Chapter Seven: "Zeo Matrix Awakening" Part II

Tommy slowly opened his eyes, his senses beginning to return, his vision taking in the dark black void that echoed all around him. The darkness was impenetrable, filled with a cold night chill that raised the hairs on the back of his neck, creating a void of silence which no sound could break through. Through the thick darkness he ran, just listening to the deep feelings within his heart, letting it lead him onwards.

The sudden pulse of bright light caused Tommy to unconsciously take a step back, shielding his eyes with his arm, as the area quickly brightened, slowly dying down as a presence appeared before him. It took him a long while to blink back the flash of light that was still in his eyes, finally being able to make out the figure before him, the shocked expression written all over his features.

"K-Kimberly?!"

Tommy took a step forward, not believing what he was seeing, as Kimberly slowly walked towards him, a gentle smile on her face, as she pulled him into a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around her, holding onto her tight, keeping back the tears that threatened to fall.

"Kimberly."

"Ssh." She almost whispered. "It's ok, Tommy. I'm here." She closed her eyes, staying in his embrace for a long time before slowly pulling away. "Everything is going to be alright."

"Kim . w-what are you doing here?"

She ran her hands through his hair, before lightly touching his face. "I was brought here. To tell you something very important." She gazed into his eyes. "I forgive you." She watched the pain flicker across his face. "I forgive you, Tommy, I forgive you for letting me die."

"I - I" The tears began to fall from his eyes.

"It's ok. All that matters is that you are here now. Here with me." She paused, a shimmer of tears in her eyes. "Tommy I - I love you, I never stopped loving you, and want to be with you forever." She leaned in closer. "I know that you feel the same. There is a way for our love to shine like it once did, a way for us to still be together."

"B-but how?"

She looked at him, locking gaze with his eyes. "All you have to do is one simple thing - just walk away Tommy, step away from it all now, turn your back on your life as a ranger! Come with me!" A small smile appeared on the side of her lips. "And we can be together for all eternity."

"I - I." Tommy slowly turned his head to the side, as the darkness began to shift and change, until the streets of Angel Grove appeared, and he saw them - Kat, Adam, Tanya, Rocky, and Jason, screaming for help as Enrazu slowly approached them. "K-Kat!"

Kimberly grabbed the sides of his face with her hands, pulling his gaze away from them and back to hers. "Walk away!" She commanded. "Forget about them, be with me Tommy! I forgive you!" Their screams grew louder. "Walk away! Walk away now!"

"N-no!" Tommy shouted, pushing Kimberly's hands away from him. He breathed deeply, turning to look at his friends before looking back into her dark features. "I will never leave my friends when they are in danger! Never! And neither would Kim." He shook his head, glaring at the apparition. "There is no contest: when it comes to my own happiness or the lives of my friends, my friends will always come first!"

Kimberly's features suddenly changed, twisting into something monstrous and evil, before she screamed, the scream causing Tommy to cover his ears, casting him back into darkness. As the scream slowly faded, a deep red flame scorched through the dark sky, followed by a deep unknown roar. It then appeared from out of the darkness, a dark red Komodo dragon that possessed the power of fire, heading directly for him. Before Tommy had a chance to react, a bright pulse of red light engulfed him, the dragon becoming absorbed into his chest, as a rush of pure energy surged within him, infusing him with the power of the Zeo Matrix.

His suit was a deep red; his arms sleeveless like the Ninja Storm rangers, a dark silver piece under his suit that covered his arms, and fingerless red gloves that stopped by his wrists. His visor was the familiar five- pointed star, but unlike his Zeo powers no gold pattern descended from his neck, but in the centre of his chest was the Komodo dragon emblem, a fire raging behind it in the background.

"T-this is amazing!" Whispered Tommy, the power continuing to flow through him. He looked up as a sudden wave of light surrounded him, and then he vanished.

--------------------

Kat opened her eyes, taking a moment to gain her bearings, and stare into the abyss of darkness that surrounded her. Everything was dark; no light could be seen in any direction, hardly being able to see her own hands and feet that were in front of her. As a cold wind blew past she wrapped her arms around her body, seeing no other choice but to walk further into the darkness, nervousness rising within her at every step.

Suddenly an explosion of bright light came from up ahead, and Kat was momentarily blinded, finally regaining her sight to step back in shock as she saw six pink figures standing in front of her. They each took a step forwards, slowly taking off their helmets, revealing their identities. Kat froze, unsure of what was going on; watching as Alyssa, Jen, Dana, Karone, Cassie, and Kimberly glared fiercely at her.

"W-what's going on?" Kat managed to say.

Jen stepped forward, a disgusting look on her face. "You disgust me, Kat! You useless stupid girl! No one needs you, the team would be much better off without you - you're just pulling down the hard work of every pink ranger that has ever been!"

"That's, that's not true!"

"Save it!" Shot Cassie. "No one wants to hear anything out of the words of someone who once worked for Rita and Zedd."

"Think we'd all forget about that so quickly?" Said Karone. "If only we could dismiss you like some bad dream!"

Kimberly shook her head. "You never could live up to taking over the pink ranger powers. I'm surprised I wasn't called back into action on several occasions."

"And there's only so far your looks will carry you." Glared Alyssa.

"Right." Added Dana. "Someday you'll find yourself alone, with no one to back you up, and that's when everyone will find out what a liability you are!"

"S-stop it!" Shouted Kat. They pressed closer, their voices piercing through her head like a knife, echoing over and over in her brain: "You're a failure, a liability! We'd all be better off without you! You're such a waste of space! You pull down the good name of every pink ranger!" Kat screamed, before throwing her arms into the air. "No! I'm not listening to what you say! I put my life on the line every day protecting the world, and I have worked as hard as any pink ranger that has come after me! My friends know this!" She looked up to face them. "And I won't let you put these thoughts into my head!"

Suddenly they all vanished, disappearing as quickly as they came, leaving Kat alone where she stood. A gust of powerful wind began to blow, followed by a strange bird's cry, and Kat looked up, watching in awe as a phoenix came into view. In that instant, a bright pulse of pink light surrounded her, the phoenix absorbing into her chest, as a rush of pure energy surged from within her, infusing her body with the power of the Zeo Matrix.

Her suit was a light pink, her arms sleeveless like Tommy's, a dark silver piece under the suit that covered her arms, and fingerless pink gloves that stopped by her wrists. Her visor was the familiar Zeo oval, but in the centre of her chest was a phoenix emblem, a fierce tornado raging behind it in the background. As the power continued to flow through her, a bright white light surrounded her, and before she knew it, she vanished.

--------------------

Rocky shook the dizziness out from his head, slowly trying to regain his focus, peering out into the pure abyss of darkness that stood before him. His head was throbbing hard, his shirt doing nothing to ward off the cold chill, a low sound coming from somewhere up ahead. He strained his hearing, trying to work out the source of the sound, before slowly stepping forward towards it. Suddenly everything changed, and he somehow found himself in the midst of a fierce battle.

"W-what?!"

Rocky watched on in shock as Tommy, Kat, Adam, and Tanya fought for their lives against a robot general from the Machine Empire, struggling to defend themselves. Their situation was quickly worsening, the general too powerful, their powers weakening by the second.

"Hold on! I'll help!" He called.

As Rocky was about to morph a sudden bright blue light erupted and he saw the blue Zeo power ranger jump into the air, his attack causing a shower of sparks to come from the general and beat him back. He then pressed forward, unleashing a wave of attacks that the general could not defend against, before finishing it off with a powerful Zeo kick. The blue Zeo ranger then turned, rushing back to help his friends, before powering down. Surprise came over Rocky as he found that it was Justin.

"J-Justin!" Smiled Tommy, getting to his feet. "Thank God you got here in time!"

"No problem." Nodded Justin, helping the others to their feet. He suddenly turned as he saw Rocky out of the corner of his eyes. "Well, look who's here!"

Adam shot him a dark look. "If it isn't the ex-blue Zeo ranger."

"E-ex?" Asked Rocky.

Kat shook her head. "How embarrassing! To be succeeded by a young kid!"

Tanya closed her eyes, laughing hard. "How pathetic!" The others soon joined in, a chorus of their dark laughter filling the air, causing Rocky to step several steps back.

"N-no!" He called to them. "It, it didn't happen like that! I had to leave, had to let Justin become the blue Turbo ranger! Because - because I didn't want to hold you guys back, didn't want to put your lives in danger! That's the last thing that I ever wanted to do! You have to understand that?!" He turned to face each of them, lastly looking at Justin. "I'd give up my powers in a heartbeat if it meant saving you guys!"

In the second that the last words came out of his lips, the images vanished, and he found himself cast back into darkness. A cold icy chill suddenly swept all around him, and a deep howl filled the dark sky. From up ahead he slowly made out the form a dark blue wolf, rushing towards him, an icy blizzard forming where it ran. A sudden pulse of blue light engulfed him, the wolf being absorbing into his chest, as a rush of pure energy surged within him, infusing his body with the power of the Zeo Matrix.

His suit was a dark blue, his arms sleeveless, a dark silver piece under the suit that covered his arms, and fingerless blue gloves that stopped by his wrists. His visor was the familiar downward triangle of his Zeo powers, but in the centre of his chest was a wolf emblem, a blizzard raging in the background. As the power continued to flow through him, a bright white light gradually appeared, and he vanished.

--------------------

Trini slowly regained her vision, narrowing her eyes as she tried to peer through the surrounding darkness, but found that it was impossible. Nothing could be made out from up ahead, and hardly a sound could be heard, nothing but utter silence. Suddenly a bright light appeared, slowly dying down to reveal a familiar figure.

"J-Jason?"

Jason nodded, not saying a word, before indicating to his right. Trini followed his gaze, the darkness clearing to reveal Jason, Zack, and herself at the World Peace Summit. "Choose." He said simply. "You have been given the choice. You can choose to help humanity by rallying for World Peace. Or." He turned to his left, the darkness clearing to reveal the last moments of Kimberly, Zack, and Tanya's lives. "Or you can choose to become a ranger, to fight day after day, never achieving anything as evil always returns, watching as all your friends die around you!"

Trini stepped back; not able to watch Kim and the others die all over again. "Stop it!"

"Then choose." Jason repeated. "Choose one life, one path, and one future - you can't have both!"

"Agahh!" Kimberly's scream pierced through her mind.

"Ughg!" The scream was caught in Zack's throat, as he was slashed in the neck by a demon.

"." The sound of Tanya's neck being snapped continued to repeat itself, over and over.

"Stop it!"

"Choose Trini! Which life will you keep? Which life will you give up?"

"I - I."

"It's so obvious!" Jason shouted at her. "Come with me and Zack! We'll help the world in our own way, providing peace and harmony! And we'll never be hurt again, never have to fight another monster, never have to see our friends die!"

". No." Trini closed her eyes, the tears flowing down the sides of her cheeks. "I - I can't!" She looked up at him. "It would be so easy, so simple to go back to that life! To be free of the responsibility and pressure! B-but I can't - I won't! There is no other way! If we don't stand together against these demons, then there will be no world left to protect!" She turned to face him. "It may be hard! And painful times still lie ahead! But it won't let my friends fight it alone - won't let this world be destroyed!"

Jason slowly nodded, a smile appearing on his face, before vanishing, leaving her in complete darkness. Suddenly streams of yellow thunder flashed across the sky, and a deep growl echoed from up ahead. Before Trini knew what was happening, a bright yellow pulse surrounded her, and a tiger emerged from out of the darkness, thunder bolts flashing across its body as it became absorbed into her chest, her body becoming infused with the power of the Zeo Matrix.

Her suit was a dark yellow, her arms sleeveless, a dark silver piece under the suit that covered her arms, and fingerless yellow gloves that stopped by her wrists. Her visor was two small, elongated ovals that she remembered Tanya had, but in the centre of her chest was a tiger emblem, streams of thunder flashing in the background. As the power continued to flow through her, a bright white light surrounded her, and she vanished.

--------------------

Adam managed to open his eyes, finding himself shrouded by darkness, cut off from everyone and everything. The air felt thick and empty, lifeless, void of everything, except the aura of darkness that continued to ripple through the air. His eyes still hurt from the flash of light that had brought him there, a cold wind beginning to pick up, before everything suddenly changed, and he somehow found himself back in the Zeo Chamber, standing before Zordon.

"Z-Zordon?!" He said in shock.

"Adam. I brought you here because of a matter of the utmost importance. As you know the rangers are attempting to obtain the full power of the Zeo Matrix, but I fear that it will not be enough."

"It won't be?" Adam's mind raced. "T-then what can we do?"

"There is an alternative. A way to allow you to defeat the demons. But, there is a price."

"What is it Zordon?"

"The other members of the team will have to give up their new Zeo Matrix powers. By combining the full-unlocked powers of the Zeo Matrix and bestowing them onto a single ranger - you Adam - you will have more power than you could ever dream of. Power to defeat all the demons, all your foes!"

Adam looked up at him, confused. "I - I."

"Adam, you must decide quickly. The window of opportunity to do this process is closing fast. You must decide: now!" He stared at Adam. "Think about it Adam! With all that power you could destroy all those that got in your way, all those who have hurt other people! You would indestructible! You would be a God!"

"A - A God?!" Adam took a step back away from him. "I don't want that kind of power!"

Zordon glared at him. "You mean you would rather die along with your friends!"

"The price is too high! I would never accept a power that would make me a God! That would corrupt and eventually destroy myself and all those around me! That is the kind of power that no one man should possess!" He stared at Zordon. "I'd rather kill myself than become some kind of demon!"

Everything suddenly phased out, and Adam was returned to the black darkness. From up ahead, two dark green eyes suddenly appeared, and a deep rumble from below caused him to lose his footing. As the darkness slowly cleared, the green eyes revealed themselves as belonging to a cobra, its aura possessing the power of the earth. A bright pulse of green light suddenly engulfed him, the cobra absorbing into his chest, as a rush of pure energy surged within him, infusing his body with the power of the Zeo Matrix.

His suit was a dark green, his arms sleeveless, a dark silver piece under the suit that covered his arms, and fingerless green gloves that stopped by his wrists. His visor was the familiar rectangle of his Zeo powers, but in the centre of his chest was a cobra emblem, the earth beneath it shaking in the background. As the power continued to flow through him, a bright white light surrounded him, and he vanished.

--------------------

Jason slowly came to, opening his eyes to find himself in complete darkness, looking ahead to see that no movement or sound was in sight. He slowly pushed himself up onto his feet, the cold wind that blew feeling ominous, the whole world suddenly changing as he found himself back in Angel Grove, in the middle of a battle. Ahead of him he saw Kimberly, Zack, Trini, and Billy fighting hard against a monster, sparks flying from their suits from his attack.

Jason suddenly stopped in his tracks, looking down at the ground as an object caught his eye, seeing the broken morpher and power coin that were laying on the floor. "No."

"Jason!" Yelled Trini.

"Aaghh! Help us Jace!" Echoed Zack.

"Guys! I-I'm coming!"

"Wait!" Kimberly yelled, struggling to push herself up from the ground. "It's too dangerous! You don't have your powers!"

"Ugh. Kim's right. You're worthless without your powers!" Noted Billy.

"W-what?!" Jason was caught off guard by the comment.

"He said worthless!" Shouted Zack. "That's what you are Jason, you're 'worthless' without your powers. That's all you ever were, all you ever are, without them you're nothing!"

"N-no, that's not true! I know you don't truly believe that!"

Trini slowly shook her head. "Guys, let's not waste our time with this worthless fool - we need to concentrate on beating the monster!"

"Affirmative." Nodded Billy. "He's truly worthless."

Jason's hands formed into fists, yelling a battle cry as he ran forward, unleashing a whirlwind kick at the monster, and sending it disintegrating into dust. A deadly silence echoed around him, as he turned to the images of his friends. "I've been through this too many times to not understand what's in my heart - but I'm past that now." He turned to each of them. "I learned long ago that it is not the power that defines who and what I am - I define that! And there is nothing that you or anyone else can say to change my mind." A small smile appeared on his lips. "I don't need the power. It's only a means to an ends, a beginning, not the final conquest!"

Suddenly everything vanished, and he found himself trapped back within the void of darkness. As his eyes readjusted, a deep growl echoed through the air, and before Jason knew what was going on, a dark black and gold light surrounded him. As the darkness slowly cleared he saw the dark shadow of a Lion, its body as black as its shadow, absorbing into his chest as a rush of pure energy surged within him, infusing his body with the Zeo Matrix powers.

His suit was a dark black with a gold outline, a similar colour to his Gold ranger's suit, his arms sleeveless, a dark silver piece under the suit that covered his arms, and fingerless black and gold gloves that stopped by his wrists. His visor was like his Gold ranger's helmet, but in the centre of his chest was a lion emblem, its body and the area around it hidden in complete shadow. As the power continued to flow through him, a bright white light surrounded him, and he vanished.

--------------------

In Silver Hills:

David waited anxiously, worry written all over his features, praying that they would soon return. It had been several hours since they had left to fight their inner demons, challenges that few could ever rise to meet. As he paced up and down the room, a fierce wind began to form, and David quickly covered his eyes, shielding his sight as a bright pulse of white light erupted. Six figures appeared from out of the light, mixed emotions written on their features, but all with the look of success.

"We did it!" Smiled Tommy, looking over at Kat, Trini, Adam, Rocky, and Jason. He looked down at the strange silver morpher that was now on his left wrist. "We've obtained the power of the Zeo Matrix!"