Author's Note: It took me a while to start this one. I hope you all are
enjoying this so far, I've never thought about how hard it is to come up
with ideas for writing! But on a side note: Last night, I had a sort of
flicker of inspiration for another story... I'm hoping to start it up soon,
so look for it! Alright, I'd hate to keep you waiting, so here's chapter
six.
Fight Before Flight
Katherine sat amongst Tanya and Adam at their usual table in the Juice Bar, sharing stories about her family. A short time later, the three were joined by Tommy and Rocky, and the whole gang was chatting about their summer goals.
"Personally, I hope to sleep in as much as possible," Rocky admitted. He had a matter-of-fact expression, but the others couldn't help but tease him.
"Since when do you ever wake up early, anyway?" Adam asked.
"Oh, well, you know...hey! I wake up early... just not when I don't have to." Rocky folded his arms and leaned back against the rear of his chair.
Tommy shook his head, amused. "So, Kat. Are you excited about going back home?" he looked upon her face with a curious expression.
"Absolutely! I'm just going to miss you guys." She looked around the table, and leaned in, lowering her voice. "I'm just glad Zedd and Rita haven't gotten a chance to attack yet, with their re-settling in the Moon Palace and all."
The rest agreed, and Tanya chimed in. "It's been so nice to just live a normal life, lately."
"But on the other hand, there are times when I get a little bored, just sitting around having nothing to do." Adam shrugged and looked to the others.
The teens talked for a while more, when they were all surprised by the familiar six tone alarm. Nodding to the others, Tommy led the group to an empty hallway and answered his communicator.
"This is Tommy. We read you, Zordon."
"RANGERS. THERE IS AN IMPORTANT MATTER ALPHA AND I WISH TO DISCUSS WITH YOU. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU TELEPORT TO THE POWER CHAMBER IMMEDIATELY."
The teens noticed a nervousness in Zordons voice. "Right, Zordon. We're on our way." Once again signaling to the rest after checking to see the coast was clear, Tommy activated his teleporter and the five vanished from the Youth Center in flashes of color.
* * *
Settling from the teleportation, the rangers all looked up to their mentor in worry. "Zordon, what's the news?" Adam was the first to speak.
Their wise mentor wasted no time in explanation. "IT HAS COME TO MY INTENTION THAT ANGEL GROVE IS ONCE AGAIN IN GRAVE DANGER."
Rocky rolled his eyes. "What else is new?"
"A NUMBER OF THINGS, ROCKY. HIDDEN WITHIN THE WATERS OF ANGEL GROVE LIES THE WHITE CRYSTAL, MUCH LIKE YOUR OWN ZEO CRYSTALS. IN COMPARISON, HOWEVER, THE WHITE CRYSTALS POWER IS MOST DANGEROUS. IF USED BY THE WRONG HANDS, ITS POWER CAN BE BOTH DESTRUCTIVE AND DEADLY. NOT ONLY WILL IT PROVIDE THE HOST WITH IMMENSE STRENGTH, BUT IF THE HOST IS CAPABLE, THE CRYSTAL WILL ALSO STRENGTHEN THE POWERS OF THE BEING AS WELL."
The rangers exchanged glances. "So what's this got to do with us?" Tommy was generally interested.
"EVERYTHING, TOMMY. FOR YEARS, THIS VERY CRYSTAL HAS BEEN HUNTED BY LORD DAMIEN, A DREADED DARK SORCERER OF THE UNIVERSE. HE PLANS ON WITHHOLDING THE POWERS OF THE CRYSTAL, THEREBY INCREASING HIS OWN MAGICAL STRENGTH TO UNLEASH AGAINST THE GALAXY. MY SENSORS INDICATE THAT WITHOUT THE CRYSTAL, HE HAS MANAGED TO TAKE OUT ZEDD AND RITA."
Tension filled the air. "He...took them out? Just like that?" Tanya frowned uncomfortably.
"TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THEY HAVE NOT BEEN DESTROYED; MERELY SET ASIDE, ALLOWING DAMIEN TO CARRY ON WITH HIS PLANS WITHOUT INTERFERENCE."
"Well, we'll just have to spoil his plans. Where is Damien now, Zordon?" As the leader, Tommy was up for the challenge.
"ALPHA AND I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO PINPOINT HIS EXACT LOCATION-" he was cut off by the robot.
"But I'm still working on it, Rangers. Challenging Damien would be like walking into a lion's den. His powers are far more evil than those of Zedd and Rita. We must take caution when facing him." Just then, the alarms sounded, ringing through the ears of everyone present in the power chamber.
"What is it, Zordon?" Tommy followed the others to the viewing screen. A view of the park showed citizens running panicked and wild. A large group of what looked like putties covered in a shiny black coating were terrorizing the last of the parks visitors. The only noticeable feature on the face area was two red eyes, scanning the park in search for something.
"RANGERS, IT SEEMS THAT TIME HAS COME FOR YOU TO FACE THE NEW EVIL AMONGST US."
"Lord Damien has sent out his Leeches, a most powerful fighting army." Alpha shuddered at the sight of them.
"Leeches?" Katherine spoke for the first time. "They don't look so powerful. Disgusting, but not powerful."
"This is where the common misconception is made," Alpha informed her. "Although the Leeches may not be as physically powerful as the putties and cogs you are used to fighting, they have the special ability to drain someone such as yourselves of your powers, and eventually, your life."
"ALPHA IS CORRECT, RANGERS. YOU MUST TAKE EXTREME CAUTION IN FIGHTING THESE CREATURES." Zordon's voice boomed across the chamber.
"Will morphing help us, Zordon?" Adam looked from his leader to his mentor. "I mean, can it protect us from getting our powers drained?"
Zordon did not answer right away. "UNFORTUNATELY, THE LEECHES MAY PENETRATE THROUGH YOUR SUITS. BUT YOU MUST ALSO NOTE THAT IN ORDER TO DRAIN YOUR POWERS, THEY MUST HAVE A FIRM GRASP UPON YOU."
"If you allow them to hold on for more than five seconds maximum, you subject yourself to vulnerability." Alpha scurried around the room, punching numerous buttons in order to shut off the alarms. "Aye yi yi! More are on the way!" Zordon ordered his fighters. "RANGERS, YOU MUST GO NOW AND DO YOUR BEST TO STOP THE LEECHES. I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THEY WERE SENT TO FIND THE CRYSTAL. MAY THE POWER PROTECT YOU."
Without hesitation, Kat began the morphing process. "Zeo Ranger one, pink!"
"Zeo Ranger two, Yellow!" Tanya shouted.
"Zeo Ranger three, blue!" Rocky called out.
"Zeo Ranger four, green!" Adam announced quickly.
"Zeo Ranger five, red!" Tommy hollered. His uniform hugged to his body, and in a matter of moments, the whole team teleported to the park.
* * *
The Leeches continued wreaking havoc in the park, throwing around anything they picked up. Dropped books were torn into shreds, and picnic baskets were emptied on the spot. Three of the Leeches even attempted to play with an idle soccer ball.
Arriving on the scene, the rangers formed a circle, facing each other back to back.
"What's the plan, Tommy?" Rocky was ready for action.
"We've got to wait for them to make the first move, guys. Just sit tight." Tommy glared at the Leeches, who were now circling their new visitors.
As if on cue, a Leech leapt for Katherine's arm. Screaming in surprise, Kat elbowed the Leech where she presumed the face was. A squishing sound made her grimace. "Oh, yuck! What are these things made of?"
Tommy was ready. "Alright guys, there's our green light!" He charged straight ahead, taking on three Leeches at once. He struck the beings with a series of lighting quick punches and kicks, knocking the Leeches to their backs, but only momentarily. Rocky and Adam also noticed the Leeches' bounce back.
"Tommy! They won't stay down! What do we do?" Holding one in a headlock, Adam struggled to speak. As soon as the Leech placed its hands on Adams constricting arm, he let go for fear of having his power sucked from his body.
Rocky was also having some trouble. Kat had helped him break free of a throat grab by one of the Leeches, and the two were now being encircled by five of the slick creatures. Tanya ran to Adam's side, panting beneath her helmet. "We've got to come up with something, and quick!"
Tommy didn't respond. Instead, he was more concerned about the Leech twisting his left arm. Kicking one away on his right, Tommy lost count of the seconds, and the Leech on his left began to absorb the red shocks sparking from Tommy's arm. Shouting in slight pain, Tommy absentmindedly reached for his Zeo blaster and shot at the creature. The shot nearly blew the Leech away, sending him sprawling on the ground. It seemed to almost melt into the grass, then disappeared completely. "Guys, I've got it!" he called to the others, "Take out your Zeo blasters!"
Following orders, the other Zeo rangers were relieved to find that the Zeo blasters obliterated the Leeches almost instantly. When all had perished, the rangers re-grouped and decided to return to the Power Chamber.
* * *
"Boy, that was one tough crowd, " Rocky joked, a serious expression covering his smile.
"Tell me about it, " Tanya moaned, joining in on Rocky's sarcasm. By now, the rangers had demorphed, and were being congradulated by Alpha and Zordon.
"A JOB WELL DONE, RANGERS. YOU NOW KNOW HOW TO DEFEAT THE ENEMY IN ANY FUTURE BATTLES, AN OPPORTUNITY I'M SURE YOU WILL HAVE." Zordon spoke proudly to his honored teen heroes as he always did, beaming in their rays of good. "AS OF NOW, THERE IS NOTHING ELSE NEEDED FROM YOU." The wizard looked down to the blonde. "KATHERINE, I WISH YOU WELL ON YOUR RETURN HOME TO AUSTRALIA. ALPHA HAS EQUIPPED YOU WITH A COMMUNICATOR CAPABLE OF BYPASSING THE LIMITS OF YOUR REGULAR COMMUNICATOR FREQUENCY, IN CASE THERE IS AN EXTREME EMERGENCY. AGAIN, KNOW THAT WE ANTICIPATE YOUR RETURN TO ANGEL GROVE. MAY THE POWER PROTECT YOU."
Katherine smiled widely and took the communicator from Alpha. "Thank you, Alpha, and thank you very much, Zordon. I have a feeling you will all be able to carry on without me for a short while, but when I come back, I promise I'll be ready for action." She winked and giggled a bit, starting a chain of chuckles from the others.
* * *
Teleporting from the Power Chamber back to the empty hall in the Youth Center, Rocky, Tanya and Adam returned to the table to resume a relaxing conversation. Tommy, meanwhile, walked Kat to her car in the Youth Center parking lot.
Tommy was sad to see his friend go, but it wasn't so bad, considering he knew she'd come back within the short time of a month. At the same time, he was relieved that they had sorted out their feelings of eachother. He respected Kat for having let him persue his emotions for Kim, while admitting that what she thought she felt for him was gone. It felt right having Kat as just a friend; he'd always love Kim, and he didn't want to hurt Katherine by leading her on, even if he did at one time think he could have loved her in some way. His heart was racing as he had hugged her off, and watched her drive away toward the direction of her house, which was not far from the Youth Center. She would be taking off in a plane for Australia in an hours time, and in just a few hours, he would be picking up the one girl who had captured his heart. Although she may have sent it back to him in a letter, it would always be hers to take, and Tommy awaited the moment she would remember the love they shared and agree to start over with him. 'Well, if nothing else, it'll be good to see her again.' He sighed as he kicked a pebble on the ground, making his way back into the Youth Center to join Tanya, Rocky and Adam.
Fight Before Flight
Katherine sat amongst Tanya and Adam at their usual table in the Juice Bar, sharing stories about her family. A short time later, the three were joined by Tommy and Rocky, and the whole gang was chatting about their summer goals.
"Personally, I hope to sleep in as much as possible," Rocky admitted. He had a matter-of-fact expression, but the others couldn't help but tease him.
"Since when do you ever wake up early, anyway?" Adam asked.
"Oh, well, you know...hey! I wake up early... just not when I don't have to." Rocky folded his arms and leaned back against the rear of his chair.
Tommy shook his head, amused. "So, Kat. Are you excited about going back home?" he looked upon her face with a curious expression.
"Absolutely! I'm just going to miss you guys." She looked around the table, and leaned in, lowering her voice. "I'm just glad Zedd and Rita haven't gotten a chance to attack yet, with their re-settling in the Moon Palace and all."
The rest agreed, and Tanya chimed in. "It's been so nice to just live a normal life, lately."
"But on the other hand, there are times when I get a little bored, just sitting around having nothing to do." Adam shrugged and looked to the others.
The teens talked for a while more, when they were all surprised by the familiar six tone alarm. Nodding to the others, Tommy led the group to an empty hallway and answered his communicator.
"This is Tommy. We read you, Zordon."
"RANGERS. THERE IS AN IMPORTANT MATTER ALPHA AND I WISH TO DISCUSS WITH YOU. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU TELEPORT TO THE POWER CHAMBER IMMEDIATELY."
The teens noticed a nervousness in Zordons voice. "Right, Zordon. We're on our way." Once again signaling to the rest after checking to see the coast was clear, Tommy activated his teleporter and the five vanished from the Youth Center in flashes of color.
* * *
Settling from the teleportation, the rangers all looked up to their mentor in worry. "Zordon, what's the news?" Adam was the first to speak.
Their wise mentor wasted no time in explanation. "IT HAS COME TO MY INTENTION THAT ANGEL GROVE IS ONCE AGAIN IN GRAVE DANGER."
Rocky rolled his eyes. "What else is new?"
"A NUMBER OF THINGS, ROCKY. HIDDEN WITHIN THE WATERS OF ANGEL GROVE LIES THE WHITE CRYSTAL, MUCH LIKE YOUR OWN ZEO CRYSTALS. IN COMPARISON, HOWEVER, THE WHITE CRYSTALS POWER IS MOST DANGEROUS. IF USED BY THE WRONG HANDS, ITS POWER CAN BE BOTH DESTRUCTIVE AND DEADLY. NOT ONLY WILL IT PROVIDE THE HOST WITH IMMENSE STRENGTH, BUT IF THE HOST IS CAPABLE, THE CRYSTAL WILL ALSO STRENGTHEN THE POWERS OF THE BEING AS WELL."
The rangers exchanged glances. "So what's this got to do with us?" Tommy was generally interested.
"EVERYTHING, TOMMY. FOR YEARS, THIS VERY CRYSTAL HAS BEEN HUNTED BY LORD DAMIEN, A DREADED DARK SORCERER OF THE UNIVERSE. HE PLANS ON WITHHOLDING THE POWERS OF THE CRYSTAL, THEREBY INCREASING HIS OWN MAGICAL STRENGTH TO UNLEASH AGAINST THE GALAXY. MY SENSORS INDICATE THAT WITHOUT THE CRYSTAL, HE HAS MANAGED TO TAKE OUT ZEDD AND RITA."
Tension filled the air. "He...took them out? Just like that?" Tanya frowned uncomfortably.
"TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THEY HAVE NOT BEEN DESTROYED; MERELY SET ASIDE, ALLOWING DAMIEN TO CARRY ON WITH HIS PLANS WITHOUT INTERFERENCE."
"Well, we'll just have to spoil his plans. Where is Damien now, Zordon?" As the leader, Tommy was up for the challenge.
"ALPHA AND I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO PINPOINT HIS EXACT LOCATION-" he was cut off by the robot.
"But I'm still working on it, Rangers. Challenging Damien would be like walking into a lion's den. His powers are far more evil than those of Zedd and Rita. We must take caution when facing him." Just then, the alarms sounded, ringing through the ears of everyone present in the power chamber.
"What is it, Zordon?" Tommy followed the others to the viewing screen. A view of the park showed citizens running panicked and wild. A large group of what looked like putties covered in a shiny black coating were terrorizing the last of the parks visitors. The only noticeable feature on the face area was two red eyes, scanning the park in search for something.
"RANGERS, IT SEEMS THAT TIME HAS COME FOR YOU TO FACE THE NEW EVIL AMONGST US."
"Lord Damien has sent out his Leeches, a most powerful fighting army." Alpha shuddered at the sight of them.
"Leeches?" Katherine spoke for the first time. "They don't look so powerful. Disgusting, but not powerful."
"This is where the common misconception is made," Alpha informed her. "Although the Leeches may not be as physically powerful as the putties and cogs you are used to fighting, they have the special ability to drain someone such as yourselves of your powers, and eventually, your life."
"ALPHA IS CORRECT, RANGERS. YOU MUST TAKE EXTREME CAUTION IN FIGHTING THESE CREATURES." Zordon's voice boomed across the chamber.
"Will morphing help us, Zordon?" Adam looked from his leader to his mentor. "I mean, can it protect us from getting our powers drained?"
Zordon did not answer right away. "UNFORTUNATELY, THE LEECHES MAY PENETRATE THROUGH YOUR SUITS. BUT YOU MUST ALSO NOTE THAT IN ORDER TO DRAIN YOUR POWERS, THEY MUST HAVE A FIRM GRASP UPON YOU."
"If you allow them to hold on for more than five seconds maximum, you subject yourself to vulnerability." Alpha scurried around the room, punching numerous buttons in order to shut off the alarms. "Aye yi yi! More are on the way!" Zordon ordered his fighters. "RANGERS, YOU MUST GO NOW AND DO YOUR BEST TO STOP THE LEECHES. I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THEY WERE SENT TO FIND THE CRYSTAL. MAY THE POWER PROTECT YOU."
Without hesitation, Kat began the morphing process. "Zeo Ranger one, pink!"
"Zeo Ranger two, Yellow!" Tanya shouted.
"Zeo Ranger three, blue!" Rocky called out.
"Zeo Ranger four, green!" Adam announced quickly.
"Zeo Ranger five, red!" Tommy hollered. His uniform hugged to his body, and in a matter of moments, the whole team teleported to the park.
* * *
The Leeches continued wreaking havoc in the park, throwing around anything they picked up. Dropped books were torn into shreds, and picnic baskets were emptied on the spot. Three of the Leeches even attempted to play with an idle soccer ball.
Arriving on the scene, the rangers formed a circle, facing each other back to back.
"What's the plan, Tommy?" Rocky was ready for action.
"We've got to wait for them to make the first move, guys. Just sit tight." Tommy glared at the Leeches, who were now circling their new visitors.
As if on cue, a Leech leapt for Katherine's arm. Screaming in surprise, Kat elbowed the Leech where she presumed the face was. A squishing sound made her grimace. "Oh, yuck! What are these things made of?"
Tommy was ready. "Alright guys, there's our green light!" He charged straight ahead, taking on three Leeches at once. He struck the beings with a series of lighting quick punches and kicks, knocking the Leeches to their backs, but only momentarily. Rocky and Adam also noticed the Leeches' bounce back.
"Tommy! They won't stay down! What do we do?" Holding one in a headlock, Adam struggled to speak. As soon as the Leech placed its hands on Adams constricting arm, he let go for fear of having his power sucked from his body.
Rocky was also having some trouble. Kat had helped him break free of a throat grab by one of the Leeches, and the two were now being encircled by five of the slick creatures. Tanya ran to Adam's side, panting beneath her helmet. "We've got to come up with something, and quick!"
Tommy didn't respond. Instead, he was more concerned about the Leech twisting his left arm. Kicking one away on his right, Tommy lost count of the seconds, and the Leech on his left began to absorb the red shocks sparking from Tommy's arm. Shouting in slight pain, Tommy absentmindedly reached for his Zeo blaster and shot at the creature. The shot nearly blew the Leech away, sending him sprawling on the ground. It seemed to almost melt into the grass, then disappeared completely. "Guys, I've got it!" he called to the others, "Take out your Zeo blasters!"
Following orders, the other Zeo rangers were relieved to find that the Zeo blasters obliterated the Leeches almost instantly. When all had perished, the rangers re-grouped and decided to return to the Power Chamber.
* * *
"Boy, that was one tough crowd, " Rocky joked, a serious expression covering his smile.
"Tell me about it, " Tanya moaned, joining in on Rocky's sarcasm. By now, the rangers had demorphed, and were being congradulated by Alpha and Zordon.
"A JOB WELL DONE, RANGERS. YOU NOW KNOW HOW TO DEFEAT THE ENEMY IN ANY FUTURE BATTLES, AN OPPORTUNITY I'M SURE YOU WILL HAVE." Zordon spoke proudly to his honored teen heroes as he always did, beaming in their rays of good. "AS OF NOW, THERE IS NOTHING ELSE NEEDED FROM YOU." The wizard looked down to the blonde. "KATHERINE, I WISH YOU WELL ON YOUR RETURN HOME TO AUSTRALIA. ALPHA HAS EQUIPPED YOU WITH A COMMUNICATOR CAPABLE OF BYPASSING THE LIMITS OF YOUR REGULAR COMMUNICATOR FREQUENCY, IN CASE THERE IS AN EXTREME EMERGENCY. AGAIN, KNOW THAT WE ANTICIPATE YOUR RETURN TO ANGEL GROVE. MAY THE POWER PROTECT YOU."
Katherine smiled widely and took the communicator from Alpha. "Thank you, Alpha, and thank you very much, Zordon. I have a feeling you will all be able to carry on without me for a short while, but when I come back, I promise I'll be ready for action." She winked and giggled a bit, starting a chain of chuckles from the others.
* * *
Teleporting from the Power Chamber back to the empty hall in the Youth Center, Rocky, Tanya and Adam returned to the table to resume a relaxing conversation. Tommy, meanwhile, walked Kat to her car in the Youth Center parking lot.
Tommy was sad to see his friend go, but it wasn't so bad, considering he knew she'd come back within the short time of a month. At the same time, he was relieved that they had sorted out their feelings of eachother. He respected Kat for having let him persue his emotions for Kim, while admitting that what she thought she felt for him was gone. It felt right having Kat as just a friend; he'd always love Kim, and he didn't want to hurt Katherine by leading her on, even if he did at one time think he could have loved her in some way. His heart was racing as he had hugged her off, and watched her drive away toward the direction of her house, which was not far from the Youth Center. She would be taking off in a plane for Australia in an hours time, and in just a few hours, he would be picking up the one girl who had captured his heart. Although she may have sent it back to him in a letter, it would always be hers to take, and Tommy awaited the moment she would remember the love they shared and agree to start over with him. 'Well, if nothing else, it'll be good to see her again.' He sighed as he kicked a pebble on the ground, making his way back into the Youth Center to join Tanya, Rocky and Adam.