Chapter Eleven

Tommy

After the Viewing Stone went dark, Falcon waved his staff and it disappeared. The light from it still radiated in Tommy's eyes. In that light, the image of Kimberly's face.

Tommy was laying on his side, looking out into the night. Somewhere across the water, Kimberly was making her way towards them. She had a Prince at her heels and who knew how many other soldiers on their way to stop her. When the Viewing Stone had winked out, Kimberly was still running towards a forest much like the one Tommy was in now.

Sleeping felt like a waste of time. All Tommy could think about was the distance between him and Kimberly. How soon he would see her face in person...how soon he could have her in his arms again...how soon he could take her home…

He would take Kimberly home to her family and he would never let anything happen to her ever again. If that meant staying in Florida and leaving his own Ranger team, than so be it. She was more important to him than the Power Rangers. He knew that now.

"...he doesn't understand what he's up against." a whispered voice came from the other side of the fire.

"Shh, he'll hear you!"

"Falcon is so dead set on getting his Jewel back that he's losing sight of what's truly at stake here."

It was Mora and Brandon.

"Can you blame him? How long has it been since we've lost our powers?"

"Mora, he's losing it. Once he gets that Jewel, how do we know history won't repeat itself?" Brandon asked.

"Don't you dare say that! What she did...Falcon would never-"

"Never what." Falcon asked, stepped up towards the fire.

Clearly he had left the area if Mora and Brandon felt comfortable having this discussion.

Tommy remained where he was, trying to look as though he was sleeping.

"Forget it." Brandon grumbled, turning over away from Mora.

"No, I want to know what has you so worried, Brandon." Falcon replied. "Clearly you think I'm a danger to the group here?"

"That's not what I said-"

"He's worried," Mora interrupted, "Because you aren't talking with us, Falcon. We haven't all been together in years and you're acting like...that doesn't matter."

Falcon sighed heavily. "This isn't a vacation, Mora-"

"Don't you talk to her like that." Brandon said through clenched teeth, standing up to get into Falcon's face.

Falcon didn't move. The two men were nearly nose to nose.

"Stop it!" Mora grit out, pushing between the two and shoving them apart.

"Whazzgoin on?" Reese mumbled from where she lay on the ground.

"Mmph." Glen grunted from her other side.

Guess the jig was up now. Tommy rolled over and looked at the adults. Falcon's eyes shot right to Tommy's.

"Just a stupid, old disagreement." Falcon said to Tommy, smiling slightly.

Brandon turned away from the group and walked into the woods. Or, more like stomped into the woods.

"Let him cool off." Falcon said to Mora, "We all need to keep getting some sleep. You especially, Tommy."

Deciding that it would be better to just follow orders, Tommy rolled back to his side and continued staring out into the trees. The talking had lowered to a muttering, so he couldn't hear any more.

The disgruntled attitude of these Rangers was something new. They had all seemed so happy to see each other. Tommy was being kept away from whatever underlying drama there was in this group. Maybe that was for the best. As long as it didn't interfere with rescuing Kim, it didn't matter to Tommy.

Staring out at nothing, Tommy surprisingly fell asleep.

The next morning, the fire was kicked out and everyone was in motion. Tommy collected his belongings from the ground and wrapped everything up for the saddlebags. He kept to himself. Whatever drama was going on between the other Rangers didn't involve him, so he would stay out of their way.

Tommy was happy to get back to his horse. They had become pretty close now that they'd been traveling together for some time. He lovingly nicknamed the beast Carl.

When his horse was all packed up, Tommy mounted and steered towards where the other Rangers had started riding.

There was a lot to think about. This Rory guy had a Jewel and he was able to Morph, but he was no match for Kimberly as the Blue Amethyst Ranger. Tommy was proud of her for how well she fought and he was confident in her abilities, but what did that say about Rory? They didn't seem to be on equal footing when they fought. Watching his fighting style, Tommy was reminded of Billy when he first started martial arts: there was promise at first, but it would be a ways before he could hold his own against a Ranger.

All this still gave Tommy hope. If Kimberly could hold her own against Rory, then she could hold her own against more enemies that came her way.

Letting his mind wander, Tommy didn't notice when the forest grew quiet. Falcon, at the lead of the group, held up a fist and stopped his mount. Everyone followed suit, waiting.

"We're not alone." Falcon said, looking back towards the others.

Before another word could be uttered, there was a deep, mechanical cry that echoed through the trees.

Falcon's head snapped to the front, a look of shock clearly written on his face.

The cry sounded again. Whatever it was, it was enormous.

Tommy gripped his reins tighter, his heart racing.

"It's the Orca." Mora breathed, a hand going to her mouth in surprise.

"What?" Tommy asked, looking forward to Falcon.

"She called it. I can't believe it." Glen said, completely shocked. "We haven't seen it in so many years…but I would recognize that cry anywhere."

She… Tommy thought, then asked, "Kim? Kim called the...Zord? Is that what it is?"

"Your girl is smart, Tommy." Reese said with a grin. "There's no way they can stop her if she's gotten a hold of that Zord."

His heart lifting, Tommy prayed that this was the case. He worked hard to ignore the memories of his nightmare. Now that he listened, he knew that calling from the Orca. There was no way it could have been anything else.

"She's going to fly right over us." Falcon said, yanking the reins of his horse to turn around. "We need to get out of the woodlands so she can see us!"

The Rangers all followed Falcon and took off. Riding as fast as they could through the forest, Falcon lead them west.

"We aim for the coast!" he shouted. "The distance is shorter than traveling back the way we came!"

Tommy held the reins and tucked his legs in tighter. Carl was flying faster than he had the entire journey. He seemed to understand Tommy's desire to go as fast as possible.

He was going to see Kimberly. It was time. She would be overhead and she would look down and see them. This had to be it.

The soaring cry from the Orca Zord grew louder, closer.

They had to make it. They couldn't let her go by!

The darkness of the forest, even in daytime, never seemed to end. Tommy couldn't even see an opening in the distance that would lead them to the coast.

"Faster!" Falcon yelled over his shoulder.

The horses kicked into a higher speed, staying close together like a herd would.

"Falcon, we're not going to make it!" Brandon bellowed.

"Shut up, Brandon!" Reese hollered back.

All Tommy knew was the pounding of the hooves beneath him and the flashing scenery of the woods around them. He was grateful that the horses had no troubles galloping over turned up roots and underbrush.

The race was on. If they didn't make it to the coast, Kimberly might never notice them. The thought made Tommy's body run cold.

"Will Kimberly be safe if she makes it back towards the King and Queen of Anylioch?" Tommy shouted over the deafening hoofbeats.

No one answered him. He at first wondered if they hadn't heard him yelling, but Falcon finally yelled back, "We can't let her get there. As far as my King is concerned, the Orca Zord is a weapon of Torin. They will shoot her right out of the sky."

"What?" Tommy roared, kicking the sides of his horse to speed faster and catch up with the leader.

"The Zord is strong. It will take a great many shots to take it down. But they will try!" Falcon shouted as Tommy rode up beside him.

Tommy's heart ratcheted up to bang around his ribcage.

The Orca sent out another song. It was close. Too close.

Please let us get there…please, Kim, see us! Tommy thought in terror.

Kimberly

The ground shook with the force of an explosion. Kimberly nearly lost her footing and tumbled down the dirt hillside to the beach.

I hope that's a good sign! She thought to herself, looking all around her. Night was beginning to fade and the sun was just starting to rise.

The trees of the wooded area around her were too tall and covered most of the sky above. But it would know where she was. Ever since her Pterodactyl Zord, Kimberly knew that she would be found no matter where she was on Earth. The Orca Zord had to be the same here on Torin. Otherwise, what was the purpose of a Zord?

A sharp, heavy cry sounded from the north. Kimberly gulped. This was no small Zord.

She couldn't be sure where the Orca was being kept. Hopefully somewhere away from humans. If her calling the Zord had caused any tremendous damage, she hoped everyone would be ok.

After running for hours, she couldn't be sure how far away she had made it from the fortress. Maybe some miles? She was also unsure about how large the island was as a whole. What distance would the Orca need to travel before reaching the coastline?

The cry of her Zord grew louder and longer. Kimberly bit her lip underneath her helmet.

C'mon, c'mon… She thought.

The cries of the Zord echoed all around her. Sometimes it came from the east or it came from the west. It was calling...calling for Kimberly.

"I'm here!" she yelled out into the forest. "I'm over here!"

Over and over the giant machine cried out.

"Found you."

Kimberly jumped. There, just yards away, was Rory. Behind him, row after row of men and women on horseback. They must have found him and then charged down here to catch her.

"It doesn't matter, Rory. My ride's just about to get here!" Kimberly said, hoping this was true.

"You see, Lady Hart, we aren't going to let you on that Zord." Rory said, grinning. His face was bruised and battered from their fight. Kimberly was glad of it.

"Oh, yeah? Well, I have the upper hand here!" She called out to him, holding the Gray Ruby out in her palm.

Rory's face fixed into a furious leer. "Give it back."

"No, I don't think I will." Kim said simply, wrapping her fingers around it and stowing it away in a pocket.

"Give. It. BACK!" Rory screamed, his body trembling from head to toe.

The Orca Zord roared over the trees. It was nearly there.

Rory lunged for Kimberly with arms out stretched. She ducked, trying to maneuver around him as he passed, but she lost her footing and fell down the hill.

She could hear Rory from the top of the hill ordering his soldiers to get her. Kimberly stood as fast as she could manage, settling her feet in the sand. The lines of men and women on the hill began slowly making their way down to her.

"Get me that JEWEL!" Rory shouted down at the them.

Kimberly backed away and ended up standing in the push and pull of the ocean water. The soldiers were pressing in, stepping around so that they formed a half circle around her.

Darkness fell over them all.

Far above, the white underbelly of the Orca Zord was all one could see.

"Gotta go!" Kimberly said, giving the soldiers a salute. With a huge leap, she shot into the sky.

"NO!" Rory bellowed.

The wind whistled by Kimberly as she hurdled up towards her Zord. The Orca's formidable body curved around so that its head was leaning closer to the ground, giving Kimberly easier access to land atop it.

"Hey, buddy!" she yelled over the wind.

A hatch opened before her and she happily slid inside. Landing in the cockpit at the wide control panel, Kimberly felt right at home.

Far, far below, Kimberly could see Rory and his soldiers, all looking straight up at her. Rory was stomping around like a child, which made Kimberly laugh out loud.

"So long, dummies!" she crowed, taking the yoke in hand and starting the process of getting used to the controls. Fortunately, Kimberly was familiar with more than one Zord type, so she took to it all fairly quick.

Soaring higher above the shore and the ocean, Kimberly could see the mountains of Anylioch in the distance. Soon she would be flying over and enjoying that view from above.

"You abuse the powers my Queen and King have bestowed upon you." a voice said.

Kimberly jumped a mile. Turning back in her chair, she saw no one there. She knew that she heard the voice, but…

Turning back to the controls, Kimberly jumped again to find a small floating orb above the yoke. Shown in it was an image of a man in long white robes.

Kimberly realized it was the old man who carried the Blue Amethyst Jewel in a box up to the King.

"What the heck are you doing here?" Kimberly demanded, her heart racing.

"I've been sent to take back what you have stolen." he said, his voice harder and stronger than what she would have expected from an old man.

"They gave me the Jewel! I get the Zord by right of my powers!" Kimberly said, angrily.

"You will turn back now and return to the fortress."

"Sorry, dude. Not gonna happen."

"You realize Anylioch will see your arrival as a threat and treat you as such?"

That...was a good point. Kimberly began to doubt her plan. Of course what the old man said was right: why would the enemy kingdom of Anylioch welcome her with open arms? It looked like there was now a massive wrinkle in her plans.

What if she landed close to shore on Anylioch and presented herself without her suit on? Maybe they would see her surrender as a way of peace?

"I'll figure it out. For now, it's time for you to get out of here!" Kimberly said, grasping the orb in one hand.

"You cannot dispose of me!" the old man shrieked.

Kimberly pressed a button on the control panel and the hatch above opened wide.

"Yes, I can! See ya, wouldn't want to be ya!" she yelled and flung the orb backwards and out of her Zord. There was a clanking sound as the orb smacked into the top of the Orca, then there was silence.

Chuckling, Kimberly allowed herself a moment of celebration. She had done it! She had escaped the fortress, gotten her Zord, avoided Rory and his soldiers, and managed to throw an old man out of a hatch. Things were looking up!

Pulling the yoke back to steady the Zord, Kimberly let the giant machine fly mostly by itself. There was still a good distance between where she was and the other coast, but at least now she didn't have to worry about being caught in the woods.

The feeling of safety made Kimberly awfully tired. She had been running all night long and now she could sit and relax.

Unfortunately, this lead to her falling asleep.

Kim was startled awake by a jarring crash into the side of the Orca Zord.

"What the-"

Another jolt to the opposite side of the Zord had her taking the yoke in hand and hauling the Orca up higher into the sky.

Looking all around below, Kimberly was surprised to see ships on the ocean. A flash ignited from one of them and shortly thereafter another crash landed on the side of her Zord.

"They must be Anylioch ships?" She asked aloud to herself.

Kim needed to dodge those attacks and those ships. She continued to fly further up into the sky hoping that those rounds wouldn't be able to reach her.

After taking several more hits, red lights began flashing on the control panel.

"Uh, oh. Not good. C'mon, bud. Let's get you free and clear of those ships."

The mountains were straight ahead. She could make the distance in a few minutes but she needed to protect the Zord.

A round of fire flared up in front of the windshield.

"C'mon. Come on!" Kimberly shouted over the sound of alarms in the cockpit.

The mountains were getting so close!

A direct hit towards the tail of the Zord caused Kimberly to surge forward in her seat.

And push the yoke forward, causing the Orca to dive.

"No, no, no!" Kim yelled, pulling back to try and level off.

The Zord snapped to an incline, narrowly avoiding several more shots from the ships below.

Finally, she and the Orca Zord crested over the first few mountaintops of Anylioch.

Kimberly sighed in relief. She had made it. Now she just had to make sure there weren't any other attackers on the other side.

The Orca made its cry as it soared. Its movements were like that of a real orca: it was as though the air was simply water to tread. Kimberly felt a great affection for the Zord right then. Knowing that it was hers to command made her feel protective of the Orca, too.

The mountains were vast and many. If Kimberly hadn't been in the mess she was in, she would have appreciated them much more.

Thankfully, there were no more attacks to dodge. The winds off the mountains howled over the Zord, whistling over the windshield. The peace of the flight calmed Kimberly's nerves.

Now she needed to figure out how to get to the King and Queen of Anylioch without getting attacked. Should she take the dare and fly close, or should she land further away and make her way on foot? The biggest issue is that she couldn't be sure how close the royals of Anylioch were to the mountains.

It could take days to get there. Weeks. And how could she be sure that she was walking in the right direction? It was a massive risk. There was a possibility that she wouldn't find other humans on her way. How would she survive on her own? She wasn't knowledgeable on survival skills.

But if she flew, she could get there faster. However, there was a much higher probability of getting shot at again. Who knew how much the Orca Zord could take.

If she landed close to the shore and sent the Zord away, maybe she could call it back to her if she needed it?

Kimberly's mind was whirling. She had to make a plan and she had to make it soon. In the distance she could see a forested area beyond the mountains. She wouldn't be able to land there; maybe just beyond there would be a more open area to land?

She wished she had her friends here to bounce ideas.

The Orca called out again. Kimberly patted the dashboard of the control panel. "It's ok, bud. We're going to be ok."

Hopefully, she thought to herself.

The mountain range was getting smaller and smaller, allowing for Kimberly to see beyond. The forest was broad, but it wouldn't take nearly as long as the mountains, but it would still take some time.

She let the Zord pilot itself for a time and pulled the Gray Ruby from her pocket. Staring down at the pulsing red light from within the silvery crystal Kimberly wondered how all the Jewels could have ended up in Torin.

It reminded her of the four other Rangers she had left behind. They each had their own Jewel and they could fend for themselves, Kimberly was sure. Having that power would protect them for now. She was the Ranger fortunate in attracting a stupid prince to help her escape.

Rory. That pompous, disgusting pig. Kimberly had never really liked the guy, but she had thought that he was relatively harmless. Never did she think that he would force her to kiss him!

Ugh. She thought.

At least she had left him behind.

Kimberly sighed. She was running away from people and running towards another people who thought her to be the enemy.

The trees of the forested area began to thin out a bit. To her left was the coast, to her right vast fields and hills that went on as far as the eye could see. Maybe it was good that she was at the edge like this…

Kimberly frowned. Down below were a group of what looked like riders on horses. They were at a gallup heading in the same direction that Kim was going.

Maybe not enemies, then? Or were they riding to inform someone that she was there?

She should just keep going. They were none of her business and she was none of theirs.

But something pulled at her.

She wanted a closer look.

Slowing the Orca Zord she lowered down to get a better glance at them.

One of the riders leapt from his horse so quickly that Kim thought he would get severely injured. But he didn't. He combat rolled forward to gain his balance, then when he got to his feet he was making movements with his arms.

A wizard or something? Was she about to get attacked?

There was a flash that blinded Kimberly for a moment and then…

Red.

The figure in red put out a hand as though reaching for her.

...could it...be?

It couldn't be...could it?

Kimberly pulled the yoke, ceasing the Orca Zord's movements. She stared down, swallowing.

The Red Ranger's arm was still outstretched to her.

Kimberly stood from the cockpit and leapt up through the hatch of the Zord. Standing many feet above, it was a little difficult to see…

To heck with it.

Kimberly jumped. The wind seemed to push back at her as she fell. She knew the suit would protect her; it always did when exiting a Zord.

Feet hitting the ground, Kimberly crouched with the impact. Her head lifted to see the Red Ranger running towards her.

"Kimberly!" he shouted.

Oh my god… she thought. Oh my…

Straightening up to stand, Kimberly waited while Tommy ran towards her.

And then she was in his arms and he was holding her so tightly. Kimberly's eyes stung with unshed tears.

"I was worried I'd never find you." he said thickly, holding her close.

Kimberly placed her hands on Tommy's chest and gently pushed him away.

"Kim?" he asked, sounding concerned.

She stepped away from him, her heart cracking.

Tommy reached up and removed his helmet. "Kimberly?" he asked, frowning.

She placed her hands on the side of her helmet and removed it, as well. Her eyes stung with unshed tears.

"Where are the others?" she asked, "Where's Katherine?"

"It's just me." Tommy said. Kim noticed his eyes were filled with tears, as well. "The other Rangers are back on Earth."

"You...you came for me?" she questioned. "Why?"

"Why?" he asked, dumbfounded. "Because I'll always come for you. Always."

He was here. Tommy was here to bring her home. But Kimberly realized that she couldn't forgive him. Not now. Not yet.