Tommy
It had been quite the scene that I had imagined it would be when the remaining members of the older team had come back and heard the news of what had happened to their leader. Trini had nearly attacked the Ranger Slayer, her screams heard throughout the Command Center. Amazingly, Kim had slept through it. It was more so thanks to the sedative that Billy and alpha had provided to her once we had arrived I believed but she was sleeping peacefully in the private bunker that the Ranger Slayer had shown me prior to our trip to the older world. I didn't want to leave her and my body ached from battle but I knew that I needed to see what was going on.
Looking down at her sleeping form from my position by the side of the bed, I was relieved to see her here. I thought back to those times when all I could think about was the moment she was back here with me. Now that she was, it was overwhelming the number of emotions I was feeling. And then the thought of a daughter I didn't know about came over me. The sting of tears in the back of my eyes appeared, threatening to fall. As relieved as I was to have Kim back here with me, the worry and fear in the pit of my chest regarding Abby wouldn't fade until she was here with us as well. In the last 24 hours, I've learned that I had an entire family and all I wanted was for both of them to be safe in our world. Growing up, I always imagined having kids and being a part of the type of family I wasn't allowed to have.
Kim's features were the same as when she left, some age to them that suited her well. I was happy to see that she seemed to have been well treated while under Drakkon's care. She was healthy from what I had seen. The thought of the Ranger Slayer's back with Drakkon's name carved into it came to mind. Carefully, I put a hand on the middle of Kim's back. Through her shirt, I didn't feel any raised skin that would be apparent with scarring. I would speak to her at some point once she was ready to determine if he had hurt her at all. Anger burned deep within me at the thought that he had hurt her or Abby in any manner. I could almost picture ripping him limb for limb if he had. Shaking my head, I did my best to push those thoughts away. For once, I knew I couldn't let my anger get the best of me right now. I had more at risk than just myself and I needed to make sure that I was thinking with everyone's interest right now. Walking over to the door, I gave Kim one last glance before turning off the overhead light and shutting the door. I left it open a crack, allowing some light into the small room in case she awoke before I came back.
I took a quick shower, hoping the semi-luke warm water would help my muscles. When I emerged, I changed into some fresh clothes and headed out into the main hallway. I heard a strange noise coming from one of the storage rooms beyond the bathrooms and saw that the door was open ajar. As I stepped closer, I saw that there was someone inside the room. I realized that it was Jason. He was sitting on a wooden crate on the right side of the room with his back to the door. As I opened the door more, I saw him let out a little shudder, and the realization that he was crying hit me. I moved to leave before he noticed but he turned at the sound of the door.
"Shit." He muttered, wiping at his eyes. He had changed from his uniform now, a black hoodie over her torso and a pair of worn dark jeans on his legs. "Sorry, man." He said, letting out a deep breath.
"No worries. I shouldn't have come in. You good?" I asked, knowing it was a dumb question the moment I said it. Shaking his head, he rested his elbows on his knees.
"No. I keep trying to get that image of myself laying there like that out of my head and it's not working." I stepped into the room and sat on another crate across from him. "It was like seeing myself die."
"That has to be hard. I'm sorry about Jase. I know the two of you had gotten close over the last few years. It can't be easy for you to deal with."
"The whole team is going to be hurting." He said. "And here I am, crying like a fucking baby."
"Jason, it was a form of you. You have every right to feel this way. Just because you're a leader doesn't mean you can't show emotions every now and then. We're human." I saw fresh tears fill his eyes as he raised his head to look at me.
"I don't think I can do this anymore. With Jason here, he was the leader and I was his second in command. I don't think I can do this on my own."
"You're not. You have all of us here to fight with you." I said, leaning forward and putting a hand on his back. Guilt hit me like a freight train as I looked at my best friend. I had caused this somewhat I knew. When I had just left the team to find Kim, I left them without a team member and Jason a partner to help him. He looked so lost now, another shudder running through him as he tried to suppress his crying.
"We have to have a funeral or something," Jason said, sitting up straight and cleaning his face with the back of his hand. "We can't just let him keep laying in the medical bay."
"We can do whatever you and the team want. I think Jason would like that." He shook his head again, clearing his throat.
"Sorry, man. I know you have other worries right now." He forced a smile. "A daughter, huh?"
"You're telling me," I said, returning the smile. "I can hardly believe it myself."
"Well, it explains a lot. Especially why Kim didn't come back with you and why Drakkon never used her as bait. That must mean that he has some kind of connection with her."
"That's my hope at least. If that's the case, Abby won't be in any danger until we try to figure out how to save her." I looked down at my hands. "Man, I don't know if I'm up to being a dad."
"You kidding? After all this shit, being a Dad is going to seem like a cakewalk." He said, chuckling. "Besides, Kim has been raising here for the last five years now. I think that's already a good start. How is she doing?"
"She's still sleeping. Even through all the yelling. She needs the rest." I looked over my shoulder at the doorway, making sure no one was there. "Look, I think there's something that Jason was trying to tell me before he died. Something about Zordon and something about me."
"What did he say?"
"'Fulfilling this mission is my destiny. Zordon and the others know. Right now, you need to do what we came here to do. Live to fight another day.'" I said, quoting him. "Do you have any clue what that means?" He looked confused.
"I have no idea. But I mean, I didn't know about the other Kim going back to her world either. It might be something that Trini and Billy might know. I doubt it though. I don't believe that they wouldn't tell us something like that." He stood up, pacing by the door. "What the hell could he have meant by that?"
"When we went into the Grid, what did the voices say to you?" I asked.
"Something about protecting the chosen one." He replied. "I thought it was just mumbled garbage. The others always said that the Grid tells you things from different universes."
"Every time I go in there, it tells me the same thing. That the time is coming and that I'm the chosen one. I figured it was because of Rita and her deciding I was the one she needed to be her Green Ranger. But now, I think it's something else. And I think Zordon has known something about me this entire time that he hasn't told anyone."
"Seems like we need to have a conversation with Zordon then." I stood up and shook my head.
"I think there's another person who might know more than she's letting on," I replied. "Did you know that Jason was in love with the Ranger Slayer?" I questioned. Jason looked surprised at my question.
"No. I always figured he had feelings for Trini because I always have."
"Drakkon did something after he did his last attack. The look on his face when he saw the Slayer's reaction to Jason's death told me that he thought something was going on between the two of them. It was like he was looking at someone who had betrayed him."
"Do you think he's done all of this because he's jealous over a girl?" Jason asked. "That all of this entire war and bloodshed was dealt because he thought another dude like a girl he liked too?"
"I remember when I was under Rita's spell. She would try to pump my ear all the time with the idea that you and Kim were together. Goldar would do it too, telling me that you both were going behind my back. It caused this resentment to build in me and made me want to attack you even more."
"Right but then we broke the spell. Clearly, there wasn't something going on between us."
"True but what if that wasn't the case in their world? What if after the spell was broken, he still believed there was something there? That would explain why he decided to join Rita after the face. His mind was already set on the idea of stopping Jason and the other Rangers because of it."
"Maybe that's why Zordon was so against you and Kimberly being together. He thought that if you two broke up or something happened, you would return to Rita." I hung my head. I wanted to say that it wouldn't have happened but now, I wasn't sure about that. Was I wired like Drakkon? Would I have just left the Rangers and gone back to her side if Kim had broken up with me?
"Guys?" Zack's voice called from the doorway. Jason and I both turned to look at him. "The others have called a meeting." Jason cast a look over at me before we followed him out.
We headed to the medical bay where we found everyone - minus both Kimberlys - in the main part of the room. The older Jason's body was laying in a preservation chamber as William had called it, tests being run on it to determine a number of things about Drakkon's newly absorbed powers. We were hoping that we could find some kind of weakness in the surges from the blast that had killed Jason. He looked like he was sleeping, a white sheet pulled up and over his bare chest. Trini from his team stood over him, their Zack consoling her as the rest of our team stood back. Both Billy's were by the control panel, speaking in hushed voices as we entered the room. Everyone turned once we were in there to face the Billys.
"I've run all the tests I can on him," William said. "The results won't be available for a few hours though when the computer can process them." Reaching up, he adjusted his glasses. "The preliminary results indicate that he died instantly. He didn't suffer at all."
"Didn't suffer? He's dead, isn't he?" Trini asked, glaring down at the body. Her younger counterpart leaned against Jason slightly, tucking her hand into his elbow. "This shouldn't have happened. I knew it would end like this because of her."
"It wasn't her fault," I said. "The Ranger Slayer - Kimberly - warned us that this would happen. We decided to go as a team anyway. You can't blame her."
"It's funny how quickly you change your position on her once you have what you came for back." Trini said, turning her glare to me. "She's the reason this whole thing has happened, remember? She's the one who caused all of this."
"No. It was Drakkon's fault." I replied. "He is the reason why your world was destroyed and what happened to Jason. You can't blame her for his death when Drakkon was the one who killed him."
"He'd still be here if she hadn't come back." She hissed.
"There's no point in this," Jason said, stepping forward. "He wouldn't want us to fight about what happened. The only thing that matters is finding a way to get to Drakkon and stopping him before he causes any more destruction." He turned his sights on his older counterpart who lay dead in front of him. "How do you want to lay him to rest?"
"Why don't you let your new leader decide?" Trini said, looking back over at Jason's body again. Turning, she walked out of the room. The older Zack gave a long look at his fallen friend before slowly following her out of the room. Our Trini moved to follow as well but William stopped her.
"She needs time. She will be okay." He said, giving her a small reassuring smile. Sighing, his eyes went back to Jason's body. "I believe he would have liked a warrior's funeral. It's something I feel he would have been honored by."
"Whatever you want, William," Jason said. "We will help you."
"I'll make the preparations. How is your Kimberly doing?" He asked, glancing at me.
"She's sleeping right now. She's upset but I think she will be okay. Once we can get our daughter here, she will be much better." Nodding, he gestured to the control panel.
"Once she is up for it, I'd like to run some tests on her to ensure her well-being and health. I feel that Drakkon was taking well care of her while in his castle but I just want to make sure myself."
"Where is the other Kim?" I asked, glancing around the room. I knew she was probably avoiding Trini like the plaque right now but I was concerned to not see her in the medical bay anymore given her injuries at the hands of Drakkon.
"I haven't seen her since she awoke and her confrontation with Trini." William replied.
"She's probably hiding out. She's very good at that. I'm sure she is here somewhere." Trini said. "I'll try to find her to make sure she is doing okay."
"When you do, can you bring her to Tommy and me?" Jason asked. "We have some questions for her."
"Of course. What's going on?"
"Did any of you know about something that Zordon might have confided in Jason?" I asked, facing Billy, William, Trini, and Zack. The group looked at each other, no signs of knowledge coming from or between them.
"Just that Kim was going back to her world from time to time," Trini replied. "But he told us to help build the blueprint of the palace for any attack we might plan."
"Affirmative. There was never a discussion of any alternative motives involved." Billy added.
"I'm just as clueless as you guys," Zack said, holding his hands up. "Sometimes, I feel like I'm just hanging out around here until it's time to fight."
"Join the club," Jason muttered. "But something is up and we think that Zordon might not be telling us the whole truth as to why he wanted Tommy back here so bad and why he didn't want him and Kim together in the first place."
"What did you say?" William asked, stepping closer.
"Before Drakkon's first attack, Zordon forbid Tommy and Kim from being together. He said it would put the world at risk if they did." Trini replied. William crossed his arms, a look of complexity on his features.
"Our Zordon said the same thing." He spoke. "Only, it was about Jason and Kim."