Chapter Nine

Tommy

"Sorry about the transportation. With the Zords locked away and unusable, it'll take some extra time to get close to Torin." Falcon explained to Tommy as they rode horses side by side.

"We have something that's faster than walking. It'll be fine." Tommy replied, clutching the reins in his hands. He was never one for horseback riding, but he had enough knowledge to keep him upright.

The Rangers were keeping an easy pace after a long gallup from the farmhouse. They would keep the horses as well rested as they could for the journey. The other Rangers seemed happy with their plans and they were talking animatedly to each other as they rode.

Tommy's horse was a beast of an animal: easily close to the size of a clydesdale, all black, and broad. The horse didn't seem interested in Tommy when he first met him. That was good enough for Tommy.

Falcon had explained that these horses did belong to his farm, but that they grazed further out on the property. When he had left the farmhouse the night before, he had made his way out on his own horse to corral the others back home. Now each Ranger had his or her own horse to ride.

The Rangers and Tommy had let Falcon have some time with his family before they left. Wren was devastated to see them all go, but he said he understood. The child gave both Falcon and Tommy big hugs and then stood tearily next to his mother. Anya had food, extra clothing, and other supplies ready in a matter of hours that morning. Each horse was saddled with packs to go.

"How long before we get close to Torin?" Tommy asked that morning as he buckled in his packs to his horse's saddle.

"By horseback and with a grueling pace, perhaps a week?" Reese guessed, mounting her own smaller gray horse.

"We won't be traveling that fast." Glen said, carrying his packs to his horse. "We have to keep the horses as fresh as possible."

Tommy grit his teeth. More delays to worry about.

"Don't worry there, Red." Reese said cheerfully, "Traveling with us is going to be fun."

Tommy gave a tightlipped smile of his own and then climbed up into the saddle.

There was something to be said for the beautiful countryside. The horses walked quietly over the long dirt road they traveled. After a time, the sound of the horses' hooves was comforting enough that Tommy's mind could drift in other directions. He maintained conversation with the others when he had to, but overall he tended to just let his mind wander.

One thing that he continued to ponder was the fact that he had a premonition type dream that startled the lot of the other Rangers. Did coming to this world somehow alter his brain? He was able to rattle off every Zord that existed with sharp accuracy. And these Zords apparently hadn't seen the light of day in years.

So what did that mean for him? Did he need to focus on his dreams to see if something like that happened again? He wasn't enjoying them so far, that's for sure.

"So, Tommy." Glen said, coming up to ride beside him when Falcon had trotted further ahead. "Tell me about your Ranger team. I imagine that your friends are around the same age as you?"

Tommy nodded. "Yeah, we are all in high school."

"And you have two Pink Rangers." Glen stated.

"No, just one Pink Ranger. Katherine. She took over when Kimberly left to pursue gymnastics."

"Uh, huh." the man replied. "How does your team feel about you coming here to save Kimberly? I know that if it was one of my teammates doing that, I might resent him for not letting us all help."

Tommy hadn't thought of that. He supposed that his team probably wasn't ecstatic about this trip to Anylioch. But what other choice did he have? The offer didn't stand for the others to come with him. Falcon had waited to show up until Katherine had left the park that night.

He couldn't imagine going through this with he team here. He hoped that they would be ok without him.

Tommy shook his head to clear it and responded. "My team didn't know that I was going to come here. All they knew was that Kimberly was missing and I was going to find her. They'll hold down the fort while I'm gone."

Glen's eyebrows shot up. "It's very difficult to lose the leader of a Ranger team. Some can't handle it."

Tommy realized that Glen had to be talking about his own team.

"Yeah, well. I left my team with their Zeonizers so they should be well protected and capable." he told the man. It was kind of a low blow considering how the older team lost their Power Jewels, but it was still the truth.

Instead of looking offended, Glen grinned at Tommy. "Sounds like they'll be just fine, then."

"Leave the boy alone, Glen." Mora said, riding up on Tommy's other side. "He's going to have to deal with you for the rest of this expedition. Give him a break."

He didn't say so, but Tommy silently thanked Mora for stepping in. Talking about his team had made his heart sink.

The group rode on in companionable silence for a time. Day drew near its end and soon the crickets were chirping along with the sounds of the horses' hoofbeats. The sun began to set to their left and Tommy looked on at the sight. Purple, pink, and blue clouds encircled the setting sun, seeming to set the sky on fire.

Tommy swallowed. His mind shot back to his dream of the world on fire with Kimberly at the center of it.

"We've got company!" a shout came from the back of the group.

Tommy quickly yanked at his horse's reins and pulled his weight to turn the horse around.

The other Rangers did the same. Brandon, the rider that alerted their team, was dismounting from his horse and getting into a fighting stance that looked familiar to Tommy.

Down the road from where they had come from was a crowd of people charging towards them. The dust from the road was so turned up from their pace that it was challenging to see how many of these people were running.

Tommy noted that these were not the metal baddies that he fought when he battled Falcon, but they were similar. These people were merely the shape of humans with nondescript, smooth faces and muscular, stone-like bodies. Their coppery color shone in the sun as they continued to charge.

"Coppoids?" Mora shouted, shocked.

"They know we're coming." Falcon called to his team, "Ready yourselves for a fight, Rangers!"

As though they understood the gravity of the situation, the horses hightailed it towards a nearby field.

Tommy clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides. He was ready.

"I'm not waiting!" Glen called over his shoulder before barreling on back down the road towards their enemies. Without any other word, the rest of the Rangers followed suit.

Tommy ran in the middle of the pack trying to see through to the bad guys. Now that they were getting closer, he could see what looked like thin straight piping of copper trailing down their legs and arms.

"Remember, their appendages are exceedingly strong! You need to attack the chest!" Falcon roared over the din.

The copper enemies yelled and screeched as they got closer to the Rangers. The sound tore at Tommy's eardrums.

Finally, they were head on in the battle.

Tommy weaved his way through the two fighting sides until he found one enemy looking to jump on an already fighting Brandon.

"Hey! Pipe Head!" Tommy yelled at the enemy.

The disturbing smooth, expressionless face turned to face him. Without hesitation, it launched itself at Tommy, causing him to duck out of the way. The so-called Coppoid dove and somersaulted on the ground before leaping up and turning back to Tommy.

Tommy could already tell that these were not like the metal bad guys he fought back in the park. These Coppoids were faster, stronger. Tommy knew he would have to be on his A-game.

The Coppoid screeched and leapt out at him with its shining fingers. Tommy danced out of the way and slammed his fist down on its lower back. Pain radiated up his arm from the jarring strike. Tommy tried not to swear, shaking out his hand to try and get the pain to stop.

"Chest! Chest!" Falcon shouted at Tommy from across the roadside.

"Yeah, I think I got it!" Tommy yelled back, then ducked when his fighting partner turned and swung a kick at him.

The sound of the limb flying at his face gave a noise like a whistling piece of open pipe being swung in the air. It was very disconcerting. Trying to ignore the noise, Tommy grabbed the Coppoid's foot and swung it up in the air, causing the enemy's body to soar, flip backwards, and land facedown on the ground.

Tommy watched in horror as the Coppoid slowly lifted its head and appeared to look right at him. With no facial expression at all and the sound of a low, guttural growl, the Coppoid slowly got to its feet.

"Uh, oh." Tommy remarked. "Did I make you mad, big guy?"

With a snarl that could have been made by a bear, the enemy jumped back up and charged Tommy with immense speed.

It was too fast. The creature slammed into Tommy and drilled him into the dirt road. Tommy had the wind knocked out of him; he needed a moment to recover but…

The Coppoid struck Tommy again and again in the chest and stomach, causing Tommy to lose more and more of his breath.

Not good, he thought to himself, Can't breathe…

"Hey! Time to get a grip!" a voice called from above him.

Suddenly the presence of the Coppoid was gone. Tommy started coughing and turned on his side to try and get a better position to breathe. After several gasps, Tommy knew that he would need to step it up a notch now.

"Zeo Power!"

Both his allies and enemies began taking steps away from him. The screeching of the Coppoids got even louder.

A bright light flashed as Tommy crossed his wrists before him. "It's Morphin Time! Zeo Ranger Five: Red!"

Like a second skin, the Red Ranger suit encapsulated him and built him up into his strongest form. Confidence lifting, Tommy crouched down and waved his arms around to get into a fighting stance.

"Come get me now, you copperhead dummy!" he yelled at his foe.

The foe was ready to oblige and ran right for Tommy. Tommy sidestepped the enemy but not before landing a strong punch to the thing's chest. There was a sound that could have been like crunching metal. Tommy took that as a good sign.

The enemy was slower now after that strike. Tommy flipped over it and landed right in its line of vision. With no pause, he shot his leg out in a kick that launched the Coppoid across the street and onto the ground. It shrieked again and called out before it melted into the ground.

Tommy didn't have a moment to celebrate.

"Uh, a little help?" Reese called out towards him. She was surrounded by three Coppoids that were getting ready to lunge."

"On my way!" Tommy yelled back. He dove towards the ground and used his hands to propel his body forward into a layout. Landing right in the center of the circle with Reese, Tommy struck two Coppoids at once with both of his fists. The crunching metal became a satisfying sound for Tommy.

Reese was able to take out the last Coppoid on her own, wailing a kick directly into its chest. When that one went down, Reese and Tommy stood together to finish off the other two. With matching punches, the two Coppoids went down and melted into nothing.

"Wow, Red Ranger!" Reese said to him, "You definitely know how to fight!"

"I've had a little practice!" Tommy said, grinning inside his helmet.

A Coppoid swung a mighty kick towards the two and both Tommy and Reese ducked before they could get struck.

"Are you guys gonna gloat all day or are you going to help?" Glen yelled from a few yards away. He grabbed the head of a Coppoid and swung his leg up to knee it into its face.

"You got it!" Tommy gave the man the thumbs up and then dove right back into the fray.

It took a bit more elbow grease, but with Tommy morphed and the others well trained in battle, they were able to take out the rest of the Coppoids together.

When the last one had melted into the ground, Tommy powered down. The men and women of the Ranger team collapsed the pocket of space around him and began hugging him or patting him on the back.

"Man, do I miss being able to Morph. We could have taken out these guys way sooner if we still had our powers." Glen said, shaking his head.

"Hey, that's what we're aiming for." Tommy said, clapping a hand on the guy's back. "We're going to get you the Power Jewels and we're going to right what was wronged."

"You're so sweet, Tommy." Mora said, smiling widely. "You were very impressive in that suit!"

Tommy laughed. "Thanks, Mora."

Falcon and Brandon were standing side by side a few feet away, not facing the rest of the group. Frowning, Tommy walked over to the men to face them.

"What's wrong, you guys?" Tommy asked. "I think we did pretty good just now."

Falcon shook his head. "They knew where we were and they know we're coming. From here on out, things are going to get a lot tougher."

"Then it's a good thing that we're all together and Tommy is on our side, then!" Mora said, placing an arm around Tommy's shoulders.

"I'll do whatever it takes to help." Tommy responded.

"Good." Falcon said. "Because I think it's time we check in on your girlfriend."

Kimberly

The next few days became a blur once Kimberly learned about the other Rangers from Earth. They were not invited to dine with the royal family like she was and they all shared a large suite of rooms far from Kimberly's quarters.

Alan. Grace. Damon. Quincy.

Kimberly let the names of her new "teammates" rattle around in her brain. It was the evening and she had returned to her rooms right after dinner. Rory had tried to convince her to go on a walk through the fortress, but she said her goodnights and nearly ran back to her suite.

She had to think. It was no longer a plan to escape but a plan to escape with a whole group of people. There was a massive difference. They couldn't do anything too complicated, but with a group of five people, complicated might be the only way out.

Whatever magic had consumed Kimberly when she was given the Blue Amethyst had dulled in her body. She had been so into the idea of training all those students, but now she believed that the power of the Jewel had tipped her mind in that direction.

It was going to be a challenge to keep acting enthusiastic.

Alan from New Hampshire. Grace from Illinois. Damon from Colorado. Quincy from Pennsylvania. All of these kids had been taken much like Kimberly had: a voice of a loved one, a plea for help, and then darkness.

What could she do? How could she escape with them? There were guards everywhere. Even if she tried to fight her way out, Kim knew that she would be vastly outnumbered.

And the King and Queen had eyes everywhere. There was no easy way to sneak out of the fortress without them finding out. Even walking to where the other Rangers were being kept would alert someone.

Kimberly would only be able to speak with them at trainings. Even then, there were ears all around, too. She couldn't trust that a plan wouldn't get back to the Royals.

So, she could trust no one. She couldn't trust Rory. The new Rangers...she barely knew them. Who was to say that one of them wouldn't turn on her.

Kimberly missed her friends. Her family.

She missed Tommy. But obviously, he wasn't missing her, so she shook that thought out of her mind.

There was a knock at her door.

Kimberly blew a sigh that ruffled her bangs. Either it was either some attendants looking to help her turn down for the night, or it was Rory. She wanted to see neither.

But Kimberly wasn't about to duck and pretend to be asleep.

"Who is it?" she called, trying to keep her annoyance out of her voice.

"You dashed over here in a hurry. I got a little concerned."

Rory.

Kimberly sighed again. "Come in."

Rory slowly opened the door to her rooms and walked inside. He had his usual cat-like grin on his face and he stepped forward to stand a few feet away from her.

"So, you look alright." Rory said, eyeing her up and down.

Embarrassed by this method of assessment, Kimberly wished that she had taken the time to change from her gown to something that wasn't as tight fitting. Sometimes when Rory watched her, she felt like he was imagining her with fewer clothes on… It made her nauseous.

Remembering that he had spoken, Kimberly replied, "Yeah. I was just tired. Looking forward to going to bed."

"Ahh." Rory said, nodding. His smile began to fade as he continued to watch her.

"Is there something I can do for you?" Kim asked, then regretted making the offer.

His smile came back. "All I wanted to do was make sure that you are alright. I know you've been through a lot these last few days."

"Thanks." Kim said, "I'm fine. Just tired."

Rory took a step closer. "You know, you don't have to face all this alone. I'm here if you need to talk or anything."

Kimberly froze. "Thanks, but I'm fine."

'Uh, huh." he said, "Sure. Look, I want to show you something. Something I think you'll really appreciate."

"Now?"

"Trust me. It'll be worth it. And we get to leave the fortress."

Kimberly cocked her head to the side as she thought. She really shouldn't be encouraging this guy. She could tell there was something in his eyes when he looked at her...something more than friendship.

"C'mon. I'll have you back before the sun is down." Rory urged, waving her towards the door.

One decent thought decided it for her: if she could get outside of the fortress with Rory alone, Kimberly may be able to fight him and escape.

I'd come back for the others. They would understand. She thought.

Kimberly made a show of still considering it, then shrugged and told him, "Alright, let's go."

Her blue gown swished on the marble floors as they reached the northern entrance to the fortress. Surprisingly, guards were few and far between. It made Kimberly edgy, but she hoped that it worked in her favor. Rory said nothing as they walked, his booted footsteps the only other noise in the hallway.

After fifteen minutes of walking, they were out into the fresh air of Torin. Rory stayed at her side and in her line of sight. Kimberly would need an opening to attack. She imagined what moves she would attempt.

"We need to get to the shoreline." Rory's voice made her jump.

"The...shoreline?" she asked, dumbly.

He grinned wide, "Yup. Let's go."

The open field turned to steep, black, and jagged stones that soared high above them. Kimberly followed Rory in between these boulders, watching his back as he maneuvered around them. Soon the grass turned to light sand that pulled at Kimberly's shoes.

Rory disappeared around a particularly large rock and Kim trotted faster to follow. When she turned the corner, he was gone.

Snapping her head from side to side, she panicked slightly when she didn't see him.

"This way, Lady Hart." she heard him call from up ahead.

Kimberly walked swiftly towards the sound of Rory's voice, turning this way and that around many more stones.

And then, she was free. There in front of her was a broad coast of empty sand beaches. It was low tide so it was many yards in the distance to reach the crashing waves. The sun was making its way close to the horizon of the ocean.

It was beautiful. Ignoring her circumstances and present company, Kimberly felt a lump in her throat just seeing her surroundings. It reminded her of California. Yet she had never had an entire beach to herself before. She felt like the only person in the world at that moment.

"I was beginning to worry that you were going to take off." Rory mused, stepping up from behind her to stand at her side once more.

Kimberly didn't answer. After all, escaping was exactly what she had been thinking about doing.

"Walk with me to the waves." Rory said, taking Kimberly's hand.

She slipped her hand free, leaning down to pull her shoes off from her feet. Instead of placing her hand back in Rory's, she carried her shoes in that hand instead.

The air was cool, but not unpleasant. When they reached the wet sands of the beach her feet felt chilled by the ocean water. Soon she was numb up to her ankles.

When they reached the waves, they both stopped in tandem. Kimberly looked up to see Rory watching the water. She looked out, as well, and gasped.

Still many yards away, past the crashing waves of the beach, there were tall, black fins moving down the stretch of water past them. There could have been well over a hundred of them, cresting the air or diving back down deep.

"Orcas." Kimberly breathed in wonder. "Oh my god."

Rory chuckled. "I knew you would like them."

A gigantic shape erupted from the water and fell on its side, causing a cascade of water to explode into the air.

Another jumped higher, falling to land on its back.

Another. Another. Some large, some small. And all along the water you could hear their cries. Though the tone sounded sad, Kimberly could tell they were all celebrating. They were all so happy to be together and dancing.

"My mother said that when she first came here, the orcas would gather and play for her. I think they knew who she was. She was far from where she used to live and these whales gave her hope. I wanted to see if they would do the same for you."

Kimberly swallowed. She continued to watch the orcas play and sing together. She wished that her room was near here so she could watch and listen to them all the time.

"I'm glad you like it." Rory said softly.

"Thank you." Kimberly said without thinking. But she truly was thankful. This was the first time she was grateful to be on Torin.

Rory watched her quietly, smiling. Meeting his eyes, Kimberly finally smiled back.

His smile fell as he looked at her. "You are absolutely exquisite." he murmured.

Kim's smile faded then. Uh oh, she thought to herself.

"Let's head back." she told him, turning to walk away.

Rory grabbed her arm. It wasn't painful, but the hold was solid. Kimberly's heartbeat quickened.

"You must know how I feel about you." he said, his eyes intensely boring into her own.

"I think I have something of an idea." Kimberly said wryly, prying Rory's hand from her upper arm.

"I could give you everything, you know. Money, power, love…time. I could take care of you if only you would give in to me."

Kimberly was shaking her head. "No, Rory. Your Highness." She said the title as though it was a sham.

"I can wait. I'll wait years if I have to."

"Find someone else." Kimberly snapped, and she began walking back to the tall black rocks.

Rory grabbed her arm again and swung her back around so that he could wrap his other arm around her.

"You are mine." he growled, and then he forced his mouth down onto hers.

Kimberly tried to cry out but Rory's lips were firmly over her own.

With a soaring power of indignation, she pushed her arms out with all her might. Rory was forced to take a couple steps backwards and Kimberly jumped back a step as well. Now out of his arms, Kimberly knew that this was her chance.

With a spinning kick, she smashed her foot into the side of Rory's face. Clearly not expecting her to attack him, he hadn't blocked the kick at all, leaving him concussed as he fell to the ground. His eyes closed and Kimberly was happy to see that he was unconscious.

"Time to go." she said to herself before running down the beach in the opposite direction of the fortress.