Things were quiet
in Angel Grove on this Sunday morning. The city had seen no more appearances
by Rita's evil Green Warrior since the defeat of the Skeletiger a few days
ago, and King Mondo's attacks had decreased in frequency. As Zordon and
Jason had surmised, the Machine King's plan had been to play off of Tommy's
weakness, a side effect of Rita's use of the Mirror of Night to create
her Green Warrior. When the Rangers had forced Tommy to take a vacation,
the strategy had no longer been effective, and Mondo had been forced to
once more conserve his robots.
Tommy Oliver
was sitting out on his front stoop, watching the minimal traffic passing
by and basking in the early-morning sunlight. Suddenly a shadow interrupted
his sunbathing. Looking up, he saw Jamie Zedden grinning down at him.
"Mind if I have
a seat?" she asked. Not waiting for an answer, she plopped down next to
him. "So, how you doing?"
"I'm better.
This forced vacation was a good idea, no matter how much I fought it. I'm
glad Zordon made me take a rest."
"Well, we miss
you, but David's doing a great job. He's a born leader, just like you.
That isn't to say that he couldn't use some experience, but for the most
part, he's holding his own."
Tommy smiled.
"Yeah. Sometimes I think I should just give the Red powers to David permanently
and join the Morphin Warriors. David has to fill in for me so often, he's
more the Red Ranger than I am."
"One thing,
though. David doesn't want to be a Power Ranger full time. He doesn't mind
filling in for you, but like everyone else, he feels you're the best leader
for the team."
Nodding, Tommy
considered what she had said- and a few other things. Jamie was his best
friend, really. He and Jason had drifted apart since the other boy had
become the leader of the Morphin Warriors. Now, Jamie was really the person
who understood him. Both were only half-human, both were the children of
former enemies of the Power Rangers, and both had a tendency to take the
world on their shoulders. In some ways, Jamie understood him better than
Jason ever had. He supposed some people thought it was strange or suspicious
that his best friend was a girl, but no one who knew Tommy and Jamie thought
anything of it. Both Jason, Jamie's boyfriend, and Lillian, Tommy's girlfriend,
knew of the friendship and approved of it. Despite the strength of Jamie
and Tommy's bond, there was nothing romantic about it, nothing Jason and
Lillian found threatening. Jamie and Tommy simply understood each other,
far better than anyone else could.
"Jame, you know
you're my best friend, right?" he asked suddenly.
"Yeah, I think
I figured it out," she grinned. They might have said more, but suddenly
a flock of Tengas teleported in, completely surrounding the pair. "This
is not good," Jamie quipped, bouncing to her feet. Tommy quickly followed,
and the two of them began knocking Tengas left and right.
"Fire Storm!"
Tommy called, raising one hand above his head. Suddenly, green fire fell
from the sky, landing on most of the Tengas. The birds hurriedly disappeared
in a hail of burnt feathers.
Jamie, meanwhile,
was using her energy absorption powers to incapacitate the birds, even
though it meant she had to grab them by the beaks to get the proper connection.
With the energy she stole from one Tenga, she'd blast five more, causing
a great deal of damage.
"Very impressive,"
Goldar laughed, teleporting in to stand before Jamie. "Unfortunately, your
tricks will not work on me!" He caught her across the face with a vicious
backhand, knocking her to the ground, temporarily stunned. Then he raised
up an artifact that Tommy found very familiar- the Mirror of Night.
"NO!" he cried,
throwing himself towards Goldar. Six Tengas caught him, holding him fast.
A seventh began pummeling him unmercifully, keeping him from the concentration
necessary to cast a spell.
The mirror caught
Jamie's reflection. A flash of purple, and the spell was done. Tucking
the mirror away, Goldar raised his sword high, ready to bring the blade
down on Jamie, who was still lying stunned on the ground.
"Hellfire!"
Tommy screamed, focusing around his pain. A wave of emerald fire swept
out from his body, obliterating the Tengas holding him and catching Goldar
in the back. The flames heated up the monster's gold armor quickly and
painfully. With an agonized scream, Goldar teleported out.
Tommy quickly
stumbled to the fallen girl's side, ignoring the burned grass and heaps
of feathers, ignoring the weakness the Hellfire spell had caused, thinking
only of Jamie. Even as he reached her, her eyes opened and she stretched.
"Oh, man," Jamie groaned. "I feel like I just went through a nuclear war."
Sitting up, she blinked. "Tommy? What happened to your lawn?"
"Goldar used
the Mirror of Night on Jamie," Tommy told Zordon with a sigh. "Looks like
Rita isn't satisfied with just one Dark Reflection."
"I don't understand,
though, Zordon. Why me? I don't have any Morphin powers, and the reflection
can't use my Zeo powers. What would Rita want a duplicate of me for?"
"Jamie, you
and Tommy work well together. It is only reasonable to suppose that your
reflections will do the same. Also, there is one Power coin left, the coin
of purple. You are the only one who might be able to wield it."
"She's going
to make my duplicate into a Purple Ranger?"
"No, not exactly.
You see, the Power Coins were designed to work together, to form a team.
For this reason, the Coins cannot work if there is only one in existence.
Now that six coins are destroyed and the Green Coin is defunct, the Purple
Coin cannot be used to create a Ranger."
"Then what does
Rita want it for?" Trey asked. The other Zeo Rangers had been called in
as soon as Tommy and Jamie had appeared in the Power Chamber.
"While the Coin
cannot make a Ranger, it can make a connection to the Morphin Grid."
"She's going
to make Jamie's duplicate into a Purple Warrior," Adam realized.
"Exactly. The
colors of Purple and Green have always worked well together. Sometimes
they have been lovers, sometimes friends, but there has always been a bond
of incredible strength between them. The thought of the power of such a
bond in Rita Repulsa's hands is truly frightening," Zordon told them grimly.
The Zeo Rangers fell silent at that, contemplating the consequences of
these events.
"Tyler, I'd like
you to meet your new ally," Rita smirked. "Tyler Oliver, may I present
Terry Zedden, duplicate of Jamie Theresa Zedden."
Tyler bowed.
Terry nodded in acknowledgment. Her eyes roamed up and down his well-built
physique appreciatively. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Tyler," Terry told
him. Her voice was low, lower than Jamie's clear alto, and exuded sensuality.
"The pleasure
is all mine," he replied, his gaze wandering over her form. Terry was already
dressed in her Purple Warrior uniform, a one-piece jumpsuit that, while
it wasn't skin-tight or skimpy, still managed to hint at a dynamite figure
underneath. Set into the center of her chest was a golden coin bearing
the symbol of the Wyvern.
Rita watched
the two of them with some surprise. She had not quite expected her two
Morphin Warriors to be so interested in each other. Tommy and Jamie were
close, but there was certainly no element of physical attraction in the
mix. In fact, the two of them considered themselves almost related, because
Rita was his half-sister and Zedd was her father. There was no genetic
relationship, however, and the family element was all in the way they thought
of each other. Tyler and Terry, on the other hand, did not think of each
other as family, and were certainly not related. Rita smiled to herself.
She should have expected that with every other aspect of Tommy and Jamie's
personalities coming out of the mirror twisted and warped, their bond should
have changed its aspect as well.
While Rita was
thinking, Terry and Tyler had finished checking each other out, and were
evidently pleased with what they saw. "With your permission, Empress,"
Tyler turned to Rita and bowed, "I would like to show Terry the pocket
dimension where our quarters have been set up." Rita had put Tyler there
when it became obvious he wouldn't fit in the Winnebago. Rather like the
Dimension of Doom, this pocket dimension was just a large room that could
be entered from almost anywhere. Tyler had furnished it to his liking,
with a dresser, a bookcase, and a large double bed. The bed had been in
anticipation of capturing Kimberly, but Terry was beginning to look like
a much better option.
"Of course,"
Rita smiled. "You'll find that you have a few more- areas in your dimension
now. I added on when I realized that we'd have a new arrival." Rita ignored
the fact that Tyler and Terry would probably not be using any more of the
rooms, at least not for sleeping arrangements. It wasn't any of her business,
after all. As they disappeared, she sighed. Had she ever been that young?
She couldn't remember.
"I can't shake
the feeling that something is going to come down on us, hard," Jamie sighed.
She, Tommy and Jason were walking through the park, discussing the recent
events. The three of them were extremely close, and often spent a lot of
time together. Today it was just the three of them. After their previous
experiences with the Mirror of Night, the other Rangers had thought it
a good idea to leave Jamie to talk with the two people who understood her
best.
"No kidding,"
Tommy agreed. "I've been having flare-ups in my aura all day." As if to
illustrate his point, his magical aura suddenly shone bright green for
a second, and then faded to nothingness. "At least no one's seen it but
you guys and my family." Tommy's mother had been a bit startled when her
son started glowing at the breakfast table, but ever since the events of
Master Vile's visit, his parents had known of his status as a Ranger. It
had been rather hard to faze them since.
"I almost wish
something would happen," sighed Jason. "I don't like sitting around waiting."
Suddenly, a flock of Tengas appeared around them, accompanied by Tyler
and Terry, both in Morphin Warrior uniforms.
"Be careful
what you wish for, Jason," Terry chuckled. "Tengas, get them! Remember
to take them alive, though. We have plans for them."
"There's too
many of them!" Jamie cried. "We have to morph!"
"Right!" the
boys chorused.
"Dragonzord!"
"Tyrannosaurus!"
In a flash,
Jamie's sword appeared in her hand. "Zeo Shard- mmf!" She was unable to
finish, as Tyler threw a ball of energy that turned into a gag, wrapping
over her mouth. A blast from Terry's staff stunned Tommy and Jason, knocking
them into a pair of conveniently placed trees. Then, with a gesture, Tyler
snagged Jamie with a lasso of energy. Pulling her against him, he placed
the tip of his katana at her throat, just as Tommy and Jason staggered
to their feet.
"One false move,
and the lady is shish kebab," Tyler chuckled. Tommy's hands went up immediately.
After a second, Jason followed suit. "Very good. Now, demorph." In a pair
of red and green flashes, Tommy and Jason were once again in civvies.
"Excellent,"
Terry purred. "Tengas, transport them to our pocket dimension." The Tengas
grabbed Tommy and Jason roughly by the shoulders, and the entire group
disappeared.
Jamie struggled
with her bonds, but to no avail. Tyler had been careful to transmute the
energy rope into a steel cable before removing his katana from its position
by her throat. Despite the escape tricks she had learned, and despite her
energy absorption abilities, she had been unable to free herself. On the
other side of the room, Jason was struggling with his own bonds, although
they were far less extensive than her own. Only his wrists and ankles were
tied, but that was enough to immobilize him. Tyler had disappeared with
Tommy the moment they had arrived, and Terry had left as well. The worst
part was, Jamie reflected, she couldn't talk to Jason. Tyler's gag muffled
sound very effectively.
"Enjoying ourselves?"
Terry grinned, re-entering the room. Jason's eyes popped, and Jamie couldn't
blame him. Terry's crop top and short shorts were just this side of decent,
highlighting her excellent figure, and covering only those places that
really needed it. Looking down at her own chest, Jamie raised an eyebrow.
Hmm, I didn't know I had such a good figure. I'll have to remember that,
next time I go shopping.
Her attention
was drawn sharply to the other side of the room as Terry knelt next to
Jason and began running her fingers through his hair. Jason struggled,
but was unable to get away from her. "Aww, what's the matter, Jason?" she
cooed. "Don't you like that? It sure looks as if you do," she chuckled,
eyeing him appraisingly. "I like my men tall, dark, and handsome, you know."
"I'm sure you
like your men, period," Jason shot back. Terry simply laughed.
"True enough.
That's not the issue here, though. The question is, do you like me? I can
make things- very pleasant for you, if you join Rita's servants."
Terry's hands
had been roaming all over Jason's arms and chest as she talked, and his
reaction was evident in the strained tone of his voice. "And Tyler? Looks
to me like you two have a thing going."
She shrugged.
"He doesn't mind sharing. After all, it's not like I'll be the only one
for him."
Jason shook
his head. "Not interested."
"Then I'll just
have to change your mind," she replied with mock sweetness. Leaning over,
she kissed him, long and hard. Across the room, Jamie watched as Jason's
struggles died. Soon, he was leaning into the kiss with all his strength.
As Terry sat up, pleased with herself, Jamie could see that Jason's eyes
were completely blank, with no life or intelligence to them whatsoever.
Suddenly the
gag and cable that bound her evaporated. Springing to her feet, Jamie fell
into a fighting stance. "You want my boyfriend? You're going to have to
fight me for him," Jamie spat. Terry gestured lazily.
"Please. I certainly
don't have to prove myself fighting against my duplicate. I merely think
it will be more entertaining to watch you if you have a fighting chance."
"Watch me?"
Jamie cocked her head to one side warily.
A catlike smile
on her lips, Terry turned to Jason. "Jason, you'll do what I tell you to,
won't you?"
"Yes, Lady,"
he droned. The lack of emotion in his voice scared Jamie more than anything
else that had happened.
Terry jerked
her head at Jamie. "Kill her." Jason started toward Jamie, his blank eyes
fixed on her. Jamie maintained her stance, circling warily as Jason approached
her. Suddenly his hand flashed out, the blow catching her on the side of
the face, knocking her into a wall. Staggering to her feet, Jamie turned
to face Jason.
"Kim or Trini
would probably give you the big limpid eyes and say they couldn't fight
you," she spat. "I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to stand here
and let you kill me. You hurt me, I hurt you worse. That's the way it's
always been." Jason said nothing, simply continued to advance on her, his
eyes blank and his face impassive.
Tommy had found
himself alone in a room with Tyler. The instant they had arrived, Tyler
had released him and then morphed back into civvies himself. Now they were
nearly identical, two men distinguishable only by the difference in their
clothes. Sizing each other up, they circled like cats in disputed territory.
"What do you
want?" Tommy asked finally.
Tyler smiled
coldly. "A challenge. I intend to defeat you, without my Morphin Warrior
powers. Just you and me, skill to skill and magic to magic."
"You're on,"
replied Tommy. The two regarded each other for another long moment, and
then the fight began.
Tyler attacked
with a lightning-fast crescent kick to Tommy's head, but Tommy ducked it
by dropping into a split. Then he retaliated with a fist to the groin.
However, Tyler pivoted out of the way and snapped a front kick at Tommy's
head. Tommy rolled away from Tyler's kick, leaping upright.
They circled
a bit more, and then green fire leapt from Tyler's hand. Three large snakes,
seemingly cobras, appeared on the ground, slithering towards Tommy. Concentrating,
Tommy cast his own fire, which coalesced into one very large boa constrictor.
The cobras struck at it, but to no avail. The constrictor, immune to the
cobra venom, simply squeezed each cobra to death in turn.
The fight continued
in this way, magical and physical attacks interspersed. While as mages,
Tommy and Tyler were equally matched, Tommy was getting the worst of the
physical battle from his more ruthless double. He had received a black
eye and split lip from a series of strikes to his face, and two violent
kicks had almost certainly shattered a couple ribs. Still, he refused to
surrender.
"With you gone,
there will be little to stop me from entering the Power Rangers as you,
and taking what I want," Tyler gloated, standing over Tommy. The other
boy was on his hands and knees, fighting his way through the waves of pain
that surrounded his mind. "No one will know that you didn't survive this
encounter. I'll use your position to destroy the Rangers from within. Don't
worry, though; I won't kill them all. Kimberly, Katherine, and that lovely
girlfriend of yours will all be well taken care of."
A flare of rage
shot through Tommy's mind, instantly clearing his senses. In the back of
his mind, he could hear the voice of his sensei, back in Los Angeles, from
when he had been no more than ten. Use your emotions, Tommy. They are
a source of strength to you. Use them, do not let them use you. Grabbing
hold of his anger, Tommy used it to force himself to his feet.
"I won't- let
you hurt them. I won't let you!" he forced out between clenched teeth.
"I'll kill you first!"
Tyler was taken
aback at Tommy's sudden rage, and was unprepared when Tommy launched an
attack using all his powers. In quick succession, Tommy had blacked both
of Tyler's eyes, split his lip, and cracked him in the stomach. Backing
away from his berserk double, Tyler teleported out, holding his abdomen.
As his adrenaline
faded, Tommy was assailed by a sudden flash of pain from his ribs. Breathing
deeply, he pushed it under control. "All right, it's time to find Jason
and Jamie." Concentrating, using his magical senses, he reached out with
his mind. Picking up their life signs, he gated out, heading for where
they were.
"Ungh!" Jamie
got to her feet slowly. She had given almost as much damage as she had
taken in the fight, but she was beginning to tire, and Jason's bigger size
was giving him the advantage. Realizing that she didn't have too much left
to give, she set herself into another fighting stance. "At least if I go
out, I'll go out fighting," she muttered.
Another blow
caught her in the side of the head, knocking her into the wall. Struggling
to get up, she collapsed onto the floor as her knees refused to support
her. Exhausted, hurting, she looked up at Jason, defiance shining in her
eyes. Jason drew back for the killing strike- and stopped.
"Jamie?" he
asked thickly, his hand lowering to his side once again. "Oh my God. What
did I do?" Dropping to his knees, he traced the injuries on her face gently.
"I could have killed you."
"But you didn't,"
she told him raggedly. Reaching up, she pulled his head down to hers and
kissed him fiercely. "I love you, Jason."
"I love you
too," he told her, holding her tightly. In the background, Terry made gagging
noises.
"Spare me the
sappy sentiment, please," she groaned. With Jason's help, Jamie slowly
got to her feet.
Jamie's eyes
flashed. "Sappy sentiment or not, we won. You lost."
"We'll just
see about that," Terry hissed. Suddenly a green light flashed into the
room, and Tommy appeared, looking most definitely the worse for wear.
"Tommy!" Jason
gasped. "Holy crap, man, are you all right?"
Smiling painfully,
Tommy nodded. "You ought to see the other guy. Come on, let's get out of
here." Putting one arm around Jamie's shoulders and one around Jason's,
he gated all three of them out in a brilliant flash of emerald light.
Sarah Oliver
gasped as her older son staggered in through the door. "Tommy, sit down!
What happened to you?"
Sinking into
a kitchen chair, Tommy sighed as he gratefully accepted the ice pack his
mother gave him. Placing it over his eye, he relaxed, careful not to jar
his ribs. "You remember Tyler, Rita's Green Warrior? Well, he's what happened.
He trapped me in a dimension and beat the living shit out of me. Sorry,
Mom."
Sarah shook
her head, less concerned with his swearing than his injuries. Tommy's language
only deteriorated when he was in pain. "Are you all right?"
Tommy nodded
carefully. "I think so. Accelerated healing's kicking in, and the ribs
are healing. The bruises may linger for a while, but I should look normal
again in a couple days. I just hurt all over."
"I'll get you
some aspirin." While she retrieved the pills, Sarah shot an anxious look
at her son. "Tommy, what are you going to do about him? Do you think you
can defeat him?"
Tommy shook
his head, a bleak expression crossing his face. "Not on my own. He's too
good, and too ruthless." Then he smiled. "I don't have to beat him on my
own, though. I have the other Rangers to back me up, and they'll always
be there for me."
"Then what's
bothering you? It's not just getting beaten up."
"It's not me
I'm worried about. The son of a bitch said he had his eye on Lil. I'm worried
that he might try to go after her. He had his heart set on Kim earlier,
and he nearly killed her. I'm scared to death that I won't be able to protect
her from him."
"Tommy, she
doesn't need you to protect her. From what I've seen, she's quite capable
of protecting herself. Plus, the other Rangers are there for her, too.
Just be there for her. It's all you can do."
Tommy smiled
up at his mother. "Thanks, Mom."
"Any time. Now,
about your language, young man," she began with a smile. Tommy groaned,
but good-naturedly settled down to listen to her lecture.
Finster looked
up from the dish he was preparing and gasped. Jamie had just come in the
back door with her face badly banged up. Setting down his casserole, the
little man ran over and helped the girl into a seat. "What in Arellia's
name happened to you?" he fussed, all the while rummaging around in the
cabinets. "Last I checked, Tengas weren't that good at fighting."
"Tengas didn't
do this to me," she whispered, trying to think what to tell Finster.
The housekeeper
stopped, turning towards her. "What did?" he asked seriously. One look
at him, and Jamie realized that he would not be put off with an excuse
or a lie. Biting her lip, she looked at the floor.
"This goes no
farther than us, all right? As far as Mom and Dad know, I was attacked
by Tengas, and it got a little heavy." Finster nodded, pouring a solution
from a bottle onto a rag. "Jason did this to me. It wasn't really his fault,
though. You see, Rita made a duplicate of me from the Mirror of Night,
and the duplicate, Terry, put a spell on Jason. He attacked me, and he
nearly killed me, but he couldn't."
Finster did
not respond for a time, dabbing at Jamie's face with the rag. Finally he
sat back, examining his work critically. "Well, you still look as if you've
been in a fight, but it's not too bad."
She smiled.
"Thanks, Finster. I didn't know you knew how to doctor people."
"Well, goodness,
I didn't spend all my life making monsters. Back on Arellia, I was a maker
of creatures, good ones. I also patched up the children of my area all
the time, not to mention my best friend Garren. He was always getting into
fights." The housekeeper chuckled at the memory, his blue eyes cloudy and
far away. Suddenly he shook himself back to the present. "Well, no matter.
I can doctor physical wounds, but I'm afraid I'm not very good with mental
ones."
Jamie frowned.
"Mental ones? What do you mean?"
"Call me crazy,
but I think getting the living daylights beaten out of you by your boyfriend,
even if you didn't blame him, would be slightly psychologically damaging,"
Finster said dryly. "Besides, I can see there's something you're holding
back. I think you should talk to Dr. Kino about this. She's done a lot
of good for the rest of your friends."
Jamie nodded
thoughtfully. "Thanks, Finster. I think I'll do that."
Lita Kino looked
at her calendar and sighed. Jamie Zedden and Jason Scott had both called
in and made "appointments" for during her free period. Idly, she wondered
what the problem could be this time. Life for her had certainly not been
boring since she made friends with the Power Rangers.
Jamie was the
first. The girl looked a little uncomfortable at being in a psychiatrist's
office, as she gingerly sat in the chair Lita offered her.
"I think this
is the first time you've been to me for professional help. What seems to
be the trouble?"
"Well, do you
know about Tommy and the Mirror of Night?" Quickly, Jamie outlined the
events of the past few weeks, including her experiences in the pocket dimension.
She was forthright about everything, not glossing over any of the details.
"So Finster told me I ought to come to you," Jamie finished.
Lita thought
about what Jamie had told her for a long moment. "Something is bothering
you about this whole thing. Is it what happened between you and Jason?"
Jamie shook
her head. "Not really. I understand that it wasn't his fault, it was hers.
I guess I'm a little shaken up, but I understand he wouldn't hurt me of
his own free will."
"Then what is
it?"
Shifting uncomfortably,
Jamie grimaced. "Well, it's Terry. I mean, she was such a- well, basically
a slut. The way she dressed, and acted- she was coming on to Jason, and
she as much as admitted that she had no intention of being monogamous!"
"Why does that
bother you?"
"I guess because
she's my reflection. Zordon told us that nothing can come out of that mirror
which didn't go in. Am I like that? Seeing myself in that light is sort
of disturbing."
Lita nodded
understandingly. "I did some talking with Tommy about his reflection, back
when this all started, and he told me that the mirror twisted whatever
came out. We haven't talked professionally before, you and I, but I've
hung around with you and watched you with your friends. You seem to be
a very passionate person, in everything that you do, correct?"
Jamie nodded.
"Whatever I do, I try to do it a hundred percent."
"Well, that
passion and zest for life was twisted by the mirror. I've also watched
you with Jason. You seem to be extremely demonstrative and comfortable
with affection, as well as your sexuality." At Jamie's blush, Lita hastened
on. "I don't mean to embarrass you, but this does have some bearing on
the situation. Am I right?"
Jamie nodded
sheepishly. "Yeah. My mom always told me that it was completely normal,
and you shouldn't be ashamed of desires and feelings like that. The only
thing to be ashamed of was what you did, because that's what you could
control."
"When Rita made
her duplicate of you, that aspect of your personality was twisted as well.
In you, it simply manifests as a sensual nature and comfort with what you
feel. In your reflection, it manifests as- well, as you said, she behaves
like a slut."
Frowning thoughtfully,
Jamie nodded again. "I guess you're right. Thanks, Lita."
Cocking her
head, Lita regarded the younger girl speculatively. "What else is bothering
you?"
Jamie smiled
wryly. "I guess I'm just a bit shaken up. I don't like being helpless,
depending on someone else to save me. Brings back too many bad memories."
"Do you want
to talk about it?"
"Why not? I
ought to get it off my chest sometime, and better you than Jason. I grew
up in a marginal section of LA. Not the nice, rich portions, but not gang
central, either. We didn't have a lot of money, since my dad was supposedly
dead, so I took to supplementing our income by picking pockets and pulling
the occasional cat burglary. I was twelve at the time, and one of the best.
A few run-ins with the cops, but I never got caught." Jamie's voice held
a hint of pride.
"Anyway, one
day I picked the wrong pocket- or maybe the right one. Belonged to a kid
named Snake Madison. He caught me, and decided rather than turn me in,
he'd give me a job. He owned a workshop, fixing cars and building machinery
for various local businesses. I wound up as an apprentice welder, and some
time later, Snake's girlfriend.
"Those guys
were some of the best friends I ever had. It was almost like a second family.
Then Snake made a big mistake. He hired a guy by the name of Jack Doyle,
who turned out to be completely psychotic. The creep promptly developed
a four-alarm obsession with me. After a failed attempt to get me into bed,
he beat the living daylights out of Snake. For a while, we thought he wasn't
gonna pull through, but he did. As for JackŠ," Jamie shivered.
"I was walking
home from school one day, and I felt a sting in my arm. I passed out. The
son of a bitch had gotten a tranquilizer gun and shot me with one of the
darts. I woke up tied to a bed in a dirty, diseased, run-down warehouse.
Jack was standing over me, laughing." Jamie's eyes were closed, and Lita
could tell that she was reliving the painful memory. "I had never felt
so helpless in my life. I couldn't move, couldn't fight, couldn't do anything.
I tried my damnedest to keep him talking, but he finally decided to move
on to- more enjoyable pursuits." She shuddered. "He literally ripped my
clothes off me. God knows what would have happened next, but the door burst
open, and Snake came charging in. Jack pulled a gun, but Snake got to him
before he could shoot. They fought for a while. Meanwhile, Snake's best
friend Wizard cut me loose and gave me a shirt.
"Jack managed
to get the drop on Snake; I'm not sure how. They'd lost the gun in the
fight, so Jack picked up a length of pipe. He was going to bash Snake's
head in. I tried to stop him and he knocked me away. I landed near the
gun, and I picked it up, and I shot him." Lita started. She hadn't quite
expected that. Jamie's face was cold and impassive. "I emptied the entire
clip into the bastard, and then I kept dry-firing, pulling the trigger
when there weren't any bullets left. Finally, Snake took the gun away from
me and just held me. We dumped the body in an alley, wiped the prints off
the gun, and left it there. The police never found out who did it, although
to be honest, they weren't trying that hard. Jack was scum, no two ways
about it. No one cared that he was dead, including his own family. I hear
his dad didn't even stop drinking long enough to attend the funeral."
"How old were
you?" Lita asked quietly.
"Sixteen. I
just kind of shoved it away. Anyway, I don't like being helpless. It brings
all that back. Thanks for letting me talk about it, though."
"Anytime. Remember,
I'm always here if you need me."
"Thanks, Lita.
I'll remember that." Rising, Jamie left the office. Lita sat in silence
for a while, then began to prepare for her next patient.
"Sit down, Jason.
What seems to be the problem?"
Quickly, Jason
launched into his version of the events in the pocket dimension. Nodding,
Lita absorbed the minor differences between his story and Jamie's. "I could
have killed her!" he finished, dropping his head into his hands. "I could
have broken her in half."
"But you didn't,"
Lita reminded him. "And it wasn't just because she fought back. I know
a bit about karate, and even though the two of you are at equal levels
of skill in your respective styles, your strength gives you a definite
advantage. Physically, you could have killed her, yes. But obviously, you
managed to stop yourself."
"I can't believe
I let that witch control me," he muttered.
Lita regarded
him with a raised eyebrow. "According to Billy, the control was due to
a massive upsurge of hormones. In short, Jason, you were drugged. How were
you supposed to fight that?"
"She didn't
drug me, she kissed me. And what a kiss!" He sighed guiltily.
"Ah. I see what
this is getting at. You feel guilty because she was able to control you,
because you responded to her physically."
Blushing, Jason
managed to nod. "Yeah. I didn't even like her, but it was like my whole
body was on fire! My girlfriend was right across the room, and she still
managed to do that to me!"
"Jason, do you
find Jamie physically attractive?" Lita's question, coming out of left
field, caught Jason by surprise.
"Yeah, of course
I do. Why?"
"Now, this Dark
Reflection is an exact physical copy of Jamie. Why are you so guilty about
being attracted to her?"
"Because she's
not Jamie! I was this close to cheating on my girlfriend!"
"Were you? Jason,
you love Jamie, correct? And you don't love Terry."
"Right. So?"
"What allows
you to tell them apart? I mean, aren't they identical?"
"No way!" Jason
denied vehemently. "Jamie's warm and loving, even if she does have a bad
temper and a very sarcastic sense of humor. Terry's cold, totally cold.
I'm not even sure she's capable of love."
"But this is
a distinction you make mentally, right? If you were just reacting on instinct,
there'd be no difference. And when Terry stimulated your hormones (which
for the most part run off physical cues), your brain shut down. So how
could you tell the difference, and how could you fight off her control?"
"I should have
been able to, with Jamie right there."
"Would it help
to know she doesn't blame you?" Jason's head snapped up. "That's right.
I asked her about that, and she said that it would be absolutely ridiculous
to expect you to be unaffected by what was basically her body attempting
to get your hormones in an uproar."
"She did?"
"Yes. I think
the best thing for you to do would be to talk this out with her. This is
really something the two of you should work out together."
Jason stood.
"Thanks for your help, Lita. I do feel better." He left, and Lita watched
him go, shaking her head.
"Men. Sheesh."
With that, she bent back to her paperwork.
Lillian stretched,
sighing. Suddenly, the sound of a footstep on the soft grass of the park
made her whirl. Tommy stood behind her, hands up in the classic "I'm harmless"
position. She relaxed, glaring at him. "Don't do that!"
Tommy raised
an eyebrow. "Kind of edgy, aren't you?"
"Wouldn't you
be?" she retorted. "Your mom called last night and told me what you'd told
her, about Tyler having his eye on me."
He groaned.
"Aw, man! I was hoping you wouldn't find out. We've all got enough to worry
about as it is. I didn't want you to have to deal with this as well."
Her eyes flashed.
"Tommy, when are you going to learn that you don't have to protect me?
I can take very good care of myself!" Folding her arms across her chest,
she turned away from him.
"I know you
can, Lil," he sighed, coming up behind her. Putting his arms around her,
he pulled her back so that she was leaning against him and her head rested
against his shoulder. "It's not a question of having to protect you, it's
a question of wanting to. I don't want to see you get hurt, and if I can
do anything to stop that, I will. I love you, Lillian. I just want to keep
you safe."
"Tommy, I'm
not some storybook princess. I can fight my own dragons."
Abruptly, he
released her. "Right. I know I have a tendency to try and protect everyone,
but that's because I care about them, not because I think they're helpless.
Your problem is that you're too damn independent."
"How can you
be too independent?" she shot back, turning to face him.
"You won't let
anyone help you. It's no crime to need someone's help once in a while,
or to let them give it. God knows, I learned that the hard way." He turned
away, looking out over the park so that she could only see his profile.
Cocking her
head, Lillian regarded her boyfriend for a long moment. This is why
things didn't work with Kim and Kat, she realized. Not because they
didn't love each other, but because they didn't understand him. He's so
dark sometimes, and I'm really the only one of his girlfriends who understands
that. "What happened?" she asked aloud.
He shrugged.
"I spent most of my career as a Ranger keeping people at arm's length.
I'm sure you've heard the stories about me losing my powers, and always
charging in at the last minute to save the day. Well, what doesn't come
up is that I hid my power loss as much as I could. I always thought I could
handle it myself. I didn't want or need anyone else's help. Then, when
I couldn't hide my power loss any longer, I hid my fear and despair. I
let them all think I was fine. You know, to this day only Lita knows why
I was always charging in to save the day, no matter what the risk. Oh,
sure, I wanted to save my friends, I really did- but that wasn't the only
reason. I had a death wish. Deep in the back of my mind, I was hoping that
I'd be killed in battle, and then I wouldn't have to deal with what Rita
did to me anymore. There were times when I really considered jumping off
a cliff, or taking my dad's service revolver and putting a bullet in my
brain. The only thing that kept me going was knowing that the Rangers needed
me. I was working up to shooting myself when Zordon called me back to be
the White Ranger. I think he knew what I was planning, and that's the main
reason I was chosen. Oh, I know I was also a good candidate for the position,
but I think my depression may have tilted the scales."
Lillian put
a hand on his shoulder, and he gave her a half-smile. "I'm over that now,
thank goodness. I don't have anymore desire to kill myself. I've got too
much to live for." Pulling her close, he gave her a kiss. "What I'm trying
to say is that if you don't let somebody in, let somebody help you, sooner
or later the same thing will happen to you. No one can deal with the darkness
in their heart alone."
She nodded,
slipping an arm around his waist. The two of them walked out of the park
together.
A few days passed,
without much activity from Rita and company. Tommy and Jamie were sparring
in the youth center when their communicators toned. Looking around in case
someone were watching, the two of them slipped out into the hall. "We read
you, Zordon," Tommy said quietly. "What's up?"
"Tommy, Jamie,
please teleport to the Power Chamber. A matter has arisen that concerns
both of you."
Exchanging worried
looks, the two of them teleported out. When they arrived in the Power Chamber,
they found the other Zeo Rangers waiting for them. "What's going on, Zordon?"
Jamie asked, stepping forward.
"Observe the
viewing globe, Rangers." The eleven teens turned toward the globe and saw
a large monster with a number of heads attacking the Little Japan section
of Angel Grove. Even as they watched, it torched an herb shop with its
flaming breath.
"Whoa," Rocky
commented. "Major halitosis." He mock cringed as the other Rangers glared
at him.
"This is the
Hydrator, Rita's latest monster, based on the many-headed Hydra of Greek
mythology. It has seven heads and the ability to breathe fire."
"If it's an
accurate adaptation, it'll be able to re-grow its heads, as well," Adam
sighed. "Two heads where only one had been before. Hercules had to fight
the Hydra as one of his twelve labors. He finally defeated it by cauterizing
the necks so that they couldn't regenerate."
"So what are
we waiting for? You take off its heads, singe the necks, and it's history,
right?" Tommy asked.
"I'm afraid
it is not that simple, Tommy. Rita has given the Hydrator a magical immunity
to fire. Only magical flames can harm it. That is why we are restoring
you to active duty," replied Zordon.
Tommy's jaw
dropped. "You're what? You mean it? But I thought I wasn't ready."
"No choice,
man," Trey informed him, shaking his head. "We need magic fire, which is
your department. Besides, you've recovered enough that you should be fine,
especially now that Mondo's stopped trying to wear you out. We need you."
Stepping forward,
David held out Tommy's Zeonizers. "I may have worn these often, but they've
always belonged to you."
Taking the wristbands
from his brother, Tommy smiled. Then strapping them on his wrists, he turned
to face the other Zeo Rangers. "All right, guys. It's morphin' time!"
"Zeo Ranger
I, Pink!"
"Zeo Ranger
II, Yellow!"
"Zeo Ranger
III, Blue!"
"Zeo Ranger
IV, Green!"
"Zeo Ranger
V, Red!"
"Zeo Ranger
VI, White!"
"Zeo Ranger
VII, Silver!"
"Zeo Shard Power!"
"Zeo Shadow
Power!"
"Gold Ranger
Power!"
In ten flashes
of color, the Rangers were transported to Little Japan. "Keep your eyes
open," Red Ranger ordered. "Hydrator's got to be around here somewhere."
"I am indeed,
Rangers! And I'm not alone!" Hydrator roared, smashing out of a nearby
building. Behind him came Tyler and Terry, in Morphin Warrior costume,
smirking.
"Not you two
again," Red Ranger sighed.
Tyler raised
an eyebrow. "Tommy, back on duty, I see. So good to know you're feeling
better."
"Trey, Katya,
take him. Lil, Kat, you two take her. The rest of you, let's go stop Hydrator."
The Rangers split up, and the battle began in earnest.
"Jamie, stay
by me! Chop the heads off, and I'll singe the necks!" Red Ranger yelled.
"Right!" Purple
Ranger responded, saluting.
"What do we
do, Tommy?" Green Ranger cried.
"Distract the
other heads! Adam, Tanya, take the ones on the left. Rocky, Chris, take
the ones on the right. We'll take out the middle one and work our way out."
"Right!" the
others responded. The next half-hour seemed to stretch on for eternity.
Rita had apparently put a lot of work into Hydrator, as the Rangers soon
discovered. When Purple Ranger sliced off the first head, acid sprayed
out, nearly dissolving Red Ranger. Ducking, he threw a fireball which cauterized
the stump just as two new heads began to grow.
"One down, six
to go," he panted. Meanwhile, the heads on the right were giving Blue and
White Rangers a hard time. Blue Ranger's Arm Blades were useless because
the two could not get close enough to the head to use them. White Ranger
was reduced to parrying the breath of three heads with Zeo Saba, occasionally
slipping in a blast from his eyes. Suddenly a well-placed slice of Purple
Ranger's sword cut her workload by a third. Snapping off a quick salute,
she continued to defend.
On the other
side of the Hydrator, Green and Yellow Rangers were not doing so well.
Both had short-range weapons, Green Ranger with hatchets and Yellow with
nunchaku. To get in an attack, they would have to pass dangerously close
to the Hydrator's mouth. Deciding that this was not a very good idea, they
had wound up tossing large chunks of concrete at the monster, which had
the effect of keeping its attention focused squarely on them.
In this way,
the Rangers managed to distract Hydrator until Tommy cauterized the last
of its necks. Unfortunately, the monster was not finished yet. Somehow
laughing maniacally with no mouth, the monster charged them, its claws
outstretched.
"We cut its
frigging head off!" Red Ranger cried. "What the heck is going on?"
"I would theorize
that it has an auxiliary nerve center located somewhere in its body, and
is tracking us via infrared," White Ranger responded.
"Chris, you're
slipping into Billy-speak," Yellow Ranger reminded her gently.
"Oh, sorry.
I meant to say that it has an extra brain, and heat sensors. We have to
try and sever the spinal cord, at the base of the tail would be my guess."
"Yeah? Easier
said than done," Blue Ranger pointed out. Putting their heads together,
the six Rangers began to discuss their strategy.
"You fools are
pathetic!" Tyler laughed. He and Gold Ranger were fencing, katana to Golden
Power Staff. Silver Ranger circled them, looking for an opening. "I will
destroy you!"
"You talk too
much," Gold Ranger grunted. Suddenly one of Tyler's fireballs knocked him
off his feet, into a nearby wall. Tyler reacted instantly, lifting his
sword high for the final blow, but Silver Ranger was quicker. With a quick
flick of her wrist, she wrapped her energy whip around Tyler's blade and
pulled, sending him off balance just long enough for Gold Ranger to get
to his feet and continue the fight.
Meanwhile, Terry
was knocking Black and Pink Rangers around something fierce. The two girls
gave as good as they got, though. "Shadow Ribbons Strike!" Black Ranger
called, shooting several lances of black light at Terry.
"Pink Firecloud!"
added Pink Ranger. The combined attacks struck Terry in the chest, knocking
her back several feet.
"I'm not beaten
yet," the girl puffed, using her staff to lever herself to her feet. "Take
this!" Spinning her staff, she threw herself back into the fray.
"Shadow Staff!"
Black Ranger called. A black bo staff materialized in her hands and she
immediately began to parry Terry's attacks. Thrusting, parrying, and blocking,
the two girls fought fiercely, neither one gaining the upper hand. Pink
Ranger watched in awe as two masters of the staff practiced their art,
seemingly equal in skill.
"Hey ugly!" Blue
Ranger called. It was perhaps the most trite method of getting a monster's
attention known to man, but it worked. "Your mamma's so dumb, she thought
a quarterback was a refund! She's so fat, she sat on a dollar and four
quarters popped out."
"I think you
and Lillian are beginning to affect him," Red Ranger whispered to Purple
Ranger.
"Shut up. It's
working." Indeed, the Hydrator had begun to orient on Blue Ranger, despite
its lack of sensory organs.
"All right.
Chris, Adam, Tanya, follow me. Jamie, whatever happens, you have to sever
its spine."
"Right." The
Rangers leapt from their hiding places. While Green, Yellow, White, and
Red Rangers kept the monster busy, Purple Ranger leapt neatly over the
monster's flailing tail and plunged her sword into its back. Screaming,
the monster fell to the ground. The six Rangers were barely clear of it
before it blew sky-high. As the flames cleared, the inhabitants of Little
Japan began poking their heads out of their homes and businesses. They
gathered around the Rangers, thanking them in a mixture of Japanese and
English.
"All in the
job description, ma'am," Red Ranger informed a woman. The lady was the
owner of a butcher's shop, and was trying to give him a freshly dressed
chicken as a token of gratitude. The fact that she spoke almost no English
was complicating his refusal. Finally, he managed to make her understand,
and he joined the others.
"Come on, let's
get back. I don't want to think about what Tyler and Terry may be up to
by now." The six teleported out, arriving at the scene of the other battle.
"Terry!" Tyler
called, realizing that the Rangers now outnumbered them five to one. "Let's
go! We'll finish them another time!" With that, the two teleported out.
"Let's go back
to the Power Chamber," Silver Ranger sighed, weary. "I'm worn out."
Tyler and Terry
knelt before Rita, afraid to look her in the eyes. "We have failed you,
Empress," Terry mumbled in a low tone.
"So you have,"
Rita agreed, sounding rather reasonable about the whole thing, "but you
are still alive, and I still have you to use against the Rangers. Things
are not over yet for those Power Pip-squeaks. You have my word on it."
"So you and Jason
have worked things out between you?" Tommy asked. He and Jamie were relaxing
in the park, enjoying the warmth of the day.
"Oh yeah. In
a way, Terry was one of the better things to have happen to us. I think
we actually understand each other better now. Of course, he still doesn't
know about what happened to me before. I don't think I'm going to tell
him unless I absolutely have to. Why not leave him his illusions?" Tommy
and Lita were the only people Jamie had shared her experience in LA with.
Both had been very supportive, and with their help, Jamie has slowly begun
to recover.
"I can understand
that. Listen, I just wanted you to know how important you are to me. I've
had a lot of great friends in my life, but you're so much closer to me
than any of them have been. I'm glad you're my friend, Jamie. You're my
best friend."
"You're mine,
too, Tommy." Taking his hand, she smiled at him and they walked on. Nothing
more really needed to be said.
The End ... for now