Thanks to all my reviewers: The-Knight2000, KLR1 (Rita remains my favorite character, and you'll see evidence of that at the end of this chapter), GothamPowerKaiju (Glad someone caught that), brankel1, and curly q (thanks for sticking around!).
Brighter Paths
Book 5: Shades of the Past
Chapter 22: Every Moment of Light and Dark
Adam decided that, rather than getting injured and needing the serum, he would rather not need the serum altogether. That seemed increasingly unlikely, so it was with relief that he felt the overwhelming pain fade from his shoulder.
He nodded at Rocky and Aisha, who were hovering over him, ready to carry him back to the medical lab. They practically melted in relief.
"It is good to see you well, Adam," Zordon said as Rocky and Aisha helped Adam to his feet. "I regret my slow action resulted in your injury."
"It's okay, Zordon," Adam said. He looked at Rocky expectantly. "I guess we have a job to do?"
All three looked back at the Viewing Globe, which was currently showing a monster that looked like a giant crystal. The facets reflected blinding light from the late afternoon sun, starting several small fires in its path. It was joined by a large Zord that was unmistakably the Dragonzord.
"Yeah," Rocky said. "We have a job to do."
Tommy drew his sword Saba defensively as soon as he teleported down. The sword was being blessedly silent. What with the clone, he didn't need any more reflections of his own psyche joining the conversation.
The triumphant music of the Dragon Dagger and the familiar shrieks of his old Zord pierced the air, filling him with both fear and nostalgia. As much as he loved his new powers, he missed the first powers he'd held, powers that held as many good memories as they did bad.
"I figured you'd come down to fight me yourself." Thomas, the Green Ranger, stood watching the battle. He seemed to have the same instinctual control over the Dragonzord, able to coordinate it in battle without having to pay all that much attention. It was the type of control that Tommy remembered having, but he couldn't for the life of him remember the mechanics, or how hard he would have to push the new Green Ranger before he lost control.
"Walking through force fields," Tommy said. "That's a neat trick. Would have been helpful for me on several occasions. How'd you do it?"
Thomas gave a humorless laugh. "I guess you could say that I'm not quite human."
"I get that," Tommy said. He shook his head. "Thomas, what are you fighting for? Are you really fighting for Rita? I… I know it's easier like that, but…"
"You don't know anything." Thomas's voice had grown short and clipped. "You abandoned Rita… twice. You know nothing of loyalty."
"You're wrong," Tommy said. "Thomas, loyalty can't be forced. It has to be given. And… and if you're really just like me, you're betraying the memory of…"
Tommy was countering even as he spoke. He'd expected the attack, after all. Above, the Megazord battled the Dragonzord, while below the White Ranger battled the Green Ranger.
Kimberly edged in front of Hank protectively, while she saw Billy do the same for William. She tracked the Wizard of Deception, standing peacefully before them… well… deceptively. And she counted the guns held by the startled men faced with what must have looked to them like a demon.
Her brain ground to a stop. She had no idea what to do, no clue as to how to get them all out of there alive.
Therefore, she wasn't able to stop Hank from pushing her aside. From squaring off with the Wizard.
"Now, that's enough, devil," Hank said loud enough for everyone to hear.
Kimberly tried to pull him back, but he batted her hand away, not looking at her. She didn't dare do more, afraid the Wizard would break out of his shock at being addressed like this and do something about it.
"You've spread enough lies," he continued, "and I won't have you lying about my two friends here. All they've done since they've got here is to save us from the likes of you."
The Wizard glowered at the lone man before him, glowing redder underneath his cloak. The other men moved back, but Hank was unmoved.
"And what lies have I told?" the Wizard said.
"These two had nothing to do with what happened to the sheriff," Hank said calmly. "It was all you. I saw you the same night I saw Bill." He swallowed hard. "I was the drunk Bill was taking care of the night he disappeared. Only I wasn't so drunk I can't recognize the witch that cast the first spell. You threw some gray stuff at him, and then…"
Everyone was staring at Hank at this admission, but he merely raised his fists, still facing the Wizard.
"I won't let you hurt anyone else," he said. "I'm going to make up for not saving Bill that first night. So come on…" he said gravely. "Let's do this."
The Wizard laughed, long and hard, but everyone else stood transfixed at Hank's lone stand. In an offhand motion, the Wizard raised his wand… but Kimberly was too quick for him. She broke out of her trance to slam into Hank, knocking him down and landing on top of him before the blast from the wand could hit him.
"Hank, thank you," Kimberly said in his ear. "But we can take it from here. You have to lead everyone out. Save Bill. Save his family."
He nodded, so she let him up. "Alright, Wizard," she said loudly, trying to distract him from Hank and the others. "You've been asking for a fight for ages, and now you're going to get one. Ready, Billy?"
"Affirmative," Billy said.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hank pulling the sheriff over to where Mr. Cranston and his men were standing. She saw Mr. Cranston pull both Hank and Bill toward him, all animosity forgotten, as the other men covered their retreat, Johnny taking point. And she knew it was time. They morphed.
"I see you've dropped all pretense," the Wizard sneered.
"I don't know what your game is," Kimberly said, "but I think you're losing."
"Am I?"
The group was retreating to the barn. Kimberly hoped they'd taken down the nooses. "Yeah, I think so. Whatever plans you had on turning our ancestors against us have pretty much come to nothing. No matter what evil spells or manipulation you throw at people, they'll always figure out the truth. And it doesn't help that you're a lying scumbag."
"And while you molder in the past, the Green Ranger is tearing Angel Grove apart," the Wizard gloated. "Even if you make it back, you won't have a future to which to return."
"That's… what…" Kimberly lost momentum. She hadn't expected that at all. "The Green Ranger powers are gone. Zedd made sure of that. Tommy's the White Ranger now."
"The Green power coin is a clever bit of alchemy that Rita did," the Wizard said. "And I've heard you're already familiar with clones… They're quite easy. Illusions made reality."
"The hair sample," Billy said weakly. "You didn't…"
"Once the clone finishes off the rest of your friends, I'll have him come here and take care of you two. That is… unless you wish to join him. You've both tasted evil, and wouldn't it be better to join your boyfriend and brother?"
Kimberly shook her head and drew her bow. "I think you're doing exactly what Zedd and Rita have done over and over… underestimate us." She laughed. "And Billy will tell you that it's impossible to control clones. Whatever happens to us… you're not going to win here."
She saw the fire underneath the mask grow redder and redder, until it was a deep scarlet. She prepared for the fight. She tensed as he drew his wand, but he did not strike at them. Instead, he waved his wand over a handful of dust, which started to glow and take shape. Soon, the figure of Sheriff Bill Cranston, red-eyed and feral from Putty clay, emerged from the dust.
"Illusions made reality," the Wizard said dryly. "I need not fight you myself."
Without Billy and Kimberly at the helm, Aisha and Adam had to take on two duties: Aisha was on shields and damage control, while Adam was on stabilizers and power flow.
Rocky still had the one job of controlling the whole Zord and trying to keep up with two fights at once. And he couldn't help but feel he was losing ground on both.
"This looks way bigger than when we saw it on TV," Rocky commented, remembering the news stories about the Green Ranger when he first appeared with his Godzilla-like Zord.
"Everything looks bigger than when we saw it on TV," Aisha snapped back. "Rocky, concentrate. Our shields can't take much more."
It was at that moment that they found out about the finger missiles. Rocky supposed those compensated for the limited arm reach on the other Zord, but he still considered the missiles an unfair advantage.
Another unfair advantage was the crystal monster. Whatever attacks from the Dragonzord they dodged, the monster reflected back. It wasn't too long before the two enemies had the Megazord pinned.
"We need to tap into some of the Megazord's other abilities," Adam said as they struggled to stay at their controls. "Something Tommy, and therefore the clone, hasn't seen before."
"Okay, Adam, sounds good. I'll keep us on our feet, and you get me something I can use," Rocky said, taking over Adam's equilibrium controls. The Megazord got more unsteady, but Rocky simply tried to use that in the fight.
"Rangers," Alpha's voice came through the radio. "Tommy can't answer his communicator right now, but…"
"We're a bit busy ourselves, Alpha," Rocky said grimly. He currently had the Dragonzord by the tail, but that was't going to last long with the crystal monster as back up. "Make it quick."
"Zordon has found Billy and Kimberly, along with the Wizard of Deception, in the past. He thinks he can use the Morphing Grid to—"
Sparks flew, and Rocky felt himself slam against the restraints. "Just do it! And quick!"
The problem with fighting against your own clone, Tommy considered, was that you were essentially fighting against yourself.
Every move, every attack, every counterattack, was mirrored perfectly by his green counterpart. He tried everything he'd learned, every trick he'd devised, but it was all for naught.
It was of little comfort that Thomas was in the same predicament.
After a particularly hard fall, Tommy pulled himself up slowly, noting that Thomas was doing the same thing. He realized that he might have to do a little cheating, if this was going to work.
"Is that all you've got?!" Thomas said.
"I've got about as much as you have." Tommy smiled grimly behind his mask. He just had to time it just right. "I think, though, that this last attack may be it. What do you think?"
Thomas gave a contemptuous laugh. "The White Ranger. Brave leader of the Power Rangers… giving up. Have you really come to this?"
Teleporting someone against their will was dangerous. A struggling partner could be harmed in the beam, a weapon could discharge… It was why people were rarely teleported unless they knew exactly what was going on. It was why Tommy had passed out the first time he'd been teleported by Rita.
Tommy decided to risk it.
Rather than engage with the attacking Green Ranger, Tommy grabbed his arm and flipped him over in a judo move. While the clone was stunned, Tommy hit his communicator and teleported to where he'd hoped the fight would lead naturally. It hadn't been that far away, after all.
He stepped back to allow Thomas to regain his bearings. Thomas was dazed, shaking his head fiercely.
"Why have you brought us here?" Thomas said in a dangerous voice. Yet for all his bravado, Tommy could sense a tremor in the voice.
"Because this is where you want to be," Tommy said simply.
"Liar," Thomas said venomously. "I don't want to be here, and you don't want to be here. You never come here, so don't pretend that you're so much better."
Tommy closed his eyes, trying to keep his breathing calm. "You're right," he said quietly. "I don't come here as often as I should." He gave a shaky laugh. "But you've never come here, and I thought you might pay your respects."
The two boys turned, and Tommy noted dimly that he'd done a pretty good job with the teleport. They were right next to the headstone.
The grass had finally grown over to cover the dirt from the grave, but there was still a hump that had not settled, like a little hill. Tommy absently noted the flowers, and he knew Sylvia had made sure to keep the grave properly decorated. He'd been there a few times. As he'd said, not nearly enough.
Thomas slouched to his knees before the grave, his white gloved fingers lightly tracing the inscription.
John H. Oliver
January 5, 1950 – March 15, 1994
Every moment of light and dark is a miracle.
Tommy stood in silence, watching Thomas kneel in silence. He remembered picking the quote. It was from Walt Whitman, his father's favorite poet, and it had been underlined in a book he'd kept by his hospital bed so many times. As he stared at the headstone, he could hear his father's easy laugh just as clearly as he could see him lying dead on the cold stone of the moon palace. Every moment of light and dark is a miracle, even when it didn't seem to be. It was his father's final lesson, one that he still struggled to accept.
"It doesn't make sense." Thomas's voice was ragged, a small, broken thing. He was still except for his hands, which were trembling.
"No, it doesn't," Tommy answered. He didn't ask what didn't make sense. None of it, he supposed.
Tommy's communicator crackled. "White Ranger, come in." Rocky's voice was urgent and confused. "Are you okay?"
"Fine," Tommy said after a pause. "How's the fight going?"
"The Dragonzord just… stopped. It's not moving. We made short work of the crystal monster. I just wondered if you had anything to do with that."
Tommy glanced at the Green Ranger, who was still kneeling before the headstone. "Maybe. Just… stay on alert. I'll get back with you as soon as I know something."
"I think Zordon was about to try something," Rocky added. "Something to do with Billy and Kimberly…"
Tommy had a pretty good idea what Zordon was going to try, but right then wasn't the time. "Acknowledged. Over and out."
He approached Thomas cautiously, keeping his sword out just in case. The grief Thomas was obviously feeling might turn to anger—Tommy distinctly remembered the right hook his mother had given his uncle at the funeral, as well as his own suicide attack against Rita.
"Is the spell broken?" Tommy asked quietly.
Thomas's shoulders sagged and his helmet dipped. "Yeah… you knew it would." He laughed bitterly. "Hell, I probably knew it would, only I was working really hard to repress all that. Rita and I… we never really had a connection. I don't know what she was planning to accomplish, but it had nothing to do with me. Or making sure I had any kind of future. I'm just a clone, right?"
Tommy put a cautious hand on Thomas's shoulder. He felt power there, and it was purer than anything the Wizard of Deception could have created. It wasn't the original green power coin, but something different. Something that had probably made the spell over Thomas unstable in the first place.
"You're as human as I am," Tommy said. "Or else you couldn't feel what you're feeling right now."
Thomas gave a short laugh. "If this is what being human is, it sucks."
"Tell me about it."
Tommy's communicator crackled again, and this time it was Zordon's voice. "Tommy, report to the park immediately. I've managed to open a portal, and Billy and Kimberly should appear there."
"Along with the Wizard of Deception," Thomas added. He got up, giving one last unsteady look at the headstone. "I don't know everything the Wizard planned, but I do know he wanted to destroy the Blue and Pink Rangers, and he won't let them go."
"He probably won't let you go, either," Tommy said. "You should go to the Command Center."
"Not on your life… which I don't want, by the way," Thomas said with a laugh. "I helped start this mess, and I'm going to help finish it. You help Billy and Kim, and I'll get the Wizard's wand. That's the only real way to break his power."
"Sounds like a plan," said Tommy. "You get all that, Zordon?"
"I did," Zordon answered. "Be careful… and may the power protect you both."
The White and Green Rangers teleported to a park that was empty of Zords and monsters. They were greeted by Rocky, Adam, and Aisha, who were facing a portal of swirling red mist.
"When the Dragonzord disappeared, we figured we weren't needed up there anymore," Rocky said. He drew his sword. "That one going to give us any trouble?" He pointed with his sword at Thomas.
"Stand down," Tommy said. "We broke the spell on him. That's why he sent the Dragonzord back to the sea." He glanced at Thomas. "Right?"
Thomas didn't answer… Rather, he faced the three Rangers and took a shuddering breath. "I… I'm really sorry for what I did to you. I know that apologizing isn't enough, but I just want you to know that."
Before they could answer, Thomas threw himself into the portal and disappeared.
"Dammit!" Tommy said, and jumped in after him.
Rocky, Adam, and Aisha looked at each other, and made to follow them in, but their communicators beeped before they could.
"Rangers," Zordon said. "Please report back to the Command Center. You must allow Tommy and his clone to resolve this on their own."
"Yeah, all right," Rocky answered as the portal closed up, "but we've got a few questions about how much you knew about all this in the first place."
Billy and Kimberly were standing in front of the barn, fending off both attacks from the fake feral sheriff and the Wizard of Deception.
Kimberly was shaking. She didn't know how long she could hold up. Whatever the Wizard was shooting at them, it felt ten times worse that hitting a Putty. The pain rattled her bones, made her flesh burn. And how he could accomplish that when she was morphed, she had no idea. She tried to avoid the blasts, but the fake sheriff kept her distracted, and some of the hits she had to take. Their ancestors were all holed up in the barn, and she couldn't risk the Wizard hurting any of them.
There was no retreat, no way out, and Kimberly was wondering if this really was going to be the end of them, so when the portal opened up behind the Wizard, she cried out in relief before she could stop herself.
The Wizard turned and raised his defenses even as the mist from the portal reached out to grab him. It was Zordon… it had to be Zordon… but the Wizard was ready for him.
Kimberly glanced at Billy, who looked just as uncertain as she felt. They could tackle the Wizard from behind, push him into the portal, but they would be caught in the portal themselves. And that would leave a dangerous feral illusion-made-reality, or whatever the hell the Wizard had called it, to wreak havoc on the people hiding in the barn. But, then, how long could the portal stay open.
There was a yell, which Kimberly realized came from the Wizard, and a green figure burst through the portal.
It was then that Kimberly started to question her sanity.
The Green Ranger, dagger drawn and looking dangerous, stood framed in the portal, facing down the Wizard. He seemed to be more like the Green Ranger Kimberly had first met, the one who had tormented and nearly destroyed them, than the one Kimberly had grown to love.
The Wizard looked at the impossible Ranger contemptuously. "What do you think you are doing? You have your orders."
"What does it look like I'm doing?" the Green Ranger said slowly. "I'm rebelling."
The Wizard threw a blast, but the Green Ranger deflected it with his dagger. Another hit the Green Ranger, and while he grunted in pain, he stayed on his feet, walking slowly toward the Wizard.
It was when the White Ranger burst from the portal that Kimberly remembered. The Wizard had made a clone of Tommy… and that clone had turned on him. She felt herself, despite the situation, grinning behind her mask. No matter what version of Tommy they were dealing with, he'd always find a way to break a spell.
The portal closed behind him, and their Tommy, the White Ranger, ran straight for Kimberly. It was only then that Kimberly realized Billy had been struggling with the fake sheriff this entire time, so she ran to join the fight. Between the three of them, they got the thing subdued.
"It's about damn time," Kimberly said, trying to mask her relief. "Where have you been?"
"Been busy," Tommy said. "Can you two handle this one? I think if we get the wand, we can end this."
"Affirmative," Billy said. "But be careful."
"Oh, sure, we've got nothing better to do," Kimberly said, but he was already gone.
The Wizard and the Green Ranger were intent on their fight, and they looked fairly evenly matched. Whatever Rita and Zedd, or maybe it was the Wizard himself, had done to create this new Green Ranger, it had obviously resulted in much different powers than the Rangers themselves had. Currently the Green Ranger was taking a full barrage of of attacks from the Wizard, and it was just barely slowing him down.
"Shit," Billy said weakly (and he never cursed). "They made a clone. They really actually made a clone."
"Looks like this one's doing better, though," Kimberly said. "At least, he's fighting the right fight."
The Wizard and the Green Ranger were so intent on the fight that they didn't notice the White Ranger running up to them… at least, until Tommy kicked the Wizard's arm hard.
The feedback from whatever spell the Wizard had been casting blew Tommy back to the ground. The Green Ranger in the meantime, without losing a step, caught the wand in the hand that wasn't holding the Dragon Dagger. He pointed it at Billy and Kimberly, who got ready to dodge, but the blast from the wand instead hit the thing they were holding. It disappeared without a sound.
The Green Ranger was pointing the wand at the Wizard now. "Give me a reason," he said, his voice distorted with rage.
The Wizard of Deception held up two bony hands placatingly. He didn't seem afraid. More wary, as if whatever the Green Ranger could do to him would be more of an inconvenience than a catastrophe.
Billy and Kimberly ran over to help Tommy up, who looked rattled from being thrown to the ground. "You know, I haven't exactly shone in battle lately."
"Thank goodness you're still pretty," Kimberly said quietly. "Now what are we going to do about this?"
"I can…" Tommy began, but Billy grabbed his arm and held him back.
"If I learned anything from my clone," Billy said, "it's that all they want is to be able to make a decision. We've got to let him figure this out on his own… and we'll deal with whatever consequences."
Tommy looked like he was going to surge forward anyway, but then nodded at Billy.
It was a showdown between the Wizard and the Green Ranger, and Kimberly reflected that the Wild West was probably the perfect setting for this. Still, she would have preferred the desert. Away from any people who might get hurt.
"You're not a killer," the Wizard of Deception finally said. "You never have been."
The silence stretched between them until finally, incrementally, the Green Ranger lowered the wand. "Leave," he said. "I don't want to see you in this galaxy any time soon. I imagine," he added sardonically, "Rita would probably say the same thing."
"I imagine so," the Wizard said loftily, as if he hadn't just had his ass handed to him. "Do take care of yourself, Thomas. You are now out of anyone's control."
With that, the Wizard winked out of existence, as if he'd never been there.
The Green Ranger sagged in relief, and then actually unmorphed. Kimberly gasped to see a carbon copy of Tommy, wearing a green tank top and looking exhausted.
"Yeah," Tommy said. "I know."
"What are we going to do with him?" Kimberly said.
"Again, it will be his choice," Billy said.
"And I'm pretty sure I know what he's going to choose," Tommy added. "Come on."
The three demorphed and approached the clone of Tommy—the Wizard had called him Thomas—who was staring dully at the wand. When he realized he was being approached, he offered the wand to Tommy, who hesitated as he took it.
"That should be enough to get all three of you home," Thomas said. "I'd suggest you destroy it when you get there, but that'll probably be up to Zordon."
"You're not coming," Tommy said. It wasn't a question.
Thomas was already shaking his head. "Never mind that it'd be confusing as hell with the two of us there. Or that Rita would be after me, and she'd probably have a way to undo the magic that's holding me together, to make me unstable, like Will was. I just… I want to have a chance to do some good. Without feeling like a shadow." He gave a look at Kimberly, the same look that Tommy usually gave her… and it was a bit clearer why he wanted to stay.
"What about time paradoxes?" Billy intervened. "You don't belong in the past. You might cause irreparable damage."
Thomas looked troubled, but then Tommy pulled a photograph out of his pocket, a very yellowed photograph with the man who looked like them both, posing in uniform with other soldiers. Thomas stared at it, wide-eyed.
"So you're probably safe to stay here," Tommy said.
"Yeah," Thomas answered weakly. He looked up with a smile. "I won't need my powers anymore, by the way." He took his morpher out of his pocket and handed it to Tommy.
"Are you sure?" Kimberly said. "I mean, about any of this? This time period isn't the most fun to live in, and you might need the extra power."
Thomas shook his head. "Just because Rita isn't here doesn't mean there aren't any forces of evil out there, and a power coin will call too much attention to me. I'd rather live my life without that responsibility." He laughed. "I could use some new clothes, though. Just a tap of the wand should do it."
Tommy dubiously tapped the wand against his chest, and the green tank top and jeans changed to a dark coat, green vest, and white linen shirt.
"It's probably a wise decision to stay," Billy said. "What do you plan to do?"
Thomas opened his mouth to say something, but he was stopped by the sound of the barn door opening.
Johnny Cranston ran forward, gun drawn and wide-eyed. He was pointing his gun straight at Tommy, who was still holding the wand.
"Witch!" He was practically frothing at the mouth. "You're going to pay for my brother!"
Kimberly surged forward, grabbing for her morpher, but the gun could go off before she could morph. "Johnny, stand down!" she yelled. "No one here is a witch! We've already gotten rid of the wizard, you had to have seen!"
"I don't care! Someone's gotta pay…"
Kimberly ducked to the ground, ready to tackle the gunman, when Johnny fell back, grabbed from behind. He twisted around, the gun went off, and…
Johnny fell back, pale and sick looking, away from a prone figure on the ground. A figure that wasn't moving. "I didn't…" he said. "I didn't mean…"
Kimberly ran forward and kicked the gun out of Johnny's grip. "Stay down!" she yelled, and then ran to the figure.
Hank stared lifelessly back up at her. The bullet had gone up through his jaw and had obviously killed him immediately.
She didn't entirely know what happened after that. She felt strong arms pull her from the body, heard a sound that seemed suspiciously like her own screams, saw Billy… no, not Billy… he was wearing a sheriff's badge and hauling Johnny onto his feet. All she could think about was Hank's wife and child, and how could she tell them, but she'd probably be gone by then, and he was so good how could this happen…?
"Kim?" Tommy voice whispered in her ear. "I'm sorry, but we've got to go."
She nodded. She knew, for her, her ancestor had been dead for 150 years, and since she still existed, this event probably didn't have any meaningful effect. But it still hurt.
Six Power Rangers gathered in the Command Center. Sylvia had already asked to teleport back home after she'd made sure she had Billy back. Alpha had both the Wizard's wand and the green power coin on a console, running some tests on both.
"So that was all supposed to happen," Kimberly said bitterly. "We were always supposed to go back in time, Hank was always supposed to die… and you knew?"
She directed this to Zordon, who looked both grim and exhausted.
"I was able to lock my memories away until the crucial time," Zordon said. "But, yes, Kimberly, I did know what was going to happen. I could have done nothing to save your ancestor. I believe I owe you all an apology. After the Wizard's devastating attack on me, I allowed myself to become distracted, thus opening you all up to the Wizard's attack. I believe his plan was to weaken all of us… not to defeat us."
"He's gone, isn't he?" Tommy said. "He's done his damage, and now he's going to skip town."
"I do not believe either Lord Zedd or Rita Repulsa will welcome his presence any longer," Zordon said. "The conflicting, two-pronged attack—the clone and the time travel—were specially designed to work against each other, and to benefit the Wizard rather than either of our true foes."
"He set them against each other," Aisha said. "Rita would have wanted to bring her Green Ranger back, and Zedd just wants to get rid of us. We were all supposed to go back in time, but they did the plans at the same time, so they screwed it up?"
Billy was glancing darkly at the wand and the coin. "Rita is evil, and she's made her mistakes, but there's no way she would have thought of creating a clone without the Wizard's influence." He ground his teeth. "I can't believe they made a clone. Even if it wasn't quite like mine…"
He trailed off, and then noticed the looks he was getting from Rocky, Aisha, and Adam. "I… I apologize for not telling you sooner. Creating a clone was the worst thing I ever did. I thought I was doing it with the best of intentions, with some weak idea about helping Tommy's failing powers, but I instead created a life form that by all rights mistrusted me and turned on me. He did a lot of damage… and I tried to hide my own culpability by blaming Zedd. I ended up having to kill the clone when he was too far gone to save." He shook his head fiercely, as if to dispel the horrific memories. "But Zordon told me that cloning is against intergalactic law. Both good and evil accept this law."
"It is possible," Zordon said, "that Rita is traumatized from her imprisonment. At least, she seems a very different foe now, willing to make more compromises than she had before. But you're probably right, Billy… she was probably unduly influenced by the Wizard of Deception. He has fully demonstrated his name on countless occasions."
"But what does the Wizard want?" Adam said.
"Yeah, he lost his wand and his clone," Rocky said. "Does seem like he didn't gain anything."
"Except knowledge," Tommy said darkly. "I have a feeling if he were fighting us for real, he would have won. He was gathering information about us."
"But was it for himself?" Billy said. "Or for someone else?"
Kimberly stared at the wand and the coin. Magic spells and power sources and lives forfeit along the way.
"Well, we got information of our own," Kimberly hear herself saying. "He may have been studying us, but he left behind those things, and I'm pretty interested in how we can use them to make sure they don't use this kind of power against anyone again."
Tommy frowned. "Are you saying we, what, use the magic wand?"
Kimberly made a face. "No, of course not. Just… I find it pretty disturbing that Rita could cobble together a power coin, don't you?"
They all looked at the power coin glinting innocently on the console.
"We cannot entrust that power coin to anyone," Zordon said, consulting the progress of Alpha's scans. "There are trace elements of the green candle in it, so it would be subject to any number of manipulations from our enemies. There is, however, a power source in it that bears additional study…" Zordon trailed off. "The wand must be destroyed. It is far too powerful and too tainted by its evil master to be of any use to us. A concentrated blast from a blade blaster should work."
Aisha reacted so quickly that it seemed as if she were waiting for this cue. "Mind if I do the honors?" she said, plucking the wand from the console without waiting for an answer.
"I'll help," Rocky said, and they both disappeared down a corridor.
Billy looked like he was going to protest—he would have liked to complete the scans on the object—but he received quelling looks from the rest.
"It was pretty rough on them, wasn't it?" Kimberly said. Everyone knew she was talking about the clone.
Adam looked over to Tommy, who looked down. "I don't know how much damage he caused, since he only had half a day, but yeah. I think it was enough." He shifted uncomfortably. "I should…"
"Give them a little bit of time, maybe?" Adam interrupted. The others looked at him in surprise. Adam never interrupted anyone. "They're angry," he said, "but they don't have anyone to blame. Let them lash out at the wand and cope on their own. People can get hurt, or hurt someone else, when they're looking for someone to blame."
Kimberly gave a hard sob, startling everyone. She looked like she'd just been holding it together, but was beginning to crack. "I'm gonna go home, okay guys?"
"I think we all need to," Tommy agreed. "We'll finish up anything we need to at the meeting tomorrow."
He wondered, though, what he would say. Would they discuss the clone that was now living a century in the past? Zedd's attempt at erasing them from existence by killing their ancestors? Rita's attempt at cloning, and what other dangerous things she had planned? The rift between their two enemies that might be used to their advantage? The threat of someone like the Wizard of Deception, who seemed to represent a larger universe of enemies that they'd only gotten a small taste of in their venture into space? The fact that Kimberly and Billy seemed shaken by their experiences in the past, and Rocky and Aisha had been terrorized by the evil Green Ranger?
As they all left, Tommy knew one thing. He had to have a conversation with someone… someone he'd been avoiding for a long time.
Thomas leaned against the wall of the sheriff's office. People kept giving him suspicious looks. He'd only been there a couple of hours, and there were already rumors. He didn't even know why he'd stayed this long, other than the fact that he had nowhere else to go.
The door swung open, and Jeremiah Cranston, Billy's old ancestor, stepped out. He gave Thomas an appraising look.
"I saw what you did," he said in a surprisingly gentle voice. "You helped get rid of whatever that was that hurt my boy. I'd offer you a place to stay for that alone, but…" He looked down. "I don't think you'd be safe. Some of my boys are still looking for someone to blame."
Thomas's brow furrowed, and he jerked his head in the direction of the door. "It really looked like an accident… what happened to Hank. I could say something." He didn't really know how the law worked in the middle of the 19th century, but he didn't think it could hurt to have a witness.
Jeremiah shook his head gravely. "Johnny's brother is still the sheriff, and Bill saw it happen. Not sure how much he can do for him." Jeremiah shifted uncomfortably before grabbing Thomas's hand and shoving something into it. "You did my family a good turn, and it doesn't seem like you have anything to your name. You may not want to stay in town too long, but you're not going to starve."
Jeremiah walked away hastily, and Thomas looked down in his hand. There was a wad of bills. It didn't look like any money he'd ever seen, but it was still money. Thomas pondered the cash. Jeremiah was thanking him, sure, but he was also paying him off. The message was clear. Get out of town.
A man that looked disturbingly like Skull, and whose name was in fact Skullovitch, so that made sense, looked around the door frame. He gave Thomas a good once-over before saying, "Sheriff wants to talk to you," and withdrawing.
Thomas pushed himself off the wall and shoved the money into his pocket. The old man was right. He didn't know what to do, but at least he wasn't going to starve.
He walked into a low argument, hastily interrupted. Deputy Skullovitch regarded him with suspicion. "I'm going to check on the prisoner," he said. "If you still want to…"
Bill sighed. "He shot Hank. Even if he didn't mean to, it would be disrespectful to his widow to let him out already."
Thomas took the chair that Bill offered. Bill looked tired, strained, haunted around the eyes. All feelings Thomas himself felt. They waited until the Skull lookalike walked down the hallway to the cells.
"Are you sure the Wizard's gone?" Bill asked quietly.
Thomas had to remind himself that this was not Billy, as much as it looked like him. This was a man from 150 years in the past who had been used by the Wizard of Deception. He didn't have the wherewithal to comprehend time travel or any number of things Billy would have been able to not only comprehend, but lecture about.
"He's gone," Thomas said. "How much do you remember?"
Bill rubbed his face. "Pretty much everything. It was like… like he was controlling me." He gave Thomas a cagey look. "He did you the same, didn't he?"
"Yeah," Thomas said before he could stop himself. He was now officially alone in the world, but the sheriff at least knew something of what he'd gone through. It was better than nothing. "That's how I know he's gone." He looked down the hall. "What's going to happen to your brother?"
Bill gave a sour look down the hall. "Probably going to have to send him away… the idiot. He's always been a trigger-happy little hothead, and I've had to calm him down more than once." He looked away, obviously not relishing what he was going to have to do. "What did dad tell you?"
"Told me to leave town," Thomas said. "Gave me a little money to keep me going."
Bill nodded wearily. "I was going to offer you a job… but that's probably the best thing. Good thing dad's not stingy. He's probably going to offer Hank's widow half his farm… if she'll take it. Hopefully she will, if only for the baby." He cleared his throat. "For now, don't bother with a horse. There's enough trading stations that you should be able to walk to a job where you can start saving. Get yourself a hat, though. You wouldn't last a day in the sun."
Thomas nodded and got up. "I guess I'll stay in the boarding house one night, and then leave in the morning. With any luck, you won't hear from me again."
Bill stood up and offered his hand to shake. "There's a ranch down south that's always looking for work. Name of DeSantos. Pay's good, and they don't ask too many questions."
Thomas winced at the name. He was starting to wonder how far he was going to have to travel to get away from familiar names. "I might do that."
Bill chuckled. "I don't reckon you want to get tied down. But keep in touch whenever you move. Anything odd happens here, I'd like to know someone who could help me."
Thomas was surprised, and stuttered out some kind of reply. He wasn't a Power Ranger, but apparently there was no getting away from people thinking you were some kind of hero.
He walked out of the office and trudged over to the boarding house. It was quiet, long past supper, and the usual clientele seemed centered on the saloon. Thomas paused, looking out into the desert beyond Angel Grove.
He had memories of a life that had, for a year now, been filled with purpose and conviction, both from serving Rita and from serving as a Power Ranger. His real life, which had lasted almost a day, had been filled with the same journey in miniature. And now… he had nothing. He was unmoored, with no purpose and only a few dollars in his pocket (with no real idea how much he had… what did things eve cost now?). He'd never lived on his own, and now he was living with the consequences of the bright idea he'd had (spur of the moment, really) to stay 150 years in the past. He'd seen a photograph that showed he'd be a soldier, but did that mean he had to? What was he supposed to do with himself, anyway.
Buy a hat, the pragmatic sheriff had said. Find a job. Those were the first steps. Thomas reached up to scratch his head…
Only for his hand to settle on a hat covering his head.
Thomas took it off and looked at it closely. It was a white Stetson, with a green band that matched his vest. And it had definitely not existed one minute previous.
"Like magic," Thomas said, and put the hat back on his head. He didn't know what all he could do, but to a time-displaced formerly-evil clone of a superhero, being able to do magic was quite the comfort.
The Wizard of Deception appeared in the moon palace to the sound of the abrupt silence of an argument. Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa stood in the center of the throne room, facing off against each other. Lord Zedd was glowing red, as was the rest of the throne room, and Rita was pale with anger. When the Wizard appeared, however, they turned on him as one.
"You dare show your face here?" Lord Zedd said, his voice dangerously even.
"I thought you were working for me," Rita hissed. "And now I hear you're working for him," she pointed at Zedd.
"And then we realize you're working for no one but yourself," Zedd finished. "What have you to say for yourself?"
The Wizard regarded the couple calmly. He noticed their followers had all absented themselves in the wake of this argument. That was good. That would make what he had to do less difficult.
"I do have something to say," he said. "Have you learned your lesson yet?"
Both rulers looked like they were gearing up for another yelling match, but lost their momentum in the confusion. They hadn't expected that.
"Are you insane?" Zedd said.
"Your plan was to… to teach us a lesson?" Rita said. "By spoiling our plans? What was any of this for?"
The Wizard laughed. He produced a wand (the Rangers did not know he had many such tools), but it was merely to defend himself if Rita and Zedd forgot themselves and challenged him. He was provoking him a bit, after all.
"Then listen well, children, for I tell you this because I do genuinely care about you," he said. "You are allies. No, closer than allies. You are married. You've thrown your lot in with each other. That can be a great strength, but also a great weakness. The wider universe has been paying attention. Dark Specter pays attention."
Zedd and Rita had been angry about being addressed as children, but the name Dark Specter brought them up cold. The throne room faded from red to gray, and Rita turned paler.
Good. That had scared them. Maybe they would listen.
"You both came to me, separately, with two plans that could have worked well together," the Wizard continued, "but you worked against each other. You conspired against each other, and you allowed someone to manipulate you. That would be me. And then your enemies took advantage of that. You may like to play the Power Rangers against each other… but that won't work if you don't present a united front at least, whatever you think of each other. If you don't… I heard the Machine Empire was raising power. And Astronema."
He regarded Rita's wide-eyed stare, and Zedd's frozen, soldier-like posture. They were finally taking him seriously.
"I will indeed leave, and I will not assist you again. I am needed elsewhere," the Wizard said. "Think on your lesson well."
"I think you do need to leave," Rita's voice was brittle. "I can't guarantee what I'll do if I see you again."
The Wizard bowed first to her, then to Zedd, and then disappeared.
Aisha had finally gotten the gym set up in her garage, and she was breaking it in by beating the hell out of the punching bag. She hoped the beam it was hanging from was sturdy.
She felt a shadow go across her, and she froze, her body panicking before her mind could engage. Thankfully, the figure was too far away for her to do anything that she regretted.
"What did that bag ever do to you?" Rocky said, grin plastered on his face at his own joke.
Aisha rolled her eyes. "It mouthed off at me. Want to try your chances?"
"No thanks," Rocky said. He sat on the lifting bench, but didn't take up the weights. He wasn't dressed to work out, anyway, what with his suit and tie.
Aisha wiped her face with a towel. "Looks like there's somewhere you need to be."
This time Rocky rolled his eyes. "Oh, god, I wish I could get out of it. Dad's version of 'quality time' is to drag me to some godawful thing at the country club and parade me around a collection of 'future business contacts' and 'future wives.'" He grinned. "I'm surprised he doesn't have me betrothed already."
"I think they stopped doing that right around the time of the horseless carriage," Aisha said.
"Yeah, tell him that," Rocky said. "Hey, I don't have to imagine living in the past for my English assignment. I'll just write about the party tonight. It'll be just like the 18th century."
Aisha made a face. "You're not asking me to this thing, are you?"
Rocky wavered his hand in the air, as if to say "sort of."
Aisha scraped her braids back. They had taken hours of sitting perfectly still in a chair, all the while praying that her communicator wouldn't go off so she didn't have to run off. She'd never be able to get a hair appointment after that. They were great, now: she barely had to do anything to her hair. So it would take her no time to get ready. Yes, she'd already decided to go with Rocky, but she still gave him a dubious glance.
"You know, it's going to get to where I can't be your convenient friend shield," Aisha said. "I'd basically have to marry you if we keep doing this?"
"We'd kill each other within a week," Rocky laughed.
"I dunno," she said. "Rita and Zedd make it work."
Rocky made a face. "Yeah… really don't want to think about them making anything matrimonial work." He then gave her his most innocent expression. "Don't let me face my doom alone."
Aisha rolled her eyes. "Just give me a few minutes to get ready and let my folks know. And you're going to keep my folks company while I get ready." She threw the towel on the lifting bench, barely missing Rocky while she was at it. She looked at him, taking in his grin. "You're… you're okay, aren't you? I heard some of what the clone did."
Rocky gave an unconvincing laugh. "Yeah, completely fine. You… you're okay?"
Aisha shrugged. "No… not really. I mean, you think you get too strong for sexual harassment, that you protect yourself enough… but there's always going to be some dickhead who reminds you that you're not safe. And that pisses me off. Hence…" she pointed to the punching bag. She noted Rocky's worried expression. "But I'll survive. And you don't have to pretend to be okay around me, okay?"
Rocky looked away. "I… I know. Just… I'm pretending for myself right now."
Aisha smiled sadly and gave him a quick hug. He pulled back. "You're going to get my suit all sweaty," he complained.
Aisha grinned. "Oh, that would be a tragedy." She made to hug him again, and chased him inside the house.
Tommy closed his eyes. He was tired enough that he knew he would fall asleep immediately, but he wondered if he was too tired to do this.
He opened his eyes to a field and a lake. He hadn't come to this dimension in months, but it was still as easy as breathing.
Only… it wasn't the same place he'd been to before. Not really. There was the lake, but the field and park bench had been replaced by a small, lush garden that seemed so alien Tommy wondered if he'd wound up in the wrong dimension anyway.
A minute later, he saw her, and he knew he'd come to the right place.
Rita Repulsa stood in her full regalia in the middle of the garden, staff at the ready. She narrowed her eyes at Tommy. "White Ranger," she said in a voice full of contempt. "You dare come here? Especially now that you know where here is?"
Tommy knew. So many times, he'd used their connection to travel to this dimension. To break the spell, to mourn his father, to find Rita's prison… He'd almost gotten pulled into Rita's prison that time. But now… it didn't even seem to belong to him. Rita had redecorated, making the whole place hers.
Tommy had some things to say to her, but he also knew he had to be careful. There was no telling what she would do to him.
"I came to congratulate you on the wedding," he began. "Many happy returns."
Rita gave a disbelieving laugh. Tommy noticed she wouldn't leave the garden, and wondered what that meant. He'd never truly gotten a handle on the mechanics of this dimension. He knew it was all symbolic, but that was as far as he knew.
"Then I will congratulate you as well," Rita said. "The White suits you, as does leadership. Not quite the future I envisioned for you, but then there's only so much a human can do."
Tommy felt himself bristle, but forced himself to remain calm. "I thought you preferred me in the Green. That's what this whole thing was about, wasn't it?"
Rita rolled her eyes. "I won't condescend to explain my actions to you, White Ranger."
"I have a name," Tommy said, losing the battle against his temper.
"And I have a title," Rita shot back. "Or perhaps you've forgotten it."
"Oh, is that still your title?" Tommy said. "I thought you may have lost it when you got banished. Or maybe when you married the man who banished you."
They glared at each other, the veneer of civility gone.
"Why are you here, Tommy?" Rita asked, her voice low and dangerous.
Tommy decided not to stall anymore. "I'm here to give you a warning."
"A warning," Rita scoffed.
"That's right," he said. "If you ever try to clone me, or make another Green Ranger, or put someone else under a spell, or do anything to someone else that even a little bit resembles what you did to me…"
"You'll what? Attack me?" Rita laughed.
Tommy took a breath. "I'll finish what I started right after my father died. And this time, I won't stop."
Rita paled a bit. She'd stopped laughing, but looked frozen in anger. "You… you dare threaten me."
"No, I'm promising you," he said. "I'm making an agreement, right here where we don't have to worry about anyone else. I won't come here again, but you're not to bring any clones or innocents into this fight. You want to fight, you fight me and the rest of the Rangers."
Rita considered him. "Why, I believe you're breaking any number of treaties right now," Rita said. "And quite a few rules, including a certain one Zordon has about escalating a fight…"
Tommy folded his arms. "Leaving that completely up to you. I'm just telling you the consequences."
The sky had darkened, and Tommy wasn't sure if that was a reaction to her mood or their argument. Either way, he knew he had to get out of there soon.
Rita regarded him coldly. "You have outstayed your welcome, and on top of that have demonstrated remarkable naiveté as to how warfare works. We are fighting a war, White Ranger, a war you have barely experienced. If you think I won't use any means at my disposal to destroy you and your accursed mentor, you are sadly mistaken."
"Then that's settled," Tommy said. "We are enemies.
Rita grinned dangerously. "My dear boy… we always were."
