After Darkness Falls
"Recruitment"
Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers, that is owned by Disney/Saban. Carri and all things related to Carri (including Jason's Cougar Ninjetti Power) belong to KJ with many thanks. Everyone else belongs to me.
A/N: Just a refresher, this assumes that Rocky, Adam, and Aisha's coins are copies made from the same material as Tommy's Tiger Coin. Kim's powers were inspired by Ksuzie's "The Coin's", but unlike Ksuzie's she can only travel through time and space, not dimensions., and I am expanding upon them.
Eighteen hours earlier:
Jason stumbled as he and Kim arrived in an all white room. He had not been expecting to teleport so suddenly, so his landing had been a bit off. Kim chuckled as she watched regain his balance. She looked around in awe, this place was a big change from Rita's palace. No pendulum, no skull, no spell books, nothing. Just pure emptiness.
"What are we doing here? I said no!" Jason shouted in anger. After all Rita had done to him and his friends in the past, forcing Tommy to be her slave, stealing his Powers, kidnapping their parents all of it; after all of it he never wanted to see or be near her again. He had thought Kim might feel the same way, but apparently he was wrong.
Kim raised her finger to him and said "And you said that you wanted answers. Dulcea had none, Aulyan has vanished, so who better to turn to?" She didn't like this idea any more than he did, but it was their last shot.
"That's beside the point." He said as he crossed his arms.
"If you want to leave so bad, then go!" Kim shouted. It wasn't like her to lose her temper so easily, but he was being such a baby about this that it was hard not to.
"I'm not going to leave you alone here with that witch nearby!" No matter what Kim was still like his little sister and he wasn't about to leave her alone with the one person he hated the most.
"That witch you are referring to happens to be my wife." Both Rangers turned around to see a man with graying dirty blond, almost brown, hair staring at them. "And only I am allowed to call her a witch."
"Zedd?" Kim questioned, raising her eyebrow. If she didn't despise the man for all he had done, and if he were younger, she might've found him slightly attractive.
Zedd looked at the two before saying "Yes. It's been a long time Kimberly, Jason." Sighing he continued "I assume you are here to see the Mystic Mother?" Kim nodded and he said "Follow me."
The two Rangers followed the man once known to the universe as Lord Zedd, Emperor of Evil, through the huge white room and into another. On the opposite end of this one sat a throne that contained a woman dressed entirely in white. It took them a moment to realize who it was, but once they did they both drew their heads back in surprise. Sitting in the throne was none other than a purified form of Rita Repulsa.
"Rita?" Jason questioned, although the answer was obvious. Looking from Zedd to Rita he couldn't believe his eyes, they really had been purified. Although the evil within them had been washed away, it didn't change his opinion about them.
Mystic Mother looked down at her two old acquaintances. "Jason, Kimberly, how nice to see you!" She said in that same old screeching voice of hers. "Tell me, what brings you here to see me?" She had a feeling she knew, but just in case she was wrong she didn't want to tell them something that may or may not come true.
Kim looked up at the sorceress, then to Jason and back again. "We need to talk to you about something. Our mentors Dulcea and Aulyan were of no help, so we were hoping maybe you could provide us with some answers."
"Go on." Mystic Mother said, nodding her head.
"How much do you know about Murathian abilities?" Kim asked, wanting to see if she knew anything before divulging into her story.
"Plenty, why?" Mystic Mother asked, she had been correct after all. They were here to find out about their abilities.
Kim then proceeded to go into her explanation about the night she and Jason returned to Angel Grove, went scuba diving and were subsequently captured by Divatox in order to be sacrificed to Maligore. Following that she explain about how not long after they began to develop abilities, self propelled teleportation for Jason, and self propelled teleportation and time travel for herself.
Next she explained about her dream, and how she thought it was actually a subconscious trip to the future due to her seeing burn marks heal in her mirror after waking up. Then she moved on to their trip to Volacia and their second volcano bath and how it affected Jason by releasing the demon trapped within him, and the subsequent merge of the same demon from another dimension.
She finished up by explaining about how they freed Jason and how afterwards he too developed a new ability. "So, we were wondering if you might have any information on why are powers are expanding, and if they might continue to do so." Once she finished she took a deep breath. Most of it she didn't think was really necessary, but she did want to make sure that Mystic Mother knew what they had been through since Muranthias.
Mystic Mother took a moment to think, while also ignoring the glares she was getting from Jason. "Well I believe it may be different for both of you." She looked at Kim and said "For you, I believe the ability was always there, since your time travel and teleportation were created from residual energy left from the Wizard of Deception transporting you back to Colonial Angel Grove and your time in the Muranthian Pit only augmented that ability. You just had to be hurt enough for the ability to manifest." She then turned to Jason and said " However, yours is from being dipped in Dark Specter's pit. You still had Maligore's demon within you, and that dip not only made him stronger, but it gave you your new ability as well."
Kim nodded her head, those explanations seemed feasible. There was just one thing that bugged her. "If his are from being dipped in Dark Specter's Pit, then how come I didn't gain another ability?"
Mystic Mother smiled and said "Because my child, the demon implanted within you years ago, Kanna, had been removed thanks to Lerigot." Continuing she said "With both Dark Specter and Maligore dead, their respective pits serve no real purpose unless you still have a demon of theirs implanted within you as Jason did."
Jason looked at her, his anger still there as he asked "But will they continue to grow?" The most likely answer was no, he knew that. He just wanted to be sure of it.
"No, I do not think that they will. If they do, notify me." Mystic Mother said.
Kim smiled, grateful that their old enemy had not only been willing to help them, but also had the answers. "Thank you, Rita."
"Mystic Mother." She corrected "Now please, leave me. I feel a headache coming on."
Kim was about to say goodbye when her communicator chirped. "Go ahead Billy."
Billy's rang through saying "Kim, the others need you and Jason right away. Teleport to Angel Grove High immediately!"
"Be right there." Kim replied. Looking at Jason she said "I didn't know it was time for our high school reunion." Jason managed a slight chuckle as they teleported out.
Mystic Mother squinted as a bright red flash light engulfed the two Rangers. Smiling after they left she looked at her husband and said "I have a great feeling about her."
Zedd looked at his wife and knew exactly what she was thinking, and although he wasn't completely on board with it, he would support her.
Present Day…
Emily looked down at Jason who was sitting on her couch. They had been discussing his Ranger activities. She had seen their fight from the previous day on the news earlier, seen how they had struggled against the praying mantis monster. Seeing that had made her realize just how serious Jason's job as a Ranger was, how real the danger was.
She of course knew of the danger when he first told her, but she had managed to push it to the back of her mind until she saw the footage of their fight. Ever since they left the bar and headed for her place she had been pleading with him to give up his life as a Ranger. But Jason, being as stubborn as he was, refused.
"Jason, please. I'm begging you, I don't want to come home one day and find out that my boyfriend has been killed while fighting a monster." She pleaded, hoping to get through to him.
"At least I'd make the news one last time." He joked, but seeing the look he got from her said more seriously "Okay, sorry. Not a time for jokes. But Emily, being a Ranger, it's who I am. It's been who I am since I was fourteen, you can't ask me to change that now."
Emily looked at him with a surprised look on her face. "You've been doing this for sixteen years?"
He nodded, adding "Give or take a few. I did take some time off when I wasn't needed."
She then asked, curiosity getting the best of her, "which one?"
Jason knew that she meant which color. "Red…then Gold when we were dating…"
Emily looked at him, her mouth forming an "O" shape. "You were a Ranger while we were dating? I would have though that you had taken that time off while we were together, how could you not tell me?"
Jason shrugged "Sworn to secrecy. I wasn't supposed to say anything to you now, but seeing how well that went the first time I didn't want to keep it from you again."
Emily wasn't sure how she should feel. She was proud that he had been the first leader, the original Red. But at the same time she was mad that he hadn't old her when they dated the first time. Before she could say anything Jason quickly said "Look, Emily, the others, they need me. I really want to make this work, and I hope you do too. But being a Ranger is who I am, and who I'll always be." He paused, standing to take her hands in his. "Please understand. If you want me, you have to take all of me. Ranger and all."
Emily looked at him, sighing as she pulled her hands away from his and wrapped them around him. "Please, just be careful. Promise me that you'll be careful."
Returning her embrace he said "Alright, I promise."
Two days later Rocky sat behind his desk. For a Monday the day hadn't been so bad. All the students had behaved, everyone showed up, and best of all there were no Ranger related interruptions. His girlfriend had stopped by during lunch, over the weekend she had decided to start her own business. She hadn't yet decided what it was that she was going to do, so she had decided to go and look around the city to see what she thought be the best thing for her. He knew that she was most likely out shopping though. It wasn't that she was irresponsible, it was just that he knew she couldn't resist a sale and with Christmas coming up there were plenty of the going on.
He sighed as he sat back in his chair, finally finished with the paperwork he had to do. He looked at his watch, noticing that it was already six. He was going to have to hurry if he was going to head home and take a shower before heading over to Carri's to join the gang for pizza and a movie. It had been a while since they had just hung out and done nothing. Usually it was either sparring or going to save the world. It would be a nice change. Especially with everything that had happened recently.
Adam looked at his Mastodon Power Coin. He was forever grateful to the Sentinel Knight for repairing it for him. He had felt as though something had been missing in his life ever since he put his Zeo crystal in storage and handed the Turbo powers over to Carlos Vallerte. Once he regained his original Black Ranger powers he realized what it was. He had missed being a Ranger.
His wife on the other hand, did not. She hadn't really wanted the responsibility in the first place, she had felt as though she wouldn't be able to handle it. Eventually she grew accustomed to it, but the first chance she got she left after going back and worth with it, handing her powers over to Carri Hillard, someone who really wanted them.
Tanya had been given the opportunity to fulfill her dream of becoming a singer, and at first she was going to turn it down due to her Ranger responsibilities, but after being encouraged to live her dream she made the decision to leave.
Adam tucked his Power Coin and morphed into his back pocket before going to join his wife at the dinner table. He had told her about his nightmares, about the feelings he had while being under Sarahna's evil spell. He had been glad to get it off of his chest. Ever since talking about it with her they had slowly disappeared. So far he had gone two nights without one. Hopefully they were gone for good.
Carri Hillard arrived at her place, shopping bags and pizza's in tow. She was glad that she arrived at her house at the same time as her boyfriend, he helped her carry everything in. She had originally gone out to examine other businesses, try and find the one that was for her. But while she was out she went by the mall and saw all the sales. Her inner shopper taking over she spent the whole day spending her money on clothes. On her way home she stopped by Ernie's Beach Club and ordered a couple of his pizza's, one cheese and one pepperoni.
She headed for her room to set her clothes down while Rocky took the pizza's to the living room where the others were waiting. Looking at her bag of clothes she knew Kim was going to want a fashion show, and she was going to be more than happy to give it to her.
Once she hit the foot of the stairs on her way down she saw that everyone was already eating and the previews to the movie were playing. "Hey!" she shouted as she ran over and joined her boyfriend, Kim, and Tommy on the couch.
"Hey what?" Jason asked, taking a bite of his pizza.
Carri looked over at her brother figure sitting in the chair at the end of the coffee table and said "You weren't supposed to start without me!"
"You were taking too long." Jason said after swallowing his bite. Carri tried to reach over and punch him from her spot on the couch, but she couldn't.
"Can't…reach…" she said, swinging her arm in front of Rocky who was seated on her right side. "I'll get you later." She said, propping her foot on the couch and holding her plate close to her. She looked around, on her left sat Kim and next to her was Tommy. On the left end of the table sat TJ, and on the floor in front of the table sat Ryan. She still didn't know him all that well, but she wasn't about to invite everyone and leave him out.
She smiled, feeling that this was the perfect end to a perfect day.
Andros sat in his and his wife's temporary apartment. They had been living there for the better part of two weeks ever since their house was burned down by a group of people that hated his sister for her crimes as Astronema. He didn't see it as fair to judge her for stuff she did while brainwashed, nor did he it as right for them to take out their frustrations on her family.
On KO-35 they would have been exiled; forced to live on a different planet. But he understood that Earth was KO-35, like every planet there were different rules, different punishments, and just about different everything. Though he tried, he didn't think he would ever get fully used to Earth's customs. They were so different than what he was used to.
He had been amazed to see Karone adapt so quickly to life on Earth. Not long after they returned from assisting the Kaoan rebels settle back into their homes on KO-35 she obtained a small apartment, searched for a job, working as a sales clerk at the local Sears, and managed to get a good used car. Of course once she heard what had happened to Kendrix she quickly quit her job, moved her stuff to his basement, and left them her car.
He looked over at his wife Ashley who was busy feeding their baby girl, Cierra. Glad that they had made it out that terrible night. Had Karone not been awake on their couch they might not have made it.
"Andros," Ashley said, tucking her chest length hair behind her ear after setting Cierra down. "Aren't Zhane and Karone going to be here soon?"
He stood, forgetting all about them coming over. There was no special occasion, just a family having dinner together. Ashley had managed to cook a pot roast for them, which Andros found surprising. There were many good qualities about his wife, but cooking was not among them. "Yeah, sorry, I was somewhere else."
Ashley smiled as she watched her husband head into their kitchen to set the table. "I heard from the construction company today." They had hired Angel Grove's finest construction company to rebuild their house.
"What did they say?" Andros asked from the kitchen. He was eager to get back into his house and out of this apartment. Although it really didn't matter as long as he was with Ashley and Cierra, he just preferred the space the house offered. Originally they had said it would take about three months to repair all the damage, but in the past couple of days they had managed to reduce it to two months.
"Still another two months honey." Ashley shouted back, knowing that she was bursting his bubble. "They called to say that the living room was nearly finished if we wanted to come check it out. I thought we'd ride by tomorrow after I get off of work. You think Karone will mind babysitting?"
Andros appeared from the kitchen and said "Ask her yourself, she's here." As soon as the words left his mouth there was a knock at the door.
Ashley got up and crossed the room to get it. Sure enough there stood Zhane and Karone. It never ceased to amaze her how he did that. The parking lot was on the opposite side of the building, yet he knew that they were there before they even knocked. "Come on in." Ashley said, smiling at her sister-in-law and her boyfriend.
"You want something don't you?" Zhane asked, taking note of her smile. He had been around her enough to know that the smile she was using on them was her "I want something" smile.
"Yes," she said. "Would you guys mind watching Cierra tomorrow while we go see how the room looks? The construction company called today to say that it should be ready by tomorrow afternoon."
Karone bent down and lifted Cierra up and blew on her belly before answering. "Of course not. You know I love spending time with the little booger." She turned back to Cierra and widening her eyes and shaking her head she cooed "yes I do, yes I do!"
"Thank you," Ashley said as she took Cierra to go set her in her high chair at the table.
Karone smiled at her sister-in-law and said "Anytime."
The next day Sarahna looked over the six coins that lay on her balcony, in just a few short hours they would be fully energized. Then she would be able to begin her final attack on the Earth. She smiled, she never thought that she would get to kill Jason twice. If the second time was as enjoyable as the first then she was in for a treat.
"Xinas!" she bellowed for the wolf warrior.
At the sound of his name the bronze armored wolf appeared and kneeled before his Empress. "What is it you desire my Empress?" he asked in his gravelly voice.
"Once these coins are fully charged I will be going to Earth and selecting six of the best former Rangers. Once I have them under my control I want you to lead the attack on Angel Grove. Should you fail I'll have wolf-skin coat, understand?"
Xinas nodded his head and replied "I assure you my Empress, I shall not fail you."
Sarahna smiled "Now get out of my sight before I change my mind and kill you right now." She kicked him in the face after she finished speaking. "Oh, and one more thing, tell Xanas to come here would you?" Xinas nodded once more before vanishing from sight.
A few minutes later Xanas came scurrying into the throne room. Looking out at Sarahna, who was still standing out on the balcony with the coins he said "Yes my Empress?"
Sarahna, without looking at him, said "Xanas, you have been a loyal follower. Have I ever thanked you for your services?"
Xanas was a bit shocked by this, but answered "No, no my Empress. But if you like I can pretend as if you have."
Sarahna turned and smiled at her monster maker, beginning to walk towards him. Once she was directly in front of him she placed her hands on his shoulders, feeling him flinch. She bent down a little so that she could stare into his eyes. "No, let me say it. Thank you for always being faithful to me, I appreciate it."
Xanas stared at her in disbelief, he couldn't believe that this was happening. Sarahna was actually thanking him! "What shall I do next for you, my Empress?"
Sarahna smiled sweetly at him and said "You can die."
"What?" Xanas asked, terror filling him. He felt like he should run, but his legs wouldn't move.
Her smile still plastered on her face she said "You heard me, all I want you to do is die!" She emphasized the last word as she tightened her grip on his shoulders and ripped his right arm off. Xanas cried out in agony as blood squirted out everywhere. "I'm through with you, your services are no longer needed, so just please die!" She emphasized the last word again as she jumped up and kicked Xanas across his face, knocking him into the wall.
She walked over to where he had hit the floor after hitting the wall and crouching down she proceeded to rip him to pieces, laughing as he cried out in pain.
Xinas watched from the hallway as his Empress tortured Xanas until he eventually died. He loved torture as much as the next guy, but he didn't believe in torturing and killing someone who had been faithful to you. He found himself beginning to wonder if that was to be his fate.
Carlos Vallerte was sitting in Bulkmeier's enjoying the sub sandwich he had ordered when a beautiful blond girl approached him. "Is anyone sitting here?" she asked sweetly.
Carlos swallowed his bite and answered "No, go ahead have a seat." He didn't know who this girl was, but he was determined to find out. It had been months since he and his now ex girlfriend April had called it quits, and he felt it was about time to meet someone new. "I'm Carlos," he said as he extended his hand.
Perfect, the girl thought. "I'm Sarah, it's so nice to meet you." She said, taking his hand and giving it a good shake. As she did she watched as a black light flashed in his eyes.
"What is it you desire, Empress?" Carlos asked as he set his sub down.
Sarahna smiled, one down. "I want you go back to the Lunar Palace and await further orders, understood?"
"Of course my Empress." Carlos said as he pulled his sleeve up, revealing his old communicator. He always kept it on him in case of an emergency. Pressing the buttons on it for teleportation, he vanished in a streak of black light.
Sarahna smiled, this was going to be easy. She already had her black ranger, she just had five more to go. As she exited Bulkmeier's she teleported off.
Sarahna managed to teleport into the Thunder Ninja Academy, where she easily found and slipped the Tyrannosaurus coin onto Hunter Bradley, and immediately teleporting both herself and him out of there.
After giving Hunter the same instructions as Carlos Sarahna headed for Turtle Cove. Spotting the Ranger she came to get she made her way over to him, transforming into her "Sarah" persona. Her battle outfit vanished, replaced by a yellow spaghetti strap shirt, a blue jeans, and a pair of cowgirl boots.
"Hi there, can you help me? I'm new here, and don't know where anything is." She said as she approached her target.
"Sure, I just got back from a long journey, but I think I remember the city pretty well." Merrick Baliton said as he turned to face the woman.
"Oh, sorry, I'm Sarah." Sarahna said sweetly, holding out her hand.
Merrick sensed something was wrong, but not to tip her off he went ahead with the handshake "Merrick, nice to meet you." He said, shaking her hand. As he did he felt an incredible power enter him. Sarahna watched as his eyes flashed blue. "I want you to return to the palace and wait for my orders." Sarahna said, her smile fading. Once Merrick acknowledge her orders she teleported him back to the palace before teleporting herself back to Angel Grove.
Zen-Aku, Merrick's traveling companion watched helplessly as the woman who bound him with her power left with his friend. Once she was gone he was able to move and speak again. "I swear, I will find you Merrick." Zen-Aku swore to himself, going to find one of the other former Wild Force Rangers.
Sarahna entered C. Chan's Flower Shop. Behind the counter she saw her target, Cassie Chan the former pink Turbo and Astro Ranger. Making her way behind the counter she bumped into Cassie. "Oh, I'm sorry!" Sarahna said as she took a step back. "That was my fault, I wasn't watching where I was going."
Cassie brushed the fertilizer from the plant she had just dropped off her pants and said "It's alright. Could've happened to anyone. Can I help you with anything?"
Sarahna just smiled and said "No, that's alright. I was just admiring these beautiful flowers." As she spoke she managed to slip the Pterodactyl coin into Cassie's pocket. Smiling as she watched her eyes flash pink, she gave Cassie the same orders as everyone else before watching her teleport in a pink streak.
Next Sarahna headed for Mariner Bay where she found her target. Finally, she had gone to his old city of Reefside but came up empty handed. She teleported into his loft, staring at all the paintings that where scattered about. She was ashamed to admit that she was impressed with the artwork.
"Who are you?" asked a man from behind her.
Smiling she turned around to face her prey. "There you are Trent! I've been looking for you!" she said, trying her best to squeal like a typical Earth girl. "You don't recognize me? We went to high school together!" She waited to see if he had anything to say, but all he did was stare at her heavily. "Remember? It's me, Sarah Woodcomb! Anyway, I'm new in town and I was told you had moved here, so I decided to look you up!"
Trent, his gaze unmoving, asked "Who told you I moved here?"
Sarahna thought for a moment before saying "Kira, Kira Ford. Remember her?"
Trent moved into a defensive fighting stance, wishing he had his old morphed. "I never told Kira I moved." He and Kira had had a bad break up, and he decided it might be best if he left town for a while, which is why he decided to temporarily move to Mariner Bay. "So who are you, and what do you want?"
"Clever boy." Sarahna said as white lightning spread both upwards and downwards from her waist as she changed into her battle gear. Stamping the tip of her staff on the ground she leaped at the former White Ranger. Trent jumped back, just barely missing her incoming boot. He quickly began deflecting her kicks and dodging her staff.
Fed up with this little game Sarahna used her power to bind him and force the Saber-toothed Tiger coin on him. She watched as his eyes glowed yellow for a second before sending him to the palace. She pulled out the Dragon Coin. "It's time to say hello to an old friend." She said to the coin as she changed back into "Sarah" and teleported back to Angel Grove.
Tommy Oliver sat at a table at Ernie's Beach Club reading that days newspaper. He was waiting on Kim to arrive, they had agreed to meet for lunch, and she was running late. "This isn't like her." Tommy said, checking his watch again. He sighed, hoping that she'd show up soon.
He took a sip of the smoothie that his old friend Ernie had brought him. He almost didn't recognize the former Youth Center owner. His hair was graying and he had slimmed down a lot, saying he lost forty or fifty pounds.
Sarahna saw her prey sitting alone at a table. She assumed he was waiting on his girlfriend. Suddenly, she had an idea of how to get close to him.
Tommy sat there continuing to read the paper, starting on the sports section when it was suddenly ripped out of his hands. "Hey!" he shouted, getting ready to stand until he saw who it was. "What took you so long?" he asked as he stared up at his girlfriend, Kimberly Ann Hart.
Customers, you know the usual. I almost didn't make it out." Sarahna, disguised as Kim, said. So far so good, he wasn't suspecting anything. That was good.
"Oh, well you took so long to get here that I forgot what I wanted to order. Guess we'll need to share that menu." he said with a smile on his face as he moved closer to her.
"Guess so." Sarahna said, smiling back at him. She watched as his face moved towards hers, preparing for a kiss. She could feel herself getting nervous, at least she thought she was nervous. Deciding it was best to keep up her charade of being Kim for a few seconds longer she prepared to return his kiss.
She felt his lips meets hers as she wrapped her arms around him and his around her. Losing herself for a minute or so in the kiss she remembered her mission and quickly slipped the Dragon Coin into his back pocket.
Tommy could feel a familiar evil taking him over, he tried to fight it, tried to keep it from consuming him again. He couldn't do it, he couldn't allow himself to become evil again. The last time it happened he nearly killed his friends and handed the world over to Rita. What if he succeeded this time? "Kim…" he said as he lost the fight. The evil was too strong, he couldn't fight it.
Sarahna smiled as at last her team was complete, she had her six evil Rangers. Not only that but she had managed to cut her enemies down by one. She would have gone after the entire team, but she wanted to watch as they were killed by their friends. Everything was going to be perfect.
Kim arrived at the Beach Club, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand she scanned the area for Tommy. When she finally found him she was appalled. There he was, making out with another girl! She couldn't believe it, she had thought Tommy was the most faithful man alive, or damn near it. Part of her, the red ranger in her, wanted to go over and give him a piece of her mind; however the other part of her, the part that was just a regular girl, wanted to leave without a word. Not knowing what she would say to him, she went with the latter, calling into work as she left to tell them she wasn't feeling well and needed the rest of the day off.