"Zeo Matrix: Tommy's Final Stand."

Written by Knuckles.

Summary: Set several months after the events in 'Forever Red' Tommy begins to have visions of an ancient and powerful evil that threatens to destroy all that he has fought so hard to protect. Powerless to stop his loved ones from dying around him, Tommy must find a way to rejuvenate his fading powers, and take a final stand against this new wave of darkness.

Chapter One: "Choices."

The moon stood high in the dark abyss of night, a vast sea of stars surrounding her, their soft, gentle auras descending through the cloudless night sky, illuminating the graveyard below. A single shadow stepped out into the moonlight, a young man whose tears were half hidden by the surrounding darkness, his fingers trembling, yet the air was warm, and no cold breeze blew past.

Before him lay a single headstone, a familiar name freshly carved into its structure, a single red rose lying amongst the thin blades of grass. Tommy slowly fell onto his knees, his fists pounding into the earth that lay at his feet, a cry of pain sounding from his lips. A long time passed before he could gain the courage to look up at the grave, a veil of tears blurring his vision, the name 'Kimberly Hart' etched forever into his memory as well as the headstone.

The pain was almost too intense to bare, the sobs rising in waves within his throat, the tears seeming to find no end to their release.

"I . I'm sorry." Tommy's voice croaked, struggling to put the intense, painful feelings into mere words. "It's all my fault . all my fault."

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Two Months before:

Tommy awoke with a start, beads of sweat rolling down off of his forehead, his heart beating faster than he could ever thought possible. As a deep, chilling shiver passed through his very soul, he closed his eyes shut tight in an attempt to shake his head clear, the fragments of darkened dreams still echoing in the forefront of his mind.

For the last few days the same reoccurring nightmare had resounded in his mind, dogging his daily thoughts until he knew that they were now more than just mere dreams . they were a warning . a dark vision of things to come.

The nightmare was always the same.

A large dark shadow seemed to pass over the city, and as it did, wave upon wave of pure darkness left all in its wake in nothing but ruins. Countless people were killed and executed, a chosen few remaining alive to be nothing but slaves, this dark and evil force seeming to be unstoppable. Generation after generation of Power Rangers attempted to stop them, but each time they were beaten back, until they too were finally destroyed.

With Earth's only defence now out of the way, the darkness set its sight on the rest of the world, and the entire planet surrendered to their control.

"Can it be?" His voice whispered. His mind repeated the question over and over, but deep inside he already knew the answer: these 'visions' he kept having of the future . they were going to come true . and there was nothing that he or anyone else could do to stop it.

Tommy slowly walked across to the open window, staring out into the beautiful city that lay before him, a stream of sunlight coating the entire area. It was indeed beautiful, Angel Grove having remained almost untouched in recent years. But that could all change . in a blink of an eye it would all change. He had seen the ruins, heard the screams, heard the cries of pain, and seen the intolerable suffering.

"No!" He shouted, his hands forming into fists. "I won't allow it! There's got to be something that we can do?!"

His voice lingered for a brief moment in the still air, slowly fading into nothingness. Turning, Tommy pulled on his trousers and a T-shirt, heading over to the small chest of drawers. Pushing away the carefully folded clothes, the sun shimmered off of a silver object that was resting peacefully in the middle. His hand reached out to it, feeling the familiar shape and form of its frame, before slipping it around his wrist. With his Zeo morpher in its rightful place, Tommy quickly left the apartment.

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Katherine sat in complete silence, a strange expression on her features, as she looked over at the shaken form of Tommy who was sitting next to her. It had been a few months since they had last spoken to each other, seeing him turn up suddenly a surprise in itself, but his talk of this dark future had taken her even more aback. She continued to stare at his features, the tone of his voice and look in his bright eyes telling her that what he said had to be the truth.

". It's coming?" She finally asked, breaking the silence. "This darkness that you've seen?"

Tommy slowly nodded. "I . I can't explain it Kat. All I know is that these visions are real. Something's coming, something big, way stronger than Rita, Zedd, Mondo ... or any of their predecessors put together!"

She fell silent once more. "Then we must warn the Wild Force Rangers. Tell them to be ready for."

"Already done." He cut in. "And I've also contacted Time Force, Light Speed, Galactic, and the Space Rangers to be on the alert."

Kat placed a reassuring hand on his arm, a thin smile on her lips. "Then it will be ok. With the joint forces of rangers there is nothing that they can't do."

Tommy sighed heavily. "Maybe . maybe."

"Stop it!" Tommy suddenly turned to see the worried face of Kat. "Don't do this! You've done all that you can. It's time for you to give it up!" Tears began to well up in her eyes. "The combined powers of the other rangers should be enough to stop them, you don't have to get involved!"

". Kat, what are you saying?" Tommy slowly stood up. "I . we . have to get involved! What if they need our help?"

"Tommy, look around you! Times have changed! We haven't fought in years, and our Zeo powers are slowly fading. There are five other teams of rangers to defend the Earth!"

A void of silence echoed through the room. It was a long time before any of them spoke again.

"It won't be enough." He said with certain. "It won't be enough."

With that he turned and left, closing the door shut behind him, leaving Kat in tears on the couch. She stayed like that for a long time, not moving, her tears slowly absorbing into the material. For all these years she had tried to build a life with Tommy, but his strong sense of justice and need to protect had driven a wedge between them. Whereas she felt that it was time for them to move on with their lives, Tommy would never, could never leave his ranger days behind.

It was the very essence of his being.

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Tommy slowly stepped out of the car, staring out into the ruins of what had once been the Zeo Chamber, long forgotten memories flashing before his mind. It had been so long since he had last set foot there, but it seemed as if it was only the other day, as he recollected his time as a Zeo Ranger. Each day he could feel the light of the red Zeo crystal weaken, so each day he would train that little harder, trying in vain to compensate for the lack of energy.

He judged that the crystal had just enough power left within it to initiate a few more morphs before the power totally faded, forever. But it did not matter, nothing mattered, only the safety of the city, of his friends . of Kat. He would gladly give up his life for them. In the end, that was all that would ever matter. Ever.