Author's Note: Here is the next chapter of Moments in Between. Thanks to my beta Bellarose20 for the help.
As always, please read and review. Love hearing your feedback. Enjoy!
Morphing Grid
Pocket Dimension 17
2:27 PM
"I need to go back to the palace."
Kim pulled away from Jason and glared at the green ranger. "Are you crazy?"
"There are some things I need to get before I leave. Personal things I won't leave behind and the last bit of intel on the Dark Empire."
"Tommy…"
He cupped her face in his hands. "I'll be fine. I still have about an hour before Rygog is supposed to land at the moon base. That gives me plenty of time to do what I need to do, all right?" He brushed his thumb across her lips. "I'll be back before you know it."
The green ranger kissed her softly, sucking her tongue into his mouth with a moan. He squeezed her hand and winked right before he teleported out of the pocket dimension.
"Did he seriously just… dammit!" Jen yelled.
Zhane placed his hands on his hips. "Erm… should we provide back up for… whatever he's going to do?"
"He'll contact us if he needs assistance," Andros said wearily. "We need to focus on Kimberly and Ryan." He turned to the two in question. "Let's get you down to the medical bay. I want to get you checked out before we head back to KO-35. Who knows what you might have been exposed to on the moon base."
Jason ran a hand over his face tiredly. "All right, well, let me know if you need anything. I'm heading back to the Power Chamber to give Zordon an update."
The red space ranger nodded. "We'll need your help loading supplies on the ship. Have your communicator with you."
"Roger that." The red Earth ranger teleported out of the pocket dimension and into the main corridor of the Power Chamber.
"Power down," he murmured.
His suit disappeared in a flash of red light, leaving him in a red hooded t-shirt, dark baggy jeans, and brown boots. Jason went to the rec room and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge before heading towards the center of the chamber where Zordon and Alpha 5 were.
"Hello, Jason!" Alpha said warmly. The red ranger finished taking a sip of his drink and smiled.
"Hey, Alpha."
"YOU'VE RETURNED MUCH SOONER THAN EXPECTED, JASON," Zordon said. "DID EVERYTHING GO WELL WITH THE MISSION?"
Jason sighed and leaned back against the nearest wall. "Not exactly."
He told Zordon an edited version of what happened, from their discovery that Zedd had set them up to Tommy bringing Kim and Ryan back to the pocket dimension. Some details were tweaked as necessary to keep the truth of Ryan's paternity a secret.
"I SEE." The Eltarian wore a worried expression. "ARE KIM AND THE BABY ALL RIGHT?"
"Think so," Jason replied. "Andros is getting them checked out now."
"Ay yi yi, how awful! It's a good thing Tommy was there to rescue them. Who knows what could have happened?"
"INDEED. I WOULD NOT HAVE EXPECTED HIM TO TAKE SUCH DRASTIC ACTIONS TO SAVE KIMBERLY AND YOUR SON."
Jason grimaced at the mention of the green ranger. The flurry of usual emotions rushed through him – anger, betrayal, hurt, anguish, and finally guilt that settled in his stomach like lead. The water bottle gave way under his grip.
"Yeah," he responded emotionlessly.
Zordon stared at the red ranger for several seconds before turning to his assistant. "ALPHA, PLEASE JOIN THE OTHERS IN THE MEDICAL BAY. THEY MAY NEED YOUR HELP WITH RUNNING TESTS AND ADMINISTERING AID."
The robot nodded. "Of course, Zordon."
The Eltarian waited until Alpha's footsteps could no longer be heard before speaking again.
"WHAT IS ON YOUR MIND, RED RANGER?"
The teen took a swig from his bottle. "What makes you think something's on my mind?"
"THE FACT THAT YOU DIDN'T SIMPLY ANSWER NO TO MY QUESTION." Zordon smiled. "I'VE KNOWN YOU FOR YEARS NOW, JASON. I CAN TELL WHEN SOMETHING IS BOTHERING YOU."
Jason scowled. 'Dammit.'
Zordon assessed him. "IF YOU DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE DISCUSSING IT WITH ME, THAT IS FINE, BUT PLEASE KNOW… I AM ALWAYS HERE IF YOU NEED ME OR WISH TO TALK."
The red ranger let out a bitter chuckle. "You wouldn't be if you knew the truth…"
"THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT?"
Jason winced. "Shit… I said that out loud, didn't I?"
"THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT, JASON?"
The teen leaned back against the wall and slid down to the floor. The Eltarian's concern caused a lump to form in his throat. Zordon held such unwavering faith in him – to know he betrayed it made him sick to his stomach.
He pulled his legs up to his chest. "…I'm scared to tell you."
"WHY?"
"Because I don't want you to hate me, too," he whispered.
Zordon considered his words. "WHY DON'T YOU LET ME BE THE JUDGE OF THAT?"
Jason picked at the stitching of his jeans, eyes downcast. It took him nearly a minute to muster up the courage to speak, and he found that once he started, he couldn't seem to stop. He told Zordon the truth about all of it – his leaving Tommy with Goldar, why Tommy joined Zedd, the affair between the pink and green rangers… every detail was laid bare to his mentor save for the truth about Tommy being Ryan's father.
He couldn't bring himself to share that with his mentor. That was Kim's secret to tell.
"…and that's how we ended up where we are now," he finished. The black-haired teen exhaled slowly. Anxiety built in his chest as he waited for Zordon's response.
"STAND UP, JASON."
The red ranger did as requested. He wiped sweaty palms along his jeans.
"WHAT YOU DID…WAS ABHORRENT."
The red ranger blinked against the sting of tears. "I'm sorry, Zordon."
"FEELING SORRY DOES NOT MAKE UP FOR WHAT YOU DID. PERSONAL FEELINGS CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO CLOUD YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS A RANGER."
The teen bristled at this. "But I wasn't the only one to – "
"I AM NOT CONCERNED WITH WHAT OTHERS DID RIGHT NOW, JASON. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT YOU," Zordon snapped. "NOT ONLY DID YOU LIE TO ME, BUT YOU ENDANGERED THE LIFE OF A CIVILIAN. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"
"I didn't think – "
"THAT MUCH IS CLEAR," Zordon cut in. "DID YOU EVEN CONSIDER FOR ONE SECOND THAT THINGS COULD HAVE GONE MUCH DIFFERENTLY? WHAT IF RITA HAD SIMPLY KILLED TOMMY INSTEAD? WOULD YOU HAVE BEEN ABLE TO LIVE WITH YOURSELF KNOWING YOU COULD HAVE SAVED HIS LIFE BUT DIDN'T OVER SOMETHING SO TRIVIAL?"
Jason looked down shamefully.
"COULD YOU HAVE EXPLAINED TO HIS PARENTS THAT THEIR SON WAS DEAD BECAUSE YOU DECIDED IT WAS BETTER TO HAVE HIM OUT OF THE PICTURE THAN ALIVE AND SAFE?"
The red ranger's bottom lip trembled as he shook his head. "…No."
"NO, YOU COULDN'T," Zordon barked in the harshest tone Jason had ever heard from him. "I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE DISAPPOINTED IN YOU THAN I AM NOW."
Jason flinched as if he'd been hit.
The Eltarian struggled to control his anger. "AS THE LEADER OF THIS TEAM, I NEED TO KNOW THAT I CAN TRUST YOU TO MAKE THE BEST DECISION AT CRITICAL MOMENTS… NOT THE ONE THAT BENEFITS YOU THE MOST."
"I know, and I-I realize that I'm unfit to lead this team or even be a part of it." The red ranger reached into his pocket and pulled out his morpher. "I'll let the team know that I'm resigning, effective immediately."
Zordon observed him quietly for several seconds. "…THAT WON'T BE NECESSARY."
"W-What?"
"I'M NOT ACCEPTING YOUR RESIGNATION," Zordon clarified. "FORTUNATELY, TOMMY DID NOT DIE BECAUSE OF YOUR ACTIONS, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A WAR. YOUR TEAMMATES LOOK TO YOU FOR LEADERSHIP. REMOVING YOU FROM THE TEAM NOW HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE DESTABILIZING."
"Right, of course," the red ranger sighed. He toed the ground with his boot. "What about after?"
"YOU WILL BE TAKEN OFF OF ACTIVE DUTY FOR A MINIMUM OF SIX MONTHS."
"Six months?" the teen repeated. "But that means…"
"YOU WILL RETURN TO THE TEAM AS THE RED RANGER ONCE YOUR SUSPENSION IS OVER."
"I don't understand." He frowned. "What I did… I don't deserve to be the red ranger anymore."
"JASON…" Zordon sighed as he looked down at the shamefaced teen. "THE REASON I'M UPSET WITH YOU ISN'T BECAUSE YOU DID SOMETHING I DON'T EXPECT OF A RED RANGER – IT'S BECAUSE YOU DID SOMETHING I DON'T EXPECT OF YOU. I CHOSE YOU TO BE THE RED RANGER BECAUSE I SEE IN YOU THE QUALITIES OF SOMEONE WORTHY OF THAT RESPONSIBILITY…AND YOU FAILED ME."
Jason wiped at the tears building in his eyes. "If I could take it back – "
"I DON'T WANT YOU TO TAKE IT BACK," the Eltarian interrupted. "I WANT YOU TO LEARN FROM IT."
Zordon paused, giving his anger time to cool so he could collect his thoughts.
"REGARDLESS OF HOW UPSET I AM WITH YOU, I CAN STILL RECOGNIZE ALL OF THE GOOD YOU'VE DONE AS A POWER RANGER. I KNOW THAT YOU CAN MAKE BETTER CHOICES – YOU'VE ALREADY SHOWN THIS BY PUTTING ASIDE YOUR DIFFERENCES AND WORKING WITH TOMMY TO TAKE DOWN LORD ZEDD. YOU'VE PROVEN YOU ARE MORE THAN THAT MOMENT OF WEAKNESS."
The red ranger winced at his mentor's encouraging words. Here Zordon was still believing in him despite knowing the truth, and even now, he could feel the same bitterness and jealousy that pushed him to make that mistake festering inside of him.
"YOU DISAGREE?" the Eltarian asked after sensing the teen's discomfort.
"It's just…" Jason ran his hands over his face in frustration. "Every time I think about what they did to me, I get so angry that I… I can't even see straight," the red ranger growled as he clenched his fists. "It's hard not to just let it take over and do something I shouldn't…again."
"IT'S OKAY TO BE ANGRY, JASON. YOU'RE ENTITLED TO FEEL HURT IN THIS SITUATION," the Eltarian said. "BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT YOU ARE A RANGER AND THE LEADER OF YOUR TEAM… AND AT SOME POINT YOU DON'T GET TO WALLOW IN YOUR PAIN AND BLAME TOMMY AND KIMBERLY ANYMORE. YOU HAVE TO PUT THOSE FEELINGS ASIDE… FOR THE GOOD OF YOUR TEAM, THE PEOPLE YOU SWORE TO PROTECT, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, YOURSELF."
The black-haired teen crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not…sure I know how to do that."
"THEN YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LEARN." Zordon's tone softened. "I KNOW IT FEELS LIKE I'M ASKING YOU TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE AND THAT IT SEEMS UNFAIR GIVEN THE DEPTH OF THE BETRAYAL YOU SUFFERED IN THIS… BUT YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT THE SITUATION FOR WHAT IT IS AND MOVE ON."
The red ranger wanted to argue but realized it was futile. Zordon had essentially given him the Eltarian equivalent of 'shut the fuck up and get over yourself'. Zack told him the same thing, as did Kim and even Tommy…
If Zordon was saying it, too, maybe it was time to finally listen.
Jason tugged at the sleeve of his hoodie. "So I gotta be the bigger man and get over it… just like that?"
"JUST LIKE THAT." Zordon noticed the red ranger's sullen expression. "YOUR YOUTH AND INEXPERIENCE MAKES IT SEEM LIKE THIS IS THE WORST PAIN YOU CAN FEEL BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU, JASON, YOU WILL HAVE MANY MORE EXPERIENCES IN YOUR LIFETIME – BOTH GOOD AND BAD – THAT WILL MAKE THIS PAIN FADE INTO A DISTANT MEMORY."
The teen raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"
"ABSOLUTELY." Seeing the teen's unconvinced expression, Zordon came to a decision. "HAVE A SEAT, JASON."
The red ranger did as he was told, sitting with his legs folded on the floor of the control room.
"PERHAPS A TALE FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCES WILL GIVE YOU SOME PERSPECTIVE."
Jason's eyes widened in surprise. In all the time he'd known Zordon, the Eltarian never shared anything about his past outside of what was pertinent to an ongoing battle or mission.
"SIX THOUSAND YEARS AGO, MY FATHER SENT ME AND A SMALL ARMY TO HELP SAVE A PLANET ON THE BRINK OF DESTRUCTION. IT WAS THERE THAT I FIRST ENCOUNTERED THE MORPHOLOGICAL BEING KNOWN THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSE AS IVAN OOZE…"
Power Chamber
Medical Bay
Angel Grove, CA
3:16 PM
Tommy brushed his thumb across her lips. "I'll be back before you know it."
Kimberly's heart leapt into her throat when he disappeared in a flash of green light
'Oh, Tommy… please don't do anything stupid,' the pink ranger thought as she bit her lip worriedly.
"Kimberly… Kimberly… Kim!"
The pink ranger blinked, snapping back to the present. "Yeah?"
"I asked for you to lift your arms higher so I can complete the stitching."
She nodded and did as requested, allowing Billy access to her abdomen. She hissed as he threaded the skin along her ribcage back together.
"Oh my god, I just want to eat him up!"
Kim smiled through the pain as she saw Trini twirl a giggling Ryan in the air. The yellow ranger pulled the infant to her chest, laughing softly at his attempts to put her hair into his mouth. She tickled his stomach, and he squealed, legs kicking out in excitement. Alpha 5 stood off to the side watching the two of them together.
The pink ranger sighed in relief when she felt something cool on her skin. Billy rubbed a clear ointment over her stitches that soothed the burning sensation from her wound. He grabbed some bandages and proceeded to wrap them around her torso.
"That should do it," he said, stepping back to assess his work. "The best thing for you now is to rest and not to engage in any strenuous activity. You don't want to pull the stitches by accident."
"Billy, when have you ever known Kim to follow directions?"
Kimberly perked up at the voice and turned to see Zack there, a smile so wide on his face she thought it might get stuck. The pink ranger hopped from the table and ran over to him, nearly tackling him to the ground from the force of her hug.
"What did I just say?" Billy complained.
Zack grinned over her head. "Told you."
Kimberly buried her face into his chest, tears streaming down her cheeks. The black ranger wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"Hey, Kimmy," he murmured.
"I'm so glad you're okay," she whispered. "When you were in that coma… I thought…"
"I know." He squeezed her tighter. "But it takes more than that to keep the Zack-man down."
Kim stepped back and frowned when she saw the cane in his hand. "Oh, Zack…"
He shook his head. "I'm fine, Kim. Until I make it through my physical therapy, I gotta use this." Zack gave a crooked smile. "I'll be back to one hundred percent – no worries."
The black ranger nudged her side. "Now, I hear there's someone here that needs to get acquainted with his Uncle Zack."
Trini rolled her eyes as she carried the laughing baby over to him. As she handed him over, Ryan stretched out his arms with a wide smile, eagerly moving into Zack's waiting arms.
"There's my boy!" Zack blew a raspberry on the baby's stomach. "You're just the cutest little guy, aren't you?"
The yellow ranger tickled the infant's feet, causing him to laugh. Billy joined them, a finger running over the child's cheek.
"He is quite handsome," he stated. The blue ranger dodged the child's repeated attempts to grab his glasses. "And determined."
"Yeah, you get used to it." Kim placed a hand on her son's back. He turned to her, smiling that sweet smile she loved.
"Look at that… boy knows his mama," Zack said with a laugh.
Ryan reached for Kimberly, babbling at her happily. She scooped him up and cuddled him against her chest. The pink ranger pressed gentle kisses against his temple.
The rangers cooed and awed for some time at the baby who was more than happy to soak up the attention. A loud clearing of the throat, however, drew everyone's focus to the doorway where a stoic Jason stood. His hands were tucked into his front pockets.
And just like that, the easygoing mood disappeared as everyone remembered the unfortunate circumstances that led to Ryan being there.
"Hey," the red ranger said, voice rough.
Zack frowned. "You all right, man?"
"I'm fine."
His mind was still reeling from the story Zordon just shared with him. The Eltarian's account of what happened with Ivan Ooze gave Jason quite a bit of food for thought, especially with regards to how he should handle things moving forward. Zordon had been put in an impossible position during his battle with Ivan Ooze, even going so far as to do things he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to live with. It gave the red ranger some much-needed perspective about his own problems.
Jason plastered on his best smile before turning to look at Kimberly. "Zordon wants to talk to you." He looked at the baby in her arms. "And he'd like to meet Ryan."
Kim nodded, though it was a little difficult with Ryan squishing her cheeks between his hands. She playfully bit his nose, which caused him to giggle.
"Come on, Ryan," she said softly as she gave him his pacifier. "There's someone I'd like for you to meet."
They headed out of the medical bay towards the control room, following Trini's instructions on how to get there in the new Power Chamber. Kimberly grinned at Ryan's wide-eyed fascination with the bright lights and sounds as they wandered the corridor. They entered the large control room and stopped a few feet in front of Zordon's tube.
"HELLO, KIMBERLY."
The pink ranger teared up instantly at hearing his voice. "Zordon…"
"WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS HOW HAPPY I AM TO SEE YOU ARE ALIVE AND WELL."
She sniffled, smiling through her tears. "I've missed you."
The Eltarian smiled. "AND I YOU."
Ryan broke the tender moment by spitting out his pacifier and babbling at Zordon.
"Seems like someone wants to say hi to you," Kim said with amusement. Ryan turned to her and gave a gummy smile. She leaned forward, forehead pressed against his.
The pink ranger turned back to her mentor. "Zordon… I'd like for you to meet my son – Ryan Christopher Hart."
"HELLO, RYAN," he said gently. The little boy rest his head against his mother's cheek, giving the Eltarian a good look at the boy's features. "HE IS A BEAUTIFUL CHILD, KIMBERLY."
She handed the infant his pacifier. "He's my everything."
"HART… NOT SCOTT?"
Kim nodded. "Things between Jason and I… aren't good at the moment, and with Ryan spending most of his time with me, we agreed it made sense to give him my last name."
"I SEE," he murmured. "AND HOW IS LIFE ON KO-35 FOR THE TWO OF YOU? ARE YOU IN NEED OF ANYTHING?"
"Just better security." She brushed her fingers over the bandages around her torso with a wince. "Zedd's boys roughed me up."
"YES, I HEARD… ARE THE TWO OF YOU OKAY?"
She nodded, fingers running through her son's hair. "Yeah, we're good."
Zordon watched her carefully as he continued. "IT WAS VERY COURAGEOUS OF TOMMY TO RESCUE YOU."
She licked her lips. "Yeah, well… he's always had a soft spot for me…"
"BUT SUCH A SELFLESS ACT WAS UNXPECTED GIVEN HIS ROCKY RELATIONSHIP WITH JASON AND YOUR CONNECTION TO HIM." The pink ranger tensed up. "TO SAVE YOU AND YOUR SON AT THE RISK OF HIS OWN FREEDOM WAS SURPRISING, TO SAY THE LEAST… WOULDN'T YOU AGREE?"
Kimberly kept her gaze averted, even as she could feel her mentor staring intently.
"…KIMBERLY?"
The pink ranger had a choice to make – tell Zordon the truth or keep lying to him. After everything he'd done for her and supported her through, she knew there was really only one choice.
"Zordon, I… I need to tell you something." Her lower lip trembled as she took a deep breath. "Tommy is Ryan's father, not Jason." Her jaw clenched tightly. "That's why we were taken."
"…I KNOW."
"W-What?" She looked at him in alarm. "Jason told you?"
Zordon shook his head. "NO, BUT HE TOLD ME ENOUGH FOR ME TO PUT THE PIECES TOGETHER ON MY OWN." He observed the infant who sucked on his fist. "AND THE RESEMBLANCE IS… UNCANNY."
Kim averted her gaze as her cheeks flushed with heat. "You must be so disappointed in me."
"I AM," he admitted. "WHAT YOU DID WAS A DIRECT VIOLATION OF ELTARIAN LAW." He shook his head. "YOU KNOW BETTER, KIMBERLY. HOW COULD YOU BE SO IRRESPONSIBLE?"
"I know," she murmured. "I never should have cheated on Jason and I – "
"YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JASON IS NOT THE ISSUE HERE," the Eltarian interrupted angrily. "IT'S YOUR POOR JUDGMENT."
She looked down, face flushing from embarrassment.
"KIMBERLY… YOUR INVOLVEMENT WITH THE GREEN RANGER WAS MORE THAN A SINGULAR INDESCRETION. IT LASTED FOR MONTHS, WHICH MEANS WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT INFORMATION WAS EXCHANGED BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU DURING THAT TIME THAT MAY HAVE HELPED THE DARK EMPIRE – KNOWINGLY OR OTHERWISE." He paused to give her a chance to let that sink in. "IT ALSO RESULTED IN A CHILD, KIMBERLY… THE CHILD OF ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS MEN IN THE UNIVERSE."
"Yes, I know, okay? I know how bad I messed up," she said in frustration.
"I DON'T THINK YOU DO," he said delicately. "KIMBERLY… YOU COMMITTED TREASON … DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THE CONSEQUNCE IS FOR THAT?"
"Life in prison."
"OR DEATH," he told her. "AND I FEAR THE LATTER WILL BE THE SENTENCE YOU'LL FACE FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE IF THE COUNCIL FINDS OUT."
The pink ranger cuddled her son closer as her heart raced. "…Will they find out?"
A tense silence lingered between them for several seconds before he spoke.
"AS A MEMBER OF THE ELTARIAN COUNCIL, IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO REPORT THIS… BUT IS ALSO MY DUTY AS YOUR MENTOR TO PROTECT YOU," he said. His gaze softened as he looked at her and her son. "I WILL ALWAYS PLACE PROTECTING MY RANGERS ABOVE ALL ELSE."
Kimberly's eyes closed in relief, and she whispered a soft, "Thank you."
"BUT KIMBERLY, JUST BECAUSE I WON'T TELL THE COUNCIL DOESN'T MEAN THEY WON'T EVENTUALLY FIND OUT THE TRUTH."
"No one who knows will tell them… and with Jason legally listed as the father, there's nothing to worry about."
"KIMBERLY, IT ONLY TAKES ONE LOOK AT THAT CHILD TO SEE HE ALREADY FAVORS TOMMY. WHAT WILL YOU DO WHEN HE'S OLDER AND THE RESEMBLANCE BECOMES MORE APPARENT?"
"I-I don't know." She ran a hand through her hair. "I'll have to cross that bridge when I get there."
Zordon opened his mouth to speak again but stopped at Jason's sudden appearance in the doorway.
"Sorry for the interruption…" the red ranger said. "…but we gotta get ready to head out now. Zhane's moving the Megaship out of the pocket dimension, and we can't wait too long or Zedd will detect its presence."
"Right," she said. She cleared her throat and smiled at Ryan who had a tight grip on the collar of her shirt. "Say goodbye to Zordon, Ryan."
She lifted his hand and made him wave, causing a smile to form around his pacifier and Zordon to chuckle. Kimberly nodded at Jason and followed behind him to the exit.
"JASON, KIMBERLY." The two rangers turned to face their mentor. "REMEMBER WELL MY WORDS TODAY... AND BE CAREFUL."
They nodded and headed out of the control room.
'MAY THE POWER PROTECT YOU,' he thought as he watched them leave.
Zordon bowed his head once they were gone. He didn't mean to come down so hard on them, but if Jen was right, he didn't have a lot of time left to give them the guidance they sorely needed.
The Time Force pink ranger had informed him long ago that this war ended in a battle in the ruins of the Command Center and would result in his death. He wasn't sure when exactly this battle was supposed to happen, but now it seemed as if it was only a matter of time. If Zedd had gone through that much trouble to have Kim and Ryan kidnapped, he was going to go after them again. Zordon knew Zedd well enough to know that the Emperor would find a way to locate them at the Power Chamber, and once he did, the battle would be at their doorstep.
It came as no surprise to him that his death occurred at the same time the war ended – in fact, he was certain that his death is the reason the war ends. Alpha 5 informed Zordon long ago that being trapped in his time warp had allowed his powers to grow at an exponential rate. If released, the energy had the potential to take out Zedd and his entire armed forces all at once.
Time and time again, Zordon wrestled with the knowledge that he possessed the power to end Zedd's reign. He had explained this to his father and the Council, but he'd been forbidden from taking his own life. Their argument was that Zordon was more valuable alive than dead and another way could be found to defeat Zedd. The truth was that Gali was unable to accept losing his son, regardless of how many lives would be saved in the process.
Now it seemed that no longer mattered.
He wondered who would be the one to do it. Zedd certainly wouldn't order his death, though it was possible one of his less intelligent soldiers could mistakenly shatter the tube.
He prayed it wouldn't be one of his rangers. They were strong, but they were still children – none of them should have to live with the weight of his death on their conscience.
Perhaps Andros would be the one. Their history together would give the space ranger pause, but his experience and determination to end the war would allow him to do what needed to be done.
Zordon sighed. There was no point in even speculating about this, was there? The how and why behind his death were out of his control, so did it really even matter who took him out in the end?
The Eltarian settled for staring out at the control room instead, eyes sad as he was unsure how much longer he'd be able to take in the view.
All he could really do now is wait.
The Lunar Palace
Holding Cells
The Moon
Local time, Unknown
"Zedd, get back here, you son of a bitch! Don't hurt them!"
The Emperor closed the door to the room with a soft click.
"ZEDD!"
He turned to the Piranhatrons standing guard. "Once Goldar is finished, no one else goes in or comes out of this room. Understood?"
The two soldiers nodded.
Lord Zedd headed for his throne room, passing various solders along the way who stopped to bow in respect. He ignored them, too distracted by thoughts of the green ranger.
He took a seat on his throne and tapped his fingers against the armrest.
"Impudent child," he hissed. "I gave him everything he could possibly ask for, and he betrays me like this?!"
Zedd had hoped the boy had learned his lesson the first time when he'd been caught after his fight with the red ranger. Tommy was young, and Zedd understood the power hormones had on someone at that age. He didn't mind the boy having some fun with the pretty pink ranger – as long as it worked to his benefit and ended when it no longer offered any value.
That was the agreement, and he thought Tommy had understood.
In retrospect, he should have listened to Rygog's concerns about the green ranger's many unscheduled trips down to Earth. Zedd assumed the boy had gone down to visit his parents – Goldar had already informed him of the boy's attachment to them during his time working for Rita. He requested Rygog to eliminate them, not wanting the green ranger to have any attachments to Earth that would prevent him from giving his all to the invasion.
Rygog later informed him that the teleportation logs still showed the green ranger frequently visiting Earth, and his insistence that the teen was up to something had infuriated the Emperor. Rygog's inability to trust Tommy showed that he didn't trust the Emperor's judgment, and that was something Lord Zedd could not tolerate.
Zedd knew the general's mistrust of Tommy was rooted in jealousy. Rygog, like other generals of the Dark Empire, had been loyal to Lord Zedd for several millennia. He'd bled and killed for the Dark Empire without question, and he found it understandably insulting that the Emperor held a human child in higher regard than those who served him for much longer. But even though he understood the general's frustration, Lord Zedd felt no need to explain himself or his decisions to anyone, especially his subordinates.
It didn't matter if the others couldn't see in Tommy what he did – his judgment was final, and he was never wrong.
Upon meeting the teen, he'd been immediately impressed by the green ranger's battle prowess and intelligence, but it was his cruelty and need for vengeance that pushed the Emperor to begin training him. He saw in Tommy a greatness he'd only ever seen before in one other person – himself; raw, untapped potential that when nurtured would make him virtually unstoppable.
He'd been certain he'd found his successor… which is why Zedd was disappointed when he realized he now had to kill him.
It was after the failed transport of the supplies from Xybria that he finally learned what his green ranger had been up to and how deep his betrayal went. An SOS from the transport ship had reached Serpentera asking for assistance from an onboard attack from the green ranger. This of course conflicted with Tommy's claim that he was ambushed by Aytrew and other soldiers, a scenario that Lord Zedd admittedly found difficult to believe. Suspicion quickly changed to shock when Anebris, in an effort to prepare Tommy's bag for his recovery on KO-35, discovered an item in the green ranger's possession.
A photo of a clearly-alive pink ranger… and a baby boy.
The child's features weren't fully developed yet as he was a newborn in the photo, but Zedd had no doubt he was the green ranger's son.
The idea that Tommy both had a child and was able to keep it and the pink ranger hidden from him was as surprising as it was illuminating. If the pink ranger was alive, the other power rangers had to know and most likely helped fake her death in battle; and if Tommy had a picture of her and their son, he had to be communicating with the power rangers in order to get it.
Zordon and his team undoubtedly realized what kind of threat Tommy posed to her safety. If he was getting intel on the pink ranger and their brat through the rangers, he had to be giving something to them in return.
Zedd sent word to his spies on KO-35 about the green ranger's arrival, now wanting to know the boy's every move in hopes of confirming his suspicions. After several days of monitoring his progress at the hospital, his spies reported back that he'd been discharged and was seen meeting with Andros in the Eastern Grasslands before the two disappeared. He later learned that the pink ranger was seen coming from the same area on her way into the city.
After sharing the newfound information with Goldar and Rygog, the three of them were able to devise a plan. There was still no concrete evidence that the green ranger was responsible for the recent attacks throughout the empire, but Rygog's suggestion to tell the teen about a fake shipment was sure to solve that problem. If Tommy was truly responsible and still thought Zedd had no idea what was going on, the Emperor could use that against him to not only expose him for the traitor he was but also get what he wanted – the location of the power rangers' new base of operations.
The plan had been to use the pink ranger and their son as a bargaining chip – their freedom for the location of Zordon and his rangers. When he realized that Rygog had been captured, Zedd had been forced to improvise. He couldn't prevent Rygog from telling the rangers where the pink ranger and her son were located, but he could use Tommy's predictability to his advantage. The boy would want to put her and the baby in a safe location – most likely wherever Zordon was – so he placed a tracking chip in the blanket as a precaution.
'And here we are now,' he thought bitterly, grip tight around his Z staff.
He still struggled to wrap his head around all of it. How could mere children outsmart him? The thought alone was such a blow to his pride that it had him literally seeing red.
His generals had tried to warn him countless times not to trust the green ranger, and he refused to listen to them. He trusted his instincts because he knew what was best.
And where did that get him?
On the losing side of the war and looking like a fool in front of his subordinates and his enemies… by a whelp no less.
He gripped the armrest tightly, causing some of it to break off and crumble. "He will pay dearly for what he's done to me."
Footsteps were heard in the hallway, growing louder as they grew closer to the throne room. Goldar emerged in the doorway, the surrounding candlelight reflecting off of his armor.
"My Lord," Goldar said in greeting. He dropped down to one knee in respect. "They've been located. We're ready to depart on your order."
Zedd stood tall and his visor flashed red. "Let's go."
And that wraps up Cost of Revenge: Moments in Between. Be on the lookout for updates to Cost of Revenge: Redemption. Thank you again!
