2A/N: Okay, so if you haven't figured this one out, look up the lyrics for Linkin Park's "Crawling" and you got what I need to say for this chapter. I'm out for now. Peace!

THE REASON - Part Thirty-Four: Crawling

Summary: After the recent attacks from Mesogog, Tommy reflects on what has happened.

Disclaimer: Power Rangers not mine. Power Rangers belongs to Disney and all other affiliates. Title of the chapter not mine. That goes to Linkin Park's "Crawling" which has its purpose in the chapter. So, don't sue me for nothing. I give all credit to those ideas and songs of others, and only take responsibility for creating this story.

A/N: It's been awhile since I've done a chapter in 1st POV–that being Tommy–so hear you go. And again, thanks all for sticking with my stories. I guess, it has a more angst/suspense feel, but perhaps that's just me. Whatever. Anyways, there are answers to be revealed in here. Read and review. And may the powers always protect you. We are all power rangers in our own minds. Catch y'all later and keep reading.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"What are you trying to do to me when I'm already hurting inside from all the mistakes and pain of my past?" –Eclyptyk Neo

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Next day.

I had hoped it was a dream. Wanted it to be a dream, but after we returned to the lab, no one spoke to each other about what had just happened. If one evil ranger wasn't enough, there were now two. A White Ranger and a Pink Ranger. Trent and Kim. And what I had hoped would never come true was haunting me more than I thought could be true. Mesogog had found that last power source before me and was using it to re-harness a power all too familiar to me. Forged it into the one person that would prove to be my most vulnerable spot. But I couldn't tell the others about it. The moment I laid my eyes on that new power ranger, that pink evil ranger, I felt its power rush into me. I could feel the power of evil sweep through me all over again. I could feel the powers of the green power coin again. But I thought it was destroyed. I was drained of its powers and gave up my powers to Jason. And within a few weeks, I had moved onto the ranks of the White Power Ranger.

I didn't know what to believe. I couldn't even sleep that night. I can't even begin to describe what I felt when my powers were getting drained, if that's what it was. One minute, I was laying on the ground cowering in pain. My life force was being taken away, the next I find myself on a beach, or cove–Bluestar Cove–holding Kim in my arms. Whatever power she had definitely changed my set of thoughts. The power of illusion and mind control, I would assume.

And when the team retired for the night, I felt a surge of power inside, watched as my dino gem began to glow with all the colors and power I honed. Green. White. Red. Black.

I didn't sleep at all that night. Those memories of a darkened past filled my mind.

But now, I felt fine. Like nothing even happened at all. But when the ninja rangers and Hayley came by to check on me, I knew they were wanting answers. I didn't really have anything to say. What was done, was done. Past was past. Or was I just saying this, still being under the influence of Kim's mesmerizing call? That time spent draining my powers, I could hear the confused call of the crane. It was in pain. Kim was in pain. And I never felt so scared.

"How ya feeling?" Adam was the first to ask as they made their way to me at the computer.

"I'm fine." I said simply, shrugging. But I wasn't. Not mentally. Physically, I felt like my powers were upgraded. I just didn't know how to describe the situation. And I knew it was a big deal.

Hayley shook her head, taking a small scanning device to take my biological make-up. "I don't know, Tommy. They say you were out cold once they got you back to the lab."

"Yeah, man." Rocky nodded. "You were out like a lightbulb."

What was I suppose to tell them? I knew Mesogog had big plans for me. And that was something I had to figure out on my own.

I got to my feet, pushing past the crowd of concerned faces. "Look, I'm still breathing. I'm still moving. Isn't that good enough to say that I'm fine?"

"If this is about Mesogog's plans about using Kim against us, we will figure something out, Tommy." Aisha said quietly, hoping not to trigger some sign of anger I had for that loss.

It did, but I forced it back down, letting out a breath. "I know, 'sha. This is just really hard."

A silence fell into the room as they all watched the weakness sweep into me. Mesogog had a lot of guts using the one person that meant that much to me against me and the team. If it had to be one to use, I had hoped it would be me. Not Kim. And whatever that power source was doing, if that truly was a gem, was taking its toll on Kim. I sensed her weakness. Her body was rejecting it or something. I didn't know what it was doing. But it wasn't doing something good.

"C'mon, man. Something happened." Adam said cautiously. "What was it?"

I let out a sigh, knowing if anything did happen to me in the next few days, they may never know what I knew. I had to tell them. "Let's go to the cyber café. I think it's best we discuss this over a drink."

It was into the night.

The team met at the cyber café after closing hours to discuss the current events. The entire team found a place at some tables, turning chairs toward the stage, where the black dino thunder ranger found a place on the stage's edge. Each person held a look of great concern and worry for the legendary ranger and what I was about to tell them. Whatever it was, seemed hard for me to say. I knew it was going to.

After a long silence, I looked up to meet each of them in the eyes.

"Something did happen," I began slowly. "And now, I'm not so sure what to do."

"It's okay, Dr. O. We know it's hard for you.." Conner said in a concern leadership voice, trying to cheer me up.

"It's hard on all of us." I said, shaking my head. "And there is something wrong...with Kim and her connection to that dino gem."

"But I thought we said it wasn't a dino gem." Ethan protested.

"It is a dino gem, Ethan. But after the meteor crashed, it did something to it. I'm not so sure what, but her body doesn't seem to be bonding with the gem. And we all know that the gem doesn't choose a person unless there is something there it can bond with."

"Do you think it's not bonding with her because of her ninja powers?" Rocky suggested as he took a drink from his tall mocha-chino.

I looked down for a moment, sighing. If that was the case, than there was also something else. I remembered that night, Adam had helped Kim with her ninja powers. And the call of the crane. It was lost. She was lost. Couldn't maintain full control of her powers as the frog and falcon tried to guide her. And that's how she was feeling now with these new powers. "It might. The emotionally and physical scarring of losing her ninja powers still live inside her. And I feel, she can't handle whatever change has happened to that pink dino gem."

"What kind of change?" Kira asked.

"I wish I knew, Kira." I admitted, with no real clue. "But when she was trying to take my powers away, drain me, she was using a power coin. And not just any, but the dragon coin."

"I don't assume that's a good thing." Conner furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"Hey, wait a minute! I thought it was destroyed." Aisha said. "Any and all evidence of there being a power ranger team of the past. Even our ninja coins were destroyed."

"Yeah, I know." I nodded, but continued on with my theory, hoping not to get anymore interruptions. "But whatever Mesogog is pulling or knows, he somehow maintained some information about my ranger past. And that's not all, when Kim was doing that, our thoughts began to intertwine. I saw her in the woods and how she stumbled into a cave, finding the gem just has the meteor was destroyed. Tyrannodrones took her just as she collapsed right beside the remains of the meteor and have been with Mesogog ever since. Her thoughts have been altered. Changed. Like there are two people inside her, just like Trent. One fighting the evil encoding. One encased in its power wanting to destroy us."

"So, could the gem have the same evil encoding as Trent's?" Kira asked.

I shrugged, not sure what to think. "Mind control. When she was trying to drain me, it wasn't her bidding to take it, but it was Mesogog's. I could hear his voice in her head. In my head directing her to take it. And if what I feel right now inside me is true, there is a chance that they're trying to awaken that evil ranger in me."

"That's not a good thing." Ethan sunk into his chair. "One ranger is bad enough. Two is worse. But three? You know we're dead."

"Trust me, Ethan. It will take more than some carbon copy power coin to turn me over. Those powers are gone. And they've been gone for as long as I've been a ranger other than green."

I only hope I was right about that. Even if I did tell them I could feel its power swell up in me, I didn't want them to worry too much about me. We had to focus on getting both Kim and Trent on our side, not my selfish need of maintaining all this power.

"I don't think that's entirely true." Adam said quietly, more to himself, but we all heard him.

Everyone in the room looked at him. His eyes met mine, and I knew he was using his own ninja powers to read my mind. I didn't oppose, agreeing with his last remark.

"Okay, fine, it's not, Adam." I shook my head again. "I thought it was a dream. I was hoping it was a dream, but it wasn't. I felt the energy of the green powers inside me the moment Kim began to drain me."

"Wait! Stop!" Rocky held up his hands, stopping me from making anymore comments. "I thought you lost those powers when Rita burned out the Green Candle."

"And I gave what little power remaining and my golden shield to Jason." I nodded. "But I know what I felt. And Mesogog isn't gonna rest until we're destroyed. One by one if he has to. Starting with me."

"The powers never leave us." Adam directed, having his own set of thoughts locked away in his mind. "Not completely. It will always be there in your mind. Mentally more."

"So, what do we do?" Conner asked.

"A ranger never gives up no matter what." I said firmly. "We keep fighting until the end. Search out the answers we need and save those we can. No one should ever doubt the losses we've already encountered, but learn from them. Hope for the best. This is definitely going to test who we are both physically and mentally. And our biggest battle is just beginning. But that's what we do. That's what makes us power rangers."

It was a rather lame ass speech if you ask me, but it was effective. The ninja rangers agreed instantly. It took the young dino rangers a little time to think it through, but the obvious word of getting it from the standing legend, knew it was true. I had to drill it into their heads. I had to make it clear to them, that though, they still had lives outside of saving the world, they still had a job as protectors of the planet. And we would have to prepare for whatever surprises Mesogog threw our way.

"Now, there's the fearless leader I know." Rocky smiled.

"No doubt." Aisha nodded.

I shied a grin, letting out a sheepish laugh. "Fearless leader or not, up to this point I hate hearing that a comment, but I guess I can't deny it."

"No doubt, Dr. O." Conner said. "But are you sure you're not the oldest living power ranger?"

"Conner!" Ethan and Kira groaned.

I glared at him, taking an offense to that. I know that after Zordon had left the planet–and was killed, by no real choice–the ranks of power rangers were changing. But even, I had no real chance of keeping up with all of them. And even if I did, the evidence was always hard to bring up about my ranks. I'm not complaining, I shouldn't. But over and over again, Conner was just one who wasn't convinced with the age factor.

"Not the oldest, just the best." Hayley said as she had done so many times in the past.

We all exchanged a laugh, which pushed off some of the burden on my shoulders.

To be continued...

A/N: Answers revealed. But what is Mesogog planning to do with that power he did collect from Tommy? And did he awake his powers of the dragon coin? What about Kim? Could her body really be rejecting the dino gem's power? Stay tuned. Later days.