With Tommy's newer team of Rangers here, we went over the plan again. It didn't sit as well with me as everyone else that these kids were here without any powers to fight but they all agreed it was something they were willing to do to help out Angel Grove and the rest of the planet. They were bright and determined kids and it was good to see some new faces around the Command Center. Billy and Ethan clicked very quickly, Billy giving Ethan a tour of the control room and where the Zords were kept. I could tell Ethan was just like Billy from the way the two spoke. I barely understood a word of any of it, something Ethan's fellow team mates agreed with. Connor followed Rocky around like a little puppy, eager to see how one of the earliest red Rangers behaved while on duty. It was cute. It reminded me of Rocky when Jason had been here.
The kids were given their own training room to make into their place to stay. I offered Kira the women's sleeping quarters to get away from the boys and she agreed. I was enjoying watching her interactions with Trent. It had been obvious the moment they walked in that the two had something between them. Where ever she went, he always kept a watchful eye on her and the two shared looks that brought me back ten years. It was kind of amusing to see the only female ranger on the team being drawn to the new comer, once evil ranger. I understood now why Tommy was concerned about Trent. Watching history repeat itself in front of him with different teenagers had to be rough. Especially after it happening again. I wasn't sure if he told the kids about his stint as the evil Green Ranger again so I mentioned it to the other senior rangers to keep it between us. The last thing I wanted to do was make Tommy look differently in their eyes. He had enough stress going on right now.
With the addition of the four young rangers, it was a tight squeeze in the kitchen. The teens kind of stuck with their adult of the same color, choosing to sit with them rather than together. Trent did linger by Kira though, the only other white ranger in the room standing at the front of the room. I was also alone, Adam standing next to me. "Apparently, we aren't cool enough." He muttered under his breath, smirking at me. I laughed.
"Tell me about it. I guess pink was just too much to handle in Reefside." Nodding, he turned his attention to Tommy who stepped towards us all.
"Alright, guys. Now that everyone is here, it's time to follow through with our plan. Aisha, Billy and Rocky; you three will head out and set the detonators that will cause the fake earth quake. Kira, Trent, Ethan and Connor; the four of you will head to the hotel and make sure all of the citizens are evacuated. I don't want any civilians in there when shit-I mean, stuff goes down." It was cute watching Tommy slip into teacher mode for a minute. The teens nodded, their faces filled with concentration and determination. "Adam, Kim and I will power the Megazord out into the dessert. Once Rosita and her minions head our way, the other three active rangers will join us to man the Megazord. She'll be surprised and unable to counter attack. We can end this peacefully and put a stop to all of this once and for all."
"I've made you guys a map of the hotel and the block around it." Aisha said, pulling out the tablet from her lap. She handed it to Ethan who looked at it like it was a token of spiritual power. "Once you get there, you should be able to get everyone to the arena up the street. Just get them there and make sure no one stays behind."
"We will." Connor replied, his leader voice sounding deeper than his typical tone. He reminded me of Jason at that point and my chest hurt slightly. I wondered how him and JC were. He hadn't called yet, telling us he was settled in safely. I was sure he was though. Jason could handle himself, even without powers.
"We leave in one hour." Tommy said, glancing at everyone in the room. "I don't need to tell you that this is going to be dangerous. I want to thank all of you for joining the fight, even when you didn't have to." He gazed off at the teens. "You guys stay safe, too. I want to make sure you all make it to your second year of college without missing any pieces."
"You got it, Dr. O." Ethan said, smirking at their former teacher. The group dissembled, heading off to prep for their portion of the meeting. Tommy and I lingered in the kitchen, watching everyone leave. Once they were gone, he walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. His lips brushed mine sweetly and I wished he would never let go of me.
"Those are quite some kids you have there." I said, smiling up at him.
"Yeah, they are. I'm glad they agreed to help. I was worried about the casualties we would have if we didn't find a way to get the hotel cleared. The idea sort of just came to me though. How are you? Are you okay?" I nodded, giving him a reassuring smile.
"It was just a nightmare, Tommy. I'm alright."
"Most people don't have nightmares while they are walking and talking." He reminded me. "What if it was a premonition?"
"The kids weren't in it. If it had been that, I'm sure they would have been in it as well. Maybe it was just Rosita's way of playing mind games. Whatever it was, we are safe now and we have the upper hand. She's not going to know what hit her once we are done with her."
"I hope you're right." Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair and turned his gaze from me. "Listen, Kim. If for some reason, I don't make it back from this-."
"Tommy, don't." I said, giving him a stern look.
"I know you don't want to hear this but you gotta. If I die during this battle, make sure that the kids make it back to Reefside safely. I would hate for them to try and stay behind to fight a battle without any powers to avenge me. And if I die, go to my house and look in the safe in my bedroom closet. The combination is on the bottom of my alarm clock. There's a bunch of bonds and old coins that Sam gave me when I was a kid. Give them to my mother. It'll help cover whatever until my estate is taken care of. In my safe, there's also a diamond ring. I've had it since I was 17. It's yours." Confused, I raised an eyebrow at him.
"What are you talking about?" I asked. "Why do you have a ring for me?"
"Well, I was gonna propose to you after graduation, but things just didn't work out that way. I already bought the ring and figured it was too late to take it back."
"So, you've just kept it all these years?" I asked, trying to wrap my head around the idea of him keeping something like that for this long. An engagement ring? Would he really have proposed if I hadn't broken up with him all those years ago? It was crazy to imagine.
"I could never bring myself to sell it or anything." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "It's yours if you want it, whether I make it out or not."
"Is this your way of asking me to marry you?" I questioned, smirking at him. His cheeks flushed, and he rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous fashion.
"No! Well, I mean I guess if you want it after everything is over all. Not that I'm expecting anything or whatever."
"Romantic." I muttered, rolling my eyes. Standing on my toes, I kissed his cheek and headed for the door. Stopping by it, I looked over my shoulder at him. "I guess you'll have to make sure you live so you can propose to me properly."