Chapter Ten
Tommy
Deep in a forested area, Tommy sat around a fire with the other Rangers. Night had fallen about an hour prior, but they were able to tend to their horses and prepare a camp beforehand.
Tommy and Brandon had drug over some long logs for everyone to sit on. After that, they went out and chopped some wood for the fire. The movements helped stretch out Tommy's tired muscles after the long horse ride. When they were finally done, Tommy followed Brandon back and they dropped their piles of wood next to the newly started fire.
Mora and Glen were working on cooking some food, Reese was brushing down the horses, and Falcon was sitting at the fire.
Sitting down next to Falcon, Tommy turned to the older man and asked, "When do we look in on Kim?"
Falcon continued to stare at the fire, but he responded, "In a few minutes. I want us all to see together as a team. Any information we glean is necessary to our journey out to Torin."
Tommy nodded, then looked into the fire, as well. It was the first time he had seen flames since his dreams about Kimberly. The heat alone made him feel sick to his stomach.
It took some time, but the other Rangers made their way to the fire. No one spoke. It seemed as though they all had thoughts in other directions. Tommy watched every face and wondered what they could be thinking. He had never asked – did they have families? Were they missing someone just like him?
"Let's get this over with." Falcon finally said, standing from the log he had been sitting on. He waved his right hand forward as though reaching for something above the flames, then slowly pulled his arm back, revealing the long, wooden staff that Tommy had seen before.
Falcon tapped the end of his staff on the ground, gazing at it fondly. "Close your eyes." he said aloud.
Tommy watched in wonder as every Ranger did as they were told. He decided this was probably the wisest choice and let his eyelids flutter closed.
From behind his closed eyelids, he could see a white brilliant light flash. The heat from the fire disappeared. Tommy still waited to open his eyes.
"Alright." Falcon said, his voice catching a bit.
Tommy opened his eyes. There, floating above the fire, was the same viewing orb that he had seen back at the park with Falcon.
"Tell it what you want to see, Tommy." Falcon said, stepping back and gripping his staff with both hands.
Tommy stood up and walked closer to the orb. The milky white smoke encased in the glass waited for him. Swallowing, Tommy uttered, "Show me Kimberly."
Colors flooded the inside of the orb like watercolor paints dabbed in water. Tommy's heart quickened. Seeing Kimberly...it was all he wanted.
The colors swirled around each other and then divided. There was a beach with crashing waves, a sunset that ignited the sky, and...whales. Jumping, breeching the surface. It was an amazing sight.
But there, standing near the waves was a girl and someone else. Kimberly was dressed in another gown like before, but this one was blue. She was looking out into the water and she looked near tears.
The boy next to her looked to be in his teen years. He turned to Kimberly and said something to her with a smile. Kimberly responded and the two smiled at each other.
Tommy frowned in confusion. Who was this guy?
The boy's smile fell and he said something in what looked like awe.
Kimberly's face changed. There was concern there, maybe a little fear.
"Leave, Kim." Tommy said, anxiously.
She stepped back and said something, turning away from the boy. But he grabbed her arm and she was stopped.
Tommy felt a physical, furious reaction, but he stayed put.
The boy kept talking, reasoning with Kimberly. They appeared to get into an argument. She had managed to get his hand off her, but he reached back and grabbed her again. This time, his words were angry.
And he forced his mouth onto hers.
Tommy charged closer to the orb and placed his hands on either side. He was so close to smashing the thing that Brandon and Falcon stood on either side of him to haul him back.
Kimberly shoved the guy back and swung her leg around to clip him in the side of the head. He fell to the ground unconscious. Kimberly looked him over for a moment before taking off in a run down the opposite side of the beach.
"She escaped!" Mora said with a gasp.
Everyone was standing now.
"Where is she going? Where is she?" Tommy shouted, still being held by Brandon and Falcon.
"Calm, Tommy. Calm down." Reese said, standing in front of him and blocking his view of the orb.
Tommy wrenched his neck back and forth to try and see around Reese. Kimberly was still in the image, but she was fading as she ran further away.
"Where is she going? Do you know where she is right now?" Tommy asked, looking to each set of eyes as the Rangers watched him.
"She could be anywhere." Brandon said, holding onto Tommy's arm. "The problem with the Viewing Stone is that it doesn't show the present. This could have happened days ago."
"Kimberly could have been recaptured by now." Mora said, sadly. "We can't be sure."
Tommy shook off Brandon and Falcon. "Then what is the point of looking? How does this help us?" he asked, furious.
"Because now we know about Rory." Reese said.
The whole group turned and looked at her.
"Is that who we saw with Kim? That jerk who forced her to kiss him?" Even just saying the words made Tommy feel so enraged he wanted to punch someone. Preferably this Rory guy.
"The Prince of Torin. Yes." Mora said, placing a hand to the side of her face in dismay.
"The...prince?" Tommy asked, looking madly from one Ranger to the next. "As in, the son of the King and Queen of Torin?"
"The very one." Glen said. "The Queen's pride and joy."
There was a pause. Everyone seemed to be thinking, calculating.
"If Rory has his sights on Kimberly, we may have more of a problem than we thought." Brandon said, folding his arms over his chest.
"Why? What difference does it make?" Tommy demanded, his eyes locked on the orb.
There was a pause and silence.
Tommy's concerns doubled when there was a large flashing burst of light on the Orb. Kimberly stopped dead in her tracks as she looked up at one of the tall, jagged black slabs of stone that lined the coast. A figure dressed in a Gray Power Rangers' suit leapt down and slowly stood to face her.
"Rory has my Jewel. He must have had it for a good deal of time now if he can Morph into the Gray Ruby Ranger." Falcon said, his voice hard and angry.
Tommy wanted to fall to his knees in dismay. Fighting another Ranger for Kimberly's freedom would be harder than fighting a slew of minions. It could be harder than when Tommy had fought Zedd to save Kimberly.
"Then we do what we have to do to save her. I'll fight him. I'll win." Tommy said. He was so furious with the situation that his face hurt from its fierce expression.
"It's another wrinkle in an already difficult plan." Brandon stated.
"But we don't have a choice, right?" Reese asked, "We aren't about to let the Gray Ruby stay in the hands of our enemy's son."
After what appeared to be conversation going back and forth between the Gray Ruby Ranger and Kimberly, the girl reached into her pocket and quickly yanked something out.
The Gray Ruby Ranger tried to reach forward and grab whatever was in Kimberly's hand, but she was too quick. More light flashed and in a moment Kimberly was the Blue Amethyst Ranger. She pointed directly at Rory and then settled into a fighting stance.
"She's challenging Rory?" Glen asked, shocked.
"That's my girl." Tommy whispered.
Kimberly
The run down the beach was tiring on her legs, but she pushed as far and as fast as she could. She headed towards another collection of tall, black stones and hoped that Rory wouldn't wake up before she made it there to hide and catch her breath.
Unfortunately, as soon as she reached the stones to her right, a figure leapt down from one of them and stood straight to face her.
Kimberly jumped. There in front of her was another Power Ranger in a shining silvery gray suit. The helmet had tentacles that rested around the sides of the visor and two eerie looking blue eyes rested at the top. Other tentacles sat along the sides of the helmet reaching down towards the neck.
"I'm impressed, Kimberly." the person in the suit said.
She knew the voice immediately. "Rory?" she asked, shaking.
"I never thought you'd be able to get the better of me, but I was wrong. I should have taken you more seriously. I won't make that mistake again."
He was going to fight her, that much she was sure about. So, what better way to face someone than on even ground?
In a fluid motion, Kimberly reached inside her pocket and held the Blue Amethyst. Prying it loose from all the fabric of her gown, she held it out before her and yelled, "Blue Amethyst Power!"
Kimberly could see Rory reaching forward, but he couldn't stop her now. In a blink, she was in her own Ranger suit and looking out at him from her fanged visor.
"You are stunning." Rory mused, his reaching hand now beckoning to her.
"And you are a creep." Kimberly shot back.
"Is it truly so terrible to be with me?"
"You should never, ever, force yourself on another person like what you did. It's disgusting and disgraceful and illegal!" Kimberly yelled, pointing at his chest.
"Illegal? Maybe in your Universe." Rory laughed.
"I'm not letting you take me back to that fortress." Kimberly said, shaking her head, "You're going to let me go now and you're not going to follow."
"And go to your once-loved boyfriend, right?"
Kimberly swallowed a lump in her throat. "That's none of your business."
"Come on, Kim. Stay with me and I will make all your dreams come true."
A tear rolled down Kimberly's face, so she was grateful for the helmet. "No. Even if you didn't force a kiss on me and we were good friends, I would never stay with you. I have a family. I have a life that I need to get home to."
"And what then? You would choose that when you could have this place?" Rory lifted his arms to signify all that was around the two of them. "You have the opportunity to be someone worth while."
Kimberly scoffed. "I am worth while! What type of worth are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about living a life that's longer than your average human. I'm talking about immortality."
That wasn't what Kimberly was expecting.
"Kim, that is what is granted here: everlasting life. Never growing old or suffering from old age itself." Rory said, excitedly. He stepped forward and grasped Kimberly's gloved hands. "If you stay, if you decide that this could be your home, you could live for centuries here."
Kimberly was too shocked to pull her hands back right away. Immortality? Was that possible?
How old were the people she had already met here?
How old was Rory?
"Please just consider it." Rory asked, near begged. "I want you here with me. Forever."
She never would have considered living forever. To outlive your parents was one thing, but all your friends and other family members?
"No." Kimberly said, finally pulling her hands away. "No, I won't."
She watched as Rory's outstretched gloved hand balled into a fist.
"Well, there's plenty of time to change your mind." he said, his voice guttural with anger.
"I don't think so, Rory. I think our time here is through." Kim said, then she dodged as fast as she could around him and took off running further down the beach.
In a few seconds, Kimberly felt a hand on her shoulder. It hauled her backwards so she was forced to the ground.
No… she thought, looking up at the newly arriving stars in the night sky.
Rory stood over her, laughing. In a moment of fury, she lifted her leg and kicked him right where she had been wanting to kick him all along. Howling from the pain, Rory knelt to the ground, leaving Kimberly with a free lane down the beach once again. She artfully sidestepped him when she got back to her feet, leaving him curled up like a child.
Feeling the strength of her new powers, Kimberly was able to launch herself forward a greater distance than if she had been without her suit.
Run, run, run… she thought to herself, Run until you get somewhere safe and far from the fortress.
So she did.
There would probably be other soldiers after her.
I'll fight them.She thought.
The Queen and King will be furious.
I will leave them behind.
Rory will never rest until she was back.
I will defeat him.
No way home.
I won't rest until I find my way back.
There were four Rangers left behind.
...I'll come back for them. Or I will send others to save them.
Rory flipped in the air over her, landing right in her pathway. Planting one hand on his hip and lifting the other hand to get in her face, Kimberly stopped.
"I have backup on the way here. You'll be forced back to the fortress and you'll be locked up until you can behave yourself." he said, and it sounded as though there was a smile under that helmet.
Kimberly didn't waste any time talking. Bending back, she flipped to gain some space between them. Then, with all her might, she fought.
When she had landed the first kick to his legs, Rory fell backwards onto the ground. Waiting for him to get his bearings, she watched as he stood and tried to land a kick of his own to Kimberly's side. Easily avoided, she grabbed his extended leg and twisted, sending him back to the ground again.
"It's no wonder that your mom wants me to train you guys. You need a lot of help." Kimberly said, kicking Rory's side and causing him to roll over.
With a roar of rage, he got back to his feet and ran at her.
"Aww, look at you!" Kimberly said with false sweetness, "All wound up with no where to go."
Kimberly stuck out her knee and pulled Rory's charging form over it, flipping him once again to his back.
Rory jumped up and threw a punch directly at Kimberly's face. Again, easily dodged, but she could tell he was getting more angry and more foolish.
It was time to shut Rory down.
Kimberly cartwheeled to the side, gaining momentum, before she jumped and delivered a tornado kick to Rory's head. The sound of her booted foot against his helmet was like the pop of gunfire.
Rory hit the ground this time like a sack of potatoes. When he collapsed to the sand, his Power suit disappeared. A silvery Jewel with an inner red pulse landed beside him.
Kimberly stared at the Jewel. She knew it had to be the same one that Rory had used to transform. If she took the jewel now, he wouldn't be able to Morph.
And that seemed like the best option. Kimberly ducked down and grabbed the Jewel in her hand. Carrying two Jewels would be interesting, but there wasn't much of a choice. Rory should really not have access to this Jewel. He shouldn't have access to a lot of things.
With one last glance back, Kimberly looked at Rory. The only thing moving on him was his hair in the breeze. She of course didn't want him dead, that was too extreme. She hoped someone would come looking for him. Otherwise, she hoped that she would never see him again.
Kimberly took off back down the beach. Staying in her Power suit helped keep her energy up, so she decided to keep it on. Not to mention running away in a gown was a bit more difficult.
There was only one place she could go: to Anylioch. If she didn't trust the royal family of Torin, she would need to test her luck with the Anylioch royals. Maybe they would take these Jewels in exchange for her to go home.
Kimberly ran and ran. Soon, the beaches were piled with smaller stones rather than sand. It wreaked havoc on her feet, even in her boots. Deciding that she should move further inland to keep away attention, Kim began walking through a thickly wooded area.
By this time, it was night and seeing through the forest would be impossible for a normal person. Thankfully, Kimberly's suit came equipped with night vision in its visor. Automatically clicking on, she sighed in relief. Even though she had no food or any other supplies for this journey, having the suit would be enough for now.
After a few hours, Kimberly was growing exhausted. A couple times she tripped over roots and logs, but thankfully she was able to catch herself from falling.
When Kimberly finally reached the end of the forested area, she came upon the ocean. Looking out across the water, there was another landmass miles in the distance marked with enormous snowcapped mountains.
"Anylioch." she whispered. Kimberly's throat felt scratchy. No water for hours was definitely causing some dehydration.
And there was no way she would be able to reach that other shore without some sort of boat. Kimberly was a good swimmer, but not that good.
She sat herself down on the edge of the steep dirt path that lead down to the beach. She would give herself a few moments rest and then she would come up with a plan.
Kimberly lay back on the grass and stared up at the moon now rising in the sky. She could still not believe the enormity of it. Billy would have been ecstatic to see such a thing.
She chuckled to herself. Billy. She hadn't seen him in ages. Trini, Jason, Zack. Her original teammates...what would they think of her now? She wished they were there to help her. Wished that they could be a team again to defeat Torin. There was a lot of help she could get from them: their fighting styles, their intelligence, their friendship...their…
Kimberly shot up into a sitting position.
Their Zords. Their Zords!
Looking down at her gloved hands she wondered if it could be possible. Her own new Zord had to have been hidden somewhere in Torin, but she had the power of the Blue Amethyst! The Orca Zord should only answer to her!
But there was massive risk. Torin could follow the Zord straight to Kimberly. Or maybe she wouldn't have control over it at all.
Or, if she did have complete control over the Zord, she could ride it to Anylioch. Then she could use the Jewels and the giant machine as a bargaining chip to get her sent home. Someone over there had to know how to do that, right?
Kimberly's mouth was so dry she could hardly swallow. She didn't have much longer. She could wander through the woods and try to find help here on the island, but it would only be a matter of time before she was found anyway.
"I don't have a lot of options," she said softly to herself. "I need to take the chance while I have it."
Struggling to her feet, Kimberly rested an arm against a tree. It was time to take charge of her situation.
Standing straight and lifting an arm to the sky, Kimberly shouted "I summon the power of the Blue Amethyst Orca Zord!"