POWER RANGERS: OMEGA
The Femme Fatale Saga
Part One – Episode Three: Changes
Keisha awakens for the first time in sixteen hours. Yawing, she quickly realizes that she is not in her own full size bed and sits up almost mechanically. Looking around, she finds her surroundings dimly illuminated by the moonlight being filtered through a set of blinds.
"You're finally awake." She turns to the direction of the voice, her eyes barely able to perceive the silhouette in the corner.
"Where am I?"
"Safe for now." Silver emerges from his shadowy post. "That it all that you need to know for the moment."
Maurice bolts upright as if his pain induced slumber were interrupted by a nightmare. Tommy sets the plate of sandwiches down and kneels before his partner.
"You okay buddy?"
"Yeah, fine." Maurice rubs his eyes. "How long have I been out?"
"About twelve hours. Trini patched you up for the third time just over an hour ago."
"May I have some clothes please?" Maurice feels the blanket against his naked skin.
"Anything in particular?"
"Doesn't matter."
"Tigress!" Cornelius's yell reverberates off the walls of his lab. The sultry femme feline stretches her soar muscles, and rises from her bed.
"Yes doctor?"
"Mind explaining what happened to you yesterday?"
"I underestimated the skill of the Black Ranger. But he is in worse shape than me, I assure you."
"Well, I have another job for you. Follow Silver back to the woman's place and watch over her. Tell me if she exhibits any animalistic tendencies."
"Of course sir." She kisses him deeply, her long tongue lapping at his. "Then may I have my check up?"
"The moment you return." He smiles lecherously, cupping her buttocks.
A navy blue van drives down the long abandoned stretch of paved road leading to Safe-Mart. Painted on the passenger side are the letters S.D.R.S. The van's occupants, a woman in her mid twenties, another in her late thirties, two teenage boys, and one man in his early thirties, are silent as the van covers the last thousand or so feet. Pulling to a stop, the twenty-something woman exits the vehicle, her dark brown shoulder length hair being tousled by the light breeze.
"So this is where he's been hiding." The woman smiles, and approaches the twin glass doors.
"Customer," Kimberly sings, giggling at her bubbly demeanor. She swivels in her chair and heads down to the register.
Maurice finishes his bowl of soup and motions for Tommy to take his post as customer service rep. Dipping his bowl in the soapy water along with the yet to be washed morning dishes.
"Good morning," Trini greets sweetly. The group of strangers returns the warm smile with smiles of their own and begins canvassing the store for supplies.
The twenty-something walks up to Tommy, who is stocking one of the hardware shelves.
"Excuse me sir."
"Yes," he replies, turning around, his heart nearly lodging itself in his throat at the beautiful mocha colored female standing before him.
"I was wondering if Maurice Wilson is employed here."
"Kind of. He lives here anyway." Tommy is surprised at the calm tone of his voice as he wages war against his hormones.
"Occasionally, I work too." Tommy flinches at the sudden sound of Maurice's voice. "Morning Saundra, a pleasure to see you again." He flashes her a quick smile and Tommy is at a loss for words.
"Nice to see you too handsome. I see you're not bleeding for a change." She walks over to him and hugs him.
"Okay. Did I miss something?" Tommy interjects.
"Yep. She saved my life once."
"Three times actually." She smiles as she backs away from the hug. "Nice set-up you have here." Looking around she observes the ten or so high feet of shelves of products of varying quantities, and variety.
"So, what can we do for you?"
"You're cute friend there can fill my colleagues' order. You on the other hand, I want to talk to you alone." She hooks her index finger and tickles his jaw line. Maurice motions for her to follow him. Tommy shakes his head in disbelief and goes to locate the others in her group.
Silver transforms into his armor and slips in unnoticed by Dr. Cornelius.
"Cornelius," he calls out, startling the doctor from his activities.
"Damn it, stop doing that."
"Not until you stop doing that. Now put on some clothes and go see what Omega wants. As for you Kitty, don't ever let me catch you meddling in my affairs again." He about-faces and leaves just as stealthily as he appeared.
"Why not?" Saundra's voice reminds Maurice of a whiny child and if not for her place in his heart, he would be more irritated than he already is.
"It's too dangerous."
"That is the most generic answer you could come up with. As if what I do every day is the safest occupation in the world."
"Point taken." He unfolds his arms. "But being a Power Ranger is not as glamorous as it once was. People will throw things at you. Children will spit on you."
"I'm not looking for fame. I want to help you. Keep an eye on you."
"I don't need anyone watching over me."
"I didn't mean it like that. I just want to help. You and your buddy must be a little under-manned." She uncrosses her legs and hops down from the desk she is sitting on. "Besides," she says leaning forward to put her nose to his, "You guys could use a female's touch."
"I'll think about it." She smiles at him.
"Hope you guys stop by again soon." Tommy closes the backdoor of the van and shakes hands with Roger Jackson, the second oldest member of the group.
Maurice opens Saundra's door and assists her into her seat.
"I want you to seriously consider my request. Or I'll personally kick your ass. Remember, I know where you live." She kisses her index and middle fingers and places them to his lips. "Bye."
"That has to be the most emotion I've seen out of him in months," Kimberly comments, drinking from her bottle of cola. Trini nods her agreement as the van pulls off and the two Rangers converse amongst themselves just out of earshot.
"Let's go," Silver states bluntly, tossing Keisha a jacket. "Teleporting for the first time leaves you with the chills and slight nausea."
"Where are you taking me now?"
"Home. I may visit you from time to time to check up on your progress."
"My progress? What the hell are you talking about?"
"You'll soon find out. As I said before, let's go." Grabbing her wrist roughly, he concentrates, and soon the two of them vanish from sight.
"She what!" exclaims Tommy, ducking down to peer beneath the under carriage of Black Dragon's body.
"You heard me. She wants to be a Power Ranger."
"We could use the man, I mean woman power."
Sliding from beneath the Zord, Maurice looks up. "Don't tell me you're considering her proposal."
"She seems nice enough. Anyone that can be that cordial with you has to be a good person."
"Funny." He places his tools down.
"Think about it. Besides, I was talking to Trini last night while you were snoozing and we were talking about going on a recruiting run. Bring the team back up to a respectable number." Tommy stands back to his full height and backs away, allowing Maurice to stand.
"That is a good idea, but I'm not sure about Saundra."
Keisha sits up suddenly, finding herself in her bed. Had her ordeal been simply an excruciatingly long nightmare. Yawning deeply, she notes the hour of 2:58 p.m. Stretching her body, she is relieved that it is Saturday. Walking across the bedroom floor, a wave of nausea suddenly hits her and she dashes to the bathroom. After three dry heaves, she runs water for a shower and begins stripping away her clothing. Looking at the mirror, she nearly stumbles backwards at the sight of her naked body in the reflective surface. She was far from egotistical about her assets, but never before had she been frightened by her very own reflection. Suddenly feeling very dirty, she increases the heat of the water until steam billows out of the shower and moisture begins gathering on her exposed skin. Venturing another glance, her heart begins thumping against her sternum and she quickly diverts her attention to the scalding hot water. Stepping in, the water quickly redirects her attention away from her irrational fear and to the increasing pain setting her nerves ablaze. Although her skin begins to redden, she continues the shower as if the water would burn away her uneasiness.
Tigress, fully shaved save for the top of her head, visits a boutique in Hartford, Connecticut, one of the few major cities left. Frightened by Silver's threat, she decided to engage in a little shopping spree to calm her nerves. Simple human tasks like these often eased her mind and the arduous task of shaving the quick growing fur that covered every inch of her body did not detract from her mood. Clothed in a pair of black pumps, knee length red skirt with matching jacket, and a white t-shirt, she completes the ensemble with a pair of stylish black shades. Hair fashioned in an attractive variation of a bun, she appears every bit as professional as any executive. As she browses through designer dresses and evening gowns, her mind drifts to how rough the doctor had been with her earlier in the morning during her "check up." Her breasts were still sore and the skin-tight fabric offered little help in subduing the pain. Inevitably, he mind also ponders what exactly the doctor had done while the woman she kidnapped had been left alone in his care. A surge of jealously shoots through her and she quickly makes her purchases.
Keisha tugs at her nightstand, attempting to perfectly align it at a ninety-degree angle from her dresser. Frustrated, she lifts the solid oak stand and hurls it at the closet door, caving in the middle of it. Horrified at the feat of strength just displayed, she tears off her gown and begins inspecting herself. No physical changes. She had not suddenly discovered eighteen-inch biceps, or any other sign of a body builder's physique. Sitting nude upon her bed, she begins rocking back and forth, murmuring to herself, "What's happening to me?"
Saundra slams her heel into the body bag. Her quadriceps muscles are tight and beginning to reach a new level of fatigue. For three hours, she has been assaulting the various training equipment in the recreation building that she and her friends had help build along with a grant from Global Tech. Bench press, curling stations, sit-up apparatuses, squat rack, and now this punching bag had monopolized her attention since her return from Maurice's.
"I will prove to him that I am worthy." Another kick, this time with her right leg, punctures the bag and grains of sand begin trickling out.
"Ready?" inquires Maurice, holding his right first against his heart. Tommy nods. "Then let's do it." He brings his other wrist to his chest and begins the morphing process.
"Dragon Zord!" Tommy yells, his transformation culminating almost simultaneously with Maurice's.
The two Rangers circle one another. Green Ranger dashes forward, throwing a high punch that is blocked, and a lower one that is dodged. Black Ranger follows up with a knee strike that is caught by Green Ranger, leaving him open to an open palm strike to the chest. Staggering back, the Green Ranger falls to avoid a front hook kick, then swings his legs at Black Ranger's shins, causing the other Ranger to jump back. Flipping onto his feet, Green Ranger strikes a stance and once again they circle one another. This time, Black Ranger initiates the offense, landing a solid punch to his partner's gut, doubling him over. A jerk of his head, allows a follow up elbow to whisk past him and graze his shoulder. Jumping backwards, he extends his legs, catching Black Ranger in the shins and nearly toppling him. Rolling onto his stomach, Green Ranger pushes himself back to his feet and begins throwing rapid fire punches, most being blocked, but three of which sneaking past the deceptively fast limbs of Black Ranger and knocking the other fighter back a few steps.
Keisha, fully clothed in an oversized purple sweat suit, walks down the desolate sidewalk running in front of her complex. Her sweat-drenched hair is pulled back into a tight ponytail. A preternatural chill keeps her cold despite the unusually warm day. As she approaches a cross walk, a man wearing a tan business suit accidentally bumps into her while talking on his cell phone. He rushes an apology and returns to his conversation. Normally, Keisha, ever understanding of others and patient to a fault, suddenly feels an urge tugging at her. Before she realizes that her fists are intertwined, the hammer like blow slams into the man's lower back. He yelps in pain as he loses his balance and tumbles off the curb. Keisha, unable to focus her thoughts, dashes off in the other direction, attempting to figure out why she attacked him. Eventually, she ducks into an alley and leans against a wall, hugging herself tightly.
"Where do you think you're going?" Maurice demands, barricading Trini's exit route.
"If I said none of your business, would you let me pass?" the elder female responds, blowing a stray bang out of her face. Apparently not amused, Maurice flashes her a death glare usually reserved for Omega and his armies.
"Answer the question."
"If you must know, I'm gonna go check up on a former student of mine."
"For the purpose of recruiting her for the team, I assume."
"However did you get that notion in your head?"
"Do what you want. Just don't get yourself killed. I don't think the kid would sleep too peacefully if you did." He steps aside and Trini kisses him on the cheek. His expression softens slightly as she bounds down the stairs as energetically as she would have if still a teen.
Keisha stares at the receiver of the phone, the dial tone droning on in her ear. Three times, she had attempted to dial Maurice's number and three times she hung up before striking the first key. Swallowing the lump developing in her throat, she quickly dials the number.
"Hello," the unmistakable voice of Maurice answers. She hesitates before answering.
"I need you."
Maurice listens to the dial tone and without delay, prepares himself for teleportation. The tone of voice he detected from her conveyed a sense of urgency and he did not care if he suddenly materialized in the middle of a crowd as long as he got there as expeditiously as possible.
Taking the stairs as many as he can, Maurice knocks on her door and finds it ajar. Sensing an imbalance, he snaps his body away just as a knife wedges itself into the doorframe. Shaking as if she had been visited by Lucifer himself, Keisha stares blankly at him as if unsure of who he is. He approaches her slowly, both hands extended.
"No!" she screams, running towards her room. She slams the door in his face and he begins banging on it. Slumping against it, tears stream down her face and her sobs rack her body. "You shouldn't have come," she says through fits of coughing.
"Let me in damn it! What's wrong with you?"
"I wish I knew. Just go home before I do something terrible to you."
Unable to stand being left in the dark, Maurice slams his shoulder into the heavy door, causing it to unhinge slightly.
"Don't do it!" she screams, bracing against the door with more force than she thought her body was capable of. Another charge and the door is completely unhinged, her body now the only thing keeping the door in place.
Grabbing hold of the knob, Maurice tugs at it with both hands, widening the doorway and pulling the door through it. Keisha falls backwards at this feet and peers up at the unabashed concern in her best friend's eyes.
Dropping to his knees, Maurice touches her shoulder and she wrenches free of his grasp. She sits up and scampers to her knees, crawling towards her bed. Maurice wraps his powerful arms around her midsection and using as much weight and strength without hurting her too badly, crushes her body to the floor. She wiggles and writes in a futile attempt to free herself. Even with her suddenly increased strength, she still was no match for Maurice, who for reasons unknown to even him, begins singing a child hood song to her. He runs his fingers through the damp tangles of hair and lies on top of her until she finally stops struggle and begins crying again. Turning onto his side, he cradles her body and continues the song.
End of Part One
Next Time On Power Rangers: Omega - As Keisha struggles with her inner demons, Trini seeks out her former student Ashley Tran. Meanwhile, Tommy seeks out Saundra to answer her and finds another potential Ranger. Stay tuned for the next part of the Femme Fatale Saga: Felines and Falcons.