A/N: Here's another chapter! Thanks for the reviews. I own nothing involved with the Power Rangers but a mere obsession. :)
Tommy – The Past
"The image is still too fuzzy to make out a proper picture." Alpha stated, pressing buttons on the control panel.
"Whatever Lerigot is seeing, it's making him terribly upset." Kat said softly, placing a hand gingerly on the furry little creature's arm. He thrashed on the table, kicking his feet. I frowned, wondering what the hell Divatox was up to.
"Hello, Zordon." A woman's voice said as the image on the screen cleared. Divatox was perched on a steel cage door, fixing her makeup. She was in the god-awful outfit she wore that reminded me of something a futuristic stripper would wear. Her long hair was pulled back in a pony tail and behind her, I could see another creature that resembled Lerigot. I could tell this one was female and in her arms, there was a baby version of their kind. She looked terrified, anger building in the pit of my stomach. Lerigot began to thrash more. "I know you can hear me, so listen well. Lerigot must surrender. Say hello to Lerigot's family. Don't you just want to pinch those adorable little cheeks?"
"Stop it!" Kat exclaimed, trying to soothe Lerigot. "Look what it's doing to him."
"Bring him to me." Divatox said. Leave it to her to target smaller beings to gain something for herself. It was something Rita and Zedd would have done in a heartbeat. I was slightly shocked they weren't hanging in the rafters somewhere, helping her plot this. "Bring him to me. Oh, and by the way, as a token of my appreciation, I'll spare a couple of your favorite humans."
"What?" Adam whispered to Tanya, giving her a side glance. My chest tightened, and I quickly wondered who it could be. Could she be bluffing? How wouldn't we know that she had someone?
"They certainly aren't much to look at, but my sensors tell me they were once one of your own." The screen changed, and we suddenly saw a mostly dark room. Purplish light seemed to illuminate it as two figures dressed in wet suits stood from a floor covered in a few inches of water. The one closest to the camera shifted, pulling their mask off. It revealed long brown hair, their back towards the camera. "Oh, what do you call yourselves? Right. Power Rangers." As she said this, the figure turned and ran a hand through her hair. I felt all the breath disappear inside of me as my eyes landed on the face of Kimberly.
"Kimberly." I whispered, my vision tunneling so all I could see was the screen. It was the first I had seen of her in almost two years. Even in the pale light, I could make out her soft features. Uncertainty was in her eyes as she looked around her surroundings. Kim was here. She was back. And in the hands of Divatox, using her as bait to get Lerigot and his power. I shook my head, my drying hair moving around my face. Kim had no powers. She was in danger. There had to be a way to get her out of there. Kim moved and behind her, I saw Jason. It gave me some comfort, knowing she wasn't there alone but not enough to make me feel easy about it at all.
"Tommy?" A voice said gently next to me and I suddenly realized that Kat was trying to get my attention. Looking down, I saw she was holding my hand and looking at me with concern. "Are you alright?"
"Bring me Lerigot or his little family and your friends won't make it to see another day." Divatox chimed, the image going back to her. "That's enough. Put the helmet back on."
"Wait!" I said, stepping forward. A guard behind Lerigot's wife placed something on her head and the image scrambled until it was gone. "Fuck." I muttered under my breath.
"How did this happen?" Tanya asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "I mean, how did Divatox get them?" The petite African American woman exchanged glances with Kat who looked uneasily in my directions. I wanted to roll my eyes, but I knew it wouldn't help my situation. We needed to get Kim and Jason out of there. Now.
"Zordon, where would she take them?" I asked, shifting so I was looking up at our mentor. His floating head image peered down at me.
"Her ship has sent us coordinates for the beach. They are requesting the exchange of Lerigot for Kimberly and Jason at that location." He replied, his voice booming. Running a hand through my hair, I began to pace the room.
"Kimberly and Jason were Rangers before, man. They'll be able to stand their own until we can get them." Adam said, trying his best to reassure me. Behind them, I saw that Lerigot and Alpha were speaking in a language I couldn't understand.
"They can understand each other?" Tanya asked.
"Yes. As all good friends do." Zordon replied. A feeling of guilt hit me square in the stomach. Kimberly was in danger. What if something happened to her while she was there? We haven't spoken in so long. After I opened that letter at the Youth Center, the last thing I wanted to do was confront her about this other guy. All this time, I did my very best to not imagine her with someone else she thought was better than me. My self-esteem couldn't take the constant blows. We had never made amends. What if I don't get the chance to and my stupid pride is to blame?
"We'll get to the meeting spot. Once we get Kimberly and Jason, we'll get Lerigot's family back." I stated, looking around the group. Kat went to speak but stopped, choosing not to. Everyone nodded, an unspoken air hung around us as I turned and headed out of the room to get ready to go.
Night was beginning to fall as we helped Lerigot climb out of the back of Adam's truck. It had been the easiest vehicle to get him into and he was very sluggish with his movements. Both Tanya and Kat had to hold him as we walked along the edge of the rock formation that over looked the beach. My eyes scanned the horizon, looking for any sign of Divatox, Kimberly or Jason. There was nothing though. Nothing out of the ordinary besides the alien walking with us. In the back of my mind, I urged them to move faster but I knew it was unfair. Lerigot could only move so much, his powers weakened due to the space between him and his wife. He was doing the best he could to try and save the woman he loved. A sour feeling formed in my stomach at that thought.
"There." Adam said, pointing off into the distance. I welcomed the mental interruption, spotting a submarine propped up on land about a hundred yards away. It resembled that of a giant metal fish, large fins behinds it that looked as if they could pierce through anything.
"It's ugly." Tanya mumbled, helping Lerigot stand between her and Kat. The back of the ship opened, and metal clad figures shot out of it on jet skis. They blasted into the ocean, playing in the surf on the motorized water vehicles. I could see a larger boat between them, a larger figure on it. All of them turned and headed for the beach, pulling up on the sand. The figure on the boat was a pasty white color, wearing an empire coat that reminded me of the Revolutionary War. It stuck up high in the back, just a few inches above his oblong shaped head. Even in the darkness, I could tell he was nothing pretty to look at. My eyes suddenly caught something on the boat near his feet. It was two figures in wet suits, just like the ones Kimberly and Jason had been wearing.
"Send Lerigot down!" The beast called out, his voice echoing off the rocks around us.
"No!" I answered, cupping my hands around my mouth. "Bring our friends closer first." He let out a frustrated growl, stomping his foot.
"You have no choice, humans!" He stood up from the seat he was perched in. "This is as close as you get. Now sent the wizard down!"
"I don't like this." Adam said softly towards me. I nodded, feeling the same way. "We should try to stall them until we can figure something out."
"Yeah. I think maybe you're right." I replied. On my other side, I noticed the girls were searching around them.
"Lerigot's gone!" Kat exclaimed, gripping my arm. I turned to, looking where he had just been standing. Sure enough, he was no longer there. He was nowhere behind us either, the four of us spinning in place to search. "Lerigot! Come back!" Kat called, facing the beach. I glanced down and saw the wizard, making his way down the sand. He stopped and turned back towards us, giving a small wave.
"Come back!" I yelled out. He couldn't just hand himself over like this. IT would give this ugly fuck a reason to not give Kimberly back. Lerigot turned and continued his walk towards the boats.
"That's right. Come here you little furball." The figure said. "Come to Eldgar." Well, at least it had a name now. Two of the metal cladded minions helped Lerigot climb into the boat.
"There!" I yelled. "You have what you came for. Let our friends go!"
"Swim for them!" He replied, giving a little bow. He brought the boat back to life and it lurched off the sand. The jet skis followed, them heading out to sea.
"No!" I called out. Leaping forward, Adam and I jumped off the rock ledge and landed on the sandy beach below. I stumbled a bit but found myself sprinting towards the water regardless. I heard Adam and the girls behind me as I was Eldgar pull the boat to a stop. There was movement on board and suddenly, they shoved the figures in the wet suits off the boat. Neither gave up a fight and my heart sank as they bobbed face down in the water. I dove into the water as soon as I waded in deep enough and swam my way towards the figures. I could feel Adam on my right, his strokes vibrating around my feet.
"Tommy, wait!" He called out as I reached the first figure.
"Please be okay." I whispered to myself, grabbing it by the arm. It was much light than I thought it would be as I rolled it over. The head detached as I did so, and I saw that it was nothing more than a mannequin head attached with tape. "It's fake!" I exclaimed in frustration. I flung the dummy head into the water before heading towards the other one.
"Tommy!" Adam yelled, reaching out for me. We have to go back."
"I need to check the other one!" I said over my shoulder. I reached the other figure and like the first, the vacant stare of a mannequin looked at me as I rolled it over. "FUCK!" I yelled, shoving it away from me. I started swimming in the direction of the boats. "I have to go after them."
"They're gone, Tommy! C'mon!" Adam pleaded, grabbed the back of my shirt. He pulled me back as I tried to fight against him. I shook my head, seeing the submarine pull away from the shore and heading out to the ocean.
"No! We have to get them!" I said, my eyes blurring. I wasn't sure if it was sea water or tears.
"They're gone." Adam repeated, swimming towards shore.
"Tommy, I don't want to leave you…" Kimberly's word repeated in my head as I sat in my room of the Command Center, perched on the side of my bed. We had been so close. Who knows if she had been in that little dingy or not? Maybe if I had reached it in time, she would be here where it was safe and not on her way to a different dimension. Again, the infamous Tommy Oliver managed to screw up. It was something I was so good at, I should have a degree in it. It made my stomach hurt at the idea of it. Why could life just be simpler? Maybe if I hadn't been a Power Ranger, things wouldn't be this way. Or if Kimberly had stayed here, this wouldn't have happened. But it was happening, and I had to figure out a way to stop it.
"Hey." A small voice said from the doorway of my room. Looking up, I saw Adam standing there. Like me, he had changed into dry clothes after our return and he had a small smile of sympathy on his lips. "Can I come in?"
"Sure." I replied, giving him a nod. He walked in, closing the door behind him. Walking over to the silver chair in the corner, he sat in it backwards facing me. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened out there." He waved his hand at me.
"Don't worry about it. Believe me. If it were Tanya out there, I would be doing the same thing." He said. I was a little surprised by his answer. It hadn't been a secret that he liked her. We all knew it. I had just never heard him admit it out loud before. "What? Aren't we being honest here?"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"C'mon, Tommy. This is Kimberly we're talking about. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out."
"It's not like that." I lied, and I knew it was a lie. My feelings for Kimberly were just as alive as they were since the day she left for Florida. No matter what I did or how hard I tried to focus my efforts into my newly formed relationship with Kat, my heart still beat for the original Pink Ranger.
"I was there, Tommy." He pointed out. "I saw that frantic look in your eye when you reached for that body. I was worried to, but your face said it all." Guilt filled my chest as I glanced down at my hands in my lap.
"I know." I whispered. "It was like before when Zedd had her. All I could focus on was whether she was okay or not."
"We're gonna get her back." He said. "And Jason. And Lerigot and his family. I promise. We're the Power Rangers. It's what we do."
"Until it isn't." I said, standing. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I paced the flower. "Do you ever think of life after the Rangers? Like what you would do?"
"Sometimes. I figure college is a good start. Do you?"
"No." I said honestly, looking at him. "When I look to the future, I see myself as a Ranger still. What the hell does that mean? Ranger duties are supposed to come and go. How is it that I can't picture my life without it?"
"You've been a Ranger for a long time, Tommy. Sometimes, we have trouble letting go of something when it's been there for so long." He offered. I shrugged my shoulders.
"Kat wants us to leave the team." I said in a quiet voice.
"What?" He asked.
"She told me the other night. She thinks she's ready to leave the team. She wants to pursue dancing. If she leaves, she wants me to go with her." Adam stood, letting out a sigh.
"Is that what you want?" He asked. I shook my head.
"No. I told you. Being a Ranger is a part of me and I don't think I could let this go yet. What the hell am I supposed to do though? She wants us to move on with the next chapter of our lives."
"You've gotta be honest with her and yourself, man. I mean, everything happens for a reason. Maybe that's why Kimberly is back here all of a sudden. Maybe it was meant for her to come back when you're feeling this way."
"What about Kat though?" I questioned.
"You're not doing her any favors like this." He replied. Clapping me on the back, he smiled. "How about we save the day and then you can figure out which girl it is you want standing in your corner?"