The Stranger Chapter 13: Saying Goodbye, a power rangers fanfic

Chapter 12

Jason stood with the others as the minister finished the prayer. As the minister left, Johnny and Robbie helped the two girls to their feet. Slowly Ann began to sing softly.

Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echos the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!

Slowly the other three began to join, one at a time. This was their goodbye.

Will you join in our crusade?
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Somewhere beyond the barricade
Is there a world you long to see?

Then join in the fight
That will give you the right to be free!

Will you give all you can give
So that our banner may advance
Some will fall and some will live
Will you stand up and take your chance?
The blood of the martyrs
Will water the meadows of France!

As they finished the song, they turned and began to walk away. Aisha stepped towards them quickly, stopping them in their tracks.

"Where are you going to go?" she asked softly.

"Where he can't find us." Ann replied softly.

"Why not fight him?" Kat asked as she joined them

"Look what fighting him costs." Ann hissed nodding towards the new grave. "We fought him once, we ran and we helped those left behind. One of us has died, I won't risk the other twenty-three."

"What about those still there, and the ones who dream of working with him. What about the other girls who are just like you were when he came to Angel Grove." Tommy replied.

Ann just glared at him, not answering.

"This isn't the place for this conversation. Why don't we go to the dojo." Rocky suggested.

Ann sighed then agreed. At least there no one could hurt each other, especially her hurting them.

:-:-:-:-:-:

Twenty minutes later they all found a place to sit around the main room of the dojo. Ann, Rachel, Robbie, and Johnny sat near the door, so they could leave quickly.

"I don't understand Kim, why won't you go public. Wouldn't Stephanie's death give you more reason to." Tommy began, taking the role of leader once more.

"Stop trying to rationalize things Tommy. We aren't rangers anymore, you aren't our leader." Ann replied, rolling her eyes when they all looked at her in shock.

"Kim." Trini exclaimed.

"Good grief, who cares if they know we were forest rangers."

"Honestly people, it's not that big a deal." Rachel continued shaking her head. She never understood the big secret about them being rangers.

Tommy looked at the other past rangers then back at Kim and her friends. "I suppose you're right, force of habit." He replied slowly looking at Kim questioningly. /-/ Why hadn't they thought of that before/-/

Ann rolled her eyes once more then folded her good arm over her chest, waiting for the next round.

"You never did answer his question." Kat pointed out softly.

"Stephanie's death only reinforces the decision to stay out. Believe me, you can't bring charges against Schmidt. They always believe him."

"How do you know that?"

"Jason, I lived in that hell for two years, the others were there longer. We saw that happen first hand. Hell, the bastard even got out of rape charges when they had DNA proof, and later had paternity proof. He has friends everywhere. How do you think he got out of the charges here?" she challenged.

"He raped someone?" Tanya asked in shock.

"Not some 'one', everyone. Every one of the female athletes was either harassed or worse. He honestly thinks he owns you after you sign the contract. There has never been a single athlete who joined his center that ever left in history. You can check the athlete list if you like. After they are too old to compete, they are coaches." She finished sarcastically.

"Stephanie isn't the first to take her own life. But if you were to ask about Janice Polk, José Rodriguez, John Higgens, Caroline Perón, or the others, he'd tell you they are coaches at his center, or some other job keeping them there. In reality, they are all buried in a secluded groove of trees on his property."

"Merciful heavens." Trini whispered.

"Heaven is anything except merciful." Rachel replied bitterly.

"It's so unbelievable." Zach replied softly.

"Believe us, it's real. My brother is one of the ones in the groove. And Ann is one of the few who suffered the largest betrayal of the center." Robbie replied, his bitterness starting to take over, so he didn't realize what he had said at first.

"Robbie." Johnny admonished as Ann closed her eyes in pain.

"What happened?" Billy asked slowly.

Ann stood up and walked away from the group, not wanting to face the demons in her past.

"Kim?" Trini asked softly.

"She was raped, more than once." Johnny said softly, drawing their attention from Ann.

"I'll kill him." Tommy and Jason muttered in unison, to which the other men quickly agreed.

They stopped short as a cynical laugh echoed through the room.

"Death?" Ann asked turning towards them, stopping everyone, except the three by the door. "Death is too good for the bastard. He deserves to suffer, slowly, painfully." She continued, her eyes growing darker."He deserves to suffer like we have suffered. To watch his brother or sister die, in pain to the very end as their blood poured out of their wrists. To be sick every time he smells food, and still have to do a program on no food.

"To do the beam when the room is spinning, knowing that if you fall someone will beat you, or worse. To suffer through labor, then watch unable to move as someone slowly takes the life out of your child." She trailed of before spinning and kicking the nearby punching bag, then collapsing in tears.

Johnny quickly rose and walked over to her, pulling her gently into his arms like a child. "Shh." He replied softly. "It's ok."

Looking up at the others, he saw Robbie was holding Rachel as she cried for her best friend. Looking around at the others, he saw all the women were being held by their significant others, except for the two men, Jason and Zach, if memory served him correctly.

"Ann." He called softly to pull her from her memories. "Dear heart, come on back."

Ann looked up at him slowly, and he smiled softly. "That's my girl. What do you say we tell them the truth. Then we'll go. If they know the truth, then they might let you go easier."

Ann sighed deeply, "All right." She replied before turning to the rest of the room. "I'll tell you everything."