Chapter 17- History Repeating
Sometimes I get to feelin'
I was back in the old days - long ago
When we were kids when we were young
Thing seemed so perfect - you know
The days were endless we were crazy we were young
The sun was always shinin' - we just lived for fun
Sometimes it seems like lately - I just don't know
The rest of my life's been just a show
Those were the days of our lives
The bad things in life were so few
Those days are all gone now but one thing is true
When I look and I find I still love you
-Queen, These Are The Days Of Our Lives
Jason almost fell over Tommy when he came upon him. The palaeontologist was sitting on the steps of his porch staring out at the darkening sky.
"Tommy?" He asked hesitantly, but received no indication that Tommy had heard. After a pause, the Black Ranger spoke.
"Kim told me something once that I carried with me and repeated to her the last time she lost her powers. She told me that I'd always be one of you, and I'd always have you all. And when I reminded her, I told her that she would always have me, that I'd always be there for her. When did that change? Why is it that we don't have each other anymore?" He shook his head and ran his hand through his spiked hair. Jason knew the question was rhetorical, but the thought he would provide an answer anyway.
"Things change, you grew apart, there was nothing either of you could've done about it." The Red Ranger stated, coming to sit beside him.
"You know that's not true, I let it happen, I didn't make time for her, I allowed her to go on feeling alone and insecure and didn't take the time to check how she was doing. And I missed her, so much. But I was a fool and pushed it down, tried to forget and just ignored the feelings 'til I'd thought they'd gone away. Then she comes back into my life after all this time and I'm expected to just deal with it? It's all got so complicated."
"No-one expected you to 'just deal with it' bro, least of all Kim. You asked her to stay."
"Yeah, and a part of me dreaded it, but another part of me really wanted it. Everything we've been doing just reminded me of what we had, and that we don't have it anymore and it hurts me. Don't we deserve happiness? Why have we both been unable to move on, why does it all have to be so hopeless? I just want it back, don't we both deserve some peace after what we've gone through in our lives?"
Jason sighed, "It's not always that simple Tommy."
"Yeah, well it should be. We've paid our dues. God, Kim sounds like she's bearing the weight of the world on her shoulders with all the guilt she's carrying around."
"Sounds like someone else I know." The Red Ranger teased, cutting Tommy off as he opened his mouth, "-and none of it is your fault! You don't need to feel guilty, you've got to stop taking these guilt trips every time something doesn't go how you expected man."
Tommy closed his mouth and nodded in aquiesence. "Fine, I'll let you have this round. But hasn't Kim suffered enough already? Losing your powers once is bad enough. Seemed Zedd picked on her almost as much as he picked on me, and now it's happening again. All her insecurities sprung from what happened when she lost her coin, I don't want that to happen all over."
"I guess history does repeat itself." Jason mused. "But let's face it man, back in the day you would've done anything for Kim."
Tommy turned to him sharply. "I still would."
Jason knew Tommy was going in the direction he wanted now. "And why's that?"
Tommy shrugged, his thumb tracing the line of his almost-goatee. "Because she's one of my oldest friends, because she's in danger?"
Jason gave him a pointed look of exasperation and expectation, as if he was missing the most obvious reason.
Tommy sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. "Because I still love her."
Jason's brows shot up, not having expected Tommy to admit it without a fight. Tommy caught his look and chuckled lightly.
"C'mon Jase, we're too old to still act like high school kids. What's the point in denying it now?"
"I just didn't think it'd be so easy." Jason shook his head and smiled. "What tipped you off?"
"I've always loved her, I've always cared for her, even after the way she broke up with me. With a history like ours it's hard to hold a grudge, and as she pointed out, everyone makes mistakes, I've made a fair few myself. But since she's been staying with me I've just been thinking about it more and more. I mean, we were in the café yesterday, and we were just fooling around, like we used to do y'know? It just felt so right, so perfect. I tickled her and she fell off her chair and even then I was so terrified I had hurt her, but when I saw her sitting there with her hair all crazy and the look on her face...I just thought 'God I love you', and it was true and I meant it. I was more sure of that than I've been sure of anything in my life and it completely blew my mind. But it makes sense now, somehow." Tommy rubbed a hand over his face and looked up to the sky with a sigh.
"I don't know Jase, I see her in the morning with no make-up and bed-hair, all grouchy because she hasn't had her caffeine fix and I just love her- she takes my breath away, she's the last thing I think of when I go to bed and she's usually there in my dreams. When I see her I instantly feel better, and, and when she fights by my side I feel…safe, I guess. At first I thought it was all me doing my White Knight impression and defending fair maiden from the evil villain, as if I was just doing my Ranger duty. But God Jase, after all this time, I would gladly give up everything and throw myself on a sword just to see her smile. And maybe I always have felt this way, I just never had a reason to admit it to myself before now." He paused and glanced at his old friend wryly, "I suppose now you're gonna say you've known all along?"
"Well, I didn't wanna say anything, but…" Jason teased, "Let's face it man, you and Kim were made for each other, ever since you laid eyes on each other it's been the same, we figured it was only a matter of time before the two of you worked up the nerve to talk to each other and pulled it together again. You two practically invented Ranger romance, and you've been slyly asking after each other for years now." Tommy groaned and Jason said seriously,
"Hey bro, I just want to see the both of you happy, and lets face it, the happiest you were was together." He shrugged.
"Someone could have let me in on that pearl of wisdom about eight years ago." Tommy muttered and pushed himself up from the steps, Jason doing likewise. "I guess there was a reason you came out here besides wanting to rub my nose in my own ignorance?"
"Hayley said she may have found a way to get through Mesogog's barriers." Tommy's eyes widened.
"And you let me just blabber on about my feelings when you knew that?!"
Jason laughed. "You needed to say it, admit it to yourself. The first step towards change is awareness, the second is acceptance." He said sagely, bowing upon having imparted his great wisdom.
"You need to stop reading those philosophical books man." Tommy smirked.
"It helps with my karma." Jason shrugged. Tommy just shook his head and patted Jason sympathetically on the back before retreating back inside the house to interrogate Hayley.
"What have we got?" He asked, coming to join the teens at the computer console.
"A chink in the armour, if I'm right." Hayley replied, still typing away.
"And if you're not?" Jason questioned from the stairwell.
"Then whoever tries to get in will have a mighty big headache, and more besides." The redhead answered a little more hesitantly.
"She's not wrong." Tommy said firmly. The three teens and Jason regarded him sceptically but he ignored them and motioned for Hayley to continue.
"Thank you. There is a small hole in Mesogog's defences that seems to have been overlooked, enough for someone to get in undetected without alerting his sensors. If we're fast there may be a way to get in there, get Kim and escape without Mesogog noticing. If I can open up an invisi-portal then it might just work."
"Dr O, Mesogog was going to use the life-force extractor on you when he captured you, do you know anything about it that could help us?" Conner asked and both Tommy and Jason glanced at him approvingly.
"Good question," Tommy nodded, "The extractor needs some time to power up, at least an hour or so, but he held on to me for longer than that before he took me into the chamber, let me stew and interrogated me, I doubt he'll bother doing that with Kim, although he probably won't try and drain her right away."
"Surely Mesogog suspects we'll try and rescue her?" Ethan commented.
"Yeah, what if he left that gap in the barriers for a reason and we're just walking into a trap?" Kira agreed, worried for the woman she had come to greatly admire, but thinking that a convenient weakness in the defences seemed too obvious.
"We don't have a choice, Kimberly's in there and the consequences will be far worse if we don't rescue her." Tommy reminded them, and there was no arguing with that. "She'll be kept in a cell until the extractor is ready, we just have to figure a way to get her out before Mesogog can do anything. Jase did you talk to Kim's team?"
Jason nodded the affirmative, "Yeah, I called Stacy and told her Kim was fine but got injured during the attack and with the trauma for the girls she had cancelled the demonstration tomorrow, I told her to take the girls back to Angel Grove and that I was staying to help you and her out. They're safe."
"Good. Now, if I know Mesogog he'll wait until tomorrow to drain Kim, he'll leave us and her wondering, it helps build up the fear, and if he thinks his defences are secure he'll have nothing to worry about. That gives us the element of surprise." Tommy mused.
"Is this like the element of surprise we thought we had when we came to rescue you? 'Cause I gotta say, not all that surprising seeing as Mesogog was waiting for us in the hall." Ethan remarked sarcastically.
"And unless it's a trap." Kira added.
"You two got a better plan?" Jason challenged, wanting the new team to put their money where their mouths were.
The two were silenced by that.
"So one of us tries to get into this gap, find Kimberly, bust her out and get back here before we're fricasseed by Mesogog? Sounds like a blast." Conner said dryly. "Who's going?"
Kira and Ethan looked at him incredulously. "Oh right, of course. Sorry." He said sheepishly and sat back down on a crate.
"You sure it's a good idea to go this alone Tommy?" Jason asked his best friend, concerned over all the many things that could go wrong with this plan.
"I've got to, any more than one and Mesogog's sensors will pick us up, one person can sneak in undetected." Tommy reasoned. "I'll be able to keep in radio contact, and and get back out by the portal if things go badly." Plus he wanted Mesogog alone, that prehistoric monster had gone too far messing with Kim, and he didn't want his team mates to witness what he would do to the creature for attempting to hurt her. He'd become adept at hiding his feelings and bottling up his emotions to use to his advantage later. Right now, keeping his intentions from his students was all he needed to do until he got into Mesogog's fortress. Hayley was right, he might not get another chance, he didn't want to risk losing Kim again.
Jason scrutinized Tommy closely, he knew well enough that if anything went wrong Tommy certainly wouldn't escape and leave Kim in Mesogog's hands, he was more likely to get himself killed fighting before abandoning her. He kept trying to catch the Black Ranger's eye but Tommy avoided his gaze stubbornly.
"Well, I think we'll have a good indication of when's the right time to get you in there Tommy, so you run less risk of being captured." Hayley broke the pensive silence and they all glanced back to her.
"When Mesogog turns on the extractor, he'll be rerouting energy from the main systems to power it, therefore taking strength away from the rest of his mainframe. This will be the time when the barriers are weakest, and the scanners won't be at full strength either, as so much energy needs to be expended in operating this thing, it will be easier for you to slip in and slip back out while it's powering up."
"And we can monitor his systems to know when that is?" Conner queried.
"Yes, so we need to be ready and to keep a close eye on the screens at all times, so that we don't miss our chance. The sooner Tommy gets in there, the more time he has to get Kimberly out before the extractor is fully powered up and operational, which will be when Mesogog sends for her."
"Guys, maybe you want to go home? It's been a long day and I'm sure there's something you'd rather be doing." Tommy addressed his students gently.
Conner glanced at his team mates for confirmation and then stood and shook his head. "If you don't mind Dr O, we'd like to stay. Kim's one of us, we want to be part of this."
Tommy smiled appreciatively and nodded. "If you're sure." He looked to Kira and Ethan who both dipped their heads in agreement.
"Yeah, we'll just do a round robin." Kira said simply. "I'll say I'm studying round Ethan's to my parents, he'll say he's with Conner, and Conner will say he's at mine." The three adults blinked at this somewhat dizzying explanation, though Jason and Tommy were familiar with the process from their own days on duty having to placate their parents when they kept disagreeable hours.
"And I'll go and make some coffee and snacks." Kira then offered and ascended the stairs.
"I'll help." Conner said hastily and followed her. Ethan raised a brow and shrugged to himself at his team mates' strange behaviour. "When in Rome…" and he followed them up the stairs.
"They're good kids." Jason observed in approval.
"Yeah, they are." Tommy smiled.
Jason turned to his former team mate hesitantly and Tommy looked at him in question. Jason grinned slightly sheepishly. "So bro, y'know… I kinda mentioned how you and Kim used to be together-"
Tommy's eyes almost bulged out of his head at this and he gawped like a fish. "You what!?"
"Zeltrax…we need a way to, encourage our guest to release her…more powerful half." Mesogog turned to his second-in-command expectantly.
"Why Master?" Zeltrax queried, not seeing the connection as to why they would encourage their captive to take on a form which would make her stronger and more able to fight back.
"You dare…to question my wishes?" Mesogog asked dangerously, gliding speedily up to hiss into Zeltrax's face. The cyborg recoiled and bowed low in supplication.
"Of course not my lord," He floundered, "I merely wished to understand your plan so that I could better serve you."
Mesogog chuckled at his fearful henchman. "Very well, I shall…enlighten you, you mindless excuse… for a servant. The Pink Ranger's power…and energy grows exponentially, when she adopts her costumed form. In order to more…efficiently drain her, we shall trick her into unleashing her power…and so hastening her demise!" He explained with a twisted smile.
"When the extractor is activated…unlock her door. Make her believe…it was an oversight on our behalf…and attack her. Force her to reveal her true potential, make her believe…she is winning."
"It will be done my lord."
Yeah, this chapter was definitely short and crappy with no action and a lot of dialogue, but it was necessary in the transition to the next chapter which will be more action heavy and we will really take it up a notch again! So this is a lighter more character based chapter to lead us into that one, it's nice to give Tommy a bit of space to sort through his feelings I think! Sorry this one was weak, stay with me and things will get better! Oh and in case you couldn't guess, I don't own the song 'These Are The Days Of Our Lives' the fabulous Queen do, I only own their greatest hits CD :'( Anyhoo, see you next week!