THE REASON - Part Fifteen: Crashin' the Party
Summary: Tyrannodrones come to crash the party. Zeltrax is in search of a power source described by Mesogog. The Rangers come to save the day. But Kim still doesn't know about Tommy's little secret or who the Rangers really are. When will he tell her about his recent 'suit-up' franchise?
Disclaimer: Power Rangers belongs and will always belong to Saban Entertainment, BVS Entertainment Inc., Renaissance Atlantic Entertainment, Village Roadshow KP Producations Limited, ABC Kids, ABC Family and Disney. And to all other affiliates with the Power Rangers concept (ie. Sentai–the original Power Rangers). And, yes, before I forget, the main title of the story does tie in with Hoobastank's "The Reason". Gotta give you guys credit, so don't sue me, please!
"What happens if the most important secret kept could either destroy or fix a relationship between friends and lovers forever?" –Eclyptyk Neo
Tommy looked over his shoulder at the petite woman beside him. She looked as alert as him to take down these lizard-breath goons. "Go on, Kim. Get outta here. Get to safety."
"And miss all the fun?" she matched his determination. "It'll be just like old times."
"This isn't like old times, Kim. You're not a ranger anymore." He stated, making it clear he didn't want her to get hurt.
"And you are?" she moved forward toward two Tyrannodrones.
Tommy didn't have a chance to answer that. Or really wanted to. She didn't need to know.
Two Tyrannodrones moved in on him. He took one out with a flying kick to its chests. The other got caught in a block from his foot. Each attack was blocked as he quickly threw several punches to his face and chest. He glanced back at Kim to see she had sent two Tyrannodrones to the ground with a side swipe kick.
She's still a contender. He thought with admiration.
But the moment was short-lived when another Tyrannodrone sent him into the ground. He got to his feet and caught hold of a piece of a broken log and sent it flying toward one of his aggressors. He sprinted for another one, throwing two punches into his chest and administered a crescent kick to the head, making him stumble to the ground. He held his stance for a second, looking back at Kim.
Two Tyrannodrones grabbed Kim by the arms as she fought to break free. "Get off me, dino breath!" she shrugged off the jacket. She side-swiped one and kicked another hard in the chest.
He looked into the distance, noticing that Zeltrax was no longer in sight. Now, where did he go? And what is he up to?
He looked back at Kim again, before sending another Tyrannodrone to the ground. Not that she would notice if he was gone, but knowing Zeltrax he was always looking for trouble. Well, not now.
"Better call for back up." Tommy told himself, activated his Ranger communicator and ran off toward the woods in search for Zeltrax.
Kim blocked off several more attacks from another aggressor, sending him to the ground. But four more were waiting, jumping her. She fell to the ground hard, but broke from their embrace. She looked around quickly, noticing Tommy was gone. Oh, no. Where'd he go?
Two more Tyrannodrones grabbed her again, their grip tightening around her arms.
Then laser fire sprinkled up the area, forcing the Tyrannodrones to release their grip on her.
That's when she saw them. Three color-coordinated cycles came to a halt before her. Blue. Red. Yellow. A masked person in spandex behind the control of each.
The new generation of Power Rangers. She thought with some astonishment.
The Rangers didn't stop to question her as they jumped off their bikes and began to attack their aggressors.
Kim had no chance to say anything as another Tyrannodrone grabbed her. She elbowed him in the face and sent a kick to his chest forcing him to the ground.
The battle between good and evil raged on.
-----
Zeltrax came to a halt in a clearing looking around intently at his surroundings. He huffed in frustration. "Where can it be?"
"Hey, Zeltrax." a voice called out from behind him. He turned around to see the Black Ranger emerge from behind a tree, arms crossed. "Seems like you're lost. Or were you looking for me?"
"Stay out of this, Black Ranger." Zeltrax commanded, pointing his sword at his sworn enemy. "This has nothing to do with you."
"Oh really?" Tommy wasn't amused. "Than I don't assume that little disturbance out on the ridge has nothing to do with you being out here?"
"If you know what is best, you'll stay out of this." Zeltrax began his charge.
Tommy let out a 'kai' and came charging at the cyborg. He blocked Zeltrax's first attack, making a side-swipe with his staff at his aggressor. Sparks flew as it made impact on Zeltrax's armor. Tommy half- turned to block another swing from Zeltrax, pushing it away before throwing a back kick into his chest.
Zeltrax stumbled back, grabbing his chest. "Stay out of this, Dr. Oliver."
Tommy turned to face him, the expression in how he stood didn't hear Zeltrax's last statement. "Why should I? You always love to ruin the best moments in my life. And quite frankly, I don't appreciate it one bit."
"You have no idea what you're dealing with."
Tommy came charging at his aggressor, staff held out straight in front of him. Zeltrax knocked the staff away, forcing Tommy off-balance. He sent a kick to Tommy's side, sending him to the ground. Tommy rolled away from a swing by Zeltrax's sword and came to rest in a kneeling stance.
"C'mon, Zeltrax. This is growing old."
"Then you should give up."
"Sorry, that's not in the script." Tommy shook his head.
Zeltrax growled and sprang forward, throwing Tommy to the ground. Tommy kicked him off and sent his staff into his aggressor, but Zeltrax stopped it and pushed it away before it could get through. Zeltrax sent Tommy to the ground with a swipe of his hand. Tommy sat up glaring at his prime target. He rolled away just as Zeltrax tried to make another swing with his sword into the ranger.
Tommy got to his feet and sent several swings from his staff into Zeltrax. Each time it made an impact on his armor, sparks flew. He was growing tired of Zeltrax's grudge. Growing tired of not getting answers. But right now, he just didn't want to deal with him at all. Not in his prime of having Kim at his side with no pain or worry in the world.
Zeltrax stumbled back, catching his breath. Tommy held his stance, waiting for his next attack.
-----
Kim took a moment to grasp what she had seen before her. When she left for Florida all those years ago, she gave up her powers as a Ranger. Yet, it still stood in the back of her mind. She would never forget all the adventures she had with her Ranger friends. She remembered when she was broken from Divatox's spell, she saw the evolution of the team. They no longer had the prehistoric powers of the past or the ninjetti skills that made six of them that much more unique. She nearly fainted to find that Tommy was donned in the Red Turbo Ranger suit, still leading the team. Adam and Kat were still at his side. And here she was, yet again, watching the evolution of a new team. A new power. A fierce team.
But why is there only three of them? What happened to the pink one? Or the white one? Or black? Maybe even green? She thought.
The Red Ranger took out two Tyrannodrones with ease. He zipped past two more at super speed, having them crash into each other missing him completely. The Blue Ranger blocked each attack with ease from several attackers, guarded by an extra armor on his arms. The Yellow Ranger fought with such grace meant to be held by those in the Yellow uniform alone. A piercing cry filled the area, sending several Tyrannodrones to the ground.
Kim grabbed her ears to shield the sound, noticing that the other Rangers were in the same pain, but appeared to get used to it.
The Rangers re-grouped, holding their stance waiting for the Tyrannodrones to make another attack. They slowly backed away.
"C'mon." The Red Ranger challenged.
"Bring it." The Blue Ranger matched his counterpart's determination.
But the sky was darkened by a green lightning storm and the Tyrannodrones disappeared into it. The sky clearing as they went.
"Man, it just gets easier defeating those guys," the Blue Ranger commented.
"No doubt." The Red Ranger nodded. "Mesogog really has no idea who he's messing with."
They looked around for their Ranger counterpart, seeing she was attending to the fallen civilian.
"Hey, you okay?" she asked. The person turned around, and took the ranger by surprise with a light smile. "Whoa!" she fell back, just as her two counterparts met her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." Kimberly slowly got to her feet.
"Hey, isn't that...." the Red Ranger began to say.
The Blue Ranger elbowed him, indicating that the issues about revealing themselves to anyone wasn't an option. Or avoiding what she would say, when they knew exactly who she was. He could recall their mentor making it clear that no one could know who they were, no matter who it was. "Just doing our job."
"And you're doing a good job, too." Kim smiled again.
The Yellow Ranger got to her feet, indicating it was time to go before the interrogation began.
"Well, we gotta go. Duty calls." The Red Ranger shrugged.
Kim didn't have to argue with him. He was doing the right thing. "Well, thank you, again, Rangers." she called out as they headed for their cycles.
"And may the powers always protect you."
The Rangers stopped for a second, looking at each other. The Red Ranger looked back at the little petite woman, but before he could make a comment, the Yellow Ranger tapped him on the shoulder.
'May the powers protect you.' The Red Ranger thought. Dr. O made that same comment to us when we first got our Ranger powers.
The two other Rangers started up their engines, drawing attention for the Red Ranger to do the same. The Blue Ranger was the first to leave, then Yellow and finally the Red one took the rear.
Kim watched as they left, a light smile to her face.
-----
Tommy locked Zeltrax's attack, glaring at the cyborg. "Ya know, this is getting old, Zeltrax."
Zeltrax forced the Black Ranger back, launching an electrical attack toward his enemy. "I'll be back, Black Ranger. And you won't be so lucky."
The area was awaken by an invisi-portal and Zeltrax disappeared through it before Tommy had a chance to make another attack.
He let out a frustrated breath. "Power down." He returned to his normal clothes, looking up at the sky pondering. What is his problem? Then he remembered he had left Kim back on the ridge to deal with the Tyrannodrones. He ran off, hoping the other Rangers managed to get there on time.
Unbeknownst to Tommy, down the hill in a small cave opening, a pink glowing light broke through.
-----
Tommy stumbled out into the open grass field, calling out to the figure standing alone. "Kim. Kim."
Kim slowly turned around to be encased in her love's arms. "Whoa. Hey, you."
He ran his hands over her body in a panic, hoping to not find any broken bones or pain. "Kim, you all right? Did those dino bastards hurt you?"
She pushed his hands away. "I'm fine, Tommy. But you missed them."
"Missed who?" he caught his breath.
"The new team of Power Rangers." she said happily. "You should have seen them. They were amazing. But I couldn't help but notice that there was only three of them. Red. Blue. Yellow."
"Whoa." Tommy held up his hands. "Slow down. You saw the new Power Rangers."
"Someone must have informed them of the situation or something. And they kicked some major tail. I wonder who they are."
Tommy could only smile. She was fine. And his young Ranger proteges hadn't figured out who she really was, or mentioned who they were. "Well, it seems the world is in good hands, if they're doing their job. C'mon, it's getting late."
They followed the path back to the parking lot. Being the gentleman he was, Tommy snatched the keys from Kim and proceeded to opening her car door for her. She could only blush and hopped into the car as he closed it behind her.
"So, I guess I'll call you later?" he asked.
"Sure," she smiled, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'd like that, Tommy."
An awkward silence fell between them.
Tommy found his hands in his pockets, questioning if he should make the next gesture. He forced out a breath, pulled out his own set of keys and detached a set of his house keys. He set out her hand, placed it into hers, closing it around the keys. "Here. Since you're in town and everything....my home is always open."
Kim looked at the object in her hand. She shook her head and gave them back to him. "No. I can't. I don't want to intrude...."
"I think it's a little too late about you intruding, Kim." He said with a light chuckle. "Besides, why waste paying nearly $75 dollars a night for a room you hardly use?" he handed the keys back to her. "Don't worry about it. It's cool. I got another room anyways, ya know, if you don't want to be in the same bed as me or whatever. Besides, I haven't been much of a friend in the past few years, so why should I add to it, now? I need to work on my friendship with you, anyways."
She couldn't help but smile, making him smile. He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the lips, but the wrap on his neck pulled him deeper into the kiss.
She gently broke it, running a hand down the side of his face. "Your home's always open?"
He nodded. "It's always open." he set up a sly smile. "And maybe a little more."
She pushed him back before he could lay another kiss on her. "Slow down, tiger. I thought we wanted to take this slow."
"Well, that depends on how you like it."
She looked away, blushing. But she couldn't help but feel the sudden rush in her chest as he made that last comment. She tried to relay the thoughts of what they could do under the covers, but after what he said, it was hard not to think about it.
He turned away, kicking himself internally. I just did not say that. Slow down, Tommy. It can't be like this, can it? I mean, c'mon, just because you want to do wonders to her, doesn't mean you've approved of this relationship all too quickly.
She looked up at him, changing subjects, hoping to get rid of the insanely sexual images of what her boyfriend might do to her. She shrugged off the jacket handing it over. "Thanks for the jacket."
He shook his head. "Keep it until you decide to come by the house. Or until I decide to hit it at your room."
She blushed again. "All right." Okay, stop it, Tommy. These teases aren't funny anymore. She decided to change the subject again. "So, how about them Rangers? Have you ever seen them before?"
He looked at her slightly startled. Not the Ranger thing again. Please, Kim, don't push me about that. "I have. But ya know, they're really sneaky. I can't even get one of them to talk to me."
"Maybe because you're no longer in those stylin' spandex anymore."
Tommy gave a sheepish chuckle. He shrugged. "That could be the case. I guess claiming I once was one isn't enough for them."
"I'm sure they understand though, the importance of keeping their identity secret. I mean, look at us. I just can't help but wonder who is mentoring them now, ya know?"
Tommy let out a sigh. No. You can't tell her. She doesn't need to know. Not now. Besides, it'll give me more time to try and focus on making our relationship work rather than filling her in on what she's missed out on among us rangers, past and present.
Kim let out a sigh, figuring she couldn't get much out of him. He appeared saddened that he was no longer leading the team of rangers. She started the engine, bringing him back into reality.
Tommy looked back at her, placing a kiss on her forehead. Then on her lips. "So, I'll talk to you later, okay?"
She pulled him in for another passionate kiss, smiling against his lips. "I'll be waiting for it."
After a long time, they finally parted ways. He watched her disappear from sight, a hand up in a good-bye.
When she was no longer in sight, he looked at the bracelet that housed his dino gem. The words Kim had stated--"I just can't help but wonder who is mentoring them now, ya know?"–stuck like glue in his mind. "Yeah," he said, sadly. "Who's mentoring the team, Kim? That'd be me. That'd be me."
He forced out a sigh, hoping that she wouldn't hate him completely for not speaking of the entire truth to her. He still needed time to cope. Needed time to deal with this. He got into his jeep, and retreated back to his house.
to be continued......
A/N: Hmmm? Seems like Kim's taking interest in the new Ranger team. Tommy's finally seeing eye to eye with Kim. But what about that pink glowing light in the woods? Could it be another dino gem? Catch you in the next chapter.