Disclaimer: Blah blah blah, you know the drill. I stake no claim on the
rangers. Who knew!
"Your friends will be here soon, Beautiful." Brad smiled as he leaned over her shoulder. Kimberly's head was slumped forward in pain. Brad had beaten her when she had refused to tell him anything about the Power Rangers. Her wrists stung from rubbing against the rope that held her when had tried to fight back, and her shirt was stained with the blood that had dripped from her wounds. Brad frowned when she didn't respond, and briskly moved in front of her, yanking her chin up as he did so.
"So witty comebacks? I'm disappointed!" he grinned.
"Go to hell. Happy?" Kim spat deliriously.
Brad frowned again and backhanded her, his strike echoing with a sickening crack. Kim yelped in pain, and some blood spattered on to the floor from and old wound that had just been re-opened. Brad raised his hand to strike her again, when a noise stopped him. He heard the front door sliding open, its noise echoing throughout the empty building. He smiled and walked over to the table in the corner, picking up a syringe.
"Showtime." He grinned as he tested the needle. Satisfied he jabbed it into Kim's arm, causing her to gasp in pain.
"What was that for." She said weakly.
"It's a weaker dosage of the sedative I gave you earlier. You're on Kimmie!"
***
"I think he knows we're here, the way that door opened." Kat frowned.
"Yeah. You'd better get up there before he gets here." Tommy said. Kat nodded and moved to the ladder towards the back wall.
"Too late!!!" a voice yelled. Tommy looked around frantically, and immediately fell into a fighting stance as the buzz of a machine filled the room. What he saw next horrified him. Kimberly was coming towards him, hanging by the handcuffs around her wrists on an old meat hook attached to the machine. The warehouse had been an old meat factory that was shut down ten years earlier because of health regulations, yet someone had forgotten to shut down the power to it. Kim was unconscious, but Tommy saw the shape she was in from what Brad had done to her. His expression went from horror, to pure rage. The line suddenly stopped, and Kim's tired body fell loose from the hook to the floor. Tommy was about to run to her, when Brad appeared from the shadows.
"What's the matter Tommy boy, not enjoying the show?" he grinned evilly.
"You bastard," Tommy growled. "I'm going to rip you apart with my bare hands!" he finished, and was about to charge Brad, when his target pulled a gun and pointed it at Kimberly. Tommy recognized it as the same gun he had threatened her with in the quest, and wondered if he even knew how to use the thing.
"Hold it." He smiled. "I just seem to have to keep needing this thing. I hate weapons you know. Cowards way out I think. But they make a hell of a bargaining chip when it comes to hostages. Wits and your fists are the only weapons you need I think. Oh well, see that big hunk of metal hanging up there?" he gestured with his eyes towards the ceiling. Tommy looked above them to find one of the old chopping tables suspended near the second floor. Tommy frowned wondering how the hell he got it up there, then noticed a fork lift with a construction elevator attached to it in the corner. "Well," Brad continued, "it's rigged with explosives, c4 to be exact. The timer on it is set for five minutes, and when that time runs out, the c4 ignites, blowing the rope away with it, and then bye-bye Beautiful....Unless, you can get to her in time. If not then once she's dead, I'll kill you and you die knowing you couldn't save her." He held up a small controller with a single red button on it. "Shall we begin?" he grinned.
"Why not, you'll blow yourself up anyway if that really is c4 you've got up there." Tommy retorted.
"Tommy, I'm disappointed. I thought you rangers would be smarter than that. I only used enough to blow the rope and anything within three feet of the detonation point. Which means that if your kitty kat is trying to defuse it, she should be right about-'' Brad paused and turned to the second floor balcony and fired. A scream followed. "There." Brad smiled.
"Kat!" Tommy cried.
"Oh, don't worry Tommy," Brad mocked. "I didn't kill the kitten. I only hit her leg, I think, I may have been slightly off today and hit her stomach." He said nonchalantly. "But bringing a friend," he shook his head, clicking his tongue in distaste. "That's gonna cost ya'." He turned to Kim now, and fired the gun again, hitting her in the thigh. Her unconscious form instinctively cried out in pain. "The unconscious mind, it amazes me. It can feel and react to pain, even when the body is out cold." He sighed again and pushed the red button on the controller in his hand.
Tommy , who had been frozen in shock, now cried out and charged him. "Finally some action!" Brad laughed, dodging the angry fist that came towards his face. "I was in the army Tommy-boy! My senses were trained to be honed in battle, so you're going to need more than anger and your silly little kung fu to beat me. I thought Power Rangers were supposed to be strong!" he laughed, dodging hit after angry misplaced hit.
"Who said I was a ranger?" Tommy grinned.
"It's just that if you were, it'll be more fun when I kill you. At least I can say that I took out a Power Ranger! And had a lot of fun doing it too!"
Up on the balcony, Kat was beginning to regain consciousness. She'd blacked out when an enormous pain had exploded from her leg. She looked down, discovering a shot wound in her lower calf. She'd been trying to reach for the bomb's fuse that was attached to the top of the table, with no success. Now she couldn't even move her leg, much less stand on it. She heard Brad laughing from the lower floor and moved to look over the railing. He yelled something at Tommy, but she was still a bit too groggy to hear. Tommy retaliated then attacked, and Brad dodged it easily. Kat could see that Tommy was blinded with rage and was not thinking about the strikes he made. She looked over at Kim's body on the floor, and noticed a growing pool of blood around her legs. She frowned and knew that she had to do something, now. The timer on the bomb was down to two minutes. She removed the bag from her back and unzipped it, pulling out a gun she'd teleported it up before they left.
*I told Tommy that I'd seen worse battles.* She'd kept it in her house ever since some pervert broke in and tried to rape her. She never told anyone, but that was the real reason that she and her family had moved to Angel Grove. Her parents didn't know that she'd gotten the gun; of course she'd been careful and gotten it through a friend back home, who had connections. Now though, she needed it to take out another pervert. One who had beat, drugged, and kidnapped one of her best friends. It was payback time. She propped herself up on her elbow, and waited for the perfect shot.
Tommy was beginning to make some hits. Nothing damaging, but there were some shots that did connect. They, however, only made Brad giddier, as he took them like they were taps on the shoulder. Brad surprised Tommy by suddenly taking a swing at him, the shot connecting solidly to Tommy's jaw and he fell backwards, landing near Kimberly.
"Looks like I win, Tommy-boy. I beat a Power Ranger! I just want you to know...it was easy. Any last words?" Brad smiled as he cocked his gun. Tommy flinched, hearing another noticeable click a spilt second before Brad had set his weapon. Surprising as it was to him, he knew exactly what it was, and smiled back at the beast before him.
"Yeah actually....Bang." Brad frowned at the word, before a shot pierced the air. Tommy's eyes automatically shut in fear of his own mortality coming to an end, but a moment later, when he noticed his heart was still beating, he opened his eyes and found Brad's body on the floor staring blankly at the ceiling as a circle of crimson began to form on his chest. Tommy rose and grabbed the gun, just in case, and turned to look at where Kat was, but she was gone.
"Tommy, the bomb! Get Kim out of there!" Her voice called as he heard her clambering down the iron stairs. Tommy tensed and ran towards Kim. He scooped her up as a bang echoed from above him, and jumped forward with all of his energy and strength. Kim's involuntary dead weight proved more of a problem than he'd hoped, and he took one step forward in hopes of getting farther away. As they landed, Tommy instinctively covered Kimberly, human shield style, as a booming crash resounded from behind them. Tommy waited for a few seconds before looking up. The table that had hung from the ceiling now lay as a crumpled piece of metal on the warehouse floor. Kat limped over, wincing as she stepped and called to him.
"Are you alright!" Tommy cried looking over at her. She waved him off.
"I'll be fine, minor wound, I may possibly be going into shock very soon, but is Kim okay?" she said in a hurry. Tommy turned to his love and checked for a pulse.
"Kim..." He ventured, hoping for any kind of response. When nothing came, he jumped up and scooped her up again, and turned to Kat. "Can you walk?" he asked.
"Yes. Get back to the ship. They won't ask as many questions as a hospital would. You go ahead, I'll stay with him." She said, gesturing towards Brad's body.
"Kat, you have to get your leg treated, I'm not leaving you here."
"And I'm not coming with you. You can't carry us both." She stated. "I..I just want to be sure it's over. Send someone down for me, who can carry him outside for transport. Now, go! Kim may be dying." Tommy hesitated for a moment, and then ran for the door. Kat turned back to Brad's lifeless body and sighed as she sank to the ground to get the weight off her leg. "You better be dead." She muttered, cocking her gun, just in case.
***
Tommy appeared with Kim in his arms, and found the rangers ready for him. Zhane took Kimberly and headed for the infirmary while Cassie took Tommy to a near by chair to check him. The others followed Zhane and were gone in a second.
"Forget me. Kat's still down there and she's hurt. She needs someone who can get Brad back up here." Tommy said, pushing her hand away.
"Are you crazy!? We're not letting that psychopath on the ship!" Cassie cried.
"His body..he's dead." Tommy stated. Cassie looked at him for a moment in shock before nodding in understanding.
"Andros can do it. He's telekinetic. Besides, Kim'll need all the help she can get." She said rising. "Andros, switch with me, Tommy'll explain." She said over the com system.
"On my way." Andros acknowledged. Cassie walked briskly out of the bridge, and a few seconds later, she was replaced by Andros' presence.
"Your jaw." He said, immediately noticing the fresh bruise forming on Tommy's face.
"That's not what you're here for." Tommy sighed.
***
"Hey Kat, how are you feeling?" Tommy asked, stepping into Kat's quarters.
She smiled and sat up slightly. "Not bad. Cassie came to see me about twenty minutes ago, and said that I'd be up and about in a couple of days. After the skin grows back enough for me to put weight on it without re- opening it. I have to move into the infirmary for an official check-up later, when they're done. How'd Kim do?" she asked.
Tommy sighed. "They haven't told me anything yet. Cassie told me to come see you when she came back, because they wouldn't be done for another while."
"I'm sorry." Kat frowned.
"Well, she's worth the wait...I just hope she's okay." he said glumly. Just then, the door opened, and Cassie stepped in, pushing an empty wheelchair in front of her.
"We're ready for you." She said, smiling at Kat. Tommy blocked her path as soon as she was in the door.
"How is she, is she okay?" he asked hurriedly.
"Whoa, hold on a sec." She said putting her hands up. Kat tried to hide a smile as she sat up.
*Humor. That's means she's okay.* Kat sighed inwardly.
"Okay. D.E.C.A. guided us through it, but she'll be just fine." Cassie announced. Tommy let out a breath of relief and smiled nervously. "But." Cassie added, causing Tommy to tense again. "There's going to be a lot of recuperating to do, and she'll need your help. There's some minor cuts that will be closed in a couple of days, a broken arm, a fractured collar bone, the wound in her leg has been stitched, but she's got some ripped muscle where the bullet penetrated. We got it out though, and it missed the bone thankfully. Because of the fact that she was a ranger, she still has some of the fast healing abilities the powers provided her with. So that means that all of this recuperating will take about a month and a half. We want to get her walking as soon as possible because of the beatings she took. Kat, because your injuries aren't as extensive, you'll be confined to bed, doctor's orders, for at least a week, but we'll give you crutches in a couple of days once that wound closes a bit, which with your regenerative abilities from the powers, should take about a day and half because it's not a serious wound. The way you were standing when the bullet hit you, it went clean through the back of your lower calf. That's why I sent you here first after we dressed it, you didn't an operation.... As for Kim, she's asleep right now. After the anesthetics wear off in about two or three hours, she'll wake up, but she's got a concussion, so we can't let her sleep for more than four hours at a time, and that's with someone monitoring her vitals while she sleeps. I'd get D.E.C.A. to do it, but she can't jump in and help like we can, being a computer and all. She needs lots of rest though, and I take it you want the first shift." Cassie smiled at Tommy.
"How long?" he asked.
"Well, after she wakes up, about twelve hours, then someone will take over for you. But until then, I suggest you get some rest, and we'll call you when she's awake." Cassie said.
"Can't I see her?" Tommy frowned.
"I wouldn't recommend it. I mean, you need to rest so that you can be there for her on the first watch. Okay?" Cassie said firmly. Tommy nodded in involuntary agreement.
"What about Brad?" Kat asked.
"Well, he's definitely dead. We triple checked. You're a sharp shot Kat, got him right in the heart. His body's...on ice I guess is the only way to put it, until we can figure out what to do with him. That reminds me, Tommy, when Kim wakes up will you ask her if Brad had any family. Any one we should be concerned about when they discover he's missing?" Cassie said turning to Tommy, who frowned.
"Is that really necessary? I mean, couldn't it wait for a while."
"He's right. Kim's been through a lot, couldn't D.E.C.A. just check or something?" Kat asked.
"D.E.C.A. isn't...I mean..that's not her job! She would have to trace down his origins from scratch. That would be like, trying to draw out somebody's family tree who you just met on the street. Asking Kim is better." Cassie said firmly.
"I understand, but can it wait?" Tommy sighed.
"No. If he does have family, or friends in the area, or at all, they may already be searching for him, which means that they're searching for Kim too, and that would call the alibi we put in place for her before the quest into question." Cassie stated.
Tommy was silent for a moment before nodding his head. "I agree. I just wish it could wait." He said.
'Well, it can't. I'm sorry. Kat, let's go. Tommy, get some rest, we'll alert you in a couple of hours." Cassie said, moving the wheelchair over to the side of Kat's bed. Kat maneuvered herself in and the two left. Tommy sighed exasperatedly and sat down on the couch, putting his head in his hands.
*** "Zhane, help me lift her to the bed." Andros said, nodding to the bed in the corner. Zhane nodded and the two focused on Kim's unconscious form. After a moment, she rose off the bed horizontally and floated gracefully over to her sleeping quarters. The two telekinetic men placed her gently on the soft mattress. When she was down, Ashley and Carlos moved to hook up the necessary machines, starting with the heart monitor.
"Why do we need that, D.E.C.A. will be monitoring her condition." Zhane frowned.
"It's a back-up, so we don't have to keep asking D.E.C.A. for updates every two minutes. Besides, D.E.C.A.'s got a lot to do on this ship, and while we don't doubt that she can do it all at once, we want to take every precaution. D.E.C.A. understands, right?" Ashley said.
"Of course. Pride is secondary to human life." D.E.C.A. responded.
"There," Carlos said straightening. "She should be awake in about three hours. I'm going to go and see how Cassie's doing with Kat." He said, moving to the door.
"What happened to Kat?" Zhane asked worriedly.
The rangers all looked at each other uncomfortably. Ashley sighed and stepped forward, casting an annoyed glace at her comrades. "She got shot in the leg." Ashley said.
"What!?"
"Nothing life threatening. In fact she should be fine in a few days, but she'll be using crutches for a while." Her voice trailed off, as Zhane bolted past her mid sentence. She sighed and turned to find the others trying to hide their laughter. "Oh hush, he's just concerned." She said crossing his arms.
"I'm going to go and calm him down." Carlos said. "I doubt Cassie can handle both of them." He shook his head and chuckled as he left the room. Ashley turned back to Andros and looked over at Kim.
"Will she be alright?" she said, her voice filled with concern.
"Physically yes," began Andros, putting a comforting arm around her shoulder. "But mentally, and emotionally....it's going to take a while."
***
"Zhane I'm fine!" Kat yelled. Zhane was kneeling in front of the wheelchair, which he stooped in the middle of the hall, and was asking endless questions. Kat's yelling stopped him.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Zhane, we are going to the infirmary to get Kat checked out and into bed, and no you can't come, so unless you want her not be fine, move." Cassie said angrily.
"Hey, I came to see if you needed any help." Carlos smiled as he walked up to the trio.
"Yes!" They three said at once, causing Carlos to take a step back.
"Tell her to let me come with them!" Zhane cried.
"Tell him he needs to go away! Kat won't get any better with him just causing her more stress!" Cassie cried.
Carlos watched helplessly as the two yelled at each other, while Kat, getting noticeably angry, sat between them.
"ENOUGH!" Kat yelled, silencing the two immediately.
"Carlos, please get Zhane out of here so I can get some rest, and Cassie can do her job. Zhane I will come and see you later! Now both of you STOP arguing! It is not my well-being that is at stake here, it's Kim's, who if you have forgotten, just thankfully won the fight for her life and is going top need all of our support once she wakes up. Tommy needs you to be strong for him too, and you're standing here yelling at each other." She paused shaking her head, and sighed. "Cassie, let's go."
Zhane rose and moved so they could pass and Carlos stepped up beside him, and the two stared in awe as the girls rounded the corner. Cassie threw a 'so-there' smile back at Zhane as she went out of sight, and Zhane frowned and crossed his arms.
"Is my work ever done?" Kat sighed exasperatedly.
***
"Hey Zhane!" Cassie called running into the mess hall.
"What." Zhane said flatly.
"Come on man," Cassie sighed taking a seat beside him, "don't be mad, I was just thinking of Kat's health, but she's right. We need to help Tommy and Kim get through this. What do you say....Friends?" she asked cautiously.
Zhane sighed and looked at her. "Always." He smiled. Cassie grinned and threw an arm around his shoulder. "I'm not mad at you, though, I hope you know that. I'm just-''
"Worried about Kat. I know man, I understand that. I forgive you for being a gushy little girl."
"Hey!" Zhane cried pushing her off good-naturedly, then sighed again. "Do you think Kat's mad at me though?" he frowned.
"Well, that's the thing about fights," Cassie said, "you get to make up." She grinned mischievously. Zhane smiled and nodded. "Besides, she was just tired. But still, it would be nice to do something for her."
"Got it. Hey I gotta take care of something. I'll see you later?" Zhane said, rising. Before Cassie had a chance to answer, he was gone.
"Sure!" she called after him.
***
Tommy couldn't sleep. His thoughts haunted him. He sat up and thought about the day's events. Kim had almost died because of him! He played the scene over and over again in his head, each time with a different scenario, and each time, he'd saved her the right way. He lay back again in frustration and closed his eyes. He just couldn't accept that there was nothing he could do now, no way to help her other than wait, and hope the rangers' efforts had worked, and that she'd be okay. He drifted off to sleep after a few minutes, still thinking about what he could have done differently.
***
"Tommy? You awake?" Andros ventured as he stepped into Kat's room.
"Yeah man. I'm here." Tommy said getting out of bed. "What's up?" he said groggily.
"Kim just woke up." Andros smiled, causing Tommy to wake up instantly. "She's asking for you."
Author's note: what do you think? I don't know if I'm happy with this chapter. It's changed a lot from what I originally had. Well, not really, but enough for me to be slightly uneasy with it. Here's another teaser from the next chapter:
"Hey Beautiful time to-'' Tommy began, opening his eyes... but the bed was empty.
"Your friends will be here soon, Beautiful." Brad smiled as he leaned over her shoulder. Kimberly's head was slumped forward in pain. Brad had beaten her when she had refused to tell him anything about the Power Rangers. Her wrists stung from rubbing against the rope that held her when had tried to fight back, and her shirt was stained with the blood that had dripped from her wounds. Brad frowned when she didn't respond, and briskly moved in front of her, yanking her chin up as he did so.
"So witty comebacks? I'm disappointed!" he grinned.
"Go to hell. Happy?" Kim spat deliriously.
Brad frowned again and backhanded her, his strike echoing with a sickening crack. Kim yelped in pain, and some blood spattered on to the floor from and old wound that had just been re-opened. Brad raised his hand to strike her again, when a noise stopped him. He heard the front door sliding open, its noise echoing throughout the empty building. He smiled and walked over to the table in the corner, picking up a syringe.
"Showtime." He grinned as he tested the needle. Satisfied he jabbed it into Kim's arm, causing her to gasp in pain.
"What was that for." She said weakly.
"It's a weaker dosage of the sedative I gave you earlier. You're on Kimmie!"
***
"I think he knows we're here, the way that door opened." Kat frowned.
"Yeah. You'd better get up there before he gets here." Tommy said. Kat nodded and moved to the ladder towards the back wall.
"Too late!!!" a voice yelled. Tommy looked around frantically, and immediately fell into a fighting stance as the buzz of a machine filled the room. What he saw next horrified him. Kimberly was coming towards him, hanging by the handcuffs around her wrists on an old meat hook attached to the machine. The warehouse had been an old meat factory that was shut down ten years earlier because of health regulations, yet someone had forgotten to shut down the power to it. Kim was unconscious, but Tommy saw the shape she was in from what Brad had done to her. His expression went from horror, to pure rage. The line suddenly stopped, and Kim's tired body fell loose from the hook to the floor. Tommy was about to run to her, when Brad appeared from the shadows.
"What's the matter Tommy boy, not enjoying the show?" he grinned evilly.
"You bastard," Tommy growled. "I'm going to rip you apart with my bare hands!" he finished, and was about to charge Brad, when his target pulled a gun and pointed it at Kimberly. Tommy recognized it as the same gun he had threatened her with in the quest, and wondered if he even knew how to use the thing.
"Hold it." He smiled. "I just seem to have to keep needing this thing. I hate weapons you know. Cowards way out I think. But they make a hell of a bargaining chip when it comes to hostages. Wits and your fists are the only weapons you need I think. Oh well, see that big hunk of metal hanging up there?" he gestured with his eyes towards the ceiling. Tommy looked above them to find one of the old chopping tables suspended near the second floor. Tommy frowned wondering how the hell he got it up there, then noticed a fork lift with a construction elevator attached to it in the corner. "Well," Brad continued, "it's rigged with explosives, c4 to be exact. The timer on it is set for five minutes, and when that time runs out, the c4 ignites, blowing the rope away with it, and then bye-bye Beautiful....Unless, you can get to her in time. If not then once she's dead, I'll kill you and you die knowing you couldn't save her." He held up a small controller with a single red button on it. "Shall we begin?" he grinned.
"Why not, you'll blow yourself up anyway if that really is c4 you've got up there." Tommy retorted.
"Tommy, I'm disappointed. I thought you rangers would be smarter than that. I only used enough to blow the rope and anything within three feet of the detonation point. Which means that if your kitty kat is trying to defuse it, she should be right about-'' Brad paused and turned to the second floor balcony and fired. A scream followed. "There." Brad smiled.
"Kat!" Tommy cried.
"Oh, don't worry Tommy," Brad mocked. "I didn't kill the kitten. I only hit her leg, I think, I may have been slightly off today and hit her stomach." He said nonchalantly. "But bringing a friend," he shook his head, clicking his tongue in distaste. "That's gonna cost ya'." He turned to Kim now, and fired the gun again, hitting her in the thigh. Her unconscious form instinctively cried out in pain. "The unconscious mind, it amazes me. It can feel and react to pain, even when the body is out cold." He sighed again and pushed the red button on the controller in his hand.
Tommy , who had been frozen in shock, now cried out and charged him. "Finally some action!" Brad laughed, dodging the angry fist that came towards his face. "I was in the army Tommy-boy! My senses were trained to be honed in battle, so you're going to need more than anger and your silly little kung fu to beat me. I thought Power Rangers were supposed to be strong!" he laughed, dodging hit after angry misplaced hit.
"Who said I was a ranger?" Tommy grinned.
"It's just that if you were, it'll be more fun when I kill you. At least I can say that I took out a Power Ranger! And had a lot of fun doing it too!"
Up on the balcony, Kat was beginning to regain consciousness. She'd blacked out when an enormous pain had exploded from her leg. She looked down, discovering a shot wound in her lower calf. She'd been trying to reach for the bomb's fuse that was attached to the top of the table, with no success. Now she couldn't even move her leg, much less stand on it. She heard Brad laughing from the lower floor and moved to look over the railing. He yelled something at Tommy, but she was still a bit too groggy to hear. Tommy retaliated then attacked, and Brad dodged it easily. Kat could see that Tommy was blinded with rage and was not thinking about the strikes he made. She looked over at Kim's body on the floor, and noticed a growing pool of blood around her legs. She frowned and knew that she had to do something, now. The timer on the bomb was down to two minutes. She removed the bag from her back and unzipped it, pulling out a gun she'd teleported it up before they left.
*I told Tommy that I'd seen worse battles.* She'd kept it in her house ever since some pervert broke in and tried to rape her. She never told anyone, but that was the real reason that she and her family had moved to Angel Grove. Her parents didn't know that she'd gotten the gun; of course she'd been careful and gotten it through a friend back home, who had connections. Now though, she needed it to take out another pervert. One who had beat, drugged, and kidnapped one of her best friends. It was payback time. She propped herself up on her elbow, and waited for the perfect shot.
Tommy was beginning to make some hits. Nothing damaging, but there were some shots that did connect. They, however, only made Brad giddier, as he took them like they were taps on the shoulder. Brad surprised Tommy by suddenly taking a swing at him, the shot connecting solidly to Tommy's jaw and he fell backwards, landing near Kimberly.
"Looks like I win, Tommy-boy. I beat a Power Ranger! I just want you to know...it was easy. Any last words?" Brad smiled as he cocked his gun. Tommy flinched, hearing another noticeable click a spilt second before Brad had set his weapon. Surprising as it was to him, he knew exactly what it was, and smiled back at the beast before him.
"Yeah actually....Bang." Brad frowned at the word, before a shot pierced the air. Tommy's eyes automatically shut in fear of his own mortality coming to an end, but a moment later, when he noticed his heart was still beating, he opened his eyes and found Brad's body on the floor staring blankly at the ceiling as a circle of crimson began to form on his chest. Tommy rose and grabbed the gun, just in case, and turned to look at where Kat was, but she was gone.
"Tommy, the bomb! Get Kim out of there!" Her voice called as he heard her clambering down the iron stairs. Tommy tensed and ran towards Kim. He scooped her up as a bang echoed from above him, and jumped forward with all of his energy and strength. Kim's involuntary dead weight proved more of a problem than he'd hoped, and he took one step forward in hopes of getting farther away. As they landed, Tommy instinctively covered Kimberly, human shield style, as a booming crash resounded from behind them. Tommy waited for a few seconds before looking up. The table that had hung from the ceiling now lay as a crumpled piece of metal on the warehouse floor. Kat limped over, wincing as she stepped and called to him.
"Are you alright!" Tommy cried looking over at her. She waved him off.
"I'll be fine, minor wound, I may possibly be going into shock very soon, but is Kim okay?" she said in a hurry. Tommy turned to his love and checked for a pulse.
"Kim..." He ventured, hoping for any kind of response. When nothing came, he jumped up and scooped her up again, and turned to Kat. "Can you walk?" he asked.
"Yes. Get back to the ship. They won't ask as many questions as a hospital would. You go ahead, I'll stay with him." She said, gesturing towards Brad's body.
"Kat, you have to get your leg treated, I'm not leaving you here."
"And I'm not coming with you. You can't carry us both." She stated. "I..I just want to be sure it's over. Send someone down for me, who can carry him outside for transport. Now, go! Kim may be dying." Tommy hesitated for a moment, and then ran for the door. Kat turned back to Brad's lifeless body and sighed as she sank to the ground to get the weight off her leg. "You better be dead." She muttered, cocking her gun, just in case.
***
Tommy appeared with Kim in his arms, and found the rangers ready for him. Zhane took Kimberly and headed for the infirmary while Cassie took Tommy to a near by chair to check him. The others followed Zhane and were gone in a second.
"Forget me. Kat's still down there and she's hurt. She needs someone who can get Brad back up here." Tommy said, pushing her hand away.
"Are you crazy!? We're not letting that psychopath on the ship!" Cassie cried.
"His body..he's dead." Tommy stated. Cassie looked at him for a moment in shock before nodding in understanding.
"Andros can do it. He's telekinetic. Besides, Kim'll need all the help she can get." She said rising. "Andros, switch with me, Tommy'll explain." She said over the com system.
"On my way." Andros acknowledged. Cassie walked briskly out of the bridge, and a few seconds later, she was replaced by Andros' presence.
"Your jaw." He said, immediately noticing the fresh bruise forming on Tommy's face.
"That's not what you're here for." Tommy sighed.
***
"Hey Kat, how are you feeling?" Tommy asked, stepping into Kat's quarters.
She smiled and sat up slightly. "Not bad. Cassie came to see me about twenty minutes ago, and said that I'd be up and about in a couple of days. After the skin grows back enough for me to put weight on it without re- opening it. I have to move into the infirmary for an official check-up later, when they're done. How'd Kim do?" she asked.
Tommy sighed. "They haven't told me anything yet. Cassie told me to come see you when she came back, because they wouldn't be done for another while."
"I'm sorry." Kat frowned.
"Well, she's worth the wait...I just hope she's okay." he said glumly. Just then, the door opened, and Cassie stepped in, pushing an empty wheelchair in front of her.
"We're ready for you." She said, smiling at Kat. Tommy blocked her path as soon as she was in the door.
"How is she, is she okay?" he asked hurriedly.
"Whoa, hold on a sec." She said putting her hands up. Kat tried to hide a smile as she sat up.
*Humor. That's means she's okay.* Kat sighed inwardly.
"Okay. D.E.C.A. guided us through it, but she'll be just fine." Cassie announced. Tommy let out a breath of relief and smiled nervously. "But." Cassie added, causing Tommy to tense again. "There's going to be a lot of recuperating to do, and she'll need your help. There's some minor cuts that will be closed in a couple of days, a broken arm, a fractured collar bone, the wound in her leg has been stitched, but she's got some ripped muscle where the bullet penetrated. We got it out though, and it missed the bone thankfully. Because of the fact that she was a ranger, she still has some of the fast healing abilities the powers provided her with. So that means that all of this recuperating will take about a month and a half. We want to get her walking as soon as possible because of the beatings she took. Kat, because your injuries aren't as extensive, you'll be confined to bed, doctor's orders, for at least a week, but we'll give you crutches in a couple of days once that wound closes a bit, which with your regenerative abilities from the powers, should take about a day and half because it's not a serious wound. The way you were standing when the bullet hit you, it went clean through the back of your lower calf. That's why I sent you here first after we dressed it, you didn't an operation.... As for Kim, she's asleep right now. After the anesthetics wear off in about two or three hours, she'll wake up, but she's got a concussion, so we can't let her sleep for more than four hours at a time, and that's with someone monitoring her vitals while she sleeps. I'd get D.E.C.A. to do it, but she can't jump in and help like we can, being a computer and all. She needs lots of rest though, and I take it you want the first shift." Cassie smiled at Tommy.
"How long?" he asked.
"Well, after she wakes up, about twelve hours, then someone will take over for you. But until then, I suggest you get some rest, and we'll call you when she's awake." Cassie said.
"Can't I see her?" Tommy frowned.
"I wouldn't recommend it. I mean, you need to rest so that you can be there for her on the first watch. Okay?" Cassie said firmly. Tommy nodded in involuntary agreement.
"What about Brad?" Kat asked.
"Well, he's definitely dead. We triple checked. You're a sharp shot Kat, got him right in the heart. His body's...on ice I guess is the only way to put it, until we can figure out what to do with him. That reminds me, Tommy, when Kim wakes up will you ask her if Brad had any family. Any one we should be concerned about when they discover he's missing?" Cassie said turning to Tommy, who frowned.
"Is that really necessary? I mean, couldn't it wait for a while."
"He's right. Kim's been through a lot, couldn't D.E.C.A. just check or something?" Kat asked.
"D.E.C.A. isn't...I mean..that's not her job! She would have to trace down his origins from scratch. That would be like, trying to draw out somebody's family tree who you just met on the street. Asking Kim is better." Cassie said firmly.
"I understand, but can it wait?" Tommy sighed.
"No. If he does have family, or friends in the area, or at all, they may already be searching for him, which means that they're searching for Kim too, and that would call the alibi we put in place for her before the quest into question." Cassie stated.
Tommy was silent for a moment before nodding his head. "I agree. I just wish it could wait." He said.
'Well, it can't. I'm sorry. Kat, let's go. Tommy, get some rest, we'll alert you in a couple of hours." Cassie said, moving the wheelchair over to the side of Kat's bed. Kat maneuvered herself in and the two left. Tommy sighed exasperatedly and sat down on the couch, putting his head in his hands.
*** "Zhane, help me lift her to the bed." Andros said, nodding to the bed in the corner. Zhane nodded and the two focused on Kim's unconscious form. After a moment, she rose off the bed horizontally and floated gracefully over to her sleeping quarters. The two telekinetic men placed her gently on the soft mattress. When she was down, Ashley and Carlos moved to hook up the necessary machines, starting with the heart monitor.
"Why do we need that, D.E.C.A. will be monitoring her condition." Zhane frowned.
"It's a back-up, so we don't have to keep asking D.E.C.A. for updates every two minutes. Besides, D.E.C.A.'s got a lot to do on this ship, and while we don't doubt that she can do it all at once, we want to take every precaution. D.E.C.A. understands, right?" Ashley said.
"Of course. Pride is secondary to human life." D.E.C.A. responded.
"There," Carlos said straightening. "She should be awake in about three hours. I'm going to go and see how Cassie's doing with Kat." He said, moving to the door.
"What happened to Kat?" Zhane asked worriedly.
The rangers all looked at each other uncomfortably. Ashley sighed and stepped forward, casting an annoyed glace at her comrades. "She got shot in the leg." Ashley said.
"What!?"
"Nothing life threatening. In fact she should be fine in a few days, but she'll be using crutches for a while." Her voice trailed off, as Zhane bolted past her mid sentence. She sighed and turned to find the others trying to hide their laughter. "Oh hush, he's just concerned." She said crossing his arms.
"I'm going to go and calm him down." Carlos said. "I doubt Cassie can handle both of them." He shook his head and chuckled as he left the room. Ashley turned back to Andros and looked over at Kim.
"Will she be alright?" she said, her voice filled with concern.
"Physically yes," began Andros, putting a comforting arm around her shoulder. "But mentally, and emotionally....it's going to take a while."
***
"Zhane I'm fine!" Kat yelled. Zhane was kneeling in front of the wheelchair, which he stooped in the middle of the hall, and was asking endless questions. Kat's yelling stopped him.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Zhane, we are going to the infirmary to get Kat checked out and into bed, and no you can't come, so unless you want her not be fine, move." Cassie said angrily.
"Hey, I came to see if you needed any help." Carlos smiled as he walked up to the trio.
"Yes!" They three said at once, causing Carlos to take a step back.
"Tell her to let me come with them!" Zhane cried.
"Tell him he needs to go away! Kat won't get any better with him just causing her more stress!" Cassie cried.
Carlos watched helplessly as the two yelled at each other, while Kat, getting noticeably angry, sat between them.
"ENOUGH!" Kat yelled, silencing the two immediately.
"Carlos, please get Zhane out of here so I can get some rest, and Cassie can do her job. Zhane I will come and see you later! Now both of you STOP arguing! It is not my well-being that is at stake here, it's Kim's, who if you have forgotten, just thankfully won the fight for her life and is going top need all of our support once she wakes up. Tommy needs you to be strong for him too, and you're standing here yelling at each other." She paused shaking her head, and sighed. "Cassie, let's go."
Zhane rose and moved so they could pass and Carlos stepped up beside him, and the two stared in awe as the girls rounded the corner. Cassie threw a 'so-there' smile back at Zhane as she went out of sight, and Zhane frowned and crossed his arms.
"Is my work ever done?" Kat sighed exasperatedly.
***
"Hey Zhane!" Cassie called running into the mess hall.
"What." Zhane said flatly.
"Come on man," Cassie sighed taking a seat beside him, "don't be mad, I was just thinking of Kat's health, but she's right. We need to help Tommy and Kim get through this. What do you say....Friends?" she asked cautiously.
Zhane sighed and looked at her. "Always." He smiled. Cassie grinned and threw an arm around his shoulder. "I'm not mad at you, though, I hope you know that. I'm just-''
"Worried about Kat. I know man, I understand that. I forgive you for being a gushy little girl."
"Hey!" Zhane cried pushing her off good-naturedly, then sighed again. "Do you think Kat's mad at me though?" he frowned.
"Well, that's the thing about fights," Cassie said, "you get to make up." She grinned mischievously. Zhane smiled and nodded. "Besides, she was just tired. But still, it would be nice to do something for her."
"Got it. Hey I gotta take care of something. I'll see you later?" Zhane said, rising. Before Cassie had a chance to answer, he was gone.
"Sure!" she called after him.
***
Tommy couldn't sleep. His thoughts haunted him. He sat up and thought about the day's events. Kim had almost died because of him! He played the scene over and over again in his head, each time with a different scenario, and each time, he'd saved her the right way. He lay back again in frustration and closed his eyes. He just couldn't accept that there was nothing he could do now, no way to help her other than wait, and hope the rangers' efforts had worked, and that she'd be okay. He drifted off to sleep after a few minutes, still thinking about what he could have done differently.
***
"Tommy? You awake?" Andros ventured as he stepped into Kat's room.
"Yeah man. I'm here." Tommy said getting out of bed. "What's up?" he said groggily.
"Kim just woke up." Andros smiled, causing Tommy to wake up instantly. "She's asking for you."
Author's note: what do you think? I don't know if I'm happy with this chapter. It's changed a lot from what I originally had. Well, not really, but enough for me to be slightly uneasy with it. Here's another teaser from the next chapter:
"Hey Beautiful time to-'' Tommy began, opening his eyes... but the bed was empty.