Chapter Three: "Survival."
Present Day:
Voices. Faint voices could be heard in the distance, familiar, their tones strained and filled with concern, the air around him feeling warm but stale. He slowly tried to open his eyes, taking the light in a little at a time, trying to adjust to the bright light that shone ahead of him. The images blurred, soon forming into figures, as his vision slowly began to focus. Tommy brought his hand up to his head, pressing his fingers against his throbbing temples, trying to remember what had happened.
The memory gradually resurfaced, flashes of images returning: He was making his way towards the Underground Resistance Base, ducking low under the narrow tunnel of the city sewers, his hand holding the side of his stomach. He remembered falling more than once into the cold, dirty liquid around his ankles, but each time he did the water managed to revive him to his senses, and he kept going on. He rounded the last corner, coming into sight of the guards who kept watch outside, before fading into unconsciousness.
"Ugh." Tommy groaned as he attempted to sit up, a wave of dizziness coming over him.
"Take it easy, Tommy." The voice was clear, unmistakable.
Tommy slowly opened his eyes once more, staring into the smiling face of an old friend. "Billy."
Billy lowered his gaze for a moment, afraid to ask a question that he did not want to know the answer to. "What happened out there?" He sighed, looking at the analysis of his medical equipment. ". Your powers?"
Reaching into his trouser pocket, Tommy withdrew the shard of the red Zeo crystal, a long silence passing before he spoke. "It's gone, Billy. It's finally gone."
"Tommy!"
Tommy looked up, a smile appearing on his features, as he witnessed Kat and Rocky enter the small room. Kat ran up to him, embracing Tommy in a tight hug, secretly wishing that she would never have to let him go.
"Tommy." The tears came to her eyes. "Don't scare me like that!"
"I'm sorry, Kat." He sighed. "But I had to go. I had to see her."
Rocky stepped forward. "You mean Kimberly?"
He nodded.
Billy closed his eyes momentarily at the sound of her name. Kimberly's death had hit them all hard. Ever since he had returned from Aquata to help fight in the War, there had been one death after another. But none had hit him harder than the death of Kimberly. Now only two members of the original Power Rangers remained, himself and Jason.
Zack had been killed several days before, trying to protect a family that were running for safety from an attack by the demons, and Trini . no-one knew what had happened to her. She disappeared mysteriously in the demon attack that had killed Kimberly.
"Oh no." Rocky suddenly spotted the Zeo shard.
"It took the last of my powers to fight my way out of there." Explained Tommy. "There was nothing that I could do."
All four suddenly looked up as Adam ran into the room. The momentary smile that appeared on his face when he saw Tommy vanished as he explained the news. "We've just received a communication from Silver Hills!"
Tommy slid down off of the bed, pressing the Zeo shard back into his pocket, before following the others as they headed towards the Operations Room. His gaze shifted through the mass of bodies that crouched against the side of the walls, survivors: men, woman, young, old, parents, and children. A deep pain filled him as he saw their faces; looks filled with a sense of utter hopelessness, their eyes still red from the constant tears.
They soon came to the door marked: Operations Room, a large blue walled room that was filled with humming computers and equipment, in the middle a large table with a communications device at the centre. Two people were already in the room: one trying to speak to the distorted face on the viewing screen, the other under the table, trying to fix the problem.
"Wes . Wes can you hear me?" Jason called. Static silence answered him, the screen still becoming distorted. "Justin, we're losing the connection!"
"I'm on it!" Came the voice. He soon appeared from under the table, glancing over at those who had arrived.
"Need help, Justin?" Offered Billy.
"Yeah I can't get the carrier wave to optimise."
Justin had changed. No longer was he the small child prodigy that had become a ranger, but now he was a young teen, tall and slim, still carrying his boyish looks and light brown hair, and the complex mind that held his genius. Around his waist was a utility belt, out from which he handed Billy one of the tools, and they both quickly set about trying to re-establish contact.
Tommy, Kat, Adam, and Rocky sat down by the table with Jason, waiting nervously, while the two worked on the communications device. A while passed before Tanya appeared in the doorway, having finished off her daily rounds of providing rations to all the families who were down in the base.
"Got it!" Smiled Justin.
The screen suddenly blanked out for a second, before fizzing back to life, the familiar features of Wes reappearing on the screen:
"Guys, can you hear me?"
Jason smiled. "Loud and clear Wes."
"What happened?" Tommy inquired.
He paused for a long moment. "Djiwu attempted a sneak attack over our left borders. The Silver Guardians, Eric, Katie and I managed to hold them back, but barely." Everyone could clearly see the worry in his face and voice.
"Still no word from Jen and the others?"
He shook his head 'no.' "I'm getting worried. It's been five days now!"
"I'm sure they're ok." Kat tried to reassure him. "They might just be laying low until they get a chance to return from their scouting mission."
". I sure hope so."
Tommy sighed. "I'll see what I can do with reinforcements, but no promises, our forces are pretty thin at the moment."
Wes nodded. "Over and out." His face soon vanished, and the screen went blank.
"Ok, Billy." Said Rocky. "Let's go over what we know."
Billy nodded, typing into a nearby console and bringing up a map display on the viewing screen.
"Djiwu and his forces are pressing against Silver Hills. The rangers are down by three, barely sustaining their hold with the help of the Silver Guardians." He turned back to the console and the map turned to one of Mariner Bay. "The three surviving Space Rangers - Andros, TJ, and Carlos, are aiding what's left of Light Speed Rescue against Xentu." He paused. "The death of Cassie, Ashley, Chad, and Kelsey has shattered their morale, but Ryan has managed to form them back as a team. Then there's Riaku." The screen turned to a map of Turtle Cove.
Justin cut in briefly. "From our reports, Riaku is the second strongest out of the four Demon Generals."
Billy nodded once more, before continuing on. "It has shown. Danny is in a critical condition, and Max has lost his Wild Force powers. The Galaxy rangers are giving them all the support that they can, but they too are minus some of their team."
"Who isn't." Tanya sighed.
"Maya died in battle, Mike has lost the use of his Magna Defender powers, and Karone is presumed missing and dead." Billy sighed, turning the map to its final image. "Then there is us. We have the pleasure of fighting against the strongest of the Demon Generals: Enrazu. I don't need to remind you of who we've all lost." His voice trailed off into silence. "Justin and I have been working hard on analysing the body of one of the Shadow Demons that we managed to defeat. We should have the results within a couple of hours, hopefully, shedding some light on where these demons came from."
"And more importantly." Said Jason. "Whose behind them."
A loud alarm suddenly rang through the air.
Adam quickly stood up, rushing over to one of the consoles. "Our sensors are picking up demon activity over in the western section of the city! Looks like Enrazu is up to something!"
The colour drained from Kat's features. "There are still some families holding out in the buildings there!"
"We've got to stop them!" Tommy moved to his feet. He stopped as a sudden hand touched his shoulder, turning into the concerned eyes of Rocky.
"Sorry, Tommy."
"I-I."
Tommy stood in shocked silence, feeling immobilised and useless, wishing that he still had his powers so that he could join them. But he didn't. Going along would only put his life, and theirs, in the balance. Jason sighed inwardly, the same thoughts going through his own mind, but his powers had faded a while back after the battle on the moon.
Kat lowered her gaze. "We'll do what we can."
"Kat." Tommy embraced her tightly, before kissing her lightly on the lips. "Be careful!"
"We will. I promise." Turning she nodded over to Adam, Rocky, Tanya, and Justin, before all five left the Operations room.
--------------------
Six Weeks Before, in Turtle Cove:
Cole silently watched with a smile as Danny paced up and down the length of the park bench, unable to keep still or silent, eagerly awaiting the arrival of a legend. Max and Alyssa smiled to themselves, as Danny kept repeating 'wow' over and over, while Taylor just shook her head.
"Calm down, Danny." She remarked, getting annoyed.
"Calm down?!" He finally stopped pacing and turned to face her. "How can I? I'm finally going to get the chance to meet the legendary Tommy!"
Taylor made a snorting sound. "Huh, legendary."
"He is." Said Cole, stepping down from off of the bench. "You should have seen him battling on the moon. He was . incredible!"
Taylor tried to remain unimpressed, but secretly she had wanted to meet Tommy ever since Cole recited to the team what had happened on their mission.
"Well, I'm excited." Smiled Alyssa.
"Me too. I can't wait to meet him." Agreed Max. A sudden broad grin spread across his features. "Is that him?"
Cole looked up, staring down the path a little. Tommy soon came into view, dressed in his usual open shirt with a T-shirt underneath, and light blue jeans. He smiled upon seeing the group, heading towards them. Cole moved forward, wiping his hands on the side of his jeans, before putting his hand out as they shaked.
"Tommy, it's good to see you again."
"You too, Cole." Tommy smiled back.
Max saw that Danny continued to look on in awe, so pushed him forward. Danny stumbled forward, totally forgetting that he had almost fallen over, as he shook hands with him. "Wow . it's a real pleasure!"
"Y-yeah." Tommy looked on in embarrassment. He turned, shaking hands with an enthusiastic Max, and then the gentle hands of Alyssa.
Taylor eyed him up and down for a moment before stepping forward. "I'm Taylor." They shook hands. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Trust me." Smiled Cole. "Nothing bad." The smile gradually died down on his face. Tommy took that as a cue to start asking about the murders.
"So what do you guys know about what is happening?"
"Not much I'm afraid. All we know is that whatever they are, they are appearing more and more each day. More bodies are turning up and."
"And?"
Taylor spoke up. "We've been in contact with the other rangers. They speak of similar occurrences in their cities. Light Speed have even come into direct sight of them."
"They have? What happened? What do they look like? How."
"Hold on!" Said Taylor. "They know as much as we do: nothing. They briefly managed to see one of them before they disappeared. It must have been a part of some kind of scouting party or something."
"Scouting party?!" Tommy paused. "This is bad. Very bad. It's just how my visions started..." Tommy closed his eyes. "The shadow of darkness arrives, and then wave after wave hits the city. Generation after generation of rangers being destroyed."
"We won't let that happen." Said Cole, determined.
"Yeah!" Said Max. "We'll fight it!"
Tommy thought long and hard. "We need to set up some kind of network, so that we can get all the rangers working together. We have to work as a team every step of the way. It might be our only chance."
Cole nodded.
"Listen, I better go." Said Tommy. "I'll try and get this all set up as quickly as I can." He paused. "And be careful guys."
"We will." Taylor answered. "Don't worry about us."
Tommy nodded, saying goodbye to the rest of the group, before setting up for home.
--------------------
He silently walked down the busy street, a thousand thoughts flashing through his mind, as he headed towards her house. He tried to shake off the many thoughts, focussing solely on the act of walking, as he had bumped into strangers on more than one occasion. As he rounded the next corner he suddenly smiled, as he saw Kat walking towards her house, a bag of groceries in each of her hands.
"Kat!" He called, jogging over to her.
"Tommy." Kat stopped in her tracks, waiting until he got closer.
"Need some help?" He smiled.
Kat smiled back, nodding, whilst handing him one of the bags. "Thought I'd make something special for Rocky, Adam, and Tanya."
They both turned, walking together down the remainder of the street. They were silent for a long time; each lost in one another's thoughts.
"Listen, Kat." Tommy stopped, turning to face her. "I-I'm sorry." Kat looked at him in shock. "For everything. I've been so focussed that I've almost lost sight of what is important: you. Kat, you mean so much to me." He turned to look away. "I . I don't want to lose you. But, I can't let this darkness destroy all that we have fought so hard to protect. I just can't."
"Oh Tommy." Kat threw her arms around him, dropping the bag of groceries, hugging him tight. "I think . I just needed to hear that. That I am a part of your life."
"Of course you are."
Tommy leaned in, the two lost in the moment, before they shared a brief kiss. A sudden noise caused them both to quickly look up, a car approaching. The dark red car came to a stop just outside Kat's house, all four doors opening. Tommy froze, a shocked look on both his and Kat's features, as the four figures came into view. He took all of them in, but his eyes resting on only one.
"Kimberly!".
Present Day:
Voices. Faint voices could be heard in the distance, familiar, their tones strained and filled with concern, the air around him feeling warm but stale. He slowly tried to open his eyes, taking the light in a little at a time, trying to adjust to the bright light that shone ahead of him. The images blurred, soon forming into figures, as his vision slowly began to focus. Tommy brought his hand up to his head, pressing his fingers against his throbbing temples, trying to remember what had happened.
The memory gradually resurfaced, flashes of images returning: He was making his way towards the Underground Resistance Base, ducking low under the narrow tunnel of the city sewers, his hand holding the side of his stomach. He remembered falling more than once into the cold, dirty liquid around his ankles, but each time he did the water managed to revive him to his senses, and he kept going on. He rounded the last corner, coming into sight of the guards who kept watch outside, before fading into unconsciousness.
"Ugh." Tommy groaned as he attempted to sit up, a wave of dizziness coming over him.
"Take it easy, Tommy." The voice was clear, unmistakable.
Tommy slowly opened his eyes once more, staring into the smiling face of an old friend. "Billy."
Billy lowered his gaze for a moment, afraid to ask a question that he did not want to know the answer to. "What happened out there?" He sighed, looking at the analysis of his medical equipment. ". Your powers?"
Reaching into his trouser pocket, Tommy withdrew the shard of the red Zeo crystal, a long silence passing before he spoke. "It's gone, Billy. It's finally gone."
"Tommy!"
Tommy looked up, a smile appearing on his features, as he witnessed Kat and Rocky enter the small room. Kat ran up to him, embracing Tommy in a tight hug, secretly wishing that she would never have to let him go.
"Tommy." The tears came to her eyes. "Don't scare me like that!"
"I'm sorry, Kat." He sighed. "But I had to go. I had to see her."
Rocky stepped forward. "You mean Kimberly?"
He nodded.
Billy closed his eyes momentarily at the sound of her name. Kimberly's death had hit them all hard. Ever since he had returned from Aquata to help fight in the War, there had been one death after another. But none had hit him harder than the death of Kimberly. Now only two members of the original Power Rangers remained, himself and Jason.
Zack had been killed several days before, trying to protect a family that were running for safety from an attack by the demons, and Trini . no-one knew what had happened to her. She disappeared mysteriously in the demon attack that had killed Kimberly.
"Oh no." Rocky suddenly spotted the Zeo shard.
"It took the last of my powers to fight my way out of there." Explained Tommy. "There was nothing that I could do."
All four suddenly looked up as Adam ran into the room. The momentary smile that appeared on his face when he saw Tommy vanished as he explained the news. "We've just received a communication from Silver Hills!"
Tommy slid down off of the bed, pressing the Zeo shard back into his pocket, before following the others as they headed towards the Operations Room. His gaze shifted through the mass of bodies that crouched against the side of the walls, survivors: men, woman, young, old, parents, and children. A deep pain filled him as he saw their faces; looks filled with a sense of utter hopelessness, their eyes still red from the constant tears.
They soon came to the door marked: Operations Room, a large blue walled room that was filled with humming computers and equipment, in the middle a large table with a communications device at the centre. Two people were already in the room: one trying to speak to the distorted face on the viewing screen, the other under the table, trying to fix the problem.
"Wes . Wes can you hear me?" Jason called. Static silence answered him, the screen still becoming distorted. "Justin, we're losing the connection!"
"I'm on it!" Came the voice. He soon appeared from under the table, glancing over at those who had arrived.
"Need help, Justin?" Offered Billy.
"Yeah I can't get the carrier wave to optimise."
Justin had changed. No longer was he the small child prodigy that had become a ranger, but now he was a young teen, tall and slim, still carrying his boyish looks and light brown hair, and the complex mind that held his genius. Around his waist was a utility belt, out from which he handed Billy one of the tools, and they both quickly set about trying to re-establish contact.
Tommy, Kat, Adam, and Rocky sat down by the table with Jason, waiting nervously, while the two worked on the communications device. A while passed before Tanya appeared in the doorway, having finished off her daily rounds of providing rations to all the families who were down in the base.
"Got it!" Smiled Justin.
The screen suddenly blanked out for a second, before fizzing back to life, the familiar features of Wes reappearing on the screen:
"Guys, can you hear me?"
Jason smiled. "Loud and clear Wes."
"What happened?" Tommy inquired.
He paused for a long moment. "Djiwu attempted a sneak attack over our left borders. The Silver Guardians, Eric, Katie and I managed to hold them back, but barely." Everyone could clearly see the worry in his face and voice.
"Still no word from Jen and the others?"
He shook his head 'no.' "I'm getting worried. It's been five days now!"
"I'm sure they're ok." Kat tried to reassure him. "They might just be laying low until they get a chance to return from their scouting mission."
". I sure hope so."
Tommy sighed. "I'll see what I can do with reinforcements, but no promises, our forces are pretty thin at the moment."
Wes nodded. "Over and out." His face soon vanished, and the screen went blank.
"Ok, Billy." Said Rocky. "Let's go over what we know."
Billy nodded, typing into a nearby console and bringing up a map display on the viewing screen.
"Djiwu and his forces are pressing against Silver Hills. The rangers are down by three, barely sustaining their hold with the help of the Silver Guardians." He turned back to the console and the map turned to one of Mariner Bay. "The three surviving Space Rangers - Andros, TJ, and Carlos, are aiding what's left of Light Speed Rescue against Xentu." He paused. "The death of Cassie, Ashley, Chad, and Kelsey has shattered their morale, but Ryan has managed to form them back as a team. Then there's Riaku." The screen turned to a map of Turtle Cove.
Justin cut in briefly. "From our reports, Riaku is the second strongest out of the four Demon Generals."
Billy nodded once more, before continuing on. "It has shown. Danny is in a critical condition, and Max has lost his Wild Force powers. The Galaxy rangers are giving them all the support that they can, but they too are minus some of their team."
"Who isn't." Tanya sighed.
"Maya died in battle, Mike has lost the use of his Magna Defender powers, and Karone is presumed missing and dead." Billy sighed, turning the map to its final image. "Then there is us. We have the pleasure of fighting against the strongest of the Demon Generals: Enrazu. I don't need to remind you of who we've all lost." His voice trailed off into silence. "Justin and I have been working hard on analysing the body of one of the Shadow Demons that we managed to defeat. We should have the results within a couple of hours, hopefully, shedding some light on where these demons came from."
"And more importantly." Said Jason. "Whose behind them."
A loud alarm suddenly rang through the air.
Adam quickly stood up, rushing over to one of the consoles. "Our sensors are picking up demon activity over in the western section of the city! Looks like Enrazu is up to something!"
The colour drained from Kat's features. "There are still some families holding out in the buildings there!"
"We've got to stop them!" Tommy moved to his feet. He stopped as a sudden hand touched his shoulder, turning into the concerned eyes of Rocky.
"Sorry, Tommy."
"I-I."
Tommy stood in shocked silence, feeling immobilised and useless, wishing that he still had his powers so that he could join them. But he didn't. Going along would only put his life, and theirs, in the balance. Jason sighed inwardly, the same thoughts going through his own mind, but his powers had faded a while back after the battle on the moon.
Kat lowered her gaze. "We'll do what we can."
"Kat." Tommy embraced her tightly, before kissing her lightly on the lips. "Be careful!"
"We will. I promise." Turning she nodded over to Adam, Rocky, Tanya, and Justin, before all five left the Operations room.
--------------------
Six Weeks Before, in Turtle Cove:
Cole silently watched with a smile as Danny paced up and down the length of the park bench, unable to keep still or silent, eagerly awaiting the arrival of a legend. Max and Alyssa smiled to themselves, as Danny kept repeating 'wow' over and over, while Taylor just shook her head.
"Calm down, Danny." She remarked, getting annoyed.
"Calm down?!" He finally stopped pacing and turned to face her. "How can I? I'm finally going to get the chance to meet the legendary Tommy!"
Taylor made a snorting sound. "Huh, legendary."
"He is." Said Cole, stepping down from off of the bench. "You should have seen him battling on the moon. He was . incredible!"
Taylor tried to remain unimpressed, but secretly she had wanted to meet Tommy ever since Cole recited to the team what had happened on their mission.
"Well, I'm excited." Smiled Alyssa.
"Me too. I can't wait to meet him." Agreed Max. A sudden broad grin spread across his features. "Is that him?"
Cole looked up, staring down the path a little. Tommy soon came into view, dressed in his usual open shirt with a T-shirt underneath, and light blue jeans. He smiled upon seeing the group, heading towards them. Cole moved forward, wiping his hands on the side of his jeans, before putting his hand out as they shaked.
"Tommy, it's good to see you again."
"You too, Cole." Tommy smiled back.
Max saw that Danny continued to look on in awe, so pushed him forward. Danny stumbled forward, totally forgetting that he had almost fallen over, as he shook hands with him. "Wow . it's a real pleasure!"
"Y-yeah." Tommy looked on in embarrassment. He turned, shaking hands with an enthusiastic Max, and then the gentle hands of Alyssa.
Taylor eyed him up and down for a moment before stepping forward. "I'm Taylor." They shook hands. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Trust me." Smiled Cole. "Nothing bad." The smile gradually died down on his face. Tommy took that as a cue to start asking about the murders.
"So what do you guys know about what is happening?"
"Not much I'm afraid. All we know is that whatever they are, they are appearing more and more each day. More bodies are turning up and."
"And?"
Taylor spoke up. "We've been in contact with the other rangers. They speak of similar occurrences in their cities. Light Speed have even come into direct sight of them."
"They have? What happened? What do they look like? How."
"Hold on!" Said Taylor. "They know as much as we do: nothing. They briefly managed to see one of them before they disappeared. It must have been a part of some kind of scouting party or something."
"Scouting party?!" Tommy paused. "This is bad. Very bad. It's just how my visions started..." Tommy closed his eyes. "The shadow of darkness arrives, and then wave after wave hits the city. Generation after generation of rangers being destroyed."
"We won't let that happen." Said Cole, determined.
"Yeah!" Said Max. "We'll fight it!"
Tommy thought long and hard. "We need to set up some kind of network, so that we can get all the rangers working together. We have to work as a team every step of the way. It might be our only chance."
Cole nodded.
"Listen, I better go." Said Tommy. "I'll try and get this all set up as quickly as I can." He paused. "And be careful guys."
"We will." Taylor answered. "Don't worry about us."
Tommy nodded, saying goodbye to the rest of the group, before setting up for home.
--------------------
He silently walked down the busy street, a thousand thoughts flashing through his mind, as he headed towards her house. He tried to shake off the many thoughts, focussing solely on the act of walking, as he had bumped into strangers on more than one occasion. As he rounded the next corner he suddenly smiled, as he saw Kat walking towards her house, a bag of groceries in each of her hands.
"Kat!" He called, jogging over to her.
"Tommy." Kat stopped in her tracks, waiting until he got closer.
"Need some help?" He smiled.
Kat smiled back, nodding, whilst handing him one of the bags. "Thought I'd make something special for Rocky, Adam, and Tanya."
They both turned, walking together down the remainder of the street. They were silent for a long time; each lost in one another's thoughts.
"Listen, Kat." Tommy stopped, turning to face her. "I-I'm sorry." Kat looked at him in shock. "For everything. I've been so focussed that I've almost lost sight of what is important: you. Kat, you mean so much to me." He turned to look away. "I . I don't want to lose you. But, I can't let this darkness destroy all that we have fought so hard to protect. I just can't."
"Oh Tommy." Kat threw her arms around him, dropping the bag of groceries, hugging him tight. "I think . I just needed to hear that. That I am a part of your life."
"Of course you are."
Tommy leaned in, the two lost in the moment, before they shared a brief kiss. A sudden noise caused them both to quickly look up, a car approaching. The dark red car came to a stop just outside Kat's house, all four doors opening. Tommy froze, a shocked look on both his and Kat's features, as the four figures came into view. He took all of them in, but his eyes resting on only one.
"Kimberly!".
