Whew was this a long one! I guess this is taking a lot longer to write than I expected. But, as I'm sure you would all agree it's getting pretty exciting, so it's totally worth it. Also, please keep in mind that I like to fool you guys so don't declare everyone dead or alive just yet. Also don't forget to review and please come back for more.
Once the blast generated by the Brachio staff subsided Dr. Oliver lowered his hands from his face to evaluate the damage. His eyes were still closed because he greatly feared seeing the result of the decision he had just made. But, when he finally gathered the strength to look down at what remained of the Pink Ranger, his Kimberly, he wasn't quite so taken aback. She lay there, still as the other three Rangers she had defeated. She was still morphed but she did appear disheveled and possibly lifeless. Dr. Oliver wanted so badly to rush to her aid and take her in his arms but he had finally learned his lesson.
The White Ranger moved towards her but was stopped by Dr. Oliver.
"No Trent. Just leave her," directed Dr.O.
"Why?" questioned Trent in confusion, "Don't you want to know if she's okay? I thought you loved her."
"I never loved that," responded Dr. Oliver coldly as he pointed his Brachio staff at what he saw now to be a creature.
Trent was completely speechless. Dr. O. was always so kind and caring, why was he being so mean? If it had been Kira he never would have just left her there like that, even after all the destruction she caused. Speaking of Kira, Trent remembered that she still lay helpless on the other side of the clearing. He turned to go to her but once again was stopped by his leader.
"Don't go anywhere Trent," he ordered.
"But, she's defeated and Kira needs me," Trent protested in anger.
"No," answered the doctor dryly, "she's not dead."
"What are you talking about Dr.O? Did you see the size of that blast? There's no way she survived it, she hasn't even moved a centimeter."
"That may be so, but there's no way that the blast killed her," stated Dr. Oliver, "You can't destroy a power with its own power. She's just playing us," he continued. "The second you step away she's gonna have me for lunch."
Trent scratched his head. Maybe Dr. O. was delirious. The shock of it all was just too much for him to bear. It was probably just a defense mechanism; he didn't want to face the fact that he had just killed the love of his life.
"Kimberly get up!" Dr. Oliver began to yell harshly. "Get up! Get up now!"
Trent felt horrible for the guy, of course it was hard seeing her like this, but he had to snap out of it.
"Dr.O!" yelled Trent. "Dr. O. stop it! She's gone, just let her go, please!" he pleaded with the man as he wrapped his arm around Dr. Oliver's back to contain him.
"Get off me Trent!" he ordered as he shook loose from the boy's grasp.
"Kimberly get up!" he continued, "If you don't get up then I really will hurt you this time..." He was so enraged that his words began to get muffled.
Trent moved toward the woman before Dr. Oliver could stop him; he had to remove the girl's helmet and show Dr. Oliver that she was a person, and she was gone. As he reached her he knelt down quickly beside her and stretched for the clasps on her helmet.
"Trent, NO!!!!!" screamed Dr. Oliver as he rushed to his student, but he was too late.
The Pink Ranger had already "returned from the dead," and had quickly grabbed her weapon from its holster and stabbed it through the young man's abdomen when he knelt over her. It wasn't a flesh wound or anything; in fact it was more like a laser had gone through him. There was no visible wound, but inside he definitely felt it. Trent killed over next to the woman and before long the white dino gem's powers left his body just as they had left the others'.
The Pink Ranger jumped up and looked down at the poor teenage boy.
"He was kind of annoying anyway," she chuckled to Dr. Oliver, "didn't you think?"
Dr. Oliver was definitely pissed off at this point. Kimberly had managed to obliterate his entire team and it was entirely possible that she had also taken their lives, no one had moved since they had originally fallen.
"You know, this isn't right!" he came back at her. "They're just kids, just like you and I were!"
"That's true," she agreed, "But, just like you and I, kids grow up!" She jumped at him and kicked him in the stomach.
He bent forward in reaction to the pain, but he wasn't going to give up, not yet.
"And what's so terrible about growing up?" questioned Tommy as he huffed to catch his breath.
"Well," she answered as she prepared to make another hit, "people change, and not always for the better." She kicked him again in the shoulder.
"I suppose no one would know that better than you," responded Tommy as he grabbed his throbbing shoulder hoping to ease the pain.
"Don't antagonize me Tommy," Kimberly snapped back. "You were always so high and mighty. You always thought you were better than everyone else, above everyone else."
She then charged at him and the two countered each other's blows for a while, but she finally got one in. A punch to his left cheek. Tommy felt his face positive he'd find blood, but there wasn't any, it just hurt like hell.
"That's not true Kimberly," he finally answered her. "I never thought I was above any of you, we were a team, everyone was equal."
"Oh please," she snickered. "Don't give me that! You know I'm right. You thought you were great and I thought you were too," she admitted coldly.
Tommy stared at her for a second, neither of them was on the prowl or on the defense, they were just confused.
"You did?" Tommy asked softly.
"Of course I did," replied Kimberly hesitantly. "It seemed like no matter what you always made the right decisions, you always led us to victory, you always saved everyone. You always saved me," her words became very soft.
"And I'll do it again," assured Tommy proudly. "Kimberly, you don't have to do this you don't have to work for Lord Ze-"
"Please!" she interrupted "You think I'm doing this for Zedd?" she chuckled, "Zedd is just a means to an end."
"And what end would that be?" questioned Tommy not really wanting to know the answer.
"The end of you," replied Kimberly as she once again lunged at Tommy.
The two dueled until they were near exhaustion. When they finally took a breather they were both squatting and heaving for air. Tommy was beginning to realize that he wasn't going to last much longer, but it did seem that the blow had weekend Kimberly. But was it enough?
"Before we end this thing and you finally get your wish can you just answer me one question?" asked Tommy.
"I suppose you deserve one last request," said Kimberly.
"Why do you hate me so much?" there was a pause and Kimberly made no effort to answer his question. "You're the one that hurt me with that stupid letter so how is it that I'm the bad guy?" he prodded her some more.
Kimberly erupted in a fit of laughter. "You mean you don't know?" she asked.
He looked at her quite clueless and this only made her even angrier.
"Well I'll tell you why," she snapped. "Katherine," she said simply.
"Katherine?" he questioned in total confusion.
"Yes Katherine," she continued. "When Kat came to town you fell all over her and she fell all over you!" All the animosity that had been building was finally coming out. "Admit it Tommy you cared for her," she ordered.
"Okay, I'll admit it. I did care for her, but only as a friend," he added in his defense.
"Oh as a friend?" she questioned. "So I guess that's why when Katherine did all of those hateful things to me, stole my power coin, and caused me an overnight stay in the hospital you were so quick to forgive her! Damn it Tommy, I was in the hospital and all you could worry about was figuring out how you could get Ninjor back without having to give up your precious Kat."
"Hey Kim," interrupted Tommy, "now that's not fair. You know it was my job as a Ranger to keep all civilians safe no matter who it was."
"Well then," continued Kimberly, "I guess that's why you put so much effort into her and so little effort into getting my power coin back!" she erupted and Tommy could hear tears in her voice.
It was just like in his dream. All of these things she had said to him in his dream, maybe not in the same words, but she blamed him for all of the same things. He must have known all along that he had let her down, he just didn't want to believe it.
"I was so scared," she continued, "it felt so strange not to have my coin it was almost as if I had lost my soul," her tears poured down her face an fogged her vision, she was glad her helmet was there to conceal the pathetic sight. "I thought out of anyone you would have understood how I was feeling, but I guess not because you did nothing to help me!" she yelled.
"Kimberly," Tommy began, "I did understand how you felt, but what could I have done?"
"Well you were so brilliant I'm sure you could have come up with something," she returned sarcastically.
Tommy was beginning to wear her down, not so much physically as emotionally. But, when it came to spells emotional strength is even more important than physical strength. How could he get her to remember all the good?
"You're absolutely right," stated Tommy.
"What?" questioned Kimberly amazed that he didn't immediately go on the defense like usual.
"I mean it Kim, you're right. I never should have put Katherine first. I suppose I just figured you could take care of yourself more so than Kat ever could."
Both were silent, Kimberly had no idea of how to respond to that. Tommy continued hoping and praying that she would snap out of it.
"Well, I guess you were wrong," Kimberly finally responded softly.
She was beginning to lose touch with reality again. The man before her was no longer cold and vicious, he was kind and honest. But could she believe him? Did she really want revenge on him or was that somehow planted in her mind along with her powers? She couldn't remember why she had thought him so terrible. He had been good to her and sure he did put Katherine first but it's not like she herself was completely helpless.
Had it all been a fabrication in her mind? Worst of all was the attraction between Kat and Tommy romantic as she had thought, or was it really just platonic? Had she made a huge mistake when she sent that letter?
By now Tommy had let down his defenses he could tell that Kimberly was finally at a point where she was ready to reason with him. He was sure he could talk the evil right out of her.
"I was wrong, Kimberly," he began again. "You were the most important person or most important anything to me when we were kids. It tore me in half to see you go."
"Then why'd you let me go?" asked Kimberly eagerly.
"Because I wanted everything for you," he said simply.
Kimberly once again became lost in her own thoughts. Could she trust him, he sounded so genuine and she remembered him being so genuine when it all happened. But, if he truly cared for her like he said then why didn't he wait that long before making Katherine his new girlfriend? She was about to find out.
"You wanted everything for me," she stated again. "Then I suppose that's why it didn't take you long to become cozy with Katherine, right?"
'Oh man,' thought Tommy. He was hoping she wouldn't bring that up, he was going to lose her all over again. He didn't know what to say, all he could do was tell the truth.
"Now, that's not fair Kim," he finally answered, "I was devastated when you sent me that letter. An while we're pointing fingers, remind me again which one of us it was that left the other for someone else." It was all wasted, all the progress he'd made up to this point went totally out the window. His pride got in the way and it was too late to stop it.
Kimberly began to pout underneath her helmet, Tommy had definitely pushed her buttons that time.
"I didn't leave you for anyone else!" she cried.
"Well that's not how I remember it," said Tommy accusingly.
"That's because you don't remember it correctly."
Tommy starred at her bewildered and she continued.
"There was never anyone else Tommy. I made it all up."
Tommy lost his breath; he was in total shock.
"I knew our relationship was hard on you, it was only an extra burden you didn't need," she explained. "The fate of the world was lying in your hands and you were constantly wasting your time missing me. I had to let you go before you let me go," Kimberly trailed off into sobs.
Once again neither of them knew what to say, but it was Kimberly who broke the silence.
"Can you just imagine how horrible it felt for me to return to Angel Grove only to see you in the welcoming arms of Katherine at the karate tournament?" she choked back a few tears. "I was still madly in love with you Tommy and I swear I was going to tell you the truth right after the match, but I was too late."
"You know I can imagine how it felt," Tommy finally regained his ability to speak. "Because I felt exactly the same way when I read your letter in front of all of our friends in the middle of the youth center!" He wasn't going to let her make him feel bad, this time it wasn't his fault.
Kimberly began to lose control. She didn't need this right now. She wasn't herself, she didn't know who she was but she knew that she had been hurt. Right now the only thing that would make her feel better was to rid herself of the problem, Tommy. A part of her fought it and fought it, yet she found her left hand inching closer and closer to the weapon secured safely on her belt.
Tommy was too busy processing everything to notice her reach for the weapon and had he noticed, he definitely wouldn't have said what he was about to say.
"So, don't you dare ever blame any of this on me again. It was all your fault."
"Be quiet Tommy," warned Kimberly. She knew that if he kept it up she wouldn't be able to fight the evil. It would take over her for sure and she would do something that she would definitely regret.
My unhappiness, your unhappiness, everything that could have been but never was, it was all your fault Kimberly."
"Shut up Tommy, I mean it!" she warned again. 'No Kimberly, fight it, fight it,' she thought in her head. 'Don't hurt him.'
But Tommy paid no attention to her warning and finally set her off, 'It was you Kimberly, I love you, but you ruined it all!"
"Stop it!" she screamed as she aimed her gun at his chest and fired.
'What have I done?' she asked herself as she watched the beam travel in what seemed to be slow motion towards the love of her life.
But, it never hit him, instead a second beam deflected it, but who fired it? She scanned the trees around her searching for its source when finally she pinpointed it up in a tree, there were five of them and Kimberly was in complete and utter shock.