DISCLAIMER: I own nothing
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER 3- Beneath The Suit We Breathe And Bleed
The Command Centre
Hopeless
The Command Centre was filled with an eerie silence as each person standing inside it battled to comprehend how everything they had fought to build, had fallen to pieces so easily.
It was never supposed to be like this. The things that had come to pass today were never supposed to happen.
Yes, when they had signed up to become superheroes they had known the risks and they had accepted them as part of a job that they were proud to do, but now, faced with the possible destruction of one of their own, they were beginning to realise just how blindly and naively they had trusted that the power would always protect them. Now the power was gone and the devastation that had been left behind was evidence to all 4 of them that under the suit all they really were was fragile human beings, made of pieces that broke, built around a core that wouldn't beat forever.
The risks they had taken were calculated- sure, but they were still risks. Had any of them thought seriously about the consequences if things went wrong? Had they considered that each time they put on the uniform of a superhero they were putting their lives on the line? The paleness that coated each face and caused their eyes to appear hollow told a tale of immaturity and blind belief in the people that had recruited them, and as reality began to sink in, the darkness of it coursed through each of them
"Can you believe they have all of this technology, stuff that N.A.S.A would sell the president just to catch a glimpse of and yet they don't even have a phone? How are we supposed to call Jason and the others without a phone?"
Tommy spoke in harsh whispers as he and Billy stepped into a darkened corner of the Command Centre. Adam had taken Kims place as guardian of Rocky, whilst Kimberly sat in a self imposed solitude
"I guess they just didn't have a need for a phone, not when we all had communicators"
Both men faked a smile as their eyes dropped to their now bare wrists, a symbol of what had once been, what they had chosen to give up
"You know, all of this time, we've been fighting, risking our lives, sacrificing ourselves… what we want…" The poignant glance in Kims direction wasn't missed by Billy but he said nothing. "We've sacrificed years of our lives for other people and now… looking at Rocky, I can't help but feel like maybe it was all for nothing"
"It wasn't for nothing, Tommy you can't let yourself think like that. We've done so much good… we've been protectors to the vulnerable, that has to mean something"
"What does it mean if we can't even protect our own team?" Allowing his gaze to find its way back to Adam and Rocky, Tommy sighed and then shrugged "I should have been there Billy"
"And so should I" The tears in Billys eyes revealed a new side of his character to his friend and as Tommy nodded his understanding both men felt their bond growing along with the burden of responsibility. It was going to be up to them to forge a plan that would hopefully see them emerge from this disaster as victors and with their team in tact. They were both members of the original power team, they'd seen the best and the worst of what the power could bring, they had been through everything together and the look they shared told them that they would face this together… as a team… as Zordon would have expected.
Zordon… the whispered deception that Billy had stumbled upon earlier filled his mind and for a moment he considered sharing his secret with Tommy but he paused before breathing life into his words. Now was not the time. Now was the time to give hope, not to take it away, it was the time when they needed to believe in anything that gave them faith, they didn't need that faith to be broken . He would eventually broach the subject but later, when the team was stronger and things were clearer
Looking back to Tommy, Billy noticed his sudden distraction as he stood with his attention fixed solely on the petite brunette wearing black shorts and a pale purple vest top. Kimberly was sat on a step staring up at the lifeless viewing globe, so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't notice the command she still held over Tommys attention
"It must be strange for her, being back here… like this"
A nod was Tommys only response as he fought a battle to appear unaffected by Kimberlys presence and lost
"Tommy, I know things are awkward between the two of you right now but we're in a situation the likes of which we've never seen and we're half a team down before we even begin…"
Tommy finally managed to tear his gaze away from Kim and brought his full attention back to Billy, but his friend recognised the shadow that lingered in the chocolate pools, it was the shadow that he had walked with ever since Kimberly had cut him from her life
"We're going to need each other"
"Well apparently Kimberly doesn't need any of us"
"Tommy you know that isn't true"
"Do you know what my first thought was when I saw her running down the street calling my name earlier?"
Billy shook his head but it wasn't the truth , he had a pretty good idea of what Tommy might have thought… or hoped, he had seen it in his eyes as he had watched him watching Kim just moments before
"I thought she'd changed her mind. I thought she was looking for me so that she could take back everything she'd said. Can you believe that? After everything she's said and done to me and the first thing I wanted was for her to have changed her mind. Pretty pathetic, huh?"
"It's not pathetic, it's… okay, it's okay to want something Tommy, but we're going to have to be able to trust each other with our lives, can you do that, can you trust Kim after everything?"
" Wanting things I can't have is just something else I have to live with.." Tommy allowed his eyes to trace Kims outline once more before finally turning his back on her. "All that matters is finding a way to save Rocky, Katherine and Tanya, and if that meant trusting Zedd and Rita with my life then I would do it. Don't worry about me and Kimberly, we seem to be getting pretty good at ignoring each other. I need to check on Rocky and then it's time to get to work" Taking just one step past Billy, Tommy paused as though wrestling with something in his mind and then he sighed before speaking "Kimberly looks upset, you should check that she's okay"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
2 DAYS EARLIER - Fort Lauderdale
Powerless
Throwing his red hold-all into the passenger side of his black ford truck, Jason Lee-Scott slammed the door shut and ran around to the drivers side. Pulling open the door , he dropped heavily onto the empty seat before heaving it closed behind him and then taking a second to catch his breath and allow his face to cool from the heat of over exertion before fastening his seatbelt and throwing back his head
He was late! For the second morning in a row, he was late and the timing couldn't possibly have been worse.
Jamming the key into the ignition he caught sight of his eyes in the review mirror, they were almost darker than his mood and heavy with tiredness., his hair screamed 'just out of bed' but that didn't matter, the only thing that mattered was being the least late that he could possibly be and looking down at his watch he groaned at the realisation that even that was going to be too late
For two nights he hadn't slept. Nightmares had dogged every darkened hour, yet as soon as the sun had begun its sleepy ascent he had found himself falling into a sleep deeper than any he'd ever known.
Slamming the truck into reverse, Jason pushed on a pair of sunglasses, ran a tired hand through his hair and then shot out of the car park.
Late…Him! He was never late!
Tommy… now Tommy was eternally late, but never Jason. In fact, he was the designated 'late again?' joke maker, but somehow he had a feeling that his boss of just 2 days would not be in the mood to make jokes about his poor time keeping.
Attempting to focus on the road ahead through heavy eyes, Jason reached into his back pack for the energy drink he hoped he had remembered to pack. It wasn't his usual style to need outside assistance when it came to energy, a super healthy diet and plenty of gym time usually saw him okay in that department but these last two terror filled nights had really taken it out of him and he knew that if he was going to make it through a day of teaching karate to the under 10s, the mothers of the under 10s and then the over 50s he was going to need a little help
Gulping down the fizzy liquid, Jason braced himself and then attempted to replay the dreams in his mind. He wanted to analyze them and make sense of them, deal with them and then hopefully rid himself of them. Unfortunately, whereas his body still tingled with the fear he remembered, his mind was numb… and blank, the dreams had slipped through his memory as easily as grains of sand slip through your fingers
Throwing the empty can onto the seat next to him, Jason had just reached to turn on the radio when he caught a flash of light out of the corner of his eyes. Raising his head he strained to see where the flash had come from but all he could see was slow moving traffic and early bird shoppers.
Beginning to slow his vehicle down, he pushed his sunglasses up onto his head just in time to see the beam of green light hit the tarmac right in front of his truck.
"What the…?!" Slamming on the brakes, the ford grinded to a halt just inches from the singed boots of the Green Zeo Ranger. Staring blankly at the man sitting shocked behind the steering wheel the Ranger slammed his hands down onto the bonnet and Jason couldn't believe what he was seeing.
The sound of tyres screeching and horns blaring filled the early morning air but Jason barely heard them, he was too stunned by what stood before him
"…Adam?"
The Green Ranger stared back through the smashed visor of his helmet with such a terrifying look on his face that Jason found himself gripping the steering wheel so tightly he heard his knuckles crack.
"Adam?!"
Still the Ranger before him silently stared, then, slowly lifting a hand he wiped it over his eyes, the blood that had been trickling down the side of his face now covered his top and bottom eyelids like the sickest war paint Jason had ever seen and as he took a second to steady himself the Green Ranger turned and began walking away through the rows of traffic.
Fighting to free himself from his seatbelt, Jason registered the horns just as he pushed open the door and found himself tumbling onto the road below but he couldn't have cared less, his friend was in trouble and he had to find him
"Hey man move your fucking truck!"
Ignoring the request, Jason pushed himself to his feet and began pounding the road looking for any sign of Adam
"Adam!" He began weaving in and out of the slow moving traffic, searching for any sign of the Green Rangers getaway but still he saw nothing. He was just beginning to pull up when the horrific sound of a man crying out tore through the air. Automatically, Jasons hands shot up to cover his ears but he was unable to stop his feet from following the sound
"Adam?!"
The strange looks the tall dishevelled man dressed in black track pants and red t-shirt was attracting from the early shoppers went completely unnoticed by him, he was too busy trying to block out the sounds that were calling forth the haunting memories of his dreams.
Rounding a corner, Jason finally found himself face to face with the source of the sound, because walking towards him, carrying the limp body of the Blue Zeo Ranger… the man Jason knew to be Rocky DeSantos, another friend of his, was Adam, with his head lifted to the skies as a noise that was more animalistic than human ripped free from his throat.
Jason tried to move towards him… to take Rocky from his arms and ease his burden but he found himself unable to move. The noise ripped at his heart, it was the pure unadulterated sound of the human soul breaking into a million pieces and he couldn't bare it. He tried to call out but only a sob broke free.
Adam was getting closer and Jason could now see the true damage that had been done to the two men, Adams suit was shredded and every step he took left a bloody footprint on the pavement, Rocky on the other hand just lay lifeless in his arms, his helmet smashed down the centre so that Jason could see his mousy brown hair… and it was a harsh reminder of the fragile human being that breathed and bled beneath the suit
Holding out a hand, Jason stumbled forward and as a cry tore out from Adams lungs once more, Jason found his legs giving way and he crashed down on to the hard concrete as again his hands reached to cover his ears but this time they were stopped in mid air as a glove wrapped tightly around his wrists.
Slowly lifting his head, Jason kept his eyes tightly closed as he felt breath burning against his cheek
"When everything is powerless, we are the power"
"What does that mean?" Jasons voice was trembling as he attempted to pull his hands free but Adams grip only intensified
"When everything is powerless we are the power"
"I don't know what that means man"
"When everything is powerless we are the power"
"I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN!" Ripping his hands free of Adams, Jason slammed his palms into the pavement "I don't know what you mean… I don't… I don't know…"
"Jason? Jason!" Reaching down, Andy Bennington gently pushed the arm of her sleeping boyfriend, he'd been dreaming again, she could tell by the perspiration that covered his naked torso and the groans that had travelled down the hallway and into the kitchen where they had alerted her to his distress
"Adam.." Jasons eyes suddenly snapped open and he found himself back in the safety of the real world "It was a dream…"
"Baby are you okay?"
Pushing himself up, Jason attempted to steady his heartbeat as his eyes searched the room in confusion. It had seemed so real… all of it
"It was a dream?"
"A nightmare by the sounds of it. Jase, this is the second morning in a row you've woken like this… are you sure you're okay?"
Rubbing his eyes sleepily he struggled to respond with anything more than a nod of the head. Something in the far corners of his brain was screaming at him, commanding him into action but his tired limbs held him fast to the bed
"When I got up this morning there was an envelope on the mat addressed to you" Andy ran a hand over the black hair that was more than I little lively whilst handing a pale red envelope to him "It must have been hand delivered because there's no stamp on it"
Carefully sliding a finger inside the envelope, Jason slowly tore it open and as he pulled out the contents he heard only one voice in his mind
"When everything is powerless we are the power"
Sitting in his bed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida Jason Lee-Scott took one look at the paper in his hands and knew without doubt that the time for action was here
"What is it baby?" Andys green eyes narrowed in interest as she stroked her strawberry blond hair nervously
"Plane tickets"
"Why would somebody leave you plane tickets?"
Pushing back the covers, Jason stepped out of bed as his girlfriend looked up at him in confusion
"Jason what are you doing?"
"I have to go"
"Go? Go where?! Who left those tickets?"
"Someone that needs my help"
"Where are you going?!" Her voice was shrill with confusion
"Home" Was Jasons only answer as he pulled a dark blue suitcase from under his bed and then headed into the bathroom, where he knew he would prepare to walk out on the life he was just beginning to build, but he had taken an oath… he had a calling so special that no matter what the cost there could only ever be one decision.
The sound of the phone ringing brought Jason back to reality as he turned on the shower and prepared for the long journey back to Angel Grove
"Jason?"
Opening the door Jason looked into his girlfriends eyes and felt the guilt of walking out on her rising.
"Andy I'm really sorry about this, but please don't ask me to explain because I can't… not in a way that will make any sense anyways"
A slow nod of her head told him she wasn't about to fight him on this and he was thankful for her wholehearted trust and understanding
"Jason, your friend Trini is on the phone and she seems really upset"
Just as Jason took the phone from her hands the mobile phone that sat on his night stand began to ring, and as the tone echoed through out the room the icy cold hand of fear wrapped its self around his heart. Something had gone terribly wrong… he was sure of it
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
PRESENT TIME- Back At The Command Centre
Speechless
Easing himself down onto the step next to the fragile looking figure of one of his oldest friends, Billy Cranston allowed silence to wrap its self around time as a comfortableness hung over and then settled in on the two.
"Are you okay?" His words were softly spoken as Kims head nodded softly in response. Billy had just opened his mouth to forge ahead with conversation when Kimberlys voice broke the silence
"I just can't bare seeing him like that" She never once turned to face her friend but Billy could hear the presence of tears in her words
"Are you talking about Rocky or Tommy?"
A wet sniff turned into a small laugh as Kim turned her head slightly, allowing Billy to look into her eyes properly for the first time in months and he was shocked by the hollowness of them. The Kimberly he'd known, the one who had set off for Florida with a heart full of courage and a head full of dreams had always worn her soul in her eyes but now there was nothing that he could recognise as life, just ghosts of someone he had once known
"You always were too wise for your own good" As her voice faded away she returned her gaze to the deadness of the viewing globe and then "I've missed you Billy"
"We've all missed you Kimberly"
Her snorted response told Billy that their decision to cut off contact for the good of Tommy and their team was still a source of bitterness for Kim, he couldn't blame her, just as he was sure she wouldn't blame them for the decision they had been forced to make.
"Tommy will come around, he's still struggling with everything that's happened, your letter wounded him deeply, he still hasn't recovered"
"I know this is going to sound ridiculous after everything I did, but I never wanted to hurt him"
"But you had to know it would"
"Sometimes it's better to rip the plaster off quickly" Her words were spoken as though to herself rather than to Billy as she began fiddling with the pink stoned ring that she still wore on the middle finger of her left hand. It had been a gift from Tommy when he had returned as the White Ranger… Billy wondered if he'd even noticed that she still wore it and then found himself beginning to wonder what it meant that she did. "If there'd been any other way… any other choice…"
"You could have told him to his face Kimberly, allowed him the time to ask the questions that have haunted him since, given him the answers that his soul requires to gain closure and then begin to move on"
Billy attempted to seek out her eyes but found them fixed firmly ahead, hidden out of view. Kimberly Hart was a lot of things but a good liar wasn't one of them, Billy wanted to see her words reflected in her eyes, he wanted to see for him self what was the truth behind what he was sure were lies
"You could have given him that much, after everything you went through together, you could have told him that you didn't want to continue your relationship rather than just sending him some cold words that he hasn't been able to make sense of"
"I couldn't… I never could lie to him"
Kimberlys admission hung in the air for what felt like a life time, neither one of them knowing how to move the conversation forward. Kim had just admitted that if she'd have told Tommy she wanted to end their relationship she would have been lying, Billy didn't know what to make of that and Kimberly didn't know how to end the conversation now before she said something that caused the explosives that had been strategically placed throughout the foundations of her life to blow up and cause everything to come crashing down around not only her but every member of the power team.
"What happened Kimberly?"
She wanted to talk, God, how her soul screamed out for her to unburden herself, to share the secrets that she held so close, but she was scared of the carnage their revelation would cause. The words that would free Tommy… the truth, were the words that were looped around her neck like a noose and the threat of what would happen should she reveal them hung over her head like a guillotine
"You know those movies, the ones where someone knows something, or has a secret and no matter the situations they find themselves in they say nothing, and you sit screaming at the screen for them to just tell someone because you know that when they do everything will work out and they'll get their happy ending?"
"I seem to recall watching a few movies like that with you and Trini" Billy attempted a laugh but it was half hearted at best
"Well there's a reason they're movies Billy and not real life"
"Kim if something is wrong…"
"I should tell you and you'll make it all okay?"
"You're one of my oldest friends Kimberly, I hope you know that there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you"
Wrapping her arms around her knees Kimberly sighed, she didn't doubt for a second the honesty in Billys words but his belief that there was a solution to every problem was a belief that Kimberly had lost a long time ago
"There is nothing you can do Billy"
The sadness in Kims voice almost brought the tears from earlier back to Billys eyes, but being sorry with her would do no good, he was a problem solver, that's what he did and that's what he had every intention of doing this time
"Kim, I'm a genius, that tends to mean that I can find a solution to almost every problem"
"Every problem doesn't have a solution Billy, just like every question doesn't have a logical answer. Look…" She turned to look him dead in the eye and Billy could feel a coldness trickle down his spine "I'm not trying to be mysterious or clever I just… I'm trying to protect people the only way I know how… please let me do that"
Automatically Billys hands rose to cover Kims and the tears that crept from her eyes and then escaped down her cheeks surprised him
"Protect who from what? Kim we're a team, whatever is going on we can help you, I promise you of that"
"What we have to do is help Rocky and then find Katherine and Tanya. If you're a genius, if you can find a solution to any problem, find one to this… before it's too late"
The loud banging on the entrance to the Command Centre shocked every one in the room into immediate action. Adam automatically took up a defensive stance next to Rocky whilst Tommy, Billy and Kimberly bolted towards the door
"What do we do?" Kimberly automatically looked to Tommy for answers but he simply stared down at her, his face paling before her very eyes "Tommy if it's them what do we do?!" The fear in her voice was so tangible that Tommy couldn't stop the hand that rose and then fell onto her shoulder as reassurance, the small smile she gave him as thanks burned through the fear that was pulsing through his body and touched the one place he was trying his hardest to keep out of her grasp
"Billy, will the door hold them?"
"It's strong but you saw what they did to the desert, it'll hold them but I don't know how long for. Without our powers we're sitting ducks"
Being helpless and afraid wasn't something that the 4 young heroes were used to, but neither was being up against a powerful, unknown evil without the guidance of their leader or the protection of their powers and as silence flooded the length and breadth of the Command Centre fear sparked in the humid air. As the banging resumed once more, Tommy, Kimberly and Billy found themselves slowly backing away from the door
"Guys? Are you in there?"
It took a second for the familiarity of the voice to register but once it had the Command Centre became a hive of action, Billy and Tommy quickly began unlocking the huge door whilst Kimberly ran to Adams side and threw her arms around his neck
"Everything's going to be okay Adam" She couldn't keep the excitement from her voice "If we're all here we can do this, we can save him"
The sound of cheerful greetings filled the spaces where silence had hung just seconds earlier but soon the voices lowered and darkened.
Tommy was explaining the terrible things that had happened. Kimberly heard snippets of his words. 'It's terrible guys… Tanya and Kat are missing… Zordon and Alpha… gone'. she didn't need to hear him explain about Rocky, the sound of footsteps pounding through the power chamber and the flash of yellow that fell to Rockys side told her the news had been broken and as Adam dropped down to comfort Aisha, Kimberly walked silently away. Adam, Rocky and Aisha had always been a group and they needed to be together now, later, they would need their friends but for right now, they only needed each other.
" Man, I can't believe you guys are here. We were just trying to work out a way to contact you, it's a good thing too, things are bad… really bad, we're going to need everyone if we're to get through this" Tommys arm was comfortably looped around the shoulders of Jason, his best friend. "So we'll wait for Zach and then we'll get to work okay?"
The way Jasons head bowed when Zachs name was mentioned caused confused glances to pass amongst Tommy, Billy and Kimberly and when Trini let out a long, laboured breath as her eyes hit the floor they knew they were in for more bad news
"Guys, I think we're going to have to do this without Zach" Jason looked to Trini for elaboration but she remained silent
"Well did you speak to him? Did he have the same dream you guys did?" Tommys confusion was evident in his voice
"No, uh… Zach isn't exactly taking our calls right now" Three pairs of confused eyes gazed at him as Trini finally found it in herself to speak
"Guys, Zach has changed since he got back from Switzerland, I don't think now is the time to go into detail but… even if he had the dream, I don't think he'll show up"
"That' ridiculous!" Kim laughed a little at the silliness of Trinis statement "If Zach knows we need his help he'll be here"
The looks that passed between Jason and Trini told a different story.
"Guys he has to… for Rocky"