Chapter
5: Heights of Hope & Depths of Despair.
8:30 AM
Campbell Residence
“Sha.” Kim shakes Aisha softly. “Sha, wake up.”
“Huh… wha… what time is it?” Aisha has no real desire to be awake, and rolls away from the offending sound.
“It’s 8:30 and I thought you might want to take a shower,” Kim replies, picking up a brush from Aisha’s dresser.
“Nah… that’s aight… you go first.” Aisha waves her left hand feebly, her right cushioning her cheek.
“Thanks, but I already took my shower.” Kim begins the long process of brushing her damp hair.
“I hate you perky morning people,” Aisha grumbles, painfully rising out of bed.
“Morning people, hah!” Kim makes a face, absently dragging the brush through her conditioner-softened locks. “I am used to morning starting at 5 so this is afternoon for me. You know… crazy coaches and all.”
Aisha suddenly remembers that her friend is supposed to be training for the Pan Globals. “So what are you doing about that anyway?”
“Oh,” Kim looks sheepish, “I told the coach that I had a family emergency and I had to leave and I didn’t know when… or if I would get back.”
“What do you mean if?” Aisha, who was on her way to the bathroom, snaps back in shock.
“I don’t know if I can go back,” Kim admits, shrugging, “I have a lot to make up for even if… no when we find a cure for Kat and I don’t want to lose you guys again. I am not sure if my original decision was even what I really wanted…”
“Oh, Kim,” Aisha sighs, “Gymnastics has been your dream since you were a little girl, and you have nothing to make up for.”
“Sha.” Kim pulls her hair back into a ponytail. “Can we not do this now?”
“Fine,” Aisha fires a parting shot, “but we are doing this.”
~*~
8:45 AM
Park Residence
“… the insulator is going to have to be taken out?” Adam sighs and plops down on his bed.
“Yeah,” Billy’s voice sounds distant on the line, “more work for Zordon’s little helpers.”
“By the way…” Adam twirls the phone cord between his fingers, “how come Kim’s teleport still works?”
“Huh?” Billy asks, startled, “Oh you’re right. Her communicator should still be functional but her teleport should have turned itself off a few months ago… I know Jase, Tri and Zack’s had.”
“Well we can ask her later...” Adam yawns, “I have to finish getting dressed.”
“Me too.” Billy stretches his bare arms, which have become very toned over his years as a Ranger. “See you in a bit. Bye.”
“Bye.” Adam places the receiver onto the base and leans back. “Sleep… Hah! I wish…”
~*~
8:56 AM
Oliver Residence
Tommy paces furiously, his wet hair dripping water down his naked torso. “To call or not to call,” he mutters, “that is the question.” Finally, he maniacally snatches up the phone and dials a long string of numbers.
“Hello?” a masculine voice sounds rushed.
Tommy’s body seems to unclench at that sound. “Jason.”
“I guess she’s there then.” Jason chuckles at the image of Tommy coming unglued, yet again, because of Kim.
“You knew?” Tommy flares up.
“Chill bro,” Jason retorts, “Kim told Trini before she left and I made her spill. The girl was so fidgety it was like a bee bit her ass.”
“Oh, sorry.” Tommy flushes.
“Look man, I can’t talk long. I have a conference in…” Jason glances at his watch, “five minutes but hang in there. It’ll work out.”
Tommy hangs up, feeling strangely reassured by Jason’s voice. He glances at his wall clock and grabs a towel to dry off the droplets of water still glistening on his bare skin.
~*~
9:03 AM
DeSantos Residence
“Wake up, mi hijo.” Rocky’s door is no barrier to his mother’s voice. He groans and throws a pillow at the offending sound. It hits wood and bounces down. “I made breakfast,” these words are far more welcome. “Venga aqui.” Rocky reluctantly allows his feet to make contact with his floor. He begins to head for the door, but suddenly makes a beeline to his table, his eyes very awake. His laptop is still turned on, an almost finished e-mail on the screen.
@~>~~
To: TigerWoman@peacecon.org, RedRider@peacecon.org, BlackLightning1@peacecon.org
From: RubyFighter@hotmail.com
Subject: Update
“Hey guys, I figured no one would remember to keep you updated and if they did they might be too hysterical. Anyway, I know Kim told you what she thought before coming to Angel Grove and she was right or so it seems.
Kat is in bad shape. Kim’s a wreck. Tommy’s lost. Things are not great but there’s hope.
Ask Billy to explain, because we all know things would just get more confused if I tried. I’ll write more once we know more.
Love,
Rocky.”
~~<~@
He hits send, satisfied that the rest of the group is at least somewhat informed.
“Rocky, estoy esperando.” His mother is obviously getting impatient.
“Ma, where are my socks?” He is getting his clothes together.
“In your drawer,” comes the amused answer. The shower is done with in three minutes, the pungent smells of food spurring Rocky on.
“Ma, donde está?” Rocky sprints down the stairs, buttoning his jeans, his shirt slung over his finely toned shoulder. Theresa DeSantos sets a heaping plate in front of her growing son.
“Ma,” he looks up at her, “the world is a good place right?”
“Si, mi corazon.” She runs her hand over his hair. “Always.”
~*~
10:03 AM
Command Center
The five Rangers who made in on time are anxiously awaiting their fearless leader, who is late yet again.
“You know, usually I think it’s cute,” Kimberly remarks, scowling, “but today I think I’m going to kick his ass.”
“Everyone who thinks Tommy should fear for his life raise your hand,” Rocky taunts. Adam, Aisha and Billy each raise a hand, the boys more reluctantly. “Traitors.” He glowers at them.
~*~
10:07 AM
Command Center
Tommy beams in and prepares to apologize, but the words die on his lips in face of four pissed friends and one furious ex-girlfriend. “Oh-oh.” He backs away in the face of the angry mob.
“RANGERS,” Zordon interrupts the looming possibility of a public whipping, “I DO BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE MANY TASKS AHEAD OF US…” Six heads simultaneously drop as the great protectors of Earth begin to greatly resemble chastised children.
“I’ll check on Kat,” Rocky sighs.
“I’ll join you.” Billy picks up several scanners.
“I’ll check the database.” Adam walks to the console.
“I’ll see if we have any messages.” Kim re-opens the system she used to send the distress calls.
Aisha and Tommy exchange looks. “Anyone need any help?”
“Sure,” Adam is already engrossed in his work, “someone cue the search. It has a few more hours to go.” Tommy takes his place next to Adam.
“What should I do?” Aisha inquires, not wanting to be useless.
“Check on the progress of the scan Alpha ran on Kat,” Kim murmurs.
“Alrightey then,” and silence descends on the Center as Aisha begins her assignment. The hush is broken only by the beeps and clicks of the system.
~*~
11:23 AM
Command Center
Billy and Rocky re-enter the main chamber with somber faces.
“There has been no change,” Rocky informs the team.
“Isn’t that good… sort of?” Aisha speaks up.
“He means that she is still deteriorating,” Billy clarifies.
“Oh, I was hoping…” Aisha trails off, frowning.
“Yeah…” Rocky nods in understanding.
Kim looks up from her workstation. “The planets have all acknowledged our message last night and are still looking into solutions and cures.” Billy nods.
“Wait,” Adam suddenly looks up, “Shouldn’t someone inform the guys in Switzerland?” Billy smacks his forehead.
“I called Jason,” Tommy offers.
“I e-mailed them,” Rocky adds.
“I was…” Kimberly starts to speak but is interrupted by piercing wail of the monster alarm.
“Not now!” Tommy punches his fist into a wall.
Kim tentatively lays a hand on his shoulder. “You guys have to go, I’ll hold down the fort.” He nods, his deep brown eyes stormy, then looks down to see his bruised knuckles. She takes his hand to examine the damage.
“Later.” He waves her away.
Alpha brings the current scene of destruction up on the Viewing Globe.
“RANGERS, MEET THE PUPPETEER,” Zordon states, as soon as the results of Alpha’s query transmit to him, “IT SHOOTS OUT BEAMS THAT DISRUPT MOTOR FUNCTIONS.”
“In other words,” Rocky snarls, “you get hit and you’re a vegetable.”
“Oh yay,” Aisha feigns enthusiasm.
“Well it’s not like we can just ignore it.” Adam steps closer to the Viewing Globe for a closer look.
“Well… Let’s do it!”
“NINJA POWER – WHITE FALCON!”
“NINJA POWER – BLUE WOLF!”
“NINJA POWER – BLACK FROG!”
“NINJA POWER – RED APE!”
“NINJA POWER – YELLOW BEAR!”
Kim stands still for a moment, watching as more and more bodies pile around the monster, and her brown eyes turn cold. She returns to monitoring the system.
~*~
12:03 PM
Moon Palace
“Zeddy,” Rita starts speculatively, “why don’t we send more than one monster?”
“I don’t think so.” Lord Zedd employs his do-not-argue-with-me look.
~*~
12:04 PM
Angel Grove Park
The Puppeteer kicks a fallen body out of its way as it advances on yet another huddled group of humans. Their eyes are almost blank with the impending sense of calamity.
“Stop right there freak.” Aisha is never one to mince words.
“Oh lookie here,” the monster turns, “the Yellow Ranger wants to play.” The beam zeroes in on her, and she twists out the way.
“Why is it always me?” mutters Adam, who was its unfortunate and very accidental victim.
“Damn!” shouts Billy, “Teleport him out of here!” Adam’s unmoving body disappears in a flash of black.
“Hah, got one.” The Puppeteer jumps up and down. Tommy nails the monster in the ribs and quickly drops back to allow Aisha access. She takes off in a furious roundhouse kick combination that leaves the monster dizzy. It begins to retaliate as Rocky uses its lack of balance to flip it over his shoulder. As the dust clears, the Puppeteer is groaning, but the Red Ranger is down for keeps, due to yet another brush with bad luck that seems to be plaguing the team recently.
Billy triggers the communicator yet again as he brings his lance down on the monster. “Houston, we have a problem.” Rocky shimmers away in a burst of red. The Puppeteer twitches. Tommy whips out his blaster. The monster proves to be the victor yet again, though Tommy’s blast singes its side.
“Girl, we got another one for you,” Aisha screams in frustration. Tommy dissipates in a cloud of white. The Puppeteer rises slowly.
“Oh-oh,” the two remaining Rangers agree.
~*~
12:37 PM
Moon Palace
“Yay!” Rita’s delight can be heard throughout the Palace. Lord Zedd shrugs at the sight of his wife’s undignified behavior.
~*~
12:37 PM
Command Center
The three paralyzed Rangers are de-morphed and recline on stretchers that Kim had to bring in. She positioned them so they could watch the battle.
“Zordon,” Kim can’t bear to watch anymore, “isn’t there anything we can do?” Adam seems to want to say something but is unable.
“I AM AFRAID NOT, KIMBERLY.” Zordon is anxious with only two Rangers facing the awful monster.
“Ay-ay-ay.” Alpha’s own panic has reached epic proportions.
~*~
12:44 PM
Angel Grove Park
Aisha and Billy have combined efforts but so far have had to stay on the defensive. Beams fly everywhere. The humans in the area are incapacitated and more than several have been wounded in the progress of the fight. Aisha’s stance is tense and she relaxes suddenly, somersaulting once, twice, over the monster’s head. She kicks it near where the lower back should be. It staggers and comes back with a brutal blow to the hip. She stumbles and Billy’s lance comes to her rescue, piercing into the Puppeteer’s shoulder. The flare comes out suddenly and Billy barely escapes it, dropping his weapon in the process. Aisha distracts it with a flying sidekick to the head and Billy rolls over to quickly snatch up the lance. The Puppeteer rallies and the Rangers push off each other to closely avoid the beams.
~*~
12:53 PM
Command Center
“Ay-ay-ay.” Alpha has come to a decision. “They need help.”
“YES ALPHA BUT WHAT CAN WE DO.” Zordon is out of answers.
“Zordon,” Kim speaks up, “what if I borrow the Crane Coin?”
Zordon mulls over the idea and, not seeing any other options, agrees, “GO AHEAD KIMBERLY, BUT BE CAREFUL.” At that, Tommy’s eyes fill with a peculiar mix of fear, anger and pain. She nods and sprints to the Med Room. The Crain Coin is in the back pocket of Kat’s skort.
“NINJA POWER – PINK CRANE!”
The Power fills Kimberly to the brink and stretches her to continue pouring in.
~*~
1:02 PM
Angel Grove Park
The Puppeteer has Aisha and Billy cornered and they breathe in slowly, preparing for the bitter taste of failure. A pink blur barrels into the monster, who smacks into the tree. The momentary hope for Kat’s recovery is dashed as the Rangers realize that only one person is capable of that sort of move: Kimberly Ann Hart.
“Pink?” Aisha uses the familiar code.
“I’m here,” Kim replies, feeling the best she has felt in months.
“Good, we could use the help,” Billy throws out, focused on the problem at hand.
“Hey, want to go old school, Bear?” Kim suggests, stirring up old memories.
“Go for it, Crane.” Aisha tilts her head, awaiting Kim’s signal. The basic back flip begins a familiar routine. Aisha pushes off Kim, spinning into Puppeteer, pushes off it, lands and uses the built up force to launch Kim into her own attack. Kim runs up the monster’s body and lands its shoulders, using her thighs to twist its neck and flip it onto the ground. She jumps away gracefully as the monster lands with a thud.
“Yes!” the female Rangers high-five each other.
Billy’s lance flashes as it slices through the air to slash at the monster’s leg.
~*~
1:18 PM
Moon Palace
“Damn, stupid power geeks.” Rita stomps her foot.
“Patience, wife,” Lord Zedd’s tone leaves no room for discussion.
“Make it grow.” Rita was never big on listening to men.
“Fine,” Lord Zedd flings his bomb, “Let my monster grow.”
~*~
1:18 PM
Angel Grove Park
“You know what?” Kim says in the middle of a hook kick.
“What?” Aisha lands a blow into the monster’s stomach.
“Let’s finish this before the bomb gets here.” Kim’s brainstorm appeals to other two Rangers. They draw their blasters and the pink, yellow, and blue streams of light mix to create a large explosion that leaves the Puppeteer as nothing more than a charred carcass. The three let out a victory scream. The bomb arrives to explode harmlessly.
“Charred monster parts, yum,” Aisha notes, observing Lord Zedd’s latest failure.
“Sha, your sense of humor is absolutely morbid.” Kimberly shakes her head as she surveys the damage.
“She gets it from Rocky,” Billy states, wryly.
“Well, we’ve done what we could,” Kim says, her voice clearly indicating that it wasn’t enough. The Rangers depart leaving the injured civilians to experienced medical personnel.
~*~
1:27 PM
Command Center
“Hey, remind me to never mess with these Ranger chicks,” Rocky greets the returning warriors.
“Hah, I could have told you that before,” Adam quips. Tommy remains silent, his eyes burning into Kim’s uniform-clad body. The three de-morph.
“Back to business.” The euphoria of victory has drained away, leaving Billy with an urgent need to save his friend. With the effects of the monster’s attack disappearing with its demise, Tommy, Rocky and Adam rise from their respective stretchers, testing aching muscles and creaky joints.
Kim checks the system. “Well we have new messages from all the planets. I guess that’s good news.”
Adam follows suit. “The system finished the search. I cuing it now.”
Billy checks the status of Kat’s scan. “We have a diagnosis. Hold on.”
Kim looks up, tears streaming down her pale face. “Nothing.” There is a sort of finally in that one word.
Adam’s face is a mask of fear. “Nothing.”
Billy goes cold all over. “Kim was right. The Power wasn’t connected to Kat properly so instead of drawing on her spirit it simply fed on her energy. The only reason she even survived this long was because the coin channeled some of the energy properly. Honestly, I don’t know what we can do now.”
Nothing. The unsaid word reverberates through the chamber.
At his admission of helplessness, Kim sinks to floor in a heap of misery. Her loud sobs release everyone from the state of shock and Aisha joins Kim, hugs her and begins to cry. Adam kneels to wrap them both in a hug and succumbs to his pain.
“And that’s four,” says Rocky, joining the hug and adding his own tears, while not sure if he means the times he’s seen Adam cry or the number of people crying. Billy can only be strong for so long and in another moment he curls up next to his friends, weeping for all he’s worth. Tommy tries to stand tall, as if it would help the rest of them. Kim looks up at him with a depth of grief he has never seen in her eyes before and he cannot hold on any longer. He is right there with them, the fearless leader feeling as small and useless as his team.
“Ay-ay-ay.” Alpha would cry if he had any tear ducts. Zordon sighs. There is nothing left for him to say. Minutes tick by as the teenagers shake in their unbearable anguish, their cries persistent and breaking their mentor’s heart over and over. It seems as if they have been crying forever and will never stop.
“Rangers.” They are startled into stillness by a familiar voice.
“Dulcea.”