Chapter 12: Truths Revealed

Back at Reefside, Drakkon soldiers walked throw the city. Banners adorned almost every poll and wall as Jason and his team followed the rebels into a sewer. Following in silence for a while it opened into a underground cavern filled with other rebels. In a lot of ways Jason thought it resembled their hideout in Angel Grove, except for it looking less natural and more purposefully carved out.

"Welcome to the Reefside Resistance." Lauren said as she began to remove her weapons and gear and place it on a table near her.

"Looks like you have a pretty well outfitted organization here.." Jason commented stepping up to her. "Especially for someone that gave up fighting years ago."

"I didn't give up fighting. I just gave up fighting you, fighting you over every little thing. I wanted to take the fight to Drakkon you wanted to find a way to play dress up." She was a good foot shorter than Jason but she stared him down with a hardened serious expression. "There are other ways of defeating Drakkon without colorful spandex. That's what we're doing here."

She shouldered passed Jason and continued to walk, Jason stood silence and serious before eventually following after, leaving the others standing and watching.

"I am soo confused." Ayisha commented.

"That's his exwife." Zack said with a smirk and followed.

Jason followed her into a large makeshift control room.

"Your intel was right, something did leave Angel Grove heading our way, or should I have said someones." She commented as Jason followed her in.

There were computer banks and various monitors spread about makeshift tables with a large table in the center with a table sized map of Reefside. And at the table stood in normal clothing stood a one armed Goldar.

"It certainly has been a while, Jason." Goldar commented.

"Goldar?!" Jason shouted in shock before getting ready to fight. "What the hell are you doing working with that monster?!"

"This 'monster' as you so eliquently put it, is our battle strategist and he fights harder than any man here against Drakkon." Lauren stands in front of Goldar.

Zack shoves his way in to point an accusatory finger towards Goldar. "Fighting against Drakkon? Bullshit! He fucking worked for him! He helped over through the goddamn world FOR Drakkon! The last days when the The Grid fell he was there, fighting against us!"

"There is no denying what I've done and the hand I played in it. But I have-"

"I swear to Zordon that if you are about to say you've changed I'm gonna start throwing punches." Zack interrupted.

Before things could get anymore tense TJ entered into the room. "So... This is a pretty big set up you have here. How do you guys fund all this under the radar? Where are we?"

"We're funded by a shadow sponsor. As for where we are." Lauren answered. "Right where Drakkon's army would least expect us."

A older long faced man with a reseeding hairline and serious eyes walked into the room. "The nerve center of the resistence is right under the Mercer arms factory. An it is funded by myself."

"Anton Mercer. But you work for Drakkon." Aisha retorted.

"Not by my own volition. But my forced partnership has allowed certain opportunity that allow me to get a glimpse behind the curtain as it were." He stood with his hands resting on the head of his cane, unphased by the harsh looks the newcomers gave him. "So why did you bring these strangers here, Lauren?"

"We tracked a particular energy signature to Reefside. We think we can use it to-" Jason replied.

"To become Power Rangers again? I assure you it will not be as easy as you think."

"Who do you mean?" Jason asked crossing his arms.

"Maybe it would be best if we just showed you."

They follow Mercer into a sterile lab enviroment, it was bright, clean and very different from the rest of the location. In the center of the room surrounded by tables, monitors and drills sat a large beachball sized meteor. Within the meteor shined 4 different colored stones.

"The meteor itself is unremarkable, simple minerals and metals but it's the stones that are the real pieces of interest. They posses an energy signature unlike anything we've studied before." Mercer spoke as he held a censore over the meteor allowing the sound of weres and wails to be heard.

"Radiation?" TJ asked.

"Nothing so simple. I truly believe this is a reminent of the energy that started all life as we know it." Mercer replied.

"Yeah, yeah very poetic. But we aren't here to show off our vocabulary. We need those stones, now hand em over." Rocky stepped forward shoving Mercer and TJ out of the way of the stone. He reaches for the blue stone and trys to remove it from the meteor. The stone refused to budge no matter how hard he tried.

"It's not going to work." Lauren interjected. "Literally everyone has tried to remove them, there is no way to get them out."

Aisha walked up to the meteor and looked at the stones. She reached for the red stone and pulled, it was solid. She then moves to the blue, then the black, and lastly the yellow. As she pulled it came free with ease as it shined brighter in her hand.

"Guys! Guys! One came out!" Aisha exclaimed as she held it up.

"You got to be shitting me..." Lauren said in bewilderment.

"Maybe we have to pick the right one for us." Aisha said.

"If that's the case I know what mine is." Zack said rubbing his hands together as he positions himself in front of the black gem. "Come to papa." He pinches the stone and pulls only to find it stationary in place. "Wait. What? But I'm the black guy. I mean.. you know what I mean. I'm the Black Ranger."

"Just try the other stones, maybe it's time for a change." Jason replied.

Zack wiggled the red stone and found it solid then tried the blue one and it slid out into his hand. "Huh, I guess that explains why I feel so blue." Zack chuckles at his lame joke. "You're up Jason."

Jason steps up to the red stone and tried to pull it from the meteor to find it firm in place. There was a look of surprise and worry as he reaches for the black stone. He pauses for a moment, almost afraid to try, before sliding the stone from the meteor. He exhailed not realizing he had been holding his breath.

Rocky stepped up next to Jason and pulled at the last stone, only to find it solid in place. He paused for a moment before trying to pull the stone out again, it stayed in place. He scratched and pulled as he became visibly frantic. Jason put his hand on his shoulder to try to lead him away. Rocky shoved him away. "What the hell is going on?!"

"Looks like you aren't meant to have it." Lauren commented.

"But..." Before Rocky could finish his sentence he watched as TJ slide the gem from the stone. It shined with an unnatural light as it sat in his palm. Without any consideration Rocky snatched it from his hand and held it out. As he did, the light vanished leaving the stone mondain and lifeless. He felt his rage boil as he throws it against the wall. "What the fuck?! I was promised vengence! I was going to get the power to make Drakkon pay!" He slams his fist into the metal plating of the wall leaving an inch deep dent.

"Maybe that's why you didn't make the cut." Lauren commented as she watched the display.

Blind with anger Rocky turns, swinging a full force punch toward Lauren. Faster than she could react she watched as the fist was caught by the enhanced speed of TJ inches from the punch making contact with her face.

"Cool it, Rocky! Before you do something that you can't walk away from." Jason shouted at him.

As Rocky turns his head slightly he sees the tip of a golden sword centimeters from his neck as Goldar holds it out steady as stone. "I will not hesitate to remove your head from your shoulders before your blow fell."

Rocky pulled his fist from TJ's grip and walked out of the lab and off into the caverns of the base.

Back in Angel Grove, this world's Kira walked the halls of the Resistence base. She was surprized to see what all they had. Weapons, fighters, it even looked like they were unearthing giant robots. They had enough to take the fight to Lord Drakkon on equal ground as it stands now. As she wondered she found herself in a room of computer banks and monitors, it all looked old, like 90's and early 2000's old.

"You really shouldn't be in here."

Kira wiped around to see Billy wheeling himself in.

"I-I'm sorry. I was just looking around." Kira said as she straightened herself.

"I can see that." He answers, giving a disarming smile. "It may not be much but it's home."

"It looks pretty cool to me." Kira reassured. "Little out dated but still cool."

"I looked you up, Kira Ford." Billy said as he wheeled past Kira. "Seems you are very similar to your other dimensional counterpart. Very different in others." He turns a computer screen towards her showing the sturn photograph of Kira Ford along with paragraphs of information about her. "Prone to violence, with distructive tendancies. Looks like you truly are a teenager with attitude."

"What do you expect, living in a world that's trying to rip itself apart?" Kira snapped back.

"Perfectly understandable. Though you were in and out of Drakkon Education Centers until a few months ago, then you seemingly disappeared. How did you find yourself in Drakkon's personal prison?"

Kira shrugged and crossed her arms choosing to stare at a single spot of the floor. "I don't know. I ran away from the Education Center and got picked up shortly after. For some reason Lord Drakkon-"

"Drakkon." Billy interrupted.

She looked up at him confused. "Huh?"

"Just call him Drakkon. He isn't a 'Lord' here, not to us."

"Oh, right... Drakkon decided to keep me in his prison, like a pet or something. I didn't know why until I got to meet my other me. So was that why they broke into Lord, I mean Drakkon's Prison? To save me?"

"We stumbled on you by accident, actually. Still all the same we were happy to help you."

"Why were you there? Must have been pretty important to do something that ballsy."

Billy stared at her for a moment. "Classified, sorry."

The look on her face turned from idle curiousity to something more serious. "Wow, way to get all official, Wheels. I can see where you stand, or.. sit, you aren't the trusting type."

Billy was taken aback by the sudden shift in her personality. "It's nothing personal, but we haven't survived this long with me trusting everyone I see."

"I get it, I get it. You wouldn't want to confide in someone then they just cut the legs out from under you." She smirks and turns to walk away before she stopped. "You know I'm seriously surprised you guys have been able to hide yourselves from an empire like Lord Drakkon's with a bunch of junk computers and duct tape. But it's only a matter of time."

Back in Reefside, Rocky walked through the unfamiliar halls of the Resistence base. Anger still waved off of him as he walked, which wasn't unusual, it was never hard for him to go off in a rage. Just when he thought he had a chance to avenge everyone he lost at the hands of Drakkon, it was pulled from his grasp by a stupid twist of happenstance.

"The stones pick the user, my ass. What a load of bullshi- AHH!" Before he could finish, a screech of ear bleeding pain wracked through his brain bringing him to his knees. "What was th- AHH!" As soon as it began to recede it reserged in force. When the blinding painful scream in his brain finally faded away he found himself somewhere new. Varnished wood and classical style decored the room, a far change from the stone and salvaged metal of the resistence HQ. "How the hell did I get here? Where ever here is..?" Rocky said to himself rubbing the temples of his head, massaging the pain away.

"What on Earth are you doing here?!" Anton Mercer spoke in a shouting whisper, quickly looking over his shoulders. "This is my office in the facility that is under Drakkon's control. Did anyone see you come in here?" Anton grabbed his arm. "You need to leave now." Anton pulls him to lead him away but Rocky pulls his arm from him.

"Back off, Old man! I don't even know where here is. All I know is I was walking through the halls blowing off steam, then my brain starts exploding with screaming pain and then I found myself where ever here is. "

Anton paused his eyes slowly widening with realization. "It called you here?" He quickly made his way to his desk and swung open the top drawer pulling it from the desk flinging its contents on the ground. He reached inside the drawer port and pulled out a small metal box and placed it in the center of his desk.

"What do you mean 'it called me'?" Rocky asked as he stepped up to the desk to eye the small box. Anton opened it to reveal a shining white stone. "Wait, you're telling me you had another stone this whole time and didn't say another?"

"You don't understand." Anton said not looking up from the stone. "This stone is dangerous."

"No, the only thing that is dangerous here is me if you keep trying to piss me off." Rocky stood up to his full height to glour down at Anton. "Give. Me. The. Stone."

Anton sighed in defeat. "Fine, but listen to what I have to say first then it is yours."

Rocky narrowed his eyes but Anton never broke eye contact, showing how adiment he was. "Fine."

Anton sat at the desk staring down at the box, collecting his thoughts. "Drakkon's arms are far reaching, years ago Drakkon's forces encrotched into Reefside. Needless to say we resisted but it was quickly apparent that we were wowfully out matched. With our forces being quickly captured or slaughtered we were losing, but one night we discovered the stones. We knew the power they radiated could turn the tide if we could find out how to harness it. But we never got the chance, our base was quickly being swarmed by Drakkon's men, I and many others were captured and on the way to our public executions. Standing at the gallows awaiting our deaths facing an army, they were suddenly being battered by a speeding white light. When the form stopped I learned the form was my son, Trent."

Anton's memory flashes back to that day. He saw his son radiating white energy as the White Dino Thunder Ranger suit formed and unformed around parts of his body as if he wasn't fully joined to the power. He charged, punching, kicking and slashing through the army sending them flying. But just as he was almost finished dispatching the last of the present soldiers the energy surged uncontrollably off him as he screamed in pain grabbing his chest and head. A massive burst of energy explodes from Trent, and when the light faded he layed motionless on the ground.

"But it proved to much for him, the power of the stone, killed my son." Anton spoke with a slightly shaken voice. "I help my boy's body as more soldiers overran us. The war was lost, we eventually I made a deal to convert all our operations to build for Drakkon's military in excharge for the safety of our people."

The look of anger faded from Rocky's face, 'He's suffered like I have, like everyone has..' Rocky thought to himself. "I understand the reason you did this.. You thought this was too dangerous for anyone to use, but it is more dangerous to let Drakkon run unchecked when we have even a slim chance to even the playing field. I know the risks but it's worth whatever danger can or will happen." Rocky rested a reassuring hand on Mercer's shoulder as he pulls the stone from the case. "I need to do this."

It shined brightly in his hand, but the feeling of accomplishment was short lived as Mercer's assistant quickly walks in. She was a small Persian woman with a noticable expression of worry on her face. "Mr. Mercer, the Wardon is here.. He says he's here just for you."

The look of worry and fear waved across Anton's face. "Rocky, quickly now." Anton moved him to the bookshelf, pulling out a section of books he revealed a secret button, after pressing it the bookshelf slid aside revealing a hidden room with a cot and monitors. "I need you to hide in the panic room until we leave. Follow my assistant out of the building, then go find Lauren and Goldar and tell them everything you've seen."

"But." Rocky tried to speak but was shoved into the room.

"Stay safe so you and your friends can save this world." He pressed the button to close the opening.

Anton had just enough time to fix them books back in place before a Black Ranger Guard made his way into the office, his cape followed behind him. He looked much like the blue and red guards, standing with a long staff and a axe head on its top.

Outwardly nervous, Anton forces as smile. "Welcome, I wasn't aware we were scheduled for a meeting but please make yourself comfortable."

She removed her helmet to reveal the face of a fairly attractive 30 something woman with tanned skin and black pixie cut hair. "I have just a few points of business we need to discuss and this will all be out of your hair."

Anton sits at his desk no wanting to show worry. "How can I be of assistance?"

"The construction on Lord Drakkon's latest detention center is behind schedule."

"Well.. with the increase of resistence attacks have caused some noticable delays." Anton shuffled papers on his desk. "Things will be back on schedule in no time, hardly an issue that would bring you all the way here."

"True. Apparently the death toll of guards and prisoners is unusually high in the Reefside Detention Center."

"Well, these are violent terrorists. But I will investigate this personally."

"No need. I've taken it upon myself and after a lengthy interrogation with one of your guards, a Connor McKnight, I found out some rather interesting information." She pauses before quickly grabbing Anton's head and driving it down onto his desk. "So what was the plan?" She presses his head down harder, his arms flail trying to pull away but she was much stronger than her elegant frame lead to believe. "Sneak out prisoners out of the detention center? Let them join your little resistence group all the while laughing at our leader?"

Through gritted teeth Anton replied. "He's no leader, he's a monster and his empire will fall when the Power Rangers return."

"Baseless propaganda. The Power Rangers are dead and gone. They failed as you have." She gripped his head by his hair and lifted him, the fight already leaving him as his sits limp. Two Black Ranger Soldiers enter the room as in on que took Anton by the arms. "Hopefully, you'll live long enough through the interrogation to tell us everything we need to know. We don't want you dieing like your little friend, McKnight."

Rocky watched from inside the panic room paralyzed in anger and fear... Angry that he was trapped inside this small room and afraid for what this means for his friends. If Anton breaks then everyone is in danger, he had to get back. The door slides open as he wipes around readying himself for a fight but was met with Anton's started small assistant throwing her hands up in a nonthreatening gesture. "I'm not here to turn you in. Mr. Mercer instructed me before... he instructed me to evacuate you safely. I don't know who you are or your intentions but Mr. Mercer trusted you enough to commit treason so that's all I need to know."

"How fast can we get out of here? I need to get back to my friends if there is going to be a chance to save him." Rocky questioned with determination in his voice.

This world's Kira walked through the halls still exploring, she spotted Trent and a masked Tommy walking from the opposite direction. "Hey Tommy!" Kira called out to them as she caught up to them.

Trent and Tommy quickly shushed her. "Careful K." Trent said in a hushed whisper. "No one knows Tommy is under the mask."

"The whole good version of your world's worst enemy from an alternate reality story is a bit of a hard story to pass." Tommy said scratching his head from over the mask.

"Oh right. If all these people found out who you really were, I doubt they'd respond nicely. By the way, have you seen Kimberely and the other me?"

Trent thought for a moment. "I think I saw them talking at the gym. It looked like they were having a pretty tense conversation."

Kira smiled. "Perfect. Two birds, one stone. Also Billy told me to tell you he is waiting for you in the communication room, Tom- I mean, mystery masked man. Don't keep them waiting."

She turned and quickly jogged off leaving Trent and Tommy. "Is it mean or was she acting really weird?" Tommy questioned.

"Maybe this is one this world's K acts. Lets go see Billy." Trent replied as he nudged him and started walking to the communication room.

Kim and Kira sat on the bench in the gym, there was a long silence.

"When should I tell him? Should I tell him? God, there is soo much going on, if I tell him it's just going to give him more to worry about..." Kim sunk her face into her hands.

Kira wrapped her arms around her trying to comfort her. "You absolutely should tell him. He loves kids, you know that. Sure they can be stressful but you know even now with everything going on he'd be happy as hell to be a dad."

"Who's a dad?" The other Kira walked in. "Sorry to interrupt."

"Oh, Kira." Kira replied. "It's a kinda long story."

"Not as long as you'd think." Other Kira interrupted. "Kimberely has Tommy's bun in her oven and you're playing good Girl Scout by comforting her."

Kim and Kira were taken aback by her demeanor. "Wow, that's certainly a way to put it." Kira replied with a little disappointment. "I thought I'd be a bit nicer in this world."

The other Kira chuckled. "You're the nice one. You lived in a basic paradice, you got to have friends, hobbies, a life. Me? I had to survive as best I could, no friends to rely on." Kira and Kim stood sensing the change in the mood of the room. "But I finally found someone I could count on, someone who actually cares, who loves me."

Tommy and Trent round the corner to enter the communication room to see Billy's chair on its side across the room with Billy laying on the ground. "Billy?!" Tommy called as he ran to check on his unconscious friend.

"No need to worry, I made sure to leave instruction for him not to be permanently harmed.. at least any more than already." The familiar voice chuckled as Tommy's eyes were pulled to the image on the large monitor screen. The face of a Tommy Oliver stared back with a smirk and tense eyes. Black vains stretched from his neck to his jaw and stretched from the hairline to the temples of his forehead.

"Drakkon.. How did you get this signal?" Tommy said coldly, standing up.

"Oh, I found the perfect mole. They played your need to save people like a guitar. You lead her in without a second thought and now here I am." Drakkon monologued.

"Kira..." Trent spoke his voice barely a whisper.

"You can't be serious, Drakkon?! He doesn't care about you, he doesn't love you." Kimberely blurted in disgust.

"He is the only one that loves me! And when I bring you both to him I will finally sit by his side as his queen." The other Kira leaped towards them in a split second she cleared the space from the entrance to the benches. Kira pushes Kim to the side taking a punch to the shoulder that left her arm numb, then tried to send a swinging kick back to her counterpart. Swing out her leg she only made contact with air. "You're slower than I would've thought." The other Kira said from behind Kira as her head as jerked back as the other Kira grabs a hand full of her hair and swing her around pushing her to meet face to face with the wall. She can feel blood drain from her nose as she slumps to the floor in a daze.

Kimberely charges at the new friend turned enemy throwing punch after punch that she side stepped with ease before dropping low and sweeping her leg taking her off balance. Using that moment she leaps up tackling her. Kira comes out of her daze to see Kim and her other swisting and grappling on the floor. The other Kira delivered blow after blow to the side of Kimberely's head with her elbow before her grip loosened for her to slip out. They squared up for another fight. Kimberely charged forward ready to swing again and the other Kira swings her leg to kick her in the stomach. Kim stopped immediately choosing to hunch and shield her stomach, her unborn child.

The Kiras saw that and paused. Kira felt for Kimberely with the fear for her child. The other Kira on the other hand swung and slammed her foot into the side of Kim's head landing her to the floor out cold with a trickle of blood dripping from her mouth.

"Dino Zeo Pink!" Kira shouted morphing into her Ranger form. "No more playing!"

The other Kira stood up seemingly unphased by squaring up with a Power Ranger. "Play time is over. I guess its now... Morphin' Time!" The other Kira pulls out a morpher similar to hers and holds it out in front of her. Within a flash the other Kira was gone, replaced with a Power Ranger. The suit was similar to hers, except the pteradactyl wings extended off the helmet giving the illusion of horns and the torso extended to a long coat. But the thing that separated eachother the most was her suit was majority black with accents of pink with the pterodactyl and the diamonds.

The Pink Dino Zeo Ranger stood confused. "How? How can you be a Power Ranger?"

"This is the power you could have had if you hadn't disgraced our Lord with your defiance. But your loss is my gain. I am much stronger than any basic ass Power Ranger like you. I am Queen Drakkon."

"You're delussional. And now it's time for me to kick my ass." They charged forward.

"I don't have an exact location, Billy is much too paranoid and smart for that but once my servant is back she can show me, and my full army all the way to your doorstep." Drakkon smiled in smug selfprocraimed victory. "But that isn't the main reason I've decided to call."

"What? Need a cup of sugar? Going out of town and need us to water your plants?" Trent commented try to sound unphased.

"Cute." Drakkon dismissed. "Tommy, I need your help."

"Oh, right. You're dieing aren't you? Good." Tommy said in a coldness very similar to Drakkon's, to the point that it unnerved Trent slightly.

"It seems that my power is too volatial for my body to handle without the right conduit. Give me your morpher and-" Drakkon stopped as he looked to the side for a moment. "Right on time. As I was saying. I know you have no intention of helping me willingly, that is why I gave darling Kira instructions to kidnap Kimberely." Tommy's eyes widened. "And I just recieved word that not only did she complete her task she also kidnapped your world's Kira as well. She does aim to please." Drakkon chuckled.

Tommy gritted his fists. "You win... I'll give you my morpher."

Sorry for how long it took to continue this. The passing of JDF wasn't easy on me considering how much of a big part of my childhood he was... I originally had the story going in a much different direction and had already written a few chapters more, but I decided to throw them out and move the story in a new direction to pay my respect to JDF.