September

Deeply exhausted from a long day's work, Dr. Oliver silently rolled away from the desk in his newly expanded office and over to the door. He had spent a few days in the hospital before returning home to recover for the rest of the summer. He was now back to work, but his spine had suffered such injury that he needed a wheelchair at times. Fortunately for him, the school had expanded his office and had given him a wheelchair that he could use during school hours.

Dr. Oliver gritted his teeth as he lifted himself into a standing position with help from his crutches and secured the chair in the office before locking it. He slowly hobbled down the quiet hallway and out into the warm afternoon, smiling as he saw teens scattered across the lawn.

As he hobbled on to the sidewalk and towards Ernie's to meet Rocky, who would drive them both home after he got out of classes, Dr. Oliver suddenly saw a dark car pull up to an empty spot at the curb and roll its windows down. Something caused him to freeze in his tracks just as the car doors burst open and two masked men shot out and ran over to where he was standing.

"Tommy misses you," a dark voice said as Dr. Oliver backed away slowly. "He needs you."

The departing students, which included Kira, all froze in horror as Dr. Oliver passed out and some tried to stop the men, but nobody could come near them as they dragged him away.

Once the car was gone, Kira ran to Ernie's and as she hurried inside, she saw Jason sitting at a table with Ziggy on his lap, both of them watching as Malcolm taught a karate class for younger kids, including Nick, while Katherine waited on customers, "Jason?" Kira spoke anxiously.

"Hey, Kira, how are you?" Jason asked in a kind voice. "How was school today?"

Kira sniffled, "I was on my way here when I saw Doctor Oliver get attacked and kidnapped by these masked men," she explained anxiously, tears in her eyes. "They were in this car and lots of people were around, but nobody could get close to the men. They said Tommy missed him."

"Tommy?" Jason asked, frowning as sirens suddenly filled the air. "I don't understand…"

Tears filled Kira's eyes, "What are we going to do without Doctor Oliver?" she asked softly.

"I'll call Laura and we'll take you and Nick to our place," Jason replied, hosting Ziggy to his shoulder as he stood up. "We have a house not far from here that has plenty of room."

Kira nodded and frowned as Rocky came into the Juice Bar wearing jeans and a sweater-vest with a bag over his shoulder, "Rocky, some bad guys took Doctor Oliver from school," she said.

"The gems," Rocky whispered, frowning as he and Jason made eye-contact. "Kira, I want you and Nick to go over to Jason and Laura's for supper, okay? I'll be there as soon as I can."

Jason frowned as Rocky hugged Kira and Nick, "Want to stay with you," Nick murmured.

"I'll come by for supper," Rocky promised in an anxious voice. "Please do as I say."

Jason sighed as he moved Ziggy to his shoulder and stood up, "Jason," an anxious voice called out as Laura suddenly came rushing into the Juice Bar. "Cops are all over the school…"

"I want Doctor Oliver," Kira whimpered as she hugged Laura. "Why was he kidnapped?"

Laura frowned, "I don't know," she replied anxiously. "I wish I understood why he was."

"Be careful what you wish for," a dark voice suddenly echoed overhead all of them, causing Malcolm and his entire class to freeze in shock. "You may just get what you wished for."

The ground shook violently and Kira screamed as the room was suddenly pitched into darkness.

"Take a moment to adjust your eyes to darkness, my dear," a voice called out to Laura.

Laura blinked and a reddish light came into view, as did many shadows, "Your experiment seems to be working, Doctor Oliver!" she suddenly heard a dark voice say. "Genius work."

Swallowing hard, Laura felt her way along the darkened walls and froze when she came into the light and saw Doctor Oliver lying unconscious on a table surrounded by tubes and wires that appeared to be draining life from him. To Laura's shock, Tommy was standing at a console in a labcoat and glasses, working feverishly as someone in the shadows laughed darkly.

"Tommy, what are you doing?" Laura asked coldly. "You're…you're killing your uncle!"

Tommy looked up from his console and stared at Laura with red eyes, "I asked for the gems and they are gone, so now I must do what must be done," he spoke in a voice not like his own.

"This isn't like you, Tommy Oliver!" Laura snapped. "It's not like you to murder!"

Tommy snarled, "This is what power and knowledge combined does when so-called friends refuse their support," he hissed. "Billy refused to donate his mind, so I will do it this way."

"Is there not anything else that can spare your uncle?" Laura asked in a shaking voice.

The figure from the shadows gasped, "You have nothing you can give," it hissed darkly.

"What if I give my ability to give life?" Laura replied softly. "Would that be enough?"

Tommy frowned and the figure from the shadows hummed, "You can't make that kind of decision without Jason's consent!" Tommy snapped. "He's always wanted to have kids!"

"Jason will understand when I tell him why I gave it up," Laura replied in a sharp voice.

Swallowing hard, Laura gently touched Dr. Oliver's face, "Do it," she ordered. "Revive him."

Tommy swore, "You don't understand what you are doing!" he shouted crassly. "Fool!"

"SILENCE!" the figure in the shadows shouted. "This one is more noble than all mortals!"

Swallowing hard, Laura watched as a beam of light shot out from the darkness and engulfed both her and Dr. Oliver. Within a few seconds, it was over and both Tommy and the figure were gone, leaving Laura standing over a now breathing, but unconscious Dr. Oliver.

"Doctor Oliver?" Laura asked anxiously, gently touching his arm. "Doctor Oliver, can you…"

Dr. Oliver groaned and the scene shifted to a road outside of a large house that Laura knew belonged to Billy, Kimberly, and Trent. Dr. Cranston also lived there, but he was often gone for conferences around the world concerning medical developments. Shaking, Laura knelt beside Dr. Oliver and removed her sweater, determined to keep him safe from any harm that came.

As tears came to Laura's eyes, she heard the front door open and footsteps approach them, "You did something to stop Tommy's attempt," Billy's voice spoke. "I felt the world going dark."

"Please just get Doctor Oliver some help," Laura spoke shakily. "I don't want to discuss it."

Billy nodded and pulled out his cell-phone, watching Laura the whole time he dialed 9-1-1.

You know what to do, Rocky. I trust you to protect these things that I entrust to you.

Rocky trembled as he silently stared at the small box of gems that Dr. Oliver had given him to be the keeper of. He had brought Kira and Nick back to Dr. Oliver's and was preparing dinner while the two children did their homework. A simple lasagna had been prepared and while it was baking in the oven, Rocky found himself figuring out what to do with the gems even though he already knew the answer.

Not long before the attack that had confined him to a wheelchair part-time, Dr. Oliver had pulled Rocky into the office for a private chat while Kira and Nick were doing homework. He had said that he was getting older, the world was changing, and it was no longer safe for him to carry the gems and that it was time to pass them on.

Rocky had humbly asked why Tommy couldn't take them, as Tommy was family. Dr. Oliver had admitted his lack of trust in Tommy and had explained that Tommy had been overtaken by a darkness that had come from an obsession to replicate the power of the gems. Dr. Oliver also admitted that he knew Rocky had been through many more struggles than anyone he knew and his heart had remained pure and humble during all of them, so he was worthy of the gems.

With a heavy heart, Rocky had accepted the responsibility and knew immediately that he had to divide them among equally worthy people for safety reasons. The first thought that came to his mind were Jason and Laura, as they both had pure hearts and truly cared about what was important. Their hearts had remained pure despite all the horrors that they had endured.

"He gave them to me because he knew I would someday be alone," Rocky spoke quietly.

The sound of knocking suddenly permeated Rocky's ears and he quickly put the gems back in his pocket because he couldn't share them with just anyone. Quickly rising from the table, he went to the front room and saw that Malcolm and Katherine had let themselves in.

"Hi," Rocky spoke nervously. "If you're here to see how things are going, I'm managing."

Malcolm frowned and then a look of realization came over his face because he could see that Dr. Oliver had passed the burden of the gems along, "You have them?" he asked quietly.

"Please don't be jealous or angry, Malcolm," Rocky spoke quietly. "Doctor Oliver asked…"

Malcolm nodded understandingly, "I will always have my own power and you are the best to care for the gems until they can be passed on," he spoke quietly. "We have some news."

"Any word on Doctor Oliver?" Rocky asked in a worried voice. "Kira and Nick are worried."

Malcolm shook his head, "It's been several days and everyone is on alert for any sign of him and Laura disappeared not long after he did, so I'm sure she's looking," he replied somberly. "I felt a darkness on my way over here and as quickly as it came, it suddenly faded from my mind."

Katherine frowned and followed Rocky and Malcolm into the kitchen, "Anyway, we wanted to tell you that Katherine's pregnant," Malcolm spoke softly. "We just found out today."

"That's really nice news," Rocky replied calmly. "But why tell me? Why not tell Jason first?"

Malcolm sighed, "I did tell him and he sent along his congratulations, but Ziggy keeps him very busy and he's also very worried about Laura," he explained worriedly. "He's on leave from work and staying with his parents because all of this is bringing back memories of New York."

Before Rocky could reply, Malcolm's cell phone rang and he quickly answered it with hope.

"You're trembling, Laura," Billy spoke in a concerned voice as he watched Laura sit down on the bed in the hospital room where she had been invited to rest. "Do you want a jacket or…?"

Shaking her head, Laura looked at the floor, "I'll be all right," she spoke in a trembling voice.

"Did you want to talk about what happened?" Billy asked softly. "You did something…"

Laura nodded and tears came to her eyes, "I asked to understand why Doctor Oliver was taken and I was suddenly in this dark place," she spoke shakily. "Doctor Oliver was on this table and he looked dead while his life energy was in this machine. Tommy was there and he seemed to be following the instructions of someone I couldn't see. I offered my help to Doctor Oliver."

Billy nodded, but said nothing, "Jason's going to leave me when he finds out what I've done," Laura spoke shakily, unable to show any emotion. "I saved Doctor Oliver at a heavy price."

"What did you do?" Billy asked in a concerned voice, noticing Laura's heavy fatigue.

Before Laura could reply, the door opened and Jason hurried into the room, his face filled with concern and love as he embraced Laura, "Jason," Laura spoke shakily. "I made a very big sacrifice to rescue Doctor Oliver from where ever he was. I gave my ability to give life."

Jason was quiet for a moment and then nodded as he continued to hold Laura, "We'll be all right," he spoke quietly, understanding what Laura meant. "You're a beautiful person."

"I love you," Laura whispered, her strength fading from her ordeal. "I'm so tired."

Jason nodded and helped Laura lie down, "I love you," he spoke as he covered her with a blanket at the end of the bed before joining her on the bed and holding her close to him.

"Where's Ziggy?" Laura spoke weakly, fighting the urge to rest. "I hope he's safe?"

Jason sighed gently, "Ziggy's with my parents," he spoke softly. "Go to sleep, my love."

As Jason held the sleeping Laura in his arms, Billy silently left the room because he didn't want credit for finding Laura and Dr. Oliver. He only wanted to know why Tommy did what he did.

It didn't take Billy long to reach the room where Dr. Oliver was resting and he was relieved to see Kimberly, Adam, and a shaken Tanya sitting on chairs in the hallway. Billy, however, did not speak to anyone and simply let himself into Dr. Oliver's hospital room.

A quick look at the machines told Billy that Dr. Oliver's encounter with Tommy had done much damage, but he was alive. Flowers and get well cards littered the tables and windowsills.

"Tommy?" Billy suddenly heard Dr. Oliver ask in a weak voice while his eyes remained closed.

Billy sighed as he approached the bed, "It's Billy," he replied in a quiet, concerned voice.

"Tell Allan, Thomas, and Karen I am sorry," Dr. Oliver spoke weakly. "I lost the battle."

Billy frowned, but before he could speak, there was a flash of light and a being in a silver battle uniform stood there, "Mark?" he asked shakily. "Mark, what are you doing here?"

"Cassie felt I was needed and I felt I needed to summon my powers," Mark replied quietly.

Billy's eyes widened as Mark silently raised his hands, "I feel that a great evil has taken one of our own and has tried to influence them to destroy," Mark spoke softly. "I know what happened between Doctor Oliver, Laura, and Tommy because I could feel it happening."

Billy nodded, but said nothing, "Even without my sight, I can see the pain and what happened," Mark continued quietly. "I give my own power so that Laura's sacrifice will not be in vain."

Closing his eyes, Mark waved his hands and Billy's eyes widened as beams of light emanated from them and engulfed Doctor Oliver, sending an aura of healing through the room.

"Rocky?"

Rocky sighed as he cleared the dishes from the table, but said nothing to Malcolm, "Kira, Nick, go do your homework," he said, gazing at Kira and Nick kindly. "I'll check it in a little while."

Once Nick and Kira had left the kitchen, Rocky swallowed hard, "Malcolm, I have to take care of a few things and then I need to disappear into the world for a while," he spoke softly.

"I'm not sure I follow," Malcolm replied quietly. "You're to be our baby's godfather."

Rocky sighed, "Doctor Oliver entrusted me with the gems, but I can already feel that whatever took control of Tommy wants them badly," he replied solemnly. "I have to separate the gems and disappear for a while. There is nothing anyone can do about Tommy for a long time yet."

"Disappear where?" Malcolm asked in a worried voice. "Rocky, you've got Kira and Nick…"

Rocky sighed heavily, "I've already talked to Kira and Nick about it and Jason and Laura have agreed to adopt them," he replied quietly. "I've got to take this black gem and go on my journey alone."

Malcolm was silent for several moments and nodded, "You, Jason, Laura, and Billy will have the other gems," Rocky replied softly. "Laura, Jason, and Billy will be coming over tonight and we'll have a meeting about it. I've also prepared papers so that Jason and Laura can adopt…."

The doorbell suddenly rang and Malcolm got up to answer it, leaving Rocky alone and deep in thought about what he had to do. A moment later, Malcolm returned with Billy, Laura, and Jason. Rocky sighed and moved over to the kitchen table, watching as the others followed suit.

"Thank you all for coming so quickly," Rocky spoke quietly. "I don't have a lot of time."

Swallowing hard, Rocky reached into his pocket and pulled out the box of gems that he had carried since Dr. Oliver had entrusted them to him, "Laura, you've sacrificed much more than anyone would expect and you've got a true heart of gold," he said in a kind voice as he plucked the yellow gem out of the box and held it out to Laura. May this protect you from harm."

Laura gasped as the gem morphed into a heart-shaped necklace that was the same color as the gem and settled itself around her neck, "Jason, you are the best choice to guard the red gem because you are and always will be the first Red Ranger of the modern war," Rocky said as he took the red gem from the box and held it out to Jason, allowing it to transform itself into a red watch that settled itself around Jason's wrist. "Allow this power to heal what pain you have."

Rocky then plucked the white gem out of the box and held it out to Billy, allowing it to transform into a snappy looking ring that settled on his ring finger below his wedding band, "Billy, noble and brave, please take this and protect this power with your heart," he spoke.

"I'm honored," Billy replied in an awed voice. "I'll protect this with my life."

Rocky nodded, took the blue gem out of the box, and held it out to Malcolm, "Malcolm, I know you've been through so much and carried so much power, but you're meant to have a little more," he spoke, smiling as the gem transformed itself into a ring for Malcolm's finger.

There was a heavy silence as Rocky plucked the black gem out of the box and closed his hand over it, sighing as the gem transformed itself into a small necklace around his neck, "Jason, Laura, I've drawn up the papers so you can adopt Kira and Nick," he said in a quiet voice.

"We'll take good care of them, Rocky," Laura replied softly. "I promise you that."

Rocky nodded and put the box away as he stood up, "I may not see any of you again before I leave, so it has been very nice having such an awesome family," he spoke in a quiet voice.

"Frank."

Feeling a gentle hand on his face, Dr. Oliver opened his eyes and was surprised to see Miss Appleby sitting at his bedside, "Elizabeth," he spoke weakly. "I'm very happy to see you."

"Frank, you've endured so much," Miss Appleby spoke softly. "Were you helping them?"

Dr. Oliver nodded, "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before about my role before," he replied in a quiet voice, realizing that Miss Appleby now knew that he had been helping the Power Rangers for years. "Zordon asked me to keep it quiet so that their identities would remain unknown."

"I understand," Miss Appleby replied softly, taking Dr. Oliver's hand. "You've been so brave."

Dr. Oliver sighed, "Elizabeth, I have something to tell you," he replied in a tired voice.

Miss Appleby nodded, "Zordon said that after I spent a season helping the world be safe, I would be granted an opportunity for the happiness I gave up long ago to protect the world," Dr. Oliver spoke softly. "I know we were close as teenagers, but that terrible war changed things and by the time I came home, I was changed. Please, Elizabeth, do you still love me even now?"

"Yes, Frank," Miss Appleby replied in an anxious voice. "I've never stopped loving you at all."

Dr. Oliver smiled, "Please, marry me," he replied softly. "Let's have a season of happiness."

Miss Appleby's eyes filled with tears and she responded by chuckling and kissing Dr. Oliver as much as she could, "Just something simple, quiet, and as fast as possible," he said, smiling.

"When you get out of here, we will get married," Ms. Appleby promised, kissing him again.

"This room belongs to you, Kira," Laura said in a gentle voice, holding Ziggy close as she led Kira into a room that had a bed, desk, computer, and dresser. "I hope you'll be comfortable here."

Still shaken by the fact that Rocky had decided to let her and Nick go be adopted by Laura and Jason because they deserved a real family, Kira nodded, "I miss Uncle Rocky," she spoke softly.

"I know, Kira," Laura replied softly, giving Kira a hug. "I promise that you'll be safe here."

Kira nodded and eyed her room, "Can I get stuff to decorate it with, Mom?" she asked quietly.

"Of course you can, Kira," Laura replied gently, pleased that Kira was accepting the situation.

Just then, Nick ran down the hallway giggling madly as Jason chased him, "Daddy said I could buy awesome dinosaur stuff for my room," he said, squealing as Jason caught and tickled him.

"Why do you show me this?!" Tommy, who was furious that the gems had been hidden and divided to a point where he could not find them, shouted. "I don't care about Jason or…"

A chuckle echoed from the darkness and Tommy struggled against the bindings that held him to the metal table, "Your mind can lie, but I know your heart, Tommy Oliver," the voice said as a figure clad in a dark robe came out of the shadows. "Your heart wishes for more than simple…"

Tommy cringed as the figure placed a star like magnet on his forehead, "Your life force will help the gems be found and give you the power you desire, Tommy Oliver," the figure hissed.

"Anton, I don't know what happened to you, but you don't have to help me," Tommy replied softly, his voice shaking over what he had done to his uncle earlier. "I can do it by myself."

The figure chuckled and there was a small snap, sending an electric shockwave through and around Tommy from the magnet, "You're conflicted," the voice spoke softly. "This will help."

Tommy let out a yell of agony as he felt his memories, his old power, and his strength being used against him to turn his mind cold. Several moments later, the shocks stopped abruptly.

"Your mind is now focused and there will come a time where you will be able to get what you want with your power," the dark voice said coldly as Tommy shuddered. "Rest for now."

Intense feelings of euphoria and darkness filled Tommy's mind as he slowly blacked out.

Most of Angel Grove was still asleep when Rocky and Billy met at the edge of the city; Billy had brought his car from the house and Rocky was on a motorcycle that had a bag on the back. Billy got out of the car and Rocky got off the bike, both men knowing that they had very little time to say goodbye because the storm was near.

"Guard the gems," Rocky spoke in a quiet, worried voice. "Stay close to the other keepers."

Billy nodded and hugged Rocky, "I'll do my best to go into hiding for however long I can," Rocky promised as he returned the hug and retreated to the bike. "You've been a good friend, Billy."

Thunder rumbled as Rocky got on the bike, revved it up, and quickly took off out of Angel Grove while Billy watched, his mind and heart both aware that this sudden separation had to happen because nobody was yet strong enough to fight.

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