***************************FalconZord****************
The command deck had gone silent. It was so quiet, Katherine could hear her heart beat pounding in her ears. No one dared make a sound, barely dared to breath as the zord slowly made its way into the hanger.
Tommy was sure an alarm would go off any second but no such thing happened. The falcon docked with a gentle thud. Only then did he allow himself a moment to relax. "What's the reading Aisha?"
Aisha pushed a few buttons. "Air's breathable but weak oxygen content. Like if we were mountain climbing. I'm also seeing fluctuation in the atmosphere stabilizer across the hanger bay opening. It may not hold for long. And if it goes, all the air in here will be pulled out into space."
"Our suits will protect us, right?" Rocky asked.
Ninjor nodded. "Yes, the great powers can protect your human form from many dangers, such as the vacuum of space."
"But I don't have a suit." Katherine said very softly. She felt embarrassed. No one ever said anything but she felt so worthless compared to her friends. I mean power rangers? What kind of plain girl could compare to that?
Tommy glanced at the others before answering. "You won't be coming with us Kat. You'll be staying here with Ninjor. He'll look after you."
She wanted to argue she wasn't fully helpless but Tommy saw that spark in her eyes and spoke before she did. "I don't want Zedd to get his hands on you again. So please Kat?"
She dropped her head, golden hair bobbing as she nodded. "I understand."
Tommy sighed. "I guess this is the part where I give a rousing speech but... I don't know what to say. There's only three of us and there a good chance we won't... survive this. And I..."
Rocky clapped his hand on Tommy's shoulder. "Tommy we get it."
Aisha nodded. "We know this might... that we might die."
"And we're still ready to give it a try." Rocky nodded, determination shining brightly in his eyes. "No matter what, we have to try."
"I may have something that will help. It is a gift from Zordon." Ninjor, out of the air, produced a white crystal, it wasn't very big, just an inch or two, but it shimmered like a rainbow was trapped inside.
"What is it?"Tommy asked, reaching for the gem.
Ninjor pulled his hand back. "Careful young falcon. Do you recall how Zordon shrunk Rita and her minions, sealing them away 10,000 years ago?"
Tommy nodded.
"That is exactly what this little crystal does. So handle it carefully, once it strikes the ground anything within a fifteen foot radius will become 1/16th its original size. That does include you." Now Ninjor handed the shimmering stone to Tommy. "Throw it at Zedd if you can. Once he is small his powers will be near nothing."
"Let's just not get caught in the blast." Aisha said.
"I don't know. Barbie has some cute doll clothes." Rocky teased his friend.
Aisha rolled her eyes but smiled. Rocky was such a dork sometimes.
"Alright gang. Let's go stop Zedd and save our friends. Ninjor, if everything goes wrong. If we fail. Get Katherine out of here and someplace safe." Tommy commanded.
"I will. I will take her to Phadoes, to the temple. Dulcea might like the company." Not to mention Ninjor was growing fond of these humans.
"Please be careful everyone." Katherine said.
Tommy nodded and a moment later they disappeared in blurs of color.
Katherine closed her eyes and said a little prayer.
*************************Billy, Kim, Adam and Justin's room*********************
Kimberly plucked at the strings of her guitar but her mind wasn't on her song. The knock at the door wasn't unexpected but still she dreaded it. Time to go to the harem.
Giving a moment to make sure Justin was well hidden she called out. "It's open." She was expecting Goldar, or maybe Squatt or Baboo, maybe even just the putties telling her it was time to go.
She was not expecting Rita Replusa to be at the door. The empress of evil glided into the room. Giving the place a good once over, an clicking her tongue in disgust. "For his favorites, Zedd certainly didn't give you very much, did he?" She turned her attention to Kimberly, stalking over. "But I see he gave you a slave." She turned her dark eyes to Adam and waved her staff. Adam glowed blue, was lifted from the ground and slammed into the wardrobe. Crumpling to the floor with a grunt of pain, the wind knocked out of him.
"Adam!" Kimberly shouted.
"Slaves should know there place." Rite said, suddenly snagging Kimberly's chin in her hand, forcing the girl to look directly at her. "And you, do you know your place Kimberly?"
Kimberly couldn't answer but Rita frowned, there was still a spark of hope, of ranger power in the girls eyes. That spark needed to be snuffed out. "Do you know, Tommy is coming to rescue you?" Rita took great pleasure in seeing the shock, surprise and the fear for Tommy in her eyes. "Oh yes, he's coming for you and Billy. Too bad you won't ever see him again. Billy will see to that. Billy!" Rita called finally releasing her hold on Kimberly's face.
"You called my empress."
Kimberly blinked. No, her eyes had to be playing tricks on her. The ranger before her couldn't be her best friend. But the more she looked the more it seemed true. "B-Billy?"
"Kim..." Billy's voice replied from the dark, blood splattered helmet.
"What...what have you done to him?" Kimberly's voice asked weakly. She was shaking.
Rita smiled a twisted smile. "I haven't done anything.." She leaned closer to Kimberly, whispering in the trembling girls ear. "He chose the dark and soon you will too." Rita pulled away and turned her attention to Billy. "Nightmare Ranger, take her to the harem. Zedd is waiting for his pretty little fire bird's song."
The nightmare ranger bowed as Rita moved past him. "As you wish my Empress." Then he turned his attention to the girl on the bed. "Get up."
"Billy please, you have to fight this."
His gloved hand grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her to her feet. "Get up! You will not keep Lord Zedd waiting, little pet. Slave, carry her guitar!" he ordered turning to Adam before moving towards the door. "Walk!" he commanded.
Kimberly did so, trying her hardest not to cry, but her tears fell to the floor like tiny sparkling drops of starlight.
**********************Caves under the moon*********************
"Think we're going the right way?" Rocky asked as the trio picked there way along thin paths of large stones and crystals.
"No idea." Tommy answered.
"We're still going up so, this had to be right." Aisha added.
"Maybe we should take a break. Try and scout a bit." Tommy offered. He couldn't tell if they had been walking for minutes or hours. Ever since they entered the cave system, time seemed to stand still. He didn't care for this at all.
"Good idea." Rocky agreed.
"I don't know, something about this place feels weird to me." Aisha said, moving to sit on a stone.
Tommy leaned on another stone when someone called his name. "Tommy" He blinked, "You say something Rocky?"
The teen in red looked over from where he had been checking out the path ahead. "Nope."
Tommy crossed his arms and closed his eyes. He thought for sure Rocky had called for him.
"Tommy! Please!"
"Trini?" Tommy found himself saying out loud.
"Um no, I'm Aisha, remember?" Aisha said as Rocky came back over. Was something wrong with there leader?
Tommy hushed them quickly. Listening as hard as he could.
"We're down here!"
That was Zack's voice! He knew it. "Down where?" He shouted to the air around him. Getting on his knees he began to dig at the ground, moving rocks this way and that.
"Um... Tommy? What are you doing?" Rocky asked, had the white ranger gone crazy?
Tommy said nothing but stood, holding a red box in his hand. The demon face on the chest was enough to make Rocky and Aisha have doubt. "Please tell me your not opening that." She said.
"I think... I have to." Tommy grabbed the lid while Rocky grabbed Aisha, moving her a few steps back. No tell what was in there. A golden light and feeling of warmth escaped as soon as it was opened. "It's the power coins." Tommy said, and without hesitation he grabbed Trini's coin. He saw her for an instant in his mind, smiling her gentle smile and waving goodbye. The coin in his hand cracked.
The mastodon coin was next. Tommy took it and as with Trini, he saw Zack, ginning at him and doing a few hip hop moves before also vanishing with the cracking of his coin.
Jason's coin was next. "Jas?" Tommy couldn't stop himself from calling out the the image of his dear friend. Jason simple smiled and nodded. The mantle of leadership now fully pasted. Tommy's eyes stung with tears but he blinked them away as Jason's coin died in his hands.
Kimberly's coin was next. He picked it up carefully. It was slightly damaged. The rough coin edges had been filed smooth but otherwise it seemed intact. He could feel the pink energy in it, like a tiny beating heart. He slipped her coin into his pocket.
His cracked Dragonzord coin was there and he said a quick pray of thanks to the old powers that had protected him so much.
The box now empty, he turned back to his new team it wasn't lost on him that Billy's coin, hadn't been with the others.
That couldn't be good...