Greetings!
I did it! I finally finished my need chapter. It's a bit of a doosy.
I hope you all enjoy!
Chapter Eleven
Benched
Rita poured over her spell book, searching desperately for something that could keep her plans from being ruined. That stunt the little brat, Alex, had pulled with the Brush had been crucial in helping the Rangers defeat her Cyclops monster. It could not happen again. If she couldn't steal the Brush its self back, she'd just have to steal its powers along with the Green Ranger's. If the Powered Punks still had access to the Brush, then eliminating the Green Ranger would be pointless. A wicked grin spread over Rita's face as she found what she was looking for. It wouldn't immediately solve the problem, but it wouldn't be hard to make sure that Alex wouldn't be a problem any longer.
Everyone was worried. Every moment they delayed, meant another moment that Tommy was closer to losing his powers all together. "Isn't there anything we can do?" Kim asked, worriedly.
"Someone must journey to Rita's Dark Dimension and retrieve the candle before it burns out," Zordon said.
"How do I get there?" Tommy asked immediately.
"You don't," Zordon replied. "Your presence will only accelerate Rita's spell. Another Ranger must go in."
"I'll go," Jason volunteered without hesitation.
"Forget it," Tommy protested. "No way."
"Look, it makes sense," Jason argued back. "I'm the only other Ranger who's ever been there."
"I could go," Alex said, silencing everyone as they turned to look at her in disbelief. "It wouldn't be hard to use the Brush to create a portal there and then grab the candle and get out before anyone even knew I was there."
Tommy was about to object even louder than he had to Jason, but Zordon beat him to it. "No, Alex. We can't be certain that Rita won't sense the Brush's power and attempt to take it as she has before. If Rita were to gain the Brush's power as well as the power of the Green Ranger, she could well become unstoppable."
Alex wanted to protest more, but she knew Zordon was right. They couldn't let Rita get the Brush back. Tommy reluctantly agreed to let Jason retrieve the Green Candle, and they began discussing options for how to get to the Dark Dimension. Luckily, Alpha quickly took care of that by announcing that he'd found the doorway to the Dimension that the Putties had used in the park.
Billy quickly put together two tall poles that looked vaguely reminiscent of transporter pattern enhancers from Star Trek. He explained that they were Molecular Decoders, which would allow them to follow the Putties' path from the park to the Dark Dimension. While the five original Rangers teleported to the park, Alex and Tommy remained in the Command Center to keep an eye out for any problems Rita might throw their way.
While they waited, Alex and Tommy chatted about anything and everything to distract them. Alex mentioned that Billy had ended up asking her to the dance, then shyly asked if Tommy had asked Kim yet. Tommy looked away, laughing uncomfortably, "No. I was working on it, but then…" he gestured vaguely at the command center around them and Alex nodded.
Suddenly, alarms began sounding, and lights flashed on the consoles, signaling an attack. Alex and Tommy scrambled to look at the Viewing Globe, (honestly, could Zordon not think of something cooler to call it?) and were shocked to see Dragonzord in Battle Mode. "It is no doubt Rita's Cyclops monster posing as Dragonzord," Zordon said. "And assuming Dragonzord's power."
"Shall I contact the Rangers?" Alpha asked.
"That is what Rita hopes we will do," Zordon replied. "So that while the Rangers are occupied, the Green Candle will burn down."
Tommy stepped forward, about to suggest that he go and battle the monster himself. But Alex placed a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Tommy, let me go. Cyclops' powers are all about assuming the illusion of the power attached to whatever he's mimicking. But it's just an illusion. I can get through it no problem now that I know how he works. I don't want you to end up in trouble if your powers disappear in the middle of a battle."
"Alex, are you sure you can handle it?"
"Positive." Alex looked up at Zordon, almost daring him to protest as well, but the big head simply hummed.
"Very well, be careful, Alex. It is still likely that Rita will attempt to retrieve the Brush."
Alex nodded, "I will, Zordon." She grabbed the Brush from its box and waved it over herself, materializing her costume. She locked eyes with Tommy one more time, and then stepped through the portal she opened behind her.
Alex exited her portal on top of a building. The fake Dragonzord was tearing into buildings around her, but she didn't seem to be in danger herself yet. She could feel the power thrumming through the Brush in her hand. It was ready to be put to work. Raising the Brush, Alex pictured the Cyclops monster as she'd seen it when the Rangers had forced it to reveal itself. She swirled the Brush through the air, feeling the power ripple through the instrument as her mind reached to pull the Dragonzord's power and form away from the monster.
Suddenly, the power snapped. Alex screamed as the backlash slammed into her, knocking her backward. Ears ringing, she hit the ground and curled into a ball as her mind tried to process what had just happened. One moment, everything had been going perfectly. The next moment, something had ripped at the power she'd been channeling and broken it free from her control. She clutched at her head, trying to ease the pounding that had settled there.
A pair of hands on her shoulders startled her out of her daze and she looked up to see Tommy, morphed, hovering over her. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice sounding concerned. "What happened?"
Alex groaned. "I'm not sure. But we can worry about that later, where's the monster?"
"Don't worry about that, right now," Tommy scolded. He lifted his wrist, "Alpha, can you transport Alex to the Command Center?"
Alex's protests were cut off by crackling white light that engulfed her and silenced her via dematerialization. When she landed, she was about to start yelling at Zordon, but then she noticed the Brush still clutched in her hands and fell into a stunned silence.
When Rita had given her the Brush, Alex had felt it was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen. It was long and slender, it's black handle decorated with intricate designs in gold. Its tip was smooth, the bristles naturally coming together in a precise point that would be perfect for detail work. Now, the bright gold designs looked tarnished. The black of the handle was faded and dull. Worst of all, the perfect and precise tip was all but gone. Only a few ragged bristles remained.
Alex stared down at the brush in disbelief as Alpha watched Tommy's fight against the Cyclops monster through the Viewing Globe. She was powerless now. She was useless. Was this how Tommy had felt when they all asked him to stay behind? Was this how he would feel if they failed in getting the Candle before it burned away completely?
"Green Ranger's in trouble, Zordon!" Alpha announced, snapping Alex out of her scared musings.
"We cannot hold off any longer," Zordon said. "I must send the other Rangers to help him."
"But what about the Green Candle?" Alpha asked.
Zordon didn't answer. He simply called the Rangers and told them to abort the mission. Billy's voice came through the communicator. "What about Jason? He's not back yet!"
"One of you will have to enter the portal and retrieve him," Zordon replied.
"I'll go." That was Zach's voice. "Can Alex help until we can get there?"
"I already tried," Alex answered dejectedly. "Rita did something to my Brush. I don't know if it even works anymore!"
"Don't worry about it. I'll be back shortly with Jason." The communication cut off. A few moments later, the Rangers teleported to their Zords. They immediately called on Titannus and combined all of their Zords to quickly destroy the monster. All of the Rangers immediately transported back to the Command Center.
"We're going back in after the Candle," Jason announced as soon as they'd landed.
"It is too late, Rangers," Zordon said. "The Green Candle has been extinguished. Not only that, but Rita seems to have found a way to steal the power from Alex's Brush."
"Then Rita has won?" Tommy asked, his voice sounding hopeless.
"There is only one way to stop the transference of power now," Zordon said. "Green Ranger must give up his power coin."
"No way," Kim protested. "He can't just give up!"
"There's no other choice, Kim," Tommy assured her.
"By giving his coin to another Ranger, Tommy can prevent Rita from gaining its power. It is the only way."
"What about giving it to a non-Ranger?" Alex asked. Everyone turned to stare at her. "Rita is stealing my power as well as Tommy's," she held up the ragged brush, now down to only three or four bristles, as proof. "But, if we combine the two, maybe we can keep Rita from getting any of the power. Giving up the coin only solves half the problem. She would still have the power from my brush."
"Is it possible?" Trini asked, looking back up at Zordon.
"Theoretically, yes," Zordon replied. "But it is risky. How do you intend to combine the power?"
Alex choose not to answer Zordon and turned to Tommy instead, looking up into the eyes of his helmet earnestly. "What do you say, Tommy?" Then she looked around at the other Rangers. "Guys? Can I be a Ranger?"
Zach came up beside her and gripped her shoulder in support. "I'd be honored to have you as my teammate."
"We all would," Jason added as the other Rangers gathered around to express their support.
"If you're sure," Tommy said gently, "I'd be honored to give you my power."
Alex nodded. Tommy took the power coin from the Morpher on his belt and placed it in Alex's hand. She took the Brush in her other hand, closed her eyes, and focused on channeling the remaining power from the Brush to the coin. She stroked the remaining bristles of the Brush over the coin's surface. The bristles seemed to melt into the suddenly soft gold of the coin. The symbol on the coin changed to depict an actual dragon in flight. The detailing similar to the other Rangers' coins.
A crackle of orange energy spread from the coin over Alex's body. It settled on the brush handle still in her hand and arced between the coin and the tip of the handle. Alex moved her hands closer together, and the energy engulfed the two pieces in bright light. When the light faded, Alex was holding her own Morpher. It was black instead of the standard silver, but the coin was settled in its center just like the others.
The golden shield vanished from Tommy's shoulders, and he stumbled only to be caught by the others. "Tommy, I'm so sorry!" Kim exclaimed. Alex wanted to add her own apology, but it felt hollow even in her own head.
Tommy's body glowed as he slowly de-morphed for the last time. "It was great being a Ranger," he said. "You'll always be with me."
"Tommy!" Alex was crying. She clutched her new morpher in her hands. She wanted to throw it away. It didn't belong to her, this was Tommy's power! Before she could continue berating herself, she found herself wrapped in a pair of strong arms.
"It's alright, Alex. You'll make an amazing Ranger. I can't wait to see what you bring to the team." He pulled back, but left one arm around her shoulders. "What's important to me now, is my friendship with you guys. I don't ever want that to change."
"It won't, Tommy," Kim assured him. "You'll always be one of us."
Meanwhile, on the moon, Rita was throwing a temper tantrum. Those powered brats had stolen her power! How dare they?! She and Goldar vowed to exact revenge. They wouldn't let the newest Ranger forget where her powers had come from. They would show those brats just what it meant to mess with Rita Repulsa.