*******************Billy, Kim, Adam and Justin's room********************
"Trini dont't go! Trini!" Kimberly shouted, sitting up in bed. Her chest heaved with deep breaths of sorrow. Tears dripped from her eyes. For a second she had no idea where she was and felt panic rise into her heart but a moment later she heard Billy's soft snoring. Looking next to her she saw his form, still sleeping soundly.
New beds? When had that happened? Kimberly ran a hand through her hair. She tried to remember what happened before now but it was all a blur. All but that dream. Had it been real? It had felt so real. Taking a moment to steady her nerves, Kimberly looked around. The room seemed cleaned up to and there was a pink bed across the way and... Kimberly almost let out a scream of fright at Justin was also sitting up, and just staring at her quietly.
"You scared me." Kim whispered softly across the room to the boy. "I'm sorry if I woke you."
Justin took that as permission to slip out from under the blankets where he had been sleeping next to Adam. "Are you okay Kim?" He whispered back approaching about halfway to the blue bed.
Kimberly nodded and also got out of bed, careful not to wake Billy. "Yeah, I just had a bad dream. You can go back to sleep. I think I might just read for a bit or something."
"Not really sleepy. I took a nap earlier. Are you feeling better?" Justin asked.
Kimberly looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"You had to go to the monster doctor. Adam said you got hurt on earth. When you came back you were acting really weird."
Kimberly shook her head. "I don't remember any of that. Weird how?" She tried to keep the worry out of her voice.
"You were... what did Adam call it... high as a kite? I heard Goldar say something about dragon skin."
"So basically I was a silly dork?"
"Yes." Justin grinned at her and Kimberly couldn't hep it, she laughed.
Billy snorted and rolled over so she quickly hushed herself.
Justin took her hand and pulled her slightly away from the beds. "Are you hungry? There are some sandwiches left in the basket and the putties brought some chocolate. Adam said we needed to wait for you to wake up before eating dessert."
"Adam's pretty nice, isn't he?" Kim asked, taking a simple sandwich of peanut butter and jam out of the leftovers.
Justin's head nodded enthusiastically. "He's he best! He protected me and helped make sure I was safe and..." the boy's smiled dropped.
Kimberly didn't want to push but. "And..."
Justin looked like he was about to cry. "Adam's so good he... didn't make me ever do anything gross for food."
Something about how he said that raised warning flags in Kim's mind but she pushed the feeling away. "I'm up now, so how about we have some chocolate? We can save some for Adam and Billy."
Justin beamed. "Okay!"
So the duo sat on the practice mats, careful to keep there voices down, as Kimberly ate her sandwich and they both nibbled a bit on chocolate. Justin chatted happily, filing the silence around them. Kimberly could see a lot of herself in this kid. Growing up she had been very similar in wanting to fill the silence with chatter. She had to, the house was always filled with either fighting, or after her dad left, with her mother's many boyfriends. It had been so uncomfortable, so she had talked and chattered, to keep the silence from suffocating her.
At least with Billy she had never felt that way. She could be quiet and just read while he worked, and when Jason, Zack and Trini came into there lives it was the most wonderful day. Kimberly never had to be 'on' with her friends. She could be her real self. Sure they argued sometimes, and didn't always agree but they always made up.
Kimberly felt a tear roll down her cheek. The thought of her friends and the dream she just had. It was all a bit too much.
Justin stopped taking. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing really. Just thinking about my friends. Trini was in my dream last night and I miss her so much. I miss them all so much."
"Maybe they're here? Like in the slave caves or maybe the kitchens? Or maybe they are safe on earth." Justin offered.
Kimberly shook her head. "No, they were the other rangers. They're... gone now. If only we had been able to morph."
Morph! Kimberly's eyes went wide as she thought back to the fight that sealed there fates. The gold dust hit her and she was starting to fall, Jason called her name but... Tommy had just arrived and he had been morphed! She was sure of it.
Kimberly got to her feet and dashed to Billy, roughly shaking his shoulder. "Billy! Billy! Wake up!"
"Huh..Wha?" Billy struggled to consciousness
"Can we morph?"
"What Kim?" Billy needed her to repeat that, because it sounded so strange to hear.
"Can we morph?"
********************* Zedd's chambers**********************************
Zedd sat upon his throne in thought. There were still options. He had sent Finster to begin making as many new monsters as possible. While there was no chance of winning a war if Dark Spector were to go against him. Having monsters on his side, created after Rita left, would be of some value in any divorce proceedings.
And it needed to be monsters, not just minions like putties. Which the castle was still lacking in number of. It was making the whole process of doing anything so much slower. Without putties beating the slaves, the amount of crystals being mined was lower than normal. Crystals that made his life giving liquid. Without a fresh dose everyday. Zedd would have to retried to his chambers to sleep and that could not happen. Not right now! Not with the risk of a power ranger beating down his door.
Tommy Oliver, a curse be on his name! How that human had been able to not only escape but find help from Ninjor, Zedd would never know. That blue goody goody hadn't left his temple in eons but one human shows up and he just gives him new powers! At least Zedd knew there could only be one ranger. After all where would Tommy have found any others? Zedd smirked, and there would never be another Blue or Pink ranger. Not while he still breathed.
Kimberly was his, Billy was his and Zedd had no intention of ever letting them go. While it was true Kimberly wasn't controlled yet, Billy would never be free, not with a taste of darkness flowing through him from Serpentera. Giving the ex blue ranger full access had been one of his better plans. The more Billy worked, the more addicted he would become.
Perhaps it was time for a little chat with Billy.
His future nightmare ranger.
*********************Billy, Kim, Adam and Justin's room********************
"Morph?" Billy blinked at his best friend. "Kim we can't morph."
"Are you sure? Have you checked or tried?"
"Well no but... the morphing grid was broken. That's how..." Billy trailed off, aware now that Justin and Adam were awake too.
Kimberly shook her head. "Its fuzzy but when Tommy showed up. He was morphed. I know he was. Maybe the grid failure was like temporary."
Billy got out of bed. "Even if that's true Kim, do you think Zedd wouldn't have taken our powers away?"
"What's a morph?" Justin asked.
"It's how we become power rangers." Kimberly supplied.
"And you haven't thought to try till now?" Adam asked.
Billy looked darkly at Adam. "If you knew what we've been though to survive, you wouldn't think to try either."
Adam felt the change in Billy and protectively, without realizing it, took a step in front of Justin.
Kimberly didn't notice anything. "Please Billy, it couldn't hurt to try."
Billy couldn't stop the slight growl in his throat. "Of course it could! What if it works? WE don't have a plan of escape and Zedd sure as HELL would be aware that we morphed! Do you want to be punished Kim? Have Zedd take you like he does the harem girls!"
Kimberly took a step back. "B...Billy... I'm sorry..."
Adam was between them, blocking Kimberly from Billy. "It was just a thought. There's no need to yell at her."
"Keep out of this slave." The words were so cold and so bitter that Billy blinked. Had he just said that? "Adam... I'm sorry. I don't know what's got into me." He sat on the bed, putting his head in his hands. "What is wrong with me? Kim, I'm sorry. Trying to morph. Its a good idea but not right now. We might be able to teleport away but.. we wouldn't be able to take anyone else with us."
Kimberly nodded, swallowing down the lump of fear. She had never been afraid of Billy before. "Yeah, and we couldn't beat Zedd, not with just the two of us. Powers or no powers."
"If I can get Serpentera operational we can beat Zedd, power or no powers, or at least escape." Billy said, as he saw the distrust in Adam's eyes and the fear in Kimberly's.
And guilt chewed at his heart.