Jason ran a hand across the forehead of Kimberly's still body as she lied on a table hooked to many devices and wires. He glanced his eye down to her chest relieved to see it moving rhythmically up and down. He moved his eyes over to the table next to her to see Zack looking very much like her. He closed his eyes.
"Any change Alpha?" Jason asked opening his eyes to look across the room at Alpha who was reading some results from a machine connected to Trini. Alpha turned to him.
"No change," Alpha grimly responded.
Jason hung his head and focused his eyes on Kimberly again. He felt an angry outburst coming on but it was halted by a hand on his shoulder. Jason turned to see Tommy looking at him, sympathy all over his expression.
"Hey man," Tommy greeted him. "I know that look... but you got to have faith that they are gonna come around."
Jason stared at him blankly for a moment. His body was nearly vibrating with emotions. He shook his head.
"I..." Jason hesitated. He closed his eyes. He felt the emotion overtaking him and was only slightly surprised when Tommy pulled him into a tight hug. Jason didn't resist, allowing himself to take a deep breath and appreciate the gesture.
"Bro... I know how you feel, these are my friends too... but we got to keep it together, for them," Tommy stated as the two broke the hug, Tommy keeping his hands on either side of Jason's shoulders.
"I know you are right but... you weren't there, you didn't see it," Jason said, his eyes pleading for understanding. Tommy felt an overwhelming sadness come over him at seeing the usually unshakeable Jason in this state.
"I can't imagine..." Tommy relented as he glanced down at Kim and then over to Billy.
"I've never seen Rita like this... I know she always wanted us dead but I've never seen her..." Jason paused as images of Rita's grin post-attack filled his mind.
"Jason, Tommy, come to the Power Chamber please," Zordon's voice rang through the medical bay perking up both of them. They barely exchanged glances before making their way quickly out of the room and down the corridor to the main chamber.
"What is it Zordon?" Jason asked reaching him first. Tommy moved quickly in beside of him.
"I have been monitoring readings that Alpha has been doing and I am afraid I have some grim news," Zordon responded. Tommy stole a glance at Jason to see the worry on his face.
"What news?" Tommy asked.
"What is it Zordon?" Jason followed right behind.
"The other Rangers did not suffer any life-threatening damage in the attack," Zordon informed them. Jason's furrowed his brow in confusion.
"But... they..." Jason gestured behind them.
"What you are seeing is the result of a spell..." Zordon continued. "Not just any spell, however..."
The hesitation in Zordon's voice caused both Jason and Tommy to tense up.
"It is a spell that can only be cast once in the lifetime of the one who casts it," Zordon clarified.
"What... why?" Tommy inquired.
"Because the spell is so powerful that it was made to drain the lifeforce of the most powerful beings in the universe," Zordon stated. "In doing so though it has a side effect."
Jason and Tommy both nodded for him to continued in unison.
"It also drains the lifeforce of the person who casts the spell," Zordon informed them.
"Wait so... Rita is dying too?" Jason asked.
"Yes," Zordon answered.
"Can the spell be broken?" Tommy inquired. The pause from Zordon caused dread to creep over him.
"Can it?!" Jason asked more forcefully in a tone he normally would never use with the ancient being.
"It can only be broken by the one who cast it," Zordon replied.
"No..." Jason answered placing his hands on the console in front of him as his knees suddenly felt weak. Tommy began to pace next to him.
"So Rita would have to break it?" Tommy asked for clarification.
"I am afraid so," Zordon responded.
"She would never," Jason stated, shaking his head.
"I mean... maybe..." Tommy started to reply but Jason turned to him and he could see he was not having it right now. Tommy held up his hands. "Listen... if it is killing her too, there is a chance she won't want to die."
"She acted like she had nothing else to live for..." Jason replied. "She wouldn't do this if she did."
"We have to try," Tommy countered.
"Try to reason with her?" Jason inquired.
"What choice do we have?" Tommy asked. Jason studied him for a moment, realizing of course that he was right, but finding his head foggy with emotion and anger. He took a deep breath as images of the time spent in the park with his friends hours before filled his mind.
"Okay... you are right," Jason agreed. Tommy placed a hand on his shoulder before turning to Zordon.
"Where do we find Rita?" Tommy asked just as Alpha came into the room and walked over to the control panel and pushed some buttons.
"I am trying to locate her now," Alpha explained his actions. Jason moved closer to study what he was doing as Tommy began to pace again.
"Anything?" Jason asked.
"Nothing so far... wait..." Alpha reacted. "I have her."
"Where is she?" Jason asked.
"This can't be right," Alpha replied gesturing to the nearby monitor. An image formed on the screen of what appeared to be a barren landscape. The ground was rock and dirt, no sign of any vegetation as far as the eye could see and the sky was a crimson red.
"What is this?" Tommy inquired as Alpha glanced up to Zordon.
"This is Zedd's home planet," Zordon informed them. Jason turned to him. "Zenora."
The image of a large stone castle came into view on the monitor before it faded out with static.
"She is located somewhere within the palace," Alpha said.
"Can you get me there?" Jason asked. Alpha nodded.
"Woah...," Tommy interjected. "You are not going alone."
Jason turned to him.
"You might be needed here," Jason said. Tommy shook his head.
"If Divatox does anything, the other Rangers can hold her off I know it," Tommy countered with a side glance up to Zordon.
"Tommy is correct," Zordon backed him up. "I don't recommend anyone go there alone, but I do not want all of the Rangers to be off-planet in case of an attack."
"I'm going with you, bro," Tommy stated. Jason nodded.
"Okay... thanks," Jason replied. He turned to Alpha. "Can we teleport there?"
"Yes... but once there you will not be able to teleport anywhere and will have to move completely on foot or risk us losing a lock on you and you being lost there," Alpha explained.
"Got it," Jason answered. "So you get us in and you get us out."
"Right," Alpha said.
Jason glanced in the direction of the medical bay and then to Tommy.
"You want to let Kat know what is going on?" Jason asked. Tommy took note of the way he was looking at him and realized the depth of his question and he suddenly very much wanted to talk to Kat and say goodbye.
"Yeah... I do, give me a minute," Tommy answered before he teleported out. Jason leaned back against the console and waited for his partner to return.
(****)
Jason felt dizzy from the length of the teleportation. What was usually a quick process seemingly had taken forever and he was not used to that. He glanced next to him to Tommy clad in the Red Turbo Ranger attire who also seemed to be gathering his bearings.
"Which way?" Tommy asked.
Jason glanced down at a map he was holding in his hands. He looked up and to the right.
"That way," Jason replied as he began to walk with Tommy close behind. They both took in the barren wasteland of a planet around them. Both startled by the ground rumbling beneath their feet and a loud explosion to the west of them.
"Geez," Tommy remarked as the two took notice of a volcano erupting off in the distance a black lava-like substance poured from it. "This place is messed up."
"And to think Zordon said it was once a nice planet before Zedd came to power," Jason stated as the two continued walking keeping a wary eye in the direction of the volcano.
"I can't imagine that looking at this," Tommy said.
"Yeah," Jason agreed as they made their way across the rough terrain toward what appeared to be a row of dead trees.
"Hey..." Tommy spoke garnering Jason's attention to him. "What exactly are we going to say to her?"
Jason considered his question as they kept their quick but cautious pace.
"Honestly," Jason began. "I'm not sure."
"She has never been exactly reasonable," Tommy commented.
"She's even less now... all of this was to punish me... when I wasn't even the one who killed Zedd," Jason replied. "We will just have to figure it out when we find her."
The two reached the edge of the tall dead trees and stopped. Jason glanced down at his map.
"We got to go through here," Jason stated.
"Right," Tommy replied as he began to slowly make his way past the first tree. Jason followed quickly behind him.
"Listen... we don't know what could be in here so keep your guard up," Jason said. Tommy glanced behind him and nodded.
The two made their way through the darkened forest for several minutes before Tommy stopped and Jason nearly crashed into him from behind.
"Look," Tommy pointed up a nearby tree. There was a single putty patroller watching them intently. Jason glanced to the left of them to see a similar sight. A full turn later and both Rangers noticed they were being watched the whole time.
"Why are they not attacking?" Jason asked. Tommy shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know," Tommy answered. "I kind of wish they were... I don't like this."
"I feel you," Jason agreed as the two began to move, more slowly now, both extra cautious.
"When have you ever known a putty not to attack?" Tommy inquired.
"When it was up to something else worse," Jason answered.
"That's what I am afraid of," Tommy stopped again.
"You thinking what I am thinking?" Jason asked. Tommy turned to him.
"That we are walking into a trap?" Tommy responded. Jason nodded. "Yes I do... but what choice do we have?"
There were several beats of silence between the two as both glanced around at the various sets of red eyes watching them from the treetops.
"We don't have one," Jason answered as he took the lead now with Tommy watching his back.
After walking what seemed to be miles there was a small ray of light coming through up ahead.
"I think we are almost out," Jason stated.
"Whatever is on the other side of that we got to be ready for," Tommy reacted as he moved to walk next to the Red Mighty Morphin Ranger.
Both men exited the forest at the same time to see a rocky and broken path ahead of them and off in the distance was the stone palace they had seen back in the Power Chamber. They turned to each other.
"Man... I got a bad feeling," Jason said.
"Same, bro," Tommy agreed.
"She knows we are here," Jason stated.
"Yep," Tommy replied with a nod. "Whatever happens let's just stick close together."
"Agreed," Jason said as the two began to walk down the path in front of them. Large stone pillars lined the path with statues of various people resting on top of each. The statues depicted many different types of creatures and warriors. Neither guy wanted to focus too much attention on the depictions for fear of letting their guard down.
"This road seems to go forever, it feels like we haven't made any ground at all here," Tommy noted as he looked at the Palace in the distance, still not fully in view due to the gap between them.
Suddenly both stopped as they saw someone approaching them on the path. They were too far in the distance to immediately make out and both Rangers dropped into combat stances.
"There will be no need for that at the moment," the voice was familiar to the two as they glimpsed the face of Rita's chief monster manufacturer, Finster.
The somewhat distinguished creature stopped a few feet away from them and opened a book in his hand. He thumbed through some pages, glancing up at the two Rangers in between studying the images.
"Where is Rita?" Jason asked. Finster looked up from his book.
"In the palace of course," Finster answered. "NOT... that that matters to your current situation."
"What are you talking about?" Tommy quizzed as Finster closed the book and held it close to his chest.
"In this book are my most cherished creations," Finster ignored his direct question. "The best of the best if I do say so myself."
"Stop rambling and get out of the way," Jason warned.
"Of course, of course," Finster replied. "Itching for a fight all the time you Rangers are."
Finster took a few steps back and smiled.
"I do hope to be able to adequately accommodate that," Finster stated turning to walk away from them just as a loud rumble could be heard down the path in the direction he came from. A deep fog clouded the source of the noise as Finster disappeared into it.
"This can't be good," Tommy commented as the fog approached. "Should we back up?"
"No... let's hold our ground," Jason answered. Tommy nodded, willing to defer to him in this instance, trusting him.
The fog was without a hundred feet of them now before it suddenly and supernaturally seemed to stop. Slowly it began to disappear just as an object flew out of it and crashed hard against Tommy's chest and sent him to the ground. Jason immediately recognized it even as a chain pulled it back into the fog.
He helped Tommy to his feet as the Frankenstein monster roared and emerged from the fog. On either side of him was the Lizzinator and the Invenusable Flytrap. To Jason and Tommy's horror as more of the fog lifted more and more creatures came into view.
"Oh man," Tommy remarked turning to his partner.
"You know what we came here to do," Jason stated. "We can't get around them so we will have to go through them... we can't let them stop us."
"Yeah... well..." Tommy held up his fist and Jason bumped it with his own before they attacked first.