Outdoors Angel Grove Lake:
The red ranger slowly removed his helmet and kneeled by the dirt pile mound of stone and rock that had been placed so very delicately. His armor began to fade away, taking his power morpher and placing it inside his uniform. Gently he placed a picture of Tommy and himself resting it against the tombstone their arms wrapped around each other's backs smiles on their faces. Jason stood over the burial mound of Tommy and slowly rose to his feet looking down at all that remained of his brother. Trini slowly approached him and rubbed his shoulder kissing his cheek from behind. The funeral of Tommy was brief, a short dedication to a man who murdered, raped and killed. This was where Tommy's path of destruction had finally brought him, yet Jason couldn't help but feel that this was everyone's final destination. Death, to Jason, was simply the wages of sin, everyone in his eyes owed God a death, and as a Christian, Jason knew that all the wrath and horror Tommy had created was not enough to condemn him to hell, for in his last moments Tommy repented to God. Wherever Tommy was now, it was in God's hands.
A funeral for a tyrant, if there ever was such a thing. Three rangers buried a fourth, for in those hallowed grounds only Billy and Trini joined Jason. Jason shook his head and peered around him, no one else came to say goodbye to Tommy, but how could Jason expect anyone else to come? Kimberly's parents were killed by Tommy, Zach hated him, Alpha had lost a head to him, Boi suffered three months of torture to him and Trini… Trini seemed only to be there for Jason. Forgiveness was a funny thing, as a Christian Jason could forgive, he knew he had every right to hate his brother, but he also knew that hate would only consume him in the end like it did Tommy.
"Are you alright Jason?" Trini whispered in his ear.
"No…" he whispered back to her. "I'm not…"
"He had potential." Billy stated bowing his head.
Billy… Jason thought to himself, Billy had come, but why? Of all the rangers Billy was voice of reason, the straight arrow that seemed to be the man behind the scenes holding it all together. He had warned Jason about Kimberly, he urged Jason on in his darker moments and was the first ranger to except Tommy's assistance in the battle against Zedd. And even now, when all the other rangers refused to join Jason, Billy was there. Was it his age that made Billy so wise? Was it something else? Jason could not say, but to him Billy had been a very good friend someone always there for him.
"He did." Jason replied turning to Billy and shaking his hand. "You did not have to come William."
"I know." Billy responded. "He was a monster."
"Even I won't deny that." Agreed Jason
"But he was your brother too. It's not your fault Jason." Billy answered.
Jason shook his head holding on to Trini's hand. "I don't blame myself. I'm not that kind of man to beat myself up for things outside my control. I loved my brother, but last night I did not lose any sleep. I don't know why… shouldn't I have? I can't help but think if that makes me cold hearted."
"I don't know." Billy replied. "Death is a strange spirit. It affects us all differently."
"What do we do now?" Trini asked rejoining the conversation. "Is it over?"
Jason suddenly shook his head and pointed into the city again. "Do you see that tower Trini," he asked softly.
Trini gazed and saw what remained of Zedd's palace; its height looking so small from that distance. "Yes" she replied.
"So long as that's there we fight." Jason nodded.
"But who do we fight now?" She asked again. "With Zed gone, what more is there?"
"There's only one person that I can see taking over," Billy deduced.
"Rita…" Jason added.
"Yes" the blue ranger nodded.
"She's not Zedd Jason. Not as powerful, not as strong. We could take her out now, and end it all!" Trini firmly stated clinching her fist.
"I don't know about that," countered Jason. "If I was her, I wouldn't be stupid enough to engage us directly. I'd be looking for back up."
"What kind of back up?" asked Billy
"That's what scares me."
Command Center 2: Command Deck:
Kimberly, Boi, Zach and Alpha stood around the gold and green morpher looking idly on at it. This tiny morpher was all that remained of Tommy's green rangers powers entrusted to Jason to take the power for himself and use it against any evil that remained. But unlike Jason, the other rangers did not desire to have a give Tommy any sort of farewell, Tommy had hurt them all, and even looking at the morpher made them sick. It was not a lack of forgiveness that made the rangers refuse to join the funeral of Tommy, in time, they would all forgive him; rather it was a sense of uncomfort. Tommy had hurt them all, he killed, raped, to forgive was one thing, to say goodbye was an entirely different matter.
But here they were, four rangers and a single morpher, its golden boarder around shinning for them. Yet the power morpher did not glow, it lay dormant, unmovable. Normally a morpher would choose a new champion, or revert to Jason as the original universe had intended, but this was not the case.
"It's not glowing." Zach sighed leaning back his arms crossed.
"I don't understand why we're even wasting our time guarding this thing," said Kimberly "I say we burn the thing."
"Don't act so naïve you know very well why we are guarding it," Boi addressed. "With Tommy dead we can use his powers as our own."
"Jason's suppose to wield both powers. Combined he will be undefeatable." Zach replied.
"So what's the problem then?" asked Kimberly. "Why doesn't this damn thing except him?"
"I don't know, maybe there's something we're missing," commented Alpha.
"And what might that be?" spoke Boi in frustration
"Who knows? Look, we guard it alright, day and night if we have to. At the very least we keep it out of Zedd's forces reach."
"I still don't see a danger anymore. With Zedd gone who will we fight?" asked Kimberly in passive tone.
"Rita." Answered Jason as he reentered the command center. "We fight Rita."
"Jason, you're back," called Zach.
"Yea, I am."
As Jason, Trini and Billy made their way into the command center the other rangers began to move away from the morpher and allowed Jason to wield it again. Tommy's morpher felt cold in his hand, the cool metallic surface of the device reminded him of how dead his brother truly was. He began to feel sadden again by the idea, Tommy, the man he could not save. "Anything new to report?"
Alpha turned to the computer monitors and projected images of the city on both holographic screens and the viewing globe. "No activity from the Tower. Our recon units have been scouring the city, no sign of enemy activity."
"I see…" said Jason
"Looks like Zedd's forces are in full retreat. We having seen it this good in…" Zach gave a short pause "Hell, we've never seen it this good Jason. Taking out Tommy and Zedd… I mean the death of Tommy and killing of Zedd… seems to have put them on the defensive."
Jason suddenly looked at Zach with eyes of resentment with his comments, but refocus on the problem at hand. "Rita's not out of it yet. She's regrouping, gathering her strength."
"I say we take her out now!" Demanded Kimberly
"We can't," Trini interjected. "We're not at full strength, and we don't know enough of what's going on to launch any real assault."
"We are at full strength. I see six rangers all ready to fight!" Kimberly replied with a slipping her fist to her hand.
"What about the green morpher Kimberly? What about the Dragonzord?" Billy asked
"Are you serious?" Boi countered "We took out Zedd with just six rangers, what makes you believe we will need seven to face Rita? No, we don't need anyone to wield that green ranger weapon!"
"It was my brother's last request that we use his powers against Zedd's forces." Jason suddenly spoke
"So what?" Kimberly countered shrugging her shoulders.
Jason shot a quick look of anger to the young ranger. "Excuse me?!"
"Jason!" Trini suddenly warned seeing the anger in him build.
Zach stepped forward coming to Kimberly's defense. "He might have been your brother Jason, but Tommy was a mass murdering psycho! He killed Kimberly's parents!"
"And you don't seem to care about that fact!" Kimberly began to state in anger.
"It would be hard to ask anyone of us or anyone for that matter, to carry his powers with us…" Trini sighed
"My brother is dead…" Jason spoke sternly
"My parents are dead…" Kimberly countered
Billy quickly saw the tension building in the room and held his hands up blocking Jason from Kimberly. "Okay, okay, let's all calm down here before we say or do something we regret."
"Billy's right everyone." Trini agreed "We're friends, and we can all agree on two things, first, we're a team, the power rangers, and second, we know who the enemy really is, and it's not each other… or Tommy… not anymore."
"He killed my family Trini!"
"And he's dead now Kim!" Billy said with a slight raise in his voice. "What more do you want; to piss on his grave? You may have lost your family, but so did Jason. Everyone has been hurt here, everyone! And there is only one way to save what semblance of a world we have left, and that is to fight Rita not each other…"
There was a pause, no one spoke, and a dreadful silence filled the air. Finally Boi began to speak. "It's my fault…"
"What?" Jason asked.
Boi swallowed hard, his heart began to race at his confession. "It's my fault Tommy's dead…"
"It's not your fault Boi, Zedd killed my brother. You can't blame yourself for that." Jason defended
"No," Boi said shaking his head. "No I killed him Jason. It was my fault he died."
"What are you talking about?" Jason asked suddenly walking up to Boi very slowly. "You couldn't have killed him. I was there."
"Yes, Zedd killed your brother, but it might as well have been me that held the sword."
The other rangers began to clear a path for Jason as he approached Boi. "What are you saying Boi?"
"I freed Zedd… it was my fault you escaped…"
Jason's eyes suddenly built up in anger, rage started to fill his mind. "You set him free… after I told you not to do it? After I deliberately told you not to do it!?"
Boi looked around at the other rangers, Jason stood in front of him his eyes peering into his soul. Boi began to look back at Jason with equal intensity beginning to stand up for what he had done. "You're brother was a monster… he killed Trini's grandfather, Kimberly's parents, tortured me, I saw him rape women Jason, right in front of me… I saw it all… do you think you could have forgiven him if you saw what I did?"
Without warning Jason gripped his fist and screamed at the top of his lungs at Boi. "I AM A CHRISTIAN, YOU FUCKING MORON! OF COURSE I WOULD HAVE FORGIVEN HIM! HE WAS MY BROTHER! I WOULD HAVE FORGIVEN HIM IF IT WERE MY PARENTS, MY FAMILY! YOU THINK YOU WERE THE ONLY ONE TORTURED BY HIM?! I WAS TORURED EVERY DAY WITH THE MEMORY OF HIM! HE SLICED MY FACE OPEN AND GAVE ME THESE SCARS! YOU THINK YOU WERE THE ONLY ONE HE STOLE FROM?! DO YOU?! I WOULD HAVE FORGIVEN HIM FOR FAR MORE THAN THAT! FAR MORE!"
"FUCK YOU!" Boi shot back in equal rage. "FUCK YOU AND FUCK TOMMY!" The other rangers jumped back from Boi's frightful statements, even Trini and Kimberly gripped their mouths. "I'M GLAD HE'S FUCKING DEAD, GLAD! HE WAS A PIECE OF SHIT, AND HE'S PROBABLY BURNING IN HELL TOO!"
"Boi…" Trini suddenly spoke trying to gain his attention. "Stop it!"
"FUCK TOMMY! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I SAW! YOU DON'T GET TO TELL ME HOW WRONG I AM! AND YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT THINKS IT TOO! EVERYONE HERE IS GLAD TOMMY'S DEAD, EVERYONE!"
"Boi stop it! That's enough!" Billy warned
"IT'S TRUE ISN'T IT KIM? TELL ME I'M WRONG ZACH? TELL ME ALPHA?" Boi looked around at the other rangers as he spoke, then began to bring his tone down. "Am I wrong?" he asked shrugging his shoulders. "Am I? No one went to that shit bag's funeral, and no one wanted to Jason. I made sure he died! Made sure of it!"
"Enough!" Billy began to shout
"Fuck Tommy, Jason… fuck Tommy!"
Jason gripped his fist and started to come up to Boi sharply preparing to swing. The red ranger was ready to strike but as he raised his fist he felt the sudden jolt of his body being pushed out of the way. Jason would have landed a perfect shot at Boi, but it was Billy's fist that struck his mark first. Billy came down with a thunderous swing that landed straight at Boi's jaw knocking him to the floor. The other rangers gasped at Billy's actions including Jason who felt dumbfounded at what had just occurred.
Billy looked over Boi who gazed back at him, a small spurt of blood coming from his busted lip. Boi shook his head at Billy who began to speak very sternly at Boi. "I said that's enough…"
"Billy…" Jason spoke softly.
"I'm sorry, everyone…" Billy stated breathing deep. "I just didn't want things to get crazy, I felt that was the only way to do it."
Boi began to stand up shaking his head at all the other rangers. "You think it's so easy don't you?" He asked them, looking at them all one at a time meeting their eyes. "All five of you. You look at me like I don't belong with you. Well guess what, I don't belong! I am Boi Haiachi, Japanese… I don't know what universe you come from, but I know it's not mine! So where does that put me? You all want to go back to your universe? Well guess what, so do I! Only my universe isn't yours! Tommy's the only one from us that belonged in my universe, Burai… and ever since he revealed that fact I can remember more and more from where I came from, and you know what? It's not you're universe at all! So how do you think I feel among you Americans? You make your universe was the only one out there, but guess what, it wasn't! So, where does that put me? Where does that put me when all you end up going back home? You… power rangers… ha…" Boi suddenly began to sigh. "It's that I don't want us to win… it's just that I don't know where it will put me at the end of it…" again Boi gave pause before shaking his head and walking away. "I'm out of here…"
The other rangers stood silent as Boi left the command deck taking his leave. What had been going on? Who was truly occurring? How big was this universal disaster really? Only time would reveal that.
The Palace:
Rita looked at King Sphinx who held up a scroll reading off a list of all the forces she had left. It had only been two days since Zedd had died and the Empress of Evil was wasting no time regrouping her forces now. It was not hard to convince all the monsters and demons of Zedd's army to join her, in a short night the power rangers had rid the world of two of the biggest threats to the planet, both Zedd and Tommy. Now the forces that were once loyal to Tommy were swearing allegiance to her, gathering what forces remained she prepared.
"Legion 1-21, five thousand strong, one thousand unaccounted for. Legion 2-25, three thousand found, three thousand unaccounted for. Legion 6-26, four thousand found two thousand unaccounted for. Legion 7-38, one thousand found, FIVE thousand unaccounted for!" The Sphinx called out, flagging its large wings and staff in it's hand.
Rita rubbed her chin as she sat on the throne of Zedd. "And Golddar? What word have you heard?"
The Sphinx turned his jackal head with his Egyptian head dress pausing before he spoke. "Still missing Empress…"
Rita's fist slammed against the throne her eyes lit up. "DAMN! Fucking cowards the lot of them! Deserting at the first sign of trouble the rangers throw our way!" Rita glared at what remained of her subjects and hissed. She thought a moment, she needed reinforcements, she needed more monsters, demons that would be loyal to her. Rita knew of one demon who could forge her, her beasts, a demon potter who could carve her all the forces she needed. "Pleprechuan! Pleprechuan! Get your sorry ass in here now!"
An old humble monster began to pace quickly to her side, a demon with white leprechaun like features, white skin, glasses, an apron made of blue fabric. "Yes my queen, yes my queen." The old monster bowed his long elf-like ears sticking out. "How may I serve?"
Rita smiled at the white beast and hissed at him again. "It's about time you showed up."
"I am so, so, sorry my Empress. I was in my forging room, carving out dozens of monsters. Granted Zedd never allowed me to use my creations, but now that you are ruler I am sure my monster can be put to good use, why just now I was…"
"Oh do shut up you Finster or demons! Listen to me!"
"Yes my Empress." The old demon bowed.
"Tommy and Zedd's deaths have sent shockwaves around our forces. Thousands of cyber putties have turned to banditry or worse have deserted with that golden coward Golddar! Do you understand what I am saying?" Rita asked looking at the monster. Pleprechuan shook his head very quickly in half fear. "We are losing this war." Rita grit her teeth as she spoke. "I sided with Tommy because I believed he would bring us victory over the rangers, I married Zedd because I believed he could conquer the entire universe, and he failed! I should have never been so naïve as to think that anyone other than me could lead the Empire of Evil into victory other than myself! But alas, we are down half our forces. Human resistance fighters have been leading strikes on us all across the globe, and what's worse is that they have been succeeding…"
"Without Zedd, or Tommy things have gone from bad to an astounding worse!" King Sphinx added.
"We need a plan of attack!" admitted Rita.
"What would you suggest my Empress," asked Pleprechuan?
"We have to fall back and regroup. The rangers are sure to attack us again, and without an army to defend us we are sure to fail." Explained Rita
"Surely the thousands of Cyber Putties we have left are enough Empress," countered the little old demon.
"Cyber Putties? HA! More like walking clowns! The rangers have slaughtered millions of them, what makes you think a few thousand could stop their advance? The Cyber Putties have barley been able to hold the line here against normal humans! Face the facts my loyal subjects, the power rangers are winning!"
"Then what are we to do my Empress?" asked the Sphinx
"I need back up. Pleprechuan Finster, how many of your demonic clay putties have you created?" Rita inquired.
"In the last months I have created over 6 thousand, 7 hundred. But my real prizes are my monsters I have created, The Eye-Guy, Madam Woe, The Terror Toad, The Genie, and many, many, many, more like them my Empress. All loyal to you if you so desire it." Answered Pleprechuan.
"Yes… begin immediately! And take as many Cyber Putties as you need to make more. If the rangers are to attack, they will soon learn the name of Rita Repulssa!"
"My Empress, monsters and Putties are all well and good, but what more can we bring against the Rangers?" asked King Sphinx
Rita leaned back against the throne and smiled to herself. "That is easy. No more playing games with the power rangers, no more tricks, no more schemes… I will call upon my true husband, my true master… DaiSatan Lokar…"
"Empress…" King Sphinx trembled at the name. "You can't be serious… not even Zedd dared to venture to call upon him… Lokar is… is…"
"The true ruler… the first Emperor… and together we shall create a new tower of Babal!"
Command Center 2: Jason and Trini's Quarters:
Trini slept quietly and soundly, her sighs gentle as she dreamed. Then suddenly she jolted up from her sleep. Visions began to play in her head, the view of her grandfather dying, visions of her mother being blow from her door, a bolt of lightning striking her to the ground. She saw herself battling, her yellow armor on surrounded by hundreds of Zedd forces. Then suddenly another yellow warrior came to her side fighting with her. Who was this? Another yellow ranger? Then incredibly two more yellow rangers came before her, one looking like a male yellow ranger, the other a female.
In front of her, thousand of putties, some made of metal, some seemed to be only in spandex, some with robotic insides, and some in silver with large Zs on their chests. More putties came, wielding weapons. "Get Trini to the power chamber now!" Jason began to yell. "Go Trini!"
Trini nodded at Jason turning around and running into a large spire, a giant demonic head floated in the sky. Explosions ripped behind her, she dove inside the tower. She rolled to the ground inside the tower. A yellow ranger held out his hand and lifted her to her feet. "You alright?" the warrior asked.
Strange… it was not the voice of Boi…
"I'm fine…" Trini replied.
"Looks like your shield took quite a hit huh green ranger?" the yellow warrior asked.
"My shield?" Trini paused looking down… suddenly she realized what type of armor she had on…
Trini's eyes shot open she violently awoke from her sleep. "ZORDON!" She called out snapping out of her vision in bed.
Trini breathed heavily, sweat poured from her head. She turned to find Jason at her side, he had not awakened. "Just a dream…" she whispered to herself. "Just a dream…"
Trini might have fallen back to sleep just as easily as she had awoken were it not for the glowing light in the other room. She leaned off the bed and stood to her feet, walking toward the light. She shook her head wondering what she was seeing. What was it, she thought to herself? Slowly she walked toward the flashing light, it's green color becoming clearer to her. Tommy's morpher… it was glowing! She walked closer to it, her heart began to race. Gently she lifted the morpher, it's glow began to shine 10 times brighter!
"AAAAYYYY!"
The scream woke Jason from his sleep. TRINI! He leaped out of bed and ran to the other room. Green Energy glowed all around, Jason stood in shock at what he was seeing. "Trini…" he uttered in amazement.
Trini's hands were shaking, the green armor formed all around her. She began to look up at Jason. "It chose me…" she uttered in fear. "It chose me…"
"Oh my God…" Jason whispered. "Trini…"
"I don't want it Jason… Tommy killed my grandfather… I don't… I don't want to be the green ranger…"
Author's Notes: First let me apologize for the late post, I had a lot to think about as to who I wanted to become the Green Ranger, but I finally decided to have Trini wield the powers, making this decision was not easy which is why I posted so late. Trini being the green ranger is what I originally intended, and I felt changing the plan in my head now would give away some of my incredible surprise ending for this story. So let me just say that, the true Tommy of this universe will be revealed later. Next: The Green Ranger Returns!
