A/N: Part I of my new series, entitled Project Phoenix. As a disclaimer, this series is inspired by Kctimes2's The Adoption (one of the best stories I've ever read here) which is going to become more evident later. It will be a Tommy/Kim/Jayden series eventually.

A/N 2: In the meantime, this part of Project Phoenix is what I think should have happened with Kim at the Turbo movie and afterward. This Kimberly was never brought back by Lerigot thanks to some decisions she made and now she is a cruel, violent, vicious conqueror. This is the Countdown to Destruction part of the story which includes thoughts from Zordon himself at the end.

As a side note, there will be a special one-shot coming up very soon within this series which takes place around the Once a Ranger episode from Operation Overdrive.

A/N 3: Usual disclaimer. Power Rangers doesn't belong to me.

Chapter 5 – Somewhat Failed Sacrifice

February 2011

Eltarian Capital City

Eltar

Fast forward to nearly a year after Queen Flammia's conquest of Eltar, and the more Kimberly Hart's body sat in that chair, still in a glow over her conquests of several planets, the more she regretted one singular day in her life.

The evil side of her had conquered and wreaked havoc on several planets, including Edenoi, Inquiris, Mirinoi, Andresia and now KO-35. Not long after Scorpina had left for her missive to conquer KO-35, she and the army she'd been dispatched with had easily done so. Andros and Ashley had moved to Earth as had Zhane and Karone, so KO-35 didn't have near the protection it used to.

In the meantime, her army had found every bit of monetary value Eltar had, and had further used some it to enhance her army with even more destructive creatures. Many creatures not involved with the Alliance in the past had problems with Zordon, and the lure of having a front row seat to the destruction of Zordon's entire legacy (and Kimberly knew that battle was coming) was too much to pass up.

However, none of that would have ever happened had she simply stayed where she was at.

In the words of Whitney Houston, that 'cold November day' in 1998. The day where Dark Specter's forces had set out to conquer the universe in one grand, final battle.

It was the day where Kimberly Hart should have finally been set free from her penance. From all the wrong she had already caused, and she could begin to rebuild her life and hope for a brighter future.

Unfortunately for Kimberly, things don't always turn out the way you want it to. Interestingly, part of it had to do with the same thing she had been holding within her heart and away from Maligore's knowledge for many years.

A child.

Only this time, this wasn't her child Jayden, who as of right now would be at about the age she was when she became a Power Ranger in 1993.

This was the child of her mentor as an evil villain.

It was a cold November day indeed.

Flashback

November 1998

The Dark Fortress

"The time has come to complete my master plan, Astronema," Dark Specter rasped. "Summon all of my evil forces. They must all unite to finally take over the universe."

"Let the battle begin!" Astronema said.

Scorpina was standing right there when Dark Specter made the announcement and gulped in fear as she clutched her child, who would have been the age equivalent of three years old on Earth. Most notably, she feared for the very safety of her child because she knew what was about to happen if Dark Specter went through with this. Her child, her beautiful child, would never get the chance to live.

Not only that, she would lose her protege probably for good.

Part of the reason Scorpina had been out of commission once Zedd took over the Moon Palace was because she was pregnant with her and Goldar's child, Nepa, who was born not long after Scorpina left the Moon Palace. She and Goldar hadn't left each other; Goldar had simply advised her to get out of harm's way which she did, as she went to a far away galaxy so she could take care of her child.

She had been hoping to come back to Earth with the Rangers conquered, but the color coded pests had beat Zedd and Rita at every turn.

No one considered Scorpina important but she had a right to feel important because she knew something that Dark Specter didn't.

As Scorpina hustled down the hallway not long after and entered her and Flammia's quarters, presumably moments before they would get their assignment for the all out assault, she could see Flammia frown and could see that she had the young girl's attention.

"You seem frazzled," Flammia told her mentor and gave her a knowing look. "You know something. You are obligated to tell me."

"It's...it's Dark Specter's plan," Scorpina began to rant, and she was fast losing her cool for fear of losing her child and protege. "If he goes through with this plan...Zordon...he'll order himself to be sacrificed. All the evil in the galaxy...gone...My child...Gone...And you would have to go back to your life before I found you..."

Flammia visibly blanched. And, inside, though she didn't show it, so did Kimberly, at least the Kimberly that remained.

There was no doubt the Crane that was trapped inside wanted to be free and was far enough removed from the events in Florida where she could fight Maligore's magic, with Zordon's help of course. Wanted to be back in California watching her own child grow into a man.

But it wasn't that easy.

For once, Flammia and the Kimberly Hart that was left shared the same opinion. The premature death of such a beautiful child like Scorpina possessed would have been a cold-hearted death. In her heart and soul, Kimberly knew how it felt to lose her own child to adoption and then see all her dreams come crashing down.

It was a fate she wished on no one.

So it was a bit of a surprise to Scorpina when Flammia held her and her young daughter tight...as tightly as could be.

"Then we're going to bail on Darky's plan. We tell no one but we're leaving. Do you know of any place we can go?" Flammia said.

"I have a ship and I know exactly where we need to go," Scorpina said. "Gather your things, quickly."

24 Earth hours later, unknown galaxy

The events that had gone down since Flammia, Scorpina and Nepa's departure, including the destruction of Dark Specter by Darkonda, the invasion of various planets by the entire Alliance, and the climax of events on the Dark Fortress had taken some time which allowed plenty of time for the three villains to escape.

Plenty of time to get to a place where they could avoid what they knew was about to happen. Flammia (and by extension, Kimberly) and Nepa watched with riveted interest, Scorpina with some interest too because she knew what was about to happen. As they watched, Flammia clutched Scorpina's child tightly to her while Andros, who was on the Dark Fortress, battled Ecliptor with Zordon in the background.

Then they heard Zordon's voice.

"Andros, listen to me. It is your duty as a Power Ranger to save the universe."

Inside of Kimberly's corrupted body, what remained of Kimberly pleaded for Andros to do it as well. She knew all too well what would happen if Zordon didn't sacrifice himself. Evil would rule and Kimberly's child Jayden would almost certainly never get the chance to live.

When Andros smashed Zordon's energy tube, a pure light of golden energy emanated from what had been his tube and eradicated all the evil that it could. From Master Vile to Goldar and Rito to Zedd and Rita to the Machine Empire and Divatox, everyone of those villains was either purified or destroyed altogether.

Meanwhile, Flammia breathed a sigh of relief...and so did Kimberly. Flammia breathed a sigh of relief that she was not destroyed and Kimberly was still trapped. She hugged Scorpina because Scorpina had been right...if they hadn't escaped right there to this otherwise barren, desolate galaxy, she was almost certainly a goner and Scorpina's child would have been as well.

But Kimberly silently breathed a sigh of relief as well...because Jayden was still alive. No evil could find out about him. Not now and not until he was ready to face evil of this magnitude. She also prayed to the powers that be that they would understand the reasons for her actions.

Fortunately, there was, at that very moment, someone who did.

Zordon's Point of View

Dark Fortress

As Andros does what I ask, shatter my energy tube, which I knew was the only way that the universe could be saved, I knew that I did all that I could do for the universe, and I had few if any regrets as my life ends today.

But there is one piece of unfinished business that I knew was still on the table, a regret which my soul will carry with me for all of my days.

My Pink Ranger. My dear, sweet Pink Ranger.

I remember when I was captured by Dark Specter, Kimberly was already under Dark Specter's services. She didn't go on many conquest attempts, but she was on the ship and she was well respected and liked...and feared by all who had crossed her just like in her Ranger days.

I could also see she had gained her confidence back, the confidence she hadn't had since she left my Rangers to chase her dreams. I continue to and always will curse the wretched souls in Florida who tormented her just for the short term glory of being called the best in the world. It is in large part due to those wretched souls that she's in the state she's in right now.

I was proud of her for regaining her confidence and I had to admit, the lunatics on the Fortress had done a good job helping her back into a better state, even if she was batting for the wrong team now.

My thoughts shift next to her child, Jayden, who I witnessed the birth of in my old Command Center three years ago.

In that very moment, I knew the reason Kimberly had fled the Dark Fortress with Scorpina. It hurts my heart, but I know the reason she did it and the reason, even for a child of evil, was pure and true.

Scorpina's three year old child would have died when I sacrificed myself and I'm sure that Kimberly, who was a protege of Scorpina of sorts had spent a lot of time around her child. It had reminded Kimberly too much of Jayden and in Kimberly's mind, any child, even if flawed, deserves the chance to live.

And in that same vein, I curse Kimberly's mother, Caroline Hart, for all the rest of my days. She was a large reason Kimberly gave Jayden up to begin with as I am 100 percent certain she would have forced my Pink Ranger to abort this child which would have changed the course of history forever. That, and it's just wrong.

As I take my last breath, that is the one regret I'll take with me forever. That Kimberly never had the chance to be freed, and I curse the fates and prophecies eternally that she's in the state she's in. By all accounts, she should be free and embracing Tommy somewhere right now, and preparing to watch from afar as her son grows into a man.

Now, as I take my rest, I know her son is the last hope for this universe, and while I trust Mentor Ji to take care of Jayden, it pains me to know that his parents have suffered so much.

Though I'm disappointed I couldn't free Kimberly from evil's bondage, I know that if push comes to shove, that is the last person that deserves eternal damnation for her actions.

End Flashback

As Kimberly's body sat on the throne and received another round of treasures from Nepa that Nepa had gone and gotten recently, what remained of Kimberly's tortured soul further reflected on that cold November day in 1998.

Should she have been free that day, and should the threat of Maligore have been eradicated completely? Without doubt.

But did she do the right thing that day, even if it created more torture and agony? Absolutely, she believed.

Nepa had grown into a destructive force just like her mother, sure, and it was to the point where she needed to be eradicated at some point, but as Jayden's mother, she had done what she could to fiercely protect Jayden from Maligore's harm for the majority of the time since he'd been born. If she hadn't protected someone else's child there was a chance she could be labeled as a hypocrite.

Scorpina was as evil as evil gets, but in that evil body was still the mother of a parent and she loved her child just as Kimberly loved the child she barely had a chance to meet before she gave him up.

A child that Kimberly could only hope was growing into a man that could one day take on the forces of evil and win.

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