POWER RANGERS DINO THUNDER

THE WILL TO LIVE

Chapter Eight

Written by DTM666

Disclaimer: The author would like to clarify that Power Rangers and its characters is owned by Saban Brands and not the author.

-o-

"Hello?" Billy's groggy voice replied on the other side of the phone line.

"It's me, Bill," Tommy said, a hint of bitterness underlying his somewhat calm tone. "Sorry to wake you, but I'm going to take the temporary solution." As he said it, he picked up the vial with the faint pink liquid and stared at it. "At this point, I can't afford to give up my morphing abilities just yet. Not this far in the game anyway."

In a way, he hadn't lied in his response. He still had unfinished business with Mesogog and his minions; it was only natural that he would personally oversee this conclusion as well as help his own team of Rangers mature in skill and life. But there was also a selfish motive lingering in his thought process. All these years, Tommy knew that he could easily get back in the game whenever the situation called for it. Once he took the permanent solution, not only would his ailment be gone, but also his ability to morph. No morpher or other transformation device would be compatible with him.

"I'm sure it hadn't been an easy decision," Billy said, somewhat understanding what Tommy was going through, as he had once been unable to accept the Gold Ranger powers due to an absorption of particles years ago. "But you'll get over it in time."

"True," agreed Tommy, "So do I just drink this or what?"

"Yeah. Drink it all in one shot."

Tommy did so and, after having digested the formula, immediately hung up the phone without saying goodbye. Upon realizing this, Tommy thought of calling again and apologizing, but decided it wasn't worth keeping Billy from much needed sleep. Besides, it didn't really taste all that good anyway. After a moment, Tommy made his way to bed and fell fast asleep, his last thoughts pondering to the cure he digested. It was only a temporary fix, he was told. Even Billy, who had developed the formula, didn't know how long it would last, but Tommy was confident that it would be more than enough to conclude his business with Mesogog.

So for the next several months, the temporary formula had held up. It held up long enough for Tommy and the Dino Thunder team to defeat Mesogog once and for all. Unfortunately, the powers were extinguished as a result of the Dino Gems being exhausted in the midst of a final battle, but Tommy didn't mind. It just meant that his long life as a Ranger was finally over... really over...

For good.

Shortly after the battle ended, Tommy took his leave from the other Rangers and their reporter friends, who had discovered the truth and decided to share what they know with no one. Tommy smiled at the thought as he drove his black jeep back home; Cassidy and Devin reminded him of another bumbling pair he knew who turned out pretty good despite all thinking the contrary. Pushing thoughts aside, he continued towards his house on the outskirts of town and parked in front of the driveway. On the outside, the house didn't look like it had been attacked or anything. Tommy was glad for it, since he wasn't sure if a monster attack was part of the insurance policy.

Instead of getting in through the house, he made his way to a cave close by which served as a secondary entrance to the Dino Base. The scorch marks, faint smoke trail, and the open hole on the solid rock wall were the first signs that Zeltrax went through this passage and destroyed everything in his path. As Tommy stepped through the room, he survey the destruction done. Just about all the electrical equipment was beyond salvaging and most of the paperwork had been burned away by the rampant fires. Despite years of research and archiving, Tommy wasn't concerned with any of that. He immediately made his way, walking over fallen debris and wiring, to the gray locker. The locker was still in fairly good shape despite the mayhem. He opened the locker and was relieved when he saw the contents inside were relatively untouched.

The vial - containing the solution which would cure his ailment and diminish his morphing compatibility - was still intact. One of the few things to survive Zeltrax's massacre, the others being the set of discs containing the entire Ranger database and the secret compartment containing the last remnant of the original Morphing Grid. Tommy took the vial from the rack and took one last glance at what was left of his underground lab. His mind shifted back to great glories during his long tenure as a Power Ranger and the moments that have come from them. He reflected on his greatest gains and losses, thought the friends he had gained and lost, and wondered if it was truly time to give it all up.

And then his mind shifted back to that other Thomas Oliver he met in limbo; a man who had lost so much in his life that he dedicated himself to the cause to an almost frightening degree. A man who looked to live up to the legend and the greatness that others bestowed upon him. It was the kind of man that Tommy had, at one point, aspired to be, but never could be... and once he takes the cure, he'll probably never get the chance. It hit Tommy with a stark realization, but something else made Tommy aware of what that Thomas Oliver represented... and in some strange way, it was that one something that made Tommy more sure about what he was about do to now in the here and now.

Part of him didn't want to take the formula, despite the consequences. He wouldn't mind sacrificing a longer lifespan if it meant making a difference in a role he felt truly comfortable with. But another part of him was saying that maybe it's time to hang up the morpher and let others continue their work. Maybe there was a reason he decided to stay quiet for a long period of time, save for a few choice circumstances. It took Tommy a long time to sort out his feelings on the matter, but decided that maybe it was for the best that he moved on. And with that, Tommy drank the formula in one shot. He was quite pleased not only with his decision, but also with the more-pleasing taste of this formula.

"And so it ends."

Tommy heard Hayley say as she dropped in from the house entrance. He couldn't help but chuckle at the thought as he tossed the vial aside. "Yep, it's all over for me. Time for a good night's sleep."

"And if the threat of Universal Armageddon looms over the world again?" inquired Hayley.

Tommy shrugged his shoulders, leaning against a tilted support. "Let someone else handle it. As far as I'm concerned, I am retired as of this moment."

Hayley raised an eyebrow, walking towards the now-former Ranger. "As in real retirement where you stay retired or as in pro wrestling retirement where you say you're retired but come back after six to eight months?"

"No, it's for real. No choice in the matter anyway."

"You're handling this quite well."

The former Ranger waved "Not really. I'm just hiding it real good."

"Sure, you are," Hayley mused, unconvinced.

"No, really," he teased, "Later tonight, I'll break down and cry, smoke a couple joints, and maybe rent some of the hardcore stuff."

"Sure, Oliver," Hayley mused, "Whatever."

"You're invited, of course."

"Enough!" Hayley shot out and both broke into laughter. When both calmed down, Hayley asked, "So now what?"

"Now?" Tommy chuckled, looking at the wreckage of his lab. "Now I clean this mess up."

-o-

Meanwhile, in another realm of endless void... another man named Thomas Oliver contemplates his fate in limbo. He contemplates what to do now that his path to the afterlife is averted, despite the lie he told his double. He contemplates what his fate will be. But just as things seemed bleak, a light dawns upon him and grabs him with an invisible hold. He does nothing, says nothing, and feels nothing. He just lets the light take him. He watches as the light envelops him and blinds him until he finds himself free and in another place.

No longer stuck in limbo, he finds himself in an endless dune of sand. It's relatively quiet here, save for the slight sound of gales in the distance. He doesn't feel any more alive than before, but doesn't feel lost. He knows he is on Earth, but doesn't know which Earth. Is he at home or is he somewhere else?

So many questions float in his mind and the only way to find out is venturing out there.

He'll find his answers somewhere. Of that, there's no question.

Whether he'll like what he finds? Well...

That's another story in itself.

THE END...?