened?" Katie asked, rather startled that she awoke to Anthony sitting in front of her. She didn't remember him arriving there at all.
"You fainted, morph so you can help them," Anthony said as Katie reached from her morpher and quickly morphed. He soon joined in this action and jumped in the fight as well.
"Does anyone even know if we have weapons?" Conner asked as he was having a particularly hard time right now and would have done anything for a sword of some kind.
"No clue," Katie said as she cast her hands to the side and threw pulses at the dubons, who slowly stood back up and continued toward them. "I can hold them off for a little while, while you figure it out."
"Do that," Tommy said as he ran over to Conner, Jason, and Kim. "We have to have something that'll help us."
"What I wouldn't do to have a bow again," Kim said as a bow appeared in her hands and she looked down at it in shock. "Okay, that's weird."
"Staff," Tommy said as a staff appeared in his hands and he threw it up in the air and twirled it around to check the balance. "Nice."
"Sword," Jason said as a sword landed in his hands and he smiled under his helmet as he examined the edge.
"What's left?" Conner asked as they all shrugged. They had all gotten something that they had worked with in the past. "Okay, you're no help."
"Daggers," Katie said as she had a pair land in her hands and although she was still throwing out pulses, she had to admit that they were draining her a good bit.
"Axe," Conner said, hopefully and nothing landed in his hands.
"I guess we're just good guessers," Tommy said, as it was now obvious that they had to call out the correct weapon for themselves.
"Whip, Ball and Chain, Lance, Pitchfork, Sling blade," Conner said as nothing landed in his hands.
"Any day now would be nice, Conner," Anthony said as he and Katie were coming closer to the group of rangers trying to find their weapons and they both knew they could only hold out so much longer.
"Yeah, I'd appreciate that," Katie said as she slashed one dubon and it oozed over her suit. "Gross."
"What's left?" Conner asked as they all shrugged their shoulders, knowing that it could be some weapon that they had never head of. So Conner, of course, tried the most common weapon known to the rangers. "Power blaster."
"Thank goodness," Katie said as they ran back towards the dubons and her and Anthony's load was released some. "It took you that long to figure out power blaster?"
"Hey, all of you took lucky guesses," Conner said, defensively, as Katie looked over at him and then threw another pulse towards the dubons.
"Let's finish these things off," Jason said as Katie looked at all of them, while she and Kimberly both threw their arms out and Katie was lifted into the air, while a ring of fire emerged from around Kimberly. The dubons that were not killed by the fire were destroyed by Katie's blast. "Well, that wasn't what I had in mind, but it works."
"Oh," Kim moaned as Katie landed next to her and they both curled up in balls on the ground. They were completely drained from their show of powers, not that it was not expected from what they had done.
"We need to get them to the Command Center," Anthony said as Tommy picked Kim up and Conner quickly picked Katie up.
"Zordon, what's happening?" Tommy asked as they landed and both Kim and Katie curled up even more in their arms.
"The powers of the Tinneanites are becoming more a part of you and as that happens you will all go through some pains," Zordon said as the males powered down and Zordon then powered down Kim and Katie. "Take them to the medical bay, they will recover in a few hours. Anthony, you stay with them, I need to talk to the others."
"Yes, Zordon," Anthony said as Tommy and Conner took Kim and Katie back to the medical bay and left them there before returning to Zordon.
"Rangers, I am afraid there is no time to make accommodations for your absences. Tommy, I know I am asking you to possibly lose your job, but if you will leave tomorrow for this mission, there is less of a chance that the three of you will go through these pains," Zordon said as they all nodded their heads. "So you accept the mission?"
"Of course, do we really have any other option?" Tommy asked, as Zordon shook his head no. "That's what I thought, just let me go get some things from home and I'll be set."
"I'm good already," Conner said as Zordon nodded his head.
"Is it only us or are the Dycon rangers going with us?" Jason asked, as Zordon looked over at Jason with a piercing stare.
"It will be only you. The Dycon rangers will not be able to survive in the environment that you are going to," Zordon said as they nodded and then looked at each other. They could not really risk any injury or pains in the five of them.
"But we'll be expected to travel to Eltar to help them?" Tommy asked, as Zordon simply nodded his head yes and they accepted the condition.
"You will have an hour to collect your belongings, I suggest you do so quickly as I will be teleporting you back in a an hour. Tommy collect everything for Kimberly and Katie as well, I am afraid that they will not be leaving the medical bay within the next hour," Zordon said as they all nodded their heads and then felt themselves being pulled off into other places. "Rangers, I do wish that I was not the one to have to send you on this mission."
AN: That's all for this chapter! I hope that you have enjoyed it and let me know what you think about it, the good and the bad. Toodles!