POWER RANGERS: WRAITH (Formerly The Weapon) - Part 14 of 14 (Finale)
Written by DTM666
Disclaimer: The author of this piece would like to state that 90 percent of the characters featured here are properties of BVS Entertainment Inc and not that of the author. 10 percent of the characters featured here are original creations of the author.
Also, the author understands that this piece automatically negates events that occur any and all PR incarnations that occur after Power Rangers Wild Force. Just thought we should be clear on that.
This is the final chapter, conveniently posted on the same day that I finished The Weapon precisely one year ago. While there hasn't been much reviews, there has to be some who've read the thing, so just for that alone, thanks.
---
The last thing he saw was a flash of blinding light. Before that, many images filled his senses. Some pleasant, others not so, but all caused extreme pain that he could not block out. Images of the past, images of his past, images of a past he has no knowledge of, images of possible futures, images of impossible futures... all of them distressing.
Almost instantly, Thomas sat up from his bed. Streaks of sweat crawled down his skin, his heart beating quickly and heavily. Looking at his current surroundings, he realized that he was at home, in bed late at night. It can't be a dream. he thought conclusively. It seemed too real.
He got up from his bed and slipped into a nearby green robe. He walked around the house slowly, looking at the house in general. He looked out the window and saw his pick-up truck in one piece. A little scratched on the passenger door, but in one piece nonetheless. There was another vehicle nearby; a red Beetle, parked on the driveway in front of the truck. Thomas wondered who left it there.
"Tom?"
A female voice... a familiar voice. Thomas quickly turned around and noticed light emanating from the kitchen. Within the light was a petite brunette wearing a black skirt and off-white top with chin-length hair.
"Kimberly?"
The girl nodded gently, her face showing a sense of relief. "Glad to see you remember."
Thomas slumped for a moment, his hand firm over his forehead. Pain was still present, although the feeling of embarrassment slowly eliminated the anguish.
"Feeling alright?" she asked. "You looked like crap."
Thomas grunted. "Yeah. I'm okay." His mind wandered to other things and finally it came to him. "How long was I out?"
"Jason and the guys brought you back from the military hospital down south around noon." Kim answered, noticing Thomas' confusion. "You were knocked into some trance for several hours." She pointed to a purple manila folder on the round wooden table. "The official report's over there if you want it."
Those details seemed tempting to Thomas... a medical report trying to explain how someone could survive a seemingly inescapable death beam. He had to admit in the humorous possibilities. But for the moment, it didn't matter. What mattered now was that he was okay.
"Thanks for being here," he said timidly.
"Someone had to look after you," she assured him. She looked both ways and lowered her voice, almost whispering. "I promised Cole I wouldn't tell him, but he accidentally bumped his bike into your truck."
"Don't worry," Thomas answered, smiling, "I won't go three-sixteen on him."
Kim giggled. "Good, because I know how upset you can be when someone messes with your prized truck." She looked out at the truck. "I remember after the match for charity a couple years ago when you bought that truck." she recounted, "I always wondered where you get cash for buying all these cars, but then Kat told me you took up racing and they paid you good."
Thomas smiled at the thought, but it didn't last long. He frowned and turned away. His face filled with sorrow and he struggled to keep them in. A teardrop formed on his right eye and separate to collide with the marble tile. He soon started to breathe heavily.
"Are you alright?" Kim asked nervously.
Thomas shook his head slowly. "This whole thing." he said softly, a hint of guilt hanging on his every word. "I managed to survive this experience. This whole life-threatening ordeal." He paused to turn towards a small photograph sitting near by. "I managed to live on, but I couldn't save Kat."
Kim stood there in shock. A long forgotten wound suddenly reopened.
Katherine Hillard. The former Pink Zeo Ranger. Kimberly's successor. Thomas's would-be-fiancée. Shortly after the "passing of the torch" years ago, Kat's house was destroyed thanks to a detonation device, leaving behind a giant creator. While her body was never found, it was assumed she was killed in the blast. Unsurprisingly, Thomas blamed himself for not being able to figure out what happened to her. That's what pretty much drove him away from his friends.
"Don't say that," Kim told him, desperately fighting to hold back any tears. "We never found out what happened to Kat. Hell, we still don't know. You can't blame yourself for something you've had no power over." She placed a hand on Thomas' arm. "The last thing Kat would want is for you to agonize over her death for the rest of your life."
She held her grip of his arm, bringing a half-smile to Thomas' face. "You're right, Kim. It's just that stuff like this always open that wound. Sometimes I wonder why I didn't accept that deal Mercer offered me years ago. I always wonder why I get caught up in this shit."
Kim said nothing. Instead she placed a finger over Thomas' lips. Thomas felt a slight chill, feeling a peculiar sensation that he hasn't sensed in a long time. Time seemed to have stopped, all background noise being silent in Thomas' mind. The next sensation came as a surprise, as her lips pressed against his and stayed there for a few seconds. They slowly parted, with Thomas still in the dark as to what just happened.
"What was that for?" Thomas asked nervously.
Kim grinned. "No reason, I promise."
---
In his personal chambers, Aradon reviewed the various status reports coming in from most of the remaining fleets. He was pleased to learn that, despite the destruction of their homeworld, the Empire was strengthened by this event rather than crippled. Outside the viewport, Aradon could see the convergence of other colony ships and battle cruisers, joining with his own fleet to bring together an Empire shattered by civil wars and political power plays. The Machines will endure; of that, Aradon is certain. It just will take time.
Time is the one thing Aradon has plenty of.
---
"God it's good to be home," TJ cried out as soon as he set foot on the platform in the NASADA base on Earth, immediately kissing the ground that was God's Green Earth.
It has taken the Megaship a couple hours at best to get here, and when the Megaship reached Earth orbit, it was a relief to see that the planet was still in one piece and that the Red Rangers took care of the Varox threat. The two Space Rangers, Andros and Zhane, walked out along with TJ and took in the sight of a spacebase with a city backdrop.
"Thanks for your help, TJ," Andros complemented as he extended his right hand.
"No problem," TJ said, accepting Andros' hand. "I'm glad I could help."
TJ extended his hand towards Zhane and Zhane shook it. The blonde-haired Silver Ranger then turned to his partner in red. "Hey, we better get going, Andros. We still have to meet up with a convoy to bring Aradon to one of the command colonies. And you know Ashley's gonna blow a fuse again if you're home late."
Andros' cheeks turned slightly red upon hearing her name. "She's been like that since we got engaged."
TJ couldn't help but laugh. "Ah, the rigors of almost married life. May I never have to deal with it."
"Ha ha," Andros gawked, tapping his fist onto the human's shoulder. "Anyway, Zhane's right. We gotta go."
With that said, the two Kerovans walked towards the Megaship, leaving TJ alone to watch as his two friends head back home after a job well done. He turned away and headed towards the parking lot. He smiled as he approached a tall slender Asian woman leaning on the hood of his red Porsche. The woman, in her 30s, waved her hand gently as the Red Turbo Ranger approached her.
"Hey, TJ," the girl greeted, "Everything went well?"
TJ nodded, a huge grin forming on his face. "Yeah, Cassie. We saved the world. Again."
"If only you would have called," she said, "I would have wanted to help anyway I could."
TJ sighed. "I know, Cass. But we had help from unlikely sources. And we pulled through."
---
Over the course of the day, Kim helped Thomas with the cleaning of the house, as well as some chores and grocery shopping. The past couple of days have been so time consuming and so intense that he has forgotten about the basic maintenance of his own abode above his secret command post. Of course, knowing Thomas' faulty memory, Kim could understand. By the end of the day, the two were sitting at the back porch, looking on as the sun set behind the grassfields.
"Thanks," Thomas said softly.
"For what?"
"For being here."
Kim sighed. "I did what I had to. You're my friend."
"We used to be more than that."
"Yeah," she replied, looking away, "I know."
For a brief moment, there was silence. Thomas felt a little uncomfortable, but a brief sense of nostalgia overwhelmed the discomfort. Thomas sighed and took a sip of his water.
"I haven't felt this way in a long time," he whispered.
Kim nodded, "Me too. But don't take it the wrong way; it was only a one-time deal."
Thomas groaned. "Aw man."
Thomas got up from his porch and headed into the kitchen. "I really appreciate you staying with me," he called over the open window as he reached for something in the white fridge. "I haven't had much practice cooking anything resembling real food, so how do you feel about some eggs?"
Kim took a moment before answering, "Scrambled, please."
---
In his office, Carter Grayson stared at the blank computer screen, wondering about what to put into his official report. He glanced outside to the viewport, which showed construction crews hard at work to cleaning up the wreckage caused by the recent bomb.
Taking of a sip of his tea, a special blend devised by Cole to help with the healing process, Carter began typing down the first words. He had to choose his words carefully in order to keep anything related to the Rangers out of the report. After two hours of writing, rewriting, and revising his official report, Carter read over the report and laughed. There were so many holes and misconceptions in his report that obviously he would get questioned by HQ. Nonetheless, Carter didn't really give a damn about HQ thought.
All the bad press that Carter had feared were merely relegated to tabloid papers, where the story was basically ignored. The dark cloud that had loomed over Carter's brash move was extinguished when it was discovered that the people were more interested in the ultra-hyped wrestling pay-per-view that grossed a couple hundred dollars and bankrupted the wrestling company that produced it.
Forget it, he thought, I've had enough excitement for one day. He promptly clicked Delete and turned off his system, before leaving the office for home.
---
Eric Meyers knocked hard on the wooden yellow door. His hands were sweaty and his neck felt tight, even though he was only wearing a red T-shirt with black vest. Maybe it was the roses he held firmly in his hands. Or maybe he was... no, he couldn't admit it to himself. Maybe he was nervous... Eric felt bad admitting that, but at least he didn't say it out loud or he'd never hear the end of it from Wes. When the door opened, a blonde-haired woman peeked out, wearing nothing but an elegant yellow robe.
From across the street in the Silver Guardian hummer, Wes looked on as Eric shook before Taylor Earheart in an evening robe. Judging by Eric's posture and the laughing of the former Wild Ranger, he contained his laughter as best as he could. After several seconds of witnessing Eric making a complete ass of himself, Taylor stepped aside and Eric walked in, shutting the door behind him.
"Way to go, Eric!" he said enthusiastically. "I knew you could do it, man!"
The door opened again and Eric popped his head out briefly. "GET LOST, COLLINS!" he shouted before slamming the door again. Wes could do nothing but smile at his friend's fortunes and drove the hummer away.
---
Cole,
I'm writing (as in by hand, not by e-mail) to let you know that Tom's okay. To be honest, I had my doubts, but then again, he and I are getting way too old for this.
You were brave to tag along with us, considering you were the only one without Ranger powers. But I think there's something we can do to resolve that. Pass by Angel Grove sometime if you're interested. If not, forget I said anything.
Take care, rookie.
Jason
He read the letter again before folding the sheet into the envelope and inserting the letter into the mailbox. With that piece of business done, Jason Lee Scott turned and went to his custom motorcycle. He made one last look at the tall buildings behind him and smiled. Angel Grove, a small town at one point, has grown into a metropolis in its own right thanks to its distinguished reputation as the birthplace of the Power Rangers.
Content with his business, Jason slipped on a pair of sunglasses and rode towards the mountainside, where he would meet an old friend...
---
What had been a powerful weapon of destruction is now floating debris. Even after two hours, the cluttered pieces of rock and metal that had been the Wraith did not float away. In the middle of the debris lies a small purple orb, someone metallic and transparent. After a path was cleared, the orb flew past the debris and headed towards a star in space. Within the orb, one could see an aging sorceress sound asleep. In that sleep, she dreams of a universe ravaged by dark flames. She laughs devilishly as she watches the death and destruction that surrounds her. It is only a dream.
Of course, all that could change soon...
THE END?