Okay guys here is the long awaited confrontation between tommy and the mystic force rangers i hope you all like it. This is actually the second ending that we wrote for this story we liked it better so we are posting it as part of the story. the other ending will be posted after the epolige so that if you would like you can see where we went with it. Thank you so much there is a few more chapters before we end but we are getting close now! Thanks for sticking with us and all your feed back it will help us get reattached to the personalities for future stories. Thanks again and enjoy!
LAST TIME:
"Jason, relax," Kim said. "It's not like he can really come help anyways. He's too far away. He'll probably just call you and you can tell him Justin is being dramatic. It's kind of hard to answer emergency calls when you're in another country."
Jason groaned, rubbing a hand over his face.
"But he's not!" he snapped. "He's—oh, great. Just great."
The roar of motors could be heard now. It was coming from the woods and getting louder by the second. In the next moment five vehicles came speeding out of the trees toward the group of rangers.
"Well, that was fast," Justin muttered. "They must have been at his house or it would have taken longer."
Jason just glared in response, too late to stop anyone from showing up. Moving almost faster than the eye could see, all five sped up to the rangers and skidded to a rather abrupt halt behind the originals. Barely pausing, the drivers launched off of their vehicles and charged in on the defensive. All five were morphed and ready to go, looking for whatever threat Justin had called them about.
"What's the emergency?" the red ranger demanded, looking around expectantly. "Where's the monster?"
The originals glanced around at each other hesitantly.
"There isn't one…" Jason finally muttered, shooting a glare at Justin.
The black ranger stepped forward, crossing his arms.
"What do you mean?" he asked, clearly not happy. "Justin? What's going on?"
"Well…" Justin said hesitantly, looking sheepish. "So maybe there wasn't an actual monster. But he is red and he was really angry. Actually, I'm pretty sure he still wants to kill me."
He glanced at Jason who glared back. The black ranger didn't say anything for a moment, taking a deep breath.
"So, you mean to tell me there isn't an actual emergency?" he demanded.
"No…" Justin mumbled. "I was just trying to get you here…"
"And you couldn't just pick up a phone and call me?" he snapped.
"Jason said I wasn't allowed to!" Justin protested. "He forgot to cover calling you on the morpher for any reason."
"Jason?" the black ranger growled, turning to the red ranger. "What is going on? And what are all of you even doing here?"
"Well," Jason said hesitantly as everyone turned to look at him. "You see—we're here because—mmm…"
He paused, trying to come up with a good reason as to why he hadn't told him about the meeting.
"Jason," the black ranger growled again.
"It's a meeting," Jason finally answered.
"A meeting?" he said shortly. "Out here? What on earth could you need to meet out here for?"
"Not important," Jason said quickly. "You weren't even supposed to know we were here—"
"What?" the black ranger snapped. "So you're just leaving me out of things now?"
"No, To—" Jason started to protest, realizing he'd said the wrong thing.
"Don't try and back pedal now, Jason," he snarled. "You purposefully didn't tell me you were meeting with everyone here. What? Is this punishment for leaving the country? You just don't tell me things now? Because heaven forbid I do anything else with my life besides keep track of all of this."
He gestured around, clearly agitated now.
"We weren't just trying to leave you out—" Kim tried saying.
"Not now, Kim," he snapped, whipping around on her. "You're just as bad as him. Constantly calling me and asking how I'm doing and barely giving me space to breathe let alone get anything done. I don't need you hovering all the time—it's not high school and you are not solely responsible for keeping track of me."
She looked back at him in shock, not expecting the lecture.
"Hey, man," Zach frowned. "No need to be so mean. She's just concerned like the rest of us."
As the black ranger whipped around to look at Zach, Kim looked at the other Dino Thunder rangers.
"When was the last time he slept?" she hissed at them as he started ranting at Zach.
"Four days ago?" the white ranger, who was standing closest to her, answered quietly. "Not really sure. Naps haven't exactly been helping…"
Her eyes widened. But he hadn't even noticed them whispering, to absorbed in ranting at some of the other rangers.
"You've been calling me just as much as she has," he was snapping at Zach. "And without consideration of whether I might actually be sleeping or working or with other people. I get that you've been stressed about what's been going on, but he's already driing me up the wall trying ot check in with me all the time."
He gestured at Jason who had long ago given up trying to interrupt and explain why they were actually there.
"But no," he continued ranting. "I try and get some space and all of a sudden no one can leave me alone for five minutes. You keep calling, you keep pestering me online, and you—"
He stopped in surprise, looking at Billy.
"And you are not supposed to be here," he said in surprise. "Billy, what are you doing here? And when did you get here?"
"This morning," Billy answered.
"Oh, good," the black ranger muttered. "And we're keeping even more things from me. Why didn't anyone tell me you were coming?"
"I do not believe anyone outside of Jason knew I was returning," Billy said, glancing at Jason for confirmation.
"He's right," Jason sighed, finally getting to speak again. "I didn't tell anyone because his coming was a surprise. I was planning on swinging by your house and surprising you with him after we were done here."
The black ranger took a deep breath.
"You still haven't actually told me what you're doing here," he said shortly.
"It's a meeting," Jason said.
"Way out here?" he said doubtfully.
"It was a halfway point," Jason muttered.
"Halfway to where?"
The blue Dino Thunder started tapping him on the shoulder.
"What?" the black ranger snapped, glancing over his shoulder at him.
"I found the problem," he answered, pointing.
Spinning, the black ranger followed where the younger ranger was pointing and froze. Mystic Force was still standing there, not really sure what to do with the arrival of the team that had threatened them—not to mention all of the shouting that was happening.
"Great," he muttered. "Just wonderful."
The red ranger, turning to see what was going on, stiffened.
"Oh no," he growled. "No, no, no, no, no. Not okay."
He started stalking toward Mystic Force, three of four teammates on his heels.
"None of you should be here," he snapped, ready to challenge them.
"Conner, stop," the black ranger interrupted, putting himself between Dino Thunder and Mystic Force.
"Not a chance," Conner snapped back as Mystic Force jerked in surprise at the name. "They have no right to be here. No one said they were welcome."
"We were invited," Nick snapped in response.
"Sure," Conner scoffed. "By who?"
Mystic Force, as well as quite a few of the originals, all pointed at Jason. Conner whipped around to look at him, obviously surprised to hear that.
"You've got to be kidding me," he snapped. "You invited them? This is our turf, not yours! You have no right to let them trespass here!"
"Conner, enough," the black ranger said again.
"They can't be here," Conner snarled, taking another step toward Mystic Force.
"Stop, now," the black ranger snapped. "Power down."
Conner shook his head adamantly.
"Not happening," he retorted. "Not with them here."
"Power down now!" the black ranger ordered. "You don't need powers here. This isn't about you."
"It involves your safety, which means it involves me," Conner growled.
"Power down."
They stood off against each other for a moment, neither of them budging.
"Now," the black ranger repeated.
"Fine," Conner snapped. "Power down."
He powered down, the rest of the Dino Thunder following his lead. Mystic Force stared in shock as they looked at the group in recognition.
"You—you guys are Dino Thunder!" Chip exclaimed, excited and nervous as he looked at them.
Conner, Ethan, Kira, and Trent glared back.
"Duh," Ethan snorted. "Way to point out the obvious."
"Ethan, enough," Tommy said shortly, glancing back at Mystic Force briefly and then back at his team. "I need you four to go back to the house. Hayley is there sleeping and she probably still doesn't know we left."
"I'm not going anywhere," Conner scowled, crossing his arms as he continued to glare at Mystic Force. "Not with them here."
Tommy rubbed a hand over his face.
"Guys, please," he said. "Go."
"No can do, Dr. O," Ethan said.
"Not leaving you," Kira agreed, shaking her head.
Trent started to agree and then sighed.
"Alright, I'll go," he said.
"Thank you," Tommy said, nodding at him.
Trent nodded back, pausing next to Kira for a moment.
"Kick one of them for me," he muttered.
"Oh, I've got that covered," she hissed. "They aren't getting off that easily."
Smiling faintly at her, Trent walked back to his ATV and climbed on. Gunning the engine, he looked at his team and Mystic Force one more time before speeding off back into the trees. Taking a deep breath, Tommy glanced at Mystic Force again and then focused his attention on Dino Thunder and the rest of the originals.
"You should have told me, Jase," he said, looking at Jason. "This is my problem, not yours—remember? You have enough problems of your own to deal with involving them. Like actually talking to your sisters again. You shouldn't have kept this a secret."
"And you didn't need to be here," Jason countered. "We were fixing things with us and then you could have had your say. You didn't need to be involved in this part."
"But now I am," Tommy said shortly. "And now it's my problem and all of you need to stay out of it."
He glanced around meaningfully at all of them, making it clear he meant all of his teammates, not just Jason.
"Dr. O—" Conner started to protest.
"No," Tommy snapped. "You will stay out of this, Conner. This is not your problem to deal with."
"But I'm your red—" he tried again.
"Your word," Tommy interrupted. "I want all of you to swear you'll let me fix this on my own. Please."
He looked around expectantly, his expression telling all of them he wasn't budging on the issue.
"Come on, Tommy," Jason sighed. "Just let—"
"Your word, Jase," Tommy repeated. "All of you. No interference until this is over. By the Power."
For a moment no one spoke. Finally they all nodded, clearly reluctant, as they muttered the promise not to interfere. Nodding in satisfaction, Tommy took a deep breath and turned to Conner. Flicking his left wrist, he called his Dino morpher back. But, to everyone's surprise, he didn't use it. Instead, he took the band off of his wrist and handed both the morpher and the key to a surprised Conner.
"Dr. O?" Conner said hesitantly, not really sure what to think as he held his mentor's morpher.
But Tommy just shook his head and turned away. Flicking his wrist again as he walked, Tommy headed straight toward Justin. The younger ranger was frowning as he looked at Tommy, but he didn't move. Stopping in front of Justin, Tommy held out his hands and Justin took what the older ranger was holding out to him—his Turbo morpher and key. Concerned looks were flying around the group now as they slowly started realizing what he was doing.
Turning away from Justin, Tommy flicked both wrists now as he moved to stand in front of Adam. As with Conner and Justin before, Tommy held out his Zeo morpher to Adam. The green ranger took them reluctantly, not bothering to hide the fact that he didn't like where this was heading. Tommy just smiled faintly at him, nodding before turning to look at Rocky who was standing next to Adam. Taking a deep breath, Tommy concentrated for a moment and then held out his hand again. This time he held a white coin, which Rocky took just as reluctantly as Adam had taken the Zeo morphers.
"Don't do this, Tommy," Rocky said quietly. "There are other ways."
Tommy shook his head and walked away. He didn't stop again until he was standing in front of Jason. The red ranger was clearly unhappy about what was happening right now, but he didn't hesitate to take the coin Tommy handed him. But he did seem surprised when he looked at it. The coin in his hand was a second white coin.
"This is the tiger coin, Tommy," he frowned. "But what about—"
"It's not your choice this time, Jase," Tommy said, shaking his head.
Jason looked at Tommy in shock as the other ranger turned away. Outside of Hayley, Jason had been the only one Tommy had ever willingly handed the last coin over to—and for good reason. But Tommy didn't look at any of his friends or teammates again. His attention was now completely focused on Mystic Force. They had been watching the whole process in confusion, not entirely sure what to think of what Tommy was doing. Now he stopped in front of them, holding tightly to something in his right hand.
"It's your turn," he said, looking at Nick. "You have a choice to make."
Taking a deep breath, he held up the coin he'd been holding. The rangers behind him flinched at the sight of the green coin, guessing what he was about to do.
"If you want to hurt me, fine," Tommy continued evenly, no hesitation in his voice. "But this ends today—one way or another. If you think you need to punish me for what I did as the green ranger, then so be it. I have done everything I could over the years to balance the scales, but that doesn't have to mean anything to you."
He paused, glancing at the coin in his hand.
"So it's up to you," he said, looking back at Nick. "You know what I've done and now it's up to you. Make your choice. Hit me, kick me, beat me—even kill me. Whatever you think I deserve. But you make that choice now and, once you've decided, then it's over. It doesn't come up ever again. I will not continue to be the reason the Rangers are divided. So make your choice."
He held up the green coin so they could all see it clearly.
"You have everything you need to stop me in this," he said as it flashed in the sunlight. "All you have to do to kill me is drain the rest of the power from this coin. It's tied directly to my life force. Once the power is gone I'll be dead in moments."
Behind Tommy his friends and teammates were clenching fists or fighting tears. All of them were regretting having given their word now. None of them had dared to think he would do something like this. Most of them were obviously fighting to keep their word, struggling with themselves to stay where they were.
"So make your choice," Tommy said quietly. "It's up to you."
But instead of handing it to Nick like they all expected, he shifted and handed the coin to Madison. She took it without thinking, staring at him in shock as it registered what he had just done. But Tommy just took a step back, waiting.
"That's all there is," he said, waiting for their response. "There are no more powers, no more defenses. That's it. Now it's all up to you. Make your choice."
For a long moment, nothing happened as Madison stared at the coin in her hand. A flash of light off to the side make them all jump. When the light cleared, five new people were standing there, all of them ready for a fight.
"Where's the emergency?" Andros asked, looking around for the problem.
Justin groaned, still holding Tommy's morpher tightly.
"Not a good time, guys," he muttered, looking back and forth between them and Tommy.
Seeing Tommy facing off against Mystic Force, Andros frowned and started to step forward with his team.
"Tommy?" he said hesitantly.
But Tommy held up a hand.
"Stand down," he said, not taking his eyes off of Mystic Force. "Everything is under control."
Andros halted, glancing around again. None of the Space Rangers liked what they were seeing. And the looks on the faces of the other rangers didn't make them feel any better.
"What's going on, man?" TJ asked, frowning.
Tommy just shook his head, his gaze still focused on the young rangers in front of him.
"Make your decision," he said. "No one is going to stop you. I won't fight back."
Madison looked at Nick, still holding the coin. Taking his eyes off of Tommy for a moment, Nick reached over and took the coin from Madison. Most of the originals, and Dino Thunder, flinched as though wanting to move to interfere. But no one actually moved from their places even though several were visibly shaking as they watched what was happening.
"What are you going to do, Nick?" Tommy asked. "This is your chance. Decide."
Nick turned to look at Tommy again, taking a fighting stance as he held the coin in one fist. Tommy didn't move, a look of resignation flickering across his face as he watched the young red ranger.
"Fine," Nick said, closing the gap between them.
He moved as though to hit Tommy, stopping just short of actually connecting. Tommy didn't even flinch. He just waited. Hesitating, Nick glanced over his shoulder at the rest of his team. Madison, Chip, Vida, and Xander were all looking at him with wide eyes. They were ready to follow his lead no matter what his decision was, but it was obvious to everyone that none of them were sure about this choice anymore. Tommy's actions had them second guessing themselves. Leanbow, Daggeron, and Udonna were watching Nick with expressions approaching disappointment. Nick glanced toward them, locking gazes with his father.
"Bowen," Leanbow said quietly.
For another moment, he didn't move. Then he let his arm fall and took a step back. Taking a deep breath, he looked at Tommy and held out his hand.
"It's over," he said, opening his hand to give back the green coin.
Tommy studied the young red for a moment and then nodded. Reaching out, he took the green power coin back.
"Then it's over," he said in agreement.
Behind him, the rest of the rangers had visibly relaxed, all of them breathing sighs of relief. Behind Nick, the young Mystic Force rangers also exchanged looks of relief as their mentors nodded in approval. The Space rangers were still watching hesitantly, not entirely sure what had just happened.
"I take it we missed something here," TJ said slowly, looking over at the originals.
"Yep," Justin nodded. "And you guys have the worst timing ever. Why are you even here?"
Andros looked at Justin with a confused look on his face.
"Justin, you called us," he said. "Or rather, you called them."
He gestured to the rest of his team.
"You said you were in trouble," TJ added. "So why did you need us, kid?"
Justin groaned, smacking a hand to his forehead.
"Didn't think about that," he muttered. "Umm… I don't actually need any of you right now. I was just trying to get Tommy here…"
"So there's no monster?" Ashley frowned, crossing her arms.
Justin shook his head sheepishly. Everyone was watching them, now.
"Not exactly," he said. "Though I'm pretty sure Jason still wants to kill me… And possibly everyone else wants to, too, after what just happened…"
There were nods around the group, including from Kat. Justin took a step away from her. Andros took a deep breath.
"Justin, we were in the middle of exiting the atmosphere when you called," he said irritably. "We had to finish our exit, do a complete turn around and re-enter just to get here."
"Whoops…" Justin said, starting to move further away from the other rangers. "Umm… Maybe I'll just—"
"Don't move," Tommy and Jason ordered in unison.
Flinching, Justin froze in place.
"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" he mumbled.
"You bet, kid," TJ said, glaring at him.
Tommy and Jason both nodded.
"But we'll deal with you later," Jason growled. "After we're done here."
"Don't worry, Jase," Tommy said, shaking his head. "He's not going to do it again. Justin gets to clean my lab now. From top to bottom—and the kids had a coming home party last night."
Conner and the other three Dino Thunder rangers grinned as Justin groaned.
"It was fun," he said. "And we didn't clean anything yet because we fell asleep."
"But Tommy…" Justin protested.
Tommy just shook his head.
"You know better," he said firmly. "The communicators are for real emergencies only."
Andros and the other Space rangers were exchanging looks.
"We need to leave," Andros said. "They are expecting us on KO-35. But, if you don't mind, Tommy, I think we will borrow your idea. The ship could use some cleaning."
Justin's eyes widened as he whipped around to look at the five Space rangers.
"You can't be serious," he said.
"Completely," TJ smirked. "You can start in my room."
Justin groaned.
"Take him," Tommy said, nodding. "We can take our turns when he comes back."
Glancing around wildly as TJ started walking toward him, Justin tried to bolt back toward his car. But TJ caught him, holding the younger ranger in a headlock as he squirmed.
"Let's go, squirt," he said. "You've got a lot of work to do."
"TJ, let go!" Justin protested. "Tommy, help!"
"Hold up, TJ," Tommy suddenly said, moving toward them.
Pausing, TJ frowned as Justin looked momentarily relieved.
"I'll take that back now," Tommy said to Justin, holding out a hand expectantly. "I don't really want you taking it to KO-35 with you."
Justin's relief was dashed as Tommy took back his Turbo morpher and TJ started laughing. As Tommy moved back to stand with the rest of the rangers, TJ finished hauling the struggling Justin over to the Space rangers.
"Come on, guys!" Justin protested. "I said I was sorry! And what about Blaster—"
His voice cut off as the six rangers suddenly disappeared in another flash of light. In the parking lot, Blaster beeped sadly. Tommy sighed as Jason frowned.
"Leave it, Jase," Tommy said, shaking his head. "Blaster will be fine. We have other things to worry about right now."
Turning from where the Space rangers had been, Tommy started heading back over to talk to Mystic Force. Nick had moved back to stand with his teammates and they were talking quietly amongst themselves as they watched the other teams. They stopped talking as Tommy stopped in front of them. He studied the group for a moment as they waited.
"Now that this is over," Tommy finally said. "It stays over. If you guys have questions for me later on down the road, I'm happy to answer them, but this is no longer an issue. You will abide by the decision you made. Agreed?"
"Agreed," the young rangers echoed.
"So," Chip said hesitantly. "Does that mean we're part of the rangers now? Do we get to meet everyone else, too?"
Tommy smiled, but didn't answer. Instead, he turned back to look at Jason. Leaving the others, Jason moved to stand next to Tommy. Stopping next to him, Jason slung an arm around Tommy's shoulders as he looked at Mystic Force.
"Yes," he said. "Now that this has been resolved, you are officially part of the rangers and you'll be able to meet the others."
The young rangers grinned in excitement.
"However," Jason said, turning his attention to Tommy. "If you ever pull anything like that ever again I will kill you."
He gripped Tommy's shoulder hard as he spoke, just to emphasize his point. Tommy winced, but didn't move.
"Ouch, Jase," he muttered.
"Don't complain," Jason said. "Here. This belongs to you."
Letting go of Tommy, he handed the other ranger back his coin. Tommy took it, looking at it for a moment before putting it in his pocket. Taking a cue from Jason, some of the others joined the two leaders. Adam and Rocky came first, shaking their heads at him.
"You're going to give us all heart attacks, man," Rocky said, holding out the falcon coin. "I thought we were done with this stuff years ago."
Adam nodded in agreement, holding out Tommy's Zeo bracelets.
"He's got a point, Falcon," he said. "None of us are used to these scares anymore. You were bad enough during Dino Thunder."
Tommy just rolled his eyes, taking his morphers back. The coin went into his pocket with the other two and the bracelets he put on his wrists. He flicked his wrists to make them disappear.
"You idiot!" Kim exclaimed from behind him.
Tommy turned around in surprise, not having heard her come up. The petite woman glared at him.
"How dare you do that to us!" she cried, smacking his arm. "Isn't it enough that we had to watch you try and sacrifice yourself all through high school and then deal with knowing you were probably doing the same thing two years ago? Not to mention the whole freshman year in college fiasco. Now you're going to offer yourself up right in front of us after making sure we won't do anything? You are a complete idiot!"
She kept hitting him as she spoke, punctuating her points with her strikes. Finally Tommy caught her hand to stop her.
"I'm sorry," he said. "But everything is fine."
Her eyes narrowed and she tried to hit him with her other hand. But he caught it, stopping her.
"It's not fine," she snapped. "Tommy, you could have died!"
He sighed, not really having an argument for that statement. More of the rangers had moved forward, the rest of the girls taking the lead behind Kim as they started crowding around him.
"Kim, I'm fine," he said again. "I promise."
She just burst into tears, dropping her head against his chest. Sighing again, he let go of her hands. Kim wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Tommy hugged her back, looking at the others over her head, mouthing 'help'. Smirking, Zach reached around the rest of the girls and took Kim's arm.
"Come on, Kimmie," he said. "Give everyone else a turn to beat on him."
Tommy glared at Zach as he pulled Kim away. She was still trying to get her tears under control.
"Talk about emotion," Xander muttered, shooting a smirk at Vida. "Glad you aren't like that."
Vida hit him as Kim glared at the young green ranger, his comment having been a little louder than intended. He got a few looks from some of the others, but they were still mostly focused on Tommy.
"I wish you would stop scaring us," Trini said, shaking her head as she gave him a hug.
"She's right," Aisha agreed, crossing her arms. "And when did you even get home? Last we knew you were still overseas in who-knows-what-country."
Tommy shrugged.
"I got home the day the girls were born," he answered, stifling a yawn. "So…A couple of weeks ago?"
"And you didn't tell us?" Kat frowned.
"Jason's job," Tommy said. "I've been a little busy."
Several looks were shot at Jason, but he just glared back. Mystic Force exchanged confused looks, but didn't interrupt. They were still hesitant as to where they stood with the originals at this moment.
"So when do we get to meet them, then?" Kat asked. "Can we come over when we're done here?"
Tommy grimaced, running a hand through his hair as he shook his head.
"I don't know, guys," he said. "The house is a mess, nothing has been done in weeks, both of us are fighting for sleep…"
He trailed off, yawning.
"I'm supposed to be home sleeping right now," he continued. "And the kids are supposed to be babysitting so we could get some sleep. Hayley is going to kill me when she finds out I left instead of going to bed…"
"Umm… Sorry to interrupt," Vida said. "But babysitting who? What girls are you talking about?"
The originals stopped talking, turning to look at her in surprise.
"My girls," Tommy frowned. "Didn't I—"
"Tommy, they still don't know," Jason interrupted, shaking his head. "Because they haven't had a civil conversation with either of us since before you knew about them."
"Right," Tommy nodded, rubbing a hand over his face. "Hayley and I just had twin girls."
Madison and Vida looked at him in shock.
"Are you serious?" Madison said.
He nodded, yawning again.
"I hope so," he mumbled. "Because otherwise someone is really messing with my head…"
"Pretty sure the lack of sleep is doing enough of that, Dr. O," Ethan said, grinning as the remaining three Dino Thunder rangers finally joined the group.
They had held back for a few minutes, letting Tommy's friends go first. Now they ducked through the crowd of rangers to stand with Tommy.
"When was the last time you slept, bro?" Jason frowned, looking at Tommy.
"Yesterday?" Tommy said hesitantly, clearly not sure of the answer.
But Conner, Kira, and Ethan shook their heads.
"Try four days ago," Kira corrected. "Fifteen minute naps don't count. You kept getting up every time one of the girls made a noise that even remotely sounded like crying."
Tommy ducked his head sheepishly as his friends frowned at him, but didn't try and argue.
"Falcon, go home," Jason said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Take the kids with you and get some sleep. We'll finish things up here and then head home. We can come by another day once you've had time to pull yourself back together."
"Yeah, that sounds good," Tommy muttered.
He started to walk back toward his ATV and then stopped, turning to look at Madison and Vida.
"It really is good to know you don't actually hate me," he said, smiling tentatively at them. "We'll have to catch up soon. I'd like to know what I've missed since that night."
The twins exchanged guilty looks and then both of them ran over to hug him, throwing their arms around Tommy from either side.
"We're sorry, Tommy," they said together, hugging him tightly.
"We really are," Madison said. "Please don't be mad at us… We were completely wrong about everything."
He hugged them back.
"Not everything," he said quietly. "But it's over now. So go make up with your brother and I'll talk to you both soon."
They both glanced at Jason before looking back at Tommy and nodding. Letting go, they moved back to stand with their friends as Dino Thunder started to follow Tommy.
"You might want this back, Dr. O," Conner said, holding out his hand.
"Thanks, Conner," Tommy said, taking his Dino morpher back and putting it on. "Any of you three going to yell at me?"
He'd been scolded by almost everyone else, so he looked at them expectantly, waiting for one of them to express how unhappy they were with what he had done. But they just exchanged looks.
"You know what you're doing," Conner finally said. "We don't have to like it all the time, but you know what you are doing."
Tommy raised an eyebrow.
"What?" Ethan said, shrugging. "You do. Or at least that's what you keep telling us."
"But if they had chosen differently," Kira said slowly, glancing over her shoulder at Mystic Force. "We can't promise they'd still be standing."
Conner and Ethan both nodded in agreement, their faces serious again.
"Guys, I told you—" Tommy started to say.
"Sorry, Dr. O," Conner interrupted, shaking his head. "But you told us not to interfere in what you were doing. If they had hurt you in any way—especially if they had used the coin—then their choice is made. Once that was over, we weren't held to a promise anymore. No one here would let it go unpunished."
Tommy grimaced, realizing he had forgotten to cover what they could do afterward in his promise. Running a hand through his hair, he sighed, glad Mystic Force had decided to trust him. Behind them, a few of the Mystic Force rangers were shaking their heads.
"There's no way the three of you could have taken us down," Xander said. "It's three on five—and we have our wands. You three wouldn't have stood a chance."
Frowning, the younger three Dino rangers turned to look at the green ranger. Jason groaned, looking at Tommy. But Tommy just shrugged, yawning again as he moved to sit on his ATV. He wasn't going to interfere until it got out of hand.
"Oh, we'd have had a chance," Conner scowled. "You wouldn't have known what hit you."
"Surprise is a wonderful thing," Kira added, smirking as she crossed her arms. "You'd be on the ground before we even touched you, and then it's all downhill from there."
"Yeah right," Xander scoffed, shaking his head.
Chip was looking back and forth between Dino Thunder and his team nervously.
"Uh, Xander?" he said. "I don't think—"
"We got this, Chip," Xander interrupted. "They've got nothing on us without the rest of their team, even if they don't want to admit it. We'd barely have to put in any effort."
Kira, Ethan, and Conner exchanged smug looks. Most of the older rangers were trying not to laugh at the predicament they young Mystic Force rangers were about to be in.
"Wanna bet?" Ethan grinned. "See who can drop who first? No one gets seriously hurt, of course. It'll all be in good fun."
"And what's the prize?" Nick asked suspiciously, shooting a look at Xander.
The green ranger shrugged sheepishly, but didn't back down.
"No prize," Conner said, shaking his head. "Just the knowledge that you won should be enough."
"Guys," Jason said, crossing his arms as he looked at Dino Thunder. "This isn't how we do things."
"Relax, Jason," Conner grinned. "We won't break them—much."
"Break us?" Vida said, shaking her head. "Not likely. But we don't need to prove ourselves to you, right boys?"
She shot a look at Xander and Nick, but both of them had taken affront to Conner's challenge.
"I say you show us what you can do first," Xander said. "See if it's worth the effort."
Conner glanced at Kira and she nodded.
"Alright," she said, smirking as she stepped forward. "Remember, you asked for this."
There was a sudden flurry of movement as she moved to face Mystic Force. All of the originals moved to make sure they were standing a ways behind her, leaving Ethan and Conner the only ones standing next to her.
"Hey, Tommy?" Zach said, poking at the sleepy ranger on his ATV. "Don't you think now would be a good time to say something?"
Tommy jerked, his head flying up. He'd been falling asleep. Seeing what was about to happen, he groaned and leapt back to his feet. But he didn't say anything, he just hurried toward the group of young rangers.
"You guys might want to move," Ethan said, warning the three mentors as Kira paused briefly.
They frowned, but as Kira started taking a deep breath they decided to take his advice and allow their students to deal with the consequences of the challenge on their own. The three disappeared from sight, deeming the small use of magic appropriate given the situation. Tommy, on the other hand, dove past his students as Kira finished drawing breath. As she let loose a shrill scream, he tackled Madison and Vida to the ground and covered them, kicking Chip's feet out from under him as they fell to get him out of the way.
The yellow ranger's sonic scream echoed through the open space surrounding the museum, but it was targeted straight toward Xander and Nick. Xander, standing in front, bore the brunt of it and dropped to his knees as he covered his ears in pain. Nick stumbled, but managed to catch himself before he fell as he stared at her in shock. Then, just as suddenly as it started, it was over. As the echoes of Kira's sonic scream faded away, Tommy let Madison and Vida back up and Daggeron, Leanbow, and Udonna reappeared. Chip scrambled back to his feet, a look of shock and awe on his face.
"How did you do that?" he exclaimed excitedly, looking at Kira.
She shrugged, smirking.
"Enhanced genetic ability," she answered. "We all have them. So what was that about being easy to take down?"
"What?" Xander half-shouted, still trying to get his bearings again.
Vida and Madison, now on their feet with Tommy's help, shook their heads. Reaching down, Vida hauled him to his feet.
"And next time you'll keep your mouth shut," she said, glaring at him.
"Nick, are you alright?" Madison asked, going to check on him.
"I think so," he muttered, shaking his head. "My ears are ringing…"
"It'll pass," Tommy assured him, stifling another yawn. "Just give it a while."
Nick nodded and Tommy turned to look at his teammates.
"If you three are done, can we go home now?" he asked, crossing his arms. "Before Hayley wakes up and realizes something is going on?"
"Ready when you are, Dr. O," Conner grinned. "See ya later, rookies."
Leaving the originals still shaking their heads and Nick and Xander trying to recover from the sonic scream, Tommy and the three younger rangers hopped on their cycles and ATVs. Waving a quick goodbye, they all hit the gas and sped out of sight. Once they were gone, Jason turned back to Mystic Force, crossing his arms.
"Now that Tommy and the pests are gone," he said. "There are a few things I want to clear up before we leave here today."
"Of course," Nick said, still rubbing his ears a little.
Feeling a little guilty over what had happened with Tommy now, he was ready to listen to whatever Jason had to say to them. Xander, on the other hand, was grimacing and shaking his head as he tried to get his hearing back. But, having experienced the consequences of being in front of Kira's sonic scream once in the past, he knew there was no point in waiting. The young green ranger would be hearing loud ringing for a while.
"We're listening, Jason," Madison said quietly, looking up at her brother.
He nodded, taking a breath and pausing before answering.
"I want to impress on all of you one last time the seriousness of what you have done," he said sternly. "This isn't a game. You should all know by now that misusing your given powers and abilities can lead to serious injury or—in extreme cases—death. If you don't, then you had better figure it out quick. As rangers, we are trusted with a Power most people will never have the chance to touch. You cannot abuse it or you become just like the people we fight against."
The young rangers, except Xander, nodded. Jason was trusting that his teammates would pass on the message once he could hear them clearly.
"Now, Tommy has determined this issue resolved and closed," Jason continued. "The five of you have made the decision to move past your mistakes and trust him—and the rest of us. As Tommy said, the issue is now closed. None of us will hold it against you any longer, and none of you should bring it up again. As far as we are concerned it's over and done with and we do not need to dwell on it any longer. However…"
He paused again, looking at each of them to make sure they were paying close attention. Xander's hearing appeared to be coming back because he didn't look confused anymore.
"I want this to be very clear," Jason said seriously. "Just because this particular incident is no longer a problem, doesn't mean you have a clean slate. You have been warned. So, if any of you ever pull anything like this again, do not expect the consequences to be so easy to handle. And remember this—Tommy may easily forgive something you have done to him, but if you hurt someone else like that he will be right there with us to deliver whatever punishment we deem fit for the situation. Do you understand?"
"Understood," Nick said firmly, nodding in agreement.
The other four echoed quickly, reaffirming Nick's answer. Satisfied with their answer, Jason took a deep breath and turned to look straight at Xander. His gaze sharpened as he glared at the young green ranger.
"And as for you," he growled. "If I ever hear of you using tactics like that against anyone ever again, you will find yourself cut off from the Morphing Grid and the Power so fast you won't even know what happened. There is never a time where something like that falls under the protection of the Code, no matter who escalates the situation. Understood?"
Xander frowned, confused again.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, clearly not on the same page as Jason.
Jason scowled at him.
"You know full well what I'm talking about," he snapped. "And this goes for all of you—trying to take an opponent down by wrapping something around their neck goes against everything we stand for. That is not and will never be how we work and I never want to see anything like that happen ever again. Got it?"
He was still glaring at Xander who was now stammering, trying to come up with a response. Xander's gaze flickered briefly to Madison, but he didn't say anything.
"Oh," Madison gasped, realizing what Jason was referring to. "Oh no…"
Frowning, he turned to look at her.
"Maddy, what's wrong?" he asked slowly.
She was shaking her head, one hand over her mouth as she struggled against tears.
"It wasn't Xander," she mumbled. "He didn't do it…"
"Didn't do what?" Jason said.
"Oh, honey," Tanya said quietly behind Jason. "Why did it have to be you?"
Jason froze, his head whipping around to look at Tanya in shock. He followed her gaze back to his sister and started shaking his head.
"No," he said in disbelief. "No. You wouldn't."
Eyes filled with tears, Madison looked up at her older brother.
"Jason, I'm sorry," she cried. "I didn't mean to. Everything just happened so fast and—"
"Do you understand what you did?" Jason demanded, breaking out of his moment of shock. "You almost killed him!"
"Jason—" she said.
"I don't want to hear it!" he shouted, clenching his fists. "One wrong move—do you know what could have happened? One wrong move and you could have snapped his neck! There would have been no calling for help, no saving him. And then you chased him through the woods—you hunted him with the intention of hurting him when you caught him!"
"Jason, please," Madison sobbed.
"No!" he snarled. "You have no idea what you've done. You of all people. Tommy would have died before he hurt a hair on your head—and you almost killed him!"
"Jason, stop!" Vida exclaimed. "This isn't nece—"
"Be quiet, Vida," Jason snapped. "I thought you knew better, Madison. But apparently I was wrong."
"Jason," Madison pleaded. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen…"
"But you did it, Madison!" he half-shouted. "Do you understand what that means? You almost killed Tommy!"
Madison was sobbing now, shaking her head in guilt as Jason shouted at her.
"Jason, we've all made mistakes," Trini said quietly, laying a hand on her husband's arm.
"Indeed," Udonna said as Vida wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulders. "Madison is young and she reacted on instinct. It is against Madison's nature to ever intentionally hurt someone in such a way."
"Udonna is right," Leanbow agreed. "Have none of you ever reacted wrongly or did something you later regretted when you were frightened for yourself or those you care about?"
Jason scowled, but didn't immediately answer.
"What they say is a valid point," Billy said quietly behind him. "We have all made mistakes in our time as rangers. Even you, Jason, cannot say you have never pushed the limits of the Code with your actions."
"Zach snorted.
"Of course he can't," he said. "None of us can, really."
Jason shot a look at Zach.
"What?" Zach said before he could say anything. "You can't. Remember all of the times you went head to head with the green ranger? Or how about nearly killing the punching bag at the gym while imagining Tommy's face on it? Although you didn't actually know it was him at the time so I guess you were just thinking of the person behind the helmet."
"Zach, enough," Jason growled.
"Or we can always use the Muranthias example," Zach continued, ignoring Jason's glare. "When you—"
"I was under a spell!" Jason snapped, dropping his arms. "I had no control over myself or my actions."
"Neither did I," Kim pointed out, crossing her arms. "But I managed to break out of it. You, on the other hand, nearly dropped yourself and Tommy into a lava pit before anyone could get through to you."
Vida and Madison both looked at their brother in surprise, the latter still trying to get her tears under control.
"You almost killed Tommy?" Vida said in disbelief, a touch of accusation in her voice.
Jason groaned, rubbing a hand over his face as he shot another glare at Zach and Kim.
"More times than any of us really care to remember," Zach answered, shaking his head. "And Tommy tried just as hard to kill him, too—at least for those first few months. Kind of hard to imagine, isn't it?"
They nodded, still staring at Jason. Madison was still sniffling and shaking a little, but she wasn't sobbing anymore.
"So don't let him make you feel too guilty," Zach continued. "I mean, it is kind of a family thing now. You know, going for the throat?"
Putting his hands up to his own neck in demonstration, Zach made choking noises. The young rangers now stared at him in confusion as Jason rounded on him.
"Knock it off!" he growled.
Zach quickly dropped his hands, scooting away from the irritated red ranger.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Vida frowned.
"That Maddy isn't the first one to try and strangle Tommy," Zach said, ducking behind Trini as Jason grabbed for him. "I wasn't there, but I heard all about it. Tommy had bruises around his neck for weeks—even with the new morpher."
Rocky snickered, nodding.
"You should have seen him scrambling to come up with a way to explain them to his mother," he said. "I don't remember what he came up with, but she was not happy about it."
"It was something to do with the seatbelt of his car, I think," Tanya said. "Though we're pretty sure she never really believed him. She just couldn't prove anything else. But that just meant she was even more paranoid—at least until he left for college."
"And then we started a whole new issue," Zach muttered.
"Shut up, Zach," Jason growled, trying to grab him again.
Zach dodged away, but fell silent.
"The point is, girls," Trini interrupted, returning the focus to the young rangers. "That we did a lot more damage to each other than you ever did. Looking back, sometimes I think we spent almost as much time fighting against each other because of one spell or another as we did fighting the bad guys."
"It was part of our struggle," Kim said, smiling faintly. "Seeing just how far we would go to stop the villains—even if it cost one of our own…"
She trailed off as her teammates nodded in agreement.
"So you tried to kill someone, too?" Madison asked in surprise, looking at Trini.
"Girl, we all tried to kill each other," Aisha laughed, shaking her head. "Or at least most of us. The only ones who weren't evil at all, even for just a few minutes, were myself and Justin. Everyone else had their turn."
They young Mystic Force rangers exchanged surprised looks.
"And we thought we had it bad," Xander commented, glancing over his shoulder at Leanbow. "At least we knew who to watch out for."
"True," Adam said, nodding. "There were days where we weren't sure who might have gotten caught up in the next plot to take over the world. That led to a lot of close calls."
The others exchanged looks, knowing exactly what he was talking about.
"Though the only ones who truly came close to dying were Jason, Tommy, and Kim," Tanya added. "Unless you count the day that ship nearly blew up with us on it…"
Adam and Kat both grimaced. Adam because of the memory of watching the ship blow up and thinking his friends were still on it. Kat, on the other hand, looked at Kim with a guilty expression.
"I am still so sorry about that," she said apologetically.
Kim smiled, shaking her head.
"Kat, you're fine," she said. "It wasn't your fault. Really. I don't hold that against you anymore than Tommy or Jason hold anything against each other. It happened, but we're well past that."
Kat smiled back, grateful for the reassurance. Madison, on the other hand, had turned back to Jason. He'd been silent for a few minutes now as the others spoke.
"Jason, I really am sorry…" she mumbled, dropping her gaze to the ground. "I never meant to hurt him…But when I saw him hit Nick I—I just reacted…I'm so sorry…"
Jason sighed and took a deep breath, rubbing a hand over his head.
"It's alright, Maddy," he said after a moment. "Much as I hate to admit it, they're right. And I know you never meant to hurt Tommy."
She looked up at him.
"The problem is," he said. "Is that I've always been the one protecting him—and everyone else—through everything. It was always my responsibility to make sure they were safe, even after I left, and I have worked harder than you know over the years to make sure they all stayed safe. And the thought that you, of all people, came that close to being the reason I failed…"
He trailed off, shaking his head.
"It's alright, big brother," Vida said. "You would do the same for us. Though I guess you have been all along. We just didn't realize it…"
He smiled faintly, nodding.
"So, if you're still not really mad at us," Chip said, looking at Jason. "I have a question."
Jason turned to look at the yellow ranger, raising an eyebrow..
"What's your question, kid?" he asked.
Chip hesitated for a moment and then took a deep breath, plowing forward.
"I know it was important from the way everyone reacted," he said. "But what was the big deal with the green coin? Could it really have killed Tommy?"
The mood turned somber again as Jason studied the young ranger.
"Yes," he said after a moment. "There's a reason he's never entrusted that coin willingly to anyone outside of a select few rangers—and Hayley. It's not that he doesn't trust all of us, but whoever has possession of that coin is literally holding his life in their hands. Ever since high school he doesn't like not knowing where it is or who has it."
"But how could something like that kill him?" Nick asked, frowning.
"That coin holds all that is left of the green ranger powers," Jason explained. "And those powers, due to circumstances beyond any of our control, are now tied directly to Tommy's lifeforce. That means any time he uses that coin he uses his own energy."
"So if we were to drain it like he said…" Vida said slowly.
"It would completely drain his lifeforce and kill him," Jason said grimly.
"Then why would he ever use it?" Madison exclaimed in horror.
Jason sighed.
"He doesn't usually," he said. "But he is able to use it in short bursts. The problem is that the power drains faster than it can recover. Even just using that power for a couple of hours can mean months of recovery for him. It's not something we take lightly."
Behind Mystic Force, their mentors were exchanging glances.
"It truly was a test, then," Leanbow said, looking to his students. "One that, had you failed, would have held serious consequences."
They nodded, still all a little surprised just how easily they could have hurt Tommy.
"But why would he trust us with that kind of decision after what we did to him?" Nick asked in disbelief. "I mean—I almost…"
He trailed off, shaking his head.
"Now you understand why we were all so worried," Kat said. "Us and Dino Thunder. They may have hid it a little better, but if you had hurt Tommy they would have retaliated in any way they could have without breaking their word to him."
"And the rest of us, not to mention a large portion of the rest of the ranger network, would have been right behind them," Jason stated. "So keep that in mind going forward. As rangers, you are part of a growing network of people whose purpose is to protect others. And, while citizens and the innocent will always come first, we will always protect our own at any cost to ourselves. Just ask Tommy."
"I will never do anything like I did ever again, Jason," Madison said. "I promise."
He smiled, nodding.
"I know," he said. "Just—"
He was interrupted by a small flash of light that made all the originals jump because it wasn't a teleporter flash like the one that accompanied the Space Rangers. A few of them jerked hands toward morphers out of instinct but they stopped themselves. A young woman was now standing with the Mystic Force team, wringing her hands as she looked at Udonna, Leanbow, and Daggeron.
"Clare?" Udonna said in surprise. "Why have you come?"
"I'm so sorry, Udonna," Clare exclaimed. "I know you said you were going to be busy but—well, I have a bit of a problem…"
Udonna glanced to Jason for a moment, but he just waited with his arms crossed. He knew who Clare was, so he wasn't too concerned. Turning her attention back to Clare, Udonna waited for an explanation.
"Come, child," she said reassuringly. "What has happened?"
"Well…" Clare said hesitantly. "I may have accidentally released something from Rootcore that probably shouldn't have been let out…"
"What did you release?" Daggeron frowned.
"I'm not exactly sure," she mumbled. "But it was some kind of beast and it's huge and scary and it's terrorizing one of the villages… And I can't stop it on my own…"
Leanbow, Daggeron, and Udonna exchanged looks.
"I really didn't mean to let it out," Clare quickly added. "I was looking for something in the cupboard and I didn't realize the box was spelled shut so I opened it and it got out and I'm sorry but I need help getting it back in the box…"
Several of the originals snickered, shaking their heads. Clare spun in surprise, not having realized there were more people standing there.
"Oh," she said, seeing Jason watching her. "Umm… Hi."
"Hi," he said in response.
"Jason, right?" she said nervously. "So, where's your friend today?"
"Tommy?" Jason frowned. "He's at home. Probably sleeping."
Her eyes widened as she glanced around in the bright sunlight.
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "He's not still having trouble with that spell, is he?"
Jason shook his head, scowling at her now.
"Not anymore," he said shortly.
Clare breathed a sigh of relief, though she did still look nervous with Jason watching her.
"That's good," she said. "Because Mystic Mother didn't say anything about that when she spoke to me about it. She said she could sense my magic around him, but she never said anything about it being actively affecting him."
"What?" Jason said, not sure what she was talking about.
"Mystic Mother asked about my spell," Clare said hesitantly. "She just wanted to know what I had done. But she told me she fixed everything when she visited him just after Christmas."
"Visited Tommy?" Jason frowned. "Just who is she and why would she be visiting him?"
Clare hesitated again, not sure how to answer.
"You would know her as Rita," Udonna clarified. "She is the source of Mystic Force's magic."
There was a brief moment of silence as all of the originals processed what Udonna had just said. Then there was a loud and sudden uproar as all of them started demanding to know what was going on. Clare froze, not knowing what to do. Jason, trying to be heard over the rest of the rangers, finally got fed up with the noise.
"Enough!" he roared, rounding on his friends and teammates. "Everyone stop talking so I can find out what's going on!"
As everyone fell silent, he spun back to look at Clare.
"I need to know what is going on right now," he snapped, taking a step forward with his gaze fixed on Clare. "What happened?"
Squeaking in fright, she ducked behind Daggeron.
"I don't know," she stammered, poking her head back out. "All I know is she went to visit him not long after Christmas because there was something she needed to do… She only asked about my spell because she felt it when she cast hers and—"
"She did what?" Jason snarled. "What kind of spell?"
"I don't know!" she cried, shaking her head. "Mystic Mother didn't explain everything to me. She said she had something to say to her green ranger…"
"And he said nothing," Jason hissed, shaking his head and spinning back to the other rangers.
They were all tense and waiting, ready to move the moment he said something.
"Let's move," Jason ordered. "The tunnels back to the house. Come on."
Without saying another word to any of Mystic Force, Jason took off toward the forest with the rest of the rangers following. For a moment they just watched the originals go.
"Umm… Where are they going?" Chip finally said as the other rangers disappeared into the trees.
Madison and Vida exchanged looks. They knew that look, no matter what the actual cause was.
"To kill Tommy," they sighed.
"We'd better go after him," Madison said, glancing at her teammates. "I don't think he's thinking clearly right now… I may not know what the problem is exactly, but he is not happy…"
Vida nodded in agreement.
"But what about the thing Clare let out," Xander pointed out. "We can't just let it terrorize the village."
Nick frowned, glancing between Clare and the woods where the rangers had disappeared. He wanted to follow after the rangers like Madison and Vida said, but at the same time he couldn't just let the beast issue go.
"Go after them, Bowen," Leanbow said, catching his son's look. "Daggeron and I will handle the beast. If we need you we will call you."
"Alright," Nick nodded. "Guys, let's go."
He jerked his head toward the trees. Following the lead of their red, the rest of the young Mystic Force rangers took off after him. Their mentors, on the other hand, went with Clare to deal with whatever she had unintentionally set loose in the magical realm.
