Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter five of "Another Twist, Another Turn." This chapter contains more elements from "Green with Evil." Tommy will carry out his plan to kidnap Kim and seduce her in the next chapter or the one after that. Stay tuned for chapter six.

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Chapter 5: Frustration/Grim News

The Youth Center was mostly empty thirty minutes later. Ernie grabbed two cups off the table in front of the Juice Bar. He took them to the kitchen. He placed them in the sink before getting a damp rag. He returned to the table. He pushed the napkin holder, mustard, and ketchup aside. He wiped it down. He dried it with a paper towel. He returned the objects to their place. He went behind the counter and tossed the towel in the trashcan.

Jason was beating up on the punching bag that Zack was holding. He emitted frustrated grunts as it moved a bit. He hated that his pride was wounded from the brutal beating he received from the Green Ranger. He and his teammates believed he could take him on easily. Unfortunately, they underestimated him. They forgot the first rule of combat was warriors were never to underestimate their opponents.

Jason narrowed his eyes at the bag. He showed much determination and ferocity. His punches got harder and faster. This caused it to move even more. Zack appeared ready to lose his grip on it. He managed to stop that from happening. Jason stopped punching while gritting his teeth. He growled lowly yet angrily. He leaned close to Zack, who swallowed hard.

"Damn it. I wish I knew who that green guy was," Jason hissed in much irritation. "I am unable to get him off my mind."

Jason punched the bag very hard and moved back somewhat. Zack nearly lost his grip on it. Jason came closer to him, his breathing hard and heavy. Zack expressed a bit of concern.

"Hey, man. Lighten up," Zack said calmly.

"He wears a costume like ours. However, Zordon never mentioned anything about a Green Ranger," Jason answered.

Zack raised his eyebrows. "He did—"

Jason held up his hand while shushing Zack as two young men passed. They heard them talking softly. They leaned close to each other after the men were gone. They took slow yet even breaths.

"Is it possible he's the one who totaled the Command Center?" Zack asked and pressed his lips together.

"I would say so. It seems to be too much of a coincidence," Jason responded honestly. "I mean, he shows up. Then Zordon disappears."

"The guy could be working for Rita," Zack suggested.

"He could be," Jason agreed. "I do know that I'd like to get my hands on him and demand some answers from him." He growled in much fierceness. "I hate that brutal beating he gave me."

"Let's not forget the rest of us got a brutal beating from him too," Zack pointed out with a furrowed brow.

"I know," Jason whispered with a shudder. He shook his head in disbelief. "I am astounded we underestimated him, especially me. We are warriors. We're not supposed to do that."

"Even experienced warriors underestimate their opponents. Moreover, we're young. It is normal for us to make mistakes," Zack explained.

"So true," Jason said and nodded in a slow manner. "At the same time, we shouldn't have—"

"I understand what you are saying," Zack interrupted in a calm way. "On top of that, I don't blame you for being frustrated. I am too."

"It happens to be a trying time," Jason said and snorted loudly. "Despite that, we should never let our frustration cloud our judgement. If we do, we can't focus."

"That's right," Zack said.

Jason breathed deeply in which he calmed down a bit. He took off his boxing gloves. He went over to the wall, where his water bottle and towel lay. He picked them up after putting the gloves down. He sipped some water before wiping sweat from his forehead and neck. Zack let go of the bag to approach him. He rubbed his hands together.

"Let's forget about the Green Ranger situation. Let's talk about something else," Zack suggested.

"What do you want to talk about?" Jason asked curiously.

"I meant to ask you earlier. Have your parents resolved their latest fight yet?" Zack asked.

"No way," Jason said, shaking his head rapidly. "They were still at each other's throats this morning over the mess he left after fixing dinner."

"Your parents fight over the craziest things," Zack said, rolling his eyes.

"They also fight about whether or not I should do stuff when I ask if I can," Jason added. "Shit. They act like little kids while I act like the mature adult."

"I can see that," Zack agreed.

Jason took a long sip of his water. He ran his tongue all over the inside of his mouth. He breathed deeply before smacking his lips twice. He emitted a soft snort, followed by a yawn. He and Zack observed two teen girls walking by. They listened to their quiet chatter.

"You remember when we went to see Jurassic Park?" Zack asked.

"You bet I do. I asked Mom and Dad if I could go see it with you and the others. It was the Friday after the nationwide release. Dad said yes while Mom said no. They started arguing about it. I called you and said I could not come. Later on, I decided to sneak out of the house and ride my bike to the theater. I joined you and the others there. Your mom had dropped all of you off," Jason explained.

"I was shocked that you actually sneaked out of the house," Zack said while raising his eyebrows.

"It was the only way to get away from their fighting," Jason said, his voice filled with relief. "Anyway, we enjoyed the movie. You hogged all the popcorn."

Zack chuckled. "I couldn't help it if I had a big appetite."

"I rode my bike home. I sneaked back into my room. Mom was there waiting for me. She reprimanded for going out without her permission. Dad came in and told her to knock it off. He said I had every right to go see the movie. She stormed out of the room. He followed her into their room. They began arguing after she slammed the door shut. I felt bad about what I did," Jason said, sniffling.

"I do not think you should have felt bad. You wanted to get away from their fighting. Sneaking out was the only way to do it," Zack commented truthfully.

"I wish they would just file for divorce, but they won't. They seem to enjoy making each other miserable. It is making me miserable. They do not give a shit about how their constant clashing is affecting me," Jason said and choked back a sob.

"There is a new term about what you are describing," Zack responded and exhaled in a sharp manner. "It is called toxic family."

Jason nodded. "That fits them very well."

Jason threw his towel over his shoulder. Zack stretched his arms above his head before placing them at his sides. He tapped his fingers against his thigh while clicking his tongue three times.

"Kim's parents don't fight, but they aren't very good to her either. They are more interested in flaunting their wealth than paying any attention to her," Jason said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I know. When she protests against them wasting their money on ridiculous stuff, they call her a spoiled and ungrateful brat," Zack said, an angry scoff leaving his mouth. "How is she the spoiled brat when they are spoiling themselves?"

"They buy her lots of gifts for her birthday and Christmas to show their 'love' for her. That is literally buying it," Jason said, rolling his eyes.

"No shit," Zack agreed. "She has sneaked out of the house a few times to spend time with one or more of us." He rubbed his nose. "They do not even care what she does."

"Kim is a very good girl, despite her parents hardly paying attention to her. I say it is because her uncle Steve gives her the attention they won't," Jason pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Some kids know what is right and wrong from the start," Zack murmured and scratched his neck. "You have kids who care for their younger siblings while their parents are getting wasted or partying."

"That can't be easy," Jason whispered with much sympathy.

"Yeah," Zack agreed. "The oldest siblings can become quite resentful of having to grow up so fast due to their parents' irresponsibility."

"It's hard, but we have to do what we have to," Jason said in much seriousness. "We do not have to like it."

Zack nodded in agreement before suppressing a yawn. He tried again with another one, but he was unsuccessful. He shifted uncomfortably and let out a nervous chuckle.

"I hate to cut this talk short, but I need to go to the bathroom," Zack said and bit his lip.

"I do too," Jason said and let out a very long yawn. He grabbed his gloves. "This has been a long day. I know I will get a good night's sleep tonight."

"So do I. Let's hope Rita doesn't launch an attack for a while," Zack whispered in a little uncertainty.

"We still need to keep our guard up," Jason said in seriousness. "Come on."

Jason and Zack walked out the exit as they talked about the upcoming weekend. A young man passed them going in.

00000

At the Command Center, Billy was scanning a console's cables and wires while lying on his back. The scanner was long and thick with a short thin tip that stuck straight out. He whispered inaudible words. Trini was knelt next to him. She pressed her lips together. Alpha stood next to her. He was leaned over as he looked down at Billy with a wrench in his hand. Kim was taking a nap in her room on the fourth floor.

"Have you two come up with any answers?" Trini asked hopefully.

"Unfortunately, we haven't," Billy answered grimly. He put the scanner in its holder before pulling out two wires and cables. "These wires and cables have been completely burned."

Billy stood up, grunting loudly. Trini rose to her full height with a heavy sigh. Alpha straightened his posture before waving his arms about. He seemed to be a bit panicky.

"Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi!" Alpha cried in a frantic voice.

Trini placed her hands on her sides. "I am not surprised that is the reason why we are unable to contact Zordon."

"They will have to be replaced before we can do anything," Billy said and tossed the wires and cables aside. He grabbed a rag from his pocket. He moved his glasses aside and wiped dirt from underneath his eyes. He scoffed to himself as he wiped his hands on it. "It really stinks."

"If we can get the main generator online again, I can proceed with locating Zordon," Alpha said.

"We will be able to repair our communicators as well," Billy added.

"You can do it, Billy?" Trini asked.

Billy put the rag back in his pocket and sighed annoyingly. "Affirmative. It's just going to take time. The weekend is coming up. I will be able to spend hours here repairing the computers. However, that does not mean repairs will be done by Monday. If not, it could be a few more days before they are complete."

"Time is one thing we don't have!" Alpha shouted while shaking his head rapidly. "Rita has a chance to launch another attack at anytime! Oh, she really grates my circuits!"

Alpha stomped his foot very frustratingly. He curled his free hand into a fist so tight that he'd crush his wrench if he had super strength and were holding it there. Billy and Trini sighed sympathetically.

"We understand how you are frustrated, Alpha," Trini whispered in much gentleness. "Everyone else is too."

"At the same time, we should never let our frustration cloud our judgement," Billy commented and crossed his arms. "We can't focus when we do."

"I know, guys. Still, I don't want to have to deal with an attack at such a critical time," Alpha grumbled with a heavy sigh. "Not once did I think we'd be in such a situation."

"The rest of us didn't either. However, it did happen. We have to move forward," Trini answered matter-of-factly.

Alpha looked around the main room. He returned his attention to the Blue and Yellow Rangers. Billy uncrossed his arms and placed his hands on his sides. He let out a sharp exhale.

"Jason wasn't kidding when he told me he thought this place resembled a tornado that had gone through here," Alpha said as he laid his hand on top of his head. "Tornadoes have a habit of ripping things apart."

"It's a good thing we do not have to deal with tornadoes constantly. However, earthquakes are another story," Trini muttered.

Alpha groaned. "I never want to think about the possibility of an earthquake striking at any given moment."

"Who does? The earth shaking is the worst thing in the world, except for Rita launching surprise attacks," Billy grumbled irritatingly.

"We'll have to be more vigilant than we've ever been since Zordon is missing," Alpha said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Trini expressed hopefulness. "It is possible Rita will lay low for a time before she attacks again."

"That is true. I am so glad it is the weekend. I have lots of time to repair the computers. I am not positive the repairs will be done by Monday, but I am hoping they will," Billy said.

"Just do the best you can, Billy. That's all any of us can expect of you," Trini assured.

Billy nodded at her. "Thanks. I should get to work. Dinnertime will be here before we know it."

Billy tried to suppress a yawn, but he was unable to. He walked off while smacking his lips. Alpha and Trini turned to each other. He emitted a soft groan.

"Ay-yi-yi-yi. I hope Billy can get as much fixed as he can before all of you have to go home, Trini. My neural processor is sweating from thinking about it," Alpha said frantically.

"Have faith in Billy, Alpha," Trini assured softly. "He can do it."

"I am trying, but it can be hard being positive in a situation like this," Alpha answered seriously.

"I understand," Trini murmured. "At least we get to spend some time with you."

Alpha nodded in agreement. "That is very true. Maybe you can teach me to play some games."

"We'd be more than happy to, Alpha," Trini said eagerly.

"Thank you," Alpha replied happily.

Trini smiled. "You are welcome."

The Yellow Ranger and her friend saw Billy return with his toolbox. They saw him set it on the floor and proceed to look through it.