Variations Of Pink
Chapter 15: Pink And White 4ever
Last Revised: September 11, 2005
Summary: Tommy and Kim regain control of their bodies thanks to a blast of familiar power from some old friends, and help their daughter destroy Visvajita, but at what cost?
Rating: it's changed, M, for adult-themed situations.
Disclaimer: I don't own PR, Disney does
AN: Only the epilogue to go folks. Hope you enjoy this one!
"Let me know your faults and I will remind you of your strengths and gifts. Look at the world through skeptical eyes and you miss the beauty of the common bliss. See things as they are, not as they could be. Look around, see how lucky you are, fortune is on your side, not fighting against you." -- Unknown --
"Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, falling in love with you was beyond my control!" -- Unknown --
"I'm talking about fate here - when feelings are so powerful it's as if some force beyond your control is guiding you to someone who can make you happy beyond your wildest dreams." -- The movie "Alex & Emma" --
Jen held tight to Wes' hand as they rushed through the hallways of the Academy, Taylor and Eric right behind them. The four had been at the Collins' household having lunch when they'd gotten the urgent call.
"Where is he?" Jen demanded when she saw Cruger as the four former Rangers raced through the doors to the command center.
"He's been confined to his quarters," Anubis told her calmly. "He had an emotional breakdown earlier."
Jen's knees buckled slightly but Wes caught her. "Is he okay?" Wes asked.
Kat came forward then. "We think it has something to do with Sydney. He seems to be feeling whatever she's feeling."
"Like they're linked?" Taylor asked, trying to understand.
"Yes. There's more," Kat told them. "We've discovered, what we think is evidence of Tommy and Kimberly's whereabouts."
Four sets of shocked eyes landed on Kat. "What?" Eric barked, clutching Taylor's hand.
"We believe Visvajita turned them into his top two warriors, Mayon and Desdemona. Desdemona is showing faint traces of Ninjetti powers, and when Mayon appeared at Syd's last known location, I detected faint Ninjetti energy signatures on him too."
"WHAT?"
Movement in the command center ceased, all eyes turning to see Jason and Katherine standing in the doorway, looking pale and shocked.
Sydney struggled against the bonds that held her. They were made of energy, so she couldn't use them to her advantage like she could a pair of metal ones.
"Stop struggling, Sydney," Mayon told her softly, which caused her to glare at him but heed his words.
"Why should I?" she asked angrily.
"Because you'll only harm the child you're carrying even more," Desdemona hissed in her ear.
Sydney's eyes widened while her face was a mask of shock. "Pregnant?"
"Yes. You're carrying Sky's child," Mayon told her softly.
"But! We only had sex once! And it was protected!" Syd hissed at him.
"Protection isn't one hundred percent effective, Sydney, and because you're both Rangers and offspring of Rangers, once is all it really could take."
Sydney's eyes drifted to her stomach, widening in wonder. 'Oh God! Sky!' she thought helplessly, wondering if she'd get the chance to tell him, let alone bring their child into this world.
Desdemona smiled. "If he's anything like Tommy, he probably already knows."
The Pink Ranger's eyes welled with tears at the mention of the legendary Ranger's name.
Jen and Katherine followed one of the D Level Cadets toward A Squads quarters, while Taylor, Wes, Eric and Jason stayed in the command center to help. Dr. Manx had told them Jack, Bridge and Z were with Sky in his quarters.
"He's going to be fine, Jen," Katherine assured her friend. "He's a tough kid."
"I know, but I'm worried about Sydney too."
The two former Pink Rangers shared a look that spoke volumes.
"Mrs. Collins, Mrs. Scott," Jack greeted them when they came in. Bridge and Z sat on the Green Ranger's bed, Bridge's arm around Z's shoulders. Sky lay on his bed, asleep, Peanuts tucked securely in his arms.
"Oh Baby!" Jen murmured, rushing to Sky's side. The Blue Ranger remained asleep even after his mother began to touch him.
"Kat gave him a sedative, to help him sleep. He's been going non stop in panic mode for the last couple of hours."
Katherine nodded, noticing for the first time the stuffed animal in Sky's arms. The former Morphin, Zeo and Turbo Ranger smiled, knowing Sydney would come back to claim that.
"How are the rest of you holding up?" Katherine asked softly, not wanting to disturb Jen.
"We're falling apart, to be honest with you," Jack whispered back. "Especially Z and Bridge. I feel like I've failed them, Mrs. Scott, all of them."
Katherine recognized the self doubt there, and the despair. 'Do they make Red Rangers out of the same mould or what? I can't remember how many times I've heard that tone from Jason, Rocky, or Tommy over the years!'
The mere thought of Tommy caused Katherine to tear up. 'I miss you both so much!'
Sydney gasped as the Krybots and Visvajita's flunky led the trip into a large room on Visvajita's ship. On a large thrown looking chair, sat a humanoid, who looked as though several of his limbs were made of steel. The Pink Ranger knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this was Visvajita.
"Welcome, Ms. Oliver," he greeted then chuckled. "Or should I call you Ms. Scott? Or perhaps it's Cadet Drew?"
Sydney's chin came up defiantly at his piercing gaze and maniacal laughter.
"Quiet, aren't we? And here I thought you had Kimberly's spunk and spirit?"
Sydney's lip quivered slightly but that was the only indication that what was said had gotten to her.
"I also hear congratulations are in order to you and Cadet Tate, on the pending birth of your child."
At his words, Mayon and Desdemona struggled against their bonds, having understood his tone and manner faster than Sydney. "You two will be dealt with soon enough. However, continue on if you feel it necessary, but I must warn you. Your actions could cause the death of your grandchild, the same way they caused the death of your son."
The Pink Ranger gasped. "WHAT?"
Desdemona stopped struggling. "Don't touch her, Visvajita."
Mayon remained silent, while the evil emperor gloated. "Poor Sydney, never knew and you didn't tell her, did you?"
"What is he talking about?" Sydney demanded of Desdemona and Mayon.
"Kimberly was pregnant when she and Tommy battled me. Your brother was born six months later – and died at my hand when your mother refused to behave herself."
"I wasn't about to become your queen, you sick bastard!" Desdemona hissed.
'Oh God!' Sydney thought in shock. 'I had a brother!'
Sky stood on the beach, arms crossed over his chest, his eyes on the waves, his thoughts on Sydney.
"Cadet."
Craning his neck, Sky saw Cruger approaching him. "Commander."
"You're supposed to be in your quarters."
"I know. I just couldn't stay there, it was too much."
The big blue canine nodded, too many people asking the same question over and over again when the answer hadn't changed from the last time the question had been asked. "Sky, she'll be fine. She's a fighter, a survivor; she'll come through this with flying colors."
Sky nodded. "All I want is her in my arms, safe. I keep wondering if she knows she's pregnant."
Anubis smiled. "Mothers just know those things."
Sky laughed, thinking about his own mother. "You're right, of course."
"Come on, Sky. I think Kat's about ready with the SWAT upgrades and a plan of attack."
Sydney was strapped to a table in a lab. She'd been separated from Desdemona and Mayon at Visvajita's command. 'This can't be good' she thought as she looked around, and saw all the lab equipment.
"I bet you're wondering why I've had you brought in here," Visvajita told her as he and several men entered.
"The thought had crossed my mind."
"The child you're carrying is going to help me destroy S.P.D."
"What?" Sydney asked, clearly confused.
"We're just going to remove your fetus, inject it with a special serum. I'm going to have my most trusted wizard cast a spell on it and then we'll put it back. When you give birth, the spell will activate, and your child will do my bidding, starting with destroying you and your fellow Rangers, and then Anubis and S.P.D."
Sydney's eyes filled with terror and fear. 'Oh God! NO!'
"Emperor?" one of the men asked.
"Proceed, doctors."
"NO!"
The doors to the command center had just opened, and Cruger and Sky had stepped through, each chuckling about something, when Sky screamed in pain and collapsed, Jason and Jack barely able to spin around and catch him before he hit the floor.
"SKY!" Jen cried out and lunged toward her son, Wes following him.
Kat rushed over, a portable scanner in hand, and knelt next to Sky on the floor, the Blue Ranger convulsing momentarily before he went still.
"Kat?" Jack frantically asked, his eyes wide at seeing his friend and teammate like this.
"Nothing's wrong with him physically, but something's obviously wrong."
Bridge came forward, knelt next to his friend and teammate, and took off his gloved hand, allowing him to read Sky's emotions. Taking a deep breath, Bridge placed his bare hand on Sky's forehead, and cried out when he did so.
"BRIDGE!" Z called to him, catching him as he stumbled back a moment later, eyes wide and breathing labored.
"It's Syd! He's feeling Syd's pain!" Bridge gasped, leaning back against Z, unaware that he'd taken Z's hand in his own without replacing his glove.
The Yellow Ranger fought her emotions, trying to remain calm and collected so that Bridge could use her as an anchor to get back to normal. She noticed it worked when he sagged against her and put his glove back on.
"Bridge?" Cruger asked.
"I can't tell what's happening to her, Sky didn't even seem to know, but I could clearly feel her fear, her terror, and her pain. Something bad is happening, and somehow Sky's linked to her. I saw colors in his aura, and I've been studying up on them with help from some of the Cadets at the academy on KO-35. Some of them are there because of his Ranger powers, and because of his parents' Ranger powers, and I'm guessing because he and Syd are so emotionally close, because of her Ranger powers, but some of them shouldn't have been there."
No one seemed to mind that Bridge was rambling on, but Kat was curious. "What colors Bridge?"
"Blue and Pink," he started. "Representative of his and Sydney's Ranger colors, and Mrs. Collins' former Ranger color; the Pink also because he's in love with Syd, but the blue...Sky's not deeply spiritual, so that leads me to believe it's magic based."
"Is that all?" Jason finally asked, understanding Kat's line of thinking; she wanted to keep Bridge talking so that they could figure out what was happening to Sydney.
"No. Red, Green, and Yellow, but that's cause Jack, Z and I are here, and Mr. Collins; those are very thin lines around him, with the red being a bit larger. Brown, there's a lot of Brown around him. That means, in this case I think, that this is such a miserable situation to him. But the one that scares me is the Pinkish-black."
Kat's eyes widened. Since she'd been working with Bridge, she too had studied what most of the colors of an aura were supposed to mean.
"What does that mean?" Jack asked, frantic to know what had scared Bridge so badly.
"It could mean he's feeling protective towards Syd, which is a given considering the rest of the colors, but black also means evil."
The implications of Bridge's words were left hanging in the air; Sydney could have very well have been turned evil.
Mayon and Desdemona were knocked to their knees when the punch of power surged through the ship. Gasps were uttered before silent screams were ripped from their mouths. The two of them were thrown to the floor, light surrounding them.
The Krybots scattered, attempting to hide from the light that was destroying them.
When the wave of power died down, the two figures were left laying on the floor, no longer hideous looking, but having seemingly been restored to their former glory.
Mayon's eyes opened, taking in the ceiling above him. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself into a sitting position, eyes widening in shock; laying there in a most familiar pink ninja uniform, was the love of his life. "Kimberly?"
She groaned and rolled onto her back, having heard him vaguely calling her. "Oh God, Tommy?" she called out, groaning as she tried to sit up.
"Beautiful?"
The most electrifying smile lit her face as she turned doe brown eyes to his face, seeing it had been restored to the one she'd fallen in love with at sixteen.
"Handsome!"
Kimberly threw herself into his arms, happy that they were rid of the two monstrosities they'd been turned into. "Kim?"
"That power felt familiar, Handsome," she told him, having acknowledge his silent question.
"That was from our daughter."
"I know. How about we go kick his ass for touching her?"
"After you, Beautiful."
"Why thank you, Handsome."
The two pushed themselves to their feet, noticing they each wore the ninja suits they'd been given during their tenure as the Pink and White Rangers of the Morphin' team, and smiled. With a silent nod, they sprinted down the familiar hallways toward where their daughter lay, helpless, against Visvajita's sinister scheme.
The command center of the Academy looked like a Ranger reunion when Cruger stepped through the doors.
Eric and Taylor Meyers spoke in hushed tons with Jennifer and Wesley Collins, and Carter and Dana Grayson, who'd just arrived from Mariner Bay, both having more experience than Kat in taking care of injured Rangers.
Conner and Kira McKnight stood with Ethan James and Hayley Johnston near the computer consoles Kat was working at, both Hayley and Ethan lending a hand.
Cole Evans, T.J. Johnson, Andros of KO-35, Leo Corbett, Shane Clark and Hunter Bradley stood in a group, talking amongst themselves. Wes had called each of the former Red Rangers here for help, just in case.
And then there was the group of elder Rangers ringed around the current team – Billy and Trini Cranston, Zack Taylor, Justin Stewart, Jason and Katherine Scott. The only four missing were Rocky and Aisha DeSantos and Tanya and Adam Park.
For the first time in a long time, Anubis Cruger was moved beyond belief. There was a Ranger representative of every team Earth had seen from Mighty Morphin' to Dino Thunder, each of them willing and ready to give support to the children of four of the most well known of their peers.
"I wish Rocky and Adam were here," Justin murmured to Jason, who nodded.
"I tried getting a hold of them," Billy responded. "Rocky's secretary said he was out of the office, and Adam's said he hadn't been in yet. All we can do now is wait, and hope."
"The Rock-man has arrived!"
Turning, those gathered took in the four figures striding through the doors of the command center. Rocky stood in the center of the four person group, Aisha on his left, Adam on his right, and Tanya on Adam's right.
"We were beginning to wonder if you'd show up!" Jason teased, causing Rocky to glare at him.
"Hey, some of us are public servants who can't get away from the media and our growing band of groupies as easily as you, Jason."
"What's going on, Billy's call sounded so urgent?" Tanya asked, moving toward Katherine and Jason.
"Well, Sydney's been taken, by Visvajita," Katherine told her, watching her friends as their faces took on horrified expressions.
"What aren't you telling us?" Aisha asked, sensing somehow that Katherine hadn't told them the entire story.
"Dr. Manx has discovered trace amounts of Ninjetti energy, on Visvajita's ship."
"What does that mean?" Adam demanded.
"It means that Tommy and Kimberly are with Sydney," Kat told the former Rangers, watching the shock spread among them.
A pink haze.
That's all they see when they kick the door open. A pink haze misting over everything in the room, the white light at the ceiling bouncing power off the pink crystals in the air.
"Oh god!" Tommy muttered.
"SYDNEY!" Kimberly screamed, rushing forward, her husband on her heels. She doesn't care what's here, all she knows is that her daughter is somewhere in the pink haze and she has to find her, has to be there for the child she created like she hasn't been for the last twelve years.
"SYD!" Tommy calls, moving the chairs, tables, and bodies strew on the floor as he and Kimberly pick their way to the center of the room.
"Tommy, look!" Kim hisses. The two of them see two figures standing in the middle of the room. One of them is Visvajita. The other is encased in a vortex of power – blues, pinks, whites, reds, greens, colors worn by ever Ranger ever swirls around the young Pink Ranger.
"Your daughter is mine!" Visvajita hisses. "Too bad you're too late to save her, or your grandchild!"
"NO!" Kimberly's scream rips through the room, and to Tommy's mind, it looks and sounds so much like Kira's Ptera Scream that it causes his heart to ache.
"They're on their way," Kat announces to Cruger. Moments ago, a small ship carrying Jack, Sky, Z and Bridge left Earth for the uncloaked ship that appeared over New Tech City.
Sam has gone to rally the younger cadets, while all of the former Rangers gather in the command center.
"Are you ready?" Cruger asks Jason and Rocky, who nod in unison.
Kat's been tracking Sydney's morpher, and has come to the conclusion that she's on the ship flying over the city. Cruger has dispatcher the Pink Ranger's teammates to retrieve her, and Billy, Rocky and Jason have come up with a plan to help their friends.
"It's time!" Rocky calls out, the others responding to his words.
Along the walls, the Red Rangers gather, each calling up their powers. A foot in front of them, Jen, Dana, Conner, Kira, Ethan, and Taylor stood, each glowing with their powers. In another circle inside that one, stood Jason, Tanya, Trini, Zack and Justin. The middle circle consisted of Billy, Rocky, Adam, Aisha and Katherine.
"NOW!" Rocky shouted his command.
"RED RANGER POWER!" the Red Rangers called out.
"PINK RANGER POWER!" Jen and Dana commanded their power to them.
"YELLOW RANGER POWER!" Taylor proudly announced.
"DINO THUNDER POWER!" Conner, Kira and Ethan, the original three of the Dino Rangers, lifted their voices in unison.
"TURBO RANGER POWER!" Justin's voice announced next.
"ZEO RANGER POWER!" Tanya followed her younger teammate.
"MORPHIN' RANGER POWER!" Jason, Trini and Zack's voices drowned out the others, only to be silenced a second later when five voices rose above the rest.
"NINJETTI!"
"THE FROG!"
"THE CRANE!"
"THE WOLF!"
"THE BEAR!"
"THE APE!"
Cruger, Hayley, and Kat watched in shock as all the powers that had been called flared and started a chain reaction. Each outer circle directed their power in to the next, and so on, until all of the power slammed into the Ninjetti five. When white and a deeper shade of pink mixed with the Ninjetti colors, those gathered knew that Tommy and Kimberly had received the telepathic message.
"NOW!"
"NINJA RANGER POWER!"
Z was surprised to see Sky's leg bouncing around in a nervous manner. She had never seen the Blue Ranger so jittery before a battle, but, the Yellow Ranger concluded, no battle had ever been so important.
Three Rangers were possibly fighting for their lives and the huge, black ship hovering over New Tech City, and it was A Squad's job to get them out, safe and sound.
"Sky, you're making me nervous, now stop!" Jack commanded. Bridge was handling the shuttle fairly well, but he was so startled by the Red Ranger's sharp command that he nearly crashed into the side of the ship. They'd been lucky to have a cloaking device that allowed them to get next to the huge ship without being fired upon. Now all they had to do was get inside, get Syd, Kim and Tommy, and get out.
"Sorry. Something's going on, but I can't tell what. It's like Syd's not aware of what's happening around her."
Three sets of eyes met, three heads nodding in agreement. Number one priority was to get to Sydney.
"We're ready!" Bridge cried out, un-strapping himself from his seat after having switched on the autopilot.
The four Rangers morphed quickly and moved to one of the side doors of their ship. Once there, Jack and Sky used a device Kat had given them that cut through the walls of Visvajita's ship, allowing them entrance.
"Stay together, keep track of each other, and be careful!" Jack hissed at the others as they moved from their small ship onto Visvajita's.
"Z?" Sky asked softly.
"I'm getting a reading, from about two hallways over and three down. It's the same energy Kat's been tracing from Kim and Tommy."
"Let's go!" Jack commanded.
Tommy and Kimberly were just starting to engage Visvajita when they felt the punch of power crash into and through their bodies. The evil emperor looked on in shock as the two of them began glowing, the golden crests on their chests lighting up like night lights.
"What's this? A power up?"
The two Ninjetti smiled at one another, nodded, and then turned their attention back to Visvajita.
"NINETTI!"
"THE CRANE!"
"THE FALCON!"
The emperor began backing up, fear taking root in his stomach and his heart. They weren't supposed to still be connected to the Ninjetti powers!
"NINJA RANGER POWER!" the two veteran Rangers cried in unison, forcing the power their received from their friends into Visvajita.
At their enemy's piercing scream of terror, Kim and Tommy dropped to their knees, their hands locking with one another.
Behind them, Sydney watched through the veil of power surrounding her, trying to get her body to follow her commands. Alas, it didn't, and the Pink Ranger watched as Tommy and Kim fell forward, their powers gone.
"NO!"
"They've got to be inside this room!" Z huffed and puffed, leaning against the wall. Since they'd entered the ship, they'd gone through ten squads of Krybots, and had destroyed them all. Bridge was sporting a sprained wrist and wrenched knee, and yet, he kept going. Jack's helmet was cracked open, so you could see his right eye through his visor, and he had sword marks slashing down his back and against the ribs of his right side. He too, was still on his feet.
Sky had a concussion, Z knew, from being slammed through two walls, as well as a broken left wrist and an injury to his left collar bone. And for herself, Z had bumps, bruises, aches and pains in places she hadn't though possible, plus sword slashes across her chest and stomach, which were still seeping blood.
"Then let's say hello!" Jack ordered. Standing behind him, the Rangers allowed their leader to use his blasters to create a hole for them into the room.
What they found was not a good scene.
Sydney stood in a nimbus of power, with every color imaginable floating around her. Two bodies lay at her feet, each dressed in the now familiar uniform of the Ninjetti.
"Tommy and Kim!" Z cried out, seeing their lifeless bodies.
"SYDNEY!" Sky roared. Her morpher lay at her feet, shattered. He uniform was gone, a tunic of pink surrounding her, though it was torn to shreds, revealing once creamy skin now adorned with cuts, bruises and black smudges. The two bodies of her birth parents lay in front of her, obviously having died trying to protect her.
Sky soon saw what had her rapt attention. Right in front of her, was Visvajita. He was a mix of a humanoid and an android, and he looked like he'd already taken a pounding.
Sky watched her lunge for the console on her right, Visvajita yelling as she did. "SYD!" Jack hollered, his voice resonating with the emotions Sky, Z and Bridge also felt.
"NO!" Visvajita's scream ripped through the room, knocking the Rangers back away from Sydney, off their feet and to their knees.
The team watched Sydney extend a hand in the emperor's direction, pink power blasting from her palm, slamming him back against a wall. Sky tried his hardest to push up from his knees until he saw her turn her body slightly toward him, her hand still on the console she stood by.
Her eyes were full of tears and her lips were moving, though Sky couldn't head her over the pounding of his own heart. However, he managed to read her lips – I love you.
Sky felt himself pulled apart as the world started to disappear, and the next thing he knew was he was no longer on the ship, but standing beneath it. The other members of his team were with him, looking just as dazed and disoriented. As realization dawned, Sky saw the ship explode.
"SYDNEY!"