It's late, but I've finished this chapter. yawns That means I can go to bed! I wanted to get this done this weekend since I have so much work to be done next week... Grr... oh yes. This fic now has a cover for it. Those of you on my mailing list have received the link for it. I will post it here though for the rest of you. I hope you enjoy it. It is a commission piece done by Mary Marvel of Rangerboard. Much thanks to her and her awesome drawing skills.
Cover: http/glenville. facebook. com/album. php?aid2002054&id98400105&l8f941 (remove the spaces after the .) I've had to fix this link already once... I think fanfiction. net is being a pain and taking out certain characters. If you think characters are missing check to make these things are present: a / after com, a question mark after .php and an equals sign after aid. After 2002054 there should be an ampersand followed by id followed by an equals sign. Then you should see a string of numbers going 98400105 then an ampersand, then an l then an equal sign then 8f941. If this still doesn't work, you'll have to email me for the link.
Chapter 40 Strength of the Heart
Kimberly awoke in a strange place. She didn't know where she was or how she'd gotten there. She blinked her eyes a few times, hoping to adjust to the lighting, which was dim to begin with. As she slowly came to full consciousness, she realized her body was encased in a sort of plastic tubing, and she was hooked up to a breathing device. The apparatus scared her at first, but she soon calmed herself down. She couldn't lift any part of her body; she was too tired still to try. Those nights of sleeplessness were finally catching up to her.
Her eyes scanned what she could see. She noticed various wires were connected to her body; these ran out of the tubing and fed into strange looking machines. As she observed, she noticed that the cuts and bruises she had remembered vividly seeing were almost gone from her skin. Whatever the machines were doing, she hoped they kept it up.
A door slid open and Kimberly's ears perked up at the sound. The shuffling of metal feet was heard along with metallic mutterings. "Kimberly! You're awake!" exclaimed Alpha. "Zordon will be so pleased to hear about your progress!"
Kimberly couldn't help but smile at the robot's enthusiasm. She wished she could respond to him, but the breathing device was preventing her from doing so. "Do not fret, Kimberly. I will be removing that device shortly," Alpha explained.
Alpha shuffled over to one of the big machines and pressed a few buttons. Strange noises were heard and soon Kimberly saw that Alpha held a few pieces of paper in his hand. "I'm going to have Billy come and take a look at these," he told her. Kimberly guessed that he wanted her to know what was going on, especially since she couldn't ask that herself. Alpha pressed a button on the wall. "Billy, could you please report to the medical bay? I need you to look over these printouts."
"Right away, Alpha," was the response.
In less than a minute, Kimberly heard the doors open once again. She heard Billy's footsteps, and then his voice by where she lay. "Let me take a look at those, Alpha," he instructed.
Kimberly watched Billy's face contort with emotions. She saw the smile he gave through most of the report, but then noticed the frown at the end as he flipped to the last page. Whatever news that page held, Kimberly didn't want to know about it. She'd dealt with enough already. Then again, her curious side was getting the better of her. If it had to be bad news, then she wanted to know it sooner rather than later. She wished she could tell him so, but the breathing device prevented her from speaking. She raised her hand, trying to get either Alpha or Billy's attention. She was relieved when Billy noticed her movements.
"Sorry Kimberly. I had to examine these reports first. Alpha, go ahead and remove the breathing apparatus."
"Right away, Billy," answered Alpha as he began to remove the device from Kimberly. He removed the straps from around Kimberly's head gently, and set the breathing device aside.
Kimberly took a few deep breaths. "What's in the report?" she demanded.
"Well… err… I think I should save that until the rest of the Rangers arrive," answered Billy.
"Billy, I've been through hell and back. Give me the news." Kimberly refused to wait for the other Rangers. If the report concerned her, she wanted to know without Billy trying to beat around the bush.
Billy was taken aback by Kimberly's attitude, but then realized that she had every right to act that way. She'd been put through a lot, though Billy didn't know the half of it. It would explain Kimberly's angst. "If you must know, then I will tell you," he replied softly.
Kimberly was glad about being able to hear the news, but she felt bad about how she'd made Billy tell her. However, she did want to know what the report said about her. It held all the answers. "Good," Kimberly whispered softly.
"I'll give it to you simply, Kimberly. Your body is able to heal all the wounds and bruises that were inflicted upon you by Rita and her minions with the help of Zordon's machine here. Unfortunately, it is not able to undo permanent damage done to the body…" Billy paused here as he noticed Kimberly's face drop. He knew she knew what was coming next. "You will remain paralyzed for the rest of your life, Kimberly. I'm sorry." He lowered his head, letting the news sink in.
Kimberly felt the tears forming behind her eyes, but deep down she had always thought that this would be the case. She had known she was always going to be paralyzed, always known she'd never be able to return to her former life. However, part of her had given a small glimmer of hope that just maybe, with Zordon's alien technology, just maybe she'd be able to be healed completely, be a gymnastic medalist. If she could have, she would have given anything to be read of the paralysis, but now she knew the cold, hard facts. Nothing would fix her body. Nothing would take away the permanent scar Rita had left behind.
"Poor Kimberly," Alpha muttered.
Billy made his way to where she lay. He took her hand and squeezed it. "If there was anything to be done, I would do it in a heartbeat," he whispered. "You know that. We tried our best."
"Thank you, Billy. Deep down I always knew I'd stay paralyzed. I just wanted to give myself some hope that things would be made better, that I could have my old life back. Now I know I can never go back to Tommy."
"Kim, what are you saying?" asked Billy.
"There was no one else. Only myself and my paralysis. I didn't want to bring Tommy down by having him deal with me like this." Kimberly gestured to her body. "He wouldn't want to always have to worry about me when he was suited up in Ranger form."
"Tommy still loves you, Kimberly. He never stopped loving you. After you sent him the letter, he changed. He withdrew and did his duties, but his heart wasn't in the battles. He was angry when we first found out about Rita's plot; he refused to believe you were in danger. He knows differently now. You've got to give him another chance."
Kimberly sighed. "Tommy and I need to have a long talk. I think he knows that as well. He tried to get me to talk when we shared the same cell when we were captured, but I refused. I don't know… everything that's happened…. I'm not proud of my actions or how I reacted. I did what I felt was best."
"Sometimes the best actions aren't always the right one," spoke Billy. "I think you two can work something out."
"I hope so, Billy. If what you say about Tommy is true, then things aren't so bleak after all."
Alpha watched the exchange between the two friends. His circuitry wasn't made for emotional display, but he couldn't help feeling unenergized or unmotivated to do any of the tasks he normally would. Perhaps this is the equivalent of the human emotion of sadness he thought. To give the two friends some privacy, he continued to work at the machines, checking the status and progress bars. Kimberly's healing was still going to take more time. Some of her injuries were pretty deep.
"I'm going to return to the main room," Billy told Kimberly. "I must give these reports to Zordon and continue to keep a vigilant eye on the battle. It should soon be ending. Maroon has been defeated and all that is left is Devil Minion."
"How did the Rangers defeat her?"
Billy had the urge to tell Kimberly, but decided against it. After all he had seen how it had affected Tommy. "I believe that is up to Tommy to tell you."
Kimberly looked confused. "Tommy?" she asked.
"Yes. You will see."
"I'll come with you, Billy. Everything is in order down here," added Alpha.
Billy patted Kimberly's hand before gathering up his reports and making his way toward the door. Alpha followed right behind him. Kimberly listened to the retreating footsteps and sighed. She hated being left alone like this. All of the unfamiliar machines that were surrounding her, all of the wires connected to her made her feel worse than being in a hospital room. At least when she was there, she was able to guess what the instruments were for. Here, she didn't know. All she knew was that they were meant to heal her body.
Kimberly wanted to sleep, but sleep was slow in coming. She could barely move; her back was feeling uncomfortable on the hard table; it hadn't been noticeable before now. She closed her eyes and drifted into a half-sleep. At some point, she heard more voices speaking loudly in a room above her. Her friends must have returned, but were they triumphant? Kimberly was too groggy now to stay up and find out. Sleep overtook her body and she awoke many hours later.
Main Room of the Power Chamber
Billy entered with Alpha following. Billy sighed as he took the report over to one of the consoles. He set it aside, not caring to look at it. The news had hurt Kimberly so much… but there was nothing he could do. She accepted her fate, but Billy still hated to see her in pain.
"How is Kimberly doing?" asked Zordon, stirring Billy from his reverie.
Billy glanced up at the aged floating head. "Kimberly was awake earlier. I have removed the breathing apparatus from her body. I received the report and gave it to her. I wasn't going to, but she asked for it. It's good and bad news. She's going back to sleep now."
"Zordon, she's very unhappy!" added Alpha.
"What news is in the report?" asked Zordon.
"Kimberly's body is healing the injuries and bruises nicely with the help of our technology. Unfortunately, the technology cannot reverse permanent damage done to a person's body. Kimberly will remain paralyzed for the rest of her life." Billy lowered his head. Just saying the news again hurt. Kimberly had lost everything she'd ever hoped for. She'd even lost Tommy.
"I see…" trailed Zordon. It appeared as though he were at a loss as to what to say for once. Billy knew that he was close to Kimberly and wondered how the news truly affected him. "Does Kimberly rest easily?"
"She's doing fine as far as I can tell on the outside," answered Billy.
"That does not bode well," replied Zordon. He didn't explain himself any further.
"What do you mean, Zordon?" asked Alpha.
"It is nothing Alpha. The human is a complex creature, very hard to explain at times. I have learned over the years that when a human hears bad news and appears well on the outside, they are torn apart inside. They hide their grief."
"Why would they do that?" asked Alpha, confused.
"It is just the way we are," answered Billy softly.
"Do not fear, Alpha. Kimberly has her friends by her side. She may go through a rough period, but her friends will stick by her side. I am confident of this."
Billy only wished he could be as confident as Zordon. He knew that in time Kimberly would come to terms with her disability again. She had done so before, at least that is what he guessed. Perhaps Rita's plot had brought her feelings of doubt back to haunt her. Kimberly would once again have hurdles to overcome.
"Humans are very confusing," muttered Alpha as he pressed a few buttons on the console in front of him.
Billy pushed a button for the viewing screen. The Rangers were facing down Devil Minion. He noticed something. "Tommy has returned to battle," he called out.
"Good. The Rangers will be able to call upon the Super Zeo Cannon to finish him off now. It will not be long before this battle against Rita is won."
There's still another battle on a different front to finish thought Billy. "Shall I tell the Rangers to use the cannon?" he asked.
"Yes. If my calculations are correct, this monster is no stronger than any of Rita's previous creations. With the Zeo powers, the Rangers should be able to take Devil Minion down easily with the Super Zeo Cannon. They must do so before Rita decides to enlarge him, however.
"I will contact them right away," piped up Alpha.
"Good. It is time to end this now."
"Rangers, come in. Use the cannon to defeat Devil Minion," spoke Alpha through the communicator connection.
It was a few seconds before a response was received. "We're on it, Alpha," replied Katherine.
"Good luck, Rangers," replied Alpha, signing off.
Hope you enjoyed... off to bed now.
Next time on Windmill into the Fall: Will Devil Minion be defeated? Will Rita's plot be foiled?