Kimberly
"She can't really be her, can she?"
"She looks just like her, just like thirty years older."
"Jason, she's only like thirty herself."
"Ok. Fine. But she's still older."
"Is this some kind of trick by Rita?"
"Maybe we should lock her up until we know."
"Guys, it's Kimberly. Even if it's not our Kim, she's still Kim. And she did manage to save our Kim and Tommy."
"Jesus, this is going to get confusing. Should we assign them numbers or letters or something? Call our Kim Little Kim or something?"
"I don't think that's the important thing right now, Zach."
"Just wait til the both wake up and we don't know what to call them."
The pain that was radiating around my head was nothing compared to listening to whoever was talking around me. Slowly, I felt myself get pulled from unconsciousness and back into the world of the living. My eyelids felt like the weighed a ton each as I dragged them open. Surprisingly, I found I was surrounded by the faces of my friends. Billy, Jason, Trini and Zach were all standing around me, looking down at me. But, they weren't exactly my friends. Well, unless Avon finally came up with the cure to age. These versions of them were the ones I remembered from being a kid. They were the teenagers I had spent my childhood with, Billy with his oversized glasses, Jason with his typical red tank top and diamond stud, Trini's long black hair braided over her shoulder and Zach's hair was standing about three inches on the top of his head. The nineties had certainly been the time for fashion.
"Uhh…" I said, glancing to and from each of their faces. "Hello."
"She's awake." Zach said, looking over at Trini and Billy who were on my left.
"We can see that." Trini replied. She smiled at me. "How are you feeling?"
"A bit crowded." I answered, gesturing to them standing over me.
"Oh. Right. Sorry." She said, taking a step back. The boys followed, allowing me to sit up. When I did, I saw that I was laying on a bed in the medical chamber. There were computers on the walls around us, the submerging tub on the left side of the room and more beds on the right. I saw the younger version of myself in the bed next to me and Tommy on her other side. Winching, I rolled off the bed and walked towards her.
"Are they alright?" I asked, looking over my shoulder at the kids. Billy nodded.
"Affirmative. Kimberly was dehydrated but will make a full recovery. We were able to reverse the effect of the spell Rita was trying to place on Tommy. He needs rest, but he will be fine as well." I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful I had been able to save them after all. I guess there was a lot to be said about being a ranger without any powers. When I was Kimberly's age, I never would have believed I was capable of what I had just done. I patted her upper arm, happy to know she was going to be okay after all.
"Who exactly are you?" Jason asked as I turned to face them completely. He had his serious face on, his arms crossed over his chest. It almost made me laugh. He had always been the leader type, Mr. I-Take-Charge-Of-Every-Situation. It was a characteristic that was still true to this day.
"Maybe this is a conversation best served with Zordon in attendance." Billy said, adjusting his glasses. I nodded. Seeing Zordon might be my only shot of getting back home to my time. I glanced at Tommy and Kimberly again. "They'll be alright. Come on." I followed the kids out of the medical chamber and up the long hallway that led to the Command Center mission control room. It was like walking into a dream of the past, the control room lit up with the tubes around the room. In the middle of the room, there were the main computers with all of the buttons and controls that I still to this day had no clue how they worked. They were all built around an empty space, leaving enough room for all of us to stand on the blue tiled floor. The brightest light in the room came from the energy tube. It stood tall, running from floor to ceiling and inside of it, I saw a face I hadn't seen in over twenty years. I felt tears line my eyes as I gazed up at Zordon. For a moment, I wondered if he had any clue at all that he would be dead in about five years or so. It made my chest feel heavy to think about.
"Kimberly, it's good to see the woman you have grown to." He said, his voice booming around us as I remembered. I blinked back my tears, nodding.
"It's good to see you too, Zordon. It's been so long in my time." He smiled at me.
"I'm aware." With that, I knew he knew his outcome. Billy had stated before that Zordon's people had the ability to see their timeline if they wished to do so. I couldn't imagine being able to look into the future and see my entire life and what happened in it. It was bad enough that Kimberly was seeing me right now. What kind of effect was that going to have on the present? Would things be the same or different? I guess returning was the only way I would be able to find that out.
"So, she really is Kim?" Zach asked, looking up at Zordon.
"Yes, Rangers. This is indeed Kimberly from the year 2018. Rita has brought her back to our time in hopes of tricking Tommy into joining her reign again." Zordon stated.
"Figures." Jason muttered. "What happened on the moon? Tommy and Kim weren't in any shape to tell us exactly."
"Honestly, I don't know much. She had Kim and I locked in cells away from everything. I do know that this isn't your Rita, though. I believe this is the Rita before she was locked in the space dumpster." I replied. "She looks younger and kept saying that she read about my past. Her and Goldar both seem to be more ruthless than the Rita you guys usually face."
"Is that even possible?" Trini asked, biting her thumb nail.
"It is, Trini. The Rita I had locked in the capsule was much more powerful than the Rita in our present time. Her powers were diminished during her imprisonment. Kimberly, does Rita has Hermes in her possession?" Zordon asked. I nodded.
"Yes. She mentioned that he was Finster's son." I answered.
"Finster? Isn't that the little white furry guy that makes her monsters? How would she have his son if she is from the past?" Zach raised an eyebrow looking confused. I had asked myself the same question. It didn't make sense to me.
"Finster is from Claydoious, a planet where the offspring give birth to their parents. Their planet is in a constant state of reverse time. Hermes has the ability to time travel, a gift only given to high members of their society. Rita has possible taken him as her servant in order to protect his planet from her control. With him, she is able to travel through time with ease."
"Morphenominal." Billy whispered next to me, causing a smile to crack on my lips. I couldn't even tell you the last time I had heard him say that. It was something I didn't realize I had missed so much.
"What happened during your escape?" Trini asked, breaking me from my moment of nostalgia.
"Well, I stabbed Goldar a few times. I don't believe he is dead though. If he was, we wouldn't have any memory of him. He'd be erased from your time line. He was doing something to Kimberly though. It looked like he was burning her skin. I'm not sure. I stopped him and managed to save her. Rita was in the middle of putting Tommy under a spell. I cracked her orb and she freaked out. I think it has something to do with her powers. I used Goldar's sword to get us back to Earth and then Tommy's communicator to teleport us here." I said, suddenly feeling drained. Putting it into words made it sound much more tiresome than I remembered.
"Rangers!" An old familiar voice called out, Alpha walking into the control room. The small red and chrome robot clanked towards us, waving his hands.
"What is it, Alpha?" Trini asked.
"Tommy and Kimberly are coming to." He replied. He shifted towards me. "Err…the other Kimberly."
"See! I told you this would get confusing." Zach exclaimed, holding up his hands. We moved as a group back to the medical chamber where we found Tommy and Kimberly stirring in their beds.
"What the hell happened?" Tommy asked, holding his head as he sat on the edge of his bed. He looked exhausted, bags under his eyes and it reminded me of the Tommy from our time. He always looked tired, especially during his time on the Dino Thunder team. It takes its toll on a person, even more so when you aren't a teenager anymore. Kimberly was also sitting up in her bed, the IV still hooked into her arm.
"Rita tried to capture you again, bro." Jason replied, clapping Tommy on the back. "Good thing for you that Kim came along."
"Kim? But I was there to save her." Tommy said, looking confused.
"Wrong Kim." I added, stepping forward. He shifted to look at me and a look of realization crossed his features.
"Right! I forgot about you. You saved us?" He questioned, looking amazed I had been able to do so. I nodded.
"Sure did. Are you okay?"
"I think so. Kim?" She nodded as well. Her face was a bit pale, but she seemed like she would live for the most part.
"This is so weird." Zach stated, gazing between Kimberly and me. The group nodded in agreeance.
"Tell me about it." Kim said, dragging herself to her feet. Billy moved forward, helping her pull the IV from her arm. "You saved us though. I guess it was a good thing Rita decided she needed the both of us after all."
"Why would Rita want to take the both of you to try and get to me?" Tommy asked. He stood as well, holding his temple.
"I'm not sure. Did she make you record something for Tommy?" I asked Kimberly. She shook her head.
"No. She told me that she knew he would be on his way there to save me. The last thing I really remember was being chained to that platform. That's it."
"When I found you, she was saying some weird incantation over you." Tommy added. "That's when she blindsided me with whatever the hell she was doing."
"She was doing a spell?" Billy questioned. Tommy nodded.
"I'm not sure what it was but I think I interrupted it."
"What the hell would she be doing that she would need to place a spell on Kimberly?" Trini asked, putting her hands on her hips.
"It's uncertain but I believe more tests would be a rather good idea." Billy gestured to the table. Kim rolled her eyes but hopped back up there. He pulled over a computer and began to hook some wires up to her.
"I guess the next thing we need to do is try to get you back to your time." Jason stated, turning to me. "The longer you are here, the more likely it is that our timelines are getting messed up."
"Trust me. I am all for going back to my time. I don't think Zordon has that type of power though."
"I'm sure Billy could rig something. That's what he does best." Zach said, proudly patting Billy on the back. Billy nodded as he worked.
"I can attempt to build something to get the job done." He said over his shoulder. "It'll take some time, however."
"Well, that seems to be something I have plenty of."
A few hours later, I found myself sitting in the hangar on the back part of the Command Center. It was a large portion of the mountain that the center was settled into. It needed to be big enough to house the Zords, the powerful vehicles used to help fight against Rita and her monsters she loved to make ten stories high at the drop of a hat. Thinking back, she had always been predictable to the point of boredom. She would be losing, and she would just make her monsters grow, thinking it would be her shot of winning. It never was though, us always coming out on top. As I sat perched on the cat walk above the mastodon and the t-rex Zords, I felt an ache in my chest that normally came when I thought about my time here. Even with all of my accomplishments as an athlete, this was the only time and place I had ever felt like I was making a difference in the world. What did that say about me now?
"Hey." A voice said behind me. I had to look, unable to recognize my own voice as I saw Kimberly standing there. She had showered and changed, wearing a floral print dress and a pair of jeans. She smiled, walking towards me. Sitting next to me, she draped her legs over the edge like I was doing and leaned against the bar. "What are you doing out here?"
"This used to be my favorite place to come and think when I was your age." I replied, staring out into the night sky that I could see from the open hangar door. There seemed to be a million stars and in the middle of all of them, the moon shined down.
"It's hard to remember that we're the same person." My younger version said.
"I know." I replied, sighing.
"I know you don't want to tell me much about your life. I understand that. But, when I look at you, I get this feeling that you are sad for reasons other than what's going on right now." Biting my lip, I nodded.
"It's funny, ya know? When you're a kid, you think that being an adult is going to be the greatest. You're going chase your dreams, not let anything get you down and conquer the world one day at a time. But then the time comes to be an adult and you realize just how little control you have in the world. You must see time slipping by and you realize that these goals who have set for yourself just don't seem to come true. The people you once had in your life just don't seem to follow you like you had imagined. Then, you wake up one morning and realize just how alone you are in the world. Sure, you have friends and family, but the one person you wish could be there with you every moment of the day isn't there. Because you weren't able to show him just how much you cared."
"I don't know the whole story, but I do know Tommy. It doesn't matter if it's my Tommy or the Tommy in your time. I know he loves me. I can see it in the way he smiles as soon as I walk into the room. It's the type of love that doesn't just fade away, regardless of time. It's something that will always be between us. It's never too late to get something back. For all you know, Tommy received that message that Rita sent him and is trying to save you right now. I don't think you should be so quick to count him out yet." I sighed, shaking my head.
"He hates me. I don't blame him either. I took what was a good thing between us and tried to stretch it too much. It ended up pushing him further away to the point where he won't even speak to me. Even if he got that message, I don't think he would even bat an eye at it. I wouldn't blame him for it either." I glanced over at Kimberly. "How did your tests go?"
"Alright. Billy didn't find anything out of the ordinary. I think Tommy stopped whatever Rita was trying to do before she could finish it."
"It's a good thing he came along when he did." I replied. "He's a good kid. He always was. I'd give anything to have that time back with him."
"Like I said, it's not too late. At least promise me you will try to find him once we get you home again."
"It wouldn't matter." I whispered.
"Anything is possible if you believe in yourself and fight hard enough for it." She said, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Pretty sure I've heard that one before." I replied, letting out a chuckle.
"I would hope so. Don't give up. You don't know what the rest of your timeline looks like. Things could change."
"That would be great." Kim drew her feet back in, standing. "Hey, remember to stay this smart. I wouldn't mind having a few more brain cells."
"I'll try. How about you try being a bit more optimistic? I wouldn't mind that either."
"Pretty sure you're supposed to be nice to your elders." I replied, standing as well. She laughed, shaking her head.
"I'll try to remember that. It's not like you're ninety."
"Yeah? Try telling your friends that. Zach keeps talking like I'm about to turn to dust." I rolled my eyes. "For the record, he never changes. He's exactly the same in my time as he is now. Jason too."
"Oh, so he still acts like he needs to be in control of everything?" She asked. I nodded.
"Exactly."
"Go figure. That doesn't shock me a bit. Trini is making some dinner if you're hungry." She said, pointing over her shoulder. "I know you kept giving me your meals on the moon. I bet you're hungry." I felt a pang of hunger in my stomach. It had been a while since I ate.
"Sure am. Thanks."
"No problem. I'm not sure what it is but I know it smells great." She started towards the door but stopped, turning slightly to look at me. "And for what it's worth, whatever direction my life takes, it seems to be okay. I mean, you're still the type of person I would love to end up like. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. It's not fair. Trust me. There are worse things in the world that could happen. At least I'm alive and healthy. That's all I can really ask for."
"I have some advice for you too. Don't sell yourself short. You are so much smarter than you give yourself credit for. Yeah, Trini and Billy are near geniuses, but you are brilliant in your own way. You have the ability to do whatever you want. You are going to face some of the hardest things in your life in the upcoming couple of years. And you're going to come out on top. Just don't forget that either." She nodded.
"I'll try." She shot me a wink before turning towards the door again. She took two steps before stumbling slightly. She managed to catch herself on the doorway, steadying herself.
"Are you okay?" I asked, looking to see if she had tripped over anything.
"Y-yeah." She stammered. "Just a little light headed. That's all." She gave me a small smile, but I saw all the color begin to drain from her face. Suddenly, a faint pink glow came from her skin, covering her head to toe. Her hand flew to her chest and I could hear her breathing shallow as she tried to catch her breath.
"Kimberly!" I exclaimed, rushing forward as she fell to her knees. I caught her before she fell face first into the concrete. "Somebody help!"