In Chapter 18: What hasn’t been destroyed by natural disasters caused by Teeg’s towers is being ripped apart by her evil Rangers. Now the focus must shift on preserving what can be saved and somehow liberate not only their friends, but themselves.

All things Power Rangers belong to Saban and Disney. All things Carri belong to KJ, with many thanks. Demonking belongs solely to Daniel White and Teeg and Rexo belong to KS & me. The premise of the Coin Series was inspired from a story written by Terry, Chris, Daniel, Brice, Katey and myself.

All events in The Coin Series take place in an alternate dimension

Power Rangers: The Coin Series
Descending Into Chaos

Kim’s heart was pounding as the three Ninjetti re-entered the Command Center. Tommy was alive. It didn’t matter how, it didn’t matter why. He was alive…and that changed everything.

“I don’t get it.” Carri said, pulling her hood back and finding her way over to Rocky’s side. “He didn’t attack, there was no fight.”

“It was an honorable meeting on the battlefield.” Jason said, fatigue clearly showing through in his voice as he pulled his own hood back. “An acknowledgement that both forces are Rangers and will fight as Rangers; despite the fact that the other guys are on Teeg’s side.”

“So that’s it? We just draw an invisible line in the sand and challenge them to cross it?” She asked with more than a little frustration.

“Tommy drew the line.” He responded. “He’s got more power on his side and he knows it. There’s no honor in attacking a weak enemy…until that enemy decides to strike first. He’ll wait and see what we do next, then he’ll try and crush us as quickly as possible; which won’t be too hard unless we can get a grid up and running.” He said, giving Adam a sardonic look.

“Did you see the sword?” Kim asked wearily, leaning against the concrete wall of the chamber. She had removed her own hood and rubbed her temples absently with shaking fingers. Jason turned and met her eyes uneasily; noting the calm pose and also the tell tale signs of her heat signatures; which indicated both the fatigue they all felt as well as a nervous adrenaline surge.

“I saw it.” He said gruffly. “You remember how hard it was to destroy that thing the first time?” He asked and she nodded. “Three Ninjetti aren’t gonna get very far against him, you know that.”

“You and I didn’t have Muirantian powers last time.” She answered, taking a deep breath and pushing away from the wall. “Alright guys, let’s put our heads together and figure this out. We can’t beat Tommy by force, we’re gonna have to out think him.”

“Oh gee.” Carri said mordantly. “And I thought this was gonna be hard…”

Kira made a small disgusted sound as the blue and black Rangers tore apart a viratron they had usurped for target practice. The screeching sound in her head increased its volume, just as it had when they were face to face on the planet’s surface against the Ninjetti; she nearly visibly winced from the pain of it. She didn’t understand the excruciating sound, it only seemed to hit her at the oddest times; the times when she should be relishing the evil power coursing through her.

Although painful, it also was distantly familiar. It wasn’t like the roar of the Sabertooth tiger, urging her into a bloody attack. It was high pitched, almost birdlike, but no bird Kira knew of could make that kind of high volume scream. It was that scream that prevented her from lunging into an attack against the Ninjetti when she’d first spotted them and it was the same scream that made her sick to her stomach as she watched the two men tear apart the viratron.

Something deep inside her was preventing her from relishing the most wicked feelings, feelings that she knew she should be savoring, but she didn’t know why. It was a seriously dangerous complication and one she knew their mistress would have no qualms about killing her over. As the Viratron fell into a bloody disembodied mess on the metal floor, the scream once again rocked her, making her physically ill.

“You have a problem with the destruction of an underling?” Tommy snarled. He’d seen her wince, heard the disgusted sound she made. In truth, he commiserated with her feeling at the site, but he would not tolerate dissention in one of his Rangers.

“It’s a waste of resources.” She responded with equal venom, meeting his eyes and challenging him to accuse her of being weak. “They could have used one of the claybots. Viratrons are more difficult to replace. To destroy one for no other reason than target practice is a misuse of valuable time both in capturing and converting them.”

“Claybots don’t bloody the way viratrons do.” He answered evenly, but with a distinct warning in his tone. “ A Ranger won’t disintegrate the way a claybot does. The body will tear, blood will spill, and they will continue to rebound even when they are near death. Better to learn to revel in the bloodlust now than be confused by it when it counts most.”

Kira narrowed her eyes in what she hoped was a scowl. The scream inside her head had grown so loud she could hear nothing else. Tommy retuned her gaze coldly and at last she jerked her eyes away. “I still say it’s a waste of resources so close to battle.” She responded, then turned and strode purposely down the corridor and away from the mauling.

As Tommy watched her go his eyes narrowed. He wasn’t fooled at all, she was repulsed by the mauling, not the waste. He understood. He knew his duty, knew what his mistress desired of him and the other Rangers and, for the most part, reveled in the glory of the destruction to come. Yet there was also…something.

The ghostlike eyes that had haunted him since his awakening floated just outside his consciousness, then disappeared, once more taunting him just beyond his grasp. He knew now whose eyes they were, the sight of them in living flesh, staring back at him from across the battlefield had been disconcerting. They were her eyes; his enemy. Yet why they should unsettle him, he didn’t understand. There was something about her that he had to remember, something about that memory that made the sight of the mutilated viratron in front of him repulse him as much as it had Kira. His fist clenched in frustration and, as he looked down at it, he was startled to see it slowly disappear.

“So…in plain English?” Conner asked. Hayley was briefing Kim and Jason on her findings and, even though he technically wasn’t on this particular committee, it was his former teammates they were discussing. Ethan and Trent had also found their way into the meeting and both of them appeared as eager for news as he was.

Trent was obviously, visibly, upset over Kira. Although she had confided in Conner that things between them had been on again-off again and fading in the years since high school, and were most definitely over since she’d dropped by his house only to find him occupied with someone else, her former boyfriend restlessly paced the small room; agitated and waiting for the worst to happen. Something about his friend’s attitude irritated him. If he was so damned concerned and desperate for her, why’d he go out and cheat on her just before she’d been kidnapped? He dismissed his disgruntled feelings as soon as he noticed them. It was none of his business what his former teammates did or didn’t do with each other and, despite their friendship, Trent’s moodiness had always annoyed him.

Conner had his own guilty feelings to grapple with. It had been his idea to go to the coffee shop and he felt it was his failure as a Ranger that had led to her abduction. That’s why he was so worried about her; at least, that’s what he told himself.

“What I’m saying is that the Dinogems are bonded to the Dino Thunder team’s DNA. It’s not like a coin that utilizes the Ranger’s energy, then retreats. The gems actually fused with the DNA and altered it. Which is why you’ve all retained a small portion of your powers even though the gems are technically defunct. They’re a primeval form of morphing crystal, not meant for human use, so it’s doubtful that Teeg knows about them or, even if she does, it’s unlikely she’d know much about them or suspect Tommy had utilized them.”

“Wouldn’t Dr. O or Kira just tell her?” Ethan asked.

“No.” Kim said firmly, shaking her head. “Teeg doesn’t leave her minions with their memories, it’s too dangerous they’d turn back. They’ll simply wake up knowing they’re her slaves and nothing else.”

“So you think the Dino gem residue could counteract the Dragonzord coin?” Jason asked seriously; that could save them a world of hurt in the long run if all they had to do was wait for Tommy to switch back sides on his own.

“No.” Hayley said regretfully, shaking her head, and several pairs of shoulders slumped. “The gems simply don’t have that much power left in them, and the residues inside Kira and Tommy are minute, but it might confuse them, make them think twice about performing an evil act or revolt them if they watch someone else perform an evil act. It might be disconcerting enough that…well, there’s a good chance it might slow them down a bit. If we think it through, maybe we could use that to our advantage.”

“Believe me,” Jason said with feeling, “We’re gonna need to utilize every weakness we can against Tommy.

“I agree.” Hayley said. “He’s not only a powerful Ranger, he’s capable of making one-eighty leaps in strategy that are so totally, bafflingly, successful they leave you scratching your head and wondering how he did it.”

“And that’s when he’s working for the good side and doesn’t have any reservations about getting mean and nasty. ” Adam added. “I haven’t forgotten what it was like after Gasket finished with him.” He said when Jason gave him a curious look.

“Is there any way we can umf up the power in the gems?” Conner asked.

“Umf?” Ethan countered, smiling even though the situation really didn’t call for it.

“You know, power ‘em up, charge ‘em a little.” Conner defended.

“Oh my god…I’d so forgotten your terminology.” Ethan chuckled.

“I’m serious.” Conner pressed. “If we can somehow get enough power to the part of the Dinogems that’re still inside Dr. O and Kira… maybe that would snap them out of it.”

“Dude, it’s just not that simple.” Ethan said gently. “You’re talking residues and mutated genes…those things really don’t charge up.” He didn’t want to offend his friend, but neither Dr. O nor Kira actually had their gems on them and you couldn’t just plug in a cell and charge it like a battery.

“That might actually work.” Hayley said, chewing her lip as she thought over the idea.

“It would?” Ethan asked, stunned.

“Yes…but the question is if we have the time to devote to creating a power source specific enough and powerful enough to charge the cellular markers left by the gem.”

“Unless you can pull it off in the next hour,” Jason said seriously “We don’t have time to monkey with it. Are we all agreed at this point that we need to first try our hand at destroying that sword?”

There was a reluctant nod among those assembled and the topic switched back to the problem of the grids. As Billy filled them in on the progress, or lack thereof, in decontaminating Earth’s network, Kim leaned over to Hayley and very quietly told her to pursue the idea of charging the gems. Conner had only heard  the comment because he was sitting close, but it was somehow reassuring to know that Kim took his ideas seriously; like Dr. O had.

He didn’t know much about Tommy’s girlfriend, or wife as it turned out to be, other than his mentor got downright goofy when he talked about her, but the other reds were surprisingly unanimous in their support. Maybe she wasn’t so bad after all.

As Carri walked down the restricted hallway out of Billy’s lab, she was shocked to see it guarded by Wes and Eric’s Silver Guardians. They nodded at her uniform, saluted, and then let her pass into the main section of level eight. The old conference rooms had been turned into living quarters for the unmarried, active duty Rangers, which was odd enough to see, but at the entrance to the hall, where a great looming warehouse space should have stood, she stopped in stunned wonder.

Gone was the looming industrial warehouse shell and in its place was a dead end into a staircase marked “Level 2” with an arrow pointing upward. To her right, under the corner of the first flight of stairs was a sign marked “Level 1: CAUTION, Low Ceiling.”

Stunned, she stood there for a second, wondering what she should do. Finally, she turned to one of the Silver Guardians asked, “Uhm, my family is in six-oh-nine through six-sixteen.”

“Yes mam.” The Guardian said, giving her a crisp salute which caused her to raise an amused eyebrow. “Level two, third corridor to the left. Mam.” He said, saluted again and resumed his post.

“Oh-kay…” Carri said quietly, almost under her breath. Trying her absolute best not to crack a wiseass remark, she nodded at the guard and slowly ascended the staircase.

 She was so tired. It honestly wasn’t funny how tired she was and it was barely dinner time on the first day. Power help them if she actually had to fight before getting a few hours rest. Jason had ordered her eat and then get to bed, but she wanted to check in on her parents first.

 She had been there to see them transported in, but had had to leave the responsibility of seeing them settled to Kat. This kind of scenario was her cousin’s element, so she wasn’t too worried, and neither Kim nor Jason had been able to help their families get settled in either, but it chaffed at her.

This was not going to be easy for her mom at all. She’d already received more than one report that she was unhappy with the small accommodations and wanted to complain to a higher authority that they needed more space. Carri had finally sent back a curt, handwritten note which informed her mother that this was a shelter, not the Four Seasons, and to deal with it. In retrospect, she felt a bit bad about the note, but she honestly hadn’t had two seconds to do something about it until now.

She could only imagine how much of a handful her mom had been. Rebecca Hillard was not well liked among the Hillard’s. They considered her too big for her britches and more than a little snooty. Of course, it hadn’t helped that her mother had gotten stinking drunk at the last reunion and lectured them about how she and her husband had simply outgrown the simpleness the rest of the family and how they had risen above them to embrace a higher tier of society. The little speech had gone over like a lead weight dropped into the ocean and her mom had been specifically uninvited to every event since.

Because the evacuation had occurred over a matter of hours and not days, all the families had been grouped together for simplicity’s sake. This put her mother in close proximity to her dad’s mother and siblings. Carri could only imagine how well that one went over.

As she reached the new second story, a floor that had been created in the short few hours since she’d been in the Command Center, she was further stunned to see how open it seemed. Looking up, the ceiling gave the illusion of being much higher than she knew it actually was and as she moved down the narrow halls, she realized that it was actually a picture on a screen of some type.

She stopped and reached up, hand coming in contact with a soft, filmy substance just less than a foot overhead. If she was five-six, the top story would have to be just over six feet. She grinned at the brilliance of the last minute addition. No one knew for sure how long the families would be down here. By giving them the illusion that the ceilings were much higher, people would feel far more comfortable in the tight space. She marveled again at the engineering team in charge of the makeshift shelter, then concentrated on finding the correct hallway housing her family.

“I don’t care that we’re in the middle of an emergency,” Emily yelled over the guards who were blocking the entrance to the level eight elevators. “I have an emergency. Did you even call him? You said to come back in half an hour and it’s been forty-five minutes. The base will be in total lock down if I wait any longer.”

Jason paused, coming up from behind her. She was nuts. She had to be nuts. He watched as she continued to argue with the guards, marveling that they hadn’t gone ahead and hauled her off by now. But that was the thing about NASADA; everybody knew everybody or at least knew someone who did. He knew the rumors that had spread like wildfire about her dating one of the Rangers on level eight; even if it wasn’t exactly the truth…and even if they made her furious.

“Just call again.” She said demanded, the anger clear in her voice. “I’m running out of time here.” She argued.

“I’m right here.” He said with what he’d hoped was a comical tone, but all that showed through in his voice was weariness. She whirled around and closed her eyes in relief, obviously far more happy to see him than she’d ever been. “What’s up?” He asked evenly.

“Oh thank god…” She sighed in relief, brushing off the guards and striding towards him. “When  I think of all those days you just show up and follow me around and then when I actually need you to show up, you’re nowhere to be seen.” She scolded, coming to a stop in front of him. He waved the guards away and they gratefully returned to other assignments.

“We’ve been having a slight problem lately, maybe you’ve noticed?” He asked sarcastically.

“I can’t get my Uncle Ernie onto level five.” She said without preamble.

“Why not?” He asked.

“Because it’s restricted to parents and siblings… I don’t have parents and siblings. I have one uncle. Just one.” She said, holding up her index finger for emphasis. Tears of frustration began to spill down her cheeks and her voice cracked as she tried to hurriedly explain. “They gave my slots to other people because I don’t have parents and siblings, but they won’t take in the only family I have.” She said, finally covering her face with her hands as she gave into the emotion behind her words.

Jason couldn’t take it. He’d always been a sucker for female tears, a weakness Kim was extremely good at exploiting, and the hours and hours of worry and stress had finally began to take their toll. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, allowing her to break down while he patted her back and wondered about the fifteen thousand things he really needed to be doing besides comforting an ex-girlfriend who’d made it very clear she didn’t want him back.

“Can’t you do something?” She asked between sobs, taking her hands away from her face and standing up to plead with him. “He was always really good to you guys.”

“Where is he?” He asked gently.

“Still at the airport in Sydney. They’ve grounded all the flights because of the weather there and I haven’t been able to reach him on his cell for over an hour… but he said he was staying put.”

“Alright. I can’t force the powers that be on level five to take him.” He said gently, putting his hand up when she started to protest, “But what I can do is find him a bunk somewhere on level eight.”

“That’s fine…that’s perfect.” She stammered in relief, tears spilling again down her cheeks. “But can you get him here in time for the lockdown?”

“Yeah.” Jason nodded, “I’m sure we can. What room assignment have you been given on five? I can call you when we get him here.” He asked and paused as she simply stared at him.

“Uhm…well, that might be another problem. Dr. Franzstien said if I didn’t remove myself from this bunker and go to my assigned area immediately, she’d reassign my space.” She said quietly, wiping the tears from her face. “That was about an hour ago.”

“Shit.” He responded with feeling. Franzstien wasn’t someone who’d give her any quarter, especially given the rumors she was associated with level eight. “Okay, plan B.”

“Give it to me straight.” Carri said harshly as Billy circumvented the issue and tried overly hard to be diplomatic. “What the hell did  you do to my mother?”

She had found her mom, at least it looked like her mom, happily hanging her picture frames from their family room all over the walls of their small cubical. She had smiled at Carri, hugged Carri, made pleasant small talk with Carri… and totally freaked her out. It was like her mother was floating along in some psychedelic dream. She hadn’t even noticed that her brother was missing. Her father had simply nodded from his place on the bed/couch as if nothing was amiss and they were totally fine.

“Carri,” Billy said roughly, but not without sympathy, “You’re mother’s an alcoholic.” He said plainly. “And she’s seriously addicted to several prescription drugs that should never be used in combination with each other.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.” She replied brusquely and he paused and regarded her for a second, as if he’d been expecting her to deny it and was caught off guard by her openness.

“My mom was never what you’d call a nice person.” Carri elaborated, eyes hardening but keeping her voice level. “Think my temper turned on twenty-four seven. I’m a poodle in comparison. Anyway, when I was about eight, her friends got her into ‘chill pills’ which mellowed her a little and allowed her to put up with the onslaught of my brother’s teen years as well as my dad’s antics with his actresses.” She paused a second, eyes looking up to the ceiling and staying there a moment before she allowed them to come back and down and meet his head on. “By the time I hit the teen years and totally drove her over the edge, the pills weren’t working as well for her and several of them had been taken off the market. That’s when the martinis for breakfast started.”

“And your father didn’t notice?”

“Are you kidding?” she retorted. “She’d get totally mellow on him. Her temper just melted into the floor and she’d be almost fun to be around sometimes, that’s how I conned her into paying for karate lessons. That’s also when she started collecting all those pictures, wanting to travel, and throwing parties and stuff. It’s only really gotten bad in the last few years, but Josh and I aren’t at home anymore to say anything and I think dad’s just given up.” She paused, hand on hip, tapping her foot rhythmically. “So what the hell did you do to her?”

“She began to get extremely agitated within the first hour of her arrival.” He responded, sitting down on his lab stool with a heavy sigh. “We were getting multiple reports of screaming and other frantic behavior; throwing things, crying…” He paused as if he was going to say something else, then apparently decided not to. “When Kat decided she couldn’t control her, the Silver Guardians were called in and they sedated her and brought her in here. It was obvious she was sick Carri.” He said, eyes searching hers to see if she understood. “The computer put her through a detox cycle, which woke her up a little, but when she became agitated and afraid again, the computer recommended we give her a sedative that will keep her mellow and in a state where we can control her until she can fully detoxify her system.”

“So you basically drugged her again.” She said flatly, foot tapping a little harder against the concrete floor.

“It’s a non toxic substance and it will help her deal with the withdrawal systems she’s still experiencing as well as the stressful situation we’re all in.” Billy said calmly, but firmly. “Carri , I don’t have time to deal with a detox patient, neither do you. The good news is, she’s happy and content and she’ll have very little memory of the shelter.”

“And my dad? He seems pretty mellow too.”

“I think your dad understands the situation. We’ve told him what I’ve told you and he’s agreed to take care of her and continue administering the medicine on the schedule we gave him. He really doesn’t have a choice. We can’t keep them here if she causes trouble.”

Carri’s eyes found the ceiling again, but this time stayed there. She loved her mom, even though she’d been the cause of a lot of her grief. She was honestly more than a little embarrassed, but she was grateful too. “Fine.” She said at last, eyes misting traitorously. “I’m sorry she was so much trouble.”

“It’s not any trouble Carri.” He said gently. “Now my mother…” He added with a tired grin, “My mother nearly took out the entire electrical system on the first floor within her first five minutes here…that was trouble. I’ve actually been wrestling with the idea of sedating her as well.”

The side of Carri’s mouth twitched a bit, but she didn’t smile in return. The day had been too long and they weren’t even close to getting the job done yet. “I’m gonna go get an hour or two of sleep.” She said, surprised by the choking hoarseness of her voice. Billy nodded in understanding and she quickly teleported out to her sleeping quarters with Rocky in the Command Center.

Alone in his lab for the first time since the Red Assembly adjourned, Billy leaned against the counter and rubbed his eyes roughly with his fingers. He needed sleep as well, who knew what was coming at them next. Absently, he keyed the security panel which would tell him where his wife was and marveled at the thousands of dots, indicating the masses of people they had transported into the NASADA complex. The dots covered his entire screen, telling him virtually nothing, and yet they still had two and a half hours before the world leaders were informed that they’d need to begin their own evacuations.

The panic that was coming was mind boggling. Justin Stewart and a few other computer wizards were putting steps into place that would freeze the world trade systems and the banking systems while the leaders were in conference with the Rangers. They had already begun backing up as much of the networks as they could, hopefully turning them back on right where they’d left off, but Billy was less than convinced it would completely work. The systems they were monkeying with needed an infrastructure, simply turning the switch on and off was risky at best and would really only be successful if they saved their world, but if they had to evacuate it wouldn’t matter anyway.

The idea of a world evacuation made his head spin. Saving everyone would be impossible, but he couldn’t let his mind go there. They had done the best they could with the families at both NASADA and Lightspeed and soon the fate of the rest of the population would be up to their world leaders; Power help them. Andros had begun negotiating for a place for them to go if they failed against Teeg; it was the best they could do.

Absently, he tapped a few buttons and the dots disappeared, leaving only his wife’s signature. She was in their assigned sleeping space inside his lab, which startled him as he hadn’t seen her come back in. Shutting the monitor down and locking his main terminal, he stood up and stretched. If he could get a good hour or two of sleep, he’d be far better for it.

“Tell me why there’s someone I don’t know in here.” Kim said uneasily, turning her chair around. Carri slid off the counter where she’d been sitting and came to stand next to her chair, giving Jason the same curiously incredulous look Kim did. Rocky wasn’t in their quarters, but Kim was in the main room, so she’d detoured once again to talk to her friend about her mom and her brother and have a shoulder to lean on.

“Kim…Emily, Emily…Kim. Carri…Emily, Emily…Carri.” Jason said gruffly by way of introduction. Kim raised an eyebrow at him, silently asking him what the hell he had in mind by bringing a non-Ranger into the Command Center and Emily shifted nervously. She had a good idea where they were and anxiously wrapped her hands uncertainly around Jason’s arm. “I’ve got a personal problem and I need you to intervene.” He said by way of explanation.

“Oh-kay.” Kim said slowly, shifting into a pose that wasn’t angry, but wasn’t happy either. Since when did Jason come to her to ok something? Normally he just did what he wanted and told her later.

She inhaled deeply and held it, willing patience for the ten thousandth time in the last hour. She was tired of the problems people were bringing her; she had her own overwhelming issues to deal with. In truth, the Assembly had done an incredible job with organizing and implementing the evacuation of their families. However, Kim had been constantly barraged with all kinds of technicalities ranging from asking if they could take out a sleeping cubicle to add more toilets on hallway six to disgruntlement over Aisha’s usurpation of an entire storage bunker to set up pet boarding facilities for the families evacuated. Given the other problems she was dealing with, she honestly didn’t care anymore.

“Emily’s Uncle Ernie is in trouble.” He explained. “He’s been in Australia on vacation and now he’s stuck at the airport in Sydney because his plane’s grounded.”

“Uh..hum.” Kim said tiredly, irritation growing as she slowly exhaled her breath.

“Ernie.” Jason said, “As in Youth Center Ernie…”

“Oh…” She said, voice mellowing and sitting up a little now that her curiosity had been tweaked. Somewhere, back in the recesses of her mind, she remembered Jason’s ex-girlfriend had been Ernie’s niece, but she’d honestly forgotten about it.

“Who?” Carri asked, but Kim waved her down so she shrugged and went back to sitting on the countertop.

“Anyway, apparently level five has a different criteria than we do down here, they’re only letting in parents and siblings…no one else.”

“They wouldn’t tear out their labs and research facilities.” Kim explained. “Apparently Dr. Franzstien doesn’t believe this could be a permanent evacuation and refused to disrupt the status quo on a whim of level eight’s. That left them with a lot less space.”

“Yeah well, Frankenstein denied Emily’s request to shelter Ernie, even though she doesn’t have either parents or siblings, and gave the slots away to others. Then while she was trying to contact me for help, her own cot was reassigned and she’s been told to go back to her apartment while NASADA locks down.”

“Jesus Christ.” Carri spat, borrowing her boyfriend’s favorite phrase. “I really hate that woman. Is there any way we can accidentally kidnap her and leave her on the tarmac when the evil Rangers attack?”

“Nah.” Kim responded tiredly. “They’d just recruit her.”

“There are evil Rangers?’ Emily asked, then stepped nervously behind Jason when both women sternly turned their eyes directly on her.

“Look, I understand Frankenstein pissed you off, but that’s no reason to bring her in here with you.” Kim chastised, giving him a look which said she knew he knew better. “Just transport out and grab Ernie, then find them a space down here.” Kim said evenly. “You know you don’t need to go through me for that.”

“There’s no more room on eight.” Jason responded. “I think I can squeeze one more bed in a hall or something, but seriously Kim, people are setting up sleeping bags in the eating areas and Rocky’s got people camping out in the storage facilities.”

“The last time I checked, we still had room to spare.” She said, a confused look on her face, but Jason shook his head.

“That was before Aisha set up that damn pet hotel of hers and brought her entire vet staff and their families in to man it… and before the kids decided to confiscate Bulkmier’s to cook for everyone.”

“Wait…they did what?” Kim asked, sitting up a little straighter and leaning forward.

“Bulk would only agree if he could bring his whole family with him as well as the restaurant.” Carri explained. She’d forgotten she was the one who agreed to tell Kim, it had simply slipped her mind until that second.

“And just how was the decision to confiscate that particular restaurant reached?” She asked testily, looking back and forth between Carri and Jason with enough frustrated venom to make Emily take yet another step behind Jason.

“You didn’t tell her, did you?” Jason asked accusingly to Carri and she winced, shaking her head.

“I forgot.” She said lamely.

“Forgot what?” Kim asked, temper flaring. She had enough on her plate without anymore added bullshit. Bulkmier’s was a known Ranger hang-out, but how the leap had been made between a family evacuation and a restaurant confiscation, she couldn’t figure.

“Uhm…sweetie…” Jason hedged, unwrapping Emily’s hold on him and coming forward to sit on the counter next to where she was seated. “You know how your dad has a new fiancé and you okayed that she and her kids could be evacuated down here?”

“When they went to go get him he wouldn’t leave without Bulk and the kids thought they were killing two birds with one stone.” Carri rushed. “You know, the food synthesizers can only do so much, and we had to eliminate personal cooking spaces in lieu of bathrooms…”

“What?” Kim asked, forehead knotted. “The two of you aren’t making any sense.” She snapped, fatigue getting the best of her.

Carri and Jason shot each other uncertain looks before Jason said. “Sweetie, your dad’s fiancé has been married a couple of times too…and it turns out that she’s the mom of someone we’re really familiar with…”

“Are you telling me my dad’s about to marry someone in Bulk’s family?” Kim asked. She was was getting punchy, she could feel it. She honestly didn’t have time for this, not considering everything else going on in the world.

“Not Bulkmier.” Carri said, wincing a little. “The…uh…the other half of that dynamic duo.”

Kim stared at her, a silence descending upon the Command Center as the realization dawned on her who they were talking about. A numbness hit her then and when Carri opened her mouth to speak she held her hand up to stop her.

“I honestly….don’t want to know right now.” She said, standing up and adjusting her uniform. “I’m going to get some sleep.” She said evenly, looking over at Jason. “Do what you have to do. I’m fine with you evacuating both of them. Just make sure you keep them out of the Command Center proper when Tommy decides to attack. I mean it Jase, you know better.” On that note she walked through the archway to the space where the kids, as they had started calling the younger rangers, had supposedly put her things.

“I think she took that rather well.” Carri said, eyes watching her retreating form. Jason gave her a look that could’ve melted metal and she swallowed hard. “Yeah…right…ok…I’m uh…I’m just gonna find my boyfriend and get a few hours of sleep in too.” She said, sliding off the counter and moving in the same direction Kim had. “It was...uh…nice to meet you Emily.” She said and moved off through the archway.

Emily gave Jason a cautious look, but he shrugged and rolled his eyes. “Come on.” He said, standing up. “You can stay in my room while I go get your uncle. Then we’ll find you both a place to stay.”

“Thank you.” Emily said, looking at him earnestly. “I really, really appreciate this Jason.”

“Yeah…well…” He responded. “Come on…I’ve got a thousand other things that have to get done besides this.”

Kim walked wearily through the new hallway where rooms had been hastily created for the current Zeo team and a few of the other active Rangers, her mind wandering numbly. Jason had traded his space behind the Command Center with Andros’s assigned space, making him the only Zeo in the halls outside Billy’s lab, but she supposed that made sense. The rooms in their Command Center were larger because so few people were allowed access to it and Andros had both Ashley and the baby with him. Billy had set up an easy transport gate in-between the two, but she still wished Jason was closer. She needed his help and it was too easy for him to disappear into the bowls of NASADA if he wasn’t in an assigned space with the team, but she supposed she was being silly and selfish.

 Her mind reeled with all that was going on. A few hours ago, it had been so simple. She was going to set the Rangers up with a plan they might actually be able to pull off, then follow Zordon’s example and use her life energy to purge her world of Teeg and the Towers.

She wasn’t fooling herself. She was nowhere near powerful enough to create a Zordon wave, but she did have enough Muirantian power to cleanse the grids and reset the Equaline wave; maybe putting history back on course. All that had changed as soon as she knew Tommy had survived. She could still do it, but if Tommy was still evil, she wasn’t sure if she would save him or if she’d destroy him. It was all too unfathomable to consider. There had to be another way.

Her thoughts drew back to Thomas and all she’d learned from him. She was no longer angry at him. Deep down, she understood the position he was in. She desperately needed his advice, although she knew she wouldn’t hear from him if she called. Somehow, some way, she needed to clone herself.

Finding her name on a small marker outside a closed door, she wearily opened it, only to stop, completely unprepared for the sight that awaited her. All of the cubicles in the family area were identical ten by ten boxes with mattresses on the floor or bunk beds, a small sink and a toilet, and a small loft to store things. The Ranger accommodations were a little bigger. They had been able to transport their own beds and a table and had a larger storage compartment for personal things. It wasn’t that the Rangers were privileged, it was simply an allocation of space. There were some areas where the families just couldn’t be allowed and that gave the Rangers more space to utilize for themselves.

As Kim stared at her room, she was floored. The kids had transported not only the small bedroom set she’d shared with Tommy, but also almost all of the furniture in Tommy’s home office as well. She supposed that made sense. Tommy worked at home as much as he could; they couldn’t afford to leave anything behind in case it might prove important. But, although the room was tightly packed, it was massive compared to the others and she felt a huge stab of guilt over taking up so much space when people like Jason’s ex-girlfriend and Ernie were being refused access. Slowly, she climbed the little ladder that lead to their loft section and found it crammed with almost everything that had been in their tiny house.

With a sigh, she slowly descended the ladder and peeked into the small closet locker that had been set up next to it. There, her breath left her when she found not only her own clothes, but Tommy’s. The sight of all his things hanging neatly in the locker was too much for her, bringing home the reality of all the day’s events. Leaning heavily against the synthetic wall, she slowly slid to the floor and began to cry.

Hayley chuckled to herself as the last of her assigned team gave in and crawled off to eat or get some sleep before the next phase of evacuations began. She didn’t need much sleep, her mind and her metabolism just wasn’t conducive with it. Once involved in a project, she could go for days without realizing how much time had passed. Stopping to eat now was just silly. True, she was a little hungry, but not so much that she wanted to leave what she was doing.

She’d always had the ability to pull all nighters several days in a row and even Tommy had bowed more than once to her stamina. She felt that you could learn so much and get so much more done if you didn’t waste it sleeping and honestly had very little sympathy for those that cried off in search of rest.

This was the type of scenario where she functioned best, where Tommy had always appreciated her the most. As the door closed behind the last of her helpers and her section of the lab quieted, she sat back in her chair and surveyed her projects with a contented sigh. Before her was organized chaos; hundreds and hundreds of zords designs and various ideas to decontaminate the grid systems. It took five helpers just to keep up with half of what she had neatly organized in her own head, she acknowledged smugly.

It was too bad Tommy wasn’t there, she thought sadly, he loved this kind of thing as much as she did. Not the devastation, she didn’t mean that, and certainly not the evil Rangers, it was the feeling of knowing you were pulling off what no-one else could, that under the gun adrenaline rush where you were working flat out and pushing yourself harder and further to be the best you could be, that sense of accomplishment that only came under extreme circumstances. They had that in common, she mused, it’s what kept them together.

She and Tommy had never been romantically involved, although they’d been accused of it often enough. Hayley had first met him when he was living with Kat and it had been her shoulder he’d leaned on when that relationship went sour. True, there was a time when she thought their friendship might have taken an intimate twist, but it had never developed and she was rather glad of that in the end. Tommy loved the Rangers. It was a mistress any woman who took him in would have to contend with; even Kimberly. He would never give it up and it would eventually kill him; if it hadn’t already, she thought sadly. Hayley enjoyed working with the Rangers, enjoyed the fascinating doors it opened for her, but it wasn’t her life’s obsession.

She had never had much luck with men anyway. The ones she was physically attracted to were the pretty boys who were scared off by her intensity for life or her brainpower and the ones she could actually hold down an interesting conversation with were more interested in developing their brain power than their muscles. It was a sad statement on her part, but at least she was honest about it.

Tommy had come close to matching her intensity, but a rocket scientist he wasn’t. He was an idea man, someone who challenged her to think in ways she ordinarily wouldn’t, and he was a good friend. She just wanted too much from a man and she knew it. She wanted a guy who could keep up with her energy, who couldn’t stand the thought of sleeping when there was so much to do and learn, who could dive into a project with her and not stop until it was done, who valued her for her intelligence, who wasn’t intimidated when she showed him up with her experiments or made more money than he did…and who looked like an underwear supermodel. That kind of guy just didn’t exist outside her fantasies, but that was ok. She had reached a point in her life where she understood compromise was necessary and if she wasn’t willing to compromise, well then she could accept that too.

“Hayley?” A female voice asked, and she jumped, spinning around to See Angela Rawlings in the doorway. “I’m sorry to disturb you.” She added.

“Oh…no…” Hayley said, waving her hand indifferently. “I was daydreaming.” She admitted.

“Some of my best ideas come from daydreams.” Angela said with a grin. “I was wondering if you had a second to hear out an idea my brother had, about the decontamination of the grids? I’m not assigned to that one and, well, Hershel and I don’t really get along very well.” She said, indicating one of the NASADA scientists assigned to Hayley. “Not since I got married anyway.”

“Sure…” Hayley said, pushing her chair back and standing up. “Come on in, any and all ideas are welcome at this point.”

“Great.” Angela sighed, pulling a lab coat clad man in behind her. “You see Clark? I told you Hayley was open minded.” She said as she walked into the room and around the lab counters. “She’s a Ranger and working with a Ranger isn’t like working with the staff here.”

Hayley grinned at Angela’s words, silently commiserating with her. The NASDA scientific teams were good, but snooty. She knew exactly what the other woman was talking about, even if she didn’t come right out and say it. She had a comeback in mind to throw back, but it died in her throat as Angela pulled the man with her around the counter. He was absolutely, positively…gorgeous. For the first time in her life, she felt her knees go weak and her mind go numb. Her lungs absolutely refused to pump oxygen, freezing her brain and any social or language skills she’d ever learned.

“Hayley this is my brother Clark.” Angela said by way of introduction. “Clark, this is Tommy’s friend Hayley, they worked on Dino Thunder together.”

“Pleased to meet you.” Clark said amiably, holding out his hand, but Hayley just continued to stare at him numbly. “I’ve, uh…heard quite a bit about you.” He added, slowly retracting his hand uncertainly and giving his sister a curious look. “I was really quite impressed with your utilization of raptor DNA samples during that campaign. Your combination of the Hewling cloning chambers and zord mechanics was a fascinating leap from the standard norm.”

“Raptors?” Hayley asked distantly, swaying little and staring at what had to be two of the prettiest brown eyes she’d ever seen on a male. “Oh!” She exclaimed a little too loudly. “Ha! Raptors…yes, the uh..the uh… Dino Raptors…yeah…the kids actually rode those things.” She said, giggling like a moron and twisting her arms around nervously. “Very mean…” She added with another nervous giggle. “Tommy had to freeze them. They’d just as soon eat you as let you ride them….they liked him though…nasty little things…well… big, very big, nasty…little things…actually.” She stumbled, giggling again. “You liked them?” she asked cautiously, feeling like her tongue was thick as cotton. “I could…uhm… make you one….that is…I mean…that probably wouldn’t be a good thing would it?”

“Not if they like to eat humans.” He answered, giving his sister another look. “That probably wouldn’t be a good thing.” He agreed.

“Oh…no.” Haley said, twisting her hands and arms around in front of her like an idiot. “Probably not.”

“Uhm, Clark has some ideas to go over with you about grid contamination.” Angela said patiently, breaking into the conversation and trying hard not to smile at the way the other woman gushed over her brother. She was more than familiar with Clark’s effect on women. He was gorgeous, looking more like a cover model for GQ than a serious scientist. It was amusing actually, but she knew it bugged her little brother to no end. She was a little surprised at Hayley. She didn’t know the other woman well, but she seemed to be very dedicated to her work and not the kind to gush over a pretty face like a teenager.

“Right…grid decontamination…that’s what we’re trying to accomplish here…” Hayley said, a bit too eagerly.

“Alright then.” Angela said, putting a commiserative hand on her brother’s arm. “I’ll just let you two get to work.”

“Work…right…work’s a good thing…” Hayley responded.

Clark watched his sister leave the room with a mournful look. If would be so nice if, just once, a woman would try and carry on an intelligent conversation with him. Angela smiled back at him in sympathy and then she was gone, leaving him with the supposedly brilliant researcher dissembling in front of him…it was going to be a long night.

“Talk to me.” Kim said as she strode into the Command Center. She’d been in a deep sleep when they’d paged her, and she blinked the last of that sleep from her eyes as she approached.

“Wildfire’s starting to effect Angel Grove proper.” Jason said glancing up, then doing a double take when he saw her. She’d obviously been crying and she was still wearing what looked to be one of Tommy’s old plaid shirts over her uniform. “You ok?” He asked and she nodded, unconvincingly.

“This the same so called wildfire our friends started?” She asked, referring to the Four evil Rangers who’d been out setting the brush on fire earlier. They’d done it to try and taunt the current Rangers into action. When that hadn’t worked, they’d set Dragonzord loose in the industrial section; starting even more fires. But Kim had refused to let anyone take action. They had evacuations to plan and carry out first, there would be time for battles later. The result was that much of the outskirts of Angel Grove were being destroyed.

 “Not just here, there’re fires sprouting up from lightening all over the state. The governor’s already called a state of emergency in California.” He continued, turning his attention back to the screen in front of him. “We’re something like the tenth state to declare it since this morning.”

“Who are the others?” She asked, coming up next to him and yawning heavily. No one else was around and she wasn’t sure why she’d been called if it was just fires they were dealing with.

“Mostly southeast and other costal states, the rain their getting is phenomenal.” He said absently.

“So why am I here?” She asked. As far as she knew, the local governments were still in charge of things.

“Three things.” He said, indicating with his hand that she sit down. “First, I found Ernie a bunk on the lower level of eight, but I still haven’t found a place for Em…she was right, level five is full, they won’t take her.”

“Okay…”

“So in the meantime she’s in my room over in the old conference rooms outside of Billy’s lab and she knows not to go in there or through the doorway into the Command Center proper….I didn’t tell her it’s a transport portal and they’re not really connected. She wants to spend most of the day with her Uncle and the others anyway, and I promised not to go in there when she’s there at night, so it should work out, but I’m upping her clearance from five to eight and giving her a uniform so there’s no confusion with her coming and going down that hallway.”

“Whatever…” Kim said absently. “I haven’t got a clue why you suddenly think you need to consult me. If you think she can be trusted with insider information, then I bow to your judgment.”

“Wow…no lecture on letting my sex drive rule my judgment?”

“I’ll leave it for Carri…next?”

“The good news is, it looks like the fire’s turned direction away from your grandfather’s old ranch. The bad news is that biggest of the fires is about to rip through your current neighborhood on Raven Street.”

“Shit.” She said with feeling. It wasn’t that she actually liked the little house she’d been sharing with Tommy, it had been cramped and tiny, and old, and they had basically tripped over each other constantly, but it was the first house they’d shared together. The house she’d come home to after her second trip to Muirantias.

“Uhm, sweetie, if there’s anything in there the kids didn’t pick up that you might want...”

“I’m more concerned that they didn’t know Tommy’s hiding holes.” She said glumly. “Yeah, ok, I’ll go and do a walk through. Next?”

“The meeting with the world leaders starts in an hour.”

“Who’d we get to handle it?” She asked absently.

“You.” He said.

Kim coughed once after transporting into Tommy’s old office. The smoke was thick and she could see the fire department outside hosing things down in a vain effort to save the street of old homes. She had just over ten minutes to get in and get out before the last briefing started on the night’s meeting with the world leaders. Despite the heat, she mindlessly wrapped Tommy’s old shirt tightly around her as if willing him to hold her and help her through the destruction of their home.

She turned around once, marveling how different the little room looked without all of Tommy’s things crammed in it, then set to work. Without hesitating, she quickly went to each of Tommy’s little hiding places throughout the house, deactivating the security devices, and placing the contents of each into a plastic storage container she’d brought with her.

It was only after she’d recovered the last of his papers and computer disks from his office that she realized the feeling she had of being watched wasn’t just her mind playing tricks on her. His prescience crept through her senses; both comforting and chilling at the same time. Resisting the urge to whirl around, she slowly turned her head and met his eyes as if she’d known he’d been there all along.

He was helmetless and wearing a black uniform that did little to distinguish him from Teeg’s other minions. His arms were crossed and he leaned against the frame of the doorway casually, as if nothing were wrong with him and he’d just walked in to check on her. It was the eyes that betrayed him. They were hard and cold, but this time, she noticed, there was more curiosity in them than angry hatred. Evil or not, he was still her husband and the urge to run and throw her arms around him was devastating.

“This is an odd place to chose for a confrontation.” She said calmly, sitting back on her heels and willing her heartbeat to slow.

“You’re not afraid of me.” He said simply. “Why?”

“Why do you think?” She returned softly and he regarded her silently for so long that she began to think he wouldn’t answer.

“Why are you here, in this house?” He asked, eyes narrowing.

“This is my house.” She returned. “The fire your comrades started is about to destroy it.”

“Liar!” He yelled, stepping forward in an angry stance and startling her. She rose slowly, cautiously, and faced him. “This was my house.” He growled dangerously, as if challenging her to deny it.

“You remember it?” She asked breathlessly, the tiniest glimmer of hope translating into her voice. “This was our house, we lived here together. What else do you remember?”

She watched his eyes as he began to struggle inwardly with something and the glimmer of hope in her burned a little brighter, but as she watched, he overcame the struggle and his eyes grew hard and wary. “Tommy…” She said gently, but stopped when the look in his eyes turned murderous.

“When next we meet, you and the other Rangers who serve with you will die.” He said coldly and vanished in a streak of green light.

“You asleep?” Rocky asked quietly as he entered their small room.

“No. “Carri mumbled, pulling the pillow off her head. “It’s too early to sleep, barely dinner time.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t matter if we get a midnight call into battle.” Rocky said, laying down next to her.

“Where’ve you been?’ She asked, even though she knew he was probably with his mom and siblings. “You get Jason’s mandate from on high to eat and rest? Jesus that guy’s gotten positively dictatorial in the last few hours…except, of course, around Kim. He’s being so overly deferential to her she’s about to slap him.” She chuckled. “I think he’s doing it on purpose, but I can’t prove it.”

“I’ve uh…been helping with the families and stuff.” He answered.

“Yeah, I heard you usurped one of the old fall out bunkers behind the Command Center for the rest of your extended family in both the US and Mexico.” She teased, raising herself up on one elbow.

“Aisha took the biggest one.” He said defensively. “Outfitted the entire thing for dogs and cats and stuff….Jesus, she’s even got a couple of horses in there. I don’t feel one bit guilty for taking one and putting the overflow in it.”

“I’m not criticizing you for it.” She responded. “I just never realized how huge your family really was.”

“It’s not just my family.” He muttered uncomfortably. “Friends, my employees, a lot of the kids in my schools and their parents, my mom’s parish priest and a couple of nun’s I grew up with… How do you draw the line?” His voice was strained and edgy as he spoke and she reached a hand out to him, but he shook it off and sat up instead. “There’s something I’ve got to tell you.” He said uneasily.

“Oh please not now.” She said, rolling over and hiding her face behind her hands. “It’s been a hell of a day Rocky, if you’ve got bad news I really don’t want to know it.”

“Fine.” He grumbled and slid off the bed to change out of his uniform.

“Alright…what?” She asked with a huge sigh, sitting up and giving him a patient look. He paused, regarding her, and then sat down.

“I don’t know how to start.” He said after a minute.

“Let me guess. This whole evacuation of your family has got you re-adjusting your priorities and you’ve decided your mother is right and you need to be with them instead of me.” She said blandly.

“That’s not funny.” He replied humorlessly.

“Well, that’s been about the way my entire day’s gone so far and you’re apparently in a really rotten mood…” She muttered.

“I love you.” He said in an almost defensive tone. “I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone else in my entire life. Haven’t I proven that to you yet?”

“I’m sorry.” She said easily, reaching a hand out to touch his arm. “And I mean that. I know you love me babe, and you know I love you, but the way you’re acting…I dunno, I don’t want to fight. Tell me your bad news and let’s get on with it.”

“It’s Jessica.” He said anxiously and she rolled her eyes and growled. “Look, this isn’t easy ok? I need you to hear me out on this.”

“Fine.” She mumbled grumpily, grinding her jaw.

“I had to bring her into level eight.” He said awkwardly.

“Why?” She asked so harshly that he paused.

“She uh…” He said, clearing his throat, “Well, one of the things I didn’t tell you about in New York was that…well…”

“Out with it Rocky.” Carri said firmly.

“One of the reasons she lost her job was that she brought a paternity suit against her employer.” He said nervously.

“She’s got a kid?”

“Yeah,” He answered softly, nodding his head. “The baby was born in October. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want you going off on her any more than you already had. It didn’t seem like a big deal, I mean this guy was refusing to pay child support, so I helped her pay for her lawyer and a paternity test.”

“Okay…and I would go off on you for that…why?”

“Because I actually know this guy and he was saying it wasn’t his and telling everyone it was…well…mine.”

“Is it?” She asked, a thick, hard cold crawling up her spine.

“Archer told me this morning during the evacuation to the bunker that the tests came back and it’s not this other guys…” He said, searching her eyes warily. “And that she was trying to figure out how to tell the only other candidate. Apparently there’s only the two of us that it could belong to.” He added hesitantly.

“Shit…” She said, her shoulders sinking as heavily as her stomach. “Oh…shit…”

“Carri…” He said gently, reaching out his hand, but she shook it off. “This doesn’t change things. It happened a long time before I even knew you.”

“It changes everything.” She said, turning to face him.

“Why?”

“Because…this isn’t gonna go away Rocky. This isn’t you helping her because she’s down on her luck…this is her in your life forever…every Christmas, every Easter…every freaking holiday it’s gonna be ‘in your face, I have his kid, I get priority’.” She hissed, standing up and pacing the small room. “ I’ve been through this more than once with my dad and if you want to know the graphic details about why Kim finally left my brother…well, in that case the girl had an abortion, but it was still the same kind of hell. I know you, you’re a really good guy, you’re not gonna let any kid of yours grow up without a dad. It doesn’t matter that you say you don’t want  to raise anymore kids, if this one’s yours…you’re gonna be all over it. Don’t you see? She’s got you right where she wants you.” She said almost hysterically.

“Carri…” He said gently, standing up.

“No.” She said firmly, moving away from him and edging toward the door. He intercepted her and blocked the opening, preventing her from leaving.

“Carri…” He said firmly when she refused to look at him. “This happened months before I met you, I never knew about it.”

“You never knew she had a kid.” She answered skeptically.

“I never thought there was a chance it was mine.” He said honestly, voice raising an octave or two.

“You never did the math?”

“Well yeah, of course I did, but the kid was born  October third, and the last time I saw her was over Christmas last year. I was thinking it was nine months, no one told me you had to count the four weeks into that last month making it ten. Besides, she swore up and down it was her boss’s…she even asked me to help her prove it was his, does that sound like a woman who thinks it’s mine?”

“So, if everyone was so sure it was his, why’d he decide fight it then?” She asked waspishly. She’d never met this girl, but she hated her with a jealous venom that startled her.

“He’s married.” He answered uneasily.

“Oh, I just find myself liking this little bitch more and more…” She growled. “So now daddy number one is out and she decides the next logical choice is to go after you? Let me guess, with the lawyer you paid for right?”

“Oh god Carri…this is hard enough without you…”

“Tell me something, just how many contenders are there? Is there any chance at all she’s totally playing you?”

“There are only two possibilities.” He said morbidly. “She was dating him when she came to Angel Grove for the holidays. She came here specifically to let things cool off between them because he wouldn’t leave his wife. We had a fling. Then she went right back to him. Look, it happened Carri, I can’t change it, the kid’s only two months old…I can’t put her in the bunker with the others; it’s dirty and they’re sleeping on the floor in there. I put her on level two so she’d be away from my mom.”

“Oh great, so now she’s on the same floor as my parents.” Carri grumbled. “And I’ll just bet that little bundle of joy looks just like you doesn’t it?” She hissed.

“Carri…baby…” He said, reaching out, but she ducked away from him.

“Bad choice of words.” She hissed. There wasn’t much room in the tiny cubicle and the bed and small table usurped most of it, but at this point she was willing to crawl over both to get away from him. Just when she thought she’d found the guy of her dreams, this had to happen. Why the hell couldn’t the world have ended and spared her finding this out? But no, Kim had to come up with a plan to save them from the towers and fate had responded by playing just one more cruel joke on her. “Don’t touch me.” She said, voice breaking a little.

“Carri…” Despite her words, he caught up with her, wrapping both arms around her from behind and snuggling his chin in-between her neck and shoulder.

“I can’t have kids.” She mumbled, back to him, arms crossed protectively in front of her under his and voice breaking a little more.

“This isn’t easy for me either.” He said softly.

“It hurts…” She said miserably.

“Yeah…I know babe.” He said gently. 

Tommy prowled the narrow corridors of the ship’s engineering section like an agitated panther, back and forth and back again. The viratrons had very quickly learned to steer clear of the Rangers and all maintained a cautious distance from the evil green prowling amongst them. He despised them for their worthless subjectivity and yet… he was somehow commiserative with that same slave-like subjugation.

He was more than what he’d been told. The images haunted him… just slightly, agonizingly, out of reach. The image of the house had come to him in a meditative state. He’d jumped up and used the ship’s sensors to scan all of Angel Grove, thrilling to the victory of actually finding the structure on the outskirts of its suburbs…only to find her inside. The owner of the eyes that had plagued his every resting moment, now connected forever with the memory of that place…a symbol of home and family.

He cared nothing for the house itself, found nothing of value to him there. It was simply a half empty shell with no more meaning to him than the simple bunk he’d been assigned on Teeg’s ship. Yet she had been there. Kimberly. Her name was Kimberly. Not Kaycea as Teeg called her or K as the demon embodying the cold, lifeless imitation her form referred to her. It was Kimberly…and she was his. She had belonged to him once, he was certain of it…and now Teeg had enlisted him to destroy her…but why?

A female red was odd, but not unheard of…at least he didn’t think so…he simply couldn’t remember. The look of hope in her eyes had been unsettling. Why would she hope to be remembered by him? What had she to gain by that acknowledgment? What advantage did that association give her? The questions needled him, denying his mind rest.

He turned and growled audibly, scattering viratrons and claybots alike as he changed direction and prowled a different corridor. The structure had been his…theirs… they had been associated somehow. Is that why the memory of those eyes was so strongly associated with the feeling of …belonging? He paused his restless roaming and focused inwardly and deeply on the thin strands of memory that tenuously connected him to a past he neither needed nor desired. But who had determined that past to be unnecessary and unwanted? Why would his mind betray him so close to the onset of battle when he needed to focus all his energies into the destruction to come?

Nothing…there was nothing. No answers awaited him. Slowly, painstakingly, bit by bit, his clenched fist and then his arm slid into the transparent state that both frightened and fascinated him. He was more than what Teeg and the demon had allowed him to be…but what that was…the answers, he concluded, lay in the eyes that haunted him. The eyes belonging to a female he had sworn to exterminate.

“He was there, in the house.” Kim insisted, eyes leaving the other woman’s only for an instant to take in the other man in the room, who had retreated when she came in and was now trying very hard to melt into the lab tables as if he wasn’t there. She turned her gaze back to Hayley, but she continued to simply stare at her. Kim was getting frustrated, the others were still asleep and Jason was nowhere to be found at the moment, but she had found Hayley in the corner of Billy’s lab, apparently working on several different assignments with a man she didn’t know.

“He remembered?” Hayley finally asked, incredulously.

“Either Teeg’s getting sloppy, or your Dinogem theory has more merit than we assumed.” Kim said, nodding her head.

Hayley pushed herself back from the worktable, stunned. She wasn’t often caught off guard. That was another bonus to never sleeping, you had time to find out details others missed. “Or Tommy’s powers have developed further than we give him credit for.” She added softly, almost under her breath. “And generally we tend to give him more credit than he actually deserves.” She added glibly, giving Kim a satirical look.

“So what do you think?” Kim asked, hope pouring out of her eyes.

“He was pissed that you were in his house?”

“That’s the feeling I got…and he got really angry when I asked him what else he remembered.”

“And you’re sure Teeg always wipes the memories of her captives, not just alters them.” Hayley asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No, she’d never leave past memories in place.” Kim answered, shaking her head. “That’s what eventually led to the downfall of her master. The Demon King needs a mortal host to survive in this plane of existence. The last host began to remember his previous life…it weakened him just enough for Zordon and the others to contain him. There’s also a huge precedent throughout history of past memories of home and friendship breaking evil spells. She’d have to wipe him clean, she wouldn’t be able to control him otherwise.”

“Sounds like she’s not able to control him now.” Hayley commented, still thinking.

“Any ideas on how to boost the power in his gem residues?”

“No.” Hayley answered. “Not yet anyway, but it’s one more reason to give the idea a higher priority.”

“I think we should give it top priority.” Kim said resolutely and Hayley looked at her curiously. “It’s not just that he’s my husband Hayley. “ Kim said seriously. “If we can get Tommy back, he’s the most qualified person on the planet to deal with evil Rangers. He’s got a stronger history than anyone else and he’s so damn lucky we might just get the other three back safe and sound too.”

Hayley nodded, but didn’t comment. She wanted Tommy back as badly as Kim, but she was hesitant to start re-arranging the scheduled plan of action. If she could put her whole focus into it while the others were briefing the world leaders, maybe she’d have time to come up with a plan of action for them while the civilians were being evacuated. After that, they really didn’t have any room for error. The next two days were going to be critical and were going to fly by faster than ever.

“Let me crunch some ideas.” She said absently. “You ready for the briefing?”

“No.” Kim answered curtly, still pissed that she’d been roped into informing the world leaders they had twenty-four hours to evacuate the world’s population into shelters. “But I don’t exactly have a choice do I?”

“No.” Hayley agreed. “You’re the one in charge right now.”

“Power help us.” Kim said with feeling.

“Right now, the only ones capable of morphing are the Ninjetti.” Andros was saying to the small assembly of Rangers gathered. “Karone and I are already known as Rangers, or Ranger related, so we will accompany them.”

“Didn’t Wild Force re-establish morphing power?” Carter asked. It was a rumor, but one that had given them hope.

“Their grid has made significant progress decontaminating itself, but what limited morphing power they have now will be held in reserve until we really need it.” Hayley answered.

“Where are they now?” Conner asked. He hadn’t seen anyone from Wild Force since the beginning of the family evacuations.

“On their way to Muirantias.” Kim answered. “I can’t send them directly, Tommy was apparently given direct access last time because he’d already been there and proved himself. The evidence suggests Teeg hasn’t sent Kemora there yet, although why I don’t know, but I can’t take the chance that she can use Lerigot’s key and get in as quickly as I do. I wanted them in place around the temple there if that happens. More importantly, since the pit and the Temple of Power on Phaedos are linked, there’s a chance that they might be able to establish themselves on one of the Phaedosian grids once they get there.”

“Sweet.” Conner said quietly and a few people around him grinned.

“You heard from Dulcea?” Carri asked and Kim nodded.

“Phaedos is clear and lending it’s support to Eltar. It’s the logical move, the Warriors of Phaedos can’t get to us in time, but it’s possible she can still help us, through me and Jason, if the connection between the two temples stays open. If Wild Force is successful on a Phaedosian grid, we might also be able to convert some of the others. In the meantime, she’s spreading the word that we need help. No one will be able to get in, but they could be a nuisance on the other side of the field where her ships are docked.”

“KO-34 is also trying to rally people to help us.” Andros added. “Between the two, help should be here in a few days.”

“That’s not much good in the meantime.” Jason said with a resigned sigh. “That’s where Teeg gets people. There’s not much left by the time the reinforcements arrive.”

“No, but we’ll do the best we can with what we’ve got.” Kim said. “So, going back to the original purpose of the meeting,” She chided. “Where are we with informing the world governments?”

“I’ve already established myself as the first contact and sent out briefings stressing that the towers, as well as the seriousness of their effect on the people this world, will be addressed in the meeting.” Karone said. “And I have a team of about twelve people trying to follow up and stress the importance of attendance.”

“How many are we expecting?” Kim asked, the old feeling nervous butterflies she used to get before a major competition rolling around in her stomach. She was seriously deficient in her knowledge of world politics. She had no idea how many countries were represented at the United Nations let alone how many world leaders might attend this meeting.

Karone glanced at Andros and he returned her uncertain look. “Many of the major world leaders have agreed to be present, once we convinced them we were serious… Of course the US President and Vice President are coming, but I get the feeling they’re far more interested in seeing our base and furthering negotiations on issues we’ve been ignoring rather than the towers… and the President himself wants to know if the pink Mighty Morphin will be there…apparently one of his predecessors met her and he wants to as well.” She added hesitantly. “I told him she would and he seemed a lot more eager.”

“I could comment.” Jason said drolly. “But I won’t.”

“ Canada, Australia, Japan were the first to agree.” Andros chimed in. “ France, Greece, and England will be sending a high ranking official; we weren’t happy, but it’s better than nothing. We haven’t heard anything from Mexico yet.”

 “A few others agreed when we announced we’d be transporting them.” Karone added, taking up the monolog. “Unfortunately, the majority of the European nations and the entire Middle East and India are ignoring us completely. And we also haven’t heard back from anyone in Africa, although the weather alterations there don’t seem to be as severe as they are in the rest of the world; so maybe that’s why.”

“Have we stressed how important this is?” Jason asked, irritation breaking through.

 “Those refusing to attend are mostly the ones who have consistently refuted that the Power Rangers and extraterrestrials in general actually exist on this world.” Andros said evenly. “A few of the others simply aren’t taking us seriously or are blaming us for orchestrating the whole event in order to grab power for ourselves.”

“If they feel that way now, how are they going to feel when we freeze the world’s computer networks?” Hayley added. She had some serious reservations about the way Justin Stewart’s team had decided to take over the computers of world’s banking systems and free markets; it was almost like a game with him, some sort of fun puzzle to figure out. It left her with an uneasy feeling in her stomach and she honestly didn’t think Tommy would have approved. She had voiced her concerns to Billy, but the curmudgeon had only rolled his eyes and told her gruffly to focus on her own work.

“Oh great…” Carri piped up. “So what are we supposed to do, take charge of those populations and evacuate people against the will of their governments or do we just sit back and let them die?”

“I think…” Kim answered, silencing the murmuring that had started. “…that we can do only what we can do. If we can destroy the towers before they heat the atmosphere too badly, many of the people in question will be uncomfortable, but will live through it.”

“And if we don’t?” Carter asked.

“Then it won’t matter, we’ll start over with who we can manage to save.” Kim said evenly.

“That’s not acceptable.” Jason said roughly. “Maybe we can reorganize and try to address one of the world councils, get their attention that way.”

“The storms generated are going to cause the most damage to the infrastructure. Heat, high winds, flooding, and fire are our main enemies.” Billy said. “Perhaps we can organize civilian squads…”

“We spread the word.” Kim said, cutting him off. “We give the leaders twelve hours to get ready then we blast the world media with the recommendation to get underground as quickly as possible, but our focus remains firmly on where our forces are best utilized. That doesn’t mean dividing up to track down panicking people. We must remain centralized.” She said with more sharpness than she intended. It worked though, those around her silenced and nodded their agreement. “ I’m sorry, we do what we can do and if we’re ignored….” She paused and shrugged helplessly. “We don’t have time to beg people to take us seriously.”

“So how many are actually gonna show?” Jason asked.

“Thirteen.” Karone said uneasily.

“Jesus…” Jason swore, his shoulder slumping. It had never dawned on him that the world wouldn’t take them seriously.

“Well…” Kim said, shifting in her chair and sitting up. “I guess that means it’ll be easier if we have to evacuate to Ko-35.”

“I have concerns.” Teeg said slowly, turning around in her command chair and facing Kemora. “He’s restless and took it upon himself to confront Kaycea on the surface again without informing me.”

“There’s a reason Zordon chose him.” Kemora said easily. “He’s powerful. Able to utilize both sides of the Power should he chose to.” She shrugged nonchalantly as if completely indifferent. “I wouldn’t worry too much. All the Tommys, including Thomas, remain haunted by their evil side. It stands to reason our evil green is a little haunted by his good one.”

“It’s dangerous.” Teeg said evenly, eyes narrowing on the demon. “The towers have not reached full power yet. We are still more than twenty standard time units away from an ideal attack scenario.” There was more here than met the eye. She understood Kemora had her own agenda, but had been unable to ferret it out as yet. “Rexo has failed to take Phaedos, as I anticipated he would, but now the witch Dulcea has sent her warriors to Eltar. I may need to send reinforcements. If we lose control over the green…” She added, leaving the last word hanging.

“If we lose control over him,” Kemora responded a little more smugly than Teeg approved of, “Then I kill him.”

Teeg sat back regally in her throne like chair and regarded the demon in front of her. She knew very little about her other than she was Kaycea’s doppelganger. If Kaycea adored Tommy, it stood to reason that the demon despised him. Why then, encourage her to let the man live? Save him from certain death inside the orb? There was more to it than simply causing Kaycea pain and suffering by turning him evil. She either wanted the man for herself or she wanted to kill him herself. It had to be the latter, she decided silently.

“If we lose control over him,” She warned the woman in front of her ominously, “Then I will see you contained within an orb for the rest of eternity.”

Kemora’s eyes narrowed and blazed an angry red, but she held her peace. The time would come to deal with her so called captor. It was in her best interest to pretend to behave for now. Once she had Lerigot’s key, once the pit of eternal fire was hers to control, she would have her revenge on the cat-like creature in front of her. No one crossed Kemora and lived. No one.

“Kimberly!” A very familiar accented voiced called out, causing Kim to stop dead in her tracks as the others filed past her out of the assembly room and down the corridor. “Kimberly wait a second, I need to talk to you!” Kat called, waving frantically in case Kimberly missed her.

“Oh God, not now…”  She muttered, grabbing Jason by the back of his uniform shirt and holding him back with her.

“If I have to stay, you do.” She hissed, but Kat was upon them before he could answer.

“Kimberly I need to talk to you.” Kat said breathlessly. “I’ve been trying all day to find someone to help me, but everyone tells me I need to talk to you…where’s Tommy?”

Kim was ready for a whole host of things Kat might track her down for, but not that one. She starred at her, heart constricting, unable to answer.

“Tommy’s busy.” Jason said, giving Kat a warning look not to pursued the question.

“I’m sure.” Kat said, missing Jason’s look. “But I need…” She took a huge inward breath and fanned her eyes as if they were misting. “I’ve been told there’s a secondary bunker they’re starting to assign people to…if I could just talk to Tommy about it…”

“There’s a secondary bunker?” Kim asked Jason.

“It’s…well, yeah. There’s a last minute effort to get people underground wherever we can before the general evacuations start.” He admitted. “Rocky and a few others had second and third cousins and non-family that were like family and I told him he’d have to find another bunker to put them in… so…” He answered, leaving the last word hanging. The place they were talking about wasn’t all that great, but it was better than most people would get.

“How do I get people assigned to it?” Kat asked hopefully.

“You have more family members who have been excluded?” Kim asked. She was certain that the families had pretty much all been crammed in.

“Not family; friends, co-workers, my wedding party...”

“Your wedding party…” Kim repeated.

“Kimberly these are my dearest friends. I’m just…” She waved her hands in front of her face as her eyes watered. “…these are my family of choice and if anything happened to them before my wedding…”

“Alright, alright…” Kim said, raising her hand to stop her and turning to Jason. “You’re in charge. Round them up and get them inside.” She said, slapping him across the chest. “And get her back into a uniform.” She said pointing at Kat and moving away toward the others.

“Oh…no.” Kat said demurely. “Thank you, but Chris doesn’t know about my Ranger days and I’m happily retired. Thank you though.”

“I didn’t ask.” Kim said sternly, turning back to face her old friend turned rival. “Over ninety percent of the uniforms you see around here are retired. We’ve got a job to do and we need as many hands as we can find.”

“Kimberly I can’t come back.” Kat insisted. “I loved my life as a Ranger while I was in high school, but I’ve completely moved on since then… I would be a liability in a fight if I tried to do it now. Besides, Carri might not care if she reveals herself to everyone, but I do.” She argued. “I saw what happened to Ashley when her identity was revealed; it was a nightmare.”

“You’re here because your Ranger.” Kim said firmly, moving up so close that the taller woman backed up. “Your family is here because you’re a Ranger. Suit up.”

“If I could just talk to Tommy...he understands…” Kat hedged.

“Tommy’s not here.” Kim said more coldly than she intended. “I am.” She snarled, then spun around and marched off to catch up with the others.

“What am I going to tell my family, Chris’s family?” She asked turning to Jason with an almost panicked look.

“Tell them Carri recruited you to help out.” Jason advised. “You’re volunteering with the Rangers, nothing more. A volunteer is a helper, not a morphing Ranger.” He added, then excused himself and hurried to catch up with Kim, leaving Kat alone in the hallway. “I’ll send someone to get you a uniform.” He called back over his shoulder.

“So when do you think you’ll be able to do the test?” Rocky asked anxiously.

“I honestly don’t know.” Billy said distractedly. Hayley had only just informed him of her conversation with Kim and he was buried up to his neck in calculations. He was so close to figuring out a way to stimulate the Dinogem residues in Tommy and Kira, he could actually feel it. It didn’t help that everyone had once again descended upon his lab after dinner; creating noise and peppering him with stupid questions.

It wasn’t that he didn’t sympathize with Rocky’s dilemma, it was just that it honestly wasn’t a priority for him. Once he finished running this latest cycle of data he had to go back to work on a thousand projects ranging from feeding the refugees to the incompatibility of the Overdrive team’s computer network with Lightspeed and NASADA. The work was coming at him from all ends. Then there was the worry over his pregnant wife who was having cramps. She swore up and down they weren’t contractions, but with the stress of everything…

“But it’ll only take a few seconds for you to know, right?” Rocky asked fretfully.

“Yes,” Billy said irritably, wishing he could somehow shoo his friend away.

“So when do you think you might be able to do it?”

“Ask me again in about three days.” Billy grumbled.

“But by then…” Rocky started, but one look at his friend’s angry face made him stop. “Ok, fine…three days.” He muttered angrily, turning towards the door. “ I might not have a girlfriend in three days, but that really doesn’t matter to you does it? You have a wife already.”

Billy raised his head and shot his friend an angry look, but Rocky never turned around to see it. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily, then returned to his work.

“Alright, everyone who’s coming is here.” Jason said, pulling back his Ninjetti hood and rubbing his eyes. “We’re up to a whole eighteen representatives.” He said  sarcastically.

There was no point in traveling to New York and holding the meeting in a huge assembly room if few were attending. There was also no place left in NASADA proper given the family evacuations, so they had transported the leaders into the conference room of the newest Astro Megaship that Zane had just helped to deliver. With an ability to seat twenty at the conference table, the dimly lit room with all its screens and flashing technology made for an impressive and imposing backdrop, if nothing else.

“Remember,” Karone coached in a low voice, “Ninety percent of authority is in the ability to command their attention. You have to appear to them as if you have complete authority over everyone, as if it never dawned on you that they won’t instantly obey.”

“These are world leaders we’re talking about.” Kim whispered back nervously. “Aren’t they going to do the same thing?”

“You are the one in charge of this meeting. Never forget that.” Karone said firmly. “They came here to listen to you. You must command their attention from start to finish. Even if you don’t feel it, act like you do. Don’t let them turn the subject or control the conversation. They’re politicians, they’ll twist your words. Be precise, be definite, and be firm.”

“Just pretend you’re Zordon.” Carri advised.

“I’m not Zordon.” Kim said, breathing deeply and forcing her heart to stop pounding wildly.

“They don’t know that.” Carri answered. “They don’t have a clue who you are except that you’re the one leading this mission and the one in command of the Power Rangers. If they try and pass judgment on you or ask you’re qualifications, just tell ‘em you first came to this planet’s defense over six thousand years ago and you don’t need a room full of little boys belittling you.”

“That’s not exactly true…we went back in time for that mission.” Kim said, giving her friend a look that said she wasn’t helping much.

“So?” Carri retorted. “They don’t know that. Aren’t you always telling me Zordon said that truth was only a matter of perspective?”

“I hate to say it…” Karone said wryly, “…but I agree with Carri. Don’t lie, but don’t let them think they can question your authority. It’s too important, we don’t have time to debate. Go in, tell them what to do, then get out. If they doubt you, you need to assert your authority and leave.”

“Tell my again why you aren’t doing this?” Kim asked Karone.

“Because you’re the one in charge.” She responded firmly.

“Oh yeah…” Kim said doubtfully.

“You can do this.” Jason said and Kim nodded several times, breathing deeply again. “You have to do this.” He added and she closed her eyes, nodding back once.

“Alright, I’m going to introduce you.” Karone said, grabbing her brother and walking toward the conference room door. “You better morph and get ready.”

As Kim morphed into Ninjetti form and Jason replaced his hood, she physically shook the last of the nervous adrenaline from her numb limbs. “Just pretend I’m Zordon…Just pretend I’m Zordon…” She whispered to herself. Oh god…she thought to herself, what would Zordon have said to that?

“Showtime.” Carri said glibly, morphing into her yellow Ninjetti robes and falling into step behind her.

For a moment, Kim felt as though she was the biggest fraud in the universe. What would Zordon do…the phrase haunted her. She was no Zordon. She understood now, more than ever before what Dulcea had meant during her training when she told her that she had barely scratched the surface of her potential, that she had yet to really command it.

Her powers were growing faster than ever since the hour up on her grandfather’s ranch when she’d openly embraced the pit’s calling. Through an odd quirk of fate, she’d been given awesome potential, but potential was an unclaimed asset; she wasn’t there yet. She had defeated  Netau, placed him within his own orb and then doubly sealed that orb with one of her own; but she wasn’t sure exactly how she’d done it.

That was the difference between a novice and a master; a master could act, a novice reacted. She had reacted to a direct threat and the grid had helped her focus enough to accomplish what needed to be done. She hadn’t consciously done it on her own. She was an amateur, a white belt in a galaxy filled with masters. Her friends didn’t know the difference, she did. She was twenty-eight, almost twenty-nine years old with a potential lifespan of ten thousand…she had a long, long way to go before she could know what Zordon would say or do.

Yet, there she was, entering a room of great men, the leaders of her world, and she was expected to advise them on the chaotic hours ahead. These were the men who were entrusted with the welfare of their people; just as she had been entrusted with organizing the Rangers in this fight against Teeg. She didn’t miss the irony of it.

The hallway was purposely much brighter than the room they were about to enter. This way the occupants would not see the hallway beyond and hopefully not realize they were on a ship and not the official Command Center of the Power Rangers. The Command Center itself was highly functional, but not very impressive. They could have possibly borrowed the Overdrive Command Center, but that was already being utilized and she didn’t want to stop people from their work just for her. They needed to exude as much authority as possible. The majority of the world already wasn’t taking them seriously; even with Teeg’s towers and the dramatic climate changes that had already occurred.

In the few seconds that it took to enter from the hallway to the conference room, going from an overly bright surrounding to a considerably darker one, Kim had a sudden flash back to the moment when she’d been unceremoniously engulfed by her first transport beam and introduced for the first time to the world of the Rangers. Just as she had looked upon Zordon’s power tube with a combination of awe and wonder and fear, so too the faces of the men and women before her turned from companionable conversation to reverent silence. One by one they stood in respect and one by one she met each of their eyes from behind the red mask that obscured all but her own eyes.

For a moment, and only a moment, the conference room melted away and she saw Zordon’s face as clearly as if she were still a little girl and fighting with the Mighty Morphin team again. Once again, he looked down upon her with that gentle, knowing smile, and once again, her worries melted away as if they had never existed. The image nodded once to her in quiet understanding and then faded… but it was enough. Her stance shifted, her shoulders relaxed and although only her eyes were revealed, she put as much gentle knowing into them as she could.

“Gentlemen…ladies…” She addressed those present, crossing her red clad arms across her crest and bowing slightly in a traditional Eltaran greeting. “I welcome you.” She said, her voice soft, but carrying; somewhere in-between Dulcea’s no-nonsense tone and Dimetria’s gentle ringing cadence. “I am known as Kaycea, daughter of Zordon, Master Warrior of Phaedos.”

 From behind his hood, Jason grinned.

“I cannot believe I’ve been roped into this again.” Kat sighed, handing a wailing Sage back to Ashley and adjusting the top of her grey uniform.

“Oh come on Kat, it’s not that bad.” Cassie said, leaning back on the small makeshift couch in her friend’s living quarters. It wasn’t the largest of the Ranger’s living spaces, but it was the only one big enough for the three friends to congregate privately all at once. “I haven’t been in uniform in just as long; few of us have.”

“What am I supposed to tell my family?” She replied.

‘Exactly what Jason said; you’re volunteering. Look, everyone has to chip in, Rangers and civilians alike. We’re all in this together.”

“I understand that…it’s just…”

“Just what?” Ashley said, sitting down and feeing her angry daughter a bottle. The baby quieted instantly and the three chuckled over how she greedily attacked the offering.

“You both remember what it was like towards the end of my relationship with Tommy,” Kat answered with a sigh. “He just wouldn’t give it up, it was a complete obsession with him. Yes, I loved being a Ranger and yes, I cried for days when I had to give it up…but life went on. I went to the dance academy in London, I came back and moved forward. Tommy didn’t. He swore up and down and sideways that he was retired…and then he’d disappear for days and I’d find out through the grapevine he’d been to Eltar or Mirinoi or somewhere else just… helping with things…” She paused and ground her jaw, old angers and frustrations resurfacing. “He loved the Rangers more than me.” She admitted sullenly. “It was like a mistress he couldn’t give up and it eventually tore us apart.”

“So,” Cassie said blandly. “Even though your world needs you, your family needs you… even though you have talents that are desperately needed right now in this emergency, you resent being called back because of an old jealousy that doesn’t exist anymore?”

“That relationship ended so bitterly.” Kat argued. “It didn’t have to…and now all those old angry feelings are just boiling to the surface again.”

“Over a silly high school- slash- college, relationship?” Cassie said incredulously. “Kat, come on…how many of us are with the same guy we dated in high school?” She asked, immediately holding up her hand and silencing Ashley. “I’m not counting the one and only exception in my entire life that I know of.” She said, giving her friend a little grin.

“Tommy and I could have had a forever relationship.” Kat insisted. “He just wouldn’t let go of the Rangers.”

“Yes, but you have Chris now. You said yourself I don’t know how many times that Tommy may have broken your heart, but once you let go, you turned around and found true love right where you were supposed to.” Cassie offered.

“Was it that he wouldn’t let go,” Ashley said gently “Or was it that you felt you were being excluded?” She asked. She remembered those days very well, how Tommy had kept Kat isolated while Andros had bent over backward to include her. She’d remembered her misgivings and even mentioned them to her husband more than once when Kat had purposely been left out and ranted bitterly about it afterward.

“Both.” Kat admitted. “I was shut out for so long, now they order me back in. I’ve no say or choice in the matter…just like I didn’t have a say when I was told to leave.”

“Think of it this way,” Cassie offered. “Your tenure as a Ranger not only made you the person you are, it also could very well have saved your entire family from what’s coming. Don’t think of it as being forced into service, think of it as an avenue to preserve the people you love the most.”

“You’re right.” Kat said gently. “I’m being very selfish aren’t I?”

“No,” Ashley reassured, raising the baby up to her shoulder to burp her. “I think this is an incredibly emotional and stressful experience… and we all know it’s about to get worse. In the meantime, you’re having to confront emotions that you’ve kept bottled up for a lot of years. It’s completely normal.”

“You think that’s why Tommy’s refusing to talk to me?” Kat asked. “I tried for hours to contact him today and was completely ignored.”

“You don’t know, do you?” Cassie said uneasily, looking hesitantly towards Ashley.

“What are you talking about?” Kat returned apprehensively, her stomach sinking.

“Tommy…” Ashley said uncertainly. “He’s…”

One thing became painfully clear to Kim the moment she sat down, the chair was too big. The Kaoans had designed the conference room to Tommy’s specifications and those specifications had been to seat at least twenty red Rangers. Apparently the Kaoans believed red Rangers were giants, because they were large command chairs, imposing and very impressive, but they were not designed, as she quickly discovered, for a five-foot-two little pink.

To make matters worse, most of the length in her five foot two, one hundred pound soaking wet, frame was in her legs. While long legs and a short torso was pretty to watch during a gymnastics meet, at the moment it made her feel like a Kindergartener sitting at the grownups table at Thanksgiving.

The effect was not lost on anyone in the room and she groaned inwardly in embarrassment. In the one second it took for her to drop nearly below the table, she had lost a significant amount of precious credibility with the leaders assembled.  Someone coughed, and Andros rushed forward, but Kim, heart pounding wildly, calmly raised a hand for him to be still and rose as gracefully as if she had just finished a mat routine into a standing position.

“You’re a little bit of a thing, aren’t ya?” The US President said with a grin and several of those around him shuffled uncomfortably. Kim slowly turned her Ninjetti masked head to him and purposefully put as much of a twinkle in her exposed eyes as she could.

“So it appears.” She said in her best imitation of Dimetria. “I believe,” She continued in the same tone, “That in our efforts to accommodate our distinguished guests, our technicians have forgotten one small detail.” She said, putting a distinct emphasis on the word small. Those at the table smiled or chuckled in response and she genuinely relaxed a little. Her heart was still pounding though and her mind raced. She had to reestablish her authority over the meeting and quickly or her credibility would be completely lost.

“In the absence of available phone books,” She said mischievously, continuing to turn the jest on herself. “Perhaps I should simply take another seat.” As she spoke, she drew first one leg and then the other up until she was sitting cross-legged, suspended by nothing but air.

It was a training technique Dulcea had pounded into her. A form of telekinetic mind control that she rarely used because she simply didn’t have to. As a novice, she had first learned to suspend herself, then, as she progressed through training, Dulcea had forced her to balance a saucer of water on her head to assure stability. As her training progressed, Dulcea had then switched the water for acid. It wasn’t as easy as it looked, straining the muscles and the mind the way sit-ups and crunches strained the abdomen, but in order to pass her masters training, she had learned to hold the position for hours while simultaneously performing other tasks.

It was, however, an impressive feat to those who had never seen such a thing outside of movies and television. To add to the effect, she allowed the energies around her Ninjetti clad frame, the same energies she was controlling to keep her in the seated position, to glow and crackle around her. Dulcea would have been furious, it was sloppy and showed lack of control, but the small pyrotechnics display was impressive to her audience and that’s what she was going for.

“You have come here this night to understand the new menace that threatens your world and you’re your population. I understand this is a new and unknown situation and I applaud you for taking a leap of faith which your contemporaries had not the courage to do.” She said gently, trying to think how Zordon or Dimetria would phrase their words and putting a strength behind that resonated across the small room.

 “Forgive us for appearing bold or rude.” The U.S. Vice President said diplomatically, “But the question most of us are asking is why the conflicts have, after nearly fifteen years of containment, spread beyond the coastlines of California. Does our summons to this meeting indicate the Rangers have lost control of their defenses?”

“Fortunately,” Kim answered, “The Rangers have been able to maintain the status quo on this planet for more than ten thousand years. Unfortunately, we now face an enemy who is not interested in the subjugation of the planet and who feels preservation of the population is of no consequence. I have every confidence that the Rangers will defeat this new enemy, as we have defeated so many others, however, I am not willing to sacrifice the population of Earth in order to accomplish this victory. Our enemy knows this and is using it to her advantage. It is a very effective strategic attempt to divide our forces.”

“So the monoliths are an attempt to exterminate the population?” A gentleman at the end of the table asked. She assumed by his accent that he was Australian as she’d been told the Prime Minister from New Zealand was one of the women attending, but Kim still cursed herself for not paying more attention to world politics. There were three women present, representing New Zealand, Germany and Switzerland but other than that, she was woefully ignorant of which representative corresponded to what country. She knew far more about the interworking of Elemi’s politics than her own, but then again, a planetary representative from KO-34 or Eltar probably wouldn’t bother identifying them either.

“The towers have many functions.” Kim said evenly. “The purpose that is of concern to you is their effect on a planetary environment. The effects you have witnessed in the last few hours will continue to escalate, eventually leading to the destruction of most of your population.”

“And what will the Rangers do about it?” Another diplomat asked.

“The towers will be destroyed.” Kim said simply. “However, it is my responsibility to inform you that your civilian populace is at dire risk. We need your help protecting them.”

“This is your war, not ours.” Another delegate said heatedly. “Why should we be called in to come to your aide? We did not invite you to this planet.”

“I am not asking your help battling the enemy who threatens your planet.” Kim said serenely. “I am here merely to inform you that you must immediately take precautions to secure the safety of the civilians who depend upon you.”

“The Power Rangers have always come to the defense of the civilians threatened.” The Vice President added. “How are we to protect our citizens if you are unable to?”

“Our enemy seeks to divide our forces by escalating the battle across the surface of your planet.” Kim said simply. “I cannot allow this to happen. As most of you are by now aware, there is a force field surrounding the globe. We are shut off from our reinforcements and must utilize the retirees and volunteers we have available planet side. This is a large enough force to accomplish the destruction of our enemy, however it is, unfortunately, not large enough to divide over all continents simultaneously and protect your population. We must ask you to evacuate your people and take responsibility for protecting them from the hostile environment created by the towers until the battle is concluded.”

“And where are we supposed to take them?” An angry voice asked over the uproar that insured.

“More importantly who’s going to pay for these so-called evacuations?” Another asked.

Kimberly waited until the debate had died down then waited a few more seconds before speaking. “The extreme weather events that you have witnessed since the early hours of the morning in the Pacific time zone will continue to escalate.” She said in a calm, almost detached voice. “Our scientists estimate that your polar ice caps will begin to melt within eighty hours, flooding your coastal areas. It is assumed, however, that the air will have become toxic by then and the majority of your population will have succumbed. You are the only ones who have responded to our warning. We have volunteers who are willing to work with your agencies to help you more quickly implement evacuations and disaster relief, but we can only assist you so far. Although, as only a few have responded, I assume I am able to offer you more assistance than was previously considered.”

“And just where are we to take everyone?” Someone asked.

“If you do not have fall-out bunkers or other contingency shelters able to withstand the storms that are coming, we do have other options to offer you.” Kim said evenly. “However, this is something that must be considered after all other resources have been exhausted.”

“How long do we have?” Someone asked.

“Approximately twenty-four hours.” Kim said coolly.

“You’re asking the impossible.” The US Vice President argued.

“I’m advising you.” Kim replied. “Your choice is to act upon my advice or not.”

“And just what gives you the authority to advise us to make these kinds of decisions? Who put you in charge? Is there no one we can appeal to for clarification or a difference of opinion?” A representative asked.

“I was elected to inform you of the danger to your communities.” Kim said simply.

“By whom?” An angry man at the end of the table asked.

“By the Red Assembly.” She answered.

“And the Red Assembly is…” Someone else asked.

“The Red Assembly consists of the red Rangers, past and present, who have held the responsibility of leading the defense of your world.” Kim answered.

“And you? By your costume are we to assume that you’re a Red Ranger? In the fifteen years that the Power Rangers have made themselves known to us, there has never been a female red Ranger.”  The angry man spat back to her.

“My tenure as a red Ranger on this planet began with my service over six thousand years ago.” Kim replied coolly, the look in her eyes hardening. “Since that time I have served other teams both as a red and as a pink; both on this world and on others.” She paused as a silence descended upon the table. “I chose to return to this world to live my life, I did not chose to return to active duty. However, I am the most qualified to lead the other reds against the enemy we now face and have been pressed again into active service. This is, I believe, not an uncommon phenomenon among the military minded.” She added and several at the table nodded. “My qualifications,” She continued, an edge in her voice, “Will mean little to you. I am the acknowledged daughter of Zordon, the being who brought the morphing power to humanity. I am a Master Ninjetti Warrior of Phaedos, a title which strikes fear into many who serve evil. I am also referred to as the spawn of Maligore, a recognition of my power as a sorceress. I have other titles that will mean equally little to you, but of importance is that I am a citizen of this planet. I have called it my home for many years and I am of a mind not to see it destroyed. You have very little time gentlemen…ladies. I suggest you not waste it arguing with me.”

“Just how secure do these bunkers need to be?” One of the women present asked. “Do the people need to be protected from radiation or just the elements?”

“And you created all these?” Billy asked, his tone more than impressed and bordering on wonder.

“I appear to have a talent for it.” Kim answered sardonically. The meeting was finally over and called a success by both Andros and Karone, but Kim was less than convinced she’d given any kind of stellar performance. When Billy looked up at her she added, “Apparently not everyone can do it, you have to be born with the ability. Thomas thinks that was why Zordon allowed Divatox to take me to Muirantias and slowed down the Zeo team with the Ghost Galleon instead of giving them something faster. He seems to have allowed me to be re-structured in order to give the universe another coin maker.”

“I didn’t know that.” Billy said sympathetically. He’d left for Aquitar by then, but he knew that Zordon had had plans for both Kim and Tommy and a few others. In retrospect, it was probably better he hadn’t been there.

“It took me a while, but I eventually forgave him for it.” She said with a thin smile that was less than convincing.

“There are hundreds of them.” Billy said incredulously, picking up a golden power coin and regarding it from both sides with his eyes before putting it into his analyzer. “And each one’s a different animal like the coins on Phaedos?”

“Yes, but not all of them work very well.” She hedged. “And I’m not powerful enough to create Ninjetti. I mean, I could try, but I’ve never done it before. I’d hate to accidentally kill someone.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Billy said eagerly, like a child who’d just been handed several candy jars of gold wrapped chocolate. “We don’t need Ninjetti, we need to morph. There are more than enough for all the Rangers over the next two days, maybe three. Even if each coin only provides one stable morph…Kim this is awesome!” He said excitedly.

“Glad you think so.” She said, far less impressed than he was, but happy to accept a compliment from him. It had been a long day and she needed a genuine compliment. “I have better news for you though.”

“Oh god…” he said, more dramatically than she’d ever seen him. “I’m not sure my heart can take any more good news.” He finished sarcastically.

“No, this genuinely is good news.” She answered, smiling as he looked over at her. “Hayley wasn’t including the grid up on the ranch when she listed those contaminated.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s not associated with the main network and for some reason Tommy’s list was never updated on the Dino Thunder computers; although Hayley knew it existed.” She said, eyes twinkling.

“And it’s not infected?” Billy asked eagerly.

“Nope, it’s old and crotchety and it refused to talk to the newer grids.”

“Oh praise God…” Billy answered with feeling. “Praise God, praise the Great Power…we’ve just been handed a miracle...”

“The miracle will come if I can get it to cooperate with us.” Kim said, but she was smiling as she said it. “It’s old, and it doesn’t like me very much… although it did help me when I needed it… and it seemed interested when I went out there after the meeting adjourned, but it won’t have anything to do with crystals and modern zords and morphers. It will only help us if we use good old fashioned coins and animal DNA.”

Billy grinned and held up a coin with a flamingo’s head on it. He twisted it and the light bounced off it creating the illusion that it was glowing.

“Yes.” Kim nodded. “That’s what gave me the idea. Is it too late to stop work on the new stuff and start creating animal zords?”

“Never say never.” Billy grinned. “And I like a challenge…I’m sure I can also dig up something from storage.”

“You still have the designs for Zordon’s old morphers?” She asked.

“As if he throws anything away.” Trini answered, coming up from behind and wrapping her arms around her husband.

“You promised to stay in bed.” Billy growled, but he returned her hug.

“I can’t.” She said honestly. “I fret more in there than I do out here.”

“You’re ok?” Kim asked and her friend nodded, rubbing her rounding stomach.

“Too much stress I guess, but I’m fine. I just need a job to keep my mind and fingers occupied.”

“Then here.” Billy said, handing her a tray full of coins. “Sort them according to their stability.”

“Where did we get all these?” She asked wondrously.

“Do you believe in magic?” Kim asked mischievously.

“How’d the meeting go?” Rocky asked as Carri returned to their room. They had made an uneasy truce before she left, but he’d fretted and paced their tiny cubicle until word came that the meeting had adjourned and had waited for her anxiously ever since.

“It was…interesting.” She said with a derisive look.

“What’s that mean?” He asked.

“I get the feeling,” She said hesitantly. “That our world leaders are really no more than little boys and girls squabbling out on the playground over who gets the blue shovel in the sandbox.”

“That’s… an interesting analogy.” He said cautiously.

“Maybe I’m just biased.” She said with a sigh, flopping down on her side of the bed without bothering to remove her uniform. “I mean, I’ve followed Kim and Jase into several councils on Eltar and we went to something or another important on Phaedos. I’ve even gone to Elemi’s home world for a few things. This was a meeting of my world’s leaders and it just seemed…kind of…blah.”

“Kim did ok?” He asked and she surprised him by laughing.

“It was so damn hard not to crack up.” She laughed. “She was totally doing a really bad imitation of Dimetria, all holier than thou…and, oh my god, the chair…she sat down at the start of the meeting and the chair was so damn huge, and it dropped her down so low, that her nose just about hit the table.”

“Oh no…” He said, grinning.

“Jase was really pleased with her though.” She added, throwing an arm over her eyes. “He was strutting around afterward like he’d done something fabulous or it was all his idea….I wanted to smack him.”

“So the world evacuation is underway?”

“I think so.” She said yawning. “Those that attended were going to try and influence those that didn’t.

“Damn.” Rocky said with feeling.

“Yeah…” She said softly.

“So are we ok?” He asked hesitantly. She moved her arm off her face and rolled her head over to look at him.

“I love you.” She said simply. “And I’m not going anywhere Rocky.” She added. “But I’m not ok. Not yet anyway.”

“I’ll take it.” He said, grinning and sliding over to spoon with to her. She grabbed his arms and held them tightly around her and he squeezed back.

“Does it bother you I can’t have kids?” She asked, turning and looking over her shoulder at him

“No babe.” He said gently, rubbing her arms and kissing her neck softly. “It’s never bothered me.”

“It bothers me.” She said, rolling back over. Careful to keep it hidden from him, she clenched her fist tightly and watched as fist her fingers, then her entire hand, slowly transformed into metal.

A few short hours later, the three Ninjetti faced the four evil Rangers with far more confidence than they actually felt. They would get one shot at this, they all knew it. As the warriors faced off, the evil green slowly drew his sword and crossed it over his chest in salute.

“Four Rangers against three Ninjetti hardly seems a fair fight.” Jason called across the distance that separated them. His dark green Ninjetti robes an oddly perverse contrast  to the evil one’s glimmering gold shield and shining spandex.

It was late at night, nearly midnight, and a hot wind blew furiously through what was left of Angel Grove park. Most of the trees had already blown over, litter was everywhere, and the smell of smoke was growing stronger by the minute. The electricity had long since cut out and the only light was from the full moon hanging hauntingly orange colored above them.

“What did you have in mind?” The evil green asked ominously.

“Green against green.” He challenged. “Just you and me Tommy. You know that’s what you always wanted. One final battle to see who’s left standing.” Slowly, he drew forth the new, specially made sword that had been recently added to his uniform by Billy.

Tommy brought his sword up to his armored chin as if considering the idea, then sliced it downward in an arc across to his side. “Not exactly a fair fight…for you.” He growled, stepping forward. As he did so, the two other Ninjetti parted and the evil Rangers backed away, leaving Jason and Tommy facing each other in the center of a makeshift ring. “Then again,” He baited, “I always did enjoy an easy warm up.”

Kim watched, her heart pounding, as the two began their fight. Easily at first, as if testing the waters, then with more power behind the blows. It was doubtful that Tommy had been left with the memory of Jason’s Muirantian power, but Teeg knew him as the son of Maligore, so they couldn’t eliminate the possibility.

Kim didn’t want it to come to that yet. They needed to save as many surprises as they could for later. As the fight became more intense, the blows of the swords clanging in the night with more frequency and resonance, she stealthily pushed a small button on her belt, signaling Billy and Hayley to activate the device she’d planted nearby.

As the two fighters circled around each other, Kira was the first to go down, cradling her helmet and screaming with pain. Tommy turned to her, momentary distracted by her cry and the odd sensations he himself was experiencing. It was all Jason needed. He sprang forward, tackling Tommy to the ground and destroyed his sword.

Kim held her breath, heart pounding anxiously and waited for the tell-tale energy withdrawal to hit Tommy, but nothing happened. The destruction of his sword had left him off balance, but he quickly recovered. Standing back up, he warily faced Jason again.

Everyone was silent, the evil Rangers wondering what had just happened and the Ninjetti baffled that their plan had backfired. Slowly, cruelly, Tommy began to laugh. It was an evil laugh, hard and spiteful and Kim’s heart sank.

“Fools!” He yelled. “Did you honestly think my mistress would allow you to exploit a known weakness?” He snarled. “Rita controls the Mystic Mother, their knowledge is one. My evil powers are no longer dependant on a mere sword, they’re embedded within the coin itself!”

Kira was now on the ground screaming and even as he taunted them Kim saw him warble momentarily, then turn ever so slightly translucent.  It was working, she knew it was working, but it wasn’t enough. She watched as the two other Rangers picked Kira up from the ground and transported out with her.

Without thinking she ran to Tommy, if he transported now, they would have revealed the Dinogem weakness to Teeg and she couldn’t take the chance the villain would immunize Tommy against it. At her approach, he lunged at her and Carri screamed, but Kim held still, unwilling to defend herself and Tommy stopped his attack just short of its mark, coming to a halt just centimeters from her.

“I have the answers you seek.” She said breathlessly, stepping forward and pressing herself against him. She could feel him jerk at her touch, but he didn’t back away, so she pressed herself even closer, pulling off her hood and knowing he could feel her heart pounding from beneath her robes. “You’re more than what you’ve been told.” She whispered, close to his shoulder, and again she felt him lurch at her words. Good, she thought, he’s already aware of the struggle within him. “Meet me on the hill just before sunrise.” She said breathlessly, slipping a small red crystal into his gloved hand. “And I will tell you everything.”

“And how do I know you will not feed me more lies?” He growled, but he hadn’t moved away from her, in fact, he seemed to be pressing himself closer, almost welcoming the contact.

“You want me.” Kim whispered seductively and he instantly backed away an inch. “Meet me on the hill and I’m yours.” She whispered, looking directly into his visor. Tommy didn’t respond, instead he turned his back on her and transported away.

“Are you insane?” Jason screeched, coming up from behind her and whirling her around. “You idiot! That’s not our Tommy. He could have killed you!”

“The device wasn’t enough to break Teeg’s control.” Kim answered, shaking off his hand on her arm. “And destroying the sword didn’t release him either. It’s only a matter of time before Teeg figures out what we’re doing.”

“That is no reason to throw yourself at him.” Jason argued.

“You saw what happened.” She said, an oddly powerful and seductive look slipping into her eyes. “Even under an evil spell, nothing can stop him from wanting the answers to who and what he is…and nothing can stop him from wanting me.” She said, eyes glowing a deep, throbbing red. “Tommy said his evil power is linked directly to his coin...I think I know exactly how to turn him back. The next time he comes to me, it will be on my terms”

“What do you mean?” Carri asked warily, hoping her friend didn’t mean what she thought she meant.

“Magic is always strongest just before sunrise.” Kim said ominously. “Magic allows me to create coins...” She said harshly, giving her friends a ruthless look, “…And that same magic will let me destroy them.”

KSuzie's Fics
Callisto's Library
PR Fan Fic Page
Home