Axel left class, excited to finally be back in a place where he could practice karate and be accepted. He had friends at college, but dojos had always been his home. Rocky had taken him under his wing at a young age and he missed having that sort of sensei. He was not sure how Tommy was going to be, but the bits he had seen growing up made him hopeful. There was so much more to learn and he knew that Tommy could teach him.
He ducked into a side alley he regularly took and heard what could only be described as electricity spark behind him. He spun around and saw a being step out of the fissure. He prepared himself for a fight as more beings came out of the fissure. This was not good. He was aware of the Power Rangers being in New York, but he wasn't one. Why would he be singled out?
"You're needed. You're very much needed," Kiros stated as Axel gulped as he started fighting the beings that were running at him. Kiros watched him and smirked as he saw the skills the boy had. He would do just fine for his plan and for the powers that he had. Axel was trapped against the wall and Kiros walked over to him, placing a hand on his chest. Axel screamed as the powers were forced into his body and he felt something inside of him shift. Something foundationally changed in him. "Welcome, my ranger."
"I'll never…" Axel ground out before he screamed again. His eyes flashed open and the color green poured out of them, earning a sneer from Kiros. "What are my orders?"
"Wreak havoc. Destroy the rangers, kill the prophetesses. The usual," Kiros stated as his minions let go of Axel and he watched as the boy straightened to look him in the eyes. "Do you think you can do that?"
"Absolutely," Axel replied and Kiros nodded before he disappeared. This was what would bring the rangers down- it had worked in every other universe. Why wouldn't it work here?
"Axel? Hey, Axel!" Julia called as he walked past her in class and he spun around to face her. She felt an immediate change in his energy and glanced around to see what might be bothering him. They were going to go grab a beer after this class, but suddenly she doubted that would happen. "Want to partner up?"
"Not interested, pinkie," Axel returned and Julia gave him a confused look. Pinkie? She glanced down at her gi and didn't see anything that would give away she was the pink ranger. When she looked back up at him, he had moved closer. "It's your aura- not your gi. Cam's one too- isn't he?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Julia stated as she felt the jolt of fear go through her and took a tentative step away from him. She had seen how skilled Axel was and knew he could easily take any of them out. She noticed Tommy was not teaching the class tonight and that concerned her. Tommy would know what to do, she had no idea what to do when it came to what she suspected. "This isn't you."
"Don't kid yourself," Axel spat out as he walked past her and moved to the back of class. She glanced around to see none of the other class members would meet her gaze and she took a deep breath. They had all heard and it hurt, but she was here to train. So she would train.
As class went by, she kept an eye on Axel, but also kept her distance. She had thought there was the potential for something there. Now she was pretty sure he was out to hurt the Power Rangers and she was the top of his list. She locked eyes with him as the drills ended and knew she was at the top of his list.
"Axel- pair up with Julia," Grant called out as Julia returned back to the present and gulped. Grant smiled as she passed him and she knew that he had seen their other interactions. He thought that this would be a good way for them to get to know each other better. He had not seen how Axel was acting today. "C'mon folks- assigned pairs."
Julia steadied herself and walked over to the back part of the class. Surely Axel wouldn't do anything in this public of a setting. Cameron gave her a subtle thumbs up and she shook her head. Apparently Cameron hadn't seen or heard Axel earlier.
"You're weak," Axel whispered in her ear and she took a step back to prepare to spar. She might be weak, but she was not defenseless. She knew that now. She heard Grant signal for them to start and Axel charged at her. All the form she had seen from him had disappeared and she used it to her advantage. He had been a clean fighter in the other classes, but not today. Whatever had changed had also made him sloppy.
She was aware of Grant calling out performance points, but barely paid attention to it. She could tell that Axel was determined to strike a hard hitting blow, one that could potentially hurt her. The rest of the dojo faded to the background as they exchanged blows and she felt the fatigue setting in. He was far stronger than her and far more experienced. She realized he was backing her into a corner and tried to get out of it, taking a risky move that left her side unguarded and Axel made her pay as he hammered her side and she was launched into the near wall.
"Enough," Cameron ground out as he pulled Axel off of her and she shook her head to try to get her senses back about her. She forced herself to her feet and pushed Grant's hands away. The pain lanced through her side, but she squared her shoulders as Axel shoved Cameron away. "Axel- take a walk."
"Let him go," Julia said as Grant moved between the two of them and he glanced back at her. "I've got to be sure."
"Be sure of what? Jules- you've got a pretty nasty cut.." Grant trailed off as she charged Axel and the sparring continued. The rest of the class glanced at Grant and he gave Cameron a concerned look. "Call Tommy?"
"Call Dr. O," Cameron stated as he forced a smile and then turned to the rest of the class. "Nothing to see- they're preparing for competitive matches soon."
"He's a good liar," Axel whispered as he locked his arm around Julia's throat and gave it a gentle squeeze before pushing her away. Why was she still fighting him? He could feel how much pain she was in. He could feel what he had done to her and a part of him did not like it. The part of him that was obeying Kiros though- it loved what he had done.
"And you're not you," Julia forced out as she stood up and finally landed a hard kick that sent him flying. It was then that his body flashed green and she jumped away from him. She glanced around to see that Tommy had entered the dojo and had, obviously, seen it. "Who did this to you?"
"You'll find out in time, my pet," Axel said as he stood up to face her and noticed Tommy making his way towards them. "Dr. Oliver isn't going to save you."
"Why would you even say that?" Julia asked as he launched her into the wall again and she took in several labored breaths. She felt someone kneel down in front of her and heard the general commotion happening nearby.
"Grant- send them home," Tommy said as he held Axel against the wall, glad that most of the students hadn't seen what Axel had done. It was enough that Grant might have seen things that would need to be explained. "Now."
"You're one too," Axel stated as he tried to push Tommy away and Cameron jumped up to hold him more firmly against the wall. "And it smells…is that a prophetess?"
Julia glanced around the dojo and saw how quickly it had emptied out and she tried to force herself back to her feet. She was not going to let him get the best of her. She refused.
"Learn your place…Jules," Axel said as she supported herself against the wall and suddenly there was a bright ray of green light. Tommy and Cameron caught themselves against the wall, spinning around to try to find Axel, but realizing he was gone.
"Shit. Shit!" Tommy yelled as she grabbed his arm and he looked down at her. "Why'd you let him do that?"
"He's got to come back. He can come back," Julia murmured as she passed out and Tommy barely caught her.
"I've got her- go do damage control," Cameron said as he grabbed Julia and then teleported out of the room. Tommy stood up straight and looked over his shoulder to see Grant frozen on the other side of the dojo.
"Was that what I think it was?" Grant asked as Tommy walked towards him and he looked around the dojo.
"Did you get all of them out of here?" Tommy asked and Grant nodded as he took a few steps back. He was absolutely terrified of Tommy and everything he had just seen. "Good and thank you. And yes- it was what you think it is."
"What the fuck," Grant interjected and Tommy grimaced. He knew how hard it was for people to see this happen. He was still surprised when he was teleported against his will and he had been at this for 20 years. "What the fuck."
"Tommy? Everything alright?" Kim asked as she walked into the dojo with a baby on each hip and glanced around the room. Tommy watched her glance around the room and felt her panic rise. "Oh no…not again."
"Again?!" Grant shrilly exclaimed and as Kim gave him a questioning look and he just shook his head. "Her too?"
"Grant- it's complicated. We didn't know Axel had been turned or that he was a ranger until he teleported out," Tommy said and Grant just shook his head. He had not bargained for this- no one imagined that their boss could be a Power Ranger. "I understand if you want to leave the dojo and I'll pay severance- you didn't sign up for this."
"Leave the dojo? No. Tommy- you know that…I was saved…I started karate because of the Power Rangers," Grant forced out and Tommy let out a shaky breath. He was not sure that he wanted to hear the rest of this story. "This is how it really goes?"
"At times," Kim said as she walked over to them and Tommy glanced down at her. "Grant, will you promise…"
"Your secret is safe with me," Grant said and Tommy let out a sigh of relief. "What are you going to do?"
"Check on Julia and go from there," Tommy stated and Grant just nodded. "Can you close up?"
"Yeah," Grant muttered as he stared between the two of them. "Were you...you had to be some of the first."
"Yes," Kim said as Tommy moved past her and went to head down to the Command Center. She could tell that Tommy was extremely uncomfortable with this conversation. He talked about his Power Ranger life with her and his therapist and even that was forced at times. "Don't take it the wrong way- he doesn't like being thanked. He's always viewed it as his responsibility."
"I can tell," Grant whispered as Tommy kept moving and he just shook his head. He was sure that man had saved him and he had been certain he'd never meet him again, much less work for him all these years later.
