Author's Note : The chapter you've all been waiting for. Okay, well, at leas the one I've been waiting for. The beginning of the end...or at least, the beginning of the climax. Woo-hoo!

Chapter 9; Revelations

Thursday, Nov. 27 2001

1.20 a.m

Room 117

Angel Grove Hotel

Dream Dimension

"You know, Jason, I'd always thought you would make something out of yourself, something great. I thought, hey, Jason Lee Scott, he won't be in Angel Grove long; he's got a greater destiny'." Kimberly shook her head at him, black and pink hair forming a cloud around her face, "But, nope. I was wrong. Here you are, still mourning me, still fighting for Zordon and still in Angel Grove. Man, Jase, you could have been so great!."

Jason ignored her to look out over the lake. Kimberly was dead, and he was dreaming once more. Evil Kim was an almost permanent figure in his dreams, but he'd learned to ignore her. The moment he paid any attention to the black haired figure was the moment the nightmares began. Nightmares of Kim in hell, or of her screaming, or of pure blackness and terror. Nothing that he wanted to deal with right now.

There was slight shriek of frustration, and the wind blew by him, bringing the cool scent of the lake. He almost smirked, but decided against reacting to Her at the last minute. She was only agitated when he did absolutely nothing. Otherwise, she kept talking and poking and prodding until he reacted the way she desired. No, best to give her no attention whatsoever.

Tonight, though, Dream Kimberly didn't want to leave him alone. "C'mon, Jase," He almost jerked around at that old nickname. Dream Kim had never, absolutely never, referred to him as such. "Don't you want to see me, the girl you thought of as a baby sister? Or do you truly hate me so much? Is that why you let me die?"

Only his strength of will kept him from jerking around and pulling her into a comforting hug. He'd tried that once, when the dream had started. He'd burned to death in his dreams, and even after he'd waken up, he'd still felt the burn on the inside of his body. It had taken a while for the pain to fade.

Same with every other wound that was inflicted here in this twilight zone that he'd dreamed up. Under this crimson and dark blue sky, ever wound he sustained pained him past his sleeping state. He'd once went past anger and into rage, and had pushed Dream Kim into a rock. That had resulted in a fight, because Kim, even in his dreams, had never been content to let others push her around.

His body had ached for days, despite the fact that his physical body had remained unharmed.

He continued to stare over the dark red lake, ignoring the fact that water had been replaced by blood. The earth squished under his feet, and he knew the land was dead and bleeding under his feet, but he ignored it. The sky was the only part that wasn't covered in blood, and then it was dark blue, with not a single star in sight. In fact, the only light came from the dark red sun that was always in the same three o'clock position overhead.

"Jason. Jasonjasonjason!" Kimberly yelled, but she didn't move from where she stood on her rock, her Thinking Place. She never moved, not unless he touched her or talked to her. It was like a cage that only he could break, but once broke it, once he acknowledged her, she was free.

"He's not going to pay any attention to you," A new voice intoned, causing Jason to jerk around.

Standing on The Rock, behind Kim with his arm around her small waist, was a spiky haired teenager. Tommy. At least, Jason thought it was Tommy. The long hair was missing, and the guy had grown in muscle, though otherwise, he'd looked exactly the same age – as if he were forever frozen at sixteen. He wore white, now, with a green bandanna, which was the other clue that this was indeed the Green Ranger.

"Well, he should," Kim growled, pouting, and Jason would have weakened, if he weren't glaring hated at Dream Tommy, who'd never appeared in his dreams before. "I have stuff to tell him."

"I'm sure you do, love, I'm sure you do," Tommy murmured consolingly, cheek resting on the top of Kim's head. Two pair of brown eyes were now trained on Jason, "God knows I have a lot to tell him, as well. Doesn't mean he'll listen. Hell, he'll probably kill us, instead. I would."

"Yeah, but you're a desperate teenager in a cage, who's been frightened, tortured and hurt for six straight years. Jason, on the other hand, is a twenty-one year old college student who is more willing to listen to me, and maybe you." Kim pointed out, and Jason felt flattered. Then he wondered what kind of trick his mind was playing on him.

"You don't even know if he can hear you. He has been staring off into space and doesn't seem to react to anything," Tommy pointed out, and Jason wanted to hit him again and again. Nothing to do with the words, of course; just seeing the face of the guy who'd torn apart his life was enough.

"Well, I wouldn't know. Every time he starts to talk to me, or touch me, SHE takes over," Kim pointed out, scowling. Jason wondered who 'SHE' was, noting the capital letters on the pronoun. Then he shook his head and reminded himself that this was a dream.

"I wish I could say I know what you mean, but..." Tommy offered a small smile down at Kim, who lifted her hand and laid it against the spiky haired boy's cheek in an affectionate gesture. The Kim's face turned to stone, and Jason didn't recognize her. "As soon as we get out, I'm going to kill them!"

"You know we can't," Tommy replied, "They are a part of us, just as much as our brains and hearts are, just as much as our Powers became."

Jason was getting tired of listening to them. He was utterly confused, and he hated the feeling. More than that, he hated seeing Evil Kim, even when she didn't seem evil, and he hated seeing Tommy period. Didn't matter that the guy was just as much a victim as Kim, or that Kim would tell Jason not to hate the other guy.

"I'm leaving now," Jason's voice boomed through the entire twilight zone, as if coming from all directions, and he instantly regretted it. Now the pain would start...

Tommy vanished in a swirl of white, eyes wide, and Kim's face transformed. Her eyes began to glow a steady pink, and a smile, a perverted, pain-loving smile shaped her lips. "Well, well, what do we have here?"

He clenched his jaw, staring at her with cold, hard eyes as she finally stepped off the rock. The earth squished below her, and red rain began to fall from the naked sky. Not a single drop hit him or Evil Kim, though, for some odd reason that was only applicable to dreams.

Evil Kim stepped forward slowly, her clothes transforming. Gone were the white shorts and pink tank top. Now she wore a gauzy hot pink robe that was open at the front, and a white nightie under it. Jason had, at first, wondered why his Dream Kim looked like a sex kitten, but he'd never had time to truly ponder it. He'd been in way too much pain.

"Great. Dream Kim's gone bipolar." Jason snapped, tensing as he waited for the pain to start. It always did, every time Kim stepped off the rock. Every. Single. Time.

"Aw, Jason baby." Evil Kim cooed, "You are just too cute for words! A dream, is that what you think I am? A dream?" She threw back her head and laughed, and Jason shivered at the sound. Damn, Evil Kim was scarier than usual.

Jason sneered at her and was about to respond when Evil Kim lifted a hand. Jason began to cough, dropping to his knees after a second. His stomach was burning from the inside, and it felt like something was forcing its' way up his throat. All in all? Not that bad.

He continued coughing, and felt the scales slide over his tongue as the snake slithered out of his. The process repeated, and Jason steeled his mental walls for when the torture got really bad.

Thursday, Nov. 27 2001

2.45 a.m

Room 117

Angel Grove Hotel

Physical Dimension

Jason Scott jerked upwards in bed with a gasp, his chest heaving and his clothes soaked in sweat. His eyes were wild and crazy, and Kat felt a surge of fear for him. "Jason, sweetie?" She asked softly, slowly lifting her hand and moving hair out his face.

Jason's hand shot out and caught Kat's wrist in a hard, punishing grip, one meant to inflict pain. Kat gave a slight cry, but made no move to free herself. Jason woke up like this on occasion, and he'd snap out of it soon enough. "Jason, honey, can I please have my wrist back? Pretty please?"

"Kat?" The words came out in a hoarse tone, as if he'd been screaming for some time, or hadn't used his voice in years. It reminded Kat of the way voices sounded after the Empress of Evil got through with certain people, always people she truly hated. "Kat? Is that you?"

"Yeah, Jase, its me." Kat replied smoothly, her voice soft and comforting. Still, her lover flinched when she said his nickname, something the red ranger never did. Jason met his foes with burning eyes and unflinching resolve; he didn't flinch, retreat or draw back. He didn't cry or scream or rage at the world. No, he lead his team with a steel backbone and a heart of gold and a never ending reserve of power and will.

Except around Kat. Around her, he let down the walls and let himself be what he considered weak. She wished he didn't have to, that his life wasn't that harsh, but at the same time, she was honored that the leader of the rangers, that fabled and mythical Jason Lee Scott trusted her, a formerly-but-not-really-former villain.

"Jason, what's wrong? You can tell me anything. You know you can." Kat prompted, hoping to get through to him. She hated seeing him in pain, hatedithatedithatedit.

Jason took a shuddering breath, and Kat could almost see the walls going up. "Just a bad dream, kitten. I'll be fine." He shot her a smile that paled in comparison to his others, but she wasn't about to accept that as her answer.

"And I'm just a dumb blonde from Australia." Kat snapped, narrowing her eyes at him. "Jason, you have got to tell me what's going on! You wake up four nights out of five like this, then you smile and tell me nothings wrong! Something is wrong, dammit!"

Jason took one look at his lover, who was breathing hard, blonde hair a tangled – but hot – mess around her face, with blue eyes blazing. Then he lurched forward, burying his face in her lush blonde hair, and shuddered again. "I'm sorry, so goddamn sorry." He whispered to her, knowing he was overreacting, but his emotions were running thin at the moment.

"I just keep dreaming of Kim, and she's evil but not dead, Kat." He whispered to her, still not moving, his body and brain and emotions all ripped apart and raw by the hours that Kim had inflicted pain on him. "And she's there almost every night, and when I talk to her or touch her or try and save her...god, Kat, it hurts so bad."

Slim arms went around his shoulders, and his girlfriend moved him to lay on the bed, curling up against him. "I'm so sorry, Jason." He felt her hands running through his hair, her short nails untangling the strands. "It sounds like complete hell, and I'm so sorry I made you tell me."

He just lay there, curled over her, crying into her hair and wishing that he could go back in time and save Kim, Tommy, his team, and even himself. If only Kim hadn't died, if only Tommy hadn't been evil, if only, if only...

Thursday, Nov. 27 2001

9.57 a.m

Hotel Lobby

Angel Grove Hotel

Trini grabbed a Styrofoam plate and loaded the scrambled eggs onto it, glad that they got a Continental breakfast. Food in the morning was always good, especially when she didn't have to make it herself. She grabbed two cinnamon rolls, a cup of milk, and a cereal, then popped everything on her table – a bit booth – and went back for coffee. Not the greatest slice of heaven, but she was sure, with enough sugar, cream and chocolate syrup, that the coffee would be passable.

The yellow ranger slid into the booth, digging in without pause. She didn't even glance up when Billy slid in across from her, followed by Zach. She was focused on her food with a single mindedness that she usually saved for Ranger battled and beating up Jason when he was being too chauvinistic.

"Remind me to never get between a yellow and her food," Zach whispered loudly to Billy, who merely nodded, pushing up his glasses in fascination.

Trini finished her cereal before she addressed them, "Normally, Zach, I'd smack you for that comment. Today, though? I think you actually had something worth while to say." She snapped, then dug into her eggs.

Billy snickered, while Zach blinked, looking as if his pet hamster (if he had one) had turned around and snarled at him. "I'm in approval with that sentiment, Trini."

Jason slid into the booth beside Trini, and the first thing out of his mouth was, of course, "Trini, can you please translate?" He spoke around a mouthful of apple, swallowing and taking another bite. His own plate was piled to the top with pancakes and strawberry syrup, and strawberry muffins and a cup of apple juice.

"He said," Trini swallowed, "That he agrees with me."

"Oh." Jason blinked, "Why didn't he just say so?"

"I did!" Billy said, rolling his eyes in exasperation. His own plate was a bit more subdued, with only three blueberry muffins and blueberry pancakes.

"No, you said, and I quoted this verbatim," Zach intoned, clearing his throat and resisting the urge to shout out, 'I used a Billy word!', "'I'm in approval with that sentiment.' That's not 'I agree'." He went back to his plate, which was bigger than Trini and Billy's combined, full of chocolate muffins, chocolate chip pancakes, two waffles and an assortment of other goods.

There was silence for a few seconds, then Trini's hand shot out and moved Billy's plate. A second later, Billy's forehead met the table with a resounding thud. "You all suck."

A minute of silence, then everyone burst out laughing at the very un-Billy-like statement. "God, Billy, where'd you learn to say that?" Jason asked, taking a sip of apple juice.

"College is a valuable learning tool," Billy stated, "And I believe that the experience has taught me more than just intellectual sports."

Trini translated, "College frat boys taught him that."

Zach and Jason both 'oooohhh'ed at the same time, nodding in understanding. Then everyone went back to eating, letting a comfortable silence fall over them. They were all close enough that they were able to be around each other without feeling the strange oppressive urge to fill the silence, like most groups of friends.

Jason stared down into his food, wondering how to broach the subject. Kat had told him that he needed to tell his friends. He didn't know why, but she had been insentient that they be informed of his dreams. He finished off his pancakes and leaned back, hands folded over his abdomen as he thought.

"What's wrong?" Zach asked after a second, setting down his fork to address his leader. Trini and Billy followed the black ranger's lead, turning to give Jason their attention.

"I...what makes you think something is wrong?" Jason asked after a second, trying to bide for more time. He'd kept the dreams secret all this time, and now Kat wanted him to spill his guts?

"You have bags under your eyes, despite the fact you went to bed at nine." Zach started off, then listed his other reasons, "You look pale, and you're way preoccupied, and your voice is hoarse, just a little bit."

Jason sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I've been having pretty bad nightmares about Kim," He finally just blurted it out, since there was no easy way to tell his team that he was dreaming of an evil Kim.

"That's not the whole story, is it." Trini stated, rather than asked. "I mean, we all have bad dreams about her death, but..."

"In my dreams, Kim looks different. Black hair, pink streaks, and sometimes, her eyes glow pink," He hesitated, "Just like the girl at the Youth Center and in the park."

"You saw the girl again at the park, and didn't tell us?" Zach demanded, looking annoyed and hurt.

Jason shrugged miserably, "I thought I might just be seeing things, ya know? I've been dreaming about a Kimberly that looked like that, and I see her on the Rock, the same place she was in my dreams? It had to be a hallucination or something."

"We need to inform Zordon," Billy spoke, "This could be nothing, or it could be vital to the disturbances around and on earth."

Trini nodded, "I agree. Zordon could totally help."

Jason sighed and tilted his head back, "Okay. And guys, I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

Trini giggled, "Its all good, Jason, or will be, once you tell me who gave you the hickey!"

Jason blushed as red as his uniform. "TRINI!"

The entire table burst out laughing, including the still-red red ranger. Maybe, he thought after a second, he didn't have to be strong all the time. Maybe he could let his burdens rest on his team's shoulders, at least some of the time.

Thursday, Nov. 27 2001

10.30 a.m

Command Center

"AH, RANGERS. I WAS JUST ABOUT TO CONTACT YOU." Zordon boomed from his tube, his face creasing into a grin, "KARONE AND ZHANE HAVE FINISHED WITH THE UPDATES TO THE MORPHIN' GRID, IF YOU WISH TO TEST THEM."

Jason nodded at Karone and Zhane, stepping forward to address his mentor, "We'd be honored to test out the new suits, Zordon."

Zach took Jason's elbow and yanked him back, "BUT we can't, not until Jason tells you about his dreams and the other weird-o things that have been happening in Angel Grove."

Before Jason could protest, Zordon spoke. "WHAT IS IT ABOUT THESE DREAMS AND THESE ODD THINGS THAT DISBURB YOU, MY RANGERS?"

And just like that, Jason found himself spilling his guts. "We all saw a girl that looked like Kim, exactly like as she was all those years about, at the Youth Center. It was weird, though, because the girl had black hair with hot pink streaks, and she vanished before I could get to her. Then, later, at the park, on the Rock, which was Kim's thinking place, I saw her again, except she vanished, just like that."

"And I've been having these dreams for years now, ever since Kim died. She's there, standing on her Rock, and she talks to me. She seems like the true, real, sweet Kim I knew, but when I talk to her...God, Zordon, she changes when I speak to her. Her eyes glow pink, and..."

Jason trailed off and shuddered, "Pain, Zordon, so much pain. It never ends."

His eyes were dilated, staring off into some place that no one else could see, reliving the torture of his dream, the torture that wasn't physical but still felt, no matter where he was.

There was silence as Jason heaved a breath in and they waited for Zordon to respond. "IT IS AS I FEARED, JASON." silence again. "I AM AFRAID I HAVE A CONFESSION TO MAKE, RANGERS. PLEASE, TAKE A SEAT."

The rangers sank to the floor, even Zhane and Karone, who'd been mostly silent. The four original rangers leaned back against a control box, burrowing together. The two Space rangers sat across from them, Karone in between Zhane's legs with his arms around her.

"SIX YEARS AGO, I FELT A DISTURBANCE IN THE MORPHIN' GRID, WHICH I ATTRIBUTED TO KIMBERLY'S DEATH. THEN, A MONTH AFTER THAT, THE PINK POWER COIN CAME BACK ON LINE. WHEN I RESEARCHED IT, I FOUND AN UNCANNY SIMILARITY BETWEEN THE PINK AND GREEN POWER COINS. BOTH SEEMED TO BE CORRUPTED BY EVIL." Zordon paused, letting the words sink in. "THEN THE GREEN POWER COIN LOST THE MAJORITY OF ITS POWER, WHICH WAS CAUSED BY A SAFEGUARD THAT RITA PLACED UPON IT."

"SOMETHING TRULY BAD FOLLOWED THIS," Zordon stated, "THE WHITE TIGER POWER COIN, THE MOST POWERFUL OF THEM ALL, WHICH I HAD LOST WHEN I TRAVELED FROM ELTAR TO EARTH, BECAME ACTIVE. LIKE KIMBERLY'S POWER COIN, IT WAS TAINTED WITH EVIL, SURROUNDED BY A BLACK CLOUD THAT COULD ONLY BE CAUSED BY TRULY DARK MAGIC."

"Are you saying," Jason spoke, voice soft and ladened with hope, "That Kim is alive?"

Zordon hesitated, "I DO NOT KNOW, JASON. THE PINK POWER COIN IS ACTIVE, WHICH COULD BE BECAUSE KIMBERLY IS ALIVE, OR BECAUSE IT BONDED WITH ANOTHER. I THINK, THOUGH, THAT IT IS STILL IN KIMBERLY'S POSESSION."

Karone spoke, her voice bland, "What did you mean by the power coin were tainted with evil?"

"I MEANT WHAT I SAID, KARONE." Zordon said gently, "IF MY HYPOTHESIS IS CORRECT, THEN ANDROS IS NOT THE ONLY VICTIM. HE WOULD BE ONE OF MANY."

"We have to save her," Trini's voice cracked, her face horrified. "Kim needs to be returned to her former self."

Zordon, once again, hesitated. "I HAVE A THEORY ON WHERE KIMBERLY IS, BUT MERELY A THEORY."

Billy came into the picture, "We deserve the truth, Zordon. You know that."

Zordon sighed and nodded his big, giant, floating head. "I BELIEVE, WITH THE WHITE RANGER AND PINK RANGER POWERS, THAT KIMBLLY, AND TOMMY, WHO PROBABLY HARNESSED THE WHITE POWER COIN, ARE THE MONARCHS OF EVIL. THE RANGER POWERS ARE EXTREMELY STRONG, AND THE WHITE TIGER RANGER IS THE MOST POWERFUL. DARK SPECTER WAS THE MOST POWERFUL FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE, AND FOR ONLY TWO PEOPLE TO DEFEAT HIM?" Zordon shook his head again, "THE ONLY ANSWER THAT MAKES SENSE IS THE WHITE AND PINK POWER RANGERS."

"So, you're saying that sweet little Kimmie, who likes the color pink, butterflies and has a thing for strawberry and kiwi smoothies, is trying to kill us?" Zach asked, disbelief in his tone.

"NO, ZACH. I AM TELLING YOU THAT I BELIEVE A CORRUPTED, EVIL VERSION OF KIMBERLY HAS TAKEN THE POSITION OF EMPRESS OF EVIL. NOT THE KIMBERLY THAT YOU KNEW." Zordon corrected.

"Doesn't matter." Jason snapped at everyone, "We still need to find a way to save Kim, if she is still alive."

"And Andros," Zhane threw in, "He's as much a victim as your ranger friends."

"LET US NOT FORGET ABOUT THOMAS OLIVER." Zordon informed the rangers, "HE MAY BE THE HARDEST TO DEFEAT, GIVEN THAT HE HAS BEEN AN EVIL RANGER THE LONGEST."

Jason shrugged and stood. "Doesn't matter. We're the Power Ranger, and we never lose."