Hello everyone. Thanks so much for the reviews they made me feel better about the last chapter because it certainley wasn't one of my favorites. I promise more excitement is coming up soon in the following chapter so keep coming back!
When Dr. Oliver finally came downstairs it was hours latter. He was very surprised to find that like him, the other rangers were sound asleep. They looked so carefree and peaceful; it was hard for him to bring himself to wake them up. His nap had felt so good and it did help him calm down. He did not dream about anything, it just felt like he had taken a break from existence for a few hours. It was just what he needed. He still had the same worries and fears as he did when he fell asleep, but somehow things did not seem as bad.
Just as he was about to shake Connor awake he heard a noise in the kitchen. Prepared for the worst but hoping for the best he headed towards it. He could not believe how tense he immediately became as he quietly maneuvered around the couch. He decided to just get it over with and lunged into the kitchen hoping to take the intruder by surprised.
And surprised the intruder was as the longhaired woman shrieked and dropped the jar of pickles she had been holding in her hand. The jar hit the ground with a gigantic crash and pickles and glass went everywhere. Everyone heard the noise and immediately raced into the tiny room prepared for some action. But were disappointed and yet relieved to find Haley startled and shaken.
"What is wrong with you Tommy!" she yelled in frustration.
The other Rangers knew she was pretty upset because she rarely called Dr. O by his first name.
"I'm sorry," he apologized as he rushed to her aid with a handful of paper towels in one hand and a plastic bag in the other. "I guess I'm just a little shaken is all. I didn't mean to scare you I thought you were Ki-uh somebody else." Now he was babbling and he had to be careful not to let the cat out of the bag.
"Oh, it's alright," whined Haley, "I guess I should have let you know I was here but I figured you were probably upstairs asleep too." She knelt down to help the doctor clean up the mess. "I can't even understand how in the world any of you guys were able to sleep after everything that happened earlier."
"Well," said Connor, "you'd be surprised how well you can sleep when it's your only escape from reality."
"You said it," agreed Kira, "Anything was better than picturing that horrible Pink Ranger all afternoon."
"Speaking of the horrible Pink Ranger," said Ethan bluntly, "are you ever going to tell us what's up Dr.O?" Ethan wanted answers and he wanted them now.
Tommy looked rather uncomfortable at the mention of the Pink Ranger and Trent picked up on it.
"Lay off it man," said Trent, "he'll tell us when he's ready. Right Dr. O."
"Right," said Dr. Oliver. "The only problem is that I don't think I'll ever be ready. But, I guess you guys do need to know the plan. Why don't you all take a seat in the living room and Haley and I will be in when we finish cleaning up this mess."
All of the Rangers were so eager to get on with it that they were ready to grab some paper towels and even a mop so the job could get done faster. But, Conner picked up on his leader's uneasiness and figured that it would be best to just listen to his instructions.
"Come on guys, lets go," he gestured to his friends and they all followed him into the next room.
"Well, this is it guys," said Trent, grabbing Kira's hand out of nervousness, "Something tells me this is going to be big."
Kira wrapped her other hand on top of his and said, "That may be true, but everything will be okay."
"It better be," replied Connor as he nervously leafed through a science magazine he had found on the coffee table.
"Wow," said Ethan in amazement, "you must really be bothered by this, man. I never thought I'd see a science publication in your hand."
All four kids laughed and for a second were relaxed.
Back in the kitchen Haley immediately picked up on her good friend's tenseness.
"Are you okay Tommy?" she asked gently.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I'm just a little shook up is all. I wasn't expecting to find you in here."
"Well, who were you expecting to find?" asked Haley curiously.
"It doesn't matter. Come on." They had finished cleaning up the mess.
As the couple walked into the living room the laughing teenagers immediately grew silent. Dr. O took a set on the recliner and Haley found a spot next to him on the ottoman. Everyone was frozen in anticipation as the Black Ranger took one final deep breath and began to speak.
"First of all, I just wanted to say thank you to you guys for being there for me today. I realize I don't express my gratitude to you all as much as I should, but I am grateful to every single one of you every minute of everyday."
Everyone modestly nodded to Dr. Oliver, shocked and somewhat confused.
"More importantly, though," he continued, "I let you all down today. I was a poor leader and I am sorry for that."
"Dr. Oliver!" interrupted Kira, "You have never once let us down and today was no exception."
"I appreciate your loyalty Kira," he smiled at the beautiful young woman, "but you don't need to try and make me feel better. I reacted to the situation terribly and because of that you all had to pay for it. I am also very ashamed at they way I carried on in the car on the drive home. I guess you could say I'm not really myself right now and I have my reasons for that."
Everyone starred up at the man with an intense gaze that only made things more difficult for him.
"But, the fact of the matter is that we have just encountered what could very well be our greatest challenge as Power Rangers. That is why it is very important that we all keep a level head and our guard up at all times. Not only that, we need to not be afraid of the battles that lie ahead because I am confident that we will come out of all this on top."
The Rangers nodded in agreement as their pride in themselves and in their leader engulfed them.
"However, I believe that if we are to succeed then you all need to follow my instructions completely. They may not sound rational or logical to you guys, but I have thought this over very carefully and I have come up with a plan that I think will work."
"So you think we can knock that nasty little Pink Ranger right on her butt?" asked Ethan eagerly.
"Well, I do think we will ultimately succeed in destroying Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa," answered Dr. O. He had no intention of hurting Kimberly if he could help it, but he knew the Rangers would not yet be able to understand that.
"Remind me again who they are," said Trent. The other Rangers had filled him in on what they knew of the history of the Power Ranger's legacy, but his mind drew a blank.
"Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa were what I guess you could call my version of Mesogog. Nine other Power Rangers and myself fought against them back when I was in high school. I suppose neither side won, but it didn't matter because according to the Red Space Ranger, Andros, my leader Zordon destroyed them. But, somehow, I don't how, they're alive and well now, and they won't rest until they've gotten rid of me, for good."
The Yellow Ranger cringed in despair. It did not make sense that anyone would want to hurt Dr. O.
"I guess they decided that the best way to do that was by creating their own Power Ranger." Continued Dr. Oliver. "Why they chose pink and who they chose is unknown to me right now. I have my suspicions, but I don't think it would be fair for me to divulge those to you until they are confirmed.
"Wait a minute, back it up just on second," said Connor, "are you trying to tell us that the Pink Ranger is an actual person?"
"I do have reason to believe that that's a very good possibility."
"Then who is she?" asked Trent eagerly.
"Like I said, I don't know but I have a candidate in mind," answered Dr. Oliver.
"Well spill it man," demanded Ethan.
"I'm sorry, I can't do that just yet. Not until I know for sure."
It wasn't that Tommy didn't want tell the Rangers about the possibilities he just knew that the more they knew the more danger they would be in.
"So we're just supposed to sit back and wait for her to attack again and hope that this time she doesn't completely annihilate us?" asked Connor angrily.
"No, I'm not saying that at all," assured the Black Ranger. "I'm saying that I am going to follow the leads I've gathered and hopefully find out the identity of the Pink Ranger."
"Well, give 'em to us Dr. O, we can help you," said Ethan.
"No, I can't. This is something I have to do alone."
"But why?" asked Kira, "I thought we were a team."
"We are a team," replied the doctor in his defense. "But somebody needs to stay here in case Mesogog decides to join the party while I'm gone."
"Where are you going?" asked Haley trying to choke back her worry and disappointment.
"I can't say, it's too dangerous for you all to know. All I can tell you is that it is within driving distance. I have no idea how long I will be gone for, but I promise I'll keep you posted, okay?"
"I'm sorry Dr. O. but were just having a really hard time wrapping our brains around this," said the Red Ranger. "You're just not making any sense."
"I realize it may seem that way to you Connor, but I have to do this and all I can do is ask that you all give me one hundred and ten percent of your loyalty like you always have. What do you guys say? Please?"
The teenagers looked at each other in confusion; they were completely dumbfounded. Kira was the first one to gather the courage to respond.
"Of course we will Dr. O."
At that moment Dr. Thomas Oliver had never been so proud of his students.
What did you all think? I know things are moving kind of slow, but coming up is Tommy's return to Angel Grove. Now just think how fun that will be. Thanks for reading.