Copyright: Power Rangers, the name and characters are owned by Saban Entertainment.
***Some time later***
After a short walk through the woods, Tanya led the crew to the place in the forest, with the tallest trees. On one of those trees was her home.
"Now THAT is what I call a tree house!" said an impressed Tommy after seeing Tanya's 2 story house, hanging from one of the taller trees.
"Yes…" Jason concurred. "…a save place from all the predators."
"How do we get up?"
"With the elevator, of course!" Tanya proudly stated.
"You have an elevator?" said an amazed Adam.
As they were standing, they saw the wooden elevator drop down from the tree.
"How does it work?" Kim asked.
"It works on simple counterweight principles;" Tanya explained. "…the water is collected by the rainforest canopy and then is released into a hollow log, which allows it to carry personnel up and down."
"Thomas Edison would be green with envy!" said an impressed Billy.
After several trips up and down, the crew was finally all accounted for in the tree-house.
"This is where I live." Tanya said as she was showing them her home.
"It's wonderful!" Billy said as he saw the old-time microscopes and research tools. "Everything a scientist could possibly need."
She then turned to Tommy. "What do you think, doctor?"
"It's outstanding!" An amazed Tommy responded. "Finding a civilized outpost in the middle of this wilderness is truly amazing!"
"Did you build it?" Adam asked.
"No, my parents built it themselves." Tanya said as she picked up an old photo and showed it to him. "This is my mother, pregnant with me at the time, and this is my father."
"They were scientists?" Billy said, intrigued. "Are we going to meet them?"
"They are not here." Tanya said as she went to get a few cups to pour them some tea. "They went out to collect samples."
"When do you expect them back?"
"I don't know." She suddenly began to talk slowly "They are missing…"
"Missing?" Adam worryingly said. "How long have they been missing?"
"About eleven years."
"Eleven years?" a stunned Jason asked. "Eleven years in the jungle and you still think that they are alive?"
"I survived!" She said. "You don't what it is like in here! They could be out there… anywhere. Looking for a way back home…" she stopped as she felt her tears take shape.
"What about the other members of your family?"
"They are all dead…" She stopped to take a deep breath. "No one can escape the ape men!"
"Ape men!" The others said in unison.
"They are dangerous beasts, who live in the driest areas. They kill everything that crosses their path and feed on it…"
Feeling that they were making her uncomfortable, Tommy decided to change the subject on to something more cheerful. As Tanya served the crew their tea, he explained to her, the reason they had come.
"So, you are here on a zoological expedition?" Tanya said as she was putting away the empty cups.
"Sort of…" Tommy responded and got up. "…we are here to track down a rare type of animal. Perhaps you have seen something like it." He then showed her a picture of a T-Rex from his cell-phone. "Scary looking, isn't he?"
"WHAT!" Tanya said, sounding almost scared. "Forget your science, forget your ambitions, and forget everything that brought you here! You don't want to go where these creatures are!"
"On the contrary!" Jason proudly stated. "That is exactly where I want to go!"
"Listen, I can help you make contact with the Repulsa tribe, some say they know of caves that lead back into your world." She explained. "Please, you have to take me for my offer, before you get into any more trouble."
Tommy took a seat next the window and told her. "We will think about it."
***Later that day***
Tommy was still sitting on the chair, gazing out of the window when suddenly he felt him self startled.
"Surprise!" Kimberly said, as she tickled him briefly. "Thought I was an ape man?" she joked.
"Not really, miss." Tommy told her. "The real ape men are right there."
"Behind us?" she joked as she looked at Jason.
"No, they are right here!" He told her and began to tickle her back in response. After a while they both got tired and submitted.
"If you mind…" Billy said as he walked into the room. "…are you done with your childish antics?"
"As a matter of fact yes." Tommy said and reverted back to his serious self. "Everyone! Gather around; I have come up with a decision!" as everyone sat on the table he began to explain. "We came here to prove a theory, ape men or not, we still have a job to do. I understand that I can't force either of you to go, so anybody who doesn't wish to get anymore involved is free to do so right now, but I leave first thing in the morning."
The room felt silent for a few moments, while the rest of them were thinking about their options…
"I've come a long way for this hunt…" Jason stated with his M4 in his hands. "…and I am not coming back without a trophy!"
"Where my money goes, I go!" Kim said.
"I still need to write my story." Adam added.
"Excellent!" Tommy happily accepted their enthusiasm. "Billy?"
"Count me in!"
"Perfect! Adam, get to work on re-rigging the balloon, we could use it to scout the area."
"Roger that!"
***The next morning***
"Keep it steady, Adam!" Tommy told him, while the two of them were circling around the plateau with the balloon. "I don't want the picture to get messy." Tommy said, as he continued to film his surroundings. It didn't take long before they flew over another herd of Brontosauruses. Tommy was delighted with the quality video that he was making. "Let's find another one."
"Doctor, the battery on the camera is almost empty." Adam told him when he noticed the red light on the camera.
"Quickly, where are the spare batteries?"
"Here…" He responded by handing them over. "…but are you sure you want to waste them all in a single day?"
"Science cannot wait, my friend!" Tommy proudly stated as he switched the batteries. "Another specimen, over there." He said, while pointing out to a herd of Stegosauruses. It was truly a dream come true for Tommy Oliver.
While Tommy and Adam were busy making video in the air, back on the ground, Jason was walking through the jungle with his weapon in hand. He had promised himself that he was going to get the best trophy from this trip, no matter what. After a while he saw a paw print on the ground. 'This is not your ordinary cat!' he thought to himself and continued to follow the trail. 'I'm getting close, I can feel it!' he then heard something in the nearby bushes. He felt it was something like a tiger. A saber-tooth tiger.
"Here kitty, kitty, kitty!" He said with his rifle in hand, ready to shoot. "Come out, come out wherever you are!" Jason then heard that one growl of the tiger that charged him. However he was fully prepared for this and easily managed to take it down with one straight shot to the head. "Gotcha!" he laughed as he went up to collect his trophy. "That wasn't so hard was it?" All of a sudden he heard another pair of footsteps right behind him. 'Two trophies are better than one!' he thought as he readied his gun. He turned and took the shot, but to his shock and amaze it didn't do anything. He realized that he wasn't facing just another normal animal from the local flora. He was facing a Tyrannosaurus Rex. "Easy, big fella!" The T-Rex, took a quick sniff at him and let out a huge roar, that echoed through the forest. With no other choice, Jason ran to the forest, but the dinosaur was hot on his trail and closing in on him fast. "I knew this hobby would be the death of me!"
To be continued…