Ranger Slayer

After leaving the Command Center, I sought refuge at the childhood home of Tommy. I had thought about going to Kim's house as I knew it would be similar to mine but I didn't want to be found by anyone. I knew that Trini or the other Rangers would search for me there so I went to Tommy's house. His house was the exact same as Drakkon's was prior to him joining Rita. I slept in his bed and thought about the events of the last few days. I did my best to push the image of Jason dying from my mind but it was there each time I closed my eyes. I was finally able to drift to sleep as the sun was just beginning to rise. I dreamt of Zordon and Jason, of war, and of all the pain inflicted by Drakkon. He was absent from my dreams but I did recall glimpses of a boy with long hair.

When I woke, the sun was high in the sky, telling me it was mid-day. There was a haziness in the air that reminded me of the trips m family would take to Hollywood and the heaviness that would hang in the air in late summer. I wondered what month it was now, something I hadn't considered in years. The rest of the world outside of California was living what seemed to be a normal life with their treaty with Drakkon. There was still fear though, especially in the nearby areas. His control had dipped into parts of Mexico. I knew he wanted nothing more than to take over this entire world and with Zedd's powers, he might just have that chance now.

And what the hell did he want with two kids?

That was the most puzzling part of this whole situation. I could understand him wanting to take out a younger version of Tommy. It would eliminate the threat he was facing now and probably prevent all this from happening from the beginning. However, why hadn't he just done so already? Clearly, he was still alive as Tommy was still here. And why on the earth was he keeping Tommy and Kim's kid? The Drakkon I knew would use Abby as bait for the whole team to surrender. It was the perfect plan because I knew they would all just toss their Power coins to him to protect the child of one of their own. So, why hadn't he done just this? And why hadn't he offered the ransom yet? I was beginning to question what had happened to the Drakkon I remembered and what Zedd's powers had done to him since he absorbed them.

I packed up my belongings and headed out on my scouting. I saw that Drakkon's forces seemed to be thinning here in this world, only a man or two at each of the nearby towers and the two portals located in town. I didn't see any sign of anyone traveling through the portals and the men left in charge were only Black and Yellow, signifying they were low on the totem pole in Drakkon's forces. He had the higher-ups somewhere else and I couldn't figure that out. I checked the nearby factories where they had been used as stationing facilities before but found them all empty. It was the same story on the oil rigs in the harbor. Whatever Drakkon had planned seemed to draw his men out of Angel Grove, something that didn't sit well in the pit of my stomach.

As the sun began to set, I decided to head to the school for my meeting with Finster. In recent months, we had changed to meeting under the fall of night to protect us from anyone seeing either one of us from meeting. Finster had a very deep fear of Drakkon finding out about his meeting with me. I don't think it was in fear of him killing him but more so of Drakkon feeling he had no one else he could trust then. Zordon and Jason were concerned about the team finding out I was meeting with him and them seeing me as a traitor which caused the secrecy to be needed. It was getting to the point where I was starting to see that Zordon cared more about the sake of the world than the teenagers he swindled into saving it. He was just as manipulative as Drakkon could be and didn't care who was lost in the process.

In the library, I flicked through the pages of an old yearbook I had found stashed on the shelves. The smiling faces of teenagers looked up at me. It was an older book, probably from before any of the present Rangers were old enough to walk. It felt foreign to think of a time when high school and school photos were key events in one's life. I remembered my last school pictures and worrying about what I was going to do about my hair and the dress I was wearing. It seemed like a whole other life had happened since that moment. When I was younger, I remember thinking that life as an adult couldn't be as hard as what my mother made it seem like whenever she was having a bad day. This dystopian world I was in now was nowhere near the idea I had of my life. Sighing, I closed the yearbook and slid it back into its place on the shelf. In the soft glow of the little lantern I had set up on the shelf above me, I found the book I used to communicate with Finster. Pulling it from its place, I gazed down at the cover of it. The face of an old man looked up at me and the title, The Giver, seemed faded.

From outside of the door, I heard scurrying footsteps and heavy breathing. Putting the book on the table I was sitting on, I pulled my bow out and readied an arrow. A hooded figure slinked into the library door and once I saw the white fur of Finster's snout sticking out from the hood, I lowered my bow. In his hand, he carried a little globe that was glowing with a pale yellow light. He set it on the table, reaching up and pulling the hood back enough to show his face. He seemed out of breath and I saw there were large bags under his eyes. It was like he hadn't slept in weeks and that he was just a walking zombie.

"You don't look so good," I said, sitting back on the table. I picked up the book again, propping my feet on the chair in front of me.

"Your charm knows no bounds, dear." He said wearily. "With the strain on the grid and my powers being used to power a number of things in our world, traveling here did a number on me. I will be fine though if you're concerned for my wellbeing. Forgive me. I need to sit." He shuffled over to a chair by the table and sat down, careful of his tail.

"What is he up to?" I asked. "I see that the forces are thin here." Finster nodded, cleaning his glasses with a piece of his hood.

"Yes. He is planning something with them. I'm unsure of when that will go into effect but they have been called somewhere else." Finster looked down at his feet, a lost look on his features. "I'm afraid that his mind has begun to deteriorate. I'm starting to fear that he's too far gone to be saved."

"Welcome to the club," I said, crossing my arms as I tucked the book into the inside of my jacket. "I've been telling you this for years now. I'm glad you are finally seeing the light."

"I'm fully aware of my denial. It's a place I believe you lived in for a time as well if I'm not mistaken." I shot him a glare, sensing the annoyance in his tone. "That's why you selected that book, correct? As our communication portal."

"It's nothing."

"Humor an old man, won't you?" He said. Slowly, I pulled the book back out and looked down at it in my hands.

"Right before Tommy left to rejoin Rita, we were assigned this big paper about one of the books on a reading list. Tommy and I decided to pick the same book so that we could read it together and work on our papers together. I was just happy he wanted to spend time with me. We'd hang out, reading it to each other. I remember that we got to the end of the book with the boy finally escaping on the sled, Tommy got this look on his face that I couldn't really read. So, I asked him what he was thinking. He said that it made him think of when he was under Rita's spell. Everything had looked black and white to him but now and then, he would have these brief moments of clarity that would jolt him back to reality. He said that it was like he could see flashes of color, just like how the main character in the book could. Except, it was never red. He would see pink." I felt a sad smile come to my lips as I lifted the book closer to me. "He used to say that I was always the thing that made him human."

"He was right. You are the driver behind his purpose."

"I used to be at least." I sighed. "It's too late for that now. He's not Tommy anymore." Reaching over, Finster put a hand on my arm.

"You tried your hardest to save him. I know you did. He sealed his fate the moment he absorbed Zedd's powers. But you have no reason to blame yourself for what may happen next." I gazed over at him. "He's planning to use the child against you. He plans to train young Tommy to work for him and has been training Abigail to fight against her parents and the Rangers."

"He's using toddlers to fight his battles now?" I asked. He shook his head.

"No. He is-." Finster was interrupted by the suddenly loud boom that happed from outside. It was so loud and so close that it shook the entire building. Books fell from the shelves, thuds following the tremors of the aftershocks. Another happened, followed by more. These sounded more distant, however.

"Is he blowing California off the fucking map?" I asked. Finster shook his head, gazing out the window.

"He's destroying the towers." He replied grimly. "He's closing off all the portals between our worlds."

"What?" I whispered, walking towards the window. In the sky, I saw the lights of the patrol shops zipping through the air. One dropped something and I watched as it hit the middle of the town square where one of the portals was. Where Zedd's body had once been on display, there was an explosion. Parts of the portal went flying and the fiery remains burned, charred metal and wires billowing out smoke and embers into the sky. "How will he get here then?"

"I'm not sure. He's preserving all the power from the Grid that he can now. I must go before he closes all of the access points to our world." He turned to leave, stopping to look back at me. "Keep the book with you. I will do my best to maintain the pocket dimension so I will have communication with you."

"I will." He gave me a long look as if he needed or wanted to say something else. Instead, he took a deep breath, pulled the hood back over his head, and disappeared into the hallway of the school. I shoved the book back into my jacket, securing it in the pocket here. I gripped my bow in my hands and grabbed the lantern. If they were blowing things up here in town, I did not want to be inside like a sitting duck.

Walking out of the library, I saw that the school had received some damage from the blasts. The already destroyed walls of what used to be the cafeteria were scorched more, the stone smoldering in flames. I could see similar pillars of smoke in other areas off into the distance as I stepped outside. That's where the towers were placed, their structures no longer standing there. What exactly was the plan here? Was he just going to destroy this world and seal us off forever? It didn't seem like a very Drakkon thing to do. It was too close to running away, something he would never do.

"And here I was, thinking it would be a much harder task to find you." A grizzly voice said above me. Twirling on my heel, I raised my bow and made an arrow appear from thin air. On the edge of the roof of the school, I saw a large figure standing there. The figure was huge, a bulky body with wide shoulders that was just visible in the flickering light of the flames behind me. The figure jumped into the air and wings spread out behind them as they flew over my head. They landed on the ground of the courtyard as I kept my arrow faced on them.

"What do you want, Goldar?" I called out. The figure that I assumed was indeed Goldar let out a laugh, stepping forward. He was now fully illuminated in the glow of the fire and I saw that I was indeed wrong in my assumption.

"Guess again, Pinkie," Silverback said. The glint of his silver armor made the stars seem duller, the souls of the people and creatures he's murdered etched into it with the scratches and dents I could make out. I hadn't seen him in well over a decade, him not wanting any part of assisting Drakkon at the time. Apparently, his loyalty had changed as well as his mind.

"I see you've come running back to Drakkon after all." I called out. He grinned.

"He sought my services out to end you." He replied. "Seems like he's not taking your break up very well."

"What can I say? I'm quite the catch."

"Well, he can have your head for his wall once I rip you limb from limb." He said, pulling his long sword from his waist.

"That's some optimistic goals you have there," I said. "Try me." I released my arrow, sending it soaring quickly through the air towards him.

"I'm going to gut you like the fucking filthy pig you are." He snarled, dodging the hit. He ran towards me, swinging the sword. I jumped, deflecting the blade with the blades of my own bow. I landed on my feet behind him and he swung backward quicker than I had anticipated. I barely managed to roll out of the way before the blade had a chance to slice my head clean off my shoulders. I rolled to the left, firing an arrow at him quickly. It hit him in the shoulder, knocking him back a couple of feet. It seemed to barely phase him though, barely leaving any mark on his armor. My connection to the grid must be weak still, the power of my attacks not as strong as they usually are.

"Kim!" I heard someone call from my right. From the shadows of the alley between the school and the remains of the parking lot, I saw Trini and Kimberly run towards me. They skid to a stop next to me once they saw Silverback.

"What the hell is that?" Trini asked as I stood up.

"Goldar with a makeover." Kimberly grimaced. I shook my head.

"That's Silverback, Goldar's brother," I replied. "He's the big brother."

"The thought of a whole family of Goldar's is vomit-inducing," Kimberly said, grabbing the bow I had left behind at the Command Center from her back. She loaded an arrow into it from her quiver, pointing it towards Silverback. Trini pulled her daggers from her waistband, the few weapons that are not powered directly from the Morphing Grid to be useful.

"Must be my damn lucky day," Silverback called. "I didn't realize that when Drakkon hired me to kill the both of you, it'd be this simple." He growled, squaring his body towards us with his sword in both his hands. "I thought for sure I'd have to find the little one hiding somewhere."

"Drakkon sent him here to kill us?" Kim asked in a hushed tone."

"Seems it," I muttered back. "I guess he figured out how to deal with us after all." I prepared another arrow in the bow. "You two need to go back to the Command Center. I'll hold him off so you can get away."

"We're not leaving you," Trini said, shaking her head. "We're doing this together."

"This is the time for a girl power moment," I stated. "Drakkon is destroying towers and the portals. You need to warn the team or you won't be able to get to my world to save Abby."

"Let's deal with this flying money first then," Kim said, glaring at Silverback. God, I hated young people. What the hell was Zordon thinking using teenagers with fucking attitude to save the world? And how was I the worst offender?

"Ladies, I'm waiting," Silverback said.

"All at once." I breathed. They nodded before we all ran forward. Trini ran to the right side and Silverback followed her since her attack was going to be closer. As he swung his sword towards her, I released my arrow. It slammed into the chest plate of his armor, causing him to let go of his sword with the left arm. Jumping into the air, I swung the lower blade towards Silverback's head. He dodged it, hitting me with his elbow as he used it to defend himself. Kimberly used the moment to send her arrow at him. It clanked off his armor, sinking into him in the area between the shoulder and chest plates. He deflected Trini's blades with his sword, his moves getting quicker the more she tried to get closer. Letting out a loud roar, Silverback swept the sword with both of his arms in a lower position. Kim and Trini barely had time to jump out of the way to avoid getting their ankles removed from their bodies. He took the advantage to kick Trini as she was trying to roll out of the way. She let out a loud whimper, doing her best to protect her torso from the blow of his boot.

"Trini!" Kimberly yelled, running towards her. Silverback turned his attention back to Kim as she bent to help Trini up. She didn't see him about to bring his blade down towards her.

"Watch out!" I yelled, jumping towards them. My body collided with Kim, sending her towards the ground over Trini. In doing so, my bow was knocked from my hands and the sudden sharp pain of Silverback's blade slashing through the skin of my back made me gasp. It hadn't run me through but it was enough to make me see stars. I fell to the ground, feeling the open air hitting the wound I knew was bleeding on my back. Kimberly and Trini were on the ground about six feet away now, looking over at me. Trini's eyes widened as she tried to open her mouth to say something. I felt a hand grab me by the top of the hair and Silverback pulled me to my feet. Letting go of my hair, he wrapped his massive hand around my throat, lifting me off the ground with ease. I gripped his wrist, trying to pull him off of me.

"Pathetic. No wonder Drakkon didn't want to keep you around as a pet anymore. From what I heard, he didn't find what you had to offer worth it." Silverback said, his yellow teeth appearing as his lips curled into a smile that made my skin crawl. His dark, beady eyes gazed up in such a cold fashion, I thought I could feel ice forming on my skin.

"You're the one working for him. That's the pathetic part." I said, He tightened his grip on my throat. I clawed at him, trying to kick at him but he held me high enough that I couldn't reach him with my feet.

"You're just the piece of ass he rejected when he couldn't get his rocks off anymore. From the looks of it, he left his mark too to ensure that no one else will ever want to touch you again. Let me do you a favor and end your suffering right now. I know I'll get some pleasure out of it."

"Fuck…off…" I breathed, trying to get oxygen into my body. He smiled, moving to squeeze harder when something slammed into the side of his neck. His eyes widened in shock as I saw that it was two arrows. Behind him, I saw that Kim was holding my bow from where she was standing. Silverback let out a loud, pain-filled roar and he released me. I fell to the ground, landing on my back where he had slashed me. I didn't let the pain stop me though as I scurried away from him. Silverback clawed at his neck, pulling the arrows out. Dark blue and red blood pooled from the wound, down the front of his armor. He turned, glaring over at Kimberly who had two more arrows lined up in the bow.

"Come on, monkey breath. I've got plenty more where that came from." She said. I saw that Trini was now gone and was nowhere to be seen. As Silverback moved to run towards Kim with his sword, I saw another figure run out from the right side of the remains of the school. The person collided with Silverback, tossing him from his feet. I realized that it was Zack from my team now, his power Axe in hand as he stood over Silverback. Behind them, I saw that both of the Trini's were taking refuge in the opening of the school where I had been when Silverback had first seen me. Kim ran over to me, putting my arm over her shoulders. She helped me to my feet, both of our bows on her back. I watched as Silverback pulled himself back to his feet, a glare on his features.

"You haven't seen that last of me, Pink Rangers. I will make sure I'm the last face you see before I end the two of you." He slammed his sword to the Earth, disappearing into a cloud of dark purple and green fog. His blood was still on the ground where he had been standing, the only evidence that the overgrown gorilla had been here at all. I saw there was different color blood there too, reminding me that I was also injured.

"Are you alright?" Kim asked me. I looked from the blood splatter towards her, nodding. My back hurt and stung but not as much as my damn throat did. It was like it had been squeezed by a voice and I was still having some trouble catching my breath. Kim helped me sit down on a patch of grass, making my bow disappear with a quick motion of her hand. Zack walked over to our group, pulling his backpack off his shoulders. He pulled out a first aid kit as the Trini from my world set the other Trini carefully on the ground next to me.

"Here," Zack said, handing Kim the kit. Kim set her bow down, opening the little container.

"You'll need to wrap Trini's ribs," Tri said to Kim, grabbing some ace bandaging from the supplies. She also grabbed a roll of gauze and a little zip lock bag. "I'll get Kim set."

"Are you sure?" Kim asked, looking hesitantly between Tri and me. I was also shocked by what she had said, thinking that she would rather see me bleed to death than help me. Tri nodded, moving to signal that Kim needed to move. Kim got up and walked over to Trini. Zack assisted her with helping Trini sit up. Behind me, Tri knelt on the grass and I felt her pull back the ripped jacket and shirt I had been wearing. It hurt as she pulled, causing me to wince as she gingerly worked.

"He sent him to kill you, didn't he?" She asked in a low tone. So low, I thought I had imagined it. Glancing at her over my shoulder, I saw she was looking at me. I nodded.

"Yeah. Both of us." She gave a short nod, using an alcohol wipe to clean the area around my cut. I jumped at the sting and she held me in place by my shoulder.

"He did this to you." She said.

"Yeah. He got me with the edge of his sword."

"No. I meant Drakkon." I realized she wasn't talking about the wound. Instead, she was talking about the carving Drakkon had done to me before I had broken free of the spell.

"Something to remember him by I suppose." She was silent for a moment as she worked, covering my wound with gauze.

"Drakkon caused all of this." She whispered. I nodded.

"Yeah, he did." Standing up, she handed the first aid kit back to Zack. He put it into his bag while Kim helped Trini to her feet. Zack grabbed a teleport pad from Kim and Trini, setting it up on the ground in front of us. Tri turned her attention to me, helping me stand.

"Let's go warn the others." She said, helping me towards the teleport pad. "We have to stop him."