This story timeline-revisioned 22-Oct-2005.
Here's the epilogue, folks, and the Shadow Line Trilogy is officially finished.
There may be sequels – but I think I'll turn to other projects for now.
(And thanks to Mara for helping me with the proper way to finish this one)
Shadow Line Trilogy: Epilogue
1.
Driving through the familiar streets, Tommy's mood was exceptionally bright. It was August, and he was back in Angel Grove. All of his friends were scheduled to arrive in a few days time – notoriously late, Tommy made a point of being the first to arrive in town. The first, that is, of those who didn't live there.
Not that many had stayed. The first generation of Rangers dispersed across the planet – planets, actually, when one remembered that Billy hasn't been a resident of Earth in years. Only Rocky never left Angel Grove. Jason returned to town not long ago, having transferred his academic credit to the local college. He joined Rocky as staff of the "Gung Ho" dojo.
It was this dojo that was Tommy's first destination in town. Rocky insisted that Tommy drop by even before he dropped off his stuff or paid a visit to his parents, and Jason backed him up with surprising firmness. It was Jason's opinion, really, that convinced Tommy: he knew better than to ignore anything which Jason thought was a good idea.
There was no parking space in front of the dojo, so Tommy parked in the little street running right by it. Walking around the corner, he noticed that the dojo went through considerable changes since Tommy last saw it, and he paused at a little distance to adore the view. The side of the dojo that faced the main street was now made mostly of large windows, the curtains of which were mostly crimson with touches of gold. Through those windows, Tommy could see the polished wooden floor and some of the large banners that hang on the walls: an ape, a T-Rex, a bear and a falcon. Apparently, the two former red Rangers used the banners as a way to pay tribute to their friends and teammates. Smiling, Tommy crossed the street and entered.
Bells chimed when he opened the door. Jason, who was on the practicing mats, stopped mid-movement.
"Tommy, bro! It's good to see you", he said, giving Tommy a bone-crushing hug.
"It's good to see you too, Jase", said Tommy, returning the hug.
"Being early for once in your life, huh?"
"Don't worry, I'll still manage to be late for the actual get-together"
"I'm sure you will", replied Jason, smirking. "Rocky's counting on it, you know. He's driving me nuts practicing his Tommy-is-late-again jokes"
"Are they any good?"
"I'm afraid not". Seeing as Tommy was looking around, he added: "He's not here right now. He's off to the shop to buy some stuff. We want to make a special dinner tonight, and the kitchen is depleted – as usual, I might add"
"You can cook?" asked Tommy, amazed.
"I can burn water", said Jason shortly, "But Rocky's actually good"
"He'd better be, if he eats what he cooks", said Tommy.
"So, what do you think of the place?" asked Jason proudly.
"It's awesome", said Tommy earnestly. "I can see why you insisted so much that I come and check it out"
"Yeah, we put an awful lot of work into it", said Jason, looking a tad too sheepish. "Oh, man, where are my manners, my mom would've killed me if she knew: you want something to drink?"
"Water would be nice"
"Sure, just a minute" said Jason, and stepped into a side office.
Just when Tommy was beginning to wonder if it wasn't taking Jason a bit too long a time to fetch a glass of water, the bells hanging above the door chimed again. Tommy turned around, and realized that the dojo's new look was never the reason Rocky and Jason wanted him to drop by. His mouth ran dry.
A short, skinny girl in army pants and a small black T entered the dojo, followed by a tall boy who was wearing solid black despite the scorching sun outside. Tommy knew them both: Shiera and Carlos.
Shiera looked curiously at Tommy's shocked expression, and then turned to Carlos, who – Tommy noticed – bolted the door and pocketed the key.
"Talk", said Carlos shortly. He crossed the room, and joined Jason in the office, closing the door behind him. Tommy felt certain that this door, too, was now locked.
Shiera was still eyeing him curiously.
"What did he mean by that?" she asked him.
She never believe in subtlety when it came to words, Tommy rememberd; she reserved that for fighting.
"He meant that we should speak to each other", he said, mouth almost too dry to speak.
"Figures", she said shortly. "I was aiming more across the lines of why would he make that offer, and why Rocky would help him arrange for this – meeting"
"Actually, it's Jason in there"
"Oh". Her eyes narrowed. "You know Rocky and Jason; you know Carlos, too"
"Yes"
"You also know me; I don't know you, though"
"We've met, once…", Tommy licked his lips nervously, quietly planning painful ways to repay Jason for setting him up like this, "Under very different circumstances"
Shiera's stance changed, ever so subtly. Only one who knew her very well – or watched her for years – could tell that she was now ready to strike.
"Who else are you familiar with, that I might know?"
"TJ Johnson, Cassie Chan, Ashley Hammond… Adam Park". Tommy flinched when he said the last name, knowing that by now, Shiera surely realized who he is – or more accurately, was.
"You were a Ranger", she stated.
"Yes"
"You aren't wearing a single color though"
"I went through a few Power changes", said Tommy, a bold understatement.
Shiera said nothing. She simply stood there, looking at him, until Tommy has had enough.
"You know who I am, don't you?" he asked.
"You're Tommy Oliver, first red Turbo Ranger, only red Zeo Ranger, white Mighty Morphin' Ranger and two-time green Mighty Morphin' Ranger" she said, matter-of-factly. "Known for habitual lateness and guilt-tripping"
"There's no such word as guilt-tripping"
'There is now"
Tommy found no reply to that, and again they lapsed into silence. Again, it was Tommy who broke it.
"Aren't you angry with me?" he asked. His voice sounded small and frightened even to his own ears. He flinched, certain that Shiera's wrath would strike him now.
"Why should I be?" she asked. "If there's anyone who should understand, it's me"
He stared at her.
"The cat got your tongue?" she asked sarcastically.
"If I were you, I'd be mad nonetheless"
"You aren't me", she pointed out. "I stopped being angry with you the day Carlos told me how you helped him"
"Oh"
Shiera wasn't looking at him. She was now eyeing the office's door.
"Do they really think that this door would protect them?" she wondered out loud.
"It's probably locked on the inside", said Tommy. "Carlos locked the front door, too"
"For one thing, they'll have to go out eventually. For another, this door is no obstacle even if it's locked and even if they've got it shielded from teleportation"
"You won't force down the door, will you?"
"Probably not; there's no style in that". She seemed amused by Tommy's stunned expression. "Come on. Tell me you're not plotting to make Jason pay for setting you up"
"Jason and Rocky. But my plans don't include damage to the surrounding"
"Oh, Karone will fix this up in a heartbeat if I'll ask her to" said Shiera nonchalantly.
"Who's Karone?"
"It's a long story"
Knowing full well that he won't get Shiera to tell him what she didn't want to, Tommy didn't press the subject.
It was silent again.
"If you aren't mad with me, why do you still stand like you're about to pound me to the ground?"
"If I was angry at you, I wouldn't wait so long, I would've strikes once I realized who you are"
"But?" he prompted, sensing that there was a "but" in there.
"It's something I've been thinking of every since Carlos told me – don't take it the wrong way - " she hesitated. "Would you spar with me?"
For the first time since Shiera entered, Tommy felt himself relax a bit. "I'd be honored", he replied truthfully.
They kicked off their shoes and went on the mats. Keeping a safe distance from one another, each assumed his or hers favorite fighting stance.
Tommy didn't expect the spar to last more than a second or two. Last he had seen Shiera spar was less then a year before, and even then she was too good. Now, more skilled than she was and an active Ranger, she was certainly unbeatable. Intent on giving it his best, Tommy moved first.
By the time his attempted attack reached her, she was not there. Her return attack came, but not nearly as fast as he expected, giving Tommy a chance to avoid and retaliate.
As the sparring session continued, Tommy realized that Shiera limited herself to the speed and strength he displayed, keeping their chances closely matched. He could not figure why. He had thought that she challenged him for a spar so she could prove to herself that she could beat him. Instead, she seemed to be testing him.
No, she was not testing him. If she was aiming for that, than she would have dodged his attacks a little quicker and attacked less herself, giving him more space to show what he was and was not capable of. Instead, she was constantly on the offensive, as if she was truly bent on defeating him; yet Tommy knew that it was not true, as she could do it whenever she wanted. What was she playing at, than?
As another blow came dangerously close to him, Tommy stepped aside – and tripped on Shiera's waiting foot. Before he had time to get back on his legs, Shiera already marked the kill.
They stared at each other for several seconds before Shiera smiled and helped him up.
"Why'd you do that for?" asked Tommy, panting.
"I may have horrible manners, but I do help my sparring mates up"
"Not that; why'd you limit yourself to my level?"
"Oh". Shiera seemed taken aback. "I wasn't limiting myself to your level. There's no point in winning the spar just because I'm faster, isn't there?"
"Speed is strongly related to skill", pointed out Tommy.
"Not with me, it isn't" said Shiera. "I wanted it to be a fair spar"
"All active Rangers are faster", pointed out Tommy.
"It isn't about being a Ranger, either". Shiera shook her head. "It's a long story, and hold your questions – you'll get the answers"
"A fair spar, huh?" asked Tommy. He hesitated, and then offered Shiera his hand.
She shook it. "Fair's fair"
2.
"Told you I'd be late to the actual get-together", said Tommy.
"We never doubted you", said Rocky, "but why'd you had to drag as along with you?"
Tommy, Rocky and Jason were hurrying across the park.
"Depends on what you define as the 'actual' get-together", said Jason. "We had the ex-Rangers reunion last night"
"But today is active Rangers, too" said Tommy.
"I just hope that the Astro team are any good with cooking", said Rocky.
"One-track mind" teased Tommy.
"Born late" shot Rocky back.
"Say, what's that noise?" asked Jason suddenly. "You heard that?"
"Sounds like somebody's really angry" said Rocky.
"It's coming from over there", said Tommy, pointing to a group of trees by the lake.
"That's the picnic spot", said Jason, now genuinely worried. "You think there's anything wrong?"
Cautiously, the three ex red Rangers walked around the trees. As they came within view of the picnic, all their three jaws dropped in surprise.
Zack was cowering under the picnic table. Trini was crouched next to him, perhaps trying to coax him out but doing a poor job of it, as she was in fits of laughter.
Most of the others were laughing uncontrollably too, with the exception of Adam – who was doing his best to tell off the rather bored Shiera and Carlos – and a guy in a red shirt whom Tommy didn't know, who was nearly yelling at two tall, smirking blonds, a guy and girl.
Zack leaped from under the table and hid himself behind Jason's and Tommy's backs. "Jason, Tommy - guys, you gotta save me!" he panted. "They're trying to kill me!"
"Who's trying to kill you?" asked Jason.
"They are!" said Zack, pointing at the blond couple. "And she tried, too!" he added pointing at Shiera.
"Oh, so that's what happened!" said Rocky, and joined the laughing pack.
"Guys, what's going on here?" asked Tommy, rather desperately: he couldn't make any sense either from Zack's comment or from Rocky's unlikely reaction.
"Andros?" asked Jason, addressing the guy in the red shirt.
"They did not try to kill him, but I'm just about to kill them!" said Andros crossly.
"You wouldn't!" said the blond guy, pulling a puppy face Tommy could've been proud off, and pouting.
"You just try me!" shot Andros back.
"Andros!" protested the blond girl. "Not in front of the guests, it's not polite"
"As if you were the image of good manners!"
"I was perfectly well-behaved!" Indignation was loud and clear in her tone and posture.
"Of course you were", said Andros scathingly. "You just let them do the dirty job for you"
The blond smiled a sweet smile worthy of a villainess.
"Okay, that's enough!" said Tommy. "What's going on here?"
Billy was the first to get his laughter under check. "It started when Zack and Aisha arrived", he begun, wiping tears from his eyes. "We were halfway through introducing them to the new team…"
"So you're Shiera?" asked Zack, shaking hands with her. "How could a small, pretty thing like you cause so much damage?"
The Astro team didn't even have enough time to share amused grins, before Zack found himself flying backwards and landing, rather hard, on a patch of mud.
"Ow, look what you've done!" cried Zack, out of shock more than anything. Then, he tried to get up and failed. "I think my ankle's broken", he complained.
A tall, laughing blond girl approached him. "Come on", she said, and pulled him to his feet.
Zack blinked as the girl waved her hand, and purple sparks flew around his ankle, making the pain disappear.
"It was just sprained", said the blond, "Shiera?"
"Wasn't aiming to hurt him", said Shiera. "It's not my fault he didn't land well"
"Try to be more careful next time", chided the blond. She let go of Zack's arm; his feet carried him without protest. With another wave of her hand, the dirt vanished from Zack's cloths.
"Thank you, ma'am", said Zack, awed. "We weren't introduced, were we? Zachary Taylor, at your service"
Carried away by his own chivalry, Zack did not notice Zhane's frown, or the vial passed secretly from Carlos's hand to Zhane's.
"Really, there's no need", said the blond. "I'm Karone"
"Are you a Ranger?" asked Zack.
"No, I'm a Ranger's sister", said Karone, pointing at Andros.
"Oh. So how did you do the cool light-show?"
"I'm a sorceress"
Zack blinked. "Forgive me for asking, but aren't sorceresses usually evil?"
"Usually", replied Karone offhandedly. "I'm the former princess of Evil, after all"
Zack choked.
Someone stuffed a coke in his hand. Both Andros and Adam tried to warn Zack, but they weren't quick enough. Zack nearly emptied the coke in one gulp. He dropped it, gave something that could have been a yelp, grabbed a jar of water from the table, emptied it, and cowered under the table – keeping his mouth open and panting hard.
Zhane and Carlos shared high-fives, grinning broadly.
Trini kneeled by the table, highly concerned.
"Zack, what's wrong?" she asked.
Zack managed to hold the panting just long enough to gasp: "Hot!"
Trini looked at the gang.
"Did that make sense to anyone?" she asked.
"Zhane tempered the coke", said Andros darkly. "How he did that eludes me, as he wasn't suppose to have access to any pranking supplies"
"With a little help from a friend, that's how", added Adam, glaring at Carlos. "Those two are spoiled rotten"
"Wonder why" answered Andros, as Karone and Shiera stepped defensively in front of their boyfriends. "I'd like to see you discipline this lot"
"Together?" suggested Adam.
"Why not"
"It's not funny!" protested Zack; Rocky was now howling with laughter.
"Oh, I don't know", giggled Kim. "That look on your face was priceless"
"Kim, don't encourage them", pleaded Cassie. "They're bad enough as it is"
"Too right!" put in Zack. "Back me up here, guys!"
Tommy, however, was staring at Karone.
"Former princess of Evil?" he asked.
"That's what I said", replied Karone.
Tommy turned to Shiera. "And you guys are best friends?"
"Sure"
"And you're okay with this?" This last question was aimed at Carlos.
"Why not?" Carlos's reply was accompanied by a wide grin. "Best protection ever; Zhane and I get to do anything we want"
"In other words, your girlfriends got you spoiled rotten", said Tommy. He was answered by twin smirks from Carlos and Zhane.
Jason sighed. "You promised me you'd exercise some control over them, Andros"
"You try", was the defensive response.
"He's not trying", said TJ, addressing the ex-Rangers and ignoring Andros. "It's his sister and best friend we're speaking of"
"Come on, Zack" Ashley walked over to them and pulled Zack from his hiding. "Zhane's harmless, really; trust me, we've been living with him long enough"
"Harmless to his teammates, maybe" said Zack – but he didn't struggle too strongly as she set him at the table and put a muffin in his hand.
"Come on everyone, stop staring" said Ashley. "This is supposed to be a party, remember?"
"We're partying!" protested Zhane; he withered under Ashley's pointed glare.
"Why don't you walk Jetson, so Cassie can finish those salads?"
"I can finish the salads" he answered brightly.
"No, you can't" said Cassie. "And he can't walk Jetson either" she added, addressing Ashley, "As Melissa's already at it"
"Oh, so that's where she'd gone to", said the yellow Ranger. "She's the shyest person I ever met, I swear"
"Can't blame her", said Shiera.
"I'll get Jetson", volunteered Karone. "And send Melissa back. Coming, Zhane?"
The two went in search of Melissa.
As the others began chatting among themselves, and the picnic began behaving like one, Andros joined with the other red Rangers. "Look", he said. "I know this team is an undisciplined lot…"
"Never apologize for your team, pal", said Tommy.
"Tommy, man, you haven't seen half of what these kids can do", said Rocky. "If Zhane's pranks are bad, wait until you see Karone's"
"She can't be that bad", said Tommy skeptically.
TJ wrapped his arms around his body, and shuddered.
Jason clapped Tommy on the back, leading him towards the table. "Let me tell about the time she fixed a leash on TJ", he suggested.
Here the story ends, but it is far from finished:
Ashley became Earth's first ambassador to the stars. Together with Trini and Aisha, they formed the Yellow Triumvirate – the team that led Earth to a new era of prosperity;
Karone was elected chairperson of the Eltaran Pact Organization, a choice that surprised only her;
She and Ashley spent quite a lot of their time trying to set up Melissa;
Andros and Zhane spent some merry years traveling across the galaxy, exterminating Evil;
Shiera, who became a student of both Ninjor and Dulcea, had to rescue their necks more than once;
Tommy was vital in propelling forward Earth's new aspiring space program, helped by the defence organization which was founded by TJ, who in turn was helped by the blue Rangers before him;
And Cassie made the quest she promised herself, to find the Phantom Ranger.
But all those are matters for other stories…