Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter four of "Another Twist, Another Turn." This chapter contains more elements from "Green with Evil." Tommy carries out his plan to murder Rita as well. He will carry out his plan to kidnap Kim and seduce her in the next few chapters. Stay tuned for chapter five.
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Chapter 4: Just Talking/Shocking Turn of Events
Rita went up the Lunar Palace's balcony stairs seventeen minutes later. Goldar, Squatt, and Baboo were right behind her. She approached the Repulsascope and looked at Earth through it. Goldar came up next to her. Squatt and Baboo went to the other side of her. She adjusted it a bit. She could see the Rangers gathered in the Command Center. She pulled away and smiled sinisterly. She gazed at Goldar, who gripped his sword tightly.
"I love seeing the Rangers helpless without Zordon," Rita said with a gleeful laugh.
"I never thought we would find a wielder for the Green Power Coin just months after Zordon chose the wielders for the ones he had," Goldar said, a cackle leaving his mouth. "I am so glad we did. Tommy's fighting skills helped him pummel those Power Twerps!"
"Yes, they did. Jason was arrogant enough to think he could take him on by himself! Tommy beat him pretty badly, " Rita said, holding up her hand. "He didn't like it wounded his pride."
Goldar formed a big smirk on his face. "That is bound to make him frustrated. He does not focus very well when he is frustrated!"
"We should remember he and the other Rangers will keep their guard up," Baboo pointed out uncertainly.
"That's right!" Squatt agreed.
Rita looked at the dimwits groaned very annoyingly. "I will remember, you idiots. You do not have to remind me."
"I'd keep my mouth shut if I were you," Goldar warned while coming to her side. He pointed his sword at Squatt and Baboo. "Is that clear?"
Squatt and Baboo nodded in a rapid manner. They whimpered and cowered a bit. Goldar growled in satisfaction. Rita moved aside as Goldar stepped up to the Repulsascope. He moved it southeast. He looked into it, seeing a Baird's tapir munch on a bush's leaves. He spotted a jaguar stalking it from a distance. He chuckled to himself.
"Look at that jaguar stalking that tapir," Goldar commented and made an adjustment to the Repulsascope. He pulled back with a soft growl. "Oh, how I have missed watching animals through this thing."
"I remember the time you, Squatt, and I watched a jaguar kill a deer," Baboo replied while rubbing his hands together.
"I remember that very well. It was after I carried out a successful raid on a village. You and Squatt cheered me on. We watched a jaguar creep up on a white-tailed deer grazing on a bush. It was very careful," Goldar explained.
"It stopped not far from the deer and set itself up for the pounce. It kept its breathing soft and steady. It charged after the deer. The deer spotted it and ran away with its tail held high. The jaguar caught up to it. It leapt on its back and brought it down. It took hold of its throat. The deer struggled for thirty seconds before its breathing slowed down. It stopped moving once its last breath left its body," Squatt added.
"We saw many animals during the first invasion of Earth," Baboo said honestly. "We saw mammoths roaming the plains and saber-toothed tigers hunting them."
"We saw dire wolves go after mastodons as well," Squatt pointed out honestly.
"Unfortunately, they are no longer around. Something wiped them out," Rita commented and spoke gibberish.
"It doesn't matter now, Rita," Goldar said and moved his hand down the Repulsascope. "We can watch other vicious animals through this thing."
"That's right!" Squatt yelled in much joy.
"You better get back to watching that jaguar, Goldar. You don't want to miss it finishing its hunt, do you?"
"No, I don't," Goldar admitted. "It's back to watching the jaguar."
Goldar looked into the Repulsascope once more. He chuckled as the jaguar stopped a short distance away from the tapir and set itself up for the pounce. The tapir pulled leaves off the bush. It gobbled them down. The jaguar kept its breathing soft and steady. It flared its nostrils while moving its tail from side to side.
"Good jaguar," Goldar said softly. He made another slight adjustment. "Don't let that tapir know you are about to kill it."
Goldar blinked as the jaguar licked its lips. The tapir moved a little more in its direction. The jaguar raced toward it while roaring loudly. The tapir looked up and ran away. The jaguar caught up to it quickly. It leapt on its back, bringing it down with a loud thud. It grabbed its throat. The tapir struggled for thirty seconds before its breathing slowed down. It ceased all movement after it let out its last breath. The jaguar released its hold on its prey as Goldar pulled away with a laugh.
"That jaguar showed that tapir who was boss big time!" Goldar yelled in great delight.
"That is great!" Squatt yelled in great joy.
"Maybe we will see a jaguar kill a caiman in the water in the future," Baboo commented hopefully.
Rita giggled to herself. "That would be neat to see."
Goldar nodded in agreement. "Oh, yes."
"I remember Baboo taking long showers, even when he was the least bit dirty. He often used up all the hot water," Squatt said, looking up at his best friend in annoyance.
"Hey, you used up the hot water more than I did!" Baboo yelled, glaring down at him.
Squatt shook his head. "Unh-unh."
Baboo nodded fast. "Uh-huh."
Squatt slapped Baboo upside the head. He got on a knock on his head from him in retaliation. He pointed his finger in his face. He moved it in all directions. Baboo mimicked his motions with his head. He pretended to get dizzy. Squatt tweaked the chemist's nose. Baboo did the same to his. Goldar eyed Rita closely.
"It is nice seeing them act like this again," Goldar whispered.
"It sure is. It is kind of entertaining," Rita responded, a chuckle leaving her mouth.
"I remember having juggling contests with them and various monsters before Zordon sealed us in the dumpster. They were a lot of fun," Goldar admitted with a smile.
"They sure were," Rita commented with a nod. "It was a great way to alleviate boredom."
"We learned how to play new games by viewing humans through the Repulsascope," Goldar said and pointed his finger at her.
"One such game I saw was called Go Fish. You had to ask an opponent what kind of card you had. If they didn't have it, they said go fish. You had to draw a card from the deck," Rita explained.
"It is very nice," Goldar replied and chuckled to himself. "Maybe we could force some humans to have Go Fish contests. The losers will die by various means."
"Oh, I like that idea," Rita squeaked in great delight. "They will be scared to lose because they know they will be killed if they do."
"Yep," Goldar agreed.
Rita approached the railing and grabbed it. She snorted and stared at Earth, a soft hiss leaving her mouth.
"You Rangers will have a difficult time beating me. My Green Ranger will finish you soon," Rita whispered fiercely. She narrowed her eyes at Earth.
00000
Tommy was sitting on the first of two couches in the living room. He had his hands behind his head and his feet on the coffee table. He looked around the large room. Its walls were medium brown. A bookcase was embedded into the back wall. Its five shelves contained many books. Its floor was covered in red carpet. Scratches could be seen along the sides of the doorway.
Tommy took his feet off the table and placed them on the floor. He leaned forward and straightened the hem of his green short-sleeved hooded shirt. He stretched his arms above his head before scratching he top of it with both hands. He snorted in a soft way. He looked up to see Rita walking in. He smiled as she stopped before him.
"Are you comfortable in this room?" Rita asked curiously.
"Very comfortable," Tommy admitted with a nod. "It is very nice. Have any of you ever slept in this room?"
"A few times. Sometimes, I will find Goldar snoring on one of the couches. He is really loud," Rita commented and cleared her throat.
"Has he woken you up?" Tommy wondered.
"Once too many times," Rita said with a roll of her eyes. "I've had to whack him over the head or kick him to get him to stop."
Tommy raised his eyebrows. "Talk about being annoying."
Rita nodded in agreement. "It sure is."
Tommy rubbed his chin while looking away. He turned back to Rita after thirty seconds and placed his hand on his side. He dug the heel of his black tennis shoe into the floor.
"When will you have another plan to crush the Power Rangers?" Tommy asked eagerly.
"I have not thought of anything yet," Rita admitted with an annoyed sigh. "I hate it when I cannot come up with anything."
"That is okay, my empress," Tommy replied comfortingly. "Good ideas come to those who wait for them."
"Good quote," Rita said, a smile crossing her lips. She took two deep breaths. "It reminds me of Earthlings saying…saying—What was it again?"
"Good things come to those who wait," Tommy said truthfully.
"That's the one!" Rita yelled and laughed in much delight. "Earthlings have such interesting quotes. One even says, 'Curiosity killed the cat.' I find that weird. Curiosity almost always leads to the discovery of new things and abilities."
"Curiosity can lead to death on very rare occasions. This includes kids fooling around with weapons," Tommy pointed out.
"Or magic equipment," Rita added.
"That's right," Tommy commented and groaned irritatingly. "Many parents are irresponsible with their weapons. They won't lock them up out of reach of children. The children find them and fool around with them. Then they accidentally injure themselves or others."
"Believe me. I recall Goldar leaving his sword laying around here during the first invasion of Earth," Rita mumbled with a huff. "I had to tell him to put it away whenever we had kids from worlds that we had conquered visiting."
"That was a very smart thing to do," Tommy murmured and emitted a soft snort. "If you can't be responsible with your weapons, then you shouldn't own them."
"That is right," Rita said with a sharp nod. "The same can be said for just about anything, including pets."
Tommy cringed badly. He remembered hearing stories of animals being abandoned by their owners. He felt very bad for them, especially for those dumped on the streets and having to avoid being run over by cars in order to find food. He was grateful to animal shelters for taking strays and abandoned pets in for adoption.
"I have to say I find Squatt and Baboo pretty funny," Tommy said honestly.
"Oh, they can be very funny. They will play silly games such as bonking each other on their heads with their fists. They will play pranks on each other. They will team up to prank Goldar and Finster. They have succeeded a few times," Rita admitted, a giggle leaving her mouth.
"What about you? Have they succeeded in pranking you?" Tommy wondered.
"Actually, no. They have come close twice," Rita said and gave a shrug. "I give them credit for trying."
He snorted. "Nice."
She smiled. "Yep."
Tommy cupped his chin in his hand while biting his lip. He seemed to be deep in thought. Suddenly, he got in an idea in his head.
"I just thought of something to crush the Power Rangers," Tommy said eagerly.
"Great!" Rita said happily.
"I want to move closer to you, so I can tell you," Tommy replied, smiling. "Is that okay?"
"Sure. I love doing such a thing," Rita said and waved her hand toward herself. "Come here."
Tommy moved right up to Rita. He slipped his hand under his shirt without her seeing him. He leaned toward her ear. A loud thunk came out of nowhere. She gasped in much shock. She looked down to see a dagger sticking out of her chest just above the bottom of her heart. She glanced at him, seeing an evil smile on his face.
"Except this plan does not involve you, bitch," Tommy sneered and yanked the dagger out rapidly.
"You bastard," Rita mumbled and fell on her back. She gasped for breath while trying to point her finger at him. "You will not get away with this."
He shook his head as he looked at the blood-soaked dagger. "I will get away with anything I wish to get away with."
Rita let out her last breath as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She closed them right after. Her body ceased all movement. Her arm fell to the side. Just then, Goldar walked into the room. He gasped in shock when he saw her body.
"Empress!" Goldar yelled and looked at Tommy. He growled angrily and curled his lips into a snarl. "You killed her!"
"That's right," Tommy responded proudly. "I am taking over this empire."
Goldar raised his sword high above his head. "Not if I have to say anything about it!"
Tommy formed a green energy ball in his hand. "Let me ask you something. Do you want someone who will show you the respect you deserve? Do you want someone who will not verbally or physically abuse you when you fail? Do you want someone who will value you your abilities and that of your comrades? I am that someone, Goldar. Join me, and we will crush the Power Rangers once and for all."
Goldar lowered his sword and looked down at Rita's body. He remembered all the times she unleashed verbal and physical abuse on him when he failed or made off-hand comments. He wanted to fire back, but he didn't dare because she was much more powerful than he was and would knock him down in a heartbeat. He recalled the respect Tommy showed him after their victory as being very genuine. He saw much of Rita's as being rather fake. He turned back to him.
"I pledge my allegiance to you, Tommy," Goldar announced and dropped to one knee.
"Good," Tommy said and waved his hand to make the ball disappear.
"What should we do about Rita's body?" Goldar said as he rose to his full height.
"I will make it disappear," Tommy said and cleared his throat. He licked his lips. "Here I go."
Tommy held out his hand and shot a green beam from it. The beam engulfed Rita's body, making it disappear completely. He glanced at Goldar, who let out an impressed growl.
"I am glad I do not have to deal with that witch ever again," Goldar said, a laugh coming from him.
"I am glad we don't either," a male voice said.
"Me too," a second male voice added.
"Me three," a third male voice commented and sighed in much irritation. "I hate how she often blamed me when the monsters did not work out."
Tommy and Goldar spotted Squatt, Baboo, and Finster coming into the room. The trio bowed respectfully to him.
"I am so glad you see things my way," Tommy said and smiled warmly. "I was thinking you would be mad with me."
"No way. She physically and verbally abused us just as much as she did Goldar," Baboo said.
"We respected her out of fear, not loyalty. We hated how she treated us," Squatt added.
"If you do not treat someone with respect, then why should they respect you?" Finster said truthfully.
"Right," Tommy said, nodding slowly. "Come. I want to tell you my plan for the Power Rangers."
Tommy walked out of the room while emitting a soft snort. Goldar, Squatt, Baboo, and Finster followed him close behind.