A/N 1: See Chapters 1, 15, 16 and 27 of Thirst for Revenge for that which does not belong to me.
Chapter 4-Wheels Turning
Eltarian Royal Palace
Eltarian Capital City
Unknown Time
Dulcea, Keeper of the Ninjetti Powers, stood near the doorway to the room Tommy and Kimberly were staying at (it was late at night and both were getting ready to go to bed), and frowned.
Just hours after her Rangers had escaped for Eltar, she sensed trouble brewing, and had asked for a leave of absence from Earth herself - knowing that there was troublet o come for her Rangers. While she'd been in their minds, most of them didn't know that she was even in the Palace, having already staked out a room herself.
Lord Zedd was coming back, she knew, and the Rangers would need every break they could get. That much had been evident when she'd brought her entire monster army in for backup, and it was even better now that they were supposedly training the Rangers one-by-one. That much was evident by Madame Woe's arrival, and her sparring session with Tommy. Dulcea had been so impressed with the idea by Kimberly of one on one sparring matches, and she'd been even more impressed with way Tommy had worked with Madame Woe - so much so that she'd briefly given consideration to putting those two in a permanent spar pairing.
She hadn't been surprised by the Rangers reaction to the news about Eltar's most lethal snipers (she'd simply listened to the meeting about that without making her presence known), and she knew Sabrina would watch every step she took now.
But now, just a few days later, she looked at Tommy, and she didn't like what she saw.
The last two days, Tommy had come home from sparring with mysterious cuts and bruises all over his body. And she knew which monsters he had sparred with the last two days. Though he'd gone to soak in a hot tub the last two days, which had helped the physical pain greatly, she didn't like that he was in cuts and bruises before the big battle she knew was coming. Worse yet, he seemed mentally tired.
What was even more weird was that one or two of the other Rangers had come home with the same cuts and bruises in that time. And to make matters worse, there were rumors of grumblings that the Rangers weren't getting a fair shake from two of Dulcea's reborn monster army.
Madame Woe, Dulcea knew, the Rangers didn't have problems with. In fact, it seemed like every day that one of the Rangers trained with her, there was a smile on that Ranger's face at the end. She could tell that Woe had made whoever she was sparring with a better fighter.
Octoplant had been much the same way. Though she had to live permanently in the Forest of Eternal Light now, she'd recovered to 100 percent healthy, and had been extremely easy to work with also. Because of her quickness and agility...not to mention her tentacles...she'd been a difficult matchup, but she'd helped her opponent with most of his or her mistakes. It didn't mean that this particular Ranger was able to turn the tables immediately, but he or she had some success and became better for it.
Soccadillo had been possibly the most fun. Having been a former soccer player himself, Rocky had the most fun going one-on-one with this monster. Like the other two, this monster had given the Rangers problems, especially with his armor and his constantly annoying change into his ball form, but had helped the Rangers learn from mistakes.
Dulcea had been proud of those three. But there were the other two, who she was beginning to be suspicious about.
"Hello, Dulcea," came a soft voice from behind her. Dulcea turned and saw those three monsters to her right.
"Greetings, yourselves, my friends," she said, giving a slight smile. "What a nice surprise."
"Glad we could surprise you," said Octoplant, gripping one of her tentacles. "I just wish it was under better circumstances."
"What I'm hearing isn't true...is it?" Dulcea said.
"Yes," Octoplant said. "Unfortunately, it is. It's been hard to watch some of the Rangers come home with cuts and bruises thanks to two jealous monsters who still haven't forgotten their days with Rita. I worked for Rita, and I'm not jealous of these guys...they're a wonderful group to work with."
"You said it," Soccadillo said. "I don't know if Lizzinator and Rhinoblaster's competitive sides have taken over, or whether they've been put back under evil's influence, but this doesn't look good."
"My heart breaks for Tommy, especially," Woe said. "That kid was so much fun to work with, and it breaks my heart to see him coming back physically and mentally tired."
"This is not the news we needed right now," Dulcea said. "Zedd is getting closer...I can just feel it...and we are going to have to be perfect to beat him and his sister. This experiment with you guys was a bad idea. I fear the team could get divided over something like this."
"Don't beat yourself over the head, Dulcea. It wasn't a terrible idea. You still have us," Octoplant said. "Three out of five is better than none at all. We can make sure the Rangers keep their spirits up."
"You're right, I still do, and I do trust you guys to help the Rangers out," Dulcea said. "It breaks my heart to have to destroy these two monsters again just as I created them, but it appears I have no choice. We must move quickly. Have the two orange designated Eltarians been captured by anyone yet?"
"Not that we know of," Soccadillo said quietly. "But I fear something really big's gonna happen with them, really soon. We really need to leave now. Octoplant needs to get back to the Forest so she can get her light and we're pretty tired."
"Very well," Dulcea said. "You guys can leave."
"Certainly, Dulcea," Woe said. As the three monsters disappeared, Sabrina stepped out of the shadows.
The newest Ranger leader and keeper of the Ninjetti turned to look at one another.
"What do you think we should do about this?" Dulcea said.
"Honestly, I don't have many answers right now," Sabrina said. "I can see one option, but it would involve a Ranger leaving Earth...plus, I don't know how much experience she has."
"Just who do you suggest we summon?" Dulcea said. "You know the Turbo Powers and the Zeo Powers can't fight magic successfully."
"Not them," Sabrina said. "I'm talking about that new Green Ranger girl they have. We gotta have another body here."
"Kelly? Kimberly's cousin?" Dulcea said, at which Gold Ranger nodded. "Actually, I don't think that's a terrible idea. I've watched her train with the Rangers, especially after they were on Phaedos the first time, and I was impressed. It's obvious to me she has extensive training with some of them, otherwise she wouldn't be as good as she is. That girl knows what the hell she's doing, and she's got one whole hell of a lot of confidence."
"I dunno...I'd just like our chances better with eight here than with seven," Sabrina said.
"Plus, she's got a different fighting style than any of the rest of this team," Dulcea said. "Each of these guys has their own unique fighting style that Zedd and Zera could adjust to. Kelly, as a result of her training, combines about three or four different fighting styles. OK, that's a good idea. I'll call in Madame Woe to go talk to Tommy and Kim about this in the morning, and I'll let you talk to Adam and see what he wants."
9 hours later...
"Oh, my aching back, ugh!" Tommy muttered as he tried to force himself out of bed. He had gotten up to a beautiful Eltarian sunrise, which almost belied the dark cloud that was beginning to envelop the Rangers. Tommy knew he was in pain, and for once he wasn't looking forward to going back to sparring with someone.
"Man, this is not going to be a good day. I have one gigantic aching body," Tommy muttered, as he stumbled towards the bathroom, only to find Kimberly was there.
"What if you could have the day off, Falcon?" came a female voice from the doorway leading out of the bedroom.
"Who's there, and who's talking about a day off?" Tommy said, only to realize the voice was coming from behind him.
Tommy did, and spun around to look at Madame Woe, floating in the doorway.
"Hello, friend," Tommy said. "Nice to see you again."
"It's always nice to see you, Tommy. I'm so sorry for what's happened the last couple days."
"Hey, it's not your fault I look like a prisoner of war," Tommy said. "You couldn't have been there to protect me from a couple of jealous monsters. It's supposed to be a learning process, I guess, but they took it personally."
"Don't worry, Tommy," Woe said. "They're gone. Dulcea took care of em and she's going to find some good replacements. Where's Kim?"
"Shower," Tommy said. "As usual, she beats me to the punch when it comes to the shower."
"Actually, I'm done," Kimberly said. "Oh, hi, Madame Woe."
"Hello, Crane. Could I speak with you and Tommy for a moment?"
"Always," Kim said as she joined the two. "What's up?"
"Dulcea's concerned about our status," Woe said. "We are down two monsters, you guys are mentally tired and we still don't know about those two orange-clad snipers."
"Do you think Zedd made off with them?" Tommy said.
"We don't know, but I'm starting to think it's likely," Woe said. "I'm fearing he's preparing to take us by surprise."
"Yeah, and we're vulnerable right now," Tommy said. "I don't like this one bit. We've put Archerina in the palace, but even then I'm concerned about our status."
"I was going to ask you and Kim - and specifically Kim about this," Woe said. "Dulcea thinks Kim's cousin Kelly can give us some help here."
"You really want consent about this?" said Kim. "We need her! She'd give us a lot of confidence, and another body - I think it's a great idea. Hate to leave the Earth a little more defenseless, but I think it will be worth it here. Her style of fighting and her confidence can take Zedd by surprise."
"All right," Woe said. "One other thing...when she gets here to make your team at eight people, Dulcea is gathering her replacements to spar with you guys. She was so impressed by your idea of me going against Tommy that when she gets her replacements here and Kim's cousin gets here, we'll all go one-on-one with a permanent partner."
"Why do I get the feeling she wants this to be man vs. woman?" Tommy said.
"Because I do, Falcon," came a voice. "There's good chemistry between some of your couples, but I don't think there's enough trust - and you're going to have to trust everyone else to be able to fight if necessary. I just know this fight is going to be that bad."
"Hi, Dulcea," Tommy said.
"Greetings, White Ranger," Dulcea said. "What's your status?"
"If Sabrina OKs it, then Kelly's welcome here," Tommy said. "Kim's been wondering about that."
"Heck, it was her idea in the first place. Then we shall take care of that," Dulcea said. "We shall get Kelly here as soon as we possibly can. Come, Pink Crane. Let's go talk to your cousin."
"Wait - what about me?" Tommy said. "Can't I come?"
"I'm sorry, Falcon, but I think Kim deserves to make some preparations for her cousin's arrival," Dulcea said.
"But - I don't want to leave her...after all that's happened to us..."
"Tommy, I understand how you feel - but I can assure you I'm not incapable of taking care of myself," Kim said. "No buts about this, Tommy. Let's go, Dulcea."
After briefly whispering something in Madame Woe's ear - after which she nodded - Kim, along with Dulcea, headed off, Tommy started after them, but was quickly restrained.
"Tommy, please just relax," Madame Woe said as she put a comforting arm on his body. "Kimberly is a big girl - she can take care of herself. We all know how you feel - we've all talked about it. There are times, however, when you just need to chill about it. There won't be a threat here for several more days. Kim will be safe."
"It's - just - when she's not with me, I feel so alone sometimes..." Tommy said.
"I'd be disappointed if you didn't feel that way - she's your significant other. But who says you have to be alone?"
"What do you mean?"
"Dulcea's trying to get another message across, Tommy," came a voice from nearby. Tommy turned around to see his co-leader, Sabrina standing ten feet in front of him.
"Morning, Sabrina," Tommy said. "Let me guess, it's about the trust issue."
"Yes, Tommy," Sabrina said. "Dulcea thinks that because of the last couple days, the trust between our team might fragment."
"Why would we not trust each other? I made you the co-leader for a reason!"
"Come on, Tommy, think about it. Even you, right now, have some distrust in Dulcea's judgment because of what's happened the last two days. But she makes mistakes. I make mistakes. Daddy makes mistakes. Even you do, Tommy, if you'd realize it. Don't lose trust in everyone because Dulcea made a mistake - at least she's going to correct it. The best way to build trust is to spend time with someone you don't know. And it's obvious you're still over-protective of Kim. She can FIGHT, Tommy!"
"OK, then. I kind of see your point," Tommy said, nodding.
"Besides, Madame Woe's kind of become a leader, just like you have, Tommy. I know she's not Kimberly, but she likes you and I think she's someone you can trust."
"But besides the sparring session we had a couple days ago, what can she offer me?"
"A trip to a hot tub, for one thing...and not one of those quick, 20 or 30 minute hot tubs. You need to relax mentally and physically, Tommy. She'll have fun with you, and you need to stop being serious for a while."
"Wow, I'd love to do nothing but relax for two to three hours and get my mind off things. I'll do it," said Tommy. "But can I first at least have some breakfast before Rocky steals all the food?"
"Damn, I forgot about Rocky," Sabrina said. "What is it about that boy and food?"
"It's his second favorite pastime behind simply being a monkey," Tommy said.
"Hey guys! Rocky's eating the food!" Adam shouted from upstairs. "Get your asses here quickly before it's gone!"
"Damn! Looks like we're too late," Tommy said. "Come on, Sabrina. Let's get a move on!"
Tuesday, June 17, 1997
11:00 a.m.
Angel Grove Park
Angel Grove, CA
"So this is where my cousin and Tommy shared their first kiss," Kelly Williams mused as she approached the place most of the Rangers and their friends had dubbed, 'Love Stands Forever.'
She sat on a bench near the spot, which had been designated by the Rangers in a pink and white color.
"God, I wish I could have been here on this day," Kelly muttered. "Kimberly has never loved anyone like she loves Tommy."
Just then, Kelly's communicator beeped. She didn't own a necklace like the others, so she wore one of the old-school communicators like the other Rangers owned.
"This is Kelly. I read you."
"Kelly, report to the underground base immediately. You have a message from Kimberly," Ninjor said.
"OK. I'm coming," Kelly said. She pressed her communicator and teleported to the Rangers' underground base.
Underground Base
"Hello, cuz," came Kimberly's voice as Kelly stared at the monitors.
"Yo, Kim, what's up?" Kelly said. "Everything going OK?"
"I guess...it's going as well as it can," Kim said. "Listen, Kel, I need to talk to you."
"What's up, Kim? Is there something wrong?"
"Well, if by wrong, you mean we have guys looking like prisoners of war, facing down a Lord Zedd that we know is coming, and just being in somewhat of a predicament, then yeah, we have something wrong."
"Well, then, what did you call me for? You're normally the perky one."
"How would you like to come to Eltar, Kelly? We gotta have another body," said Kim.
"You're asking me to go to another planet? What the hell good would I do? Just the thoughts of facing down Lord Zedd gives me nightmares."
"Kelly, this is not like you. I haven't seen you this apprehensive since the cheerleading competition," Kim said. "DO NOT tell me you're losing your confidence."
"I'm not...it's just that facing down Lord Zedd is a whole different game," Kelly said. "That guy messes with your body and mind. A ruthless assassin, and he's got his sister with him, who I know nothing about."
"But you can handle him, Kelly," came Dulcea's voice as she stepped into plain view.
"What do you mean, I can handle him? He's got far more experience than I have," Kelly said.
"So do some of those others that you're facing, and as far as I know, you're still standing," Dulcea said. "We think you can help us because we think you can catch Lord Zedd by surprise. He has no clue about your abilities."
"Kelly," Ninjor said, "this is a chance for you also to be reunited with your cousin, and to see another planet. Eltar is a beautiful planet, and I think it's one you'd like. What do you think?"
"Do it, Kelly," Jason said. "We've never said no to the call of duty, no matter what."
"You won't regret doing this," Trini said.
"OK, I'll come," said Kelly. "But how the hell am I gonna get out of here without anyone seeing me?"
"You'll teleport at night, so that while the villains are asleep, you'll be on your way here," Dulcea said.
"Thanks for the offer, Kim," Kelly said.
"Any time, Kel," said Kim. "See you soon."
Eltarian Royal Palace, after breakfast
"Ahhh," Tommy said. "Hot tub...for 1 hour. Talk about relaxing."
Tommy had the jets turned on full, and was already soaking in some much-needed relaxation.
"I'm glad you are enjoying yourself," Madame Woe said as she alighted beside him.
"Aren't you worried your robes are gonna get soaked?" Tommy said.
"Nah, not worried about that. I can deal with getting wet."
"I like the water, but I'm no swimmer," Tommy said. "You remember Billy, right?"
"Of course."
"He used to be SO afraid of the water, and fish. We fought a monster called Goo Fish once...horrid creature. It was while I was away but Kim told me about it after I came back. Anyways, Rita put a spell on him, preying on his fear and he actually had to fight the monster to overcome his fear."
"That's a hell of a story, Tommy," Woe said. "Ironic that Billy went to live on Aquitar for a little while afterwards - a fish dwelling planet."
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"That crystal on your forehead," Tommy said. "We went to Edenoi, Alpha 5's home planet, to learn more about their culture and what was going on at their planet. We found out they wear those too. Do you have any connection to that planet? I hope I didn't just offend you."
"No, no you didn't offend me," she said, laughing. "Actually, it's a question I'm surprised I don't get more often. But no, I don't have any connections to there. However, having learned somewhat about them through people in the palace, I have a lot of respect for them, as well as your own Masked Rider. As far as my crystal goes, it can do certain things, but it cannot do things theirs do."
"Yeah, theirs can actually project things, from what I remember," Tommy said. "It's kind of neat to see water or wind coming from a crystal though. I'm just glad I didn't offend you."
"It would take something fierce for you to offend me, Tommy. I like you very much - you're a special kind of leader."
"I will never call myself special. I'm not Goldar - I'm better than that. Heck, I'm an adopted child."
"You may not think you're special, and that's why you need to be reminded of that. Sometimes, those who come from humble beginnings are the best ones. It's what you do with what you have that matters," Woe said, as she suddenly shot her hair halfway between her and Tommy.
"Uh, what are you doing?" Tommy said.
"Wanting to have some fun. Pull on my hair."
"Really, you'd let me do that?"
"Of course I would. Consider it a treat from me for you being a good kid. I only let the ones I like do this. Let's see how good your grip is."
"OK You're on."
Tommy took her hair, and decided to start by pulling upward. Feeling loose, he pulled her towards the middle of the huge hot tub, then suddenly pulled down, sending her into the water with a huge splash.
"That was fun!" she said as she floated back up. "Grab my hair and let's do it again!"
This went on for 25 minutes, with the two kicking, splashing and screaming - and quite frankly, just having a blast.
"Wow, man, you have a hell of a grip," Woe said 25 minutes later.
"Well, I didn't know my grip was that strong," Tommy said.
"Hey, can I ask about Rocky?"
"Yeah, what about him?" said Tommy.
"Is he always like that with his stomach?"
"Uh, yeah," Tommy said. "That boy could eat a horse if he was that hungry."
"Wow," she said laughing. "Guess I'm glad we have Dulcea's replacements already here to restrain him if need be."
"Yeah, we could always use some more bodies to straighten him out. No pun intended but he really is a monkey. A crazy monkey at that," Tommy said. "I'd like to ask about weapons - do you have a sword? I have one,"
"Saba, right?"
"Yeah."
"I have one, but I rarely use it. I don't know why. I've heard you're pretty good at sword-fighting."
"Yeah, I've won one or two of those. Now, about the replacements."
"What about them?"
"Who are they?"
"I was wondering when you'd ask," Woe said, smiling and putting an arm on his chest. "Some of them are dying to see you."
"Me?"
"Yeah - they'd like nothing more than to make amends for what they did to you. Some of them are Zedd's former creations who can't stand his tyranny anymore. Later today, I'll take you to meet them."
"Can I ask you something regarding the replacements?" Tommy said. When he got the nod to ask, he continued.
"Of all the creatures so far, I feel most comfortable around you," Tommy said. "When we go to our pairings, will you be my spar partner?"
"I would be truly honored. We would learn a lot from each other, and I truly believe you would be best prepared for battle by fighting someone you're comfortable against. Just promise me one thing in return."
"What's that?"
"When we win this war, and when you are wed to Kim, you need to promise me a spot at the wedding. I love you and Kim both, and I want to be at the wedding which, in my opinion anyway, has been a long time coming."
"You got it. I promise. Whoever helps us win this war will be invited, for sure."
"I'm going to hold you to that."
3 hours later...
Fully loosened by the events just a few hours prior, Tommy had decided, following a brief lunch, to go check out the courtyards near the palace.
"My God, this is gorgeous," Tommy said. "Sabrina wasn't lying when she said this was a beautiful planet."
Another thing he found weird was the flowers were regarding him - almost like they were responding to his presence.
"Too weird," Tommy muttered. "They're responding to me like I'm their leader or something."
Suddenly, Tommy was tripped off his feet and went down in a heap.
"Oh, my goodness! I'm so...Tommy?" came a voice. "Is that you?"
Tommy got up and greeted the creature who had accidentally tripped him - the Stag Beetle.
"Oh, hey," Tommy said. "I take it Dulcea recruited you as an addition?"
"Yeah. My mates are somewhere around here, though I don't know. They went off walking around, I'm sure they'll come back."
"So I'm hearing a lot of you don't like Zedd?" Tommy said.
"Oh NO," Stag Beetle said. "Never gave us a pat on the back for doing well, only used us to build what is becoming a tyrannical regime. Those of us here can't stand him. We'd do anything to help you guys defeat him, and Dark Specter for that matter. Lipsyncher cringed when she saw what Zedd tried to do to Kim - absolutely horrible."
"Do you know anything about the orange-clad snipers?" Tommy said. "Madame Woe says she doesn't know, though she has suspicions, and no one in the Palace knows."
"Oh, do we know," Stag Beetle said. "Not only did tyrant's sister capture the two snipers, but Zera is planning to steal Tanya from Earth."
"My God, NO!" Tommy almost shouted. "Lord knows what she's planning to do with Tanya! Adam is going to be one unhappy man if that happens."
Before Stag Beetle could respond, Tommy was off on a mad dash into the palace.
"Yep, same ole Tommy," muttered Zedd's former beetle monster as he went to find his mates.
Zera's spaceship
"We are here to serve you, master," Liana of Eltar said in a dark, low voice as she walked towards Zera, kneeling just before her. "What may we do to help you?"
"Go back to Eltar," Zera said, "and report to me on what you find. Keep an eye on those Rangers to make sure they aren't pulling any tricks. When you feel the time is right - say, in three to four days, call us, and we can attack them by surprise. My object is to draw Sabrina away from the Rangers. Without her, they are nothing. Then, we shall pick our mates, and destroy them."
"As you wish."
When the two disappeared, Zera smiled contentedly.
"And now, for you, my pretty little Yellow Turbo Ranger - a long forgotten Ranger who will play a huge part in the demise of the Rangers once and for all."
Moon Palace
"REPORT," Dark Specter bellowed as the five he had sent on assignment entered the room.
"We have not found anything conclusive yet, my lord," Ecliptor said, at which Specter frowned.
We have whittled down some places they may be," Astronema said, "to about three places - Eltar, Edenoi and Aquitar - that's where the most recent intergalactic travel has been to."
"Honestly, my money's on Eltar," Ecliptor said. "I've seen a lot of things heading that way the past few days."
"That is OK - you guys did your job even though I changed plans for you, leaving you out there longer. Very well. Looks like I'll have to use my ultimate weapon. Scorpina, come here!"
What the Rangers didn't know about Scorpina's doppleganger was that because she was an exact duplicate of the original, Dark Specter had potential to use her to track the original - Sabrina, as it were - wherever she went.
And then Dark Specter began his scans.
Eltarian Capital City
Outskirts
As Rayjon of Eltar landed his ship just outside his native home, he smiled at the beauty the planet still possessed.
Little did he know he was about to walk into a hornet's nest.
Tuesday, June 17, 1997
9:10 p.m.
Underground Base
Angel Grove, CA
"All right, is everything ready to teleport?" Jason said.
"Yep, got my bags," Kelly said. "Can't wait to save another planet."
"Bye, Kelly," Trini said. "Be safe."
"I will be. Zedd won't know what hit him," Kelly said.
"Good luck, young one. May the Power protect you," Ninjor said.
"Teleporting now," Alpha 5 droned. With that, Kelly was gone in a flash of green light.
TBC...