So sorry for the delay on this chapter. There was a small writer's block, where I wasn't sure how to best convey the information I wanted to convey without giving away too much of the story. Thank you very much to all who have reviewed and left such kind feedback. I really appreciate your faith in me. I have been researching and watching bits and pieces of Dino Thunder to make sure this story is as accurate as it can be. To answer one reviewers question...at this point, Katherine will not play a role in this story. That could change, but for now, she's not going to make an appearance. I will try to fill in the gap of that in this chapter.
On to chapter 2!
Chapter 2-Assembly
When Tommy returned home, he picked up his phone and made a lot of phone calls...to say the least. His phone bill would probably be through the roof since he had contacted every Power Ranger team he could think of and some weren't quite covered on his long distance coverage. The one he called last was best of all. He smiled as he managed to get Billy Cranston on a Skype call.
"You look good old man." Tommy joked, referring to the fact that Billy had once been aged during their younger years.
"Haha, very funny Tommy. You look good yourself. What's the emergency?" Billy laughed,
"Well...I know you've kept tabs on the various dealings of Ranger teams all over the galaxy. I wondered if you knew of one I've never heard of before."
"Oh?" Billy's eyebrow rose.
"The Spirit Warrior."
Billy's eyebrows then furrowed as the silence hung in the air. After a few minutes of typing on his computer, Billy answered, "I'm sorry Tommy, I haven't heard of them either."
"It's weird...usually Power Rangers work in teams, but this one didn't. She was the only one I saw."
"She?" Billy clarified.
"Yes, obviously a female. She seemed to know who I was. I mean...I know I'm a very famous Ranger for what I've done, but..." Tommy trailed off.
"You don't associate with too many female Rangers. Katherine was the last one you were intimate with and that didn't go well." Billy said softly.
"I know...we were young and dumb. We thought we could conquer the world and that getting married would fix our problems. Obviously didn't."
Billy's face softened, "I'm so sorry Tommy. I know you loved her."
Tommy shook his head, "I didn't love her enough, but that's in the past. Our divorce has been finalized for years and I haven't seen her since. She won't even take my phone calls to wish her Happy Birthday."
Billy sighed, "She wouldn't take mine either. I called her when I heard we might have a Power Ranger Reunion. She's since made it quite clear that if you are coming, she won't."
"Anyway...Billy, I'm really worried about this. Valentina and Paul seemed to be after people. They had stolen their energy and pure hearts. They said it was for their Queen. What was even more strange was...the Spirit Warrior could command them. They immediately followed her orders like she was important to them. Something fishy is going on."
Stroking his chin, Billy agreed, "I'd say so. All teams are alerted and I'll start trying to track any unusual occurrences out there. Tommy...you realize...you may have to come out of retirement..."
"I know...I'm willing to do that. But, don't tell the rest of my team. I want Conner, Ethan, Kira, and Trent to enjoy their normal lives."
"I think this is something us oldy but goody Rangers should take care of. Some of us are going to meet in Angel Grove, we'd like you to come if you can."
"When?"
"Tomorrow morning. We're meeting at Ernie's...for old time's sake. We can discuss how to approach this. We need to find out what these warriors want and if the Spirit Warrior is our friend or our enemy."
"What time tomorrow?" Tommy took out his old fashioned paper calendar to write down when to come so he wouldn't forget.
"We were thinking 9."
Tommy jotted it down and then looked up, "Who's coming?"
"Me, Adam, Trini, and..." Billy grinned, "your old pal Jason."
Tommy grinned too, "I haven't seen Jason since our high school reunion. It'll be great to see him."
"Then we'll see you Tommy. Don't be late."
"I won't buddy. See you tomorrow." Tommy stopped the video chat and turned off his computer. In the back of his mind, something was bothering him. He had hoped that because of this emergency and both Billy and Jason's continuous efforts, that they would have found Kimberly and she would be coming tomorrow. Obviously, that wasn't the case since Billy hadn't mentioned her at all.
The truth, that he would never admit to another person was...that he knew exactly what had broke up his and Katherine Hillard's marriage. They had started out as the perfect couple, him even joining her when she left to pursue her career in dance. To most, it seemed they were blissfully happy. But...behind closed doors, there was tension.
Despite Katherine's efforts, his mind had still lingered on his first love. He had wondered in his mind of what could have been. Both of them had gone to counselling to help him get over this. They had decided to get married. He had pursued his dream in paleontology and she continued to dance. Over time, they began to drift apart. Katherine had resented that there was a large part of his heart that belonged to a ghost. Eventually, they barely knew each other and the love between them had been extinguished. Fighting began and eventually, it was decided that they would divorce.
'I know it's not right. I should have done more to give up my love for Kimberly, but...I feel so connected to her. She was my very first. She and I did everything for the first time together. Nothing could ever compare to that.'
His hands suddenly were busily digging through a box until he found what he wanted. He remembered his picture well. Adam had taken it when they were all on a picnic together. They were holding hands, smiling for the camera. Kimberly wore a beautiful sun hat and her radiant smile was captured perfectly on film. They had been so in love...it felt like nothing could ever come between them.
That couldn't be further from the truth now. Seeing this picture brought him such pain, but he couldn't stop looking at it and had kept it all these years, even against his better judgment. 'I wish I could talk to her again. Maybe she'd be able to assure me that everything is going to be okay, just like she always did.'
He stayed up late into the night, pouring over his memories and mementos of his time with Kimberly. Despite everything that had happened his life, they managed to survive and sustain him in their own painful way. Someday perhaps, he would get the chance to ask Kimberly the question that had been burning in his mind for so many years.
Eventually, his body gave out from exhaustion and he fell asleep where he sat on his desk.
The next morning, with the help of a few cups of black coffee, Tommy drove the distance to Angel Grove. He didn't even have to think about it and before he knew it, he was parked in front of Ernie's. It was still surprising that the place was still in business, but at the same time, it was a wonder too.
Walking inside, he ordered a smoothie. When he got settled down at a large table that was set out, he felt a clap on his shoulder and looked up. Adam Parks smiled down at him, "It's been too long."
Tommy grinned and shook Adam's hand, "That it has. Have a seat."
The moments flew by as Tommy and Adam caught up on what was going on with each other's lives. Soon, they had others at the table with them. Just as Billy had said Trini, and Jason soon arrived. Billy was actually the last one to arrive. Once all the smoothies and food were out, they waited a few minutes until the buzz of the other patrons had become a constant. Billy then spoke first.
"Thank you all for coming. For those who don't know, I've spent a considerable amount of time in the past years keeping in communication with Power Ranger teams all over the galaxy. We monitor any new threats and pool resources to help with those threats. Tommy had a disturbing encounter that has him worried. I called all of you together as parts of the original Power Rangers to discuss what to do. Tommy, tell them what you told me."
Tommy discussed what had happened at his school in great detail. He explained meeting Paul, Valentina, and the strange Spirit Warrior that seemed to control them, but was obviously not fighting them directly.
"I don't know what to make of it. Billy said he had never heard of the Spirit Warrior and I haven't either. I'm not sure if she's a friend or a foe. She didn't stop Paul and Valentina from taking people's energy, in fact...she took it from them. But she made them put back their hearts...whatever that means."
"Hearts? How is that even possible?" Adam pondered out loud.
"Well...from what Tommy described, I assume that it's not the physical heart they are after, but the human essence. A soul if you will. It's what makes us unique." Billy chimed in.
"Could there be some 'hearts' that are better than others? I mean...it sounds like they are looking for people who are really good people." Trini added.
"It would make sense..." Jason said slowly, "I mean good people do good things, which might make them have a stronger or more pure heart. But, why would they want it and who exactly are we dealing with? Those are the big questions."
Billy sighed, "I hate to ask this of you, but...I feel that we are the most capable of taking on this. We may have jobs and lives, but...we are seasoned. We know more than other power teams out there. I was hoping that each of you would consider a tough decision. I propose that each of us consider coming out of retirement."
"But...we don't have a Command Center, Alpha or Zordon anymore. How will we really do it?" Trini inquired.
"And is our powers stable enough to come out of retirement? Last time I tried morphing, I almost didn't make it." Adam said.
"All valid points and questions. It's true that Zordon is no longer with us. I haven't heard from Alpha in years. Last I heard, he was on Eltair, which unfortunately is still rebuilding from the attack by Dark Specter, so there's no way of knowing if he even made it through that attack. But...I do have a Command Center available and I have managed to salvage enough data from our Power Ranger days to concoct a way to stabilize our power."
Everyone at the table blinked several times before Tommy opened his mouth, "That's great Billy. I'm in. I want to find out what we're dealing with here."
The others looked a little more apprehensive about coming out of retirement. After all, it had been over 10 years since they had last fought at all. Jason looked around the table, "I think all of us need to think carefully on it. No need to make rash decisions."
"Billy...this may be a dumb question but..." Trini whispered, "have you been able to contact Kimberly? There's no Pink Ranger here."
Tommy was so relieved that someone else had noticed that fact and was willing to voice it. Billy was quiet for a few minutes, contemplating how to address Trini's question. Finally, he selected the right words and began to explain.
"I've been trying to track Kimberly down for many years. She and I were in contact for several years after the team disbanded. I'm sure all of you heard that after winning the Pan Global Games, she went on to compete twice in the Olympics and take home several gold and silver medals for the US. But...shortly after her second Olympic Games...she was injured and had to retire from gymnastics. It's after that when things get foggy. I've found records of Kimberly entering rehab for her injuries, but no further information after that." Billy paused to let it sink in, "No communications with anyone, no financial data, no discharge from rehab...nothing...it's like she disappeared after that. I'm continuing to research, but thus far...nothing has turned up."
Trini's face fell. It was obvious that she was hoping to see her best friend again after such a long absence. Adam broke the silence first as he stood up, "Billy, I'll be in touch."
Trini followed suit and soon it was only Jason, Tommy, and Billy left. Jason looked between Tommy and Billy before he spoke, "Uh...I know a few pieces that might help."
"Pieces?" Tommy said in confusion.
"Pieces to the Kim mystery. See...perhaps it wasn't quite obvious at the time, but...when Kim and I returned to see you compete in the karate tournament, the time when we were captured by Divatox..." Jason cleared his throat, "Kim and I were dating. Had been for a couple of months."
Billy's eyebrows rose. Jason had kept this quite secret to say the least. He had no idea that Kimberly had ever become romantically involved with anyone else besides Tommy and the mystery man that she had mentioned in her letter to end her relationship with Tommy.
"How long did you stay together?" Tommy asked.
"Well...I was the one that dropped her off for her in-patient rehab. She was supposed to stay at a facility and get better after her accident. The last time I heard from her...she said she was leaving and that she had a dream. She said that Zordon had come in her dream and told her she was needed. She wouldn't tell me anything else and promised to be in touch. But...after that...I never heard from her again."
"When was this? When did Kimberly tell you she was going?"
"It was like November of '98."
Billy's mouth fell open, "Jason, do you remember the day? Please tell me you do. This could be vitally important."
Jason thought for a very, very long time, "No...sorry bro. That was years ago."
Sighing, Billy rubbed his temples, "Zordon was destroyed on November 21, 1998. If it was after that...then Kimberly was deceived...if she really did see Zordon at all."
"I don't think she'd up and leave if she really didn't believe it. She wouldn't have..." Jason swallowed, "up and left our engagement."
'Engagement? Kim was going to marry Jason?! Damn!' Tommy thought as his eyes widened as wide as saucers.
"I'll keep looking. We'll find her." Billy said gently.
Jason got up and walked away without another word. Tommy was aghast at this piece of new news. "Billy...did you know Kim and Jason were a thing?"
"No, I'm as surprised as you are. I had no idea."
"Well, for now, let's focus on this new threat. We have to find out what these people are after and what we need to do to stop them."
Billy agreed and they decided that for now, they would wait and see. They would gather information and hopefully be able to come up with a better plan when that information was available.
Tommy drove home in a complete haze, his mind spinning with the new developments and the possibility of being on the old Power Ranger team again. 'I hope the others join us. I really think that if all of us attack this threat...we'll defeat it. But...I feel somewhere inside of me that...without Kimberly...it doesn't feel right. I might have to do my own digging. I have to find her...I just have to.'
Paul paced back and forth across the shiny tile of a hallway. He was waiting to be admitted to talk to his Queen. He had been searching tirelessly for more pure hearts to feed her. He knew time was short and that without these hearts, she would perish.
"Come Paul." his Queen's voice spoke from beyond a curtain that separated them.
He rushed in and bowed before her throne. She sat atop it like a goddess, though she was short in stature. Uncharacteristically, she was wearing a long, Greek style dress that went to the floor. The wine color complimented her dark eyes.
"My lady." he said reverently.
"Rise."
He rose but stayed beneath her throne, "Are you well? You really should conserve your strength."
"I must have more Paul. I will be taking a more active role from now on. I cannot wait any longer."
Paul's face blushed, feeling a deep sense of failure, "Please don't do that. I don't want to lose you from the exertion."
"Exertion is the least of our problems. That pure heart from the Ranger on KO-35 is not enough. I must have more."
Paul's eyebrow rose, "My Queen...are you suggesting that now we need to target Power Rangers? Before...you expressly forbade it."
She nodded slowly, "I did. I believe strongly in their work and the good they do. But...desperate times call for desperate measures. The heart I got from KO-35 rejuvenated me for a long time and even made me feel a little more...human and whole. I feel that I can no longer ignore the obvious solution to our problem."
"We must be careful then. One unexplained Power Ranger in a coma is one thing...it will be hard to escape the notice of others if there are more."
There was a quiet sigh that left the Queen's lips. Her eyes fell and when she spoke, it was much more quiet and vulnerable than before, "I cannot continue to take human lives. Humans die without their pure hearts. Power Rangers are just left in a coma thanks to their powers. What can I do? I am damned if I do and damned if I don't. I have to choose...hurting innocent people or hurting the people that protect them."
Paul stepped forward and put his hand on hers. He hated to see her in such pain. He knew how conflicted she felt. They had discussed it many times during pillow talk. She was sworn to protect innocent people, especially the people from whom her power originated. But...on the same token, because of the curse...she had to hurt people too. That would be an impossible choice.
"I will do whatever you ask of me. You have my word."
She looked up and blinked. He saw the unshed tears instantly disappear after she blinked. He missed seeing that vulnerable and human side of her that he had fallen in love with. Too much of her was consumed now...consumed by the curse that was robbing her of what she held most dear.
"Thank you. I want you to start with the newest Power Ranger teams and work your way backwards."
"But...the new teams will have been in battle much more recently. Wouldn't it make sense to take out the older teams first?"
"No! You will do as I ask Paul! You just gave your word did you not?!" she yelled.
Paul flinched at her outburst and nodded again, "As you wish."
"Take the other 4 of our Counsel with you. I will work on other teams alone." she stood, brushing past Paul, "We must gather the energy and hearts before it is too late. Report back when you have defeated the first team."
Paul didn't get a chance to reply before she disappeared. 'And so it begins...just as the legends foretold. One who is consumed with the curse will destroy that which is dearest to them. I had hope it wouldn't come to this, but...her wish is my command.'