Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers. Only my OCs.
Previously…
They watched as the fossil slowly started to dissolve, free their mentor and friend. The computer started to spark and fried from an overload.
"The rock!" Kira cried out as she looked at it. "It's fried."
"Yeah, but look." Conner pointed at their mentor.
"It worked!" Hayley smiled as Tommy staggered a little bit, freed from his prison.
"Doctor O!" They ran over to him, grinning in relief.
"Tommy!" Zoey ran over and gave her brother a massive hug, "I'm so glade you're okay. I was freaking out."
"Me too." He returned the hug for a moment and stepped back, "Let's get back to normal, shall we?" He looked around the room, "Good job, guys! I'm proud of you." He nodded for a moment, looking at everyone, "Power down!" He crossed his arms in front of him and pulled them down to his sides. When nothing happened, everyone looked on as he tried again, "I said, power down!"
"Uh-oh." Zoey shook her head, "That's not good."
Tommy looked back up, shaking his own head, "I think we might have a problem."
Chapter 14: Burning at Both Ends
The group gathered in the lab was silent as they watched the Tommy try to de-morph after finally being released from his amber prison.
"Doctor O," Kira finally broke the silence, "I know the suit looks good and all… but quit kidding around." She told him, her worry evident in her voice.
"I wish I could Kira." He shook his head. "When Trent froze me in that amber, somehow my Dino Gem and my morpher must have re-molecularized." He frowned as he walked past them, staring down at his morpher.
"You know that the White Ranger is Trent?" Zoey tilted her head as she turned to her brother.
"Yeah, he morphed in front of me." He nodded, "That's what I was calling Hayley about. To try and warn everyone. But he fossilized me before I could."
"So why can't you de-morph?" Conner asked, looking at Hayley with a frown.
"He's stuck." She summed up for him. "And speaking of Trent, looks like he's up to no good again." She groaned as she saw the computer screen flash, and Trent's Megazord moved through the city.
"What kind of energy drink does he use and where can I get it?" Andy asked, genuinely curious.
"I am so over that poser!" Conner growled.
"Go, I'll see what we can figure out here." Tommy told them.
"You guys go on. Andy and I'll stay with Zoey again." Jenna nodded to Conner, "Call us as backup if you absolutely can't handle it. Okay?"
"You've got it." They nodded, and called on their morphers.
"Ready?"
"Ready!"
"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP, HA!" They morphed and called on their Raptor Riders, then headed out to the battle.
"What's wrong?" Tommy asked, sitting next to his sister, "What happened?"
Zoey sighed and, while Hayley monitored the fight, told them about the Underworld.
"I was lost and couldn't find my way around. I was surrounded by darkness. I could feel the evil around me. It was like hopelessness and despair just seeping into my entire being." She shook her head, "I know that sounds over dramatic, but I don't know how else to explain it." She paused for a moment and took a deep breath, "I lost track of time. I don't know how long I wandered around those tunnels."
"Sorry to interrupt," Hayley called out, "But Trent just captured the Dimetrozord and the Cephalazord."
"What?" They got up and walked to the screens, "How did he do that?" Andy looked around, "It wasn't a spell, he doesn't have that ability."
"I don't know, but now he has three of our Zords." Jenna growled.
"What's the third one?" Zoey asked, looking around.
"The Stegozord."
"Damn." She muttered as Trent disappeared, taking the Zords with him.
1-2-3-4-5
"What's the situation Hayley?" Tommy asked as he watched her and his sister work on trying to free the Dino Zords.
"It's not good." She huffed as the three teens came back into the lab, "He's got them in a force-field." She told them as they watched the screen.
"It's not Trent's fault." Kira insisted sadly, looking to her friends. Ethan scoffed. "The Gem is making him this way!"
"I don't care whose fault it is." Conner snarled furiously. "We find a way to deal with him, or things are gonna get ugly."
"Whoa, Conner." Andy put his hand on his shoulder, "You need to chill, dude. I get it. He's a bad guy. But he's still human."
"He can't control what he's doing Conner. It's no different from the spell Tommy had on him when he first became a Ranger." Zoey stood up, "You can't destroy him. It can't get that far.
"They're right. Remember, I was in his shoes once." Tommy reminded them. "And I wouldn't be here today if my friends had given up on me."
"And we can't give up on Trent." Jenna crossed her arms, "We have to find a way to purify the gem and save our friend."
"Ok, so we don't give up yet." Ethan nodded. "But what do we do?"
"Go back to school. Keep a low profile." Tommy instructed, and they all instantly groaned. "Hayley and I will let you know if anything changes." He told them, and with heavy sighs, they left the lab.
"Now, I want you to sit down and finish telling us what happened." Tommy instructed as he led his sister, Jenna, Andy and Hayley to the couch, pulling chairs over to listen to the story, "Don't leave anything out."
"Like I said, I just wandered around down there, lost. But," She sighed, "then I ran into this bat-like creature. She looked surprised to see me and sent these dead, or undead, creatures after me. I took off. I started running…" she shrugged, "I don't know where I was going. I just needed to hide. I ducked into this nook and waited for them to pass me. I peeked out to see if they were gone, and when I stepped out, I turned around and came face to face with a sai."
"Whoa!" Jenna exclaimed, "A sai? Who in the Underworld has a sai."
"A Master."
"What?" She leaned forward, "How is that possible?"
"I kinda froze. Not sure what to do. She asked me how I got there and why she shouldn't destroy me." Tommy flinched, having heard that many times over the years, "I admitted that I didn't go there voluntarily. That I was brought there, probably by the Mystic Mother. That's when she lowered her weapon and removed her hood. Apparently, she knew the Mystic Mother. She pushed us into the nook in time to hide us from the minions again. Afterwards, she took me to this cavern that had a mini oasis in it."
She laughed at the surprised looks on their faces, "That's what I thought. It was a dimensional pocket protected by good magic and created eons ago by a very special crystal. One that was hidden on the moon."
"The Zeo Crystal?" Tommy shook his head, amazed, "How old was this woman?"
"A lot older than I thought she was. She's over 10,000 years old. She was cursed into the Magic Dimension right after the Beast War. She knows of the Power Rangers and Zordon." She stopped when Jenna held up a hand.
"A Master. Cursed right after the Beast War." Her eyes widened, "The sais. Holy crap. Master Talyn. The Snow Owl Master. They called her Lady Alura."
"Yes. And, apparently, my ancestor."
"What?!"
She chuckled at the shock in the room, "She had eight older siblings and one younger. When she was cursed, she was made Realm Protector of the Elven Kingdom, Myst. Her home kingdom. She's spent the last 10,000 years protecting her people, her family and searching for her missing husband. My mom is descended from Alura's oldest brother. My mom is half elf and the baby of the family. She has nine older brothers. Which is why they were okay with her marrying my father and living outside of Myst."
Andy smiled, "So, you're a princess, of sorts." Zoey flinched, making him laugh, "That's hilarious."
"Shut it, Lightning Bug." She sighed, "She's gonna start working with me in my dreams, like my mom, and I promised her we'd help her locate her husband. He went missing at the same time as she was cursed. She tracked him to the Underworld, but lost the trail. She has no clue what happened to him."
"That's a lot to take in." Tommy patted her shoulder, "You look drained and very tired. Are you okay?"
"I felt fine when I first woke up. Like I always do. But, the more I go, the more out of wack I feel. It's like a disconnect." She leaned back, "After Cam fed me, he took me to a field. I was already feeling weird and felt the need to test my powers. I tried my Pink Flame and I shot out a pink light instead. Blew up a tree. I tried to call on my magic, but instead, I was covered in my Pink Flame."
"Wait," Tommy leaned forward, "are you okay? Did it burn you?"
"No, it never does." She started to shake, "I'm scared. Of everything. My mastery over my Ninja and Dino powers is gone. What little bit of control I had over my basic magic is gone. I'm… worried. Whatever is down there, in the Underworld, corrupted me and my powers. What if my morpher is corrupted? Would all of that darkness change my control as a Ranger? I don't know if I can take that chance. I don't feel right. I'm tired and weak. I don't feel like I'm getting any stronger."
"Alright." Tommy nodded, "Here's what we're going to do. We're going to talk to the school, not Randal, temporarily defer your TA position. For now. And you stay home and work on regaining control. Of everything. If we have to, we'll send you to the Power Chamber and have Billy run some tests on you. For now, let's just sit back, and take it a step at a time. I can't de-morph and we're dealing with an evil Ranger. We've all got a lot on our plates, but we'll get through this."
1-2-3-4-5
Hayley spent the rest of the night running tests on Zoey, then left the computers running their diagnostics while everyone went to bed. Zoey stared at her ceiling, petting Kit, thinking about everything that's happened to her.
"Why me?"
1-2-3-4-5
"I'm sorry, what?" Zoey scratched her head, confused, "So, Trent claims that the evil in his gem is gone, due to a backfire from a monster." She looked from Tommy to Jenna to Andy, "Am I the only one who thinks that this doesn't make sense?"
"Nope." Jenna leaned against the table and crossed her arms, "I'm not buying it."
"Yeah, it's too easy." Andy looked at his teammates, "Hate to say it, but, I think you got played. The darkness in that gem is too strong to be broken that easily."
"No, you're wrong." Conner interjected, "You guys weren't there. You didn't see him. We're gonna meet up with him and he's going to give us back our Zords."
"Are you three adamant about this?" Tommy asked, looking at the teens. When they nodded, he sighed, "Okay. If you're sure, then I'm coming with you."
"Tommy…" Zoey started to protest, but he held up his hand to forestall her.
"Jenna will stay here with you incase of a power glitch and Andy will come with us." He looked around, "Is that okay with you?"
1-2-3-4-5
Zoey, sitting in a chair between Hayley and Jenna, monitored the screens as the others rode up to the warehouse. "I have a really bad feeling about this."
"Same." The girls smiled as Jenna and Hayley spoke in unison.
They watched as their friends reached Trent, who was sitting on some crates. He waved them over, smiling. "It's a trap." Zoey scowled, "This is ridiculous. Those three have got to learn to start listening to us."
"Hope you don't mind, I tagged along just in case." Tommy said, stepping forward.
"Dr. Oliver, you're ok." Trent looked relieved as he shook the teacher's hand.
"More or less." He nodded.
"You are such a phony." Jenna muttered, glaring at the screen.
"I hate to get right to the point, but I don't see any Zords around here." Ethan frowned, looking around.
"Good boy, Ethan."
"I thought we'd start with the peace offering I promised first." Trent smiled
"Uh-oh."
He stepped back, and pulled the cover off to reveal a large black and gold ATV. "I figured you guys could use the help against Mesogog. Who wants to try it out?"
"You've got to be kidding me?" Zoey rubbed her temples.
"Make way!" Ethan laughed as he stepped forwards, but Tommy caught him.
"Sorry Ethan, I think it's better if I try it first." He told the Blue Ranger, who just groaned in disappointment.
"Please don't." Zoey whispered as she started to shake.
"Hey, calm down. Its okay." Jenna grabbed her hands, "You don't want to start sparking… or, you know, exploding things."
"I really wish I had a monster that I could explode."
"We can't take that chance, remember?"
"I know it. Damn it."
They watched as Tommy sat down on the ATV, "Good work. 12 stroke engine?"
"No such thing, big bro." She smirked, "Trick question."
"Yeah, it sure is." Trent nodded, looking down at it.
"They don't make 12 stroke engines, Trent." Tommy looked up, frowning under his helmet. Trent looked up suddenly, his smile warped into a twisted smirk.
"Knew it. Damn it!" Zoey threw her hands up in frustration, sending a rainbow of sparks out, "Shoot. Sorry." She jerked her hands back down, "Sorry. My bad."
"Really glad that there was no voltage to that." Hayley commented, rolling back over to the screen after jerking away from the light shower.
They watched as the ATV sped off, out of control. "It's a trap!" Tommy cried out as the other Rangers leapt out of the way.
"You'll pay for this!" Conner snarled at him. Not looking too threatened, Trent turned and whistled. Another ATV, white and black in color, pulled up.
"No way!" Ethan groaned.
"Later suckers!" Trent laughed, leaping into the air. He morphed, landing on his ATV, and sped off after Tommy.
As they ran after them, a new monster and a crowd of Tyrannodrones appeared, blocking their path. "Not so fast!"
"That just about sums up a Power Ranger's luck." Andy groaned.
"You're not going anywhere!" The monster told them.
"Try and stop us!" Conner growled at him. "Come on guys."
They climbed onto their bikes sped around the warehouse, blasting the Tyrannodrones out of their way. They had almost cleared the Tyrannodrones, when the monster blasted Kira and Ethan, sending them crashing to the ground.
"Hey!" Andy and Conner race forward on their own bikes, shooting lasers out, but the monster hit blasted them first, knocking them to the ground and causing their bikes to crash.
"Conner! Andy!" Ethan and Kira hurried over to their fallen friends.
"Are you guys ok?" Kira asked as they helped them up.
"Yeah, we're fine." Conner said with a groan.
"You won't be once Zoey regains control of her powers." Andy said, shaking his head, "That's what happens when you don't listen to the voice of experience."
"We'll worry about that when it happens." Conner stood up, "Right now, we've got bigger problems to deal with."
"You think?" Zoey muttered as Hayley started rubbing her back, "I don't know if you're trying to calm me down from hitting them or keep me from sparking."
"Both."
"Is that all you got?" The monster taunted, making them look over at him.
"Yeah right!" Kira scoffed. "Super Dino Mode!" The four called on their powers, and attacked again.
"I mean, come on." Zoey leaned back with a grin, "I may not need a power upgrade, I seriously don't, but I really want one of those."
"It is cool, huh?" Jenna asked, leaning closer to the screen, "Not sure if we'll be able to tap into that, unfortunately, due to the circumstances around our gems and morphers. No actual Dinos."
"Unfair."
"I know."
"Super what?!" The monster was suddenly alarmed at their new power. "Attack!" He barked to the remaining Tyrannodrones as they all ran at them. While Conner focused on the monster, the other three fought off the Tyrannodrones. Flipping through the air, Andy shot a massive web of lightning at the drones, causing the spikes on his suite to spark and ignite their own bolts. The monsters, caught off guard, were unprepared and were immediately fried and fell apart.
"Alright Andy!" The girls smiled as he bowed, knowing they were watching him.
"Their bikes are history! We're through here!" The monster declared when he found that he was the only one left. "Bye!" Just before the monster could leave, Tommy flew into the warehouse on the ATV, blasting the monster and making him cry out.
"Yes!" Zoey exclaimed, excited, "Get it, bro!"
"Go Doctor O!" Conner laughed as they watched. Tommy skidded to a stop, and climbed off, a little unsteady.
"Talk about a wild ride." He commented as they turned to the monster.
"Glad you're ok." Kira smiled.
"Later days!" The monster disappeared before they could stop him, and Trent swerved to a stop.
"I see my friends have been keeping you busy." He commented as he glanced over at them and climbed off his ATV. "Someone's been careless with their toys." Trent smirked as he looked at their damaged bikes.
"You're making a mistake Trent." Tommy warned him. "Don't trust Mesogog."
"Who says I do?" Trent snapped, "I got what I wanted. Goodbye Rangers." He turned to walk away, smirking at the mess he made.
"What about our Zords?" Ethan yelled at him.
"Say goodbye to them, too." He climbed back onto his ATV, laughing.
"Trent, don't do this!" Tommy pleaded with him, but Trent just revved the engine and spun around.
"I'm outta here." He told them, speeding off as they watched.
1-2-3-4-5
"Can we go over this again?" Hayley asked, looking at the damaged bikes.
"Well, Trent made a deal with Mesogog, pretending to let Insectolite turn him back into his old self, as a way of tricking them," Jenna said, pointing at the three primaries who winced at the accusation, "into taking the rigged ATV." She didn't mention how they had warned them that it would be a trap.
Conner looked around in disbelief, while Ethan looked down at his bike. "I can't believe he made a deal with Mesogog." Kira whispered, sad, "That's a new low."
"And risky. Trent was supposed to beat us." Ethan reminded them. "Mesogog's not gonna be happy."
"Was he?" Andy inquired, standing off to the side, "I mean, it didn't seem like that was his intention. Honestly, it looked like he was enjoying the game."
"Game?" Conner asked, looking over, "That was a game to him?"
"Yes." Zoey crossed her arms, "The gem's fully taken over. The Trent you know is no longer there. That is an evil Ranger; fully encased by darkness. There is no reasoning with him. He's not brainwashed or misled. He has one goal in mind. To be the last Ranger standing. He's going to enjoy himself until that happens."
"And right now, he's lighting the candle at both ends." Tommy shook his head, "He's bound to get burned. I just hope we'll be able to pick up the pieces."
"Jason did." He looked over at Jenna and smiled, "So did Trini, Billy, Zack, Kimberly, Zordon and Alpha. Not to mention your delightful sister here." She hugged Zoey around the shoulders, "You survived. So can he. We just can't stop trying."
"Remind my former minion to remember his beginnings and that he should be patient. He, more than anyone, should understand the torment one goes through." Tommy nodded as his sister quoted his former Empress, "She was right."
"Let's not say that too loud, shall we. She might be able to hear you."
"Burning at both ends." They looked around at Hayley as she squatted next to the bikes. "I think I know how to get the fire on those ends going." She turned, smiling at them. "The ray used by Insectollite destroyed your energy shields. I bet if you could get that creep to aim his energy buster at the Zords..."
"We could break through Trent's shield around them!" Kira realized, and Hayley nodded.
"Ok, small problem: how's Trent gonna feel about all this?" Ethan reminded them that they had more than one enemy to deal with.
"Every trap needs its bait." Hayley smirked.
1-2-3-4-5
Searching the last place Trent had been seen, the five Rangers looked around, calling out for him.
"Trent?"
"We gotta talk bro!" Conner called.
"Trent!" Ethan yelled as they looked around.
"You made a deal with Mesogog. Now it's time you made one with us." Tommy said, getting straight to the point.
They turned around when the White Ranger appeared from behind a crate. Before they could say anything, he ran at them and attacked them with great speed.
"Bro!" Zoey exclaimed, "Tap into your Ninjetti speed."
Tommy braced himself for it when Trent grabbed Conner, "You wanted to see me?"
"We wanted to make a little deal of our own." The Red Ranger growled.
"I don't make deals with posers."
"Did he seriously just say that?" Andy rolled his eyes at Jenna's question.
"Take that back!" Conner snarled and attacked him.
Trent dodged his attacks, and leapt up onto higher ground. "You just won't learn, will you?" He asked as he balanced his sword on his shoulder.
"Learn what?" Conner asked as the others ran over to him.
"The White Ranger always wins." He told them, before disappearing in a flash of light. No sooner had he done so, did their morphers beep loudly.
"Go!" Tommy answered as they looked around.
"It's working. The monster is back on the other side of the warehouse." Hayley told them.
"You've got this, bro." Zoey encouraged.
"Got it." He nodded and looked over at the others.
"Come on!" Conner called, and they ran off. Making their way to the other side of the warehouse, they spotted the monster. "There he is!" He pointed to the monster, who screeched and spun around.
"Out of my way!" Insectollite barked, "I've been sent to get the White one!"
"Surprise, surprise." Zoey muttered, making the others chuckle.
"How about you take us on instead?" Andy asked as they ran and attacked the monster. As they called on their sabers, Insectollite sent out a blast and knocked them off their feet. "I think it's weapons time." Andy muttered as the Rangers stood back up.
"I think you're right." Tommy gestured, "Brachio Staff, energy orb!" He powered up the staff and braced himself, "You're going down!" He sent out the orb, landing a direct hit to the monster as it slammed into him.
"Let's help him out guys!" Conner called, "Tyranno Staff!"
"Tricera Shield!"
"Ptera Grips!"
"Spino Axe!"
They renewed their attack on the monster; running forward with aggression.
Ethan lifted him into the air with his shield, "Going for a spin?" He laughed as he spun the monster around.
"Put me down!" Insectrollite cried out, and was tossed aside.
Andy spun his axe around and slashed down at him, sending a blast of lightning to surround the monster. The energy tightened up and exploded, knowing him out.
"That got him!" Ethan laughed.
"I think I put a little too much juice in the jolt." Andy scratched his head, "Good thing it didn't destroy him yet."
"Yeah." Tommy patted him on the shoulder, "Now, help me load him up." They nodded, and ran over to Insectollite to restrain him.
1-2-3-4-5
"Come on, we don't have much time!" Andy called as they rushed towards where the Dino Zords were being held. By the time they reached the force field, the sun had set.
"Ah! Let me go!" The monster on the back of Tommy's ATV cried out.
"This is your cue, Insectollite." Tommy yanked him up. "Go on, do it!" He ordered, when the creature hesitated. Andy pointed his axed at him, making him rush to do as he was bid, but as the monster went to blast the force field, another attack slammed into him, making him scream as he was destroyed.
"You're too late!" Trent mocked. "See ya." With a wave of his dagger, Trent caused a massive explosion where the Dino Zords were.
"No!"
"Come on!" They jumped from their Raptor Riders and ran towards their Zords as the force field was destroyed.
"It can't be." Tommy was horrified as the smoke cleared. Then, loud roars filled their air, and the Zords emerged.
"Yo! Check it out!" Ethan gave an amazed laugh.
"They survived!" Conner grinned, and the ground began to shake. They looked around as Trent's Megazord approached, and suddenly disconnected its arms. The two Dino Zords attached, and the Rangers cried out in horror. "Our Zords! They switched teams!"
"Another trick." Tommy growled, "What was that?" He asked as a crashed sounded over their coms.
"Sorry, Tommy. Zoey jumped up from her chair in an attempt to go help." Haley started laughing, "Jenna's sitting on her."
"Great." He shook his head and Trent started taunting them.
"I thought they would make a nice addition to my collection."
"No way!" Kira cried out.
"I wouldn't mind Zoey letting loose on him right now." Andy complained, "Wonky powers or not, I'd love to see a fried White Ranger."
"Behave." Tommy smacked him on the arm.
"The starfish device was just to reprogram them to obey me." The White Ranger explained, smirking under his helmet.
"You're not gonna get away with this." Tommy growled, channeling his sister's anger, "Brachio!" He summoned his Zord, along with the other four. They combined, and faced off against Trent.
"Let's make him pay!" Conner called to his friends.
"You can't afford it!" Trent mocked. He attacked them with his punching attack, and as they cried out, he switched to the Dimetrozord's saw attack. The Rangers were thrown about as their Megazord crashed to the ground, and they groaned in pain.
"With our Zords, he's too powerful!" Kira groaned.
"Now you're beginning to get it." Trent smirked. "Why don't you just surrender the rest of your Zords to me?"
"Is he serious?" Andy asked as Zoey started cursing over the coms.
"Yeah, you've got to be crazier than I thought!" Conner nodded as the Megazord rolled onto its back.
"Then I'll take them." Trent decided. He held up his saw again, but as he went to deliver a final strike on them, something hit him from behind.
"I'm back!" Insectollite laughed as Trent looked around.
"Out of my way, insect," The White Ranger growled. "Drago Winger, Strike Mode!" he called on his weapon, and blasted the monster, destroying it instantly. "Another day Rangers." He promised, disappearing in white lights.
1-2-3-4-5
Sitting in the lab on the ATV, the Ranger teens barely moved, dejected over their latest defeat against the White Ranger.
"Trent has got some nerve." Kira sighed.
"Why can't he just give up?" Ethan complained.
"Why should he?" Zoey asked, walking over to grab a towel, as she was covered in grease, "Seriously, why would he? He tricked you, very easily actually. You were so quick to just trust. There's a fine line in this world as a Ranger. You want to believe in him, that he can be good, so at the first chance he got, he got you on his side. Made you think he was cured. You jumped headfirst into it, disregarded our doubts and concerns about it, and he took you for a wild ride. If it was that easy to get to you that way, what makes you think he'll stop? He won't give up until there's nothing but evil in that gem. It's your job to not only help, but figure out the right way and wrong way, to handle things."
"She's right, guys." Jenna nodded, "He's got two of our Zords and he's played both us and Mesogog. He won't give up. Not yet."
"Well, it's a good thing that I never give up, either." Hayley commented as she walked over, cleaning her hands on a rag. "Your bikes are fixed." She told them. They all immediately thanked her, relieved. "It wasn't just me. Tommy and Zoey are the real mechanics here. I'm better at the technical components. Just don't do it again, ok?" She frowned at them sternly, and they nodded. "And as an added bonus, we reprogrammed the ATV. That should come in handy."
"We're gonna need all the help we can get." They looked up as Tommy turned from the monitors, "If Trent and Mesogog team up for good, we're gonna have a real battle on our hands." He sighed at the looks on their faces, "For right now, go home. Get some rest. You never know when the next attack's gonna be."
1-2-3-4-5
"Hey." Zoey looked up from the couch as her brother comes down into the lab, "What are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be getting some sleep?"
"I'm all slept out." She was curled up cuddling Kit, "I'm so frustrated that I couldn't help you guys today. I felt even worse when Jenna stayed behind with me." She sighed, "I nearly fried the computers over what happened. I'm dangerous."
"No, you're powerful." He sat down and wrapped his arms around her, "You've got all of this power built up inside you that you have spent years training to control. Getting sucked down into the Underworld? It's a challenge. Unfortunately, it was probably done on purpose."
She gaped at him, "On purpose? Why in the world would anyone do that to me on purpose? It makes no sense."
"Consider the source." He chuckled, "In all the years we knew her, she never did anything without a purpose. Now that she's good and the Mother of Magic, she's probably even more of a pain to deal with."
"Careful, she can hear you."
"Like I care. With everything she put us through, she deserves it." They shared a laugh, "Look, there's a phrase that I know that you are well aware of. 'With Great Power comes Great Responsibility'. Maybe this is her way of making sure that you take care of that Power and not take it for granted."
"Maybe. I just got to figure out how to get back in balance."
"Well, if I remember correctly, when you bonded with the gems, you girls meditated and practiced to get control of them. They weren't perfect, but you kept at it when you went back to Blue Bay."
"We did." She tilted her head back in thought, "I think, maybe, that I should take some time away."
"Angel Grove?"
"And Blue Bay. I need to start over. No morphers. No monsters. No fighting. Just me." She looked up, "Are you upset?"
"Not even close." He hugged her, "You have to take care of yourself. You can't help us or Reefside if you're this out of wack. There's no guarantee what would happen when you morph again. You need to get back in balance. Not just for us, but for yourself as well."
She sighed, "I'm gonna go up and pack a bag. Talk with Jenna and Andy. We don't need them distracted and having someone stay out of a fight just to babysit me is a huge distraction. It's unneeded." She held up the little fox, "Can you watch Kit?"
"Of course." He reaches out and takes hold of the ball of blonde fur, "Maybe I can work with her on not bringing vermin in the house. Hayley found a dead lizard in the kitchen earlier." He held up the fox, "No dead animals in the house."
Zoey laughed, "Well, you'll have time to work with her. You know, being stuck in morph and all. Tell me, has Jason called and ribbed you about it yet?"
"Just got off the phone with him before coming back down here. I've gotta figure out how to sleep in this thing." He shook his head, "Anyways, they were happy I was out of the amber. After the concern is when they decided that it was time to make fun of me. In every way possible."
"Sounds like you've got a few personal problems of your own to deal with." She stood up, "Now it's time for me to deal with mine."
Thanks for reading. Hopefully, Zoey rejoins them soon. We'll see... or not. Lol.
Catch you on the flip side!