***************************Harem****************
Kimberly's throat was starting to hurt. Zedd demanded song after song. It didn't even matter if she sung the same ones over and over. He refused to let her stop. Her voice was starting to crack as she coughed between words. She had been singing for hours now, or at least what felt like hours. Her butt was going numb from the hard stone floor and her arms were starting to ache. Another coughing fit of dry mouth interrupted her song and shook her delicate frame.
Adam couldn't hide the worry on his face. He kept looking from Kim to lord Zedd. Finally when another gasp wracked her body Adam had to speak up. Even if it meant he would be punished. "P-please... Lord Zedd... she needs water... my... mistress... needs water." Adam said, keeping his head bowed low to the floor.
His voice seemed to draw Zedd out of whatever trace he was in and he held up his hand. Kimberly took that to mean she could stop. "Does my little song bird need some water?" Zedd asked, his voice strangely calm.
Kimberly nodded, "P-please..."
Zedd clapped his hands loudly. "Attend me!" he shouted. At that command, the harem burst to life, as a flood of people from each side of the room, in a rainbow of colors, surrounded them. Bowing quickly to lord Zedd they held still waiting for his commands. "Get my fire bird some water." Two girls rushed off to obey. "Get the tables set up. Musicians start playing." he gave more orders and everything rush about at once.
Kimberly and Adam stayed still on the floor. A low wooden table of fine carved wood was placed before them and pillows offered. Kimberly was grateful but she could barely slide the pillow under her bottom. She was so numb and had no feeling in her legs. She did her best to rub and move her feet. Getting the feeling back. As soon as the table was down, water was put in front of her. One glass and a small pitcher. No water had been offered to Adam.
Just as the last pillow was in place and the music started did the door to the harem open and dish after dish of food brought in. Chicken, lamb, beef, fruits and vegetables. Kimberly even saw a whole roast pig covered in slices of pineapple. The food was placed on the many tables yet no one touched anything. Not even when the putties delivering it left did anyone touch anything. It was only when Zedd gave a wave of his hand did people seemingly attack the food.
Kimberly didn't like this. It was if no one in the harem had eaten for a few days. It felt savage and wild. She didn't know how right she was. Members of the harem were moving about taking from other tables and fighting, yet no one dared even come close to the piles of fresh fruit on her table, where she and Adam sat.
The perks of being Zedd's favorite.
It hadn't been lost on Kim that Adam had no food placed directly in front of him. She looked at her friend but he wasn't looking at her. His eyes were on the roast beef a table away. He was almost drooling over it. She had to admit that roast looked really good and she was hungry. Kimberly stood, wobbling slightly on pins and needle legs, before making her way over to the roast. Three men were currently arguing over it. In fact it looked like it would come to blows when Kimberly spoke as strongly as she could. "I want that."
The men of the harem stopped, glanced at who had spoken, and immediately backed away from the platter. She lifted it without another word and returned to her table. Placing the meat in front of Adam. "Grab some plates and something to carve this with." Kimberly said to Adam. Her eyes were sad but Adam knew right now she needed to command him. He obeyed instantly, getting to his feet and taking what was asked for from the other tables.
When he returned Kimberly smiled at him. "Carve some for me?"
Adam nodded. "Yes mistress."
Zedd grinned from his throne. Oh what fun he was having. "Dancers! Dance for me!" Zedd called making several women and a few men stop stuffing there faces and begin to dance in a group before the throne.
"Here... eat up." Kimberly whispered to Adam once Zedd was otherwise occupied. She pushed some of the carved beef towards him.
"Thank you mistress." But this time there was a twinkle of mirth in Adam's eyes as he called her mistress.
Kimberly leaned back and tried to enjoy this. Anything to keep her from worrying about Billy. She took a bite of beef. It was so tender! And the garlic butter just melted in her mouth. Still it was hard to swallow down.
She hoped Tommy would come soon to rescue them... but then again if he did.
Billy or Tommy would die.
********************** Mining caves***********************************
"Okay Aisha, you can do this." Aisha whispered to herself. Finding and filling a bucket with sticky mud had been easy but now as she made her way towards the whistle she was growing nervous. She was low in the cave, closest to the burning furnace and it was making her dizzy. She lacked Rocky's balance so he had taken the upper path towards the high mounted whistle.
Aisha kept having to force herself not to look at the cliff side where Tommy was hiding. She didn't want to risk giving anything away. She just had to trust he was there, that he was keeping his word.
There were four putties in a patrol line coming towards her and they didn't look happy to see her. Aisha frowned and dash forward pouring the goo right down the center of the whistle filling it to the brim. The putties gurgled and moved to attack her when a blur of white broke them apart.
"...Did Rocky?"
Tommy nodded. "Yeah he did."
"Ninjetti the Bear!" Aisha shouted as she morphed. "Alright, let's start a revolution."
****************************** Dark caves*****************************
Billy cursed god as he pummeled the practice dummy. This wasn't the same. Just wood and straw and mud. He wanted real challenges, real blood. He hadn't even cleaned his helmet yet. Zedd had promised him Tommy Oliver, the blood of his enemy. Billy wanted to wash his face and hands in Tommy's blood.
Ugh... and that Kimberly. Such a pretty little pest. She tormented him. His thoughts, his body. How he loathed her and yet... he could not deny his burning lust for her. He wanted to break her into pieces... make her cry but also he wanted to posses her like Zedd does. He wanted to own her, dominate her, torment her, enjoy her, make her sing for him. Yet he could not, because she belonged to Zedd.
He wanted to be the master.
Perhaps he would be...
**************************Billy, Kim, Adam and Justin's room*********************
"They've been gone a long time." Justin whispered quietly from under the bed. He was starting to ache and he really needed to use the bathroom. "Do you think it's safe to go pee?"
Bulk nodded. "I can't feel Zedd nearby."
"And Billy said no one else could open the door from the outside but Zedd." Skull added, but his voice was worried.
Bulk sighed, Billy was going to be a problem. At least he hadn't immediately remembered they were there. "Go to the bathroom. Then let's check Alpha." Bulk said.
Justin nodded, not needing to be told twice as he hurried to where the toilet was.
"Bulk, what are we gonna do?" Skull asked very quietly. "I don't want to worry but..."
"Don't. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. With luck Kim will get a reply from this Zordon guy and he'll know what to do."
Skull simply nodded and repeated Bulk quietly. "...yeah, He'll know what to do."
******************************* Mining caves*******************************
The putties had been nothing. Rocky thought, amazed at the power that flowed through him. It hadn't even been a challenge. Now he watched as Tommy stood on a small out cropping of rocks. Try to rouse the people with his speak of rebellion.
It wasn't going well... the miners were afraid and he couldn't blame them. As they whispered among themselves.
"We can't go against Zedd."
"That's suicide!"
"You abandoned us once! Why not again?!" They accused.
"Let's take'um to Zedd!"
Tommy frowned, this wasn't going well. In fact if anything the crowd was turning against them. Fighting innocent people was not something he wanted to do but if he had to he would.
Just as the crowd was about to turn on them a voice shouted. "WAIT!" Tommy blinked as a man came up to join him. A man who was at least forty pounds lighter than when he last saw him and absolutely shredded. "Ernie?" The name left Tommy's mouth before he knew it.
If the owner of the Angel Grove Juice bar heard him. He didn't say anything. "The rangers have always been there for us! Now clearly, these aren't the same rangers as we first knew but still they have come to help us. Did they have to? No, but here they are nevertheless."
"What if its a trick?" Someone yelled.
"Then let it be a trick! I for one, am sick and tired of being a slave. Aren't you?" The crowd began to mumble agreements. "And if I'm going out. It will be with a fight. With my pick buried in a monster! Whose with me?" Ernie shouted holding his pick high in the air. The rest of the crowd cheered. "Alright White Ranger." Ernie said, looking at Tommy. "What do you want us to do?"
********************** Billy, Kim, Adam and Justin's room***************
"Anything Alpha?"
"No, I am sorry Justin. Sometimes transmissions between dimensions takes awhile." The head of the robot spoke sadly.
Justin nodded and sighed. "How long have Adam and Kim been gone for?" He asked Bulk.
"About six hours."
"I wonder when..." Justin didn't get to finish as the door pushed open to the room. He froze in fear only to relax a moment later. "Kim, Adam. Are you guys okay?" The two teens looked worn thin. Adam half helped Kimberly into the room.
Adam nodded, "Yeah just really tired. I didn't think Zedd would ever let us leave."
"Did Billy come back?" Kimberly asked, stiffing a yawn.
Justin shook his head no. "No, and no message from Zordon either."
"You two should lay down. Get some sleep. It's well past midnight." Bulk added. "Skull and me can keep watch for Billy or Zedd."
"Thanks Bulk. I appreciate it." Kimberly mumbled softly but then stopped. "Geez... I'm not sure I want to sleep in Billy's bed."
"Take yours Kim. Justin and I can sleep on the floor or on the gym mats." Adam offered.
"No, No, its okay." She was already crossing the room to the blue bed, pulling down the sheets and climbing in. "Night guys."
"Night Kim. Sweet dreams."
************************ Hallway******************************
Goldar jangled the magical chains in his hands as he approached Kimberly's room. Billy was still raging in the training room and the castle had grown silent with the night. A slave wouldn't be able to stop him.
Kimberly would be sleeping right behind that door. And she would be his.