(Author's Notes: Hey everybody! Some maybe wondering the inspiration behind the two warring factions called The Emissary & The Garrison. If anyone here is familiar with Daredevil comics I based them off two ninja organizations. The identities of the members of each faction will be revealed more in this chapter and this chapter includes Forever Red & the events of Mercer Island.)
Chapter 5: Westbound Once Again
May 8, 2002
Somewhere outside of Monument Valley
"Intel has informed us the old monastery near the Kita Alps has been abandoned." One of the Garrison agents reported to the members of the Garrison. They looked at each other with dismay and muttered their frustrations over The Emissary's progression. "Another one has returned to their fold."
"That one was personally overseen by Dalia." Quinn said with disdained. "Even during her Dalia's previous life as Scorpina she was a fierce warrior and served Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd without question. However, wherever Dalia went you can bet Balor was close as well and the irony in his previous life he too became a herald to Rita and Zedd as Goldar. Between the two of them, Dalia is always the one at the helm of things."
"Do not forget Salazar another one of the pillars who served two different masters in his previous life as Elgar." Aria added. "He had tutelage under both Divatox and Astronema and now we have to contend with Thea. The substance courses through them and they have played this game with us time and time again. I thought the last time we banished Thea we ensured her imprisonment in the demonic underworld along with Queen Bansheera's court."
"Her spirit yes, but still the body is a vessel, just like our Garrison vessels are our identities." another member of the Garrison informed. "We do have to give these heralds credit for surviving even the depths of the underworlds. No wonder why Thea survived the demon underworld in her previous life as Vypra."
"That is already four pillars established of The Emissary Roxas and soon the other three members of the Emissary will reawaken. We survived one war in our previous lives, it is our duty to make sure this war with the Emissary doesn't end in a massive casualty count." Quinn reported.
"I already fought one war back on Eltar in my previous life as the Phantom Ranger and that peace cost us Zordon to win it." Roxas recalled his previous life as the Phantom Ranger and his days fighting alongside the Power Rangers. "Of all the places in the galaxy, why Earth to hide the greatest essence of the universe?"
"Because it is our purpose to battle The Emissary and it was because of the Alliance punishment was dealt for their transgression." Quinn said as they looked at the remaining members of the Garrison still in stasis. The Emissary's army and forces were massing and it will only a matter of time before all seven pillars of The Emissary were rebuilt to carry out their mission.
While his fellow allies Quinn and Roxas tended to their army's training, Quinn's mind was elsewhere thinking about the falcon and the crane. If the two only knew the truth about the war brewing within the shadows, unknown to the eyes of the ones who served Zordon. He had a soft spot for Tommy and Kimberly over the years and unbeknown to them he was training them as soldiers to fight a war they and their friends will be key players in.
His sudden disappearance from their lives left a feeling of resentment and abandonment in their hearts, especially Kimberly and Tommy after spending four years trying to regain Tommy's trust, only to let him down again. Quinn's actions since the beginning with the Garrison was to shield them from discovering the truth that Zordon and them have kept in order to preserve his legacy.
Unfortunately, the time was drawing near until everything they worked for will crumble and give the Emissary what they have desired for many years. It weapon their adversaries desired was something that was held dear to the hearts of those who served as Zordon's Power Rangers. Quinn hoped and prayed that somehow the Garrison will do everything in their power to keep The Scarlet Sovereign off the streets, even if extreme measures must be taken to prevent it.
June 2, 2002
NASADA
Angel Grove, CA
"Are you kidding me? I was the one doing all the work while he was at the Juice Bar kissing on Kimberly."
Tommy heard the competitive banter amongst the rest of the Red Rangers comparing who was the greatest among them. His best friend and brother's remark made him smile thinking about his wife on the other side of the country waiting for him. He decided to let Jason have his fun for a few more moments to boost his so called ego as the originator of the Red Ranger powers.
It was at the behest of Kimberly that Tommy fly back to Angel Grove do deal with "a personal emergency" according to his professors. However, he was reluctant to leave her behind in Boston due to the unexpected circumstance the couple eagerly prepared themselves for, the birth of their first baby. Six months ago the two were on track on completing their graduate studies at MIT and at Bridgewater State University until Christmas brought upon an unexpected surprise.
Between their studies and the consistent travels back and forth between Bridgewater and Boston, it slipped out of their minds of one aspect to keep in mind: protection. The unexpected shock of Kimberly's unplanned pregnancy hit them so suddenly. Like most couples hit with the news of unplanned parenthood, Tommy and Kimberly let the emotions sink in before accepting and relishing in the newfound treasure their love created.
They made plans to head back to California after completing their graduate studies as another new opportunity was waiting for Tommy. He and Kimberly already fulfilled a lot in their short time in Massachusetts from their wedding during spring break to continuing their studies despite Kimberly's pregnancy. However, against her student advisors' suggestion of taking a leave of absence an reapply next year for her graduate studies, Kimberly was determine to finish what she started.
A few hours ago while on his mission to the moon battling the remnants of the Machine Empire led by General Venjix, all Tommy could think about was Kim and the baby, hoping that this mission wouldn't take him away from his family. Getting back in the Ranger business was like riding a bike all over again, familiarizing with dealing with enemies bent on world domination.
As much as he missed the days of being back on active duty and with Venjix's threat halted at the moment, Tommy knew that there was something coming. Already finding an ally in Hayley to carry out their contingency plan, it would be a matter of time before they needed to put it to action. However, his moment of reflection was interrupted when he got the call he hoped would be put on hold until he arrived back to Boston.
"Hello? Yes this is Tommy Oliver, her husband." He replied to the person on the other end of the phone. "What?! When?! Okay, okay I got it. Please, just tell my wife I'll be there in no time. Yeah...I wouldn't miss it for the world." He didn't realize that his best friend was standing behind him as Tommy took a moment to calm down.
"Hey bro, is something wrong? Are you okay?" Jason asked.
"I need to get back to Boston right away, but my flight doesn't leave until tomorrow." Tommy said panicking. "But I can't wait I have to get there now. That was Hayley. She's at the hospital with Kim. Her...water just broke and are on at the hospital."
"Seriously?! My little sis is about to give birth?!" Jason smiled in shock but then looked at their other fellow Red Rangers. "Well since this is an emergency bro, you're lucky you have friends in high places. Don't worry Tommy we'll make sure you get back to Boston to see the birth the your baby. We fellow Reds have each other's backs."
14 Hours Later
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA
Jason's statement about "having friends in high places" paid off in Tommy's favor. The phone call from Hayley about Kimberly going into labor was all he needed and his best friend was right about their fellow Red Rangers having each others' backs in the Ranger family. Calling in an honorable and making sure the father-to-be wouldn't miss out on the birth of his child, they manage to get Tommy back to Boston and to Massachusetts General Hospital in no time.
A lot can change within twenty-four hours: yesterday he was travelled halfway across the country and headed up into space to prevent General Venjix and his forces from invading the Earth. Fourteen hours later, he is in the hospital alongside his beloved wife in the maternity ward after Kimberly went into labor. It was surreal that one day he gets pulled out of semi-retirement to fight the forces of evil and the next he and Kimberly are about to embark on a new chapter: parenthood.
However, for fourteen hours the time passed by slowly and the news about Kimberly going into labor brought an entourage of friends, Tommy's parents and their extended Ranger family waiting on news of the newest edition of the Oliver family. As the time passed, all Kimberly wanted was to hear Tommy talk about anything to distract her from the labor pains she was experiencing. It didn't matter what they talked about whether it be about Tommy's recent mission with the other Red Rangers to the moon, or their plans to move back west and implement putting their "special project" in the works or their family's future.
"It's almost time to finally meet our baby." Tommy said sitting in his chair next to his wife's bed and grasping her hand. "Can you believe it? We're about to become parents."
"Yeah, this is surreal and I'm feeling a mixture of things right now besides the labor pains." She smiled grumbling due to the prolong waiting. "Are you nervous?"
"Most definitely and you're not the only one feeling the anxiety and excitement. I know it's your first pregnancy and we were told by the OB/GYN and also from the birthing classes we took that first time pregnancies can go overdue and take hours, Beautiful. I can't believe how much can change during a 24 hour period. One minute I get pulled out of semi-retirement from Ranger duty and a couple hours later I'm about become a father."
"I was worried you weren't going to make it." She confessed, as he heard the fear in her voice. "Sometimes I worry that our other life can catch up to us and our baby will be an open target. It was why we started our "special project" just in case stuff like this comes back. This pregnancy came so sudden but this isn't something I wouldn't trade for the world because we created this child out of love. We know that we will risk our lives to keep this child safe, but I just hope we're there to see our baby grow up."
"Hey, hey, calm down Beautiful." He said, soothing her and trying to ease her anxieties. "That is not going to happen, not while we're breathing." Tommy took her face between his hands when she to interrupt him. "We've risked our lives in the past and we'll do the same now for our child. We are going to see our baby grow up and see them take their first steps, say their first words and become a remarkable child we raised. If anyone dares threaten our kid then they'll wish they have never cross paths with us because we'll make them regret it. It's you and me in this together on this one: our family, our legacy."
"You always know how to make things right." Kimberly smiled at Tommy's forcefulness letting some of the pain ebbed away. "You're going to be a wonderful father Tommy, but you're already a wonderful husband. It's you and me in this...always and forever."
Finally, after fourteen hours of labor in the early morning of June 3rd, 2002 the nurse declared that Kimberly was fully dilated and called the doctor. Tommy climbed onto the bed behind Kimberly to give her support as she pushed. As the doctor instructed Kimberly to push, she felt the contractions coming less than a minute apart as she cried out, pushing down with all her might. Unfortunately, Tommy felt his fingers being crushed as his wife held his hand tighter, baring the pain hoping it will be over.
"That's it, I can see the head crowning. Just one more push should do the trick." The doctor replied as Kimberly nodded a few minutes later and gave her final pushes. After the final push, she felt the head slip out, and the rest coming out easier. A loud cry filled the room as the baby drew its first breath as Kimberly slumped back tiredly into Tommy's chest. She looked at Tommy as the two smiled at each other and turned to the doctor.
"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Oliver, you have a healthy baby girl." The doctor announced smiling at the couple.
"A daughter?! Did you hear that Kim, we have a beautiful baby girl." Tommy smiled giving her a kiss on the head. "You were absolutely amazing."
"She's definitely going to be a daddy's little girl, our little princess." Kimberly muttered as the doctor asked Tommy to come cut the umbilical cord and the nurses came to assist Kimberly with the after birth. Once the cord was cut, the baby was cleaned and weighed coming in at 7lbs and 6oz. Once the baby was dressed and wrapped in a blanket, the doctor handed the baby to Tommy who was instantly mesmerized by the precious bundle in his arms. He gently passed the baby girl to her mother as the couple had tears of joy in their eyes while the doctors and nurses gave the new family a moment to themselves.
"I can't believe we actually did this. We created the most precious little girl anyone could imagine." Tommy smiled stroking his daughter's head. "I don't know how to thank you for this wonderful gift."
"You don't have to thank me for anything Handsome. Our family is now whole." Kimberly breathed. "What are we going to name her? We haven't discussed much about names."
"How about Amelia? I heard that the name means defender." Tommy suggested while she smiled, liking the name.
"The name suits her since she is our little defender." Kim added. "How about Hope for her middle name? She inspires the hope for our family's future and for us."
"I absolutely love it. She is our hope in all aspects of our relationship and our lives. It's because of her we're here together and we're living the life we've always imagined since the first time we fell in love. I wouldn't be the man that I am without the two girls who mean the world to me." Shortly after, the nurses came in with the birth certificate forms to fill out which has already been signed by the doctor, except for the name.
"Welcome to the family, Amelia Hope Oliver." Tommy smiled filling out the name he and his wife agreed on. He followed the nurse out of the room after filling out the forms and headed out to the waiting room to share the news of the birth of him and Kimberly's new daughter: Amelia Hope Oliver.
January 13, 2003
The Oliver Residence
Reefside, CA
"You absolutely need to hang this on the wall." Kimberly replied as she opened up another box of their things to unpack. She smiled puling out Tommy's PhD he received in Palaeontology last month after completing his graduate studies at MIT. After all of Tommy's hard work and long nights of studying despite being a husband and father it all paid off for him. "It's not everyday that Amelia and I has a doctor for a daddy and husband."
"Okay if you're going to show off my PhD you best as well show off your graduate's diploma from Bridgewater State University." Tommy replied until their little moment was interrupted by the cries of their seven month old daughter. Tommy was in full dad mode as he picked up his little girl from the playpen and went to the kitchen to prepare her bottle and feed her. "So, have you heard anymore news about the teaching position at Reefside High School?"
"Yeah I got news that I'm replacing the current history teacher at Reefside High once the school year ends. I begin in the fall, probably around the same time you get back from your internship with Anton Mercer." Kimberly replied. "Still I can't believe I'm going to be working alongside my husband during the new school year."
"Well we got a daughter to support now don't we Beautiful?" Tommy replied. "Hey we survived graduate school despite the long nights of studying and irregular sleep schedules because of our little princess? Now we can focus on our family and getting on special project running. Still I can't believe you'll willing to go all in on this given our history as Rangers."
The start of the new year gave Tommy and Kimberly the opportunity to get their family settled in Reefside after the couple moved with their daughter back to their home state of California. They bought a house in Reefside and had spent the last few days unpacking from the big move. It also surprised Kimberly that Tommy decided to pursue a teaching career as well by accepting a teaching job at Reefside High School at the start of the new school year in September once he finished his internship.
"After what happened with General Venjix and the Machine Empire I understand why you want to do this." Kimberly reassured him. "It's apart of us, being Power Rangers and Hayley is on board with getting this up and rolling if load and behold another evil minion decides to make their presence known. I know the risk and I'll with you on this not only to keep the Earth safe, but Amelia as well because she is what matters."
"I know and this is going to be another chapter in our lives." Tommy put Amelia down in her playpen after he finished giving her bottle while Kimberly continued to unpack more of their boxes.
He walked over to the jukebox that was in the corner of the living room and plugged it in. It was one of the rare times he impulsively bought something he wanted and Kimberly willingly bought it for him as a Christmas present. After all, she recalled the times she used to come over to Tommy's house and hear his parents' playing vinyl records on their old turntable. He pressed a button on the jukebox and it started playing Sam Cooke's 1962 "Bring It On Home to Me" while Kimberly smiled.
"Is it just me or is Dr. Oliver trying to set the mood again?" She teased him while he playfully extended his hand out offering a dance to which she accepted. Amelia was busy in her playpen amusing herself with her toys but her tiny eyes were drawn to her parents who were slow dancing in the living room. "You know Amelia will probably memorize the entire setlist of this jukebox once she's in high school."
"Well our little girl will know just how much her mommy and daddy love their vinyl records." He smiled as they danced. "I just want to spend as much time as I can with my two favorite girls before my internship ends. It only gives us about two months together before I leave on my dig in March."
"But you've worked hard on your PhD and you can learn a lot from Anton Mercer." Kimberly reassured him. "All your hard work paid off Tommy and you deserve to go on this once in a lifetime opportunity. I'm your wife and I will always support your dreams, just like you supported mine a long time ago."
"I wouldn't have survived graduate school without you and Hayley's support." Tommy said. "But four months is going to be a long time away from my girls."
"We survived a twenty-five mile commute between Boston and Bridgewater during graduate school. We been married for almost a year now and on top of that we are raising a seven month old daughter together. We can survive your four month internship and me and your daughter will be here waiting at home for you."
"You always have your way with words and I know my girls will be waiting at home for me." Tommy replied. "And I know you'll handle things here while I'm gone."
Tommy was thrilled when he was selected for an internship to join the prestigious palaeontologist Dr. Anton Mercer on a dig somewhere in the Pacific. He met him through Hayley during his studies at MIT and Anton took it upon himself to take Tommy under his wing respecting the young man for his bright mind. It surprised Anton to discover that Tommy was married and that during his graduate studies had a newborn daughter.
As much as he wanted the young man as an intern for his dig, Anton understood Tommy's hesitation of whether or not to accept the internship. After all, he sympathizes with the young husband and father as he too had a teenage son he didn't want to leave behind. However, it was Kimberly who convinced him not to pass up a once in a lifetime opportunity and reassured him that she and their daughter will be waiting for him.
It was what he loved about Kimberly so much and it was the love and support she gave him to pursue a four month opportunity. Although he needed to get his family settled in Reefside before the start of his internship, Tommy entrusted that Hayley and Kimberly would take care of things while he was away. More specifically, he entrusted the two women to get to work on constructing the lab in the basement knowing that the time will come to put it to use.
Unbeknownst to them, the couple didn't realize that the next few months was going to set up a collision course they weren't expecting. It was funny how fate and destiny worked in mysterious ways that Tommy's contingency plans of establishing his own Ranger base along with his internship coinciding with a shadow war about to surface out in the open. Unfortunately for him, both his personal life and Ranger alongside those around him will be heading towards an adventure full of mayhem and chaos.
July 3, 2003
Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean
Life has treated him good, Tommy Oliver thought as his internship with Anton Mercer was coming to a close. For most of the part, his time with Anton had been a success and he promised to thank his wife for convincing him to go on this once in a lifetime opportunity. Very recently, he, Anton and Anton's other intern, Terrence "Smitty" Smith discovered several rocks that Tommy could feel a strange power emanating from them. There were three in all: red, blue and yellow.
He talked with Anton, who informed him that he and Smith were working on something to do with those rocks and had Tommy keep them for an undetermined amount of time. The internship was hard work, but Tommy felt it was beneficial for his quest once he returned home. He missed his girls definitely for the last four months and constantly talked to Kimberly and Amelia everyday. He was grateful to Anton who gave Tommy three days off to visit Reefside last month in order for the young father to let him celebrate Amelia's first birthday.
Tommy's brief return home last month gave him the opportunity to get an update from Kimberly and Hayley about the construction of the lab. Using the specifications from the Power Chamber he got from Billy years ago, the two informed Tommy everything will be complete once he came home. Kimberly informed her husband that she introduced Hayley to their circle of friends in their extended Power Ranger family.
The last four months on his internship, Tommy felt a sense that he, Anton and Terrence along with their excavation team were being observed. For reasons unknown, Tommy felt that there was more than just the strange colored rocks they found and that the island was hiding something else. Anton and Terrence reassured Tommy that there was no else on the island beside them and the excavation team.
On the contrary, Tommy's curiosity got the better of him when he took a few members of the excavation team and travelled to the other side of the island Anton and Terrence haven't excavated and found that the ground was scattered. It was as if someone dug up something noticing the drag marks on the ground. However, he found an object similar to the rocks they discovered and discreetly pocketed it. Unfortunately, his suspicions about them not being alone on the island came true when Tommy turned around and found members of the excavation mysteriously dead on the ground, killed in cold blood. Someone was on the island and wanted to make sure they didn't get off.
On the other side of the island
The shadowy observers spotted the campsite of Anton Mercer's expedition team with two pillars of The Emissary, Dalia and Balor leading the charge. Their army was almost complete but they needed the last pillar to reawaken, but the island they were on held the key to their future: a strange ceramic container similar to the one that brought the rejuvenation of the each pillar of The Emissary. However, this one was a special case for this container had one sole purpose. All they needed was the substance to power it.
Unfortunately, The Emissary ran into a minor problem in the form of an excavation team who was conducting research on the source of power emanating on the island. They knew about the rocks these explorers found but to their dismay discovered the conduit that was suppose to charge up the container was missing. For The Emissary's latest discovery to properly work, it required the proper conduit and those explorers unwillingly unearth their potential commodity.
The Emissary observed Anton Mercer and his team for weeks studying their daily routines and patterns. They felt the presence of one of their own within the excavation team although he was currently living another lifespan. However, one of the scouts reported to Dalia and Balor that one of Anton's interns was spotted by the dig site they found the container. The moment the two pillars laid eyes on Tommy, they were shocked beyond belief and memories in their previous lives of their battles with Tommy and the other Power Rangers emerged, causing ire and years of resentment to reawaken.
"How is it even possible?! Why in the world is he here?!" Balor suddenly questioned. "He's going to be a major obstacle in The Emissary's plan like he was in the past!"
"Same goes with that excavation team he is with!" Dalia said. "They already disturbed this island's power source but the problem is it's in their hands!"
"But they aren't aware of the potential that power source can unleash if not handled with caution. That stupid pathetic former Ranger may potentially have the conduit needed to charge up the container. It's already enough in the past he and his allies have foiled our former masters' plans."
"That was then, this is now and this time we'll make sure we silence them for good." She said as she nodded giving orders to their brigade. "It seems our little explorers are playing with some powerful forces they can't contend with. We could use this to cover our tracks."
"And soon our last pillar will return to the fold and we will have control of the Scarlet Sovereign." Balor said smiling wickedly.
"That we are right about. We serve life and power itself...we live to serve our sovereign as well." She smirked. They dispatched their forces to take out anyone who posed as an obstacle to their plans and within moments the entire island turned into a free for all battle royal that was signified by an explosion that rattled the island.