A/N 1: So this is a little plot bunny that just won't go away. Note: I am not a Kat hater. But this one just won't go away.

A/N 2: Tommy goes to one of Angel Grove's newest attractions, where he gets a clear missive he hopes will solve his problems. He also selects a new recruit to be the Green Morphin Ranger, but that comes with its own set of problems.

A/N 3: Usual disclaimer. Power Rangers isn't mine. Eldin and Fienna are products of Boom Studios.

Chapter 12: Project Paris III – The Talk

July 23, 2004, early in the morning

Angel Grove, CA

Mornings were always busy for Tommy Oliver, he thought as he suddenly came to, and while he usually had time off in the summer, this summer had been different. His training on Phaedos had made sure of that.

He wasn't on Phaedos this time, and wasn't at home either. That worried him for a moment, until he realized Kat was probably at work or whatever she was doing. While Tommy had the summer off, Kat still worked most days.

And probably spent time with her evil father, which Tommy did not want to think about at the moment.

He didn't really want to think about Phaedos either. That place was like a house of horrors at this point. He was trying, he really was, but it seemed like every time he got closer to repairing his connection with the Falcon, something got in the way. In fact, it seemed the harder he tried, the further he was.

It was frustrating.

This was a place he'd obviously never been in.

It was a bedroom, but it was pleasant enough. He didn't feel like he was in any trouble here.

It was then he suddenly saw a note.

'Tommy, do not fear. You have been brought here for your benefit. As soon as you see this note, please get cleaned up and then report to the main command room. Pay attention to the white arrows on the ground – they will guide you. MTPPY – Billy"

This last one got Tommy's attention. He was the co-owner of the hotel in Angel Grove. Grandma F's, it was called. Was he there and what was going on?

Conveniently, he saw one of his green and black striped outfits hanging over a bed post. Nodding, he got cleaned up, and then walked out. As soon as he walked out, white arrows appeared under him, just as he was advised.

This path took him down about three different hallways – he was only getting a taste of how big this command structure really was – until he reached an elevator. One of the buttons said command chamber and after he pressed it, this elevator took him up about four levels until the doors swung open and Tommy stepped out right before another massive set of double doors.

As if they had a mind of their own, the double doors swung open and Tommy was taken aback by what he saw.

He thought he had it good with the lab under his house – no, that wasn't the case, he realized instantly. This was far more advanced and far more secure. It had all the latest equipment, massive TV monitors, at least two huge Synthetrons, and a table that looked similar to what one might see in the White House Situation Room.

"The legend has arrived," a voice, clearly female voice said, alerting some familiar faces to Tommy's presence.

He supposed he wasn't surprised at who greeted him – it was the person who wrote the note in the first place.

"Billy," Tommy said. But he wasn't the only one.

"Long time no see, buddy," Adam Park said as Tommy's former second in command greeted his leader.

"Same to you, man," Tommy said. "Tanya doing OK?"

"Yeah, sort of, but things have gotten hairy," Adam said. "Since your near flirt with death, we feel like we are being watched most days."

Tommy's head was about to drop but then that same female authoritative voice said, "Enough, Adam. We didn't bring him here for that."

The authority in the voice sent shivers down Tommy's spine. It reminded him of Zordon or Dimitria, but with just as much authority.

He turned to see a powerful sorceress, dressed in all white, who sat at the head of the table; she was clearly the leader of this command post. She was built a little like Taylor Earhardt-Meyers from Wild Force, and based on what he'd just witnessed, carried that same sort of authority.

Next to her was another female, only taller, much taller and he could tell she was just as powerful.

"It is a pleasure to meet the legend himself," the leader said. "I am Lady Fienna, sorceress from the M-51 Galaxy and mother to Rita, now the Mystic Mother."

Tommy would have asked if she was evil like her daughter had been, but he knew she wasn't – she carried herself like Zordon did. That was obvious in just the first few minutes he'd been here.

He had a sudden sneaking hunch that Master Vile wasn't always Master Vile either. That'd be nice.

"Hi, Tommy. I'm Tiffany, and I work for her," the tall blonde said. "Oh, and just so you know I'm dating your best friend. Be advised of that."

Tommy took a moment to let that bombshell sink in. Frankly, he wasn't surprised. Jason needed a new squeeze – badly – after Trini had been murdered. She had features similar to the old Divatox, but whereas Divatox was dangerous and evil, Tiffany carried herself with a wisdom and grace that reminded Tommy of Trini herself.

"It's nice to meet you both," Tommy said as he took a seat at the long table next to Fienna. "I have to say I am a little confused at why you went at Adam so hard?"

"Because I and Tiffany can read your mind, Tommy and we've been watching you. You are putting too much pressure on yourself," Fienna said. "Want to talk about it?"

"I'd like to grab something to eat first, but yes," Tommy said.

"Sure. Help yourself. You can be here as long as you need. My spells will keep Kat away from your home for as long as you are here."

"I forgot these existed," Tommy said as he ordered himself a plate of biscuits and gravy, eggs over easy and some coffee.

He sighed as he began his breakfast. "The situation…it's overwhelming. I'm just going to cut to the chase. We beat Lokar before, but this is a situation that I'm not even sure if I'm handling right. I'm not sure I have the answer this time."

"There's a part of me…Fienna…I should have just taken death when it was in front of my face. It would have been easier than the overwhelming dread I am consumed with."

Billy had heard this diatribe before so he wasn't surprised, but the rest of the occupants of the room looked at each other in shock.

"Quagmire told me in my recent training that positive thinking is key…just like on the Island," Tommy continued. "But how? How is it even possible? One small misstep and I die, Kim dies and the world does too, probably."

"If I'm being honest, I should have seen it from the very start – the damn letter, Kat being Lokar's daughter, but didn't. Now we're in this mess because of it. I was told these were fixed events…but to me, that's cold comfort."

Billy and Fienna looked at each other and they had the same thought. Tommy went on eating his breakfast for awhile before he continued.

"I was also told the bonds we share – the ones that went to Ninjor's temple and those that we had when I joined as the Green Ranger – would be the best way to find what I seek. I don't know how to do it though, and certainly not without putting all of you in danger."

"You're afraid she'll kill us in ten seconds if she finds out we know, right?" Adam said. "We aren't chopped liver, Tommy. Tanya feels she's being watched but she's not afraid."

"I don't think you really understand, Adam," Tommy said bitterly. "If Lokar has the Ninja Storm Power Rangers, or is about to, we could easily lose. All of us. They're easily as tough as the teams I was on. The three Wind Rangers tossed my Dino Thunder Rangers around for a few minutes."

"That doesn't even mention Ivan Ooze, who is even worse than Lokar," Tiffany muttered.

"Yeah. Don't remind me. That's who Kat is seeing behind my back," Tommy bitterly said.

"And if rumors are correct," Tommy added, "the sixth Ranger they're after is Jen Scotts who recently came back and sought Wes out. I've heard stories about her. She's Kimberly 2.0."

"I just…I don't know how. I don't have the answers," he finished. "The worst part of the whole deal is that it was Kim that was there for me after the awful stint in Rita's service. Even though I rescued her from Zedd, this is my chance to pay her back in full for that…and yet I don't know how to do it."

It was a good thing Tommy had finished his food because at that moment, the dam broke. He was in tears. But also in that moment, he felt loving voices descend upon him. Something he hadn't felt in a long time.

He expected his friends who were there to judge him. But no one was doing that. They were all feeling the strain. The betrayal by one of their own, Trini's death, Tommy's near death a few months ago, and this was just the dam breaking.

The light that had once sparked Tommy, even recently, enough to beat Mesogog, was gone. His world had come crashing down around him.

When the tears had subsided, Tommy felt an arm go around him and looked at Lady Fienna.

"You are in need of some good news," she said. "Fortunately for all of us, and you, I have it."

"And that is, what?" Tommy said, broken voice and all.

"I'll tell you soon. In the meantime, take a walk around the complex and cool off for a bit," Fienna said.

45 minutes later

Tommy seemingly had a little bit of life back in his eyes as he had returned from viewing the hotel…from above ground and underground.

It was a remarkable structure, on both ends. There were comfortable, nice rooms with murals of the Ranger teams for guests from the outside to stay in and the complex under the hotel was no less lavish. There was plenty of room for anyone who wanted to stay.

But back to business. He was sitting at the situation table, again, as Fienna addressed him.

"It's still possible that Lokar could still be defeated," Fienna said. "The problem is, everything you have said is all true. The Island of Illusions was just small fries compared to this. You are up against enemies that desire your destruction…all of you, but Tommy most of all."

"You are also correct that the Ninja Storm Power Rangers, the five that have been captured by Lokar's magic, are extremely capable of wiping out the entire Ranger line. It is also true that Jennifer Scotts as a sixth Ranger makes them a team with very few weaknesses."

"The other problem is you are like a ship without a rudder. Before, you had Zordon to guide you. Now, you are in his place, and by the way, he felt like this plenty of times as well. It is quite normal to feel this way."

"It is a unique situation," Tiffany added as she came forward, "because no Ranger has ever been married to someone as malicious as the entities you and Kimberly are both married to."

"The only way you beat him is through the bonds all of you share, not just with your animal spirits of the past, but with each other," Fienna said. "Your nobility in trying to protect everyone, while admirable, is hurting your chances, Tommy."

"Tommy, I hate to break it to you, but she's going to find that you know who she really is at some point," Billy said. "It's inevitable. It's when, not if."

"I'd rather she find out on my terms, not hers," Tommy said.

"Billy is right, Tommy," a new voice said. Tommy suddenly whipped his head around. He knew that voice anywhere.

It was Tanya, all right, but she was…different. Tommy could tell right away. The aura that she gave off when she arrived was far different than when she was a Zeo or Turbo Ranger.

She gave Tommy a supportive hug, but that belied the quiet fury her eyes held.

"I called her away from work while you were touring the complex, Tommy," Adam said. "You need to hear as many supportive voices as you can right now."

"Tommy, we win as a team," Tanya said, "and we lose as a team. I'm not afraid of Kat because while you were off doing your thing, I was being trained by Fienna, Tiffany, Rita and their entourage."

"Tanya, I've never seen him look so defeated," Adam said, "the way he's talking it's like it's over and we've lost."

Tanya frowned, but then nodded.

"I can imagine. He almost lost his life in the spring," she said. "Billy, Fienna, I think we need to go do some magical inspections on Tommy's house when we get the chance. This whole thing stinks of conspiracy. I wonder if Kat has put a hex on that house."

"That's actually not a terrible idea," Fienna said.

"Bottom line is, Tommy, I'm not afraid of Kat or Ooze or Lokar and nor should you be," Tanya said firmly.

"The fact is, without a plan, I haven't the first idea of how to get Kim to safety," Tommy said. "My house may not be safe, and obviously neither is Miami. Paris would be good except Helen Hart hates me."

"I think if you can find one simple thing," Tanya said, "we can finally put a plan together than can maybe, just maybe save Kimberly."

"Wait, Tanya," Billy said. "You're right, but first he needs to know about the Orb of Despair."

"Orb of Despair?" Tommy said. He sighed and said to himself, 'as if I needed another thing to worry about today.'

"It's the Orb of Doom's companion and it's just as diabolical," Billy said. "Somehow, Lokar's family procured it. I think it might actually be worse than Doom."

"What does it do?" Tommy asked.

"Simply put, it feeds off a person's brain waves," Fienna said. "The more a person despairs, the more powerful the orb becomes. To put it bluntly, Lokar is using Kim's despair to power his family."

Tommy's eyes flashed dangerously.

They flashed green.

Billy and Adam flinched noticeably. This only happened when Tommy was really angry.

"You said there is something that can help Kim," Tommy said. "What is it?"

"It's called the Orb of Hope, rival to the Orb of Despair," Tanya said, "and I just recently, thanks to my magic, found it just outside Angel Grove. To make things short and sweet, whoever owns this orb can see the future."

"If you can claim this orb, and ask it how to free Kimberly, it will tell you, chapter and verse, how to do it," Tiffany said. "But be warned. Few if any have been able to obtain it…it's almost like the Zeo Crystal. It will search your heart and make sure your heart is in the right place. If it's not, you won't succeed in obtaining it."

"I have to take that chance," Tommy said. "I haven't the slightest idea how to free her without a plan. Where is it?"

"It's outside Angel Grove…and it just so happens to be near the Trueheart reservation," Fienna said.

"Perfect. The next time Kat leaves on one of her vacations with her 'family' is when I will go to see David and talk to him and Sam about the orb. I haven't seen them in a minute anyways. I just need to get the chance."

"Paris is a very good idea, Helen Hart aside, Tommy. You just need to find the orb, and let it help you develop a plan," Fienna said. "Before you leave for Reefside, I need one other thing from you."

"Name it," Tommy said.

"I need you to recruit someone to hold the Green Dragon coin," Fienna said.

"But that coin is now in the past," Tommy said. "I sent it with my double after the Wizard of Deception debacle…"

"That coin was a fake, Tommy. It isn't the real green power coin – you said it yourself. The Wizard of Deception created that," Fienna said. "The real green power coin was started up by my daughter using my life force. When I was brought back from the grave, the real green power coin regained its full powers once again."

"And because of that, it can help us defeat Lokar," Tommy said.

"Yes. In fact, we will not be able to defeat Lokar without the Green Dragon Ranger," Fienna said.

"I happen to know someone who would be perfect for that job. Someone who is like me in a lot of ways. Someone who has been through the darkness, and came back to the light. In fact she now dates a Power Ranger," Tommy said. "The problem is dating that Ranger is now dangerous in the current situation. We have to get her out of Blue Bay, and I'd say immediately."

"Marah Watanabe," Tiffany said, light bulb going off in her head. She now understood why Tommy was who he was and why Jason called him a brilliant strategist. And this was in his darkest hour.

"Yes. The only problem is getting her out of danger before shit hits the fan," Tommy said.

"An excellent candidate. And fortunately, I know people who can get her out…" Fienna said cryptically.

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