See chapter 1 for Story notes. Thanks for the reviews! Please consider leaving feedback. It really helps and is much appreciated. Here is invidual responses to reviews. Sorry I forgot last week. I had a bit of time crunch, so I'll respond to the reviews for the last two chapters:
Ghostwriter: Thanks, glad you're enjoying it! Yeah, Goldar will probably lose in the end.
Datia: Well, we know that Zedd is dead unfortunately. But you will see Rita and she'll play a part. Glad you're enjoying.
Son of Whitebeard: Hope you continue to enjoy!
Sentinel of Stories: Glad you like it! Yes, Tommy and Kim were together in the original version of this. I know, reformed Zedd is one of my favorite things to write, but I couldn't get around his death here since Goldar needed the Z staff. But this Power Rangers, so you never know what might happen. Rita will definitely play a part in helping them though. Hope you continue to enjoy!
ae11021: Thanks! Glad you like it. Yes, it's opens a bit dark and gritty. This PR isn't for kids, lol. Glad you're enjoying!
MMPRFansince93: Hey! Good to see you and glad to be back!
Guest: Yes, I apologize for that. I was running really short on time and replying slipped my mind last week. Hope you continue to enjoy!
Established Pairings: Tommy/Kim, Jason/Trini, Rocky/Aisha, Adam/Tanya, and Billy/Kat, Dustin/Marah
Pairings in Progress: Conner/Kira, Hunter/Tori
The Year is 2005
Chapter 4: Mystery Unraveled
Reefside University
Dorm room of Ethan James
"Dammit Dr. O…answer your damn phone!" Conner screamed, as he paced wildly in Ethan's dorm room at Reefside University.
"Dude…calm down…" Ethan chided. Conner hung up his phone.
"Calm down? Kira is gone!" he cried.
"And you losing it isn't going to help us get her back. Let's just head over to Dr. O's house," Ethan suggested. Conner nodded, as his phone rang again.
"Dr. O…" he answered.
"Sorry Conner, I was on the other line with Hunter," Tommy said shortly and Conner could hear the stress in his voice.
"Kira was abducted…" Conner blurted out.
"She's not the only one. Tori's gone too…and so is Kimberly," Tommy stated. Conner's mouth dropped open in disbelief.
"It doesn't end there though. There are other former female rangers missing now too. Get my house as soon as possible," Tommy instructed.
"Yeah, we'll be right there," Conner said, as he hung up and headed out the door with Ethan following him closely behind.
Goldar's Dark Dimension
Goldman smirked and hit a button on the remote. The screen zoomed inside to the cell block level of the fortress, showing the seven ranger females in a dingy cell block. He laughed evilly then, as he used the remote to spy on the locations of the male rangers. Their reactions were as he expected, but no less entertaining.
"What if they don't figure out how to find this place?" Sabrina asked.
"Their resourcefulness in the past has been nothing short of amazing and I don't doubt they will soon know exactly who I am. In fact, I'm counting on it. How are our lovely guests?" he asked. Sabrina smirked.
"They're all conscious again finally and complaining about the condition of the cell they've been put in. For rangers, they certainly seem ridiculously afraid of a few rats," Sabrina said, as she glared at the captive females on the screen.
"You always were jealous of the female rangers," Victor goaded, as she glared at him.
"Shut up…I'm not jealous of any of those prissy little bitches. I may be cursed with this human form, but at least mine is attractive, unlike yours. I can have any man I want with the bat of an eyelash," Sabrina hissed.
"Yes, that's how you seduced your billionaire husband, but we both know that he wasn't a nice man. You had to put up with a lot for that money," Victor goaded.
"What's your point?" she snapped. He caressed her face.
"My point is that you had to whore yourself for that money, while those silly ranger women bat their pretty eyes and have drawn good men that don't just use their bodies. It makes you simmer in rage to watch what they have with their husbands and boyfriends when you know you'll never have that," he hissed, as he caressed her cheek.
"Screw you…" she hissed. He chuckled.
"Spoken like a true whore," he hissed back, as she angrily drew back her fist, but he caught it and shoved her away.
"Don't worry, I'll let you torture your pretty little nemesis' soon enough," he laughed, as he left to attend to other things.
Reefside
Home of Tommy and Kimberly Oliver
Cars were piled in Tommy's yard, the last to pull up being a red mustang, belonging to none other than Conner McKnight. The red Dino ranger stepped out with Ethan and Trent in tow, who was in town from New York visiting his father. They walked in and looked around, seeing some they recognized from Dr. Oliver's video diary and others they knew better, like the Ninjas of Blue Bay Harbor.
"Glad you guys are here," Tommy said, motioning to them.
"How many are missing?" Trent asked curiously. Tommy sat back down and sighed, his worry for Kim, especially in her current condition, was almost stifling.
"The first five ranger women to ever serve, plus Tori and Kira now," Tommy confirmed.
"Aren't there a few teams missing in between us?" Conner asked. Jason nodded.
"Yeah, but for whatever reason, whoever we're dealing with has decided he wants to deal with the original twelve, minus Justin, first. Your teams got pulled in because of your close relationships with some of us," Jason said.
"Wes is spreading the word. The other teams are on their guard, but I think we're phase one," Tommy added.
"Which means it's safe to say that it's someone who has an axe to grind with the original Morphin teams," Billy added.
"But I thought that you told us Zordon's wave wiped out all evil in the universe when the red space ranger sacrificed your mentor at his request?" Trent asked in confusion.
"Zordon's wave wiped out most of who we had faced up to that point. Obviously, plenty of evil beings escaped the wave or none of the teams after us would have had to come into existence," Tommy reminded.
"And some of those beings were returned or given human form, including Rita and Zedd. We know they both took that as a second chance and are living peacefully, or were, in Zedd's case," Jason replied.
"Were?" Shane asked.
"Zedd was found murdered, not long before my showdown with Goldman, over a year ago," Jason added.
"He was found in an alley, stabbed to death with his wallet missing so we ruled it as a robbery gone badly. It was made to look like that anyway," Rocky chimed in.
"But you think it's connected to all this," Hunter stated, starting to piece it together.
"Zedd was human after the wave, but he knew how to take care of himself. I kind of find it hard to believe that a few punks with knives could take him out, much less kill him," Tommy mentioned.
"But we don't know who really killed him or why yet. That's the mystery and if we figure that out, I think we might figure out who has the girls," Jason added.
Ethan sighed and looked at his former teacher.
"Okay, let me see if I have this right. A possible old villain from your days as rangers has kidnapped the women from our teams, because he wants to destroy us all? And this person is possibly human now, because of that whole fiasco in '98 when Astronema tried to take over the planet," Ethan stated.
"That fiasco caused the death of our mentor and in turn saved us all," Tommy chided at his lack of respect.
"Sorry Dr. O, but what are we going to do? How do we find out where Kira and the others are?" Ethan asked.
"We've been bated now and whoever has them knows we'll go after them," Jason stated.
"Then it's probably a trap," Cam said.
"Definitely," Tommy replied.
"Doesn't matter, I'm not leaving Tori at this bastard's mercy or whoever it is we're dealing with, powers or not," Hunter seethed, as he balled his fist. Shane and Cam exchanged a glance, but Dustin stepped in first.
"Dude, we'll get her back," he promised, clapping the crimson ranger on the shoulder. Hunter noticed the meaningful look Dustin gave him and was glad he left the words unsaid for now, simply nodding gratefully.
"Don't worry; we're going to spring the trap as soon as we get a lock on their energy signatures. The computer is still scanning, but I doubt it will be long now," Billy added.
"But if this person hates rangers, then why hasn't he gone after the other teams yet? That's what I don't get," Shane asked.
"He definitely seems focused on the Morphin teams, so it's someone we pissed off during our ranger days. That was a lot of villains, though I thought they were either turned human or to dust," Rocky explained.
"Yeah, and your team is close to the Dino team, so you got pulled in with us," Tommy guessed.
"Whoever took Kat knew exactly where the cameras were in the parking lot of the grocery store, because I can't get a look at them," Billy said, as he painfully watched the video of his wife being subdued with a taser. The babysitter had left him messages on his phone saying that Kat never showed up to pick up their daughters. He instantly knew something was wrong since that wasn't like Kat at all. He had picked them and dropped them off with his father in Angel Grove, after he and Jason used the grid to teleport.
"Yeah, and the nurses heard Trini scream from a patient room, but no one was there by the time they got there. There's no cameras in those rooms obviously," Jason added.
"It was a woman who took Kira and she had powers," Conner mentioned.
"Can you describe her?" Tommy asked.
"Petite, long black hair, and of Asian descent, and she had powers," Conner recalled.
"We need to figure out who she is. She's probably working for someone that has a grudge against us. They likely plan on taking us out first or trying to and then they'll probably go after other teams. If we knew who we were dealing with, all this would probably make a lot more sense," Jason stated.
"But…the voice on Tori's phone was a guy. It was a man that took Tori," Hunter interjected.
"Could be the mastermind or at the very least, the woman's partner," Rocky suggested, as he punched up the surveillance video from Aisha's clinic. The figure wasn't facing the camera, but he was obviously male.
"We're not sure which one of them got Kim. He or she murdered Kim's receptionist," Tommy said, as Billy sat deep in thought, so much so that Jason could almost hear the gears turning in his brain.
"Billy…what is it?" he asked, as he noticed the look on Billy's face suddenly.
"What is it?" he asked again when the genius didn't answer. He was suddenly snapped from his trance.
"Something Rocky said earlier. That the villains we faced during our ranger days were either turned human or to dust," Billy said.
"Yeah…we know that Rita and Zedd were, but there were others too like Divatox. Others like Master Vile were turned to dust," Tommy said.
"A lot was happening that day. Phantom ranger and Trey saw some of it happen, but they couldn't really keep track of who was turned human and who was space dust. I still don't know if I see where you're going with this though," he told their resident genius.
"Jase, we see the worst of human evil on a daily basis with the work we do in the bureau. Rocky can relate, being a homicide detective too. Just because you're human doesn't mean you're automatically good," Billy stated, as he got up and started writing names on the dry erase board that Tommy had in the Dino lab.
"Billy…what is it?" Jason asked, as he watched the genius go into one of his frenzies that he usually did when he was onto something during a case.
"I can't believe I didn't see this before," Billy exclaimed.
"See what?" Dustin asked.
"Zedd's murder wasn't a robbery gone bad, that's just what we were meant to think," Billy stated.
"Yeah, we figured that, but the question is if the person that killed him didn't want money, then what did they want?" Tommy questioned. Billy drew a large Z on the board in response.
"His magic," the genius stated.
"Dude…I think I'm lost," Dustin lamented.
"Yeah, I thought Zedd was turned human so he wouldn't have powers anymore, would he?" Conner asked.
"He was turned human, as was Rita, but they were born Eltarian so in a sense, they were only cleansed by Zordon's wave and they chose to return to the good side. Their magic is and was a part of them. They were born with it," Tommy explained.
"Exactly. So much was happening that day that it was hard to see who was turned to dust and who was given a second chance to be good. Not everyone may have taken that second chance. Some are just bad to the core," Jason mentioned.
"Except that it finally dawned on me why this woman looks familiar," Billy said, as he pulled up an image of an Asian woman from a news website, the same one that had kidnapped Kira.
"That's her…that's the bitch that took Kira! Conner cried. Adam's eyes widened. This was the first he was seeing the woman that was responsible for part of this.
"She's been in the news recently. She's the wife of that billionaire tycoon that died a year ago," Jason mentioned.
"Sabrina…that's the form Scorpina used all those years ago on me!" Adam exclaimed.
"Are you sure?" Tommy asked.
"I'd never forget her. She's aged a little, but that's her," Adam spat.
"Shit…" Rocky swore, as he put it together.
"Victor Goldman…" Jason hissed.
"Is Goldar," Tommy deduced and Billy nodded.
"Goldar…that giant gold monkey thing from your video diary?" Conner asked. Tommy nodded.
"That explains the grudge and everything makes sense now," Jason stated. Billy nodded.
"Whoa…hold up, you put a bullet in him. I saw the body!" Rocky exclaimed. Jason shrugged.
"I've mulled that night over in my head for a year. Something wasn't right that night and now it makes sense. Goldman goaded me into shooting him…or whoever he had parading around as him. That whole confrontation was a setup for this!" Jason hissed angrily.
"But…how?" Hunter asked.
"With Zedd's magic, creating a clone is mere child's play. Back in the day, he cloned Billy, after all. Goldar just had to make a clay model of himself and poof, instant clone ready for sacrifice," Tommy explained. Billy nodded, connecting everything together in his mind.
"Goldar and Scorpina were given second chances, but obviously they are more than a little angry with their new forms and lack of magic. Any powers they had were given to them by Rita and Zedd, other than their skills as warriors," Billy said.
"Okay, so we know it's Goldar now, but that still doesn't tell us where they are," Rocky said.
"They murdered Zedd for his magic, which is contained in the Z staff. We need someone who knows and can access Zedd's dark dimensions," Tommy stated.
"You think that's where they are?" Adam asked.
"Unfortunately, I know way too much about how Goldar's sick mind works. Rita is our best shot," Tommy replied.
"Let's go. Hayley, can you teleport us to Angel Grove?" Tommy asked. The redhead nodded and soon they were gone.
Angel Grove
Home of Rita Xett, formerly Rita Repulsa
Jason and Tommy approached the ranch style house in the Angel Grove suburbs. They had told the others to hang back so as to not overwhelm Rita. They were about to turn her world upside down by telling her the real reason for her husband's murder. They noticed the sold sign in the yard, as they approached the door and knocked. A small, petite Asian looking woman answered the door and her eyes widened in recognition.
"Tommy…Jason…" she said in surprise.
"Hello Rita," Jason said evenly.
"What can I do for you?" she asked.
"There's something we need to talk to you about and I'm afraid it might be difficult for you to hear," Tommy replied. Rita nodded in understanding, as she let the two men, whose lives she had once made a living hell, into her home.
"Please sit and be comfortable. Can I get you anything to drink?" she asked.
"We're fine, thanks," Jason said, as she sat down across from them.
"You're moving?" Tommy asked, indicating the sign in the yard. Rita nodded.
"Angel Grove has a lot of painful memories, as you can imagine. I've decided to make a fresh start in a town called Briarwood," Rita explained.
"Briarwood…isn't that the town that is rumored to be surrounded by a supposed enchanted forest?" Tommy asked. Rita smiled.
"It's a magical forest and it's not just rumors. I figured I will fit right in and maybe do some good for a change," she stated.
"But that's not what you came here to talk about," she prompted.
"No…I'm afraid it's about Zedd's murder," Jason stated gently. She shrugged.
"After everything he did to you, it's probably poetic justice that he was cut down by some gang punks that wanted his wallet," she said bitterly.
"Except that he wasn't," Tommy replied.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"Recognize her?" Jason asked, as he showed her a photo.
"That's Sabrina Chavik…what does she have to do with this?" Rita asked.
"Look more closely," Tommy instructed. Rita glanced at the picture again and her eyes widened, as she stared into the woman's dark eyes.
"Scorpina…" she whispered.
"She killed Zedd?" Rita questioned.
"We think she did and took the one thing that contained his powers," Tommy stated.
"His Z staff," Rita stated.
"Do you know where he hid it?" Jason asked.
"What is this all about?" Rita countered with her own question. The two former rangers sighed.
"Do you remember the day that Astronema invaded?" Jason asked.
"Of course, that's the day we were freed from our alien forms and made a vow to each other that we would honor the second chance that Zordon gave us. He could have turned us to dust, but he didn't," Rita confessed.
"We think that Goldar and Scorpina were given that second chance too, but decided that they'd rather have revenge," Tommy said.
"Remember Victor Goldman?" Jason asked.
"Of course, everyone knows about him. He murdered eighteen women across the state before you caught him. But he's dead," Rita stated.
"Billy thinks that whoever I shot that night might have been a clone. We figured out that Victor had an obsession with rangers and knew the identity of every single one of us. No one could crack through every team's security to get that kind of information so that naturally means that someone who already knew is responsible," Jason stated.
"And now he has kidnapped some of the female members of our teams. Do you know where Zedd kept that staff?" Tommy asked. Rita nodded.
"Follow me," she said, as she led them into the basement. They followed her and she opened a locked door in the basement. Her hand glowed with magic and a swirling blue portal appeared on the wall.
"This is the only doorway to Zedd's network of dark dimension. At the time of Mondo's invasion, he had destroyed most of them and was working on one last place that he planned to send the rangers to, hoping he'd finally win. But if someone else has his staff now, they could create a portal to the dimension from anywhere," Rita stated.
"Obviously when my father arrived and then later Mondo, it was never quite finished, but it wasn't for the faint of heart. When we vowed to no longer continue our evil conquests, Zedd tossed his staff into the dark dimension and we planned on closing it off for good," Rita stated.
"Why didn't you?" Tommy asked.
"When other evils kept showing up on earth, we decided that our magic might be needed someday, not for evil, but for good, so we left his magic locked away. I made sure he had enough left though so he could access the portal if something happened to me and he needed his magic," Rita explained.
"This is where they are. They have the girls in this dimension. That's why Billy's computers can't pick up their energy signatures anywhere on Earth," Jason stated.
"I'm warning you, this dimension that Zedd created isn't for the faint of heart," Rita warned.
"It doesn't matter. Those are our wives, girlfriends, and teammates in there. We don't have a choice and we just need your help to keep the portal open long enough for us to get in. We'll get ourselves out by finding Zedd's staff," Jason stated.
"I'll get the rest of the guys here," Tommy said, as he dialed Adam's number on his cell phone. Tears welled in Rita's eyes.
"You better kill that bastard for real this time and that bitch better go with him," Rita spat. Jason smirked.
"Don't worry; he's got a lot of really angry ranger males on his hands now. We'll get them back and justice for Zedd," Jason promised.
"The guys will be here in five minutes. Is there anything you can tell us about this dimension?" Tommy asked, as he returned.
"Don't let looks deceive you. When you get there, it has the look and feel of a tropical island, but it's full of danger from, traps to creatures, to aliens, and he's most likely keeping them in the fortress in the center of the island. It's a death trap in itself," Rita warned.
"Sounds like the old days," Jason quipped.
"If Goldar finished the dimension, there's no telling what he added. Be careful," she warned again, as there was a knock at the door upstairs. Rita hurried up and then returned with ten more ranger males.
"Did you find them?" Hunter asked anxiously. Tommy pointed at the portal.
"And where does that thing go?" Trent asked.
"One of Zedd's old dark dimensions that we think Goldar has control of now and I'm warning you now that it's going to be really dangerous. There's a chance that we might not make it back so if anyone wants to back out now, no one will judge you," Tommy explained. Hunter shook his head impatiently.
"If that's where Tori is, then nothing's going to stop me," he said, as he stepped through the portal.
"Aw dude…wait!" Shane cried.
"I'm with Hunter. If that's where Kira is, then that's where I'm going," Conner added, as he followed.
"Why are all reds complete, irrational boneheads?" Cam asked, earning glares from several reds.
"Sorry, let's go," Cam said, as he followed Trent and Ethan through.
"Hello, is anyone going to listen to me?" Shane called.
"Dude, it's Tori, she's like our sister and you can't blame Hunter. He's totally in love," Dustin explained. Shane rolled his eyes, as they walked through. They were followed by Tommy, Jason, Rocky, Billy, and Adam and the portal closed. Rita sighed and sat down to wait for their return.
