Chapter 16

The Memory Remains

Flying Towards California…

"And…checkmate," said Morgan as he defeated Bulk yet again.

"Aw, c'mon; how do I keep missing that?" Bulk groaned.

"You're too focused on offense," Morgan told him. "In chess, you gotta think offensively AND defensively in order to win."

Skull gave his trademark high-pitched laugh. "He's gotcha there, Bulky."

Bulk glared at his best buddy, but said nothing. He turned his attention back to Morgan. "I guess I'm not too good at this, huh?"

"Hey, you know what they say: 'Practice Makes Perfect.' Get a couple good strategies and you'll get better. So I guess you don't want to play again, huh?"

"Nope. I know when I'm beat."

"Skull, you wanna try your hand at me again?"

"Nah, I gotta get Spike."

"Spike? Who's that?" asked Kimberly.

"My son."

"I didn't know you had a son, Skull. You married, too?"

"Yeah; her name's Annie. She's a real peach. Helped me get my music career going."

"Whoa, the surprises keep on coming! You've got a music career? What do you do?"

"He plays the piano," Bulk interrupted. "He's awesome at it! He sells out concerts all over the country!"

"So what do you do, Bulk?" asked Morgan.

Bulk gulped. "I live in Panorama City. I've tried to find a career, but nothing really strikes my fancy."

"Except the Power Rangers," Kimberly laughed.

"Yeah, so?" Bulk huffed. "It just so happens that Panorama City has its own set of Power Rangers. Samurai Rangers! And I've been teaching Spike Skullovitch how to be a Samurai!"

"Good luck with that one," Kimberly deadpanned.

"Hey, Dad! Uncle Bulk! Where are the video games at?" came a voice from behind them. There was a guy in his late teens searching around the plane for his portable video game system when Skull grabbed him by the arm and put him in the seat between himself and Bulk. "Spike, calm down. Your 3DP is charging. Using it while it's charging will drain the max battery life. In the meantime, I'd like you to meet a new friend and an old friend. First the new: this is Morgan."

"How ya doin', man?" Spike asked him.

"Pretty good. Yourself?"

"Meh. OK."

Skull continued. "And this is Kimberly…"

"You mean this is the girl you were in love with before you met Mom?"

Skull glared daggers at Spike.

"Ouch. Well, this is awkward…" said Kimberly with a look of embarrassment on her face.

"I'll say," Morgan agreed.

"It's okay, I knew; I just was already involved with someone else."

"Who?"

She bristled at the question. "I don't wanna talk about it."

There was a moment of silence between the five as things sank in. But Kim decided to change the subject.

"So, Morgan, I'll play you."

"Step right up."

The two set up the chessboard and started the game.

"Hey, Kim; how long's it been since you were in Angel Grove?" Morgan asked.

"It's been, wow, over a decade. I haven't been there since I lost one of my best friends…"

Flashback: 2001

Kimberly was shocked when she heard the news. How could it be? She was so stunned she couldn't even cry. Her first best friend. She had been driving down Interstate 5 on her way to a job interview when a wrong way driving criminal escaping from the police T-Boned her at an on-ramp. She didn't have time to react, let alone morph.

And now Trini was gone. Lost from the Earth forever. No one would know she had been the Original Yellow Ranger, except for those who were of The Power. Kimberly had flown in from Florida, and the others had come in from all over, including Billy Cranston, the Original Blue Ranger, who had come from Planet Aquitar. It normally would have been a joyous reunion, but did it have to come like this?

"I just can't believe she's gone…" Kim sobbed.

"If only there had been more time," Aisha Campbell said with a look of pain on her face. She had been Trini's successor to the Yellow Ranger Power. And Aisha's successor; her cousin, Tanya Sloan; just kept humming "Amazing Grace."

Katherine Hillard, the second Pink Ranger, held Kimberly tight. "I know how much Trini meant to you. It feels like a piece of all of us is gone."

Zack Taylor, the first Black Ranger, just shook his head in anger. "This is the most messed up thing that has ever happened to us! I hope that guy gets LIFE! He needs to pay for what he did to one of US!"

"Calm down," said Adam Park, Zack's successor. "We just need to let justice run its course."

"I know that's the right thing to do, A.P., but I just don't feel like that's what this…this monster deserves. He may be human but he's still as much a monster as any that Rita or Zedd sent down!"

"Zack, if we used the Power like that, we'd be no better than him."

"Maybe…but I don't want to be better."

Billy, who had been very close to Trini, looked sick. "Well," he said glumly, "it's not scientifically proven that there's an afterlife. But if there is, I'm sure Trini's up there smiling down on us."

Then there was Jason and Tommy. Kimberly couldn't bring herself to look at either one of them. Jason had his face in his hands, and Tommy had his arm around Jason's shoulders. They were practically brothers and everyone knew it. They were taking this hard, too. It was especially hard on Tommy whose biological brother, David, had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Rocky DeSantos, Jason's successor and also teammate, grabbed his friends by the shoulders. "At least she doesn't have to feel pain anymore," he said.

"I just wish there's something I could have done," Jason wept.

"I know, bro," said Tommy. "Same here."

"It just feels so… wrong. To lose one of us. To have her…die. Just like that."

"Yeah. But even Power Rangers aren't invincible, bro."

"What do we do?" asked Rocky. "This is unfixable, this is unchangeable, this is…final."

"I know, they say everyone has their time, I just wish this wasn't it," Tommy said with his eyes closed.

"Yeah," said Rocky. "Why though?"

"It's just not right," Jason agreed.

"Not even close." Tommy whispered.

It was a harrowing experience to be sure; in the face of death, the Power Rangers were, in fact, powerless.

"And so we commit Trini Kwan to the earth…" spoke the pastor. "Ashes to Ashes and Dust to Dust. Though she may be gone we always will remember her brave spirit, which will live on in all who knew her."

The Rangers all tried to stay together, comforting her parents and her Uncle Howard. Kimberly laid Mr. Ticklesneezer in her coffin, sobbing uncontrollably. But when Aisha came to the coffin, she paused. She turned her back to the coffin, put her hand behind her back and motioned Billy over.

"What is it, Aisha?" Billy asked.

"I'm going to give her what belongs to her."

"What?"

"This." And she showed Billy the Sabretooth Tiger Power Morpher.

"No. Keep it."

"But she deserves it. Not me. I'm retiring it."

"Though the sentiment is deserved, and honestly warranted, I can't help but feel that there may come a day when Earth may need a Yellow Mighty Morphin Power Ranger," Billy whispered. "You're the only one left. The Power is yours now. Besides, Trini would want it this way."

"All right," said Aisha with a deep sigh as she tucked the morpher away. "I just hope you're wrong, though." However, she squeezed the handle of the casket, whispering, "Trini, baby, gimme the strength I need to hold on."

Back on the Plane

"So all my friends and I just tried to hold together but we went our separate ways since then and haven't had much contact since."

"Really?" Morgan asked Kim. "They do have this thing called Facebook nowadays…"

"Yeah, I know. Not really into it."

"Whatever. Uh, whose turn is it?"

"I thought it was your turn."

"I thought it was yours."

"I guess we got so distracted by the story that we lost track."

"Huh. Let's call it a stalemate. Wanna play restart?"

"Nah, that's okay."

Morgan turned his attention to Spike, but he was engrossed in his 3DP game. "Crap," he grumbled. "Ah well, the dude's got taste in gaming."