A/N: Okay here's the next chapter, I hope that everyone enjoys it.
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"Where is Tommy?" Jason asked as soon as he appeared in the Power Chamber. He was the first one back from the day before since everyone had decided to eat first and knew from Billy's tone that Tommy was not in a good frame of mind. Jason was Tommy's best friend and so hopefully Tommy would talk to him.
He understood why everyone let him come by himself. Tommy wasn't known for sharing his thoughts with anyone but Kimberly so the others knew that it would be a waste for them to try. Hopefully Tommy would actually talk to him about this even though Jason didn't know how to talk to him. Kimberly was the one subject that the two of them never really talked about except in general terms. It was too weird for both of them he guessed.
"Outside, he wanted space." Billy said while he and Alpha were searching for Kim. Their readings were off the charts now and knew that she was alive. They just had to find her.
Jason sighed and walked outside to find the Red Turbo Ranger while he thought about what to actually say to him. He could guess what Tommy was thinking since it was on his watch that Kimberly was lost. Jason also blamed himself for Kim being taken in the first place. If he would have only waited at the gate, she would not be wherever she was at the moment and Tommy would not be alone with his thoughts. This was not a conversation that Jason looked forward too but it was one that had to happen.
The Power Rangers could not fall apart before they found Kimberly.
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"You think that Tommy will actually talk to Jason. I mean I know he shares more with Jason than with us but this does concern Kimberly." Adam said quietly. He, Rocky, Aisha, Tanya, Kat, Trini, and Zack all sat at one of the back tables at Ernie's. It had been a long day and night of trying to find Kim, the battle, and now dealing with a leader who wouldn't talk to anyone. They really were happy that he was awake though even if he wasn't talking to any of them.
"I don't know. I just don't know if he will. Kim is a special part of Tommy that no one can touch." Trini exclaimed. "He only shared his fears about being the Green Ranger with her." She pointed out. "It would be like pulling teeth for any of us to talk to him but one smile from Kim had him spilling his guts in seconds." She shared before taking a bite out of her burger.
"Yea that boy can clam up whenever he wants too." Zack said leaning back in his chair. "Remember when he was losing his Green Ranger powers and didn't share it with anyone but Kimberly. She finally had him to talk to Zordon about it." He said as Trini nodded.
"Well if anyone can get him to talk then it would be Jason I guess." Aisha said still looking concerned. She was really worried about Tommy. She knew how close Tommy and Kim were, how strong their bond was. Zedd and Rita had tried to break it before and this time they may have succeeded. She couldn't lose hope though because to those who possess the great power anything is possible.
"I hope so because we need him to get Kimberly back. I mean he did brave Zedd once to rescue her." Rocky said as everyone nodded. "They deserve to be happy after all they have been through."
"Its not the first time that he's risk everything for her and I hope its not the last." Trini said finishing with her food. "If we could only find Kimberly then everything would be fine." She muttered as the others nodded.
They agreed that they needed to find Kimberly as soon as possible but they had no clue where to look. Billy had been searching for her ever since they came back from the island with Tommy with no luck. It was like she had disappeared from the face of the Earth.
"She may be at the Moon Palace." Kat said very quietly. She didn't want anyone else to overhear them since they were discussing ranger business. The Youth Center wasn't super busy but they still couldn't chance anyone hearing them.
"Billy checked there though, he didn't find any traces of her." Adam pointed out setting his drink down on the table.
"What if they erased her trace?" Tanya asked. Zedd and Rita were still new to her. She hadn't faced them before now and she was a little worried by the stories the others had told. The Machine Empire had never really gone after any non-rangers before. She knew that Kim had been a ranger but she wasn't now. This had to be something big for them to risk capturing a former ranger like Kimberly.
"You can't really erase someone's trace. He could be masking it though." Adam stated thinking that that could be it. Zedd could be masking Kim's trace somehow. He just wasn't sure how.
"Guys I think you forgot that Kimberly was dropped into a lava pit. She may not be the same person she was. We don't know the effects of that lava." Rocky said as everyone paused. Rocky was right, Kim had dropped into the lava and they knew that she had to be alive. Zedd had a plan and he wouldn't just kill her, would he?
"I think we should get back to Power Chamber and see what Billy has found out." Kat said quietly as they nodded. "Maybe Jason has gotten Tommy to talk now."
"Hopefully he has. Let's go." Zack said standing up. "Thanks Ernie, it was great as always." He called out with a wave toward the counter.
"You're welcome don't be strangers." He said with a laugh as everyone waved and left. They made it around the corner before making sure that it was clear and teleported to the Power Chamber. They all prayed that Billy had found Kimberly by now.
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"You know you're not as quiet as you think you are." Tommy said without turning around. He was looking out over Angel Grove thinking of Kim. He remembered the first time he met her in the halls of Angel Grove High. There was no other girl like her. She had been like a ray of sunshine in his world and he couldn't lose her.
"I never claimed to be Indian like you." Jason laughed looking down at his best friend. "Why are you out here?" He asked looking out over Angel Grove.
"I needed time to think. I could have saved her if I was faster, stronger, something. I mean I just watched her fall into that lava." He muttered as Jason sat down beside him. "I watched her fall and did nothing but stand there." He whispered in broken tones.
"Maybe but I watched the whole thing and you did everything you could except for throwing yourself in after her." He stated calmly. He had to reason with Tommy, it was the only thing that could work right now.
Tommy sighed and shook his head. "Maybe I should have done that then. I mean it was the one thing I didn't try." He said rubbing his head his fingers making a mess of his pony tail. "I failed her, Jason." He said finally dropping his hands beside him on the ground. "I failed the one person who means more to me than my life."
"You didn't fail her. We will get her back." He stressed in strong tones. It was time to get firm with him. "Zedd has tried this before and you got her back." "He reminded Tommy. He had to get Tommy thinking about all that he had been through and that he could get through this too. The wins far outweighed the failures.
"I know that's just it, I have gotten her back as the White Ranger but as the freaking Red Ranger I lose her." He said standing up and dusting off his jeans. "I am the leader of the team and I let her fall like she meant nothing to me like she was just another nameless person."
"Tommy, it has nothing to do with you being the Red Ranger. Zedd captured her when I was the Red Ranger. Sometimes the bad guys just win. Its our job to overcome that win. The question is can you pull it together and lead this team to get her back?" He asked standing up as well. "Can you be strong enough to get Kimberly back? You are the leader and her White Falcon." Jason reminded him hoping that Tommy would snap out of this funk and work on getting his Crane back.
"I know that but I don't think that I can do this alone." Tommy said looking at Jason finally naming his fear. He had a feeling that that was Tommy's fear; he only wanted Tommy to say it out loud.
Jason looked at him. "That's why you have a team behind you so that they can be strong for you in times like this." He said slapping Tommy on the back. "Now come on, we have to find your girlfriend before she takes down Zedd herself to get back to you." He said as Tommy finally smiled. It was time to get Kimberly back and with the rangers help they would.
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"Can you not calm her down?" Goldar asked as he ducked another piece of metal that had been thrown at his head. She was like a demon possessed and more annoying than Jason or Tommy.
"What would you like me to do?" Rito asked as he duck a piece of metal too. "How did she find all of that?" He asked pointing to the pile of junk in front of the former Pink Ranger. "I thought that it had been cleaned up." He said jumping behind one of the pillars.
"TOMMY!" Kim screamed again as he body flashed red. The pain of losing him had thrown her into a rage. Those rangers would pay for betraying her. She would kill them slowly and make them feel what she was feeling. Being turned evil would not be in vain then she would forget they ever existed.
"Finster, how can we harness that power?" Zedd asked as he remembered the former Pink Ranger pacing the dungeons. She had demanded to be let out of the cell and Zedd had denied her. It hadn't been a good idea because she just melted the bars holding her in. Her power was amazing and he couldn't wait to see more. She was the ultimate weapon and he couldn't wait to use her against the rangers starting with that weak Red Ranger.
"I don't know sire, she is controlled by her emotions at the moment but her readings are off the charts. She is showing increases in power every minute. Its like she is gaining more power just standing there." He replied reading the list in front of him.
"Kimberly." Zedd called out as she swung around to face him. Her eyes flashed which caused Rito and Goldar to duck again. Those eyes were scary. They reminded Goldar of Tommy's when he had been the Evil Green Ranger. "Are you going to let those rangers get away with leaving you behind?" Zedd asked as he approached her slowly. He had to convince her to join him by twisting her thoughts to his.
"No, I'm not. They will pay for not saving me." She stated walking over to him. "You are going to help me find them." She said as he nodded. She was falling into his plan perfectly.
"Very well but you have to join me." He stated as she tilted her head to the right to look at him. It was not the reaction that he wanted from her. She was looking at him like he was a pathetic creature and she wasn't sure if she should squash him or not. Did she not realize that he was more powerful than her? Did she not know who she was dealing with?
"I have to join you? I don't think so. I want those rangers and you are going to lead me to them." She said raising her hand. His body lifted off the floor. She was more powerful than he had thought. Everyone watched in amazement as the petite woman used her mind to lift Zedd off his feet. Now they knew that she had mind control and that wasn't the best news. She could do anything she liked to them and they wouldn't be able to stop her.
"I will lead you to the rangers." Zedd croaked. He had to gain control of her and fast. He could not permit her to think that she was in charge.
"Good then we have an understanding." She said as she lowered him back to his feet before walking away leaving them in shock.
"I don't think you have control over that weapon." Rito muttered as he came out from behind a pillar. "You might want to change that." He said walking away from them.
"I hate to agree with him but he is right. Kimberly is not under your power and she is more powerful than ever before." Goldar stated standing next to him.
"Don't worry; she will be under my control in no time. Now I think that I want to mess with those rangers. She can watch how we do this." He said as Goldar nodded. "Grab some putties and head to the beach and take Scorpina and Rito with you."
"Yes master." Goldar bowed before him before taking his leave.
"Let's see what the rangers think of this." Zedd muttered before heading to the throne room to watch.
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"Any news, Billy?" Zack asked as they appeared in the Power Chamber. They didn't see Tommy or Jason so they had to be still talking. It could be a good thing and they hoped that Tommy was talking to Jason.
"Actually yes, Kim is in the Moon Palace but she is emitting more power than I have ever seen. There is also and evil surrounding her but I'm not sure what that means." He stated as Jason and Tommy walked into the Power Chamber which made everyone happy. Tommy and Jason had been talking when they walked in and saw everyone else.
"Billy's found Kim." Trini informed them keeping the joy out of her voice. She wanted to rejoice but first thing first, they had to get Kim.
"She's alive, good let's go get her." Tommy said in his leader tone and stepped forward.
"It's not that simple. She is not trapped as far as I can tell." Billy said slowly not looking at Tommy. He didn't want to see Tommy's look.
"What does that mean?" He asked as the others gathered around him giving him strength.
"Kim is under a spell or at least I think she is. I won't know for sure until I can run scans on her myself which I can't do because she's not here." Billy explained as Tommy nodded. He had no clue what that meant only that Kim was alive and Zedd had her. He would get her back no matter what it took. They just needed a way to get to her like last time. It should be a piece of cake.
"So what do we do first?" He asked thinking that they had to get some sort of plan going.
Billy smiled when he heard the leader in Tommy finally come out of hiding. "Well we…" Billy started as the alarms in the Power Chamber sounded. The lights flashed as Alpha and Billy worked on what was going on.
"What now?" Trini asked looking over at the viewing screen. Had their day not been busy enough? It was Zedd was trying to wear them out or something. His plan wouldn't work though because Tommy was back and ready to lead his team.
"Looks like Zedd didn't want to wait to launch his next attack. Goldar, Scorpina, and Rito are at the beach with a group of putties. There is no sign of Kim so I don't think its to draw you out." Billy said without looking up. Alpha was at his side helping him with the data.
"Rangers this could still be a trap." Zordon warned. "Now that Kimberly is active, he could want to test her or you."
"We understand but we can't let Angel Grove down." Tommy replied as Zordon nodded.
"Go and may the power protect you." He said as they rangers morphed and disappeared. "Billy, keep an eye out for Zedd or Kimberly. I fear that this has something to do with her and her increase in power. She may be an Evil Ranger with that much power." Zordon explained not keeping the worry out of his voice since the rangers were gone.
"I will. If she shows up there, we will know about it." He replied bringing up the beach area on the viewing screen so that he could scan it again before focusing on the rangers again.
Alpha waved his arms. "Oh Billy I'm so worried about the rangers and Kimberly."
"Me too, Alpha. Me too." He said watching the battle on the viewing screen.
"I must say I am jealous that they get to go out there and fight." Aisha said as Billy smiled.
"Trust me, I know what you mean." Billy responded. "I would think though that you would want to know how Jason, Zack, and Trini are back in uniform."
"Now that mentioned it, how are they back in uniform?" She asked as they watched Tommy and Goldar yelled at each other.
"Long story short, they had their coins and I reconnected them to the morphing grid." He said as she nodded.
"Can you do the same with the Ninja powers?" She asked looking away from the screen to Billy.
"No, those powers were destroyed. We are still connected to our spirit animals but not the powers." He answered.
"Well not the best of news but at least we still have our animals." She said as Billy smiled and nodded.
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"Oh look who decided to show up." Goldar yelled as the rangers landed in front of him. "The Red Turbo Ranger and he bought some friends." He said with a laugh.
"I know that you wanted a real challenge, Goldar." Tommy said with a laugh. It was that laugh that sent a chill through Goldar. Really didn't he have enough to deal with at the Moon Palace without having Tommy remind him of his origins as the Evil Green Ranger?
"You are not a challenge, Red Ranger or should I still call you Green Ranger?" He asked before he charged towards them.
"Spread out, guys." Tommy stated as he hit the nearest putty.
"Oh and Tommy aim for the neck." Jason called out as he kicked Rito out of the way. "Who are you?" Jason asked as he ducked Rito's swing of his sword.
"Dude that Rita's idiot brother, don't worry he can't really do anything." Rocky said as he flipped over them to get to Tanya. She was cornered by a group of putties and Adam couldn't get to her at the moment.
"I so can do something." Rito said before thinking about what he said. "Or wait maybe." He started as Jason sighed and kicked him out of the way.
"You remind me of Bulk and Skull." He said before turning his attention to the putties that had surrounded him.
"Who are they? Do I know them?" Rito asked as Trini giggled.
"RITO! Get back to fighting." Scorpina yelled as she kicked the Pink Ranger out of the way. She could tell that this Pink Ranger wasn't as strong as Kimberly but she was pretty good. She just hadn't practiced as much.
"Trini did you just giggle?" Zack asked as he danced around some putties to stand next to her.
"Yes and I think that this is the first time during a fight." She said punching Scorpina. "You know that felt good." She said as she watched Scorpina stand back up.
"You will pay for that Yellow Ranger." She said pulling out her sword.
"Okay does everyone have a sword?" Tanya asked as she ran over to Adam's side.
"Apparently." Adam muttered as he kicked several putties back.
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"Why did I even send that idiot brother of yours? You former kitty cat has just knocked him down." Zedd growled as Rito used his sword to stand back up. How could he let that weak Pink Ranger take him down? She was a dancer not that powerful of a fighter.
"Don't blame me for his failures. He is only picking up Goldar's slack." Rita spat back at him.
"Goldar's slack, he is the only fighter that we have that actually listens and don't even get me started on Scorpina." He warned as Kimberly appeared at his side. "Where have you been?" He questioned her while Rita smiled.
"If I wanted you to know then I would have informed you." She growled at him. "Why was I not informed of a battle?" She asked turning his attention. "I want to be the one to destroy those rangers." She said advancing on him with deadly intent.
"I am the one who makes the rules. You were not ready to face those rangers." He stated trying to gain the upper hand with her.
"I am ready to face those rangers." She said looking back at the battle. "Why are there two Red Rangers and two Yellow Rangers?" She asked swinging back to face him.
"It's the ranger's way of trying to trick you. You see they had to bring in more rangers to defeat you." He said trying not to laugh.
"Tommy is one of the Red Rangers." She muttered before he still heard her.
"The last time you saw your Tommy; he was in white, was he not?" He asked as she looked back at the rangers.
"He was. He was my White Falcon." She stated as Zedd nodded.
"Yes he was and that Red Ranger is nothing to you but a Red Ranger. The White Ranger would have saved you from falling into the lava pit." He said stepping closer to her. "They have to pay for what they did to you." He whispered as she nodded.
"Yes, they have to pay." She said disappearing from his side. She reappeared seconds later on the beach, a few feet away from the rangers. It was her turn to play.
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"Kimberly's at the beach." Aisha said suddenly. Billy looked up and saw her before he started scanning her body.
"Something's not right." He said.
"Like what?" Aisha asked worried over the answer.
"I don't know." He replied as he and Alpha worked to figure out what was wrong with Kimberly. The big thing was that she was glowing red. They didn't know why though.
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"I think its my turn to play." Kim said as she closed her eyes and focused on her animal spirit. The crane came out of hiding and instead of the pink that she had been the crane was now blood red. The crane circled Kim's body and infused it with her powers once more. Opening her eyes, she stood there in her ninjetti robes only this time instead of pink they were blood red just like the crane had been. "My turn." Kim said as she walked over to the fight.
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"Looks like your weapon was ready to fight." Rita remarked when they saw Kim appear on the beach. "And it looks like she can morph, this should be fun." She said with a laugh.
"I wonder what those rangers will think." Zedd commented watching the drama unfold. If she could connect to her ninjetti powers then maybe she could connect with Tommy. He knew that their connection was their strength and if she could connect with him then maybe she could bring him back to the side of evil. After all how could Tommy resist Kimberly?
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"Billy, when did we get back the Ninjetti powers?" Aisha asked as she fell to her knees gripping her head.
"We didn't." Billy said as he did the same.
"Alpha, please find out what's wrong with them." Zordon said with a voice filled with concern.
"Ayi, ayi. Zordon what are we going to do?" Alpha asked as he started running scans of Billy and Aisha. There had to be a reason why they were on the floor groaning in pain.
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"What's going on?" Jason yelled as Tommy, Rocky, and Adam hit their knees in pain. They were all groaning and gripping their helmets. He had never seen them like this before.
"You should have saved me." A voice called out from behind Goldar.
"What are you doing here?" Goldar hissed as Kim stepped around to face the rangers.
"Kimberly? What's going on?" Jason asked as the rangers regrouped around Tommy, Rocky, and Adam. They had to protect them in their weakened state.
"Nothing only that you will pay for being too weak to save me." She said slipping into her fighting stance.
"What?" Trini asked. "What are you talking about? They tried to save you but Zedd made sure that they didn't." Trini yelled back. "We're your friends."
"Friends, I don't think so." Kim said as she jumped towards them.
"Kimberly you have to believe us." Kat said rushing over to her. "We want to help you." She said holding her hands up in front of Kim.
"Help me? You can't help me. I know what you didn't do for me." She said kicking Kat back out of her way. "I know what Tommy didn't do."
"What are you talking about? We have done everything we could to find you." Tanya said as Kim raised her hand had tossed her back as well.
"Snap out of this!" Jason yelled as he grabbed Kim's shoulders. "You are a Power Ranger." He stated as she stopped and looked at him.
"I was until my friends betrayed me." She said flipping him over her head.
"What?" He gasped out as he tried to stand. Tommy, Rocky, and Adam were starting to stand only to fall again. Whatever had happened to them was strong enough to keep them on their knees with Kim throwing rangers around like they were nothing.
"You will pay for not saving me." She said before disappearing in a pink spin. Goldar, Rito, and Scorpina disappeared as well.
"We need to get to the Power Chamber." Jason stated as Trini and Zack nodded.
"We also need to find out what's wrong with them." She said pointing to Tommy, Rocky, and Adam who finally able to stand.
"And what Kimberly was talking about." Zack muttered as they disappeared in color streaks.
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So what did everyone think? Please let me know.