"…This just in: local school counselor, Doctor Frank Oliver, was kidnapped and tortured by Angel Grove's newest villains, King Mondo and the Machine Empire," the voice of a TV announcer filtered into Ms. Appleby's ear as she washed dishes in the kitchen of her small apartment. "Fortunately, Doctor Oliver was rescued and taken to safety by the Power Rangers. Doctor Oliver is currently at Angel Grove Hospital receiving treatment for his injuries and neither he nor his relatives are available for comment…"
Ms. Appleby's eyes widened and she moved away from the sink, not caring that her hands were covered in soap suds as she hurried over to the TV. She shut it off and quickly wiped her hands on her apron.
She had known Frank ever since high school, Ms. Appleby reflected as she removed her apron and put it back on its hook; they had lost touch when Frank had moved away, but they had quickly resumed their friendship when Frank had moved to Angel Grove with his nephew, sharing lunch together often.
Ms. Appleby sighed; she should drop her housework and go over to the hospital to see if Frank or Tommy needed anything while they were there. Swallowing hard, she hurried towards the garage.
"Are you cowards, Rangers?" Prince Gasket crooned as he paced back and forth in front of Adam, Jason, Rocky, Tanya, Katherine, Malcolm, and Laura. "Why don't you demorph and show your true selves?"
Kimberly, who was lingering beside Gasket, snorted, "They are cowards, your grace," she replied in an amused voice as she moved closer to the group. "I know each of their identities and can tell you…"
"Silence!" Prince Gasket hissed, suddenly glaring at Kimberly. "You are a former Power Ranger!"
Kimberly looked disgusted at the mere thought, "They abandoned me and Rito Revolto rescued me!" she replied in an angry voice as she moved next to Laura. "I was all alone with very little strength and it was those who I thought were my enemy that helped me. Rito and King Mondo saved my life."
"Kimberly, we didn't abandon you!" Laura, who remembered the whole incident very well, cried as she tried to move away and quickly found herself in a headlock by Kimberly. "If this is all about the past…"
Kimberly snarled as Adam approached them and tried to break them up. Adam moved forward and was shocked when Kimberly kicked him in the chest, sending him backwards into Rocky and Malcolm.
"This is highly amusing, but I have to get back to the palace and take over ruling the Machine Empire," Prince Gasket replied, deeply amused by the fact that Kimberly continued to choke Laura. "As much fun as it is to see you inflict pain on another, Kimberly, I declare you to be useless to my plan! Off with you!"
Kimberly screamed as she suddenly vanished, "Now then, I have preparations to make!" Prince Gasket yelled in an excited voice. "Enjoy your powers while you have them, Rangers! They will soon be mine!"
"We're not afraid of you!" Adam snapped in a trembling voice. "We're the Power Rangers!"
Gasket cackled and quickly waved his hand, which appeared to be holding something, "Now get out of here so I can formulate the plan of the century!" he snapped in an amused voice. "I must think alone!"
There was a loud clap of thunder, a flash of light, and then suddenly, everything went black.
"Adam?"
Out of instinct, Adam jerked away as he felt someone touch his forehead, "Jason, unwrap that blanket and cover your friend with it," he suddenly heard a concerned voice say. "Adam, can you hear me?"
Adam slowly opened his eyes and was deeply unnerved when he saw Thomas kneeling beside him looking very concerned, "I heard you passed out again shortly after I left, so after I took Doctor Oliver to the hospital, I decided to come back," Thomas explained in a worried voice. "Did you drink that juice?"
Deeply unnerved by what Gasket might have done to him, Adam quickly sat up and came face to face with Jason, who was in his karategi and placing a blanket over his legs. Adam could see a concerned looking Katherine, Malcolm, and Tanya standing with Mark and Ernie near the fully stocked Juice Bar.
"I thought David was sparring with Mark?" Adam asked in a groggy voice. "They were just a few…"
Jason sighed, "David went to the hospital to be with Tommy and Doctor Oliver nearly an hour and a half ago," he explained in a concerned voice. "Mark was tired of sparring and David's going to get him later."
"Adam, you seem like a good kid, but you have to take care of yourself better," Thomas replied in a concerned voice, realizing that he had discovered another one of Jason and Malcolm's friends who had grown up in an abusive situation and was acting somewhat self-destructively to deal with the pain.
Adam nodded and placed a hand on his forehead, still dazed from the experience with Gasket, "I'm still really lightheaded," he said in a faint voice as he lay back down and closed his eyes. "I'm so tired."
"Okay, I'm making a judgment call," Thomas interjected softly. "I'm taking you to the emergency room to make sure that you're okay. Jason, Malcolm, why don't you come with me and help with Adam?"
Even though he could feel movement around him, Adam mumbled in the affirmative and allowed his body to relax into a sleep state. He was so exhausted and chilled from the encounter with Gasket.
"I'm gonna hang out here with Mark and Tanya for a while," Katherine said as she looked at Malcolm, who looked almost heartsick at Adam's predicament. "Let us know when we can come see Adam."
Malcolm nodded and promptly blushed when Katherine kissed his cheek, "Be careful out there," she whispered into his ear. "Gasket's still on the loose and we really don't know what he's capable of."
Malcolm smiled and silently walked over to his uncle to help him and Jason with Adam. Katherine looked at Tanya worriedly and Tanya put a reassuring arm around her as Adam was strapped to a backboard.
"Kat, can I talk to you?" Mark asked nervously, suddenly feeling very unsure of what had happened earlier with the people who had tried to attack him and David outside the Youth Center. "I was leaving the Youth Center with David a while ago and Billy tried to attack me with some friends of his…"
Katherine turned and gave Mark an alarmed look, "Billy tried to hurt you and David?" she asked.
"Yeah, I don't know much of what happened," Mark replied softly. "I sorta passed out after that."
Katherine frowned and immediately hugged Mark while Tanya looked horrified, "Maybe I'm just overwhelmed about Mum and Dad," Mark said in a tired voice. "I'm just so tired today, Kat."
"Why don't we go hang out in the park?" Tanya spoke up eagerly. "It's a beautiful day out there."
Mark sighed and nodded, "Maybe feeling the sunshine will give me some energy," he replied sadly.
Katherine sighed and put an arm around her brother, "How about a milkshake before we go out?" she suggested, hating that Mark was feeling so upset all the time. "It'll help give you some energy."
"Yeah," Mark replied as he gripped his cane. "Can you and Tanya help me get to the counter, please?"
Katherine smiled and Tanya gently placed her hand in Mark's. The three slowly made their way over to the counter as Thomas and his paramedic partner wheeled Adam out of the Youth Center on a gurney.
"We have to tell Zordon about Prince Gasket," Jason murmured as he and Malcolm followed Thomas.
"…Mister DeSantos?"
Rocky groaned as he lifted his head and quickly realized that he had fallen asleep on the rail that was protecting Ashley from falling out of bed. He saw that Ashley was sound asleep in bed and that an amused looking nurse was lingering near the door holding a medical chart in her manicured hands.
"I came in here to visit a friend's sister and I must have fallen asleep," Rocky commented in an apologetic voice as he straightened up. "Does the doctor want to do more tests on me?"
The nurse nodded and Rocky stood up, "I promised Laura that I'd stay with her sister until she got back from the cafeteria," he explained, not surprised to see that Laura wasn't back. "She's been awfully…"
"Oh, are you talking about that girl who's talking to Lieutenant Stone downstairs?" the nurse asked as Rocky walked around the bed. "She woke up in the park looking kind of beat up not too long ago."
Rocky frowned; Gasket must have sent Laura to the park not knowing that Alpha had brought Ashley back to the hospital without detection earlier. What damage had Kimberly done to Laura, though?
"If you'd like, we can go by the emergency room and check on your friends before going to the blood lab," the nurse offered, seeing how worried Rocky looked about his friends. "Shall we?"
Rocky sighed, "Ashley's gonna be upset if she wakes up and someone isn't here," he replied sadly.
"Well, it's just some more blood that the doctor needs, so I can always draw it here," the nurse stated in a gentle voice. "Just sit tight, Mister DeSantos, and I'll get the supplies I need to draw your blood here."
Rocky nodded and smiled at the nurse as she left the room. He then went back to sitting in the chair at Ashley's bedside and pulled his communicator out of his sock. It was time to tell Zordon about Gasket.
The sight of Dr. Oliver laying still on a gurney in a hospital gown and covered with a blanket while his left leg was in a cast and resting on a fluffy pillow caused Bulk to cringe as he waited at the desk for someone to pick him up. Bulk could also see several IV lines in Dr. Oliver's arms and hands as well as a large bandage covering the area where the needle had been to take blood for Kim's benefit.
Bulk swallowed hard; he could have gotten out earlier like Dr. Oliver wanted him to, but at what cost?
A large hand gently touched his shoulder, but Bulk ignored it as he studied the monitor next to Dr. Oliver's bed and was heartsick about how beat up Dr. Oliver looked, "Bulk, what are you doing here?" Tommy's gentle voice suddenly filtered into his ear. "I thought Skull wasn't allowed any visitors."
Bulk turned and was dumbfounded at the sight of Tommy and David, "The Power Rangers rescued Doctor Oliver and I from some creepy dungeon," he stated in an anxious voice. "Kimberly was there and she didn't help him at all and tried to beat me up when I pulled the needle out of Doctor Oliver's arm…"
David and Tommy exchanged a concerned look and Bulk immediately turned away, "People aren't gonna believe that I was there too and that Kimberly was doing something to hurt somebody else," Bulk commented nervously. "I'm gonna go home and see if it isn't too late to sign up for military school…"
"What is Skull gonna say when you just take off?" Tommy asked in a concerned voice. "He'll be upset."
Bulk shrugged, "Once he gets new bone marrow, he's probably gonna be so busy with his honors classes that he won't have time to hang out with me anymore," he replied. "Anyway, I have to get going."
Tommy watched with concern as Bulk walked off through the emergency entrance, nearly running into Thomas, Jason, and Malcolm, who were coming in with a gurney that contained an unconscious Adam.
"Jason, Malcolm, stay in the waiting area," Thomas said as he helped hurry Adam off into the hospital.
Jason nodded and immediately caught sight of Tommy and David, but before he could speak, he saw a distressed looking Laura walk into the waiting room with a concerned looking Lt. Stone at her side. It was then that Jason noticed that his mother was also in the waiting room looking very compassionate.
"What's your mom doing here, Jason?" Malcolm asked, frowning as he watched Laura talk to Mrs. Lee Scott with an anxious expression on her face. Jason immediately frowned and gave Malcolm a look.
Malcolm sighed, "It's a habit of mine," he replied apologetically. "It's difficult for me to let go."
A soft groan suddenly filled the air and Tommy immediately turned to the bed just as Dr. Oliver's eyes slowly opened, "Uncle Frank?" Tommy asked in an anxious voice. "Uncle Frank, how are you feeling?"
"Very tired," Frank replied in a faint voice as he looked up at Tommy. "Are you and David all right?"
Tommy nodded, "I need you, Adam, and Laura to take care of yourselves until I'm released from the hospital," Frank stated in a faint voice. "Ashley will be released soon, but I made other arrangements…"
"Jason saw Laura in the waiting room with his mom and Lieutenant Stone," Tommy commented.
Frank nodded and sighed, "My house is no place for Ashley until she's physically well," he replied in a faint no-nonsense tone as he gripped the blanket with his left hand. "She needs better care for now."
"Uncle Frank, Adam was brought in by Jason's dad," Tommy explained. "He wasn't feeling well…"
Suddenly, Ms. Appleby came into view and hurried over to Frank's bedside, "I heard on the news that you had been attacked, Frank," she said in a worried voice as she took his hand. "How are you doing?"
"I'm pretty tired," Frank replied softly. "If the Power Rangers hadn't come, I would have been done for."
Ms. Appleby nodded, "That King Mondo fellow sounds scary," she commented as she continued to hold his cold hand in her own warm one. Oh, you'll be happy to know that the blood drive finished well."
"Oh man, I was gonna come and donate," Frank replied tiredly. "I was just so relieved it was Saturday…"
Ms. Appleby smiled, "On my way here, I stopped by the school and told Mister Caplan what happened to you," she explained gently. "There's enough blood from the drive to help a lot of people…"
"The purpose of the drive was to see if someone would be able to help Mister Skullovitch," Frank commented softly, suddenly realizing that David and Tommy were still there. "David, Tommy, I need to get some rest and talk to Miss Appleby before I'm moved to a different place in the hospital, so…"
Tommy nodded, "David and I were thinking of getting some dinner anyway," he replied. "See you."
As Tommy and David walked off, Jason, who had overheard the conversation between Dr. Oliver and Ms. Appleby, frowned and slowly looked around for a hospital staffer. Almost immediately, a nurse came to the desk with a smile on her face that faded a bit when she saw how concerned Jason looked.
"I was wondering if you could help me." Jason asked the nurse. "I want to help a sick friend if I can…"
As the nurse removed the needle and taped a cotton ball to his arm, Rocky sighed and looked at Ashley, who was now awake, "Needles suck," Ashley commented in a tired voice. "Did it hurt a lot, Rocky?"
"Nope," Rocky lied, wanting to be brave for Ashley's sake. "Getting needles doesn't ever hurt me."
Ashley nodded and smiled, "Thanks for sitting with me," she replied. "Laura's been with me a lot and…"
"Ashley, we need to talk," Laura said, cutting Ashley off as she suddenly entered the room with Jason's mother and Lt. Stone behind her. "Rocky can stay if he wants, but you're not coming to Doctor Oliver's with me when you get out of the hospital. You need more care than I'm able to give you right now."
Ashley frowned at the sight of Jason's parents, but said nothing, "You remember my friends, Jason and Malcolm?" Laura asked as she gestured to Jason's parents. "Mister and Mrs. Lee Scott are going to let you stay with them until you're well enough to be able to do basic things without a lot of help. Mister Lee Scott is busy working, but Jason's mom wanted to meet you and get to know you a little bit."
"Doctor Oliver is willing to take care of me even though he's gotta go to work!" Ashley protested sadly.
Laura sighed, "Ashley, Doctor Oliver was injured by a mean robot named King Mondo today," she replied as she backed up towards the door. "The Lee Scotts will be able to take care of you better…"
There was an awkward silence and then Laura swallowed hard, "Anyway, I should go and see about getting some dinner," she said, wanting Ashley to get to know the Lee Scotts and learn to trust them.
"Rocky, can you go make sure my sister's okay?" Ashley asked, suddenly worried about Laura's mood.
Rocky nodded, stood up, and quickly left the room, leaving Ashley alone with Helen. Ashley stared up at Lt. Stone and Helen in wonder; were some adults really kinder and gentler than her parents?
Adam watched as Thomas talked with a doctor just outside of the trauma room, but he could only see the concerned expressions on their faces; he couldn't make out what they were saying about him.
A nurse suddenly touched his forehead and Adam froze, "…Adam, are you all right?" she asked in a gentle voice as she looked at him. Adam silently nodded and clung to the blanket covering his waist.
There was a small silence and them Adam sighed, "I'm feeling a lot better," he said in as brave a tone as he could muster as he gazed up at the nurse. "Can't you just give me my clothes and let me leave?"
The nurse said nothing, so Adam sat up and pushed the blanket away, "Look, I'm not going to be held prisoner in the hospital," he said anxiously. "Where are my clothes and my stuff? I want out of here."
"Adam, hold on," Thomas said as he opened the door and entered the room. "You need to stay here."
Adam shook his head and instinctively took a step back with his hands raised, "Adam, I know what you've been through and I know you don't trust a lot of people," Thomas said as he sat down on the stool next to the empty gurney to give Adam space. "I've been a paramedic for a long time and I've seen a lot of people suffer from situations like what you've been through. Why don't you come sit down?"
Before Adam, who was very confused by Mr. Lee Scott's gentle personality, could reply, the door opened and Malcolm came into the trauma room, "Uncle Thomas?" Malcolm asked softly. "Jason wants to talk to you at the admit desk for a minute about something important. I can stay with Adam."
"All right, Malcolm," Thomas replied as he stood up, a little worried why Malcolm was suddenly referring to him as 'uncle' again even though they had adopted him. "See you in a few minutes."
Malcolm was silent as Thomas left the room followed by the nurse, "I heard you were in here and decided to see what I could do to help you," Malcolm explained. "Do you wanna talk about it?"
"Since when did you start acting so standoffish?" Adam asked, concerned. "Calling Jason's dad 'uncle'?"
Malcolm sighed, "I'm really missing my parents, dude," he replied softly. "You can't tell Kat, though."
"Can you help me get out of here?" Adam asked nervously. "I hate hospitals with a passion."
Malcolm chuckled and took a seat on the stool, "I spent quite a bit of time in the hospital when I first came to Angel Grove, so I agree," he replied calmly. "Even though it was nearly a year ago, I still can't remember a lot of what happened except that I woke up in the hospital with really serious injuries."
"Didn't Doctor Oliver help you, though?" Adam asked in a worried voice. "How can you not…"
Malcolm sighed, "I should stop grieving and act like an adult," he replied. "It's not fair to Jason or his parents for me to keep expecting attention. I have a responsibility to find my own way in the world."
"If you're still grieving, Malcolm, you should tell someone," Adam stated, seeing Malcolm's sadness.
Malcolm, however, was silent and looked at the floor and all Adam could do was gently pat his shoulder.
"Well, well, well," Rita hooted with glee as she came out of her underground cavern boudoir and saw that Kimberly and Billy were unconscious and tied together in the middle of the room while Goldar and Scorpina stood over them. "I thought that Kimberly and Billy were still Power Rangers, Goldar?!"
Goldar shook his head, "Billy's been in Africa with Zack and a civilian friend and Kimberly's been a prisoner of the Machine Empire for a long time," he replied. "We found Kimberly a few days ago on a beach and she had apparently been abandoned by the Machine Empire and left to die in the water."
"Excellent," Rita replied as her gaze shifted to the perfectly round boulder that sat upon a destroyed cairn at the far end of the room. "Lock them away for the moment and help me figure out a plan to get my Moon Palace back from those pesky metal heads that call themselves the Machine Empire!"
Goldar grinned, "We could always kidnap Prince Zedison and help him to remember his place in your kingdom now that you have returned," he stated earnestly. "I am sure that you and Lord Zedd…"
"Did someone speak my name?" Lord Zedd spoke as he suddenly came out of a nearby chamber and saw Kimberly and Billy in the middle of the floor. "Goldar, did I hear you mention my precious son?"
Scorpina nodded, "He is a blind mortal named Mark Hillard who lives in Angel Grove with Princess Katherine, another girl named Tanya, and a young man named David Trueheart," she commented in a gleeful voice. "Goldar and I tried to get access to Prince Zedison with Billy's help, but…."
"The time is not yet right to force Prince Zedison to remember!" Lord Zedd roared menacingly. "Besides, while Rita and I were away, we learned of the rules of Zedison's power! Zedison must unite with the other half of his power source in order for the memories of Rita's spell to resurface effectively."
Goldar sighed, "We do not yet know where the other half of the power source is, Lord Zedd!" he replied.
Lord Zedd roared, grabbed Rita's wand, and shot a bolt of red light at the boulder. The boulder suddenly glowed and faded into something that resembled a crystal ball. Rita grinned when an image of Malcolm and Adam appeared in the ball and appeared to be what looked like a very clean hospital room.
"The other half of that power source that came to Earth nearly a year ago is none other than Malcolm Lee Scott of Angel Grove!" Zedd grunted, deeply infuriated. "Zordon had Tommy use the last of his Green Ranger power to alter Earth's history for Malcolm to fit in! There is nothing to reverse that!"
Rita's eyes widened, "I knew it!" she crowed. "I knew that there was something odd about Malcolm!"
"Malcolm?" Kimberly's voice suddenly asked even though she remained asleep. "Where's Malcolm?"
Rita suddenly looked amused, "We can use Kimberly and Billy to get a hold of Malcolm!" she crowed.
"Not a bad thought, Rita," Zedd replied in an amused voice. "Malcolm's got a desire to help everyone he can get through their problems while neglecting himself. He'll rush to help Kimberly and Billy…"
Rita nodded, but suddenly sneezed, "We have to figure out how to take back our Moon Palace," she pouted as she hugged herself to keep warm. "It's horribly cold down here and I hate it!"
"…Jason, if you really want to do this, I have no problem with giving consent," Laura and Rocky heard Thomas say nearby. "You do realize that you're going to have to take it easy for a few days after?"
Not wanting Thomas or Jason to see her in such a worn out state, Laura looked at Rocky, "I have to go," she said in a nervous voice as she edged towards the emergency room door. "Ashley's in good hands and I have to figure out what I'm going to do now that I have no responsibilities other than school."
"Are you sure you should be alone right now, Laura?" Rocky asked nervously. "You need rest."
Laura shook her head and immediately rubbed her bruised throat, "I don't want to be around anyone right now after being hurt by Kimberly," she replied in a whispery voice. "I just want to be alone."
"Where are you going to go?" Rocky asked in a worried voice. "It's starting to get dark out there."
Laura sighed, "Rocky, it doesn't matter," she replied, not wanting to tell him that Kimberly's evil energy was threatening to force her to harm the Rangers every moment she was near them. "I have to leave."
Before Rocky could reply, Laura rushed out of the hospital so she wouldn't hurt him. She could feel the evil power slowly taking away her energy and gentle nature and she had to get away; very far away. The Zeo Rangers had their own lives, Laura thought; they didn't need to worry about her.
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