Part VI
The early morning sun hit Kim full in the face, waking her. Instead of going through her usual ritual, she immediately opened her eyes. She had to know . . . Tommy's bronze chest was smooth and warm beneath her cheek, and she inhaled deeply, savoring the tang of sex that touched his usual musky scent. She traced the scratches on his shoulders that she had made in the throes of her first climax. It hadn't been a dream after all.
Happiness swelled within her as she lay next to Tommy, idly playing with his hair. She had never felt so wonderful; it was all she could do to keep from laughing, from jumping up and dancing around the room for the sheer joy of it. Last night had surpassed her fondest dreams; the first time they came together . . . it was so right. It was as if they had ceased being two people--they had become a part of each other physically as well as spiritually. Kim shuddered with delight. Tommy had taken her to heights she had never before imagined . . . he had seemed to know just what to do to make her feel good.
He had known too well.
With a pang of hurt, Kim realized that last night couldn't have been Tommy's first time. He had been a little hesitant initially, but now that she thought about it, it hadn't been the uncertainty of not knowing what to do but more not having used a particular skill in a long while. She supposed it didn't really matter; they were together now. That's what was important, wasn't it?
Kim slid out of bed, wiping her eyes as she wandered across the room to where Tommy had left her bags. She fought the urge to sniffle. She was being ridiculous. She had given Tommy up; he hadn't known that the letter was a lie, so she had no right to expect him not to move on. She had wanted him to be alive and happy; that was the whole purpose of her sacrifice. So he had found happiness in another woman's arms--probably Kat's. Yet, he had said that he and Kat hadn't been a couple for a while, that they hadn't clicked the way she and him had. It hurt to think that Tommy would have made love with another woman if he hadn't truly loved her. It hurt to think of him sleeping with another woman period.
"It wasn't Kat," Tommy said softly.
"Huh?" Kim hadn't even heard him get out of bed, but suddenly she felt the warmth of his presence right behind her. When she turned, he gently ran his finger across her cheek, brushing away tears she hadn't even realized she had shed.
"You're wondering who the other girl was," Tommy responded, smiling slightly at her bewildered expression. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Tommy ran a hand through his hair and lowered his eyes. "It was pretty obvious that last night wasn't my first time."
"It . . . doesn't matter," Kim choked out, also unable to meet his gaze. "What you did . . . who you dated after I sent you that letter isn't any of my business."
"Kim, my first time happened before I ever met you . . . before we ever moved to Angel Grove, and it wasn't exactly something I chose for myself."
Curiosity got the better of Kim. "What do you mean?" Then, she blushed at her boldness. "You don't have to explain . . . ."
"I've nothing to hide from you," he began. "It was when we lived in Houston . . . one of the short stays we had before coming out here. She was a woman from one of my classes at the dojo... older than me--college age, I guess. She needed some help picking up some of the moves and asked my sensei to recommend a tutor. I got the job. At the time, I had no clue what was going on; you know how dense I can be sometimes. I didn't realize she was hitting on me until she pinned me to the mat and kissed me."
"She took advantage of you?"
"Not quite," Tommy confessed awkwardly. "She asked me to have sex with her; I had the chance to say no, but she made it damned hard to refuse." He shrugged. "She was a knockout, and I was a horny kid; I don't think I could have said no. She taught me an awful lot."
"You were a very good student," Kim murmured shyly.
Tommy tilted her chin up. "All that was between her and me was sex. You are the first woman I have ever loved; you're the only woman I've ever wanted to make love to. You have no idea how often I wished I hadn't fooled around with Cara . . . that I could have waited for you."
"You couldn't have known . . . and I can understand how you couldn't have said no--after all, that's kind of what happened to Jason . . . ."
"You know about that?"
"Uh huh, but Jason doesn't know I know. I sort of overheard when he told Zack about it," Kim confessed. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist and burrowing her face into his chest. "It's probably for the best that it wasn't your first time, too. Lord knows I had no clue what to do last night; I think the fact that you did made it a lot easier on me."
"Thank you for understanding," Tommy said, relieved. "I always wanted to tell you but I never quite knew how." He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. His hands slowly wandered down her body. Kim sighed deeply, losing herself in the gentle caress. "Would you like to . . .?"
She wanted to, desperately, but she knew that they shouldn't. The Mercytes would be back; she could feel it. Twenty-four hours was the usual interval between attacks. Sometimes, she felt as if whoever wanted her dead was watching her. She had had her one day; today she would pay for it.
"Maybe later," she demurred, her smile softening the rejection somewhat. "Aren't we supposed to be somewhere first thing this morning?"
"Yes, and if we're late, I'm gonna catch hell for it," Tommy sighed, disappointed. Still, he took a step back so that he could truly look at her. "You really are beautiful."
"And so are you," she added with equal appreciation. Neither wanted to move. Finally, Kim nudged Tommy's arm. "If we don't get some clothes on, we are going to be here all day."
"And that's a bad thing?" he teased.
"Only if my lethal friends show up to trash your parents' bedroom."
"Good point." Tommy made as if to retrieve his boxers then paused, his face scrunching up in an expression of revulsion.
"What's wrong?"
"Do you realize that we made love in my parent's bed?"
The thought sent shivers up both their spines.
* * *
"I thought we were heading to the race track to meet your uncle," Kim queried as Tommy pulled his truck into the parking lot behind a row of brick buildings in a neighborhood Kim had never visited before.
"We are, but not until later," Tommy replied.
"Where's here?"
"A friend's dojo. Why do you think I had you borrow some of Mom's old leotards; we didn't exactly pick up anything for you to spar in."
"Speaking of which," Kim began as she squirmed in her seat, trying to unwedge the burgundy Lycra from the crevices it had worked itself into, "how did your father manage to shrink this so badly? It's even too small for me!"
"That's Dad for you. Boy, was Mom pissed; that was one of her favorites."
"I sure hope you know how to do laundry better than he does."
The pair cut through the alley to the main street.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kim wondered as she eyed the darkened front of the dojo.
"If you're going to kick my butt, I want to be able to land on something soft," Tommy teased.
"I doubt I can kick your butt," she replied.
"You've been out running killer robots that make Dimitria nervous, and I'm out of practice." Tommy tried the door and found it locked. "Where is he? I told him we'd be here at 6:30."
Kim glanced at her watch. It was just that now. "If he's a friend, he probably knows how punctual you are and set the alarm for 7:00."
"Shows you what you know. Uncle John runs a tight ship. If he says eight, he means it; if I want to drive, I have to be on time." Tommy backed away from the storefront and scanned the windows to the apartment overhead. He picked up a pebble and tossed it at the window.
"What are you doing?" Kim gasped.
"Trying to wake him up." He tossed a larger stone. "Yo! DeSantos! You've got company!"
"This is Rocky's dojo?" Kim queried nervously.
"Uh huh. I couldn't exactly get us into the Youth Center at this hour." Tommy hurled up another stone. "Come on, Rocko, wake up!"
"Sh!" Kim scolded. "You'll wake his neighbors!"
"Cut it out before you break my window!" the owner of the dojo and apartment hollered down as he threw open the window.
Kim felt a tug on her heart as she realized how long it had been since she had last seen Rocky.
"Tommy? Izzat you?" Rocky queried as he rubbed his eyes.
"Yes. I told you 6:30."
"I know, but it's you. I set the alarm for 7:15."
Tommy quickly shot Kim a warning look, and she swallowed her giggle.
"Just come down and open the door. We don't have a lot of time."
"Aw right, aw right."
Rocky disappeared inside, and a few minutes later Kim and Tommy saw the lights come on in the dojo. Tommy motioned for Kim to slip behind him; she had the feeling he hadn't told Rocky what was going on. She grinned. Rocky opened the door and attempted to tame his sleep-styled hair which had begun to grow out. She noticed that he had rather hastily thrown on the pants from his gi.
"You owe me big time for this, buddy," Rocky grumbled. "You never told me why you had to be here so blessed early."
"Because I have to be at the track at eight."
"So where's this kid you're going to be giving lessons to?"
"Right here," and Tommy stepped aside.
"Hi, Rocky."
Rocky gaped at her in disbelief. "Kim?"
"It's good to see you again," she murmured as she hugged him.
"When'd you get back in town?" Rocky fumbled as he ushered her inside.
"Two days ago."
Tommy had already kicked off his shoes and was stretching out.
"Tell you what. Let me go get some caffeine and get some decent clothes on, and we can get caught up while you guys spar."
"Sure, Rocky."
The former Blue Zeo Ranger hurried up the stairs, a million questions darting through his mind.
"Are you out of your mind?" Kim hissed at Tommy once Rocky was gone.
"What?"
"Bringing me here! It's too dangerous. What if the Mercytes show up? They could destroy Rocky's dojo . . . or worse, come back when we're not here and retaliate. Why do you think they torched the motel?"
"Just take it easy, Kim," Tommy soothed. "We'll make sure that the sleazebuckets don't realize he's helping you. They probably haven't had me under surveillance for long. So maybe I come here every morning to work out before going to the track."
Kim just shook her head and sighed. "Where's the back door to this place?"
It was startling for Tommy to see the change in her--from woman to warrior. On one level, it hurt to see her so cold and serious. He had tried so hard yesterday to break through that tough exterior; he thought he had succeeded. However, this was how Kim had managed to keep herself alive for over a year; now that he was involved, Tommy couldn't afford to discount it. He had to remind himself that the woman was still in there; it just wasn't her time.
"You ready?" Kim queried, kicking off her shoes as she returned to the main studio. She paused to roll up the legs on the too-large gi trousers.
"Sure am."
"The sooner we wrap this up, the better I'll feel--for Rocky's sake."
*
Rocky headed back down the stairs, a cup of coffee in hand. Already he could hear his friends' ki-yais and the slap of bare feet against the mats. He couldn't believe it; Kim was back! And it was pretty obvious that she and Tommy were a couple once again. What happened with Kat and Tommy? Although, he had to admit that the two had started drifting apart a while ago. There was that couple of weeks right after Tommy had been brainwashed when it looked like their relationship was going to take off, but nothing seemed to happen. He supposed it really didn't matter; Tommy looked happier than he ever had since Kim left for Florida . . . and why wasn't she in Florida? Wasn't she supposed to be competing at the Pan Globals? It was the whole reason she left! Yet, in watching the preliminaries last night, he had noticed that she hadn't been there, but it hadn't really registered.
He took a seat on the stairs and sipped his coffee as he watched the two run through a couple of exchanges. Tommy was really out of practice. It was kind of sad to see; he had always been so good. The skills were still there, though; he just needed to start using them more. He hoped Tommy would take time to workout more--he was planning on having Tommy do some guest teaching in return for this favor.
Even more remarkable than Tommy's rustiness was Kim's sharpness. It was obvious she knew a little more karate than she had as a Ranger, but it was her other fighting skills that struck Rocky. There was an edge to her that she had never had before . . . a coldness and an almost lethal determination.
"Okay," Tommy began, his words disrupting Rocky's thoughts. "Ready for the real thing?"
"I'm always ready for the real thing."
Rocky could tell she was deadly serious.
"You come at me as if I was one of the sleazebuckets . . . ."
"They always attack first, Tommy. I've never taken the offensive with them."
"Okay. How's this . . . 'halt, intended target! Resistance is futile; you will be assimilated!" To accompany Tommy's teasing words were movements reminiscent of Frankenstein. As Kim glared at him, he caught her around the waist and started tickling her.
"Tommy!" she snapped, clearly not in the mood to play. "We had our fun. This is serious now. Please . . . this isn't like when we faced Zedd and Rita; I don't want to lose you to these things."
"I know. It'll be all right, Kim. I promise you," he assured her, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek.
"Come at me full throttle--like you would putties or tengas or whatever other goons you faced," she instructed.
What followed next came as close to frightening Rocky as anything he had ever seen as a Ranger. It wasn't Tommy's attack so much--he came at Kim with a devastating combination of kicks and punches--as it was Kim's responses. She met his assault with a ferocity Rocky had never seen in her before, and she wasn't pulling punches. The longer they sparred, the more he could see that she was dead earnest about what she was doing, and this began drawing Tommy in as well. Old reflexes and instincts started kicking in. His moves started losing some of their dull edges. Rocky nearly dropped his mug as Tommy grabbed a practice katana and resumed his attack; Kim rolled away from the sword stroke and came up by the bo staves. She snatched one up and continued meeting Tommy's advance.
"Shit," he whispered in awe as Kim planted the staff and whirled herself around it, catching Tommy in the midsection with both feet. What had happened to Kim to turn her into such a deadly fighter?
*
Breathing heavily, Kim stood over Tommy, the end of the staff poised above his throat and a foot resting on his sternum. Those were two of the Mercytes' weaker points--the casing about the throat was thinner than anywhere else, and a good hit to the chest panel invariable shorted out all sorts of things. It took a moment for her senses to clear . . . to recall that this wasn't one of the assassins, but her boyfriend--her lover.
"Tommy . . . ." she ventured hesitantly.
"I was right about needing the mats," he joked without humor. "Okay, this gives me a really good idea of where your fighting skills stand . . . boy, Zedd was lucky you couldn't fight like this as a Ranger otherwise . . . ."
Kim held up a hand to silence him, feeling the hackles on her neck rise.
"They're here," Tommy murmured as he scrambled to his feet.
"I'll draw them away from the dojo," Kim responded as she dashed for the back door.
"The vacant lot!" Tommy called after her.
"Would you mind telling me what's going on?" Rocky demanded, abandoning his seat on the stairs.
"Spar with me, Rocko. Make it look like we do this every morning," Tommy ordered in clipped tones--an echo of his former command voice.
"What's going on?" Rocky queried even as he obeyed. Old habits died hard.
"What you don't know won't get you killed."
"Tommy, if you guys are in trouble, I want to help."
"Not this time, Rocky. I should never have come here . . . I just wasn't thinking," Tommy murmured as he bowed to his friend. It took every once of will power he possessed not to look at the windows.
"Good Lord!" Rocky gulped, catching a glint of silver passing before the school's window.
"Don't draw their attention," Tommy hissed through clenched teeth.
"What are those things? They look like cogs on acid or something."
"Scanners indicate that the intended target is moving north by northeast, approximately 100 meters from our present position," one unit reported, the cold tones penetrating the windows of the dojo.
"Intended target . . . you mean those things are after Kim?"
"Rocky, don't get involved," Tommy warned. "They're robot assassins sent back in time to kill Kim--and anyone who helps her. I butted in before I knew what was going on--not that knowing would have changed things--but you've got your school to think of. If you get involved, those things could come after you at any time, possibly while you have innocent students around. They don't care who gets caught in the crossfire."
As the hunters moved off, the two ceased going through the motions. Tommy dashed to the window.
"Man, I hope they bought this. Look, Rocky, I gotta go help Kim."
"Have you at least called the Rangers?"
"Yes, they're doing what they can to stop these guys at the source. Kim and I just have to keep ourselves alive."
"Don't go out the front," Rocky cautioned as Tommy reached for the door handle. "They may still be watching this place. Out the back, down the alley, and two rights will get you to the vacant lot ahead of those bozos."
"Thanks, Rocko."
"At least let me know how you guys are doing, okay?"
"Sure. I'll be back for my lessons, racing and robots permitting."
*
The empty lot was a war zone by the time Tommy arrived. The Mercytes moved faster than he thought . . . or there were more of them than he had estimated. Kim dove for cover behind the remains of a brick wall; her shelter shortly erupted in a blaze of light. She rolled clear, coming up with a length of pipe. She swung at the assassin converging on her, smashing it hard in the chest plate and sending it crashing to the ground. She tried to run again, but her feet slipped out from under her, taking her out of the line of fire. To her credit, she continued moving, but always on the defensive. Still, it astonished Tommy to see how difficult it was for the automatons to hit one unarmed human. Either Dimitria highly overrated their capabilities, or being sent back through time affected them more than the Rangers' mentor anticipated. Kim hurled a brick with frightening accuracy and nailed another unit in the face, destroying its optical receptors.
Two down, six to go.
Tommy knew Kim couldn't keep up her pace forever, and she was rapidly running out of places to duck out of sight for a temporary respite. Also, the longer the battle waged, the greater chance there was of the neighbors waking up, coming out, and possibly being hurt. He knew what he needed to do--Kim had told him all she could about the hunters on the drive over.
It was hard to stifle the sharp ki-yai, but he forced it back as he slammed hard into the back of one of the robots. His momentum carried him forward, and he quickly aimed for the chest panel of the next assassin. However, it was not his intent to take the tin cans one on one. Diving and rolling to dodge a lethal blast, Tommy came up with one of the hunter's weapons and started firing. Guns had never been his preferred weapon as a Ranger, and it had been a while since he had fired one. His shots did only marginal damage.
"Kim, get over here! I'll cover for you!"
He lay down a swathe as best he could; Kim arrived at his side a fraction of a second before a probing beam.
"Here," he offered, handing her the heavy gun; this was not the time to try and be macho. "You're a lot better shot than I am--always were."
Kim hefted the weapon far more easily than he had. "You always were better with the sword," she murmured and started picking off her targets with deadly accuracy. She had never taken the offensive before; it was different knowing there weren't living beings inside the suits. It felt good to cut loose at last. Her attackers fell under her marksmanship, and Kim offered silent thanks to the punk who had taught her how to shoot. "By the way, which one did you get this off of?"
"The one with the smashed chest plate. Why?"
"If I shoot him, the gun dissolves too. Whoever the gun comes from, goes last," Kim instructed.
In a matter of moments, the gunfight was over. Kim and Tommy were the only two left standing.
"Did we get them all?" Kim wondered, discarding the weapon before the metal melted.
"I think so; I don't see any of them," Tommy replied, eyeing the smoking remnants of their assailants. "Are the assaults always like this? Once you started shooting, they fell awfully quickly."
"This is the shortest attack I've ever been through," Kim answered, "but then, I've never really fought back before. It was always more just doing what I could to get away or simply outlasting them. Their power supply is limited--I have waited them out before--but they have a good three or four hours in them usually. You're right, though; that seemed almost too easy."
"Well, it was after you got the gun. They probably didn't expect you to go for the jugular."
"They'll be expecting it next time," Kim said grimly. "They learn from their mistakes."
"We'll be ready for them," Tommy remarked soberly. He noticed that she was shaking, and he wrapped his arms around her. It wasn't until he caught Kim's concerned glance that he realized that he was shaking too. He smiled bravely as he wiped at the smudges on her cheeks. They stood drawing strength from each other for several moments.
"We should get out of here; I don't think they'll bother us again until tomorrow at the earliest," Kim said at last. As she stepped off to head back to the parking lot, Tommy noticed that she was walking gingerly, favoring her right ankle.
"You're hurt," he said as he hastened over and slipped an arm around her waist.
"It's nothing . . . ."
*
The fight was behind them, so neither thought to look back. If they had, they would have discovered that Kim had vaporized only seven of their assailants.
"Field Unit Six to Command Unit. Awaiting further instructions."
"Reroute remaining power supply to essential motor functions and assume surveillance mode. Engage cloaking field."
"Field engaged. Unit Six in pursuit of target."