Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter twenty of "Just Away." This chapter features a little bit of Tommy/Kim. I consider Master Vile to be one of the best villains that Power Rangers has ever had. He was very underused. He should have gotten more episodes to show his power. There are not enough fics featuring him. That is why I decided to bring him into this one. Having him as Kim's birth father turns the heat up quite a bit in my view. He wants her, but he needs to get her alive and unharmed. Stay tuned for chapter twenty-one.
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Chapter 20: Simple Speaking
An American robin sat on the windowsill to Kim's room at Angel Grove Memorial Hospital ten minutes later. It raised its head somewhat while letting out three chirps. It looked inside to see Kim laying in her bed. She listened as Tommy told her about Dregon and Vile's joining forces to conquer Earth. He was seated on the bed next to her. Dex stood nearby him, as did Billy and Kat. Rocky, Adam, and Aisha stood on the other side of the bed.
"Dex will be fighting alongside us to stop Master Vile and Count Dregon from conquering Earth since the war on Edenoi is almost at its end," Tommy said and blinked twice.
"It's good to have a new ally in our midst," Kim responded while glancing at Dex.
"Earth may not be my home, but it does not deserve to be treated badly like Edenoi was," Dex said, hints of anger lining his voice.
"We have people doing that here by polluting the environment, destroying habitats, and overharvesting plants and animals," Adam pointed out bitterly. He curled his hands into fists so tight that he would break glasses if he were holding them. "It makes our blood boil."
"Many people are working to protect Earth, but it is hard with the wrong ones in power," Aisha added with much sadness.
"We Edenites never treated our planet like crap. We treated it with dignity and respect," Dex said. "We were forced to abuse it by mining noxious gases. If Dregon never came, it'd still have forests and savannas."
"Now that Edenoi is almost free, it is regaining its former glory," Kim replied, smiling in great warmth.
"It will be a long time before Edenoi gets back to normal completely. Even then, our lives will never be the same. We took our freedom for granted," Dex said and sighed heavily. "We will never do that again."
"You never appreciate something until it is gone," Adam commented and rubbed his nose.
"You got that right, Adam," Aisha agreed. She opened and closed her hands to flex her fingers. "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings as Optimus Prime said in Transformers."
Kim ran her fingers through her hair three times. She let out a long yawn and smacked her lips. She pressed them together before emitting a shuddering breath.
"Dex, what is the weather like on Edenoi?" Kim asked.
"Edenoi has warm summers and cool winters over most of it. Many regions get quite a bit of rain. The north and south poles are rather cold. They get plenty of snow. During Dregon's reign, it was mostly dry. There was occasional rain and snow," Dex explained.
"It is wild how quickly a planet's climate can change with the release of noxious gases," Adam said in amazement.
Billy tapped his temple with his finger. "It is believed the meteor impact changed Earth's climate and made it unsuitable for dinosaurs sixty-five million years ago."
"What is a dinosaur?" Dex whispered confusingly.
"A dinosaur is a prehistoric reptile that lived on Earth for one hundred sixty-five million years. It was not the only one. Pterosaurs and plesiosaurs lived during that time. The former flew through the skies. The latter swam the seas," Aisha admitted.
"After dinosaurs, pterosaurs, plesiosaurs and other prehistoric reptiles went extinct, mammals and birds became the dominant life forms. Among them were mammoths, terror birds, saber-toothed tigers, elephant birds, and others," Rocky added.
"The Dinozords are based on prehistoric animals," Billy said while cupping his chin in his hand. "The Thunderzords are based on mythical animals with the exception of two."
Dex exhaled. "All of that is very interesting."
Dex went over to the window. He focused his attention on the robin as it flapped its wings to air them out. It folded them against its back. Rocky came to the young man's side.
"Do you see something that interests you, Dex?" Rocky wondered.
"I am curious about this bird," Dex said while tapping his finger on the window.
"That is an American robin. It is very common in North America," Rocky responded with a smile.
"Edenoi has robins. The most common species is the black robin. It is completely black like a crow with the exception of gray feathers in its tail," Dex pointed out eagerly.
Rocky chuckled. "That is pretty neat."
"We used to see black robins all the time. They became less common when the noxious gases began to fill the air. They are coming back now," Dex commented, happiness lining his voice.
"That is good," Rocky commented.
Dex nodded in agreement. "It sure is."
Rocky and Dex observed the robin turning around and spreading its wings. It took off into the sky while chirping in a loud way. They returned to the positions they were in before.
"What other birds live on Edenoi, Dex?" Kim wondered, curiosity filling her eyes.
"Edenoi has sparrows, finches, hawks, and others," Dex responded and rubbed his nose. "Our most common bird is the ring-necked sparrow. It is a very friendly species. It will perch near wherever you sit. If you whistle to it, it will chirp to you."
"That world has horses too," Aisha commented.
"No way," Kim said, shaking her head.
Dex chuckled. "It's true. My world has horses. I used to ride them all the time before Dregon's invasion. The Plague Patrol took them away and used them as mounts to keep watch over us. They whipped them to make them obey. They occasionally tortured them. I longed for the day I could ride a horse again." He let out a sad sigh.
"That's terrible the horses were treated badly by your enemies," Kat whispered in great sympathy.
"My grandfather once told me kind treatment makes beautiful people and animals, but bad treatment ruins them," Dex replied seriously.
"The true character of people can be seen by how they treat animals and their mothers," Tommy murmured and suppressed a yawn.
Billy nodded in agreement. "That is so true, Tommy."
Tommy stretched his arms above his head and scratched his neck. He tried to suppress another yawn, but he could not help himself. He smacked his lips before emitting a soft snort. Kim laid her hand over her stomach. She rubbed it very gently.
"Tommy, do you think an attack will occur very soon?" Kim asked fearfully.
"Unfortunately, we believe it won't be long before Master Vile and Count Dregon make their move," Tommy admitted sadly.
"Though we have the Thunderzords and Dragonzord back, that may not be enough to help us. Their monsters are likely much stronger than that of Rita and Zedd," Rocky added.
"Let's not forget about Kim, her baby, the Zeo Crystal, and the Masked Rider powers. They want them too," Adam commented, seriousness showing in his voice.
"Grandfather told me the Zeo Crystal would be very dangerous in the wrong hands," Dex said, shuddering loudly. "The force field may stop evildoers from touching it, but they can find a way around it. The law that cannot be broken can surely be bent."
"That is so true, Dex," Tommy murmured and emitted a sharp exhale. He took Kim's hand into his. He gave it a gentle squeeze. He rubbed the top of it so lightly that it seemed he wasn't even doing that. "However, you can only bend a law so many times before it does break completely."
"It's funny how people will believe things blindly. Someone explains a horrible thing happened, even if it is ridiculous. People become outraged at the so-called injustice. They bully anyone who dares to question it," Adam said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"This is what we Earthlings call herd mentality, Dex. It is very dangerous," Kim commented, crossing her arms. "People have gotten hurt or even killed because of it."
"We had such a thing on Edenoi centuries ago, but we do not have it anymore. When you live a life of great peace, there is no need to follow whatever is being thrown out," Dex explained in a gentle voice.
"In that case, Earthlings could learn from Edenites," Rocky suggested in thoughtfulness.
"Exactly," Tommy agreed. He started talking about the time Goldar took Bulk and Skull hostage in a bus under Rita's orders.