2:36 PM
Command Center
The lithe, curvy woman looks at the huddled mass of Ranger misery, her green eyes full of compassion. Her flaxen locks cascade over her bikini-clad body. She leans on her ornate wooden staff.
“What do you want?” Kim’s voice is half accusation half hope.
“I came to help,” Dulcea says evenly, looking over to Zordon.
“RANGERS I THOUGHT IT IMPERATIVE THAT DULCEA BE AWARE OF THE SITUATION AT HAND,” Zordon admits.
“Whoa, how is she even here?” Adam’s tortured mind finally connects the dots. “I thought she couldn’t leave her plateau…”
“I am not here.” The corners of her mouth curl up in an ironic smile. “This is just an astral projection.”
“Well, project yourself back and leave us to our misery.” Aisha’s pain always makes her short tempered.
“Rangers, please.” Dulcea is trying to be patient. “I may have a solution.” Surprisingly, this doesn’t stop the sobbing or the shaking.
“A solution?” Rocky scoffs, “Let me guess, we have to go somewhere real far and real dangerous and the chances of success are slim but you believe in us anyway.” Dulcea sighs.
“RANGERS PLEASE LISTEN TO HER.” Zordon remembers well the pain of losing a teammate and hopes his children never have to feel it.
“No.” Tommy’s temper reasserts itself. “We’re tired of listening.” He leans his head onto Kim’s lap and his tears fall on her knit black skirt. She runs his ponytail through her fingers, her own tears dropping onto his hair. Aisha is clasping Kim’s hand as she rubs Adam’s back. Adam is curled into a small black ball. Billy is supporting Rocky and squeezing Adam’s shoulder. Rocky is completely dazed, crying openly, but he managed to seek out Tommy’s arm and grasp it. Their united front is lethal to enemies and currently frustrating to the only being that can possibly help them.
“Look,” Dulcea offers, not seeing any way to get through to them, “why don’t you go home and come back when you are feeling more reasonable and less hysterical.” Kimberly looks up to give her a look of such suppressed fury that, despite not really being there, makes Dulcea feel anxious.
“Let’s bounce guys,” she makes the decision for the rest of them. “Catch ya on the flipside.” The sarcasm shines through loud and clear. With a Herculean effort the six compose themselves and stand up, unconsciously brushing off all the non-existent dust from their clothes.
“My house?” Billy offers. “My dad is out of town.” Nods all around. Even their teleport streams somehow manage to look sad and furious.
“That went well…” Dulcea sighs in defeat.
“WE HAVE TO KEEP TRYING.” Zordon is ever the persistent one.
“Ay-ay-ay, we must help them,” Alpha agrees.
“I just hope it’s possible.” Dulcea is making a habit of sighing.
~*~
3:09 PM
Cranston Residence
Billy’s living room is immaculate and functionally bare. The contents are limited to a couch, several armchairs, a carpet and a small coffee table. The Rangers, exhausted from the emotional breakdowns, plop onto whatever is closest. Billy and Rocky are on the couch, Adam between them. Aisha is curled in an armchair. Tommy, who sat where he stood, is on the floor leaning onto the side of Aisha’s armchair. Kim is still standing. The tears started again almost immediately.
Adam suddenly begins to dry heave, which breaks Kim out of her trance. She stalks off into the bathroom, which is the first door in the hallway. The silence remains, broken only by the quiet, almost childish cries. Kim walks back in, water dripping down her face, which is red and swollen. She is carrying a small basin full of water and a stack of washcloths, all of which she sets on the table. She kneels in front of Adam and coaxes his head up, then wipes his face with a cloth she dipped in cool water. He seems to relax and flashes her a tiny, watery smile. She moves gracefully around the room, having shed her high-heeled black sandals, and ministers the others. She leaves a cool compress on Rocky’s forehead. She lays a hand on Billy cheek, to make sure his temperature hasn’t spiked as it often does in moments of extreme distress. She dabs Aisha’s face and carefully runs her fingers through her braids to untangle them. The almost-caress seems to comfort Aisha. Tommy is rocking back and forth when Kim approaches him. He has regressed to childhood, to those moments when he feels all alone and scared and helpless.
“I’m here,” she whispers, instinctively knowing he needs the reassurance. She kisses his cheek and forces him to his feet, leading him to a free armchair. He follows obediently and sits down, closing his eyes. Kim looks over her friends and sees that, having cried out all of their energy, they are all beginning to drowse off. She lifts the phone off the table and walks into the hallway, not wanting to disturb them. She leans back on the wall and sinks down. Her fingers hover over the dial pad, struggling to remember a number that is on speed dial in Florida. Finally, she punches in a long string of numbers.
“Hello?” a girl picks up quickly.
“Trini,” Kim states, her voice controlled and emotionless.
“Kim?” Trini is scared at hearing her speak this way.
“I’m at Billy’s. I was right and I made a huge mess,” Kim admits.
“Kim, tell me what happened,” Trini commands.
“Kat is dying,” Kim states matter-of-factly, unable to deal with the horrible circumstances in any other way.
“Oh no,” Trini breathes out.
“She’s been exposed to the Power for too long and no one knows how to fix it.” Kim suddenly feels very tired. “We contacted other planets, searched the database, and there’s zip, zilch, nothing,” and there’s that word again… nothing.
“And Zordon has no ideas?” Trini has the utmost faith in their mentor.
“He called Dulcea and she says she knows something, but I don’t think I can bear to believe her,” Kimberly confesses.
“Oh Kim.” Trini’s heart breaks for her friends.
“I’ll fix it though,” fire enters her voice, “I’ll find a way and fix it. No matter what it costs.” Trini fears just how far Kim will go. She has never heard her lifelong friend sound so empty and so determined. Yet knowing Kim… well the trick is to look to her heart, and Kim’s heart will sacrifice itself for those she loves.
“Do you want us to come?” She is planning to call Jason and Zack the moment Kim hangs up.
“Don’t,” the authority in Kim’s voice brooks no argument.
“Alright,” Trini agrees reluctantly, “but call me if anything… well just call… a lot.”
“Will do,” Kim sighs and hangs up. She walks back into the living room and finds all her friends asleep. She tiptoes to Tommy and settles at his feet, reaching up to clasp his hand.
~*~
4:07 PM California Time // 1:07 AM Geneva
Trini Kwan’s Room
Trini places the phone back on her nightstand and sits down on her bed. The room is semi dark. Trini’s roommate, Marie Chantal de Lavalier of Luxembourg, is already asleep, her dark hair fanned out on the pillow. The posters the girls spent hours hanging on the walls glint softly in the dim light of Trini’s lamp. Trini lifts her notebook and poises her pen over the paper, then shakes her head and grabs the phone again. Four numbers and two rings later she gets an answer.
“Taylor here.”
“Zack, it’s me,” she says quietly.
“Hey girl, everything alright?”
“I’m coming over.” She hangs up, grabs her yellow and white terry robe and she’s out of the door.
~*~
4:13 PM California Time // 1:13 AM Geneva
Zack Taylor & Jason Scott’s Room
Jason is just pulling a pair of sweatpants over his boxers when the knock sounds. Zack unlocks the door and Trini glides in.
She glances at Jason’s bare chest, smiles, and “Jase… shirt.”
He glares at her smirking face. “Well you could have given me more time to get dressed. I thought everyone knew boys sleep in their boxers.”
She giggles. “Zack is dressed.”
“Zack wasn’t going to sleep,” the man himself interjects.
“Whatever.” Realizing he isn’t going to win this argument, Jason walks over to his dresser and pulls out a red muscle shirt. “Better?”
Trini gives him a once over. “You’ll do.” She plops down on the neater of the two beds, Zack’s. “Kim called me,” she informs them. The boys immediately sport identical how’s-our-little-sister-and-we’ll-kill-anyone-who-hurts-her expressions. Trini would burst into laughter but she’s too worried.
“So how is everything?” Jason asks.
“Real bad…” Trini sighs, “Whatever hope Rocky e-mailed us about is apparently gone…”
“And Kat?” Zack is getting a bad feeling.
“Dying.” Trini lowers her eyes.
“Damn.” Despite being retired from Ranger leadership, Jason still takes the pains of any Ranger very personally.
“We’re going,” Zack states.
“Na-ah, Kim said we are to remain here.” Trini shakes her head, her dark long hair flowing over her shoulder.
“And you’re going to listen?” Zack exclaims in disgust.
“Zack,” Trini growls.
“All right, we’ll listen, but we better be kept in the loop,” he replies, glaring at Trini, and then at Jason, who raises his palms up in a protest of innocence. Zack pulls his laptop from under the bed and settles it on his thigh.
@~>~~
To: RubyFighter@hotmail.com, ToughGirlSha3@yahoo.com, WonderBoy9@aghigh.edu, SilentFate1_4All@hotmail.com, HighFlier@thespark.com, PinkQuEeNoFhEaRtS@pan.gym.org, AussieChic4@aghigh.edu
Copy To: TigerWoman@peacecon.org, RedRider@peacecon.org,
From: BlackLightning1@peacecon.org
Subject: What’s Going On?!?
“Hey guys, Zack here. Trini just told Jase and me that Kim called. We’re a bit freaked. I am expecting a call soon or I am dragging Jase and Tri to the Geneva International Airport. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Love,
Zack-man.”
~~<~@
“Happy now?” This comes from Jason.
“A bit…” Zack sighs, “I’ll be happier once I know everything is ok.”
“Me too.” Trini lays her head on Jason’s shoulder, searching for any comfort she can get.
~*~
5:22 PM
Cranston Residence
Rocky opens his eyes and realizes that he’s been drooling on Adam’s shoulder. He takes the compress of his forehead and wipes Adam’s shirt. He raises his head and shakes it, trying to wake up completely. The others are still asleep. He checks the time.
“Food… we all need food.” He carefully gets up, attempting not to dislodge Adam and walks to the hallway, just as carefully avoiding Kim’s huddled form. Billy’s kitchen is full of ingredients, none of which have been put together into anything that can be heated up and served as a late lunch. Rocky yanks open the freezer and pulls out a large pack of frozen chicken breast. He tosses it into the microwave to defrost. He then looks for knives, cutting boards and spices. The knives somehow wound up under the sink and the cutting boards are stashed away behind rice bags.
“Onions, potatoes, peppers, canned corn, peas, carrots, mayo, garlic, cooking wine, good.” Rocky pulls together the ingredients for a secret family recipe. He is strangely comforted by the crunch the knife makes, slicing through the vegetables. Cubed onion chunks, strips of peppers, corn kernels, diced carrots, little round peas, and minced garlic wind up in a bowl, mixed with wine and mayo, while the potatoes are set into the oven to bake. The chicken finishes defrosting in record time.
“Only in Billy’s kitchen would you find a speed defroster.” Rocky shakes his head as he adds chopped chicken pieces to the eclectic mix in the bowl. Dill, salt, pepper, oregano and parsley are dashed on top and Rocky expertly deposits the mess onto a huge heated pan.
~*~
5:43 PM
Cranston Residence
The smell of spiced chicken reaches Kimberly’s nose and it twitches. She opens her eyes and finds herself curled against Tommy’s legs. She counts the sleeping forms and comes up one short. Following the attractive smells, she finds a sweaty, shirtless Rocky in front of the stove, his muscles flexing as he flips the chicken over.
“Don’t you need a kiss the cook apron?” Kim asks, attempting a bit of humor.
“Hey.” He turns to face her, while miraculously keeping the chicken from falling out. “You ok?”
“Peachy.” She scrunches her face, adding, “Hungry.”
“Go wake the others, I’m almost done here.” He smiles and waves her away. Aisha takes some shaking and tugging to wake up. Billy wakes at the sound of his name.
Adam whimpers, “In a few minutes mom,” before coming back to the land of reality. Tommy’s eyes snap open the moment Kim lays a hand on his cheek.
“Food,” Kim intones and the other four sprint to the kitchen.
Rocky has already pulled the potatoes out of the oven. “Set the table, people.” The kitchen is full of activity. Plates, utensils and cups are passed around. Billy is attempting to reach the back of the fridge and pull out the juice carton. Aisha nudges him away and accomplishes the task in seconds. By the time Rocky lifts the chicken off the stovetop, the table is set and the Rangers are salivating. The food is passed around and the scene could almost pass for a peaceful family dinner if not for the laughter, which is strained, and the smiles, which don’t reach anyone’s eyes.
~*~
6:37 PM
Cranston Residence
“I’m stuffed,” Rocky sounds self-satisfied. The serving dishes have been picked clean. Adam is working on the last bit of chicken. The others have finished mere moments ago.
“So… what now.” Adam is eager for someone to take up the burden of decision-making.
“Well… we really should go beck to the Command Center,” Aisha suggests.
“Ok, then that’s what we’ll do.” Tommy nods.
“Fine, but Dulcea better watch what she says.” Kim’s eyes flash. Billy quickly dumps the dishes in the dishwasher and proclaims his readiness.
Six streams of color streak through the dim California sky.
~*~
6:49 PM
Command Center
The Rangers materialize and look around warily. Kim yelps, suddenly realizing she left her shoes at Billy’s and the Command Center floor is ice cold.
“Where is Dulcea?” Adam asks, not seeing the self-assured figure of the Keeper of the Great Power.
“SHE HAD TO REST, ADAM,” Zordon explains, “SHE WILL BE BACK SOON.”
“I’ll go check on Kat,” Billy decides.
“THAT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE RIGHT NOW, BILLY,” Zordon stops him.
This is enough to send Kim into a hysterical fury. “What do you mean?!?”
“I HAD TO TELEPORT HER TO PHAEDOS, TO DULCEA’S PLATEAU,” Zordon states.
“WHAT???”