Ivan is Back
A/N: So, I had a reviewer request a bit of back history into Jason/Tanya. Well it's not much but I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 11
The remaining five original rangers as well as the three ninjetti remained in defense mode at the sight of the once evil witch who had caused them nothing but trouble for three and a half years. Even after hearing that her and Zedd had been purified during Zordon's wave they were doubtful about trusting her.
"Now, what is this about Kimberly being the wrong person to lead this mission?" Rita questioned the newer rangers. Obviously these people have never seen what Kimberly is like when she sticks to something.
"Hold on, who the hell are you?" Taylor Eardhart-Myers asked.
"My name is Mystic Mother. I was once known across the universe as Rita Repulsa."
The group slowly and cautiously lowered their stances one by one. They had no idea what had brought Rita to them but they knew that in order to win this war they would need all the help they could get; even if it came in the form of their worst enemy.
"Please rangers, I know we have never seen eye to eye but really do want to help you."
"Why? What do you get out of it?" Jason questioned, having fought the evil forces of Rita and her minions for over a year he knew there had to be a catch somewhere.
Rita sighed and looked at the one ranger that would believe her intentions were true, "because, he took something from me."
"Sorry, can we get back to figuring out how Kimberly is the best one to lead us into this war?" The question came from the highly annoyed crimson ranger.
Rita turned her head in his direction and glared, "can you give a good reason as to why she shouldn't?"
"How about the fact she is a girl and there are at lease four other rangers that have more field time than her."
Rita and the original rangers all laughed at the answer that was given by the red wind ranger of ninja storm. It was very clear to Rita now that nobody in this place knew just how much of a leader Kimberly really was.
"None of you know." She stated as simply as saying the grass was green or the sky blue.
"Know what?" Xander the green mystic force ranger asked.
"None of you know just what Kimberly has gone through as a ranger or the things she's done to ensure that Ivan Ooze is destroyed this time for good." Rita snapped at the group of foolish rangers.
Kim looked at Rita shocked that she was defending her. This wasn't the same woman who had continuously tried to sabotage everything the rangers had done to try and remain as normal as possible. This was a woman who was tortured by her past misdeeds and the torture that Ivan was putting her through with whatever it was he had done. This was a woman who needed forgiveness and help.
"Rita, it really isn't necessary. If they don't trust my judgement they know they can leave. I'll get everyone back somehow and put an end to Ivan's reign of terror." Kim tried to reason.
"That petite brunette warrior there has done more for the planet earth than quite a few of you. She confronted a friend in need knowing he was under a dark spell and was the evil green ranger. She remained loyal to a fault and showed nothing but compassion when that same friend was losing his powers for good. While her team was on a different planet and she was sick with the flu she still pulled herself together to fight the forces of evil and protect the city when she could have stayed in bed. When her power coin had fallen into the hands of evil and she was losing her connection to the morphing grid she still fought a group of tengu to ensure that someone who was nothing but hateful to her was safe. She entrusted the same girl who stole her power coin and out her life in great danger with the very power she stole. So tell me again that Kimberly is not qualified to lead us in this war against Ivan Ooze." Rita listed off some of Kimberly's finest points as a ranger.
"Don't forget she saved the future when she was sent through a time hole into the wild west." Rocky named off another.
"She is the most kind hearted and compassionate person you will ever have the pleasure of meeting. So shut up and let us do our job. If you don't like it there's the door." Aisha stood her finger pointed towards the front door. The ferociousness of the bear showing as a yellow glow encased her.
Any of the rangers that had questions or doubts about Kimberly leading quickly shut up and parted ways allowing the originals and Tanya to get back to the true matter at hand; the yellow saber-tooth tiger coin.
"How is one coin going to help change the course of this war?" Cassidy snapped growing more and more annoyed.
"Cassidy, shut up." Conner said hoping to get some answers.
The six ninjetti rangers along with Jason, Tanya, Justin, and Zack walked back to the box silently still mourning the loss of their fellow ranger and friend who had been lost to them for 11 years. Rita looked upon the rangers with sorrow; even after their time in uniform they had suffered so much just being human.
"Hey, there's a note." Zack said reaching into the box and pulling out a pale yellow slip of paper.
~Rangers,
I fear that if you are reading this letter then you know that Ivan has stepped up his game. When Trinity passed I called for her coin and morpher to join me on Phadeos to be looked after until they were needed once more. This letter being delivered to you means that the time has come. After careful consideration it is with a faithful heart that I pass Trinity's coin onto Tanya. You will serve well as the saber-tooth tiger. Trust each other and trust the ninjetti.
Dulcea~
"Why me?" Tanya questioned her gaze still locked on the coin.
"Trini grew close to you and Aisha was her successor, so it must have meant a great deal to Trini that she felt confident in you having her coin." Rocky reasoned.
Kimberly reached into her pocket and pulled out the pterodactyl coin from when she first became a ranger. Around the box the others were doing the same each coin glowing its own color.
"You are the only other ranger aside from Justin who would have been left without powers." Billy explained.
"What do you mean? The Zeo powers should still be active." Tanya said not understanding.
Billy went on to explain that because the zeo powers were what fueled the turbo powers when the turbo powers were lost the zeo crystal had separated once more and were again missing. "Therefore the zeo powers are unaccessable, in fact, I bet that you don't have your zeonizers anymore due to the crystal disappearing again."
Sure enough the four present zeo rangers searched their persons for the morphers from years before and could not locate them. Jason began to wonder about something related the zeo powers; Trey of Triforia. Were his powers affected by the zeo crystal as well?
"No Jason, Trey's powers were passed down through the royal line and not connected to the zeo crystal. The Triforians were only the guardians of the super zeo zords not the holders of the zeo crystal before it was lost." Kim explained to the former gold zeo ranger.
"How did you know?" Jason asked smiling at his pink comrade.
Kimberly shrugged, "I just know you Jason. Now, here is my question...Tanya?"
The yellow zeo ranger looked up from the photo of her, Aisha, and Trini on her wedding day to answer, "yeah?"
"Tanya, do you accept the powers of the saber-tooth tiger and
"It would be an honor to hold the powers of our lost friend. I will use them well in the fight against evil." Tanya
After Tanya accepted her new responsibility as the original yellow ranger everyone dispersed into their own little groups and the three remaining girls of Zordon's chosen 12 decided to head up to the balcony that looked out into the city. They were at a loss due to Katherine's capture and Trini's death that they just wanted to mourn and plan in peace. Unknown to them the balcony was already occupied with a downhearted yellow ranger.
"Hey Kira, everything okay?" Kim cautiously approached the yellow pteranodon ranger.
Kira looked up from her notebook and gave a half smile to the three women, "yeah, just thinking about some stuff."
Aisha seeing the look on her face knew what was troubling the younger yellow clad girl. She had seen it with Kim and Tommy for a while before Kim left the team and then she watched Tanya and Jason go through the same thing when she returned to the states after the rangers gave up the turbo powers. Not to mention she often is told she had the same look on her face when she and Adam had gotten together.
"Let me take a guess; red ranger that goes by Conner McKnight?" Aisha guessed.
Kira was shocked that she had guessed it so quickly, Ethan had thought it was trouble getting over Trent when he talked to her earlier. "yeah, I just don't understand how I stayed with Trent for so long when my heart lied with Conner for years."
"It was comfortable. Your life just started to fall into a pattern and it got comfortable." Kim explained.
"How did you guys meet your significant others?" Kira inquired.
The three shared a look and smiled before Aisha spoke again, "Adam and I have known each other for years but when I left the rangers Adam was the one I communicated with the most to keep up to date on the rangers. While we were apart he and I realized that we had started to develop feelings for each other so when I returned to the states we started out dating and by 2002 we were married."
"I'm sure you heard about the mess with Tommy and I but I promise that our first meeting was a good one. Actually, it was at a martial arts expo he was competing against Jason; sadly that is what put him on Rita's radar to be her green ranger. After three and a half years I left the team to compete professionally in gymnastics. During that time I realized I was putting him in danger and he deserved better. Of course talking to Tommy face to face wouldn't have worked; I could never stand to see the pain in his eyes. So I wrote the letter and destroyed the love of a lifetime." Kim spoke up the pain that the letter caused her still clear in her voice.
Placing a hand on her shoulder Aisha smiled at her friend and the fact that she had been able to rise above the pain and finally talk to Tommy. They were finally back on track to happiness and as long as the two of them stood together they had a chance in this war.
"Jason and I met much later than the others due to my being in Africa and his Switzerland. After I became the yellow zeo ranger we needed the help of a sixth ranger; the gold ranger." Tanya started.
Kira remembered the video diary from years before and how Jason had ended up with the gold ranger powers due to Trey being split into three. "Jason became the gold ranger." Kira stated.
Tanya smiled and nodded, "yes, while he was a great ranger the powers of Triforia began to reject him for they were not meant for humans such as us. After losing his powers he felt that he would not be wanted or needed in Angel Grove anymore. I was still new to the fighting and so I asked him to help me learn. He helped me for a couple of months before he decided it was time to check on Kim in Florida. During our last session before he left we shared a kiss, a sort of promise I guess. So that he knew there was something to come back to Angel Grove for. We got married in 2000, right before Tommy decided to go get blown off an island."
A loud alarm came from the first floor that startled the four girls into rushing down the stairs. Kim was the first to reach the room the alarm was sounding in and was met with Rita, Jason, the male ninjetti and Andros. It was the room Kim had asked Andros and Billy to put together with monitors and computer stuff to track the trouble in each city.
Right there on the main screen a sickening image of Katherine hanging limply from chains. Kim could tell that even in the short time she had been held captive Ivan Ooze had taken great pleasure in hurting her. Her shirt had been removed so her abdomen was exposed due to the workout top she had on stopping just under the breast, her pants had holes all over them. They clearly enjoyed torturing her more than anyone else in the past few days as her abdomen was covered in fresh and days old wounds and burns. It made Kim sick looking at her successor like this but clearly if Ivan had made the effort to breach their system he had more than this to show them.
"Hello kiddies, I do hope you enjoyed the show of your little pink friend. See, she's rather difficult; she won't give me any information on what you seem to have planned in the way of attempting to stop me." Ivan chuckled as he walked on screen and stood next to Katherine.
"She doesn't know anything Ooze, let her go." Tommy growled knowing that even in his most threatening voice Ivan wouldn't release Katherine just because they asked him to.
Ivan chuckled, "how cute, you still care for the kitty."
Kim was tired of this already and knew that if the boys continued to speak something worse would possibly happen to Katherine. Friend or not she was still a ranger and as Kim had told Tommy years before 'once a ranger, always a ranger' no matter what you have done.
"What do you want Ivan?" Kimberly kept her tone even and calm because if there was a chance that Kat could hear them then she needed to know that the rangers were doing their best and an angry tone wasn't going to get that across to the injured ranger.
"Simple, I want you rangers to suffer for destroying my plans years ago. I find this is poetic justice; you destroyed my precious creations and now I am destroying your legacy, little by little."
"Why wage a war with everyone at once? Surely you had to have known that this would happen and we would all band together." Kim cocked her head to the side trying to keep Ivan talking so Billy could get a trace on where the visual was coming from.
"Ah ah little crane, there is more to show you. Perhaps Rita would like to say hello to her precious little Anabelle." Ivan moved to stand next to a frightened girl of about 5 or 6 years old holding onto a stuffed crane.