Tommy
Over the course of the next two days, I merely went through the motions. I taught my classes (the kids were mostly checked out for the holidays anyway) and then I came home to mope. Was it useful? Not in the slightest. However, I was better than admitting that I had nothing else to do with my life since I was now divorced. Not that I had a lot going for me before that. When Trent and Kira were my students, I had more than most teachers on their plates. Before moving here to Reefside, I was working for a lab owned by Anton Mercer. He was developing some kind of technology that used the power of asteroids that were here around the time the dinosaurs were. Together, we discovered the dino gems, powerful little colored rocks that possessed the ability to tap into the morphing grid, the same kind of power I used when I was on the original Power Rangers. Something went haywire though, causing the destruction of the lab as well as the scientific mutilation of Anton.
Assuming he had died, I came to Reefside in hopes of finding the other dino gems. They had come up missing after the explosion. They were found but not by me. Kira and her two other classmates, Connor McKnight and Ethan James, found them while in detention. It wasn't one of my brightest ideas, but they happened upon them. When they picked them up, they took on the powers of the dino gems. Kira became the yellow ranger, accepting the power of the Pterazord based off the pterodactyl. Ethan, the blue ranger with the powers of the Tricerazord from the triceratops. Connor became the leader as the red ranger. His powers were of the Tyrannozord that came from the Tyrannosaurus.
Becoming a mentor for a team of ranger was the farthest thing on my mind until it actually came true. With the discovery of these dino gems, an evil monster was beginning to attack the city of Reefside. His name was Mesagog, unknown to me at the time was the alter ego of Anton Mercer. He had survived the explosion but was left with a tainted evil side of him. Almost like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, he was fighting against the wishes of the dinosaur looking evil beast that was taking over his body. To make matters worse, he also had two lackies known as Elsa and Zelatrix. These two were out to destroy the world, including Mesagog. He was a ruthless leader over them and the two hoped to over throw him. Zeltrax was a lab assistant and my partner while working with Mercer by the name of Smitty. I had also assumed he had died but Mesagog had managed to save him. He transformed him into a cyborg who lacked all human emotions except anger. He blamed me for what happened to him back at the lab. He was set on seeing me dead, no matter the cost.
In hopes of trying to unlock the powers of the black dino gem, Mesagog captured me. He tried to use me to unleash the powers of the stone, but I managed to escape. When I did, I took the gem with me. By doing so, the dino gem accepted me and I took on the powers of the black dino gem. It was amazing to be back in the saddle ten years later and miraculously, I didn't feel like I was too old to be there. We were a team and the kids were great fighters. I had no doubt that we were going to be able to defeat Mesagog and give Reefside the heroes it needed.
That was until a boy by the name of Trent Mercer came into the picture. It was like a scene straight from my past. If I hadn't known any better, you would have thought someone repeated it for their sick amusement. Trent is Anton Mercer's adopted son. He stumbled upon the white dino gem in his father's lab, something Mesagog was hoping to infuse with his own body to build his power. When Trent touched it, its evil power took over him. This turned him into an evil Ranger, something I was all too familiar with. It was very surreal to be on this side of things, seeing a Power Ranger fighting against us without knowing who it was. At the time, Kira had confessed to our assistant Haley, that she had feelings for Trent. It was hard seeing her deal with the fact it was Trent we were fighting against. It was something that I knew one other person on this planet knew and I didn't have the option of reaching out to Kimberly for guidance.
We managed to help Trent fight those evil powers and he overcame them. He joined our team and together, we were able to save his father and bring down Mesagog. Elsa and Zeltrax were defeated as well, Elsa returning to her normal human form as my boss at the school. Zeltrax unfortunately could not be saved, Smitty falling to his demons. It was hard watching one of my friends die like that, somewhat by my hands. I had tried my damnedest to save him, but he refused to be saved. I had no choice. It was something I've fought with since it happened, the kids reassuring me it was something that had to happen. The dino gems were destroyed, letting the kids and I returned to our normal lives. They graduated high school and moved on with their lives while I stayed here. Ethan was a computer technician at Microsoft and Connor was steadily working his way through the minor soccer leagues. Last I had heard from him, he had some major scouts eyeing him for national teams. The kids are successful, something I like to think came from their time as Rangers. Though it could never be on a resume, it was something that stayed with you, no matter what.
It was also the final straw in my marriage with Katherine. Well, one of them. Besides from the part I was never in love with her, she hated the idea of me being a Power Ranger again. We fought about it constantly. At the time, she was still in school. She would travel back and forth from LA and NYC, attending classes. Whenever she was home, she would get upset when I had to go out and save the world or be in the lab down in the basement trying to find ways to stop the next attack. It caused a huge wedge between the two of us because being a Ranger was so important to me. It wasn't just something that happened and passed. To me, it was destiny that it fell into my lap again. I had more colors under my belt than a rainbow almost, something I took a huge pride in. She didn't see it that way. She thought I was doing it on purpose, trying to find a way to be on the team no matter what. Part of me knew that she was kind of right. Being a Ranger was a part of me. Something that I would sign up for again and again if I could. If it paid some real money, I would make it a career. Sadly, saving the world in spandex didn't pay well.
The sound of footsteps echoed off the walls around me as I walked. Everything felt out of focused, as if I was looking through fogged over glasses as I walked. Around me, I reached out in hopes of grabbing something to keep me steady. The only thing there was a brick wall that was ice cold to the touch. It made my fingers numb when they grazed it. The surface was rough as I ran my hand over it. The only thing I could see was black. There was no light to be found, no matter how far I walked. It felt like miles, my feet growing tired under me. My skin felt tight, like it was being compressed into my body. I was having trouble breathing so I did my best to stay calm, allowing my oxygen into my lungs.
"Tommy Oliver. How I've missed you." A voice said in my ear. I stopped, elbowing back in instinct. It didn't collide with anyone though, surprising me. Looking over my shoulder, I saw more darkness. There was nothing to be seen.
"Tommy…" The voice called in the darkness. Spinning on my heel, I did my best to try and see through the thick black around me to find the source. "Tommy…"
"Whose there?" I called out. My voice echoed, vibrating throughout my body. It felt like someone had handed me a microphone with the bass turned all the way up. What the hell was going on? Where was I? Who was that?
"Tommy…" The hair on the back of my neck seemed to stand up on end as hot breath touched the skin there. I jumped, my hands up in front of me to fight but it was not use. It was too dark to see what was going on. Whoever was hiding in this deep, dark emptiness wasn't letting me see them. I punched in front of my body blindly but made no connection. It felt like I was swinging into water, my actions slowed down as I tried to move. What the hell was going on?
In the distance, I heard a pounding noise. It sounded like it was coming at me from straight ahead. I did my best to run forward but I couldn't be sure if I was moving at all. The pounding continued but it didn't seem to be getting closer. I needed to get there. It might have some answers about what was going on and how to get out of here. I ran faster, sweat pouring down my face. It was no use though. I was running in place, no matter how hard I tried to get further. I reached for the walls again, my hand touching something metal. It was hard and felt like a bar that ran up and down. I pulled but nothing happened.
"TOMMY!" A different voice yelled, and it caused me to jump right out of my sleep. Sweat poured down my face and neck, drenching the grey cotton tank top I was wearing. My heart was racing in my chest and I looked around my room, looking for the source of the voice. There was none to be found though. Who had called my name like that? I know I had heard it. Running a hand over my face, I cleared the sweat from my forehead. Had it all been a nightmare? The voices I had heard were so real. It was the damn dream again. The same one I've been having on a continuous loop for two days now. I wish I could make heads or tails of it. Every time I try though, I come up empty. It was the same each night; I would find myself in a mostly dark room without the ability to see what was going around me. I would try to feel my way around, but it didn't make a difference. Then the voice would start, and I would try to run. The metal bar was different tonight, though. That had never happened before. I needed to get a god damn handle on this shit. The lack of sleep was beginning to affect me, and it felt like I couldn't focus. My brain resembled that of a gross, soggy sponge. Somehow, I had to find a way to wring it out.
The pounding continued, and I realized it was coming from my front door down stairs. Glancing at the clock, I saw it was nearing 2 am. The pounding seemed frantic, telling me whoever it was, they were desperate to wake me. Tossing my blanket off of me, I stood from the bed and made my way down the stairs. Pressing my face against the door, I looked through the peephole. To my surprise, I saw it was Jason Lee Scott standing there. He pounded again, the door vibrating against my cheek. Grabbing the doorknob, I pulled the door open. The night air was chilly for December, making my bare arms shiver as I looked at him.
"Jase, it's too early for this." I muttered, wiping the sleep from my eyes. Jason shook his head, brushing passed me as he entered my house. I shut the door, running a hand over my face to help me wake up more. At this rate, I'd be lucky to get a couple more hours in before first period tomorrow. He was dressed in his leather jacket, a red t-shirt and black jeans. He shook his head again. I wasn't aware that he would be stopping by. Last I knew, he was riding his bike to Oregon to see his girlfriend, Trini Kwan. She would be coming back with him to spend the holidays, the event of the season in his mind. I was also going to be joining them at the end of next week for the holidays. It surprised me to find him here. Now.
"She's gone, Tommy." He said, pacing the floor of the living room. "I got the call tonight. I've been trying to reach her since then and nothing. Her friends haven't seen her, her roommates haven't. It's like she just vanished." I raised an eyebrow at him, confused. The worry on his face was evident, the crease in his forehead deep.
"Who's missing? Is it Trini? Is she alright" I asked, holding up my hands. He needed to slow down and explain himself if he wanted me to understand. I had never seen him look this worried before. Not even when we were on the Ranger team together. He always kept his cool. Now, he looked like he was gearing up to battle his biggest fear.
"Kim." He replied, stopping to look at me. "The gym called and said she hadn't shown up for work in two days. Tommy, Kimberly is missing."
"What?" I asked, shaking my head. "There has to be a mistake. Maybe she's sick or something. There could be a million reasons why she hasn't show up to work." I added. Jason shook his head.
"They checked her room. She wasn't there, and she left everything behind. Her keys, her purse, her phone. Everything. This isn't like her, man. It's like she just vanished into thin air. I even called her mother and she said she hasn't heard from her in a few days either."
"Did she have a boyfriend or anything? She might be staying there." I suggested, a feeling rising in my gut.
"No. She hasn't been seeing anyone. Besides, she would have told Trini or Aisha if she was. None of this adds up. Tommy, what if something happened to her?" He put his hands in his pockets. "Kim wouldn't just go somewhere without at least letting someone know."
"Let me call the school and let them know I'm taking the rest of the week off." I said, turning and heading for my house phone. "You see about getting us a flight down."
Three short hours later, Jase and I found ourselves on a flight to Orlando, Florida. From there, we drove the two hours to where the gym was located. The sun was rising as we drove the highway that the GPS instructed us to take. I did my best to keep my eyes on the road, the steering wheel in hand. Jason sat next to me in the Jeep Wrangler, his jaw clenched. In my mind, I tried to think of any kind of explanation that would make it reasonable as to why Kimberly wasn't at work or her apartment. That maybe she did have a boyfriend that she was with right now. But why wouldn't she bring her cell phone or her car with her? It made no sense not to. At least her phone, anyway. Fear was beginning to set in as we passed countless human trafficking billboards and signs on our way to Schmidt Gym. I prayed to God that that wasn't the case.
"Stop it." Jason's voice said, bringing me out of my thoughts.
"What?" I asked, unsure of what he meant.
"Stop thinking of every worst thought there is to be had right now. I know you." He replied, leaning his head back against the head rest.
"Well, it's kinda hard when it's broadcasted everywhere." I mumbled, turning the dial of the radio. I wasn't in the mood for music, but it was something to do rather than sitting in my own thoughts.
"Did the divorce go through?" He questioned, glancing at me. I nodded, remembering that I hadn't spoken to him since I received the papers the other day. It was something I was trying to suppress, knowing it would be the most asked question at Christmas.
"Yeah. It was official on Monday. Congrats to me, right?"
"Well, it's better than being married to someone you don't want to be married to." He pointed out. "Does Kim know that you were getting a divorce?"
"No. I haven't spoken to her." I said, knowing full well that he knew that.
"You two still aren't talking?"
"Why do we go through his conversation each time we see each other?" I raised an eyebrow at him. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he shrugged his shoulder.
"Amuse me."
"No. We haven't since Muranthias. It wasn't the greatest conversation either." Running a hand through my short hair, I bit my lip. That was one way to put it.
"Maybe this is your shot! We'll find Kimmy, you two can reconnect and then we can have a good laugh about everything at Christmas over Zach's special spiked eggnog." Jason said, patting my shoulder. I turned off the highway, listening to the commands of the GPS.
"What if we don't find her?" I asked, softly. "I mean it, Jase. What if something is seriously wrong?"
"We'll find her, Tommy. We always do."