Author's notes: Expect something nice on July 17. That's all I'm going to say.
Thanks to all my lovely reviewers: Ghostwriter, Seth A. Mincberg (I definitely planned it. Season 3 is a lot of multi-part episodes? I'm getting the more important ones.), KLR (I have a lot of Skull feelings, especially since he tends to fall into the uncomfortable "nerd who's really stalky" character with Kimberly. I feel like he's growing out of it.), The-Knight2000 (A few snippets of Goldar here. Better stuff to come, though.), Mirajane92, brankel1, PsychoTangerine, and Ashlandros (I know that I have Tommy and Kim having sex, and a pregnancy scare would be realistic… but it makes me feel kinda squiggly thinking about writing that? I dunno why.)
Brighter Paths
Book 9: Potion Notions
Chapter 34: I Want to Break Free
Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa had been traveling for the last hour in silence. The stars zipped by them, and the only activity was the occasional flashes of red coming from Zedd and a rhythmic impatient tapping from Rita's fingernails
"We would have been better off staying at the palace," Zedd muttered, though it felt like a shout in the silence.
"We needed help," Rita countered. "We need allies, and my father is one of the oldest and most influential rulers in the known universe."
"So that was your plan? Have him take over our whole operation?" Zedd was fuming, and he flashed redder.
"Obviously not." Rita was also angry, although she couldn't exactly project a light show. "It's not my fault it went south. You'd think after a couple of millennia that he wouldn't treat me like a child."
"We're no better than we were before. We'd be better off with Dark Specter taking over."
"No, we wouldn't, and you know that." Rita rubbed her temple. "Can we just… can we just get home before we start this argument again? Maybe if we destroy the Power Rangers before dad can get here we can put him off."
"Because your plans have worked ever so well."
"They're just as good as your plans…"
Rita was getting up, ready to have a good, long argument about their respective merits as conquerors, when there was an electronic whine and then a loud clunk.
"No… this can't be happening," Zedd growled.
Rita looked out the window of Serpentera. The stars were now still. They weren't moving. "What's wrong with this thing?"
"That gravity well we flew around must have drained our energy resources."
"Meaning?"
Zedd sat back down heavily. "We're out of fuel. We are stuck here."
Rita buried her face in her hands, and then looked up. "Feel like having an argument now?"
The Angel Grove Youth Center had been rented out as a site for so many dances and parties that it now had an entire storeroom full of sturdy, reusable decorations. Tablecloths, balloon fixtures, folding tables and chairs, lights… Kimberly surveyed the materials, making notes on what they'd need to set up that morning and what they still needed to get.
She smiled. She was working with Skull. Well, she was doing a completely other job in another room, but at least he wasn't avoiding her like he'd been doing all damn week, and that was something.
The door creaked behind her, and she grinned in expectation, but then her face fell. Not Skull, who might come to check up on her. Just Tommy.
"Just came to tell you the antidotes should be ready before the dance," he said.
Kimberly winced. "So, we'll have to spread the antidotes during the dance. Not the best timing. What do you think, beginning of the dance? Or end, so everyone has to go home?"
"I know it'll be tense, but the sooner, the better. Especially if anyone leaves early."
Given that Kimberly was planning on enticing Skull to leave the party early, that was sensible. And a relief.
"Are you still going to the dance with Katherine?" Kimberly asked. "How do you think she'll react when you give her the antidote?"
Tommy shrugged. "Spells are pretty tricky, and she must have gotten dosed hard. Harder than Rocky, or y… or anyone else. She went pretty crazy when I said I couldn't go to the dance with her. I basically had to agree to go with her just so she'd calm down."
"If it weren't for the spell, it would be a pretty good set-up," Kimberly said. "She's cute. You two actually look good together."
Tommy shrugged again.
Kimberly looked down, pretending to survey her list, and then looked back up. "Look, I know our break-up was sudden. I know my thing with Skull was pretty recent. It's going to take some adjustment. Don't feel like…" she broke off. "If you want to be single, or if you want to date, just know I'm completely supportive. There's more than one way to move on."
"Okay," Tommy said, starting to slide out of the room. "Cool. I'm… I'm going to be busy this afternoon. Talk to you later."
Before Kimberly could point out that he could easily teleport from the storeroom they were in, he was gone. "Well, that coulda gone better."
She took the list and an armload of folding chairs out of the storeroom and walked to gym area. Rocky and Adam were working on moving and covering the gym equipment, while a few other people were moving the mats. Kimberly leaned the chairs against the wall and waved at her friends before walking into the kitchen area.
Bulk was going over the catering menu with Ernie, while Skull was sneaking a baby carrot from a veggie tray. Kimberly leaned over him, planting a kiss on his cheek while grabbing a carrot stick as well. Skull jumped and flinched away.
"Got the list," Kimberly said, feeling a little guilty about sneaking the kiss. Skull had been really standoffish and didn't really do… well… any physical contact. "Feel like going to the store with me?"
"Please, both of you, go," Ernie said. "The vegetables are for the party."
"Just keep the receipt," Bulk reminded them. "Aisha's not around, is she?"
Kimberly winced and shook her head. Really, Tommy was right. The sooner this spell could be broken, the better. "She's gonna be at the party tonight, but that doesn't mean she's going with you, remember?"
"I know," Bulk said. "But… I mean, maybe things will work out? I mean, look at you and Skull."
Skull grimaced. "You don't just wait around for a girl and wear her down. That's not how any of this works, Bulky."
Something about those words, about the way he said it… something didn't feel right to Kimberly. But every time she tried to think about it, it was like she couldn't focus. It was hard enough to focus when she was around Skull in the first place.
He motioned her to follow, and she went, her brain pleasantly settling into a haze as she contemplated spending the afternoon with Skull.
Adam breathed a sigh of relief when Rocky finally drove off, saying he needed to prepare a few things before the dance. If Adam's suspicions were correct, he'd show up at the house that night with a limo, flowers, a tux… They weren't exactly going to prom, but Rocky didn't know how to do things half measures.
Tears stung his eyes, which were already tired and strained from crying this week. It was all romantic and beautiful and exactly wrong. He couldn't enjoy the soft looks and gentle touches, the big dramatic plans and silly flirtatious jokes that were just so Rocky… because they weren't really for him. They were for a spell, and that would end tonight. Before the dance. Because it had to.
Choosing an empty alley outside of the juice bar, Adam teleported to the Command Center. It was empty except for Alpha working quietly at a console.
"Where is everyone?"
Alpha started. "Oh, ay-yi-yi, Adam, I didn't expect you. I thought you were working to decorate the dance."
Adam shrugged. "It's finished. And I'd honestly rather think about anything else than the dance. Figured Aisha and Billy might need some help."
"Aisha is working with Zordon in the lab to put the finishing touches on the antidotes. Billy…" Alpha fretted for a minute… "I believe is working on another project."
"Antidotes. Great. To the lab, then." Adam considered asking Alpha more about Billy's secret project, whatever had been keeping him holed up in secret for the past several weeks, but he just didn't have the mental energy to try.
Zordon, from his screen in the lab, was reading aloud a checklist, and Aisha was fussing with a row of jars, saying "Check" after each item. Adam started to back away from the hectic scene when Zordon spotted him and seemed to indicate with his eyes that he remain.
"It seems everything is in order," Zordon said after the final "check." Aisha slumped against the table, nodding in agreement.
"Antidotes ready?" Adam said, trying for a breezy tone. After all, if they could just give the antidotes now, they wouldn't even have to bother with the dance that night.
"Not quite yet," Zordon said. "It will be this evening."
Aisha carefully set up a forcefield to protect the faintly smoking jars. "Right before the dance, like we projected. Ya know… you don't have to go, Adam."
Adam smiled in gratitude. "I do, though. But thank you." He cleared his throat. "So… how do you think they'll react? After the antidote."
Zordon seemed to be considering his words carefully, while Aisha busied herself with some readouts. "Generally, it is difficult to say. People react to spells differently, depending on the depth of the spell and the situation. This love spell seems to be a rather shallow spell, although it certainly doesn't seem so to those involved."
"It's love we're talking about, though," Adam said.
"It… isn't," Zordon said. "Infatuation, certainly. Obsession. First-time passion. It might burn out eventually, though not nearly quickly enough. I hope you know that love is different. It is steadier, slower…"
"An ever-fixed mark," Adam interrupted him, "that looks on tempests and is never shaken."
"That seems to be the idea, if a bit poetic," Zordon said.
"So, the antidote will probably just fizzle it out?"
"That is the best-case scenario," Zordon said.
Aisha took him by the arm, pulling him out of the lab. "No dwelling, Adam. Zordon, I'll see you later, but right now I think there's a major need for distraction."
"I shall alert you if anything goes wrong," Zordon said.
Tommy had just finished setting up the game system in the living room, when Adam and Aisha teleported in. Before Adam could say anything, Tommy asked, "Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat?"
Aisha smirked and threw herself on the couch, grabbing a controller. Adam frowned but reluctantly sat down next to her. "This is supposed to distract me?"
"All of us need distracting," Tommy reminded him. "And that soda is a bit more rum and Coke than usual." He nodded to the glass in front of Adam.
Adam looked at it, weighing his options, and then took a long sip from it. It was more than a bit of rum, but that was fine. Adam grabbed a controller and chose Chun Li from the character grid. "Trade off playing the winner?"
"Sure," Tommy said, taking a drink. Adam wondered if his had any Coke in it at all.
They got through a few rounds and half a drink before Adam handed his controller over to Tommy. He added more Coke to the drink, feeling a little warm. "So, do we still have no clue why they did this spell?"
Tommy shrugged as he chose Ryu to play against Aisha's Blanka. "Rita and Zedd aren't in town, and if Goldar and the rest wanted to mess with us, they sure haven't pressed their advantage."
There was a loud knock on the door. Aisha and Adam looked at Tommy.
"I wasn't expecting anyone," he grumbled, throwing down the controller and getting up. Aisha slipped the bottle of rum underneath the coffee table.
"Hi, Tommy, I thought we could hang out before the dance." Katherine peeked in around the door frame and her face fell a little. "Unless you already have guests…"
"No, come on in, Katherine," Tommy said, his voice strained. "We're just playing video games. Soda?"
"Water, please," Katherine answered, and he went off to the kitchen for a glass.
Katherine looked around, holding her purse in front of her. Aisha cleared a chair. "Hey, Kat, you can sit down if you want."
"I've never seen Tommy's house," Katherine said, ignoring the offer. She looked at the pictures on the wall. Most of them featured Billy growing up. The most recent, though, was of Billy and Tommy, along with Billy's mom and a man who looked a lot like Tommy. "Does Billy live here, too?"
"Yeah, they both live here," Adam said. He didn't know much about the story, and he didn't feel like it was his place to elaborate.
Katherine glanced at the television, the pause screen flickering. "Don't let me interrupt."
Adam grabbed up Tommy's discarded controller, and he and Aisha started playing, mostly to get out of an awkward conversation than anything else.
Katherine had circled the room by the time Tommy got back with her drink. Adam was staring at the screen and also trying to think of a way to excuse himself—distracting himself from the spell was not going to work if someone under a spell crashed their party—so he didn't see what happened. There was a surprised yelp, a crash, and an electric buzz and pop. The screen went blank as the lights went out.
"Kat! Are you okay?" Tommy was crouching next to Katherine, who looked a bit dazed. She had a cut on her face, a broken glass still held loosely in her hand.
"M'fine." She lightly touched her face. "Am I bleeding?"
Aisha was already on her feet. "I know where the first aid kit is in the lab… garage."
Tommy carefully took the glass out of her hand and checked her over. With Katherine distracted, Adam went to the door to survey the damage. There was an electrical burn on the hidden panel by the door. Right where Billy had installed the security system.
Adam motioned to it silently. Tommy nodded and then grabbed the first aid kit from Aisha, motioning her to the broken panel. "Come on, Kat, let's go to the bathroom and get you patched up."
With Tommy keeping Katherine occupied, Aisha lost no time in prying open the security panel. "Circuitry is fried," she murmured. "I'll need Billy to see this."
"Security is down? Completely?" Adam said.
Aisha looked back at him, her eyes wide. It's not like they had constant security on them everywhere they went, preventing surveillance and teleportation from the wrong people. They only had that in their homes. The problem was, this was Billy's home, and his lab was stuffed to the gills with tech that didn't really need to go into enemy hands.
There was a crash, the sound of glass breaking, and the caws and screeches of Tenga warriors.
Adam and Aisha ran to the bathroom, but Tommy headed them off, Katherine in tow. He pushed Katherine toward Aisha. "Take Kat to Kimberly's house. Someone's trying to break in."
Aisha nodded and gently but firmly guided a confused Katherine out the front door.
Adam and Tommy waited for Katherine to be out of earshot before morphing, but they never got the chance. There was another crash, and the room filled with green smoke, and then everything went black.
Alarms were screaming in the Command Center when Aisha teleported in. She felt like screaming, too. "I lost Katherine," she said before anyone could ask her. "I was trying to get her to Kimberly's house when the Tengas swooped in and took her.
Billy and Alpha were working furiously at the computers. The Viewing Globe only showed peaceful scenes of Angel Grove; all evidence of Tenga activity was gone.
"If they're being held on the Moon, I can't find them," Billy reported.
"They?" Aisha said.
"Tommy and Adam were taken as well, very soon after you left," Zordon said. "We are attempting to locate them, though we can assume that their kidnapping is part of a larger plan."
"I thought Zedd and Rita weren't there right now." Aisha said. "Or are we seriously dealing with Goldar and the goon patrol."
Kimberly teleported in, and one look at her said that something was incredibly wrong.
"Skull. They've taken Skull. They took…" She looked like she was about to have a panic attack. "I was right there, and they took him."
"The Tengas?" Aisha asked, a calming hand on Kimberly's shoulder.
Kimberly nodded miserably. "I was right there. I was about to fight them and told Skull to run, but they…" She seemed to steel herself. "Who else has been taken? What do we know?"
"Tommy and Adam's been taken," Aisha said. "We were at Billy's house when the security accidentally got destroyed. I was getting Katherine out, but then she…" Aisha trailed off when she saw Rocky teleporting in. She'd been dreading this.
Kimberly, spell or not, was still the second in command of the Power Rangers. "Rocky, something really bad has happened, and we're working on it, but I need you to stay calm. Can you do that?"
Rocky looked around nervously. "Something happened to Adam, didn't it?"
"He was captured by Tengas, along with Tommy, Katherine, and…" she choked a little bit, but carried on, "Skull. But we're going to get them back."
"We will as soon as you tell me whose ass I need to kick."
"No asses yet," Kimberly said. "We're just trying to find them. Any luck?"
Billy sighed and gestured to the Viewing Globe. "I think we're getting a message."
"Patch them through," Kimberly said.
"It's not a message from the Moon Palace," Billy said. "It's Rito standing in the quarry yelling that he has a message for the Power Rangers."
"Of course," Kimberly sighed. "We morph down, to show this is serious and we mean business. Alpha, you keep working on finding Skull… and the others."
The quarry was empty all except for Rito Revolto, who was cupping his hands to his mouth ready to call for the Power Rangers again. He jumped when they showed up.
"That was quick! I wasn't sure you could hear me," Rito said.
"You know we have communications capabilities. You could have hailed us," Billy pointed out.
"But this is more fun! It's a nice day," Rito said, pretending like he was sunning himself.
"Cut the shit, Rito," Kimberly said. "Where are the hostages?"
"Hostages? They're not hostages… oh wait! They ARE hostages." Rito leaned against his sword and scratched his head. "Now, what did Goldar tell me to tell you?"
There was a flash of silver, and before anyone could react Rocky rushed at Rito, sword drawn. He got in a few good hits before Rito threw him back to the other Rangers. They caught him, and then held him back from rushing again.
"I get it, Rocky, but stand down," Kimberly barked. She turned at Rito. "So, today was supposed to be really nice and now it's sucking royally, and that's mainly your fault, you and Goldar and whoever else decided to screw with us today, so… start talking or I'm going to attack you myself."
"Geez! Grumpy. I thought love spells were supposed to make you happy or something," Rito complained, rubbing his forearm as if it were hurt. "Okay, here's the deal. We've got your boys, and you can come get them. Only two of you, though. You've got an hour, starting…" He checked his wrist, where there was no watch, "oh, about five minutes ago. They're in a cave system… Finster'll send you directions. Oh, and good luck, I guess."
"Wait… that's it?" Aisha asked. "You're not wanting any ransom? No exchanges?"
Rito thought for a minute. "Can't think of any?"
"It can't be the simple," Kimberly said.
Rito laughed. "I didn't say it was simple." With that, he disappeared.
Rita Repulsa continued to drum her fingernails against her armrest. Zedd had a panel in the ship open and was muttering to himself.
"Will you stop that infernal tapping?"
Rita started drumming her fingernails faster, glaring at Zedd. "Is it fixed yet?"
"It's not broken, my love. We're out of fuel. But if we can't figure out a way to refuel, we'll be stuck here for eternity."
"We have power," Rita pointed out. "Couldn't we refuel…"
"We'd risk burning out the circuits unless I make some conversions, which is why I'm making those adjustments." He growled in frustration. "The wires keep slipping out of my hands."
Rita sighed and got up. She was grateful to be doing something. "Just tell me what to do," she said as she lightly shoved Zedd from the open panel.
"Not that you'll listen," Zedd grumbled.
Rita glared at him. "And we're starting this again. Are you angry that we went to my father, that going to my father was my idea, or that it didn't work out how we wanted it?"
Zedd considered this. "Yes."
Rita turned away from the panel and stomped off. "Fix your own damn vehicle, then, with your own claws."
"And you're just angry because I was right," Zedd pointed out, also moving away from the panel.
"Yes! You were right." Rita fake bowed to him. "All hail Lord Zedd, who's always right and doesn't need anyone else. Oh, by the way, what happened to you skin again?"
"It's not my fault that you're too afraid to use the power at your disposal!" Zedd yelled back. "You got just a little bit scared and ran to your father the first chance you got!"
"The fact that I didn't flay the skin off my own bones doesn't mean I'm a coward. It just means that you're an idiot."
She realized she was shivering. "D… do you think it's getting cold in here?"
Zedd tried to move to her but realized he couldn't really do much to warm her up. "We're losing life support. The oxygen will become a problem next."
Rita moved back to the panel. "Then let's get this thing flying. We can yell at each other later."
The Rangers returned to the Command Center in a foul mood.
"So, this smells like a big trap, right?" Aisha said.
"If the Tengas can swoop down and grab whoever they want, they don't need to trap us like this," Billy said. "Have they sent the coordinates? Perhaps we can teleport everyone out of there?"
"We have received the coordinates, and it's unfortunately not that simple," Zordon said. "They're being held in a cave system on Earth, but everything beyond the cave entrance is impenetrable by our sensors."
"So, we're going, right?" Rocky said. "Rito said only one can go. I'm one."
Kimberly looked uncertain. "I'll be leading the… well… team of two. Rocky, I'm not sure."
"It's Adam," Rocky said. "Kim, I'm losing my mind here. Aren't you doing the same with Skull?"
Billy and Aisha exchanged sidelong looks. Both Kim and Rocky were affected by the spell, so neither were ideal choices to go on the mission. However, they would waste too much time in convincing them not to go. And, then again, this was obviously what Goldar had planned: trapping the two Rangers that were under a spell.
Aisha shrugged at Billy, and Billy nodded. "Kim, I think you and Rocky are the best choices for this mission." He managed to shoot everyone a "just go with me on this" look. "I still think there's an ulterior motive going on. Aisha, Alpha, and I will be working on punching through whatever they have blocking our sensors, so perhaps we can teleport all of you out.
Kim looked like she had reservations, but she was impatient to get started. Rocky looked much the same.
"Good luck. We'll bring everyone back home before you know it, if we're lucky." Kim said.
"And, as we know, we're always lucky," Rocky quipped before they teleported out.
"You sure that was the right call?" Aisha said.
Billy looked up at Zordon instead of answering.
"I believe it was the only solution, given the circumstances," Zordon said wearily. "I'm concerned about what Goldar is planning here. It seems far too simple, and the fact that they didn't demand anything in ransom is suspicious. Still, we can only act on the information we have."
Billy nodded. "So we try to find a shortcut. I've put a temporary force field around my house, so at least we don't have to worry about them looting my lab. How did the security drop at my house, anyway?"
Aisha frowned. "I wasn't really watching. Katherine had come in to visit, and Tommy was handing her a glass of water, and she tripped? She hit the panel pretty hard, and maybe also doused it with water? We'll have to check later."
"Right," Billy said, frowning. He'd built the security system to be pretty study, so that seemed unlikely, but they had more important things to worry about.
"So, you know how you're never supposed to piss off a person under a love spell?"
Rito had been able to fend off most of the blows from the enraged Red Ranger, but a few had certainly jarred him. Goldar, however, didn't seem interested. He was busy looking through the telescope at the hostages.
"Are the locks in place?"
"Yeah, of course they are. The Tengas are tough, but those Putties do better guard work." Rito lounged against Zedd's throne before Goldar could tell him off. "Okay, what's the deal? We wait all week, and then we just lock some people in some rooms and then tell the Rangers where to find them? Doesn't that seems a little… easy?"
Goldar smiled grimly. "The Rangers will find the hostages. They'd do so no matter how well we hid them. Rescuing them will be another matter."
Rito shrugged. "All they gotta do is break the locks. I mean, we don't really have magic to throw at them, like sis and Ed do."
Goldar smirked. "I may have done a favor for the Wizard of Deception at some point. He left me a trinket."
The cave system was instantly familiar; they'd fought there before. It seemed unguarded but for Squatt and Baboo, who were currently playing cards.
As Kimberly and Rocky approached them, they put the cards down. "Rangers, your friends are in there," they pointed in the cave.
"We know," Rocky said, trying to brush past them. Kimberly, however, held him back.
"So why are you two here?" Kimberly asked. "And don't say 'playing cards.'"
"It's a secret," Squatt replied.
Kimberly rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She started to leave.
"No, it's a secret!" Baboo insisted. "You have to say a secret."
"To you?"
"No, to the doors," Squatt said, exasperated. "To open them."
"What…" Kimberly started, but then she realized what they were saying. "You're saying the hostages are behind doors, and the only way to unlock them is to tell them a secret."
"Bingo!"
"Old Maid!" Baboo pulled the Old Maid card from the deck. "I win!"
"No, that means you…" Rocky started, but Kimberly pulled him away, further into the cave.
"Not worth it," Kimberly said. "Besides, we know how to save the hostages now."
"Yeah, tell them a secret," Rocky groused. "Whatever that means." He paused. "There are two civilians in there. Skull and Katherine. Do you think they want us to reveal our secret identities?"
"Maybe," Kimberly said. "Come on, let's find them first. Then we can plan."
Three cells, a mile into the cave system. Three cells separated by different branches, and covered by magical locks.
In one cell, Skull was throwing rocks against the door. This did nothing to help him escape, but it let him vent his frustrations, as the terror of being kidnapped by bird monsters faded into boredom.
In another cell, Adam was busy examining every inch of the cell he can. His morpher and communicator didn't work, but perhaps he could escape if there's a weakness in the cell. He hadn't found one yet.
In a third cell, Katherine huddled against Tommy, who was trying to subtly find a way out. He hadn't tried the communicator or morpher yet, but he hadn't ruled them out in case there was trouble. Katherine's safety was much more important than a secret identity.
"Why are they doing this, Tommy?" Katherine whimpered. "Does… does this happen in Angel Grove often?"
"More times than we'd like," Tommy admitted, "but not really often. And I don't know why they're doing this." He had a few suspicions, of course, but why specifically them, in this way? He didn't know.
"They said a secret could open the door," Katherine said, referring to the overheard conversation between Squatt and Baboo as they'd passed the door. "What do you think they meant?"
That was the most puzzling thing. Why had they been put behind locks that were so easy to break? Revealing secrets was difficult in that psychological, inter-personal way that was definitely not Goldar's jam. He was more one for direct action.
Tommy considered his options. The Rangers were coming for them, he had to assume. However, he needed to be able to help them as a Ranger, and he couldn't do that with Katherine around. He needed to save her own his own if possible. If breaking the lock was all about revealing secrets... he had a few, but it seemed obvious that Goldar wanted them to reveal their secret identities to a civilian. Best to avoid that.
"I mean, I guess we tell each other secrets? Like, things we don't know?" Tommy said casually. "We actually don't know very much about each other. We could try a few things."
Katherine considered this. "It will keep us distracted, anyway. So, have you always lived in Angel Grove?"
"No," Tommy said. "Moved here over a year ago with my dad. What about you? Why did you move to Angel Grove?"
Katherine shrugged. "My mum got transferred here." She pushed at the door, but it was stubbornly locked. "I guess we'll have to go deeper."
Tommy figured that. "We've got nothing but time."
Rocky threw a Putty against a wall, causing its chest plate to activate. Thankfully, the shocks from the Putties exploding hadn't caused a cave-in… yet.
"Today was supposed to be a good day," Rocky complained. Kimberly was getting up and dusting herself off. "I'd finally asked Adam out, we were going to a dance… it was all working out."
"Same," Kimberly said.
Both Rangers felt a flash of pity for the other that they did not vocalize.
"So, we talked about what we'd do if they're all behind the same lock," Kimberly said, not wanting to think about the dance that night. When she thought about it, her brain started to go fuzzy and unfocused. "We go ahead and reveal our secret identities, if Adam and Tommy haven't already. Even if Skull already knows, which I suspect he might, Katherine won't know. We can handle the fallout from there, but their safety is more important than keeping this secret from one or two people."
"I'm right there with you," Rocky said. "So, now, what about if they're separated?"
"Same instance for Katherine, and hopefully Skull if that will work. I'll take care of Skull, in any case," Kimberly said. "So that will leave Tommy and Adam."
"I can free Adam," Rocky said. "I've got a plan… that I'd rather not talk about. You get Tommy while I get Katherine?"
Kimberly pressed her lips together. She didn't like it, but she had a plan, too. "Okay, we do that. Here's hoping they've made it easy on us."
A squadron of Putties mixed with Tengas this time blocked the next hallway, and Rocky and Kimberly instantly went into battle stances.
"Easy on us. Seems like their m.o.," Rocky said.
Rita and Zedd sat in their seats in Serpentera, pointedly not speaking to one another. Zedd's Zord was fueled up, but they'd drifted into a meteor shower, and they couldn't move until it had passed. The meteors bumped and jostled the cockpit, but it caused no real damage.
Rita was still shivering, even though it was warmer. She felt her breath coming in sharp gasps, and the walls seemed to tilt with every meteor. They'd be blown off course, out of reach of any help. "W... when is this going to end?"
"I suppose that will depend on your father now, or what Dark Specter has planned," he grumbled, obviously thinking of their previous conversation. He tilted his head, finally looking at her. "What's wrong?"
"Th... this fucking meteor shower. It's going to..." she waved her arms vaguely and found them trembling. "Get us out of here, Zedd. I can't..." She gritted her teeth. She wasn't going to appear weak.
Zedd would usually have gone to her, held her in his arms. That's what the spell would have prompted him to do, Rita reminded herself. Zedd was under a love spell, and if she ever gave him the antidote, he would just put her back in her prison and fling her into space.
Rita's eyes went wide. Of course this was why she was reacting like this. It was a panic attack. Trauma from her imprisonment. She'd weathered meteor storms like this before. Realizing that didn't make her feel better, but it made her understand what was going on, at least.
"The storm will pass soon, my love," Zedd said, still holding himself aloof from her. It was less like he didn't care, and more like he was afraid to crowd her. Claustrophobia, Rita realized. Zedd knew what was happening, and he didn't want to trigger it further.
"I know," Rita said, forcing herself to breathe slowly. "It's just meteors. And this isn't my prison." She looked up and chuckled. "We were fighting about something, weren't we?"
"I believe it was about your family and fueling our vehicle," Zedd said, and Rita realized it was a joke.
"We have gone unforgivably domestic, it seems." Rita realized how clammy her skin was, and that she was starting to come down from her panic attack. "Zedd, I have something to tell you. I have a few magics that..."
"Rita, the love spell wore off long ago."
Katherine and Tommy were taking a break from talking. Katherine was snuggled up to Tommy, and Tommy was letting that happen. It was better than forcing her to sit on the cold cave floor.
They'd shared their favorite colors, their favorite TV shows. A few stories from childhood. It wasn't working. They were sharing information, but not secrets. Tommy even told her about the first time he'd tried weed in the back of a van while hitchhiking, but he supposed that wasn't really a secret. Just information.
"I think... I think it's got to be something we care about people not knowing," Katherine said. "It's magic, right? It can only tell if it's a secret if we don't want to say it."
Tommy figured she was right, but he didn't want to give away his secret identity. That was the point, of course, but he figured it wasn't really his secret to give away. If he said he was the White Ranger, he'd be giving away the secret identities of the rest of his friends. He had to think of something else.
Katherine frowned. "I... I didn't just move to the US because of my mum. She got a transfer because I was depressed."
Tommy didn't say anything, but he made a little encouraging nod. He could certainly relate to that.
"I was trying out for the Pan Global games," Katherine said. "I was a diver, and I was good. I'd trained all my life, and I was ready to compete this year. But at a crucial dive, I choked. I hit my head on the board. When I woke up in the hospital, I found out I hadn't qualified."
"That's terrible," Tommy said.
"That's... not the secret." Katherine brushed some tears away. "The secret is... I was relieved. I wanted to compete so badly, but I was also so tired. I just wasn't sure I could do it anymore, and then I didn't have to. Sometimes... I wonder if I didn't do it on purpose?"
Tommy gave her a reassuring squeeze and was about to tell her... he wasn't sure... when they heard a click at the door. They looked at each other, and then bolted for the door. They gave it a tug, but it still didn't come open.
"Maybe it's supposed to be both of us?" Katherine said. "It definitely did click."
Tommy gave her a nervous smile. "Then... I guess I need to tell you a secret."
Rita froze, all thoughts scattering of the resources she'd been keeping secret from Zedd, just in case. Her skin went cold, and she started calculating how much power she still had and whether it would be enough to escape. She gripped her staff, a spell forming on her lips.
Zedd held up a hand, then hesitated. He set his own staff down and stepped away from it. "Rita, think about it," he said quietly. "When I said the spell wore off long ago, I mean months ago. If I meant you harm, I would have had plenty of opportunities before now."
Rita's grip slackened on her staff. "Why?"
"Rita, my dear... because I love you. I have for far longer than you can know."
Rita gave a sharp laugh. "Was that before or after you imprisoned me? Usurped my power? Threw me into space?"
"I am ashamed to say that it was before," Zedd said quietly. "I could not admit it to myself. You don't know what I looked like before," he gestured at his body, "this happened."
Rita sat. She was blinking back tears, now that she was sure she wasn't going to die. "How does that matter?"
"I was one of your father's generals." The growl was clearing from Zedd's voice, and he was almost starting to sound like a normal person. Perhaps like he'd sounded long ago. "I was obsessed with gaining power. I couldn't stand that you had power simply by right of your birth, and I wanted to hate you. But you were never cruel to those who served you. I wanted you to be incompetent, but you weren't. You were the best thing I ever saw, and so I started hating myself."
Rita raised an eyebrow. "So, you imprisoned me."
Zedd nodded. "I was trying not to love you, because I knew you would never accept me. When I woke from the spell you placed on me... I supposed that this would be the best I could achieve."
Rita laughed. She couldn't help it, even though she knew Zedd was quick to anger. He did flash a bit red, but he seemed to be waiting for her to stop and explain. "I'm sorry..." she said finally, wiping her tears, "It's just..." She waved a hand around vaguely. "You've always loved me, and I've fallen in love with you, and we've danced around each other for so long, with spells and prisons and arguing." She looked at him helplessly. "How are we supposed to make this work? Can we?"
Zedd crossed over to her, bending to one knee. "Empress Rita Repulsa, will you marry me? Will you spend your life with me, fighting and ruling by my side?"
Rita clasped his hands, feeling the rings that had bound them together. Now, it felt real. "I will, for now and always."
"I guess you figured out that I live with Billy and his mom," Tommy said. "That house hasn't always been my home."
Katherine nodded. "I saw a picture of a man that looked a lot like you."
"My dad," Tommy said. "He... he died. It's almost been a year now."
The tears came, as usual, but he wiped them away impatiently. This was something he could say. This was a true secret. Something he'd never told anyone, not Billy, not Kimberly, not his therapist.
"He died of an aneurysm, but he'd been sick for a long time," Tommy said quietly, barely registering the hand Katherine laid on his. "His illness... it kept coming and going. Sometimes he'd be doing really well. Other times... he needed me to take care of him. And I did it. I didn't complain, and I loved him, and..."
Tommy paused, the cave echoing silence around him. If there were any other prisoners, or if anyone was coming to rescue them, he couldn't hear them. All he could hear was his own ragged breath.
"I've never felt worse than the day he died... except every day after that," he forced himself to continue. "That's how losing someone works. It sticks with you. It changes your entire life, and you have this... this event. You know what you were like before, and you know what you were like after. And it hurts, but..." he swallowed. "I... in some ways, I felt... relieved."
Katherine squeezed his hand. The door clicked and stood ajar, but they didn't move.
"Emotions..." Katherine said quietly, "they're just that. They don't make you a terrible person. I felt terrible for feeling relieved that I didn't have to compete..." Her eyes went wide. "Although that doesn't compare to..."
Tommy smiled wearily. "No, it's okay. My experience doesn't make yours any less horrible. And, yeah. I've... I've just been holding onto that for a long time. Part of the survivor guilt, I know." He pulled himself to his feet. "Come on, this place sucks. Let's get out of here."
Kimberly and Rocky heard talking, finally a sound that was nothing like the warbles of the Putties or the screeches of the Tengas. They rounded a corner to see Tommy and Katherine. Both looked like they'd been crying, but they were unhurt.
"You were right, the Power Rangers were coming to save us," Katherine said, grinning.
"Seems we were a little late for you two," Kimberly said. "Where are the cells?"
"Our cell was back there, around the corner." He frowned. "Are there more people trapped?"
"A few," Kimberly said. She hated to be vague, but she had to maintain the illusion that Tommy was a civilian. "How did you escape?"
"The doors open when two people tell a secret to each other," Tommy said. "It can't be just, like, information the other person doesn't know. It has to be something you've been hiding, that you don't really want to say."
"Right. Of course," Kimberly said. "We can't teleport you two out, and we still need to free the other hostages, but if you keep to the path and follow the light, you should be able to get out safely. Scream if you get in trouble."
"Right. Good luck, Rangers," Tommy said before hurrying Katherine away.
"Didn't seem like he revealed his identity," Rocky said. "I guess there's a chance. Wonder what he told her?"
Kimberly shrugged. In the past, she would have been jealous, but now she was just worried about what she was going to tell Skull.
They found the open door. A light source was around another corner. Rocky moved forward, but Kimberly stopped him.
"The doors need to be opened with secrets, and we can't speak as ourselves while morphed, especially if we're going to rescue Skull. We need to unmorph."
Rocky nodded, and then the two of them unmorphed. Without their power, the cave was cold and dark, but the cells emitted enough light and heat to follow.
The door had a small, barred window at the top. A quick peek in showed Adam, who had his back to them. He looked like he was examining the cell for escape. Rocky cleared his throat, and Adam jumped and ran to the door. "Man, am I glad to see you."
"Me, too," Rocky said, smiling. "Now we just have to get this lock down and... it's gonna be kind of difficult."
Kimberly tapped him on the shoulder. "I'm going to go look for Skull. Good luck. Once you get him out, morph, just in case Skull sees you. It'll look too suspicious if it's just us going on a rescue mission."
With that, she launched herself into the darkness.
