Ranger Slayer

On the window, I watched two raindrops travel down the window pane. It was like they were racing one another, trying to see who would make it to the metal frame of the window first. The left veered off though, heading in a different path than the other. The right one went all the way down to the edge, disappearing into the collection of other raindrops that had collected there. I brought my finger up to follow the left droplet, it vanished behind the fog that was caused by my body heat. The glass was cold to my fingertip, the condensation spreading from it like an infectious disease. It's been raining for days now, the sky not giving any relief since we had returned. It was supposedly summer last I had checked but it felt more like a miserable winter day, reminding me of the week long trips I used to take with my parents when they were still married to the East coast to visit my grandmother in New York City after the holiday season. It felt like an entire lifetime ago or one that wasn't even mine but one I had read about or seen in a movie a long time ago.

The events of what happened in the other world replayed in my mind, again and again, like a DVD stuck on repeat without a way to shut it off. I had told them it was too dangerous. I had warned them what would happen. They didn't listen though.

It's been a day since I awoke in the medical bay. I had been confused at first, wondering why Trini and William were standing over me. I thought for a brief moment that I had just had an accident or something fluke like that. But when I had sat up and saw Jason's body lying in the preservation pod next to me, it washed over me like an ice bath. Jason had been killed. Drakkon had blasted pretty much a hole through him. Jason, who had gone all the way there without any armor, was brought down by Drakkon who was unable to see past the jealousy that has driven him to this point of madness for over twenty years now. My childhood best friend and damn near brother was gone.

And he died to protect me.

My chest ached at the thought, my mind flashing back to those moments. Drakkon's sights were set on me, that blast meant to wipe both Tommy and me off the face of our worlds. Instead, Jason threw himself in front of it to protect the future of our worlds and the prophecy. I wanted to vomit at the thought of the damn prophecy that Zordon has been drilling into our heads since I first arrived here. I didn't give a fuck about some old fairy tale now. Literally, the only person on my original team who gave an ounce of care about me was gone now. I tried not to think about our last conversation, how he had told me that he knew that no matter how much he loved me, I'd always love Drakkon more. I hated that it was true and that I was unable to bring myself to see Jason in the same way he saw me. None of this would have happened then. We could be living normal lives right now, not fighting a stupid war. Jason would be living.

"Where is she?" I heard Trini's voice yell up the hallway. I didn't move to investigate, the motivation lacking in me. Instead, I continued looking out the window, staring up at the moon that was high above us. Clouds made it look like it was peeking out through a mist, the silver light it cast giving everything an eerie feeling that tied with the constant rainfall. I heard her boots stomping up the hallway and my chamber door flew open, the metal doorknob bouncing off the wall behind it. "I knew it! I knew you were going to lead them into a trap!" I heard more footsteps and when I turned my head, I saw that Trini was indeed in my room. William was behind her, as well as this world's version of herself. She beelined right for me but William stepped in front of her before she could advance any more.
"You need to calm your emotions," William said, putting a hand on Trini's arm. She yanked it from his grasp and stepped towards me. Anger was etched into her features as well as pain, it was apparent in the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. She glared at me, balling her hands into fists.

"This is your fault. You caused this. It's your fault Jason's dead." She seethed.

"You don't think I know that?" I asked. "I tried to tell them. I told everyone. I told him not to go. No one would listen to me though, remember?"

"You led them right into a slaughter." The tears that filled her eyes as she fought against William fell, slipping down her cheeks. "I told him not to trust you. I said we should have just left you for dead down in the cells. Now you're here and he isn't."

"Trust me when I say I would rather it be the other way around." I muttered, looking out the window again.

"Don't you dare sit there and act like you give a shit about what happened to him. It's just like when we were kids and you string him along for all that time until Tommy came into the picture. Jason let a silly little crush from his childhood cloud his judgment. Now he's dead. Seems to be a common thing around you and the men stupid enough to fall in love with a tramp like you." I stood up, turning my body to face her. I glared, feeling anger bubbling in my chest. Just like when we were kids, Trini still acted like she knew better than anyone about things that had nothing to do with her. I thought back to the time we were pre-teens, trying out for a local sports team. She didn't make the cut, her being unable to really get used to the swing of the bat. She threw a fit, going back home to her father who bought her way onto the team with brand new uniforms. Trini always needed to be involved in everything that had nothing to do with her, no matter what it cost everyone else.

"You should have told him about your feelings then. It's not my fault you were too much of a coward to admit you were in love with him." I said, stepping closer. "I told him right in the beginning I never saw him that way. Don't speak on shit you don't know." I walked past her, heading for the doorway where the other Trini was.

"How could Jason have been in love with such a heartless person like you?" She whispered, a sob hidden in the thickness of her voice.

"Beats me." I muttered, loud enough for her to hear. I walked out of the room, wiping the tear that fell from my eye with the back of my hand. I continued walking until I reached the bathroom. Entering it, I locked the door and leaned against it. Sobs came from me then, shaking my whole body. She was right. It was my fault that Jason was dead. If I had just come to reason, he'd still be here. If I had just listened to everyone who warned me before all this happened, he wouldn't have lost his life.

Walking over to the sink, I leaned against it and looked into the grimy mirror in front of me. I hated the person looking back at me. From the doe brown eyes to the shoulder-length caramel-colored hair, I hated every inch of the reflection. Glancing down, I saw that someone had left a pair of scissors and clippers on the sink. Probably one of the guys trimming their facial hair. Picking up the scissors, I grabbed a large portion of my hair and began to cut into it. There was a sharp sound as it cut through the strands and locks of my hair began to fall to the ground. I grabbed another handful, cutting again. I didn't stop until it was short all around my head, just reaching above my ears when it was combed over. I grabbed the trimmers now, flipping them on with my thumb. It buzzed and vibrated in my hand as I raised it to the side of my head. Taking a deep breath, I pressed it against my scalp and combed it through my hair. The remaining hair that was there fell to the side, leaving a short half-inch amount. I did the same to the other side above my ear and the back of my head, leaving the top of it long. Tossing the trimmers down when I was done, I looked at my reflection again. Now, I saw a different person standing there. Someone I didn't recognize.

I was no longer Drakkon's Kimberly.

The constant buzzing of the fluorescent bulb above my head was worse than any kind of torture device that the Nazis could have dreamed of. It buzzed all day and most of the night, not that I knew exactly which was which from my holding cell. Around me, I was surrounded by metal walls except for the door which was made of blast-proof glass. This allowed me the chance to see the other empty cells down here with me, their chambers dark. In the small hall that connected all of them, there was a ladder built into the wall. I wasn't sure where it led exactly. I had woken up in here twenty days ago. Or at least what I figured has been twenty days. There were no windows down here to let me know when it was daylight or not.

Above my head, I heard a series of clicks. I sat up from where I laid on the small cot, moving myself to the farther corner of the cell as I could. Soon, feet appeared on the ladder. They were connected to legs that were dressed in dark green combat pants. Jason Lee Scott of my world appeared, stepping off the ladder. He wore his typical color, a dark red knit long-sleeved shirt on his torso. Aging had done him well, the features of his face filling out more behind the facial hair he sported. Even though we were living in an active war, he kept the dark brown beard and mustached trimmed nicely on his rounded face. I could see the resemblance of his father now as I looked at him. In his hand, I saw he was carrying a nap sack and a set of keys. Walking over to the door, he gave me a small smile.

"Morning." He said. "Figured you might want some breakfast. Can I come in?" He asked. I didn't move to speak, turning my face away from him. I heard him move the keys and the pressure lock on the door hissed. He opened the door and stepped in, his boots scuffing on the floor. He didn't shut the door behind him, choosing to lean against the doorway after putting the back on the bed next to me. "I talked with Zordon. He and William said that the scans of your weapons proved to be the same as before. Drakkon has no control over them or your Power Coin. We don't know if you'll be able to morph here but Drakkon won't be able to do anything to you with them." I didn't speak nor move my head. My eyes stayed transfixed on the floor by my socked feet. "There hasn't been any energy spikes either. I don't think Drakkon has been out looking for you."

Why would he? He left me behind, thinking I had turned on him. I was lucky that he was trying to find me to kill me.

"Kim, I can't help you if you won't talk to me. I don't understand this vow of silence you've suddenly started since you've arrived here. But I can't convince the others that you are on our side until you give me something to work with here." I glared over at him, willing him to leave. This has been his daily ritual since I've arrived here. He would bring me food and try to see if he could get me to speak to him. I hadn't waived yet and I wasn't planning on it. Besides him, Billy was the only other person I had seen since my arrival from my team. The younger Trini had brought me some clean clothes every few days but beyond that, the rest of my team wanted nothing to do with me. In fact, when the Trini of my world had gotten the chance, she promptly punched me in the face. I won't deny that I deserved it, given what I had thought I had done to them while under Drakkon's control. She had no problem telling me that she hoped I was going to die down here.

Me too.

"Remember that time at Ernie's when the smoothie machine broke and he had all that mix that would go to waste? I don't think I've ever eaten so many smoothies before in my life. What I wouldn't do to have one right now. It's one of the things I miss the most. Those chunks of strawberry and banana would make the whole thing come together. Hell, if I could find some strawberries and bananas now, I would try to make one myself." Jason said, crossing his arms. "What I remember most that day though was how much you were willing to help Ernie no matter how much time and calories it meant. I don't think he would have been able to get that thing fixed if you didn't help push those smoothies as hard as you did. That Kim wasn't willing to just sit down here and die when there's a war going on."

"What do you want from me?" I asked, the sound of my voice sounding foreign to my ears.

"Your help." He replied.

"How? I don't have Drakkon's powers assisting me anymore. I don't even think I would be able to use them here without him powering them. What fucking good am I to you and your team when I can't fight?"

"You know Tommy better than anyone." He said, stepping towards me. It was odd hearing someone refer to Drakkon as the name. I nearly flinched at the thought of the lessons he had beaten into me when I had accidentally called him that in times of naivety. "You've spent the most time there and know how he works. We need to figure out what he has planned and how he plans on achieving that."

"What do you mean? He's not going to stop until he takes over both versions of our world. Maybe if you all had been around instead of hiding, you would have seen what's been going on." I shook my head, standing. Sighing, he paced the floor.

"We were in suspension until something triggered an event like this. We couldn't allow Drakkon to know we were still alive. It would risk him having access to our Power Coins then. There's something that Zordon hasn't been telling the others. I knew about it before our Zordon was exiled. It was something he confided in me before Drakkon attacked. He spoke of a prophecy that was told centuries ago about a time that would come like this one. When two worlds collide. They said that a great evil would try to destroy the universes and that a great power would be needed to put a stop to it."

"Alright. What's this great power then? You think I just have that kind of information?" I asked.

"No. The key is Tommy Oliver of this universe. Zordon wouldn't go very far into detail, just that we are going to need to protect and make sure that Drakkon doesn't get to Tommy. If he dies, the fate of our entire existence will cease to exist."

"What is that supposed to mean to me? It's not like the kid is going to suddenly trust me now after everything that happened and his Kim was murdered right in front of him by Drakkon."

"I need you to be his shadow." He said. "I need you to follow him around and keep tabs on him as well as you can. With the instability of the grid, using his Power Coin to trace him has become more difficult. We need eyes on him at all times."

"And the team is just going to let me waltz on out of here to follow Tommy around? I don't see Trini allowing that to happen any time soon."

"Trini will be dealt with. It's going to take time. Rome wasn't built in a day."

"Yeah, well Drakkon did destroy it in one so forgive me for being hesitant about jumping into action." I turned to look at him. "He's just a kid, Jase. They all are. Let them live lives that way as normal as possible."

"I can't do that until Drakkon is taken care of."

"It shouldn't be on them to handle this though."

"Well, Drakkon made it that way. He is going to take over this world as he did ours. We can't stand by and just let that happen." He took a step towards me. "Kim, I need your help to save them and what's left of our world."

"It's not much," I whispered. "He destroyed everything there that he could. It barely resembles Earth, let alone Angel Grove anymore."

"There might be a way to reverse everything." He said. "Zordon says that this prophecy is the only way to do that though."

"Reverse everything?" I asked, gazing up at him. He nodded, taking my hands in his.

"We might be able to find a way to bring our world back, stop the attack from happening here and bring back everyone we lost."

"What about Drakkon? Is there a way to bring him back to being Tommy?" Jason let my hands drop, taking a step back.

"Kim…you can't be serious." He said. "After everything he's done to you?"

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You still love him." He said. I turned my face away from him, not wanting to see the disappointment anymore.

"If we can reverse what happened-." I started but he cut me off.

"Drakkon isn't under a spell. We freed him from that, remember?!" He exclaimed. "The arrogant and narcissistic asshole who put YOU under a spell and held you hostage, while he killed millions of people has no one controlling him. He did all of this on his own accord. And you still want to save him?"

"You make it sound like I have a choice," I whispered. "Do you think I want to care this much about him? Do you think I haven't been sitting down here, hating myself for the way I feel? Hell, I wish that I did that day. It would be better than sitting here day after day, thinking about how he just tossed me away once I wasn't his to control anymore. I wish I didn't feel this way but I can't help it. There's something inside of me that is just wired to love him. And I can't stop." Tears welled in my eyes as I looked back at him. "Of all people, I thought you would at least understand that." The harsh look on his face softened as he shifted his gaze down to the floor.

"It's not the same." He said in a soft tone.

"Oh, no? So the rest of the team was okay with you being in love with me even though I was trying to slaughter all of you?" I asked. "Or were they just not aware of the times you would try to find me and beg me to come back? Or when you asked Drakkon to release me in return for taking your life? I was there when Drakkon ran you through with his dagger. I heard what you said to him. You don't think Drakkon didn't savor the moment that he had toyed with you about being in love with me for months after he thought he had killed you? He did. I think it was one of his shining moments."

"Of course it was. His obsession with you and the jealousy he has always had about our friendship is what fueled this entire thing." Jason replied.

"The person he was before Rita took him isn't the same person he is now," I said. "If there's a way to save him, we need to try. Isn't that the stupid shit that Zordon drilled into our heads as kids? That we need to save people and protect the world. We wouldn't be any better than Drakkon himself if we just killed him, knowing there might be a way to reverse what happened to him too." Jason gave me a look, crossing his arms over his chest. After a moment, he let out a long breath and shook his head.

"We won't be able to tell the others." He said. "They will not be feeling the same way regardless of what we tell them." I looked at him surprised. "What?"

"You're going to try to save him?"

"I'm not thrilled at the thought but I'll do it." Turning, he walked out of the doorway. He didn't shut the door behind him though. "You coming?" He called. Hesitantly, I stepped out of the cell and into the hallway. I looked up at the hatch that was above our heads, a blue and green glow coming from it. I suddenly felt so exposed in just the sweater and leggings I was wearing. "Trini and the rest of our team are out on a scavenger trip. I figured this would be the best time to bring you out without the threat of her jumping you."

"I'm sure it will come." I breathed. He gave me a small smile, nodding.

"More than likely but I think you can handle it." He gestured for me to head up the ladder. I moved forward to grab it but he grabbed my arm gently. To my surprise, he pulled me in for a tight hug.

"Jason…" I whispered, my body stiffening at the contact as his arms wrapped around me.

"I've missed you." He whispered, raw emotion in his voice. "The real you."