2A/N: It's obvious as you scan the outcome of this chapter. Seek out the lyrics of Trapt's "Headstrong" and DJ Encore's "I See Right Through To You"
THE REASON - Part Thirty-Seven: See Right Through You
Summary: Something happens to Tommy. Trent's power is growing, with his father taking great concern in his son's actions. Saving him from going farther down the evil path, Trent has now joined the ranger team. But can he be trusted?
Disclaimer: Power Rangers not mine. To Trapt's "Headstrong" and DJ Encore's "I See Right Through To You"–thanks for the inspiration.
A/N: So, it picks off where the last one left off. Ya know, what? Just read it, and hopeful some questions will be answered. But I still gotta leave you guys twisted up. Just build up the suspense. So, I might change the genre type, I'm not so sure yet. And of course, this does tie into "Copy That." Trent is now apart of the team. Their only concern now lies in Kim. And the added twist of course. To all the readers, from beginning to the newbies. Welcome and keep reading. Later dayz. May the Powers Always Protect You.
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"I don't expect it to be easy after all that I've done, but the past is in the past. I want to help you fight for the future." –Eclyptyk Neo
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Mesogog's island fortress.
The Tyrannodrones carried the unconscious black dino thunder ranger into the main lab, throwing him into a chair and locking him into place. Two more Tyrannodrones had a lock on Kim, who had broke away from the spell long enough to hurt a few dino-breathing soldiers. Mesogog was displeased with her actions as he was the last into the room. For as long as he had held her captured, he had used mind control to disrupt her thoughts, but every now and then she'd break away from the evil encoding. The power coins he created for the power sources he found were not strong enough to use against the rangers quite yet. Nor was the power of the newly discovered pink dino gem. And his primary conclusion was to awake the evil that once lived inside the black dino thunder ranger to harness them all.
"You can't win, Mesogog." she protested.
"You are a fool. Weak. I will not stand by and let you destroy this for me." Mesogog hissed. He walked up to her, his eyes boring down on her, a sense of fear running into her eyes. "Just like Anton. But if it is true about Dr. Oliver, of his status as the greatest ranger in existence, than he will be the one to destroy them forever."
"He won't do it. He'll fight it." She met the evil inside the dino-faced menace. "Just like you'll continue to fight against him, Anton."
Mesogog hissed, directing the Tyrannodrones to throw her into the geno-randomizer. The machine was turned on, and the transformation between the power of the pink dino gem met the power of the black dino gem. A cloud of smoke filled the chamber, as Mesogog watched with satisfaction of his latest scheme.
But would it work?
Minutes passed.
The doors to the geno-randomizer opened and the pink ranger came crashing to the floor. Shaken. Weak.
"Take her away!" Mesogog barked. "Let her rest."
The tyrannodrones followed suit and took the woman away, leaving the evil dinosaur with the black dino thunder ranger.
Mesogog walked over to the man now suited in his dino ranger suit, pulling the helmet off. "Enemies and allies play on both sides of the field. Are you sure you know where your trust lies, Dr. Oliver?"
The man stirred slightly, groaning. When his eyes opened, a hint of green light escaped. But he closed them again, falling into a deep sleep.
"Noooo!" a voice called into the room, pushing Mesogog to the ground.
Mesogog quickly got to his feet, growling to find the pink ranger standing before him. "You! Get out of my way!"
"You're not going anywhere near him, Mesogog." Kim proclaimed, pulling the binding away from the man she loved so much. "C'mon, Anton. Fight it."
Mesogog growled, hiding the floor in a painful heap. A strange green-yellow light escaped from the fallen dino-man. The man began to transform, take shape as the human being beneath it. Kim quickly pulled the man to his feet, but he pushed her away.
"No. I can't hold it." Anton breathed, wiping the sweat on his forehead. "I can't control it. Get Tommy outta here while you still can."
Kim forced out a breath, nodding. She moved to the black dino thunder ranger and pulled the unconscious man to his feet. And disappeared into the invisi-portal that Anton opened up, before hitting the floor in a struggle to control the evil around his dark side.
Kim landed in the woods, setting the man she loved so much on the ground, catching her breath. Her dino gem began to glow with a hint of green as the struggle for control took over her mind. She ran a hand down the side of Tommy's face, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. "Stay safe, baby. I'll be back. I won't stop fighting. I love you, Tommy."
She ran a hand over his eyes, using what control she had on the gem and her ninja powers to block away any thoughts residing around the recent events. Then she ran off toward the invisi-portal, leaving the black dino ranger behind.
Adam paced the living room of Tommy's house, as he watched the unconscious man, laying on the couch. He had found the black dino ranger on a routine hike through the woods, not too far from the forest entrance to the cave. He could only wonder how or why the man was out there, and why he was in his current state.
He found a seat beside the legendary ranger, covering the man's eyes and closing his own. If he needed answers, he would have to pry it out of his mind. Though, he figured Tommy may not like the intrusion, it had to be done.
As he began his search through the black dino thunder ranger's mind, he could find nothing. His thoughts were blank. His mind was an empty wasteland. It was like it was wiped clean, and all he got was up to the point where he had punished the teenage rangers to a training session with him, Rocky and Aisha. Nothing beyond that.
Then he must have triggered something, because he found himself on the floor, a hand tightening around his neck. Glaring green eyes bore down on him from the black dino thunder ranger.
"Tommy, it's me." Adam gagged, pulling the grip away, sending him to the ground. "It's me, Adam. Relax."
For a moment, their eyes never left the other. And the hidden anger and evil in the black ninja met with that of the black dino ranger.
Then Tommy blinked, slowly. "Adam? I...I.."
Adam looked down at him again, catching his breath. The anger was diminished as he saw the confused look in his friend's eyes. Then a wake of Tommy's dino gem sent Adam across the room, as Tommy groaned grabbing his head in pain. The black ninja scrambled over to his former leader, placing a hand on his head. With a little ninja magic, the pain stopped and Tommy collapsed, catching his breath.
"Hey, Tommy. You okay?"
Tommy looked about the room, nodding slowly. His vision became more clear as he found himself in his living room. "What happened?"
"Well, I was hoping you could tell me. I found you laying unconscious not too far from the forest entrance to the lab."
"You did?" he asked confused, grabbing his head. "The last thing I remember was falling unconscious in Anton's office."
"Anton's office!" Adam exclaimed. "What were you doing there?"
Tommy looked down trying to remember what had happened. But he could not recall what did. He knew he went to Anton's place to discuss the recent events of the attacks by Mesogog. But that was all he could remember. There was no other recollection. And if his mind was erased or something, it worked.
He looked back at his friend, confused. "I'm not sure."
Adam helped him back on the couch, running a hand across his patient's head. Tommy groaned quietly as Adam's hand landed over a bump. "It's a
concussion, folks. Seems like you got hit hard. Do you know why you went to go see Mercer?"
Tommy shook his head.
Adam sighed, patting his friend on the shoulder. He figured he couldn't get much out of him, even if he tried to pry it out. "Take it easy, then. Get some rest. I was gonna head into town and help Hayley and the others at the cyber café. Call me if you need anything."
"Sure." Tommy nodded. "Thanks, Adam."
Adam left just as Tommy found comfort in falling into a deep sleep.
Trent was in the backyard of him home, kicking major tail with the Tyrannondrones. He barely broke a sweat.
Anton Mercer watched from the door of the house, a heavy sigh falling over him. Only hours ago, he was visited by his former colleague, Tommy Oliver. And he had not expected it to turn out so badly. Though, he had no real recollection of the events, he knew that his darker half, Mesogog, had big plans for him. And he didn't like that. Didn't like that he failed to stop either himself, or the evil influence of the woman he learned was Tommy's girlfriend. And yet, his own thoughts were being changed by the evil influence of Mesogog.
When Trent was done, he walked out into the yard, holding a great concern for his son. He wanted to help him. Give a chance to his former colleague to help him, which he knew far too many secrets about since Mesogog was created.
"I need a better challenge. These guys have nothing on me." Trent protested, annoyed at finding another effortless victory with the Tyrannodrones. "I wipe the floor with them every time."
"Yeah, I can see that, son." Anton sighed, sadly. He found a seat across from his son. "You know, Trent, I don't know how else to put this, but these changes in you, I don't like them at all."
"The gem is making me stronger every day." Trent rubbed the bracelet honing his white dino gem. "Soon, no one will defeat me. Isn't that what you wanted?"
Anton shook his head. "No, son. That's Mesogog's plan. Not mine."
Trent scoffed, surprised to see his father acting like this. He glared at him. "But you are Mesogog."
"Not by choice." his father replied, getting to his feet. He walked out onto the lawn, looking at the lake beyond their home. "Those experiments I were working on of dinosaur DNA and technology were gonna be revolutionary. They were gonna serve to be a new step up for mankind." He paused, forcing out a breath. The memories of his painful mistakes of creating such a concoction that would later become the newest threat to the world, filled his mind. "But some of them, most of them, were experimental. I couldn't test them on anyone else, but myself. I just never thought they'd have such monstrous effects."
He found his way back to the seat in front of his son. "This creature, Mesogog, has poisoned my mind. I never wanted this for you, son."
Trent shook his head, scoffing. "What about the talk of me taking over the family business? Or the idea of bringing back the era of the dinosaurs?"
"Yes, son. I want you to take over the family business. But not ruling the planet with an iron fist and bringing it into the dinosaur era. That is Mesogog's plan. Not mine. That's what I'm trying to tell you. Mesogog is taking away my life, just as he is doing to you and Kim right now. And this isn't what I want. What should be happening. It has to stop."
"Well, thanks for the concern, dad. But I think it's a little too late to stop us now." Trent huffed, getting to his feet and left.
Anton forced out another breath, dropping his head. He hoped he could figure something out, or at least stop all this from getting worse.
Hours passed.
Mesogog returned to his island fortress to find it destroyed. All the experiments, he was working on, was destroyed. And the culprit, as Zeltrax had put it, was the White Ranger. His weapon left behind as evidence to the destruction.
But it was all a ploy by Zeltrax to win back Mesogog's trust. To blame his destruction on Anton Mercer's son. Yet, Zeltrax had made a monster that was capable of copying anything, one being the White Ranger's weapon, the Drago Sword.
Now, Mesogog had Trent right where he wanted him. Strapped to the life force extraction chair, the same one that held Tommy months ago.
Trent struggled to break out of the bindings, but got nowhere. "What's going on?"
"Traitor." Mesogog hissed into the boy's ear.
"Traitor! What are you talking about?"
"You didn't think you could double-cross me and get away with it, did you?" Mesogog glared at the boy. "Destroying all of my months worth of experiments just to gain all the power."
"What! That's crazy!" Trent protested.
"I cannot allow you to continue to reign in superior power over me. And for that, you shall be destroyed." Mesogog turned the needle of the machine down toward the boy's face.
"No. You're making a mistake. I didn't do anything!"
Mesogog made his way to a laptop. "Good-bye, White Ranger." He pushed a button on the keyboard.
The machine whirled on, and a glowing white light began to escape from the boy into the needle of the machine. The machine was taking away both the hold of the gem, and his life.
"No, please." Trent pleaded quietly. "It's me, Trent. I'm your son."
But Mesogog didn't hear him, as he turned to the boy. He growled with delight, glad to see he was putting the White Ranger out of misery.
"No. Dad, don't. Please, don't do this." Trent said dazed.
Mesogog hissed as a strange green-yellow light began to escape his body. He hit the ground, growling in pain. "No, Anton. You can't win."
The struggle to win control of the stern man's body was won over by the true owner. Anton quickly got to his feet as the glowing slowly died down. He turned around to see the machine was still active, his son at the point of not breathing.
"Trent, no!" he raced over, pushing the needle of the machine upward.
Sparks emptied from the needle of the extracting ray. A white light escaped, ricocheting all over the room. Anton covered his son, to protect him as the light destroyed some of the experiments and machines in the room. Until it settled in its rightful place in Trent's dino gem.
Trent groaned quietly.
Anton began to shake his son, awake. "Trent? Trent?" He saw the boy open his heavy eyes. "Son, are you all right?"
Trent groaned as his vision became clear, seeing his father looming over him. "Dad?"
Anton pulled free the bindings locking his son in place, helping him to sit up. "Are you okay?"
"What happened?" Trent rubbed his head.
"I destroyed the machine to save you, son."
Trent took a deep breath, looking at the bracelet honing his dino gem. "I feel like my old self, dad. But does that mean, there's no more White Ranger?"
Anton took a look at the gem, shaking his head. "No. It still appears to be active, but it looks like the evil encoding was destroyed," he paused, looking up at the broken needle of the extraction machine. "After the explosion."
"So, what now?"
Anton patted his son on the back. "Now, you can choose to use the gem as you would like to, son. You can control it now. It's..." he groaned, falling to the ground.
Trent jumped off the chair, trying to pull his father to his feet. "Dad, are you all right?"
Anton forced out a breath. "I can't control it, son. You'd better get out of here."
"But I can help." Trent protested in fear.
"I know you want to, son. But I gotta figure this out on my own. For now, I want you to go and use your powers for good. Go help the other rangers."
"Huh? What!" Trent forced out a breath. "That's crazy. I can't fight against you."
Anton dropped his head as sweat beat down his face. "I know you, son. You want to help, so go help them. You have no other choice."
"But I..."
"No." Anton groaned. "That's an order, son. Go."
Trent took a few frightened steps back. He knew his father was right. But he was more afraid to not be of more help to him. "Okay, dad. I'll go help the other rangers. But I won't tell them you're secret. I promise."
Anton nodded forcing out a breath. "I know you won't, son. Now, go."
Trent turned and headed out the door without saying anther word. Anton heard the footsteps become distant, as he got to his feet, fixing his tie. The usual half-grin escaped his mouth, his eyes glowed with an amber, brown color. He slowly turned around to meet the stern look of Kim.
"Why are you sending your son to join them? What about the talk of creating your own ranger team against them?" She asked, slightly upset.
"I know what I'm doing." he walked up to her. "But if you want this to stop, than you'd better find whatever good left you have in you and warn Tommy of the plans Mesogog has."
Once he said that, the woman looked down, a flush of fear escaping her face. The evil inside was broken. "One chance."
"One chance to save yourself." He nodded. "It may be too late for me. But not you."
When the woman looked up, she saw the evil dino face of Mesogog. His eyes leveled down on her as the light inside her eyes flashed with a green-pink haze. And the little fight was won out by the evil.
"Do as you're told." Mesogog hissed. "Destroy Oliver, or I will destroy you."
Kim looked away, nodding slowly. "As you wish, my lord."
The copy monster was destroyed. The teens found themselves heading to the cyber café when their teacher had informed them to drop by the lab with a surprise. The ninja rangers kept a little distance from the new person looming around the lab. Trent Fernandez (Mercer). The White Ranger. He claimed that the evil encoding was destroyed. And that he did save Tommy from a deadly assault by Zeltrax.
Tommy filled Trent in on the situation at hand beyond what he had missed, quickly stating his ranger status. And the claims of him being dubbed the ranks of "World's Greatest and Best Ranger." And what connection his ninja friends were playing in this game.
"Ya know, Tommy." Rocky was the first to say something, his eyes never leaving the newest member of the team. "I don't want to argue with you, but are you sure that evil encoding was destroyed?"
Trent looked at the red ninja, nodding. "Look, I don't expect you guys to make this all easy for me, but I know the evil encoding is gone."
"Well, we welcome you to the team, Trent." Aisha said with a light smile. "We're just glad you're okay. A trip down evil ranger central isn't fun."
Trent chuckled, glad to have the yellow ninja welcome him in. "Yeah, it isn't."
"But what about Kim?" Adam asked, looking at the man by the main computer terminal.
Tommy forced out a sigh. "One step at a time, guys. We can't move too quickly. And I figured Mesogog is waiting for our move."
Trent looked over at the man he called his teacher, now dubbing him his mentor and teammate. "I'm really sorry, Dr. Oliver."
Tommy turned his chair, to look at the newest member of the team. "I know you are, Trent. And this may all be new to you, but we're all here to help you get back on the path of being good. And no one knows a trip down evil central better than myself. So, if you ever need to talk, I'm here."
Trent smiled warmly. He was beginning to see why this man was dubbed the greatest ranger. He had been through a lot. And he was not afraid of making sacrifices. "Thanks, Dr. Oliver." His only concern came from his fellow young ranger counterparts.
Minutes passed, and the teens finally arrived.
The forest entrance opened, revealing the three original dino rangers.
Trent forced his hands into his pockets, holding his breath. "Hey guys."
The teens fell into a defensive stance.
"Whoa!" Kira's eyes widened.
"No way!" Ethan shook his head in disbelief.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Trent held his hands up in a truce. "Hold on."
"How'd you get in here?" Conner glared at him.
Tommy turned from the computer console to look at the three teens, emphasizing his gesture. "I let him in."
"What!" Conner and Ethan said in shock.
The teens filed into the room. The boys walked over to their mentor as he met them on the main floor. Kira found her place beside Trent, still not sure what was going on.
"I thought he..." Conner protested.
"..is on our side now." Tommy finished.
"I don't get it." Ethan began."There's just no way."
"He saved my life." Tommy made that statement finally. "And I brought him here knowing that he was telling the truth. But, the rest I leave to you guys. You can believe him. Or you don't have to."
The two boys looked at Trent, still unsure what to believe.
Trent dug his hands into his pocket, dropping his head. "I'm in control of the dino gem, now. I want to use it to fight with you. Not against you."
Ethan sighed, looking back at his mentor. "Well, I guess if Dr. O is down with it, so am I."
Conner nodded. "Yeah, I guess I am, too. Ya know, I'm getting kinda tired of fighting you."
Trent chuckled lightly and turned to Kira, a sign of blush filling the two as they took a moment to look at the ground, before their eyes met. "Look, I know I have a lot to make up for. But I promise you, Kira, I won't let you down."
Kira pushed open a light smile. "Well, I guess we all deserve a second chance. Welcome to the team, Trent." she pulled him into a hug, winking at her dino counterparts. She broke it quickly, slightly embarrassed at the gesture. "But isn't there a rule about the newbie rangers gotta wash all the zords?"
Ethan smiled widely. "Oh yeah. I forgot about that rule."
"The zords!" Trent exclaimed as Kira tossed him a bucket of cleaning supplies. "But they're gigantic."
"Yeah." Conner placed a squeegee on top of the stack. "Meaning, you'd better get started."
Ethan patted the White Ranger on the back. "Have fun, bro."
Trent sighed, heading for the forest entrance. "Um...thanks."
Minutes passed.
And the original four dino thunder rangers were left in the room, as the teens managed to pull their new mentors out of the room to help the White Ranger with the cleaning punishment.
Tommy found his way back to the computer. "Since when is it your responsibility to create such a cruel punishment?"
"There is no rules saying we can't." Ethan said, making his way to the computer.
"But are you sure about this, Dr. O? Can Trent be trusted?" Conner asked cautiously.
Tommy sighed. "I ran some test. There is no evil encoding left on the gem, guys. Trent is home free. He has control of his powers. And he wants to help us in the fight against Mesogog."
"That's good. "Kira nodded. "So, what about you? How's your head, Dr. O?"
Tommy ran a hand through his head, feeling the bump was nearly gone. But the memories along with it were also gone. He had no idea how he got it, or why he couldn't seem to remember what happened at Anton Mercer's house. "I'm fine, Kira. For the most part."
"Ya know, if that same thing happened with Trent. Could we use it on Kim, too?" Ethan asked.
Tommy sighed. "I don't know. We can't be sure. I heard the machine was destroyed."
The teens looked down, saddened.
Kira moved to put a hand on her teacher's shoulder, seeing the uneasiness in how he sat. "We'll figure something out, Dr. Oliver. Mesogog hasn't won yet."
Tommy touched her hand, glad she had made that gesture. "Thanks, Kira. I know we will."
"A ranger never gives up." Conner said, recalling all the times his mentor had told them that.
"No doubt." Ethan agreed.
And the battle was only beginning.
To be continued...
A/N: It has begun! plays Mortal Kombat theme–oh, wait. Sorry. needle scratch Wrong story. Couldn't help myself. But some answers are revealed. And I know it must be me, but that little half-grin that Anton Mercer (Latham Gaines) does is kinda freaky. Is it just me? I swear, when I noticed that, it scared me. I had nightmares! No lie. But, whatever it may be, let's hope the show delivers some goods. Until next time, keep reading and doing what you do. Peace out.