Tommy
"Come on, Tommy." Rita purred, leaning forward in her chair. If Rita had been any other woman in the world, I would have said she was attractive. As she bent, her breasts were more exposed, and I was pretty sure she was doing it on purpose. "We could have a lot of fun together. I'm no little girl. I can always give you any type of desire that you might have." My stomach nearly emptied at the thought as I shook it from my mind.
"I'll pass." I said, pulling on my wrists again. I willed them to be free, to break the clasps. They didn't though. They stayed where they were, secure in the same spot they had been in since our arrival. Sighing, she leaned back in her chair and twirled a piece of her hair around the tip of her right pointer finger.
"I thought as an adult you would have been smarter than the little version of you. I was obviously wrong. You're the same little dork now than you were then."
"A dork with a degree though." I pointed out even though I knew she had no clue what that would mean. Behind me, I heard a door open and I saw her eyes dart lazily over my shoulder. There was a shuffling noise and then the sound of wheels rolling came to my ears. Shifting, I saw the thing she called Hermes coming towards us, pushing a cart in front of him. There was a white sheet draped over the sides of it, silver trays on top of it.
"My empresses, I thought that you and our guest might be hungry. I've prepared a number of foods that might perhaps change his mind into staying with us. I hope you enjoy." He said, bowing towards Rita who smiled.
"Brilliant idea, Hermes. Now, go." She waved him away and he nodded. As he turned to leave, he shot me a wink before shuffling away. What was that about? Clearly, I'm not his type if that's what he was thinking. And there was no way some junk food was going to just make me change my mind. I heard him leave, his footsteps echoing until they were gone.
"Do you see the kind of servants I can offer you? He's a bit dull but he's quick to do what he's told. One of the best investments I've ever made." Reaching over, she plucked some kind of weirdly shaped red fruit from the tray and popped it into her mouth. "Just imagine all the glorious things we could achieve together. All you need to do is say yes."
"No. I already told you no. I only agreed to come to save Kimberly. Where is she? Is she safe?" I questioned again. Rita crossed her legs, twirling her left foot in the air. The shiny black heels she wore reflected the light orbs that floated around the room.
"She's alive…for now." She replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't suppose to spell I casted on her has taken any effect yet. Well, too much."
"Spell? What spell?" I yanked at my chains, anger building in my chest. "What the hell did you do to her?"
"This." Reaching inside of the cloak, Rita withdrew a pink crystal. It was attached to a string and was no bigger than my pinky. It seemed to pulsate, glowing pink for a moment before darkening. "With this, I am sucking your pretty little girlfriend dry of any kind of life force she has." She swung the necklace, dangling it from her finger tips. "She'll be dead by morning. Well, this is if you don't join me. You say yes, and I will break this and end the spell. Kimmy will get to walk away unharmed."
"Show me her." I snarled. Rita chuckled, slight traces of her hideous laugh hidden somewhere in her laughter.
"Tell me yes and I will." She cooed. "Don't you want to do anything you can to save poor Kimberly?"
"I don't need saving." A strong voice said from seemingly nowhere. I looked around, trying to find the source of it but there was no one but Rita and I in the room. Rita also looked confused, unsure of who was talking. There was a sudden loud clanging noise as the cart top flew off, revealing a pink Power Ranger standing on it. Her weapon was drawn, and she pointed it at Rita whose eyes widened. Turning her weapon from Rita to me, she pulled the trigger. The power blaster shot my right cuff off and she did the same with the left, leaving my hands free. I managed to pull my feet free now, jumping to my feet. Rita was standing now, a shrill noise coming from her as she pointed at what I assumed was the younger version of Kimberly.
"You! You should be dying!" Rita exclaimed.
"It's funny how that isn't happening today." Kim said, jumping off the cart. She ran forward, kicking Rita in the mid-drift area. It caught the witch off-guard and she flew back a few feet into the wall. The pink Ranger turned to me. "We need to seal her into the dumpster." She said, pointing at what I recognized as the containment chamber Rita had escaped from. Twice.
"Or we could kill her." I replied, pulling my master morpher from behind me. She shook her head.
"No! It will change history. Zordon said she needs to be sealed in order to save—AH!" A blast of red light hit Kim, tossing her back like a rag doll. She skidded across the floor, her helmet bouncing like a rock on the surface of water. Turning, I saw Rita was standing now, her cloak gone and pure rage in her eyes.
"Come on, Rangers. Let's see what you've got." She seethed. Swinging her arm, she aimed another ball of energy towards the teen, but I rolled forward, scooping the petite girl up in my arms and managed to jump out of the way before it made contact. I helped Kimberly to her feet, her steading herself as I did. Holding my morpher out in front of me, I shifted through the coins with my thumb.
"It's morphing time! Dino Power Thunder up!" A burst of black lighted energy came back from the morpher and my Black Dino Thunder uniform coated me. Clipping the morpher to my waisted, I summoned my Brachio staff. It appeared in my hand and I swung it, warming up my muscles. When I was ready, I ran forward and jabbed it towards Rita's head. She bent out of the way, the tip of it barely missing her face. Rita swung next, a ball of energy coming from her finger tips. I deflected it with the staff, it hitting the wall near me and blasting a small hole into it.
"You're making a huge mistake." Rita said, glaring at me. "We can rule this universe and everyone in it. I can give you everything you want."
"No, you can't." I grunt, back swinging the staff. It went towards her temple and she ducked to avoid it. "No one can."
"That's enough!" She exclaimed, holding out her hands. From thin air, her staff appeared. Raising it up into the air, she slammed the end of it onto the ground. It sent out a shockwave, the force strong enough to knock me off my feet. I swore as I landed on my back, my helmet bouncing on the floor for a second. I blinked, trying to regain focus as my ears rang.
"Tommy!" Kim's voice called. She rushed towards me, grabbing me under the arms and pulling me so I was sitting up. I shook the fogginess from my head and assisted her in helping me stand. I noticed my staff was gone, telling me that the Dino Thunder powers were beginning to fade.
"Stay back. I can handle her." I said to the younger version of the woman who left me twice. I wondered how far back in time we were. If I warned her about moving to Florida, would it change things? Would she not go? Did I have a chance to save what I had with Kimberly?
"Would you stop being so god damn thick headed and let me help you?" She snapped, stomping her foot. For a moment, I saw the Kimberly I remembered from high school. She would always remind me that I was part of a team, not taking on the whole world on my own. She was the force that kept me humble and alive, more than likely.
"Get the dumpster ready then. I'll distract her." I replied. Touching the morpher, I shifted coins. "Zeo Ranger V: Red!" The black spandex changed into read and the helmet also morphed as well. The Zeo powers. These were a set of powers that I had a hard time adjusting to. It was also during a time I was adjusting to life without Kimberly by my side during battle. With a swift motion of my hand, my sword appeared, something I haven't used in a while either. I cursed myself out for not practicing my karate like a smart former Ranger would do. I gripped the hilt in my hand and ran forwards.
"Give up, Rita! You'll never win. Trust me. I've seen your past history." I said as the blade of my sword met her staff. Sparks flew as they collided. She let out a shrill laugh, her eyes wild with something I recognized in the Rita I remembered.
"You Rangers think you can really defeat me? I am Empress Rita Repulsa. No one has ever defeated me, and no one ever will." She exclaimed, shoving me away with her staff. I brought the sword up from down low, swiping it across the front of her. The blade just nicked her side, her dress ripping. As I did this, she brought her staff up and drove the tip of it into my shoulder. It pierced through my uniform and right into my muscle. I let out a loud gasp, pain radiating down my arm as I pulled away. I clasped my wound, blood appearing on my white glove as I looked at it. She ran a finger over her wound, black blood dripping from it. She brought her finger to her mouth, licking it as she smirked at me. "Getting a little slow there in your old age, aren't you Tommy?"
"Not old. Just seasoned." I replied, adjusting my sword in my hand. I took three large strides forward, my sword out in front. She held up her staff to block but I moved just before we made contact. I thrusted the handle of the sword into her abdomen, causing her to double over. I brought my knee up, colliding it with her chin. She stumbled backwards, holding her mouth. Blood trickled down her chin now and her look of confidence was no longer as strong. Wiping her chin, she muttered under her breath. As she brought up her staff, I realized she was saying a spell. The ball part of her staff began to glow. Raising my sword, I went to swing but I froze. I couldn't move a muscle in my entire body. My sword hung above my head, my right hand holding it while my other was trying to reach for her. Rita laughed, a wide smile on her face.
"History will pay witness to the fact that Rita Repulsa is the one that ended Tommy Oliver, the greatest Power Ranger that has ever lived." She said, stepping towards me. Gripping her staff in two hands, she drew it back. As she moved to drive it into my chest, there was a loud cracking noise. The bulb on the staff exploded, red pieces flying everywhere as a pink arrow of energy struck the wall behind Rita. I could move again, and I shifted to see Kimberly holding her bow, pointing it towards Rita.
"He's not the greatest but I guess he's alright." Kim said, pulling the string back again. Another arrow appeared, and she released. Rita swung her staff, deflecting it. As my muscles began to work, I felt the degrade in power as the Zeo began to drain. Quickly, I shifted into Turbo with a click.
Rita's staff was now emitting off red light, everything in the room beginning to shift as magic filled the air. She swung it swiftly, sending a wave of magic towards Kim. She rolled out of the way, the magic slamming into the cart and the wall. Both went flying, the dumpster rolling across of the floor. Tucking my head down, I ran forward and slammed into Rita. We both fell, her body taking most of the impact as we hit the floor. I felt a sharp pain as she drove the end of her staff into my back. It only grazed my skin, but I still felt it dig into my flesh. She slammed it into me again, allowing herself to roll out from underneath me. She clawed her way to her feet before me and pointed the staff at me. Instantly, I felt my powers begin to drain. It was like I was under the heat of a thousand suns, my eyes struggling to stay open. I was dangerously close to unmorphing. I could feel it.
I pushed off the floor, rolling to my side. I pressed the button and a flash of white light blasted, cutting off the heat from Rita for a second. I was now the White Tiger Zord Ranger, the gold shield covering my shoulders. Saba, the all-knowing and never stops talking sword with the head of a tiger, appeared in my hands. I held it out in front of me, him deflecting the rays. Two laser beams shot out of his eyes, tossing the staff from Rita's hands. I used the opportunity to roll completely out of the way and leap to my feet.