"Alpha, Kim and I are in my lab. We have the dino gems." Tommy said, holding his wrist up to his mouth. He was standing by the desk in his basement, leaning against a monitor. I was perched in the chair next to him, listening for a response. We had been trying to reach the Command Center since we made our way out of the caves. There has been no response from anyone yet.
"Rangers! It's good to hear your voice. The communicators have been down due to using our power sources to utilize the dino gems." Alpha's robotic voice said after a few seconds. "Tommy, once you have charged the dino gems, you'll be able to teleport back to Angel Grove."
"Will do, Alpha." Tommy replied. Reaching over, he scooped up the two colored gems that were sitting on the edge of his desk. They seemed to glow brighter as he touched them. Walking towards his lab, he set the stones down on a small elevated table. He pulled over a machine and began to press buttons on them. Standing, I walked over towards him.
"What is all this?" I asked, gesturing towards the machine.
"This machine uses the molecules in the dino gems to absorb energy. I used it when the kids became Rangers. Sometimes, the gems would become weak if there wasn't a lot of action going on. All you do is put them into the machine and then touch them once they are done. It will tap into your natural power and you will be able to morph when we have the morphers." He explained, pulling a tray from the machine. He placed the dino gems on the tray before inserting them into the middle of the charger. He turned some knobs before pushing a button on the front of it.
"How long will it take?" I asked. He shrugged.
"About half an hour. When we are synced up with them, we'll be able to teleport like we used to."
"Oh. Okay."
"Why? You okay?" Tommy asked as I ran a hand through my pony tail. I nodded.
"I'm fine. Just a lot to process since I came back. I should contact my supervisor and let her know I won't be back for a few more days. I have the time saved up."
"I should too. Our principal knows all about my history as a Power Ranger. I just have to let her know that I need some time to help Angel Grove again." I raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"
"She knows? How does she know?"
"She was one of the bad guys we fought. She was Mesogog's right hand until he sacrificed her for her powers. I will never get over the fact that monsters like Mesagog and Rita can just brainwash people to do their bidding. It's sickening." He frowned, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Tommy, it's not your fault that Rita took you under her control. She tapped into the power of the morphing grid and found you. There was no way to avoid it. You didn't willingly go with her. What other choice did you have in the matter?" I said, placing a hand on his upper arm. "We were just glad you joined us after you were freed."
"Me too. The best years of my life were spent wearing the uniform. Sometimes, I can still hear Jason calling out the command to morph."
"That's just because he's still bossy." I mused. He chuckled, smiling down at me. "We were lucky to have you."
"No." He said, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me closer. "I was lucky to have you. You were the only one in the group that never gave up on me, even when I was under Rita's spell. You kept trying no matter how horrible I was to you. Before, when you talked about being under the spell when we were on the island, you said it was like your worst nightmares were being played on a loop. Being under Rita's spell was like having all my darkest emotions brought to the top. I enjoyed fighting against you guys. It was like a part of me thrived on it. Every chance I had to attack was a high to me. At one point, I was almost convinced that I was becoming the person I wanted to become because of how good it felt. But then the spell was broken. It was like a part of me died off with it."
"That's a good thing then. Maybe when Rita's spell was destroyed, it took those horrible thoughts with it. Look how much good you did when you were the green ranger on our team. Until the powers were gone, you were our best fighter and that's why Zordon choose you to be our new leader. Zordon saw the good in you just like how we all saw it."
"Kim, there's something I need to tell you that I've never told anyone." He said, casting his eyes to the floor. "Do you remember that first battle against me? When I jumped into the Megazord?" I nodded.
"It was when you first showed yourself to us." I replied. He swallowed hard.
"Rita's spell was powerful. It controlled almost every part of me. My brain was still very much alive though, even if it was only the evil parts of it. When she handed me the power coin, her and Goldar provided me with all the identities of you guys. She had me study up on who you all were and your schedules. She wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing before going into battle. I knew full well who you all were when I ripped into the cockpit of the Megazord and tossed you out one by one. When it came to throwing you out…I fought myself like hell. Kept trying to tell myself that I couldn't do it. That you were special. Every insecurity inside of myself started to eat me alive. It drove me to push you out of the zord and almost kill you. I knew what I was doing and part of me didn't want to stop myself from doing it."
"That wasn't you. That was everything Rita was trying to bring out of you. You aren't evil, Tommy."
"What if I am though?" He asked, sighing. Pushing passed me, he sat on the steps leading up to the house and rubbed his face with his hands. "What if the power inside me is the evil force behind what fueled the green ranger powers? What if by bringing them back to life, I awaken those feelings again?"
"The evil was the spell Rita used. It wasn't inside of you. You were brainwashed into thinking that you wanted to end the world. You really don't want to end the world, do you?" I asked, stepping towards him. I knelt down so I was eye level with him, balancing my hands on his knees.
"No. Of course I don't."
"And you don't want to kill Jason, Zack, Trini, Billy and I, do you?" He shook his head, grabbing my hands.
"No." He whispered, looking at me. I smiled, standing.
"Then stop thinking like this. You're Dr. Tommy Oliver, leader of the Power Rangers! The defender of Earth against all things gross and evil. The longest serving Power Ranger as well, might I add?" He chuckled, standing.
"Alright. Alright. No need to feed my ego." He said, pulling me in for a warm hug. "I think after this is all over, I may need to take a vacation somewhere. I hear Florida is nice."
"Too many old people." I said, standing on my tippy toes. I gave him a kiss on the lips just as a loud beeping came from the middle of the room. He pulled away, looking towards the source of the sound.
"The gems are done charging." He called, walking towards the machine. He opened the door and pulled out the tray. The gems certainly looked charged; both were glowing a brilliant shade of their color. They looked like they were seconds from bursting into flames, the pink one reminding me of the zord I used to fly when I was a teenager.
"They're beautiful." I said, bending closer to look at them.
"They are pieces of the meteorite that killed the dinosaurs. When it hit, it broke apart and lodged deep into the earth. It's a miracle we managed to find them but luckily, they give off enough energy when a person who is capable of wielding them is nearby. That's why they are so bright now. It senses the powers we have and wants to tap into it."
"Well, I suppose we should do just that then." He nodded, locking eyes with me.
"Count of three?"
"Okay. One."
"Two."
"Three!" We both said, reaching out and grabbing the respected dino gems. As soon as my skin made contact with the rock, it was like a bolt of energy rippled through my body. It gave off this amazing sensation that made every nerve ending in my body sing. I could see my skin glow with a pink hue as the dino gem absorbed the power inside of me. It felt like I was being wrapped in a warm blanket while standing in the middle of an electric storm. I felt alive, reminding me of when I first was given the power coin at the Command Center all those years ago.
Glancing over, I saw Tommy must be having the same feeling. There was a green aura around him, shining from the top of his head down to his feet. A smile spread across his face of fascination as he looked at his hands. He moved the gem from one hand to the other, eying it like it was magic. "This is incredible. This is different than when I received the black dino gem. It's like it's trying to find a place inside me that I didn't know was there." He said as the glow around us disappeared.
"It's like when we first were given our power coins. Is it because it's tapping into our own natural power like they did?" I asked. He nodded, looking at the green gem in his hand.
"I believe so. I guess now we should test to see if they work. Let's teleport to the Command Center."
"Those are some words I never thought I'd hear again." I replied, grinning at him. He smiled, bring the communicator to his mouth.
"Alpha, Kim and I have the dino gems. We fused our bodies with them like we were supposed to. Try teleporting us to your location." He said in his leader voice filled with firm determination.
"Right away, Tommy!" Alpha's voice said. Suddenly, there was a blast of pink and green light around us and I felt myself ripped off the ground and into the sky. This was different than the teleporting I remembered. Where that was more controlled, this was like flying through the air with no sense of direction. Tommy reached out a grabbed my hand, trying his best to keep us both from tumbling. The Command Center came into view and I braced myself for the impact. It came suddenly, dropping the both of us on the floor in the middle of the room. I landed on top of Tommy, staring on my back up at the ceiling. "Rangers! I am so sorry! Once the dino gems are placed into your morphers, we will be able to control teleporting better." Alpha said. I pushed myself up to my feet, holding a hand out for Tommy to take. He did, pulling himself up so he was standing.
"It's fine, Alpha." I said, smiling at the little robot. He was standing by the control panel, fidgeting his hands out of nervousness. "We're okay. I promise."
"Have you finished the other dino gems?" Tommy asked, walking towards Alpha.
"Yes, Tommy." Zordon's voice said, appearing in the tube. "The other rangers were given their gems earlier today and have already added them to their morphers. Once you and Kimberly do the same, you will be able to morph."
"Here, Tommy." Alpha said, handing him our old morphers. "I was able to find all of them. They must have been restored with the rest of the Command Center when Zordon came back."
"Thanks, Alpha." Tommy took the morphers, handing one to me. I took it, smiling at the device in my hand. It was just as I remembered, the gold and silver metal wrapped around the red circle where our power coins used to go. POWER RANGERS was written in the red circle, the white lettering looking older and slightly chipped. Turning it over, I saw the familiar carving of my initials I had put into it a few months after becoming a ranger. I ran my finger over the KAH, remember the night I did this. Tommy had similar marks on the back of his after he joined our team. He was the green ranger then, just like he was going to be now.
"Just place your gems into the slot like the coins and the will adjust to fit inside of the morpher." Alpha explained, pressing a few buttons on the computer. "I'm calling the other Rangers here so we can start working on a plan."
"Good idea, Alpha." Tommy said, turning to face me. "Ready?" He asked. I nodded, holding up my gem.
"As I'll ever be." I pressed the gem into the middle of the morpher. The gem went from being a rectangular shape to flattening out like a coin. It was as if it had melted into the slot. It glowed pink again while it changed, the morpher also giving off a pink hue. In the middle of the gem, I could make out the picture of something. Looking closer, I realized it was that of a pterodactyl. It was fairly similar to the one that was imprinted on my power coin, but it moved like a miniature dinosaur in the middle of the stone. Next to me, Tommy pressed his gem in as well. Like mine, it molted to fit inside of the opening. Also like mine, I could see something moving inside of it. He eyes filled with surprise when he saw it was a small dragon that stood much like the Dragonzord used to.
In front of us, yellow, red, black and blue lights appeared as the rest of the team teleported in. They managed to land on their feet, not in a pile on the floor like Tommy and I had. Trini smiled when she saw me, running over to give me a hug. The boys greeted each other like boys do before each gave me a hug as well. "How was the mission?" Jason asked, looking at Tommy and me.
"Good. We found the gems and have them in our morphers. We're good to go." Tommy replied. I felt Trini eying me. I gave her a confused look before she nodded at Tommy. I felt my face flush slightly as I looked away from her. How was it that she could see after just two minutes that something had happened? The boys didn't seem to notice though, they remaining as clueless as usual.
"Now that we have our powers back, we should just be able to walk into the hotel and kick some ass, right?" Zack asked. Trini shook her head.
"Just walking in there would be too dangerous for not only us but the civilians in and around it. We need to come up with a plan first that will result in the least number of casualties."
"Trini is right. I think our best bet is to do some recon." Jason replied.
"That might not be a good idea." I replied, frowning. "There were putties at the cave where Tommy and I found the gems. They know we have them. Rosita might know now too. She'll be able to piece together why Tommy and I were at the hotel now if she didn't know who we were in the first place."
"I'm more than likely correct in assuming that she has been taught the identities of the first ranger team as we were her parents enemies." Billy replied, adjusting his glasses.
"Are we going to access to our Zords?" Jason asked, turning to look up at Zordon. "Were those brought back as well?"
"Yes, Jason. Alpha was able to bring them back on line. We are charging them through the morphing grid. The only one that is able to be used right now is the pterodactyl dinozord. The Dragonzord remains in the ocean where it's laid dormant since Tommy lost his powers from before. It will also require some time to charge as well." Zordon replied.
"We could have Kim do sky surveillance over the hotel. From up there, we could scan the area to see if they have anything that we didn't know before. If she has some giant-sized monsters she's hiding, that would be the way to find them." Jason said, facing us again. I nodded.
"I can do that." I replied, crossing my arms in front of my chest. "If I see anything, I can radio back to you guys. An aerial point of view could help us figure out the best place for battle as well."
"You sure about this, Kim?" Tommy asked.
"I'll be alright. It's not a battle. I'm just going to be scanning the hotel." I reassured him. He looked worried regardless.
"I will connect the surveillance radar to the pterodactyl. Once you are airborne, we'll be able to receive the communicated signal to the viewing globe." Billy said, heading off to the bay where the Zords were kept. Trini followed, offering to help him.
"It's almost night fall. The best time to do it would be once it's dark." Zack said, glancing at his watch.
"Well, I guess I get to morph before the rest of you then." I teased, shooting the boys a wink. Jason shook his head, smiling.
"Yeah, yeah. Show off." He replied. Taking a breath, I held my morpher out in front of me.
"It's morphin' time! Pterodactyl!" I called out. I felt the energy buzz through me like a bolt of lightning. Pink filled my vision as I felt my body being wrapped in the familiar pink combat type spandex. The helmet formed over my head, sealing my hair in the back of it. As I finished morphing, I glanced out of the visor. The boys all smiled at me. Unclasping the sides of the helmet, I pulled it off. "It's been so long, I forgot what that felt like."
"Kim?" Trini's voice called behind us. We all turned to look at her. "The Zord is ready."