Chapter Six
Tommy
"This is gonna be your room!" Wren chirped excitedly as he danced in a circle in front of an open door.
"Wooow." Tommy said with a smile, peeking inside. "This is a great room."
Wren frowned, looked inside the room, then looked back at Tommy. "I guess so." he said, with a shrug.
Tommy walked past the child and into where he would be staying for the next couple of days. It was small, clean, and all he really needed. There was a small bed, a desk with a chair, and a tall dresser with five drawers. Considering Tommy wasn't able to bring anything other than his flashlight and his Zeonizer, the dresser wouldn't be of any use.
"We'll let you settle in a bit. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes and I'll send this rascal," the woman smiled down at her son, "Over to get you then."
"Thanks…" Tommy trailed off, not knowing how to address the woman.
"Anya." the woman said, placing a hand on her chest. "I'm sorry, I should have mentioned that before. And your name is...Tommy?"
"Yep." Tommy replied. "Thanks so much for your hospitality."
"Of course! See you in a bit." Anya said, then she herded her child out of the room, ignoring the boy's protests.
"But I want to-" Wren objected, but then the door shut behind them.
Tommy sighed and looked to the one shaded window across the room. He walked over and lifted the bottom of the shade to glance outside. What he saw made his eyes go wide.
Green grass over expansive rolling hills, enormous dark mountains in the distance beyond, and to the far left, a sparkling green-blue ocean that stretched forward infinitely.
He was definitely not in Angel Grove any more.
Saying a soft apology to his soon-to-be-worrying parents, Tommy let the window shade drop. He walked over to the bed and took a seat, which made a massive squeaking noise.
That couldget annoying, he thought to himself.
At least he would only be here a day or two, according to Anya. The man in black robes (whom Tommy had deciphered was her father) still had not arrived. Hopefully he would arrive sooner than a few days out.
Tommy had so many questions for the man that he wished he could write them all down. He rattled them off in his mind:
Where was Kimberly? Was she ok? Why was she dressed in a gown?
Why did the man in black robes bring minions to fight Tommy if the intent was to help him instead?
Why was the man in black robes so angry about losing?
There could be so many more questions, but Tommy decided that these would be the ones he focused on.
After a few moments, he heard a tiny knock at the door. Tommy smiled. Wren was clearly a little troublemaker, but he seemed bright and happy.
Tommy stood from the bed (another loud squeak) and made his way to the door. With a twist of the handle, the door opened to reveal Wren standing with his hands in his pants pockets.
"You ready for dinner?" the boy asked, craning his head up to look at Tommy.
"Yup, I'm ready. Lead the way."
Wren grinned revealing that his two front teeth were missing. The look was so innocent that Tommy had to laugh. Kimberly would have thought this kid was so cute.
A pang of worry hit Tommy. Any thought of Kimberly could bring him to his knees these days. She was all alone surrounded by enemies and she couldn't even Morph.
Tommy walked faster behind Wren until they reached a dining room covered with many dishes and baskets of foods. Thankfully, everything was recognizable. His stomach growled and Wren turned and laughed at him.
"That was a big tummy growl!" Wren giggled.
"Yeah, I guess I'm ready to eat!" Tommy said, rubbing his stomach for dramatic effect.
"Well, everything is ready. Please feel free to begin." Anya said, pulling out a wooden chair for Tommy to sit.
With a quiet word of thanks, Tommy sat down in front of all the food. Unsure, he looked back to Anya.
"Please, eat. The others will eat when they arrive." she said, patting him on the shoulder.
Deciding that this was enough encouragement, Tommy began portioning out vegetables and meats onto his plate. He decided on a plate of corn, carrots, potatoes, roast beef, roast chicken, some hot dinner rolls, as well as a couple hunks of hard cheese.
Wren watched in amazement as Tommy shoveled down the food. It didn't take very long for the plate to be empty.
Tommy sat back in his chair. "Are you gonna eat, little man?"
"He's already eaten!" Anya called from the kitchen.
"Ahh." Tommy said, looking back to the child.
After a few moments, Wren seemed to pluck up the courage to get closer to Tommy. With a hand to the side of his mouth he whispered, "Are you really a Red Ranger?"
How the child knew about Power Rangers was beyond Tommy, but it didn't seem like a dangerous question to answer.
"I am." Tommy replied. "I'm the leader of a team of Power Rangers back where I'm from."
Wren seemed to ponder this comment before asking, "What about the Pink Ranger?"
Tommy blinked in surprise. "What about her?"
"You have a new Pink Ranger...but you came here because you're looking for the old Pink Ranger?"
Oh, boy. "Um, well...it's kind of hard to explain."
"Wren, leave the poor boy alone." Anya said, walking back into the dining room.
Barely a moment later, the sound of horse hooves clomped outside.
"Granpop!" Wren shouted excitedly before running towards a door on the other side of the dining room table. The boy flung it open and raced out into the evening air.
Anya sighed. "That child…" she said, but she was smiling.
Tommy laughed and stood from the table to follow the boy out. He held out a hand indicating that Anya walk ahead of him, and she gave a curtsy before following her son.
Once outside, Tommy inhaled the sweet summer scents of the world around him. This place was beautiful to say the least. He could hear the low thrum of bees in the blossoming trees and the air was warm and comforting.
"Well, look who made it."
Tommy's head snapped to his right to see a tall wooden cart hitched up to a broad brown horse. Sitting atop the cart was the man in the black robes.
Except...he wasn't wearing those robes. He was dressed in black tunic, black breeches, and tall black boots that reached his knees. And the man also looked much younger than he had before. His white hair and beard were now black with white streaks.
Tommy's jaw dropped.
Leaping down from the cart, the man strode over to him and cast an elegant bow. "Sir Tommy, here at my small farm. Who would have thunk it?"
"You're looking much more...spry, old man." Tommy muttered.
"Yes, well, these are different lands than those you call home." the man said. "I'm merely the age I would normally be here. When I go to Earth, time is not so kindly."
With a jolt, Tommy asked, "What will happen to me or Kimberly with that kind of disconnect in time?"
"Nothing, nothing." the man waved it off. "Unless you chose to stay for longer in our fair kingdom."
Yeah, right. Tommy thought to himself.
"Granpop!"
Wren launched himself at his grandfather with enough force that the older man fell to the ground, laughing. "My boy, you're getting much too large for this."
Tommy started laughing. He couldn't help himself.
"Alright, now come inside all of you. Father, you sit and eat. Tommy, you're welcome to stay with us in the dining room. And it's time for bed for my little Wren…" Anya said, lifting her son under his armpits and up from the ground.
"Mooooom…" the boy whined.
"Both your grandfather and Tommy will be here in the morning when you wake up." she said, urging him forward and back into the house.
"Come with me, Tommy." the man said, getting to his feet and brushing dirt from his breeches. He lead Tommy back over to the horse and then he began unbuckling the animal from its tethers.
Tommy watched as the man finished the job and began leading the horse down the hill to the right of the property. He noticed that they were headed to a large barn.
"What's your name?" Tommy finally asked as they entered into the tall wooden building.
"I was wondering how long it would take you to ask me that question." the man said, bringing the horse to a large open stall filled with hay. Tommy noted that there were five other open stalls in the barn with no other horses in sight.
"And?" Tommy prompted.
"My name is Falcon." the man finally said, then he began taking off the rest of the horse's tack.
Tommy's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "Your name is...Falcon?"
"I know, I know...you are very familiar with the falcon. It seems we are destined to work together, you and I."
"I wasn't thinking that hours ago when you were siccing your metal dogs on me." Tommy grumbled, folding his arms over his chest.
Falcon hung up the horse's leather halter and then began brushing the horse gently with a thick brush. "There is a great deal to discuss." he said.
Tommy clenched his jaw before stating, "I'm ready when you are."
Falcon grew silent as he brushed his horse. It was a few moments before he said, "Many generations ago, two princes fought over their father's kingdom when he died. Many in the kingdom separated into two clans: one for King Faris and the other for King Holden. After much debate and much bloodshed, Holden relinquished his father's throne to his brother, Faris. Deciding that there was no way he could remain under the power of his own brother, Holden left with hundreds of loyalists to forge a new kingdom."
Tommy was riveted. His arms dropped to his sides.
The horse shook its head when Falcon pulled the brush through its mane. He soothed the creature with a soft noise before carrying on with the story. "Holden and his people decided on an island far from here that would be easy to defend and yet would also carry lush farmland. The only problem was that this island was still technically part of Faris's sovereignty."
Falcon finished brushing the horse and then he left the stall to grab a bucket filled with some sort of feed. Leaving the bucket slung on a nail in the wall of the stall, he then shut the door to the stall behind him. The horse merrily chomped away on his food.
"And so the wars began." Falcon said sadly, walking by Tommy and out of the barn.
Tommy followed quickly behind him, staying silent.
"Some were worse than others, but they were always bloody and filled with death." Falcon explained as the two walked back up the hill to the farmhouse. "That was until the Power Rangers came to our aid."
Tommy stopped in his tracks, causing Falcon to pause as well.
"You have Power Rangers here?" Tommy asked. That would explain why Wren knew about them.
"We once did, yes. Until there was a betrayal amongst them."
"A betrayal?"
"Yes. By the Blue Amethyst Ranger."
Kimberly
"So Holden and his people were forced to flee from Anylioch and they came here to the Island of Torin." Kimberly said slowly, trying to keep up with Rory's story.
"Good job." Rory said with false pride in his voice. "I can order some cookies from the kitchen as a reward if you'd like."
Kimberly scowled at him. "Hey, I'm being nice by letting you sit here."
"Uh huh," Rory said with a solemn nod. "But you need me to tell the story."
She bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from making another smart aleck remark.
"That's what I thought." he said, sitting back in his chair. "Now, where were we?"
"The Island of Torin."
"Yes. Our home. We have been at war with Anylioch ever since my ancestors have come here. They argue that it is still a protected land of theirs, but I think that was always just an excuse to fight."
"And this war is still going on today?" Kim asked.
"Always." Rory said quietly. "It's been war since well before I was born."
"And you need someone to train soldiers to fight in this war."
"Yes."
"But...why? What happened to the Blue Amethyst Ranger before me?"
"Well...you see, the stone started to kill her."
Kimberly snapped back in her own chair with a look of alarm.
"That took many, many years though." Rory said quickly, trying to reassure her. "You'll be fine."
"Great. I feel sooo much better." Kim replied with a grimace.
Rory chuckled. "The rest of the story I'll leave to my parents. You may have to sit though some repetition now that I've told you some of what's happened."
Kimberly waved him off with her hand. "Whatever. I can deal with it."
The two sat in silence for a time before Kimberly asked, "So there are Power Rangers in this world, but I didn't see any in that throne room."
"Oh, they were there. We have a large team here on Torin."
"Are they going to help me train these hundreds of people?"
Rory grinned. "Maybe."
The boy's eyes sparkled with such an intense green that Kim felt nauseous looking at them.
"What?" he asked, trying to catch her eye again.
"Nothing. I just...I miss my family. I miss Tommy." Kim admitted, unable to keep the sadness from her voice.
Rory watched her, then stood from the table. "Come with me."
"Huh?"
He held out a hand for Kim to take. "Come with me. I think there is something I can do to help."
Kimberly quickly grabbed his hand, feeling a huge sense of relief and excitement. "You'll send me home?"
"Not quite." Rory said with a sorry smile.
Kimberly followed Rory down a series of hallways, none of which looked familiar to the ones she had walked down before. They were clearly delving deeper and deeper into the fortress, far down into the guts of it all.
The light became dimmer and the air became much colder. They had to be near or below sea level at this point. There was no décor here, no fancy carpets underfoot.
"Are we going to the dungeon or something?" Kim asked, trying to keep her shivering to a minimum.
"Just follow me." Rory responded. He didn't look back at her to see if she did, he simply kept moving at a quick pace.
At the end of the most decrepit looking hallway, there was a large wooden door with massive iron locks along one side.
"This is creepy." Kimberly muttered to herself.
Rory stepped forward and slipped a small ring of keys from his pants pocket. Kimberly hadn't even noticed that he had been carrying anything at all. It made her a little uneasy.
"Give me a moment to take care of these locks. Oh, and just so you know, you might get wet." Rory said as though this was the most normal situation in the world.
"Oh, good. Great." Kim replied, rubbing her hands over her upper arms to try and regain some warmth. She began making a closer examination of the hallway, noticing that there was water leaking between the stone bricks and onto the floor.
Rory was humming as he jiggled one of the keys into a lock. He didn't seem very concerned about the water leaking issue, so Kim tried to force it from her mind.
After another minute, Rory proclaimed, "Ah, hah!"
Slowly, very slowly, he pulled open the thick wood door to reveal...darkness. Well, semidarkness. There was an eerie green glow that seemed to emanate from the walls and floor.
"Bioluminescence." Rory explained as Kimberly stared at the glow.
Kimberly met Rory's excited face with a dubious expression. "I'm beginning to worry here, Rory."
He scoffed and took her hand in his. "Just trust me. You'll want to see this."
After they passed over the threshold of the doorway, Rory quickly pulled the door shut. "There's no door latch on this side, so we'll figure that out later."
"What?" Kimberly shrieked, going to pull from his grasp.
"Kidding, kidding." Rory teased, laughing quietly and holding fast to her hand, "Come on."
The walk got colder and Kimberly's feet were getting soaked by a stream of water that flowed down the hallway. Even Rory's hand was cold in her own. He didn't seem bothered too much by it, so Kimberly trekked on.
The hallway dipped into a rather sharp drop. Rory jumped down and turned back to Kim with his arms out to help her down.
Instead, she forward flipped down to his level and then kept on walking away from him.
Rory whistled from behind her. "Wow, that was impressive. I can't wait until training begins."
Kimberly ignored him and kept walking. Whatever they were searching for had better be worth it. She craved warmth like a starving woman craved food.
Finally, after a few minutes of walking through the glowing hallways, they entered an enormous metal room. The ceiling, walls, and floor were all made of what looked like various types of metal: perhaps bronze, silver, and gold. The ceiling was domed up high and patterned with etched pictures of animals, humans, and...monsters. It was a terrifying sight and Kimberly quickly looked back to the center of the room.
There in the middle of the silver metal floor was a small and shallow rectangular pool of water that looked like it was lit from beneath with blue light. More bioluminescence, Kimberly guessed.
Rory walked forward to the pool and waved her over. "You have to look inside." he explained.
Kimberly stepped forward and looked down into the pool of water. It didn't look like much to her.
"You have to ask it what you want to see." Rory said softly.
Kimberly swallowed. "I...I want to see my parents."
The water bubbled and foamed and...cleared to a plane of glass.
Kimberly watched in shock as she saw her parents sitting at their dining room table enjoying a meal. They weren't alone. In fact, it looked like a dinner party was taking place. There were several bottles of wine on the table and two other couples sat laughing and chatting.
For some reason, Kimberly's heart sank.
"They seem very happy." Rory noted, putting a forefinger to his chin. "Interesting."
Kimberly thought she might cry...but then she thought better of it. If her parents were ok and they were happy, that was a good thing, wasn't it? Maybe they hadn't heard she was missing yet or…
She sighed. "I've seen enough."
The water rolled and then was still, the images disappearing to nothing but smooth water once again.
Kimberly's mouth went dry. Did she want to do this?
She decided that she did, so she murmured, "Show me Tommy."
The water rolled once more and showed her Tommy. But…
He was in a sparring match with Rocky at the Youth Center. The fight was just about to get intense when Tommy...stopped fighting. He nearly took a punch to the face when Rocky noticed what was going on. Tommy was looking in another direction from Rocky and he was smiling.
Kimberly stepped closer to the pool, a feeling of foreboding getting worse and worse.
Rocky made some sort of joke, urging Tommy to do something.
Tommy walked away from the mat to a ballet barre where Katherine was teaching several young girls.
It didn't take actual words to understand what was happening.
Kimberly pressed a palm to her mouth and she felt tears gathering in her eyes.
The image shifted and changed into another moment: Katherine and Tommy dancing together.
Another: Tommy taking Katherine's hand.
More and more moments skittered over the water.
Tommy wasn't thinking of her because he was thinking of someone else. And from the looks of everything, this had started well before Kimberly had left Earth.
"How…" Kim said thickly. "How could he? How could she?"
Rory was right beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Lady Hart." was all he said.
"Take me back. Take me back to my room."
"Alright. Come on. I'll order us some hot drinks when we get back." he said, now putting an arm around her to help lead her away from the pool.
Kimberly let him. She didn't care any more about anything. She left her shattered heart on the watery floor and walked away from her life.