Chapter 18: Trust and Rescue
Trent hadn't returned. She'd gotten that much from what little she'd been able to hear when the Tyrannodrones gave them water. They wanted her alive for now and while they hadn't given her food, she'd been given some water periodically which she had shared with Dr. Mercer. The lack of food was starting to get to her and she knew that even if they needed her alive, they didn't need her healthy. Being in the dark room was starting to take its toll on her as well since she didn't know how many days she'd been there and something had crawled over her twice. She was trying not to think about what it was and attempted to keep herself distracted. While near the door at the moment, Kim and Mercer did often stay by each other in order to help in that distraction. Both of the occupants used sound to find each other, or rather she used it to find him so he didn't have to get up.
Still, she'd been able to discern various things. She'd figured out that Trent wasn't dead or they would have been a lot calmer which, she hoped, meant that the others had found a way to save him. She leaned against the wall and tried to relax a bit. They'd been left relatively untouched for a small blessing, even if she was hungry and tired. Not for the first time, she was interrupted by the other's voice. "You're being quiet again, Ms. Hart."
She smiled in his general direction. She couldn't blame him for worrying when she was quiet since the rest of the time she was often talking her head off to keep herself feeling better. Besides, he'd known her when she was younger and she'd been more of a chatterbox then. She was able to move around better than him since he was still weaker from the lack of food they were both getting and the split from Mesagog. It was unadvisable for him to try to crawl around to make sure she was alive. Still she wasn't healthy at this point and she was pretty much the only way he knew what was going on at the moment. "I'm just trying to figure out everything that's going on. Sorry, Doctor."
"Will you at least just call me Mercer?" He asked tiredly. He'd been trying to convince her to call him Anton for the time they'd been there, but considering that he wasn't willing to turn around and call her Kim, she'd refused. Besides, as she'd brought up, old habits died hard. She thought about it for a minute, along with everything the man had been through, and sighed.
"Alright. Fair enough," she answered. "You doing okay, Mercer?"
He didn't answer right away and she started to worry before he finally spoke. "I've been better, Ms. Hart."
Realizing the absurdity of the question a few minutes too late, she was glad that the darkness hid her very pronounced blush. She quickly changed the subject. "I think they saved Trent."
That had her companion's full attention. "Why do you say that?"
"He hasn't gotten back and they're not acting like he's dead. They're angry. Elsa and Zeltrax wouldn't be angry at all if Trent died and Mesagog would be more annoyed that he lost a warrior he didn't get to kill," she answered. "Oddly enough, when you were a Ranger or connected with the Rangers as long as I have, you learn how to read people."
"I see," came the response. Kim couldn't blame him for not getting too excited. Like her, he realized that it was only a theory and while it was more than likely right, they still couldn't be sure. The room was overcome with silence again. "Well then, he can take over the business."
"Mercer! We're going to get out of here!" Kim said, a little shocked by his surrendering attitude. He sighed.
"I don't believe I need to sugarcoat things for you, Ms. Hart. You said that how many days ago and yet we are still here," he informed her. "I'm afraid that I have given up on your being able to get us out of here for the moment and I would rather spend the rest of my life without false hope."
"It's not false," she snapped. "It's just… delayed."
"Perhaps it should find another flight then," Mercer calmly answered. Kim couldn't help but to laugh at the answer. "Do you actually have a plan this time?"
"Yeah. Beat the crap out of my boyfriend for leaving me here so long," she answered.
"You're used to him doing that," Mercer informed her and even though he couldn't see it, she shrugged.
"Probably, but I'm running out of ideas on how to do it myself. I took out the Tyrannodrones the first day and we didn't make it halfway down the hall before Zeltrax had a sword at my throat. So, now there are more guards. Picking the lock angered Elsa and I still have bruises from that. So, now there's another lock that I can't pick. Plus I don't have bobby pins anymore. Zeltrax laughed at me when I tried to flirt the way out. Elsa didn't buy I was bisexual so that's out. I really don't think they care if I die. So unless they unlock the door and tell me to get out, I think we're stuck for the moment," she answered.
"Which brings us back to my plan of enjoying the rest of my life without false hope," Mercer answered. Just as he finished, the door slammed open. The bright light caused both of the occupants to wince from the pain the brightness caused. Elsa stood in the doorway.
"Get out," she told them. Mercer glanced at Kim who was helping to hold him up.
"Remind me not to doubt you," he said softly. She gave a half-smile.
"Don't be silly, Mercer. If I was really smart, I would have finished the sentence with us being back at the house," she answered.
"I'll take what I can get," Mercer told her and they walked out the door.
"Chain her," Mesagog commanded as they were dragged in. She watched as Mercer was moved to a different location from her. Without Mercer, Kim was able to do more, but she still hadn't had much to eat and she still wasn't sure how long she'd been without it. She put up a fight, but it was nothing compared to when she'd first been dragged in. She struggled against the chains a bit, as she tried to escape. Mercer wasn't saying a word and she wasn't sure what Mesagog was doing to him. Zeltrax left them as Elsa turned to Mesagog.
"You wanted to see me as well, Milord?" She asked and he nodded.
"Yes, Elsa. I have finished it," he told her and she smiled in appreciation.
"The transfiguration beam?" She asked excitedly, enjoying the attention he was paying to her.
"Yessss," he answered, almost affectionately though to what, Kim wasn't sure. At this point, she was just trying to catch any bit of information she could get.
"It's a thing of wonder but will you be able to supply it with enough power?" She asked and Mesagog nodded.
"Yessss, once I get those dino gems," he answered. Kim struggled harder and Mesagog glanced her way. "I'd suggest you hush, Ms. Hart."
"I'd suggest you go jump off a cliff," she answered. She was waiting for it, believing that this was why Mesagog had kept her alive as long as he had. While not as much power as the gems laid within her, she still had a little Power left from being a Ranger. All former Rangers did. Still, he ignored her.
"To be sure," Mesagog continued, as he answered Elsa instead, moving away from Kim toward Elsa. "I'll start with the power I've given you."
Kim's eyes widened as Elsa was dragged over to the table and chained down. She was going to find out exactly what a life extractor did whether she wanted to or not. She struggled in her chains as he finished, realizing that Mesagog didn't need Elsa, but he still needed Kim as bait. The Rangers wouldn't come if they found out she was dead. Elsa was a luxury for Mesagog right now, not a necessity. Elsa was glaring up at him and Kim was unsure of what to do. She was failing someone, even if they were the reason she was here. The hero side of her had kicked in and her honor was screaming that this was wrong, that Elsa shouldn't die on a table helpless. Yet, there was nothing Kim could do or offer that Mesagog didn't already have control over. The dinosaur looked down at his former general. "I'll miss you, Elsa."
"Please! Don't!" Elsa begged, struggling.
"Mesagog! Stop it!" Kim joined her in pleading, but the dinosaur ignored them both.
"Try not to move," he ordered as he positioned it. "Activate."
She screamed and shook. Kim felt herself screaming along with the woman and even after there was finally nothing left of Elsa on the table. The feeling of failure overtook Kim and she felt the strain of the last couple of day mix with it. Mesagog walked over to her and violently lifted her chin. She looked back at him and growled out one word. "Monster."
"It's only a matter of time before I get the other gems. Then, I can dispose of you," he hissed and dropped her chin. He headed out of the room and Kim heard nothing else but her own quiet cries. Finally alone, she felt more scared than she had in a long time. The only thing consoling her was the belief she had in her Rangers to kill Mesagog. Even if she wasn't around to see it.
"Work, won't work, work, won't work." The words were sung in a made up tune that hit Tommy's ears as he entered his house. It had been several days since he'd lost Kim and it was taking its toll. Jason and Trini were getting back from their honeymoon a little early as the elder Rangers began to plan for the final battle. It wasn't just a matter of saving the world, it was also about retrieving one of their own and while they realized that she might not even be alive, they felt they needed to try. The Dino Thunder Rangers weren't even accepting that their mentor might be dead and were training without Tommy telling them to.
"Neen, what are you doing?" He asked as the tiny singer stopped and looked up at him. She held up a book and crayon before trying to remember the correct wording for it.
"Coloring," she answered finally. "Conner acquired it for me since I was not allowed to help train."
"Good. He's thinking," Tommy muttered. "Why aren't you with your dad?"
"Work, won't work, work, won't work!" She sang again and she kept it up as she finished. "Ethan says I do not need to hear it. Work, won't work!"
"Thank you, Neen," Tommy said, halfway giving up with trying to understand the child. "Stay up here."
He headed toward the hidden staircase and headed down it. "Billy, I know you want to save her. I want to save her, but it's protected! This won't work!" Hayley argued.
"Perhaps, but if I can reconfigure it, it will work. It will not be able to transport much, but if we can use that to get someone in…" Billy began.
"It's suicide for whoever goes! Even if they don't bounce off like a fly on the windshield, it's a fortress for a reason!" Hayley interrupted.
"You're not backing out of the plan, are you Hales?" Tommy asked and they turned to look at him. "I'd understand if you are, but I…"
"No, I'm not. I just don't like the additions he's trying to add to the plan. We've been talking about it, Tommy, and I'm still not convinced," Hayley answered. Tommy nodded.
"Considering that there is a little girl up there who is singing 'work, won't work', I can believe it. So, what's the argument over?" He asked.
"I believe I can refigure the transporter that I created to get a couple of us into Mesagog's lair thereby opening the specific gate needed to get the rest of us and our armory inside, not to mention we could acquire Kim," Billy answered. "It would be dangerous, but all of this is dangerous."
Tommy sighed. "This is a group decision again," he groaned. "You two, stop arguing. I'll get the kids. We're going to sit down and talk about this like reasonable, responsible adults."
"Is there room in that conversation for three more?" Tommy turned around and smiled a bit as Jason, Trini, and Zack walked in the room. "Because, we want to know how we're helping. We are helping."
"Hey Bro," Tommy said and nodded to Trini and Zack as well. "Hey Trini. Didn't know you could get the time off, Zack."
"I'm officially on business," he answered. "We're officially expanding to California and once it's done, I'm transferring here. I can't keep taking time off work and I've already missed so much here."
"How are you holding up, Tommy?" Trini asked gently and embraced the woman, trying not to cry, as an answer. She patted his back, understanding how he felt. "We'll bring her back."
"I know," he answered. "I'm glad you guys are here. We needed to finish setting up our plans. I'll get the teens. Billy, Hayley, fill them in."
"Well, that didn't work," Ethan mentioned as Conner and Trent went flying in opposite ways. "We've tried this like twenty times. I really don't think it's going to work."
Trent sighed. "Then what help am I if we need to use all of the gems?" He asked. Conner was pulling himself up and shrugging at the same time.
"Beats me," he answered quickly before he had to draft Trent back to the team again. "But there has to be something we're not thinking about. Besides, it's just a part of the fight, right? We're sort of working as a team. Okay, we're not automatically teaming up on Trent anymore."
"Or leaving him out," Kira offered. "Sorry about that, Trent."
"You guys were a team long before I joined and I was trying to kill you. Can't blame you, really." he answered and they all nodded. "But it's only one more fight, right?"
"That's what Doctor O says," Conner answered impatiently. He was doing his best, but if he didn't have a feeling that they could use Trent, he would have let him go. "This should finish off Mesagog and his goons for good. If you want to turn in your gem after that, I think we'll all understand."
Trent nodded, but none of them said anything afterward. It would only end in another fight. Fortunately, even Trent didn't want that and was the first to change the subject to something more pleasing. "So, are you guys going to the prom? You know, if we live long enough to go?"
"Well," Conner joked. "If we're not saving the world that night, Kira and I are."
"I don't think…" Ethan started, but the other two cut him off.
"You're going," they said together. Ethan looked at Kira.
"I can understand Conner, but you?" He asked. "This doesn't sound like your kind of thing."
Kira shrugged. "It's our last big thing before graduation, you know? After this year being so crazy, it almost feels important. You have to come, Ethan."
"Yeah, man. I wouldn't have as much fun without you," Conner encouraged. He looked a little more warily at Trent, but pulled up as much of a smile as he could. "You should go too."
Trent nodded just as awkwardly. "I am. Pretty much for why Kira said."
Ethan sighed. "Can I think about it?" He asked and Conner shrugged.
"Of course, but we want a yes answer. Even Doctor O is going as a chaperone," he answered and his smile faded. "He was supposed to take Kim."
"He will take Kim," Kira said, trying to help the other's mood. "We just have to save her first."
"Well, how would you like to work on that?" They all turned and looked at their mentor. Tommy gave them a slight smile. "We're nearly ready to go."
"So, this entire plan is based around a maybe/maybe not idea. Hayley against, Billy for?" Kira asked, trying to make sure she had it figured out. Both geniuses nodded. "Okay, well, who would go, supposing we're going through with this?"
Billy sighed. "I will, of course, because I know how to use the transporter the best. If something goes wrong on the other side, I'm the best chance of fixing it. However, I'll need one more person to come with. That's all I'm willing to chance."
The number of volunteers was staggering as were the amount of reasons. Former Rangers and current Rangers were verbally fighting it out for the position. After a minute, Conner whistled. "Hey! I'm the leader of this team and I get to say who goes!"
"Shouldn't there be a vote?" Kira asked.
"Sorry, not this time, sweetheart," Conner answered affectionately before going back into leader mode before she could protest. "Look, we already have one former Ranger going, right?" At the former Rangers' protests, he whistled again. "Hey! Not finished. Now, it doesn't make sense to send two people who can't morph. Hayley's right. This is a dangerous, near suicide mission. So, it makes sense to send in a current Ranger."
"So, you're going," Ethan muttered and Conner shook his head.
"Not necessarily. Okay, Ethan, Billy is already going. That's one resident genius that is already going with, right? What if we need you for the rest of the plan?" He asked. Ethan grumbled, but stood down accepting Conner's logic. "Kira, this mission is going to take stealth and your power really doesn't go with that."
"Fine," she muttered and stood down as well.
"Doctor O, I know you love her, but you're our other mentor. We need here in case something happens and we need your expertise. Besides, you're the strongest backer we have for our powers," he explained. Tommy, reluctantly, stood down as well. Trent waited as Conner turned to him. "Trent, you know that place forward and backward. You lived there. We haven't found a way to blend your powers into ours and you're a good fighter. You can be stealthy."
"You want me to go instead of you?" Trent asked. "I thought you didn't trust me."
"I'm working on it," Conner answered with a waned smile. "I just want her home. I don't care who brings her home. We'll take care of destroying the ray thingy…"
"Transfiguration beam," both Billy and Hayley said at the same time.
"Yeah, that. But you need to get us there and get Kim out," he said. His voice became softer and he put his hand on Trent's arm. The white Ranger looked back at him. "Please, bring her home."
Trent didn't know what to say to that at first. Part of him didn't want to make a false promise in case something when wrong, but he realized that he couldn't let this go wrong even if he wasn't Kim's biggest fan. He'd agreed to stay until the end and he was going to even if that meant going on a near suicide mission to save a woman he didn't really like. "I will."
The alarms went off and Tommy groaned. "What now?"
The room was silent. Mesagog had left them alone and Zeltrax was gone for the moment. Kim had curled up the best that she could and was just waiting. She'd tried to get out of the shackles several times, but they were as tight as they were before. Worse, she didn't know if she had company anymore or not. Mercer hadn't said a word since they'd been dragged in here which was fair because after Elsa's death, Kim wasn't feeling much like talking either. She pulled against the chains again, something she did everyone once in a while though she was exhausted from doing so, but they still stayed in position.
Her annoyance, fear, and exhaustion had finally taken their toll. She glanced upward, deciding that since she was alone, now would be the best time to get it out. "God damn it! That's it! I'm sick of this! Every time someone gets kidnapped, it's me! Every time a monster decides to pick on the lowest common denominator, it's me! I love Tommy dearly, but I am sick and tired of having to be saved by a white knight! For goodness sake, I should be able to take care of myself! I am not going to die on an island starved to death and shackled against the wall! When kids in the future read about my life in history, at least future Power Rangers, they will not see 'The first pink Ranger died trapped to a wall because her boyfriend couldn't save her ass quickly enough!' I won't do it! I will get out of this! And someone's head is going to roll!"
She fell back against the wall, panting and gave out a final snort at the idea. "Feel better, Ms. Hart?"
Kim's eyes closed as she realized that she wasn't alone as Anton Mercer spoke. Still, she wasn't about to let him know that she was embarrassed by the situation. "I'd feel better if I wasn't trapped to a wall."
"Fair enough," came the answer. "You do realize that if your nature wasn't to help innocent civilians, and you would have left me here, you would have been able to get out more than likely on your first escape attempt."
Kim opened her mouth to counter, but realized he was right. Of course, she never would have done it. It wasn't in her nature to leave others behind to die, but he was right. She'd had to slow down to make sure he could keep up. "Hey, Mercer? Thanks."
"You're welcome, Ms. Hart. Now, please do be quiet. Your yelling gave me a headache," Mercer answered.
Yep. Turned into a dinosaur, can make the rare joke, but deep down he's still Dr. Mercer. With that final thought, she rested against the wall and fell into an uneasy sleep from exhaustion and boredom.
"Okay, I don't get it," Ethan stated as Hayley and Billy finished their tests. "That's from the life extractor? I thought it would have killed her but instead it made her good."
"It took the power that was inside her which was evil," Hayley explained. "That was all he wanted."
Tommy looked down at Elsa who was both tired and a little confused before turning to Jason, Trini, and Zack. "Can you guys keep an eye on her?"
Jason shrugged. "We're staying here anyway. Why not?"
Hayley looked over. "Oh yeah. I almost forgot. I have something for you," she mentioned. They glanced over her as she headed toward a closet. She came back with a few items and motioned for Billy to join them. "I'm sorry they aren't your actual ones, but I think those are gone for as long as your power is gone. For Zack, I got the lightest weight battle ax I could find. Sorry if it's a bit heavy."
"Hey, I'm willing to take what I can get and this is awesome," Zack answered, picking it up and grinning.
"For Billy, I wasn't able to get you two smaller lances, but I was able to find you an actual lance," she told him. He took it and held it for a moment.
"Thank you, Hayley."
"Trini, I got you a couple of throwing daggers. They'll work just as well for stabbing," she informed her. Trini took them gently.
"Thank you."
"And Jason, I know it's not the same, but…" She held out a sword which Jason gratefully took. "Just in case something goes wrong. You'll have the raptors too, of course."
They nodded. Conner looked at Billy and Trent. "Are you two ready?" He asked.
Trent nodded. Billy glanced at the red Ranger. "Affirmative. You must be ready to go when we are. We will get the gate open."
Hayley nodded. "Good luck," she said and Billy nodded. With that, he and Trent disappeared with a white and blue light. Hayley turned to the others. "Let's go."
The two intruders, fortunately, landed in a deserted area and, even better, none of the alarms went off. Billy pulled out the transporter and looked it over a bit before nodding. "It got us here, but I am unsure as to if it can transport all of us back," he whispered. Trent nodded.
"No problem," he whispered back. "We'll just take one of the invisiportals back. So, we find Kim and get out?"
"No," Billy answered. "First, we have to make sure that the door is opened for the other Rangers. If I distract Mesagog, can you do that?"
"Yeah, but…" Trent started and Billy shook his head.
"Like you, I am a Ranger even if I do not have the power anymore, Trent. I am quite capable of taking care of myself," he assured him. "Now lead the way."
"Yes, Sir," Trent answered, feeling a little foolish. He led the way down the corridor and to the room where the invisiportals were kept, as well as the controls to the laser. Billy nodded to Trent who chameleoned himself to the wall and went across it to stay unseen.
"So, you are Mesagog," Billy said walking out. Even he had to admit that this wasn't one of his better plans, but the more distracted Mesagog was, the better for Trent and the others. The good of the many outweighed the good of the one, as he had heard on Star Trek and repeated several times. Come to think of it, that way of thinking was why Trini confiscated the video to begin with so that he didn't get himself killed. He kept his arms at his sides unlike the majority of his companions who tended to fold them. What he hadn't told Trent was that while he was a Ranger, it had taken him several times the practice as the others to be able to help himself in battle. Practice he hadn't participated in for years. "Interesting, you are indeed a human/dinosaur hybrid. Not that I doubt the words of my colleagues, of course, but sometimes they do tend to over exaggerate."
Mesagog didn't waste any time, but fired his psionic powers at Billy, who had been studying the monster a lot longer than Mesagog had been studying him thanks to Hayley. He didn't waste any time staying in the way, but instead moved out of Mesagog's line of vision. The act surprised Mesagog who charged after the other. Trent snuck along and headed over to the button, trying not to make too much noise and making sure that he was definitely hidden so that Billy's actions weren't in vain.
Billy twirled his lance and charged, not expecting to win, but hoping it would give Trent enough time. Mesagog fought back and they only stopped when the alarms went off. Both pairs of eyes turned to the screen to see the Command Center Truck, the large semi that Hayley had built, rush in. Mesagog turned his attention to where the button was and reached out, finding Trent. He threw him away from the wall, cutting of the teen's power. Billy let the lance down to catch him and both fell over. He then reached for the lance, but Mesagog crushed his hand under his foot. Billy cried out from both the pain and the pressure of it and looked up. Trent was pulling himself up, but the psionic blast from Mesagog put him back down.
Billy glanced at the screen and inwardly winced from the pain and realization that the other's wouldn't know if they were there or not. Trent and he had to get Kim out of here, quick, or they were all going to be casualties of friendly fire.
Twack! The sword hit the practice wall again and Jason backed away from it, relaxing for the moment. His wife smiled over at him from the computer, having taken over the controls while Billy and Hayley were missing. Zack was practicing some new dance steps and looked completely relaxed while Neen and Elsa watched. The raptors were having some down time, which meant that Red was resting, Black was bouncing off the walls, while Blue and Yellow fought over some new toy. Jason smiled back at his wife and turned to Zack. "Should you be practicing too?"
"Practicing what? I have an ax. I swing it in the air at someone's head and hope it's not one of you guys," he said with a shrug. Trini looked at him.
"Very reassuring, Zack," she said sardonically. "Still no news."
"Right now, no news is good news," Jason said confidently, having fallen back into his leadership role. "If we heard from them, it would have been because the transporter failed or they were unable to get the portal open."
"You hope?" Trini asked and Jason shrugged.
"I know," he answered.
"Uncle Jason?" Neen asked, looking at the screen since everyone else was talking. "Do we know metal people?"
"Metal people?" Jason asked heading over to the screen. He took one look at it, put his hands over Neen's ears, and swore. "We've got company."
"Elsa, take Neen over on the other side. Stay against the wall and stay hidden," Trini ordered. "I'd send you out the back way, but I'm worried that he has drones there too."
Elsa grabbed Neen, who protested a little bit and stayed in the corner. Jason held his sword ready as Trini stood on his right with her daggers and Zack on his left with the ax. Zeltrax headed down the stairs and immediately began firing upon the lab to destroy it with a small army of Tyrannodrones following. Zack glanced at Jason. "Any words of encouragement, oh great one?"
"Just this," Jason answered. "If we let this lab and house get destroyed, we're going to have to listen to Kim whine about it until we get her a new one."
Trini looked at him incredulously. "That's supposed to make us…" She was cut off as Zack charged at Zeltrax.
"Never again!" He yelled and knocked the cyborg off balance with the ax. Everyone stood there in a minor shock at Zack's attack and finally both of the other two just groaned. Zeltrax came back up and threw Zack across the room against the wall. Trini and Jason glanced in his direction, but stayed firm against Zeltrax.
"Jason?" Trini said as Zeltrax and the Tyrannodrones advanced.
"Yes, dear?" Jason asked, readying himself.
"I don't think we're going to get the rest of our honeymoon," she answered. Jason winced as one of the Tyrannodrones tossed him back. He picked up the sword and charged back toward the horde.
"Probably not."
Things seemed pretty hopeless and it wasn't until a blast hit the fortress that they were able to get away. Billy didn't bother to let Trent go after the monster, but instead shoved him out the door as they went to find Kim. "If you want to go…" Billy started, but Trent shook his head.
"Conner would kill me," he answered, though his voice shook a little as the ceiling rumbled. Billy was keeping himself together for Kim's sake, but it was so much like before with Cestra. The ground shaking, the walls buckling, and someone he loved trapped inside. They raced down until they heard screams for help coming from one of the rooms. Billy pulled on the door, opening it and they raced inside.
"Kim!" Billy called out. "Where are you?"
"Billy! Over here!" Kim yelled back. "And Dr. Mercer! He's on the other side! We need help!"
Billy didn't need to motion to Trent to go after his father as the younger man was already doing it. Billy headed over to Kim, seeing the shackles. "Where is the key?"
"How the hell should I know?" Kim demanded. "I think there's a button or something."
"Which one?" He asked.
"I don't know!" She yelled, beginning to panic. "Try them all."
"That could kill you!" Billy argued.
"And being buried alive is better?!" She growled. "Just do it!"
Trent had found Mercer and was helping him back as Billy and Kim argued. He'd started to do what she asked and was looking at the buttons to try to find the right one, but they were running out of time and there still was the matter of finding a portal to get out of. Billy glanced over at Trent. "Trent! Get your father out. Go! Kim and I will catch up."
Trent started to do what Billy asked, but Conner's pleas from before stopped him. He knew this place better than anyone and while they didn't have enough time to get to the invisaportal, maybe they could make the invisaportal come to them. "No, I have a better idea. Over there, it's one of the portal conduits. Can you use it and the transporter to get us out?"
Billy looked at the transporter and didn't say a word, but got to work. Trent began to work on getting Kim free. She looked at him from where she was sitting and couldn't help herself. "Not that I'm complaining, but when did you switch sides?"
"Umm… same day you got captured. Try now," Trent said, but still nothing happened. "Dad, which one is it?"
He helped Dr. Mercer over to the panel and he looked at the different controls. He began pressing some of them as Billy looked over. "Okay, I'm ready. Did you get her free?"
"Not yet," Trent answered. "One more minute…"
"We don't have a minute," Billy snapped as part of the ceiling fell. Right after there was a click and Kim collapsed to the floor. Billy rushed over to help her up. He glanced up at the ceiling and his eyes widened. "We're out of time."
The Tyrannodrone knocked the sword out of Jason hand and the man flew backward from the assault. The drone reached brought his arm up to finish the former Ranger off, but there was a streak of red and the drone was torn apart as Red tore into him. Yellow and Black followed him in, attacking with a new vigor and Jason pulled himself back up to help them.
Several of the drones were ripped apart by Blue as she got in the way of them and Elsa and Neen. The raptor's chirps were definitely angry and she threw one back with her tail. She snapped and swung, not letting the drones near them. Yellow threw one of the drones away from Trini with his head while Black had gotten under Zack and leapt up and away from the trouble. Zack held on with legs as Black wasn't letting him fall and swung with the ax. Several more drones fell. With the raptors, the battle turned into the former rangers' favor.
Jason pushed back, bring the sword down and taking down a few more drones when Zeltrax threw him across the room. He landed, groaning as he reached for his sword and stood back up. "I'm getting too old for this."
Trini landed on the ground beside him. "I think I know what you mean.
Zack came flying at the as Zeltrax had thrown him off of Black. He shook himself off and reached for the ax. "Definitely know why Zordon chose teenagers. I thought things were going our way now."
"They are," Jason groaned as he held himself up uneasily. "The raptors have pushed back the Tyrannodrones. It's just Zeltrax. It's like us trying to fight Goldar without our powers."
Zack nodded. "Yeah, that never worked out for us, did it?"
"No," the other two answered. They all stood ready as Zeltrax advanced on them again. Each of them knew that they were stalling the inevitable. They'd seem more drones come in through the secret way and they were definitely trapped. They might have been able to get through the drones, but they couldn't with Zeltrax aiming at their backs. Their weapons, when they'd been able to hit, had damaged the cyborg, but he had kept the upper hand. The most they'd gotten was the arms and legs, not anywhere vital and they seemed to be armored anyway. Jason brought himself up to his full height and stood proudly for the other two to see.
"Even if we can't win this, let's go out fighting, guys," Jason said. The other two followed his lead as they always had before. Zeltrax raised his hand up to destroy them and they got ready to charge.
We can't die here. Jason and Trini just got married. I was going to transfer. We just found out about Neen. What's going to happen to her? Will they just slaughter her too? Will Kim, Billy, and Tommy blame themselves? Is this how Zordon felt? Zack closed his hands around the ax and took a deep breath as the cyborg's energy started at them and then died as quickly as it came.
Zeltrax gasped a bit and reached toward his neck to feel the arrow lodged within. He turned around just in time for a second arrow to fly into where his eye would be, another unprotected area. The former rangers moved out of the way as he hit the wall and turned to see Kim lowering her bow. Trent and Billy were right behind her. She rushed over to where her former teammates were and where Zeltrax lay, still alive because of the machine aspects. The mixture between the mechanical and the biological were fighting for dominance at this point and at the least, he was in shock. "Good timing," Jason told her and she nodded.
"Give me your sword, Jason," she demanded. Jason looked a little confused, but did as she asked. She held it in both hands and stood over the cyborg. Zeltrax looked up at her.
"You? How?" He asked and she shrugged.
"Good metal," was her answer. "Hayley gives us the best toys, Smitty."
"I always thought it would be Tommy," he whispered and Kim shook her head as she kneeled down to near his level, placing a hand on his arm. He started to lift it up, but stopped when he realized her advantage.
"No, Smitty. You were never good enough for him. You've always been second best," she answered. Her words were harsh, but her voice was surprisingly gentle. She gave him a small smile as her mind flickered between the human and mechanical version of the man. "Try to rest in peace this time."
He didn't try to block, knowing she'd already won. Kim was impressed at the difference between the man she had known and the cyborg before her and she realized that she had more respect for him now as she brought the sword down, severing his head from his neck. The great cyborg was dead. She dropped the sword and fell to the ground having used adrenaline to keep herself going for that long. The events of the past couple of days were catching up to her and she felt exhausted. Jason glanced over to the raptors finishing off the drones and then at Elsa who was covering Neen's eyes from the entire display.
"Come on, Squirt," he said affectionately. "Let's get you something to eat."
"Could be nice," she answered back. "Are you guys okay?"
"We're fine. You look like hell. Oww! But Trini, she does!" Zack protested as Trini smacked his arm. She headed over to her husband to help, but he shook his head and picked Kim up. They got her upstairs and both she and Mercer were able to have a little something to eat so that they didn't throw it back up. Trent stood in the middle of them, a little anxious to go near Kim after everything that had happened.
"You weren't aiming for my ear, were you?" He asked, fear evident in his voice. Kim shrugged.
"I was defending myself. Besides, I tried to be nice about it. I shot you in the shoulder first," she reminded him. At Mercer's murderous look, she quickly put her hands up. "He was evil and he started it."
Mercer sighed and shook his head as his son sat down next to him and as far away from the other Ranger's mentor as possible. Kim began to relax with her soup, but nearly dropped it when she heard the noise from down in the Lab. "Oh my god! What the hell happened?!" Hayley exclaimed.
"Jason? Trini? Zack?" Called Tommy.
"Up here, Bro!" Jason called. The Dino Rangers and Hayley flew up the stairs to where the others were trying to heal up a bit and relax. Billy quickly got in the way as they started toward Kim.
"Absolutely not," he said. "She is rather weak and needs to rest as well as take in some substance. She does not require four, possibly five, people jumping on her."
Conner peaked out from where Billy was standing to see that she did look tired, but also very much alive. "Okay, fair enough. Can we talk to her? What happened?"
Kim took over, motioning for them to sit down. They headed over, but none of them were able to relax enough to sit and instead stood and fidgeted. "They got in, they got you in, and they eventually came to find me once the place was going down."
"We have been through this, Kim," Billy reminded her exasperatedly. "Mesagog was attempting to destroy us."
"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, Mesagog split from Mercer and we were both being kept in a room. Mercer's minor prison got destroyed which didn't matter because he was a lot worse off physically than I was. I was shackled to the wall and after four failed escape plans and pulling against that wall for hours, I wasn't going anywhere. Trent and Billy showed up, Trent grabbed Mercer, and Billy tried to rescue me. Eventually, Trent and Mercer took over rescuing me and Billy found us a way out. The ceiling caved as we got loose and got caught on itself which gave us an extra three seconds to jump through the portal before we were crushed," she answered and turned to her soup, motioning for one of the others to continue, which Trent did.
"We got here, heard the noise, Kim grabbed her bow," he started and then stopped, turning to Kim. "I thought that you kept it in the lab."
She glanced up and shrugged. "I do. I also have two."
"Oh," Trent said. "Anyway, she led the way down and before I could even morph, she shot an arrow into Zeltrax's neck, then his eye, and then she took the sword and beheaded him."
All three of the other younger Rangers looked at Kim in awe as she shrugged. "He was really starting to piss me off."
Tommy shook his head. "Wow. I always thought that I'd be the one to kill him."
Kim grinned. "So did he. He wasn't even in your league, Tommy."
Conner looked at their tired mentor and folded his arms, worry crossing his face. "Are you going to be okay, Kim?"
"Yes, I'll be fine," she assured them since the others matched his worry. "So, did you guys see Mesagog?"
Tommy shook his head. "No. So, you don't know if he's dead either?"
Billy shrugged. "There is a chance that he perished and an equal one that he did not. Unfortunately, we have no evidence to prove either."
Tommy glanced over at Kim and headed over, sitting down next to her. "I thought I'd lost you."
She gave a slight grin. "Well, know you know how I felt when you were trapped in amber…"
"Okay, I should have been more careful but…"
"And when you were invisible…"
"Well, what about the cave-in?"
"Nothing compared to the coma," she exclaimed. "I can't believe I let you talk me into that!"
"It ended well!" He argued.
"Because we went in your head to save you!" Kim countered. "I'd say it was your turn. Besides, at least I brought back a friend. See, you got me back and you got a lovely parting gift. All I got was a headache."
"Gee, thanks, Kim," Tommy said, rolling his eyes, but any amount of real anger he had evaporated when he looked at her. No matter how much they quipped at each other, it was worth it to have her back. The others smiled and were relaxing as well, but there was still work to be done as well as other activities.
"I'm going to go take a shower," Trini muttered. "I feel disgusting. I'd let you go first, Kim, but…"
"Couch nice. Couch friendly," Kim answered with a smile. "Go on."
"I call it after Trini!" Zack called out, racing up the stairs.
"Fine! I'll just take one with my wife!" Countered Jason, not wanting to be last. Trini shrugged and headed up after them as both she and Kim shook their heads.
"Boys," they proclaimed at the same time.
Billy picked up Neen and turned to Hayley. "I need to get her to bed and then I will return to assist you."
"I'll help," Hayley said quickly. "I could use a break."
Tommy turned to the other Rangers. "We need to prepare in case Mesagog is alive," he informed them, marching them out the door to train. Elsa excused herself from the room in order to relax as the last couple of days hadn't been easy on her either. Kim sat back and closed her eyes for a minute, but panic took over and her eyes snapped open again. Everything hit her from the past couple of days, including questions of her own such as Elsa being alive.
"Afraid to go to sleep?" She glanced over as Mercer spoke. "It's quite alright. I've been feeling the same way."
"I'm afraid when I wake back up, I'll be back there," she answered. "Hungry without this… really bad tasting soup."
"I'm sure it's supposed to help us get better," he reminded her. "With time, everything will be better, Kimberly."
"See? You can say my name," she teased and then fell quiet again. "They'll forgive you, you know. Tommy and Trent, I mean. Yeah, you're going to have to talk to them, but they'll forgive you. Hayley, I'm not so sure about." Mercer didn't answer, which Kim took as him accepting that. "By the way, about my rant while we were captured, would you…?"
"I won't tell a soul," he answered.
"Thanks, Mercer."
"Hey Trent! Can I talk to you for a minute?" Conner called and Trent glanced back at the other Rangers before shrugging and heading over to the red Ranger. Conner looked a little uncomfortable, but smiled a bit. "I, uh, wanted to say thanks."
"You would have done the same," Trent answered, equally as awkward. "And I got my dad back."
"I'm not sure how we're going to win this, but at least we have one more player on our side," Conner said and shrugged. "Even if it is you."
"Does that mean you trust me?" Trent asked. Conner paused to think about it for a minute and when he was done, he nodded.
"I trust you," Conner answered. "Maybe not as much as I trust Ethan or Kira or Doctor O, but major trust builds time. Still, you nearly blew up to get Kim back and that means something."
They headed back to the rest of the group and Trent glanced at him. "So, Kim is your primary mentor, huh?"
"Yep. I got the best one," he bragged. Ethan looked over at him.
"What? I'd like to remind you who the brains of the outfit is. That's right, my mentor. Hayley's the best," Ethan disagreed and Kira scoffed.
"Best Power Ranger ever. That's mine. I win. Doctor O is so the best mentor," she argued. "I mean, come on. He came out of retirement after ten years!"
"So?" Ethan fought back. "Hayley made everything. The morphers, the bikes, the computer. Seriously, she rocks."
"Cut off Trent's ear! Oh, sorry, Trent," Conner said quickly. The white Ranger gave a quick shrug, rather amused by the whole situation and willing to look past it as long as he didn't have to go near her. "Plus, she shot Zeltrax twice and cut off his head!"
"So, Doctor O, how long are you going to let them go at it?" Trent asked as Tommy watched beside him, forgotten by the other Rangers. He shrugged before grinning.
"Until Kira wins," he joked. "So, you're staying."
"Conner talked me into it," Trent answered, though even he knew drafted was probably a more correct word. "Though if Mesagog is gone…"
"So are you. Trust me. I understand," Tommy answered. Before he could say anything else, he heard the communicator go off and Hayley's voice.
"Tommy, we've got trouble."
Author's Notes: Two more chapters until the end of this one. Because the next book will have more original characters and I know that some people don't like that, I'm hoping that the end of this one will make it so that you guys don't feel like you have to continue on. That said, I'd love it if you did. So, one more chapter really and then an epilogue. I'll probably get both of them out next week since the epilogue will be a shorter chapter.
The one shots will be finished within two-three weeks. I've started both of them, so I'm just trying to give myself enough time to do them well. It's still open for more if you haven't given me an idea. While I only have the time to accept one from each person, I'm not closing it for those who haven't done it yet. I just wanted you all to know that.
So, Zeltrax. I had to make a decision over who would get to kill Zeltrax: Tommy or Kim. Tommy was the obvious answer because of their rivalry, but I thought Kim could use the therapy. So, for good or bad, I had her do it.
Thank you for all of your reviews! I loved reading through all of them and I hope everyone enjoyed the new chapter!