Tommy
When Kimberly and I returned to the control portion of the Command Center, we found Billy being assisted by Jason and Trini with setting up the molecular decoders. Or, whatever the hell he called them. Half the time, Billy speaks and I'm not exactly sure what he's saying. They placed them in the empty space where he had summoned the morphing grid before, securing them into place. I made sure to keep a fair distance from Kim as we approached, not wanting anyone to think we had just come from doing anything inappropriate. Annoyance pulsed over me for a moment before I shook it away. I didn't have time to think about that right now. We had a plan and the important part was making sure I was going to be able to get my powers back. I couldn't imagine not being part of the team again. And the thought of Kim fighting without me there scared me. It was almost frightening how much I cared about her. I've never felt this way about anyone before but Kim made me want to smile and run for the hills in the same breath.
"Tommy, as the portal appears, you'll need to pass through to re-energize your powers." Alpha said, pressing buttons on the control panel behind Billy.
"Is this safe?" Kim asked, a look of worry on her face. Billy glanced up and for the first time, he looked like he didn't know the answer to her question.
"It's uncertain the effects. I suggest morphing before proceeding." He replied, securing his glasses. I nodded, grabbing my Morpher from behind me. It was clipped on to the back of my pants, where it was kept all the time to protect it.
"Dragonzord!" I called out, holding the Morpher out in front of me. There was a green flash, though dimmer than it usually was. Energy zapped through me but this also felt weaker. I felt light-headed, holding my footing as the green Ranger uniform appeared. My powers were fading and fast. I didn't have the heart to tell the others just how quickly they were draining now. It was like living on borrowed time, unsure if I would have a chance tomorrow to use them. For some reason, that scared me more than I rationally thought it should. I was unsure of the reasoning but when my eyes drifted towards Kimberly, I knew the answer lies in those doe brown eyes.
"Please be careful." She said, clasping her hands together in front of her. Reaching out, I put a hand on her shoulder. I knew everyone was watching but I didn't care for the moment.
"It'll be alright, Kim," I said, smiling so she could hear it in my voice. I turned to Billy. "I'm ready."
"Prepare the portal, Alpha." Billy said, turning a dial on the side of one of the poles. Alpha nodded, pushing buttons and entering information on the control panel. Slowly, I let go of Kim's shoulder and squared up with the space where the portal had materialized before. In the air, there seemed to be a static energy building. I could see the air on Kim and Trini's head start to stand up and I felt my own try to do the same under the helmet. "Brace yourselves." Billy said. There was a loud crackling noise and white beams of energy shone brightly between the two pillars. The visor of my helmet helped a little with the brightness but I still found myself squinting. Everyone else shielded their eyes as the portal appeared fully in front of us. Reaching down, I grabbed my Morpher between my hands and ensured it was in place.
"Tommy, step into the morphing grid." Zordon's voice boomed. Taking a deep breath, I did as he said. I stepped forward, letting the light absorb me. As I breathed, it felt like someone had picked me up and dipped me into a vat of hot wax. It was warm but not painful. It seemed to seep into my skin like a warm bath. I closed my eyes, taking it all in. This was different than morphing or when I first received the Green Power Coin. This was raw energy. The pure, raw, powerful energy that licked at my core with a delicious sensation. There was a roaring sound that was filling my ears, making it hard to hear anything else. It was as if a train was right behind me, rattling on it's tracks. I was almost certain that if I turned around, I would see it racing by with it's clacking going with it.
"The power…" A voice whispered. I heard it and it felt like the lips of the voice were right on my earlobe. I flinched, trying to bat whatever it was away. "The power wishes to have you back, Tommy."
"Who are you?" I called out, wincing from the noise and the bright light. Was someone else in here with me? Was this an illusion of some sort? I opened my eyes and tried to look around. It was no use. The brightness was too overpowering for me to be able to see anything. The most I could see were wavy lines shooting straight up and down, much like the ones that we teleport with. The hair on my arms stood up straight as the power circled around me. In the deafening noise, I could almost hear the distinct calls of our dinosaur powers that we use for our own. Now and then, I knew there was a sharp cry of a pterodactyl in the distance.
"Tommy Oliver, the destined one." The voice whispered. "Come to take your place with us."
"What do you mean?" I called. There was no answer though and I felt the power signature begin to change. It felt faster and more urgent to fill my body. My heart thundered in my chest as I did my best to absorb it. My entire body started to vibrate and my skin grew white-hot. I thought for sure that at any moment, I would burst into flames.
"The destined one. The destined one. The destined one." The voice chanted, more voices seeming to appear to chant along. The volume grew even louder and I found myself gripping my helmet in hopes of keeping it from blowing my eardrums out. Nausea slammed into me from the sensory overload and I suddenly wished I hadn't volunteered to do this. Every part of me began to feel stretched out, like one of those dolls that they showed in the commercials on the verge of being split into two pieces. A cry admitted from me as I tried to hold myself together.
Then, everything stopped. Like turning the switch on a television, all of the loud noise and the pain just vanished. Opening my eyes, I saw I was still in the bright whiteness but it wasn't blinding. In fact, it was more calming than anything. I found myself standing on an invisible platform, the whiteness seeming to flow up and down around me for miles in either direction. The energy was buzzing, the streams of it bumping into each other. Streaks of different colors would go by, matching the colors of our powers. I noticed that the green streaks didn't go away, rather they floated around me. Their collective energy made me feel stronger, the Morpher on my waist rattling as the power coin charged.
"Tommy, you are a fool for coming here." A voice said. It felt like it was all around but also nowhere at the same time.
"Why?" I called out, looking around for a source.
"When two worlds collide, only one may rule." It replied. "You must return to your world and seal off all connection to this portal or your world will be in grave danger."
"Danger from what?" What was this voice getting at? Was there going to be some backlash from us fooling around with the grid like this? Billy had said it would be dangerous going in. Was this why? Were we tempting fate by meddling with something we've never meddled with before?
"I cannot speak of the future. It is against the laws of our galaxy, Tommy Oliver. You must return and prepare."
"Prepare for what?" I asked again, growing increasingly more annoyed by the vagueness of the answers this voice was giving me.
"Prepare for the end." There was a rumbling noise and the green lights around me began to fizzle. Much like that of a fuse on a stick of dynamite, they appeared to burn down to nothing. Directly following this, the loud noises began again and there was a flash of the white light. It was so powerful, I was tossed backward off my feet. Instinctively, my eyes squeezed shut as I collided into the hard floor.
"Tommy!" Kimberly's voice cried from somewhere far away. It took a moment for my ears to adjust from being out of the loudness, my eyes opening. I was staring up at the ceiling of the Command Center, Kimberly appearing above me with Billy by her side. I could see their lips moving but not hear what they were saying clearly. I blinked, trying to get my bearings. The rushing noise in my ears ebbed away and now, I could hear Kim asking me if I was okay.
"Yeah." I sputtered out, nodding my head. It felt like I was spinning, my senses becoming clear. I moved to sit up but Billy kept a hand on my shoulder, holding me in place.
"We need to stabilize your molecular makeup." He stated, holding a weird-looking device in his hand. He pressed a button and a yellow light lit upon it. The light shot out, coating me. It didn't feel like anything was happening at first but slowly, I felt myself return back to normal. There was no buzzing feeling and no thundering in my ears. Reaching up, I unclasped my helmet and pulled it off, letting it roll off to the side. The cold sweat pouring down my face and neck seemed to pool more freely without the helmet on. "There. You should be fine now."
"That was intense," I said, pushing myself up so I was sitting up. "Did it work?"
"I guess we will find out in a moment." Billy said, holding his free hand out. I pulled the morpher from my waist, my uniform disappearing as I did. I handed it over to him and he stood, heading over to the control panel. I shifted so that I was looking at Kim, who was still knelt down next to me.
"Are you alright?" She asked, looking worried. I nodded.
"I'm fine, Kim." I replied, giving her a small smile.
"What happened in there?" Trini questioned. I winced as I went to stand, Kim reaching out and helping me.
"It was so bright and so powerful. I couldn't even make sense of anything going on. But then, it all sort of just stopped. There was this weird voice and it kept talking to me about something that was coming." I said, trying to recall everything the best I could.
"It was warning you?" Jason asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Warning you about what?"
"I haven't the slightest idea. I kept asking for more information but it wouldn't answer me. It just kept saying to prepare and that I was the 'Destined One' or something like that." I rubbed the back of my head, my fingers sinking into my hair. "I honestly have no clue what was going on and then I was blasted back here."
"Try to not let that go to your head." Jason mused, smirking at me. I let out a little laugh, shaking my head. "I'm sure it was nothing, bro. I mean, the Grid has to have something protecting it, right? It could have been how it keeps people or whatever from going in there and trying to steal power. What do you think, Zordon?" Jason raised his head, looking up at Zordon.
"The Morphing Grid is known for using this type of technique in keeping those who wish to steal all the power from it. I believe Jason is correct." Zordon replied. "You were brave for going into the Grid, Tommy. Great work, Rangers."
"Great work indeed," Billy said, turning to smile at me. "The Dragon coin has been completely recharged. Your powers will be able to last for quite a while now."
"That's the best news I've heard all day." I said as Billy held my Morpher out to me. Jason patted me on the back while Trini clapped her hands together.
"I guess we'll have to take down those hiring signs now." Jason said. I let out a loud laugh now, feeling relieved. For the first time in a while, I wasn't worried about my powers failing. Everything had actually worked out for once. I glanced over at Kim who was smiling brightly at me. I would give anything to kiss her right now but I knew I couldn't. I would just have to wait until later to celebrate with her.
"Hey. You got a second?" Jason's voice asked as I pulled my backpack from the locker in our rooms at the Command Center. I glanced over my shoulder, seeing him standing in the doorway. I nodded, closing the locker door.
"I'm not sure. Last time you said that to me, I ended up having to be single." I replied, shrugging my backpack on. He nodded, glancing down at his shoes.
"I know. That's kind of what I want to talk to you about. You okay, man? I really do feel awful about how everything went down about that. You gotta know that I wish it didn't have to be this way." He said, a sincere look on his face. I knew he didn't. Jason didn't have it in him to be that cold-hearted or mean towards either Kim or I. He was just doing his best to protect not just the world but also his team that he was the leader of.
"I get it, Jase. It's fine. Kim and I talked. We're just going to wait and see what happens. I don't think you should cross her path any time soon but we're cool." He groaned, scratching his forehead. I smirked, enjoying his dismay. I was supposed to be meeting Kim shortly. She and Trini had left about an hour ago to work on some homework together. I was looking forward to seeing her and actually getting time to spend together. I still wasn't too thrilled about it being so secretive but it added a bit of flair to it.
"I knew she'd be pissed at me. Look, I tried to convince Zordon that there had to be another way about this. I don't see the harm in the two of you dating as long as Rita doesn't have a clue. I like the two of you together. Who knows what loser she might be interested in if not? But he was dead set against you guys being together while you were on the team." I raised an eyebrow at him, his reply seeming odd.
"He was?" Jason nodded, glancing over his shoulder behind him. When the coast was clear, he stepped into the room and shut the door behind him.
"Oh, yeah. He demanded Zack and I talk to you today about it. Then when I tried to convince him otherwise, he nearly ripped my head off about it. I'm not sure why the sudden change but I just know that he wasn't having it any other way. I've never seen Zordon so angry before. It was like he was a different version of himself or something."
"He talked to be after you guys teleported out of here to fight that monster. He said there would be fatal consequences if I continued to see Kimberly that he couldn't explain. He wouldn't tell me anything more though." Jason sighed, sitting down on the bench next to us.
"That doesn't sound too ominous or anything." He rubbed his face with his hands before running his fingers through his shorter locks. It made the front stand up slightly in a bushy fashion.
"Do you sometimes think that Zordon doesn't have our best interests at heart?" I asked in a low tone, fearful the floating head would hear me. "Like he doesn't care about us as long as the world is okay?"
"Sometimes, maybe. We do have a responsibility here though, Tommy. It's our job to make sure the world is saved before we matter. It's part of being a ranger and everything." He replied. I nodded, sticking my hands into the pockets of my sweats. I should have known that Jason would feel that way. He was all business when it came to being a Power Ranger. He was born for this kind of life and it was clear as to why Zordon had made him the leader. It was the smartest choice he could have made.
"I get that but ever since I joined the team, it feels like Zordon could give two shits about whether I'm here or not. He doesn't act like I'm an actual part of the team like the rest of you. Unless there's a need for my powers, I'm the farthest thing from his mind. Especially with my powers draining. But now, all of a sudden he is so highly concerned with my life and my relationship with Kim? Why? What's different now?" Jason looked at me, his eyebrows furrowed like he was hearing me for the very first time.
"You're right." He said, standing. "I thought I was seeing things at first that's why I didn't say anything about it. I always thought it was because Rita made you a Ranger and not him. Just the way he talks to you always makes me feel a bit off, you know? But now, something is different and it doesn't seem like Zordon wants to let us in on it." He crossed his arms, glancing around the room.
"I know. And for the first time, I'm not sure how much we can trust him." I said.
"Me either."
"So, what now?" I asked. He shrugged.
"I think our best course of action is to just keep going on like nothing is happening. Things around here don't tend to stay secret for long. I'm sure if something is going on with Zordon, we will find out one way or another. Maybe it would be best for us to keep this between us right now. I don't want to cause a mutiny against Zordon by involving the others. This could just be him overreacting to teenagers dating or something stupid like that. He hasn't actually been on Earth in person in thousands of years. He might just be out of touch with reality or something. I'm going to talk to Billy to see what he thinks. He spends the most time here. He'd know better than anyone if something is going on with Zordon or not."
"What if there is something?" I questioned. Jason glanced at me and for the first time since I met him, there was no confidence behind his expression.
"I haven't got a fucking clue."