Always a Ranger - Part 39
With This Ring Part 2: My Strongest Weakness
By Jeannine Trevizo
Without Jason
grabbing hold of his elbow, Tommy swore he would have collapsed at the news.
Kim was gone… where, how…
Aisha hurried
up the aisle heading straight for Tommy, Jason and David with Kira trailing
behind her. Around them, the guests and
the reverend were all in turmoil. The bride had disappeared? What was going on?
“Did she, I
mean, I know you said she was nervous, but…” Tommy all but stammered, his fear
of being abandoned by Kim again unconsciously bubbling up.
“Bro,
everything was fine when I left her,” Jason assured him, knowing where his
near-brother’s headspace was probably going, but wanting to wait for what Aisha
had to say before forming any conclusions.
Kira and Aisha
arrived at the altar area, with the former yellow ranger taking hold of Tommy’s
arm, her head swiveling to note the murmurings and confused questions floating
through the guests in attendance. Nervously she turned back to Tommy and the
guys, knowing suddenly realizing that this conversation shouldn’t be played out
in front of everyone.
“Tommy, I
think maybe we should *all* take this elsewhere,” Aisha said softly.
Nodding,
Tommy turned and looked at the reverend, and then to the rest of the gathered
guests.
“Everyone,
the wedding is going to be delayed. I’m sorry and we’ll call everyone soon with
news on when we’ll be moving it to. David, can you please make sure everyone
gets taken care of?”
His brother
nodded and stepped down from his place beside Jason, heading to the families.
With that resolved Tommy turned with Jason, Aisha and Kira and headed back down
the aisle towards the back of the church where Kim had been. As they passed
him, Adam caught the look Tommy gave him; it was one that he knew meant for him
to follow his ‘leader’, and he got up from the pew and quickly moved to catch
up with them.
As they got
closer to the door to the dressing room used for the bride, Tommy felt a chill
go up his spine. Even after all this time, the doubt just wouldn’t go away; he
couldn’t help the little voice in the back of his mind suggesting that she’d
changed her mind and left him standing at the altar.
But the scene
that greeted them at the doorway of the room Kim and the bridal party had been
using immediately and permanently ushered that thought out of his head. He
could see the black marks where a scuffle must have taken place, and Kim’s
bouquet of pink and white roses was crushed, most likely under foot as whatever
had occurred had taken place.
“Looks like
our Kim put up a fight,” Jason stated as he looked at the carnage at the
doorway before he and Adam moved carefully into the room, finding Kim’s tiara
lying on the floor as they entered, the veil ripped and some of the rhinestones
scattered across the floor.
Tommy bent to
retrieve the smashed bouquet where it sat forlorn in the entryway, his eyes
closing tightly as fear started to clutch his heart in his chest like a vise.
He had no doubt now that Kim had not gone voluntarily. But who or what had her
was unclear…
“Tommy!”
called out Adam, and he stood up, dropping the ruined bouquet and hurried into
the room to see what had Adam so agitated.
“I found
this,” Adam stated, lifting Kim’s morpher cuff from where it had smashed into
the standing mirror, having most likely been thrown from somewhere in the room.
“But that
doesn’t make any sense. Who would…” he stammered as Adam placed the gauntlet
into his hand.
“She was
wearing it right before we left Dr. O,” Kira informed him, confused at what
could have happened to her friend.
“Maybe
whoever took her knew what it was, and got rid of it when they grabbed her,”
Jason speculated absently. “Someone who was after her, or after you, knowing
how to hurt you…”
As the words
passed Jason’s lips, Tommy froze. It couldn’t be…
Still, it all
made sense, and he suddenly put it all together. Mesogog hadn’t shown the
slightest interest in Kim specifically since she’d been with him, and certainly
not since she got her powers. She had simply been a member of the team; another
ranger to deal with, which had made him disregard the idea that Mesogog would
have taken Kim now.
But he’d
forgotten that there was still one other person who’s sole purpose was to cause
him pain and had vowed to find his weaknesses and exploit them. The error he’d
made was in assuming he’d killed him.
Mentally he
berated himself for not waiting until they’d gotten rid of Mesogog and *all*
his lackeys. But he’d been so confident that *he* was dead, Tommy had let his
guard down. Back when Kim was still in Boston, he’d set up security for her for
a reason. Yet nothing had happened, and he had assumed that she wasn’t a
target. Then he had thought he’d killed the *thing*, stopping any future
attacks. He should have realized that if he had escaped, so could his enemy.
Now Tommy
realized that he might have just lost Kim forever with his impatience to
finally marry her, for his enemy had been smart enough, angry enough to wait
for the perfect moment to reappear and take his revenge.
“Zeltrax,”
Tommy whispered under his breath.
“Who?” Aisha
questioned, feeling lost.
“But… Oh my
God!” cried Kira, realizing what was going on now and turned to the door at a
run to find Ethan, Trent and Conner.
Trembling
with barely checked rage, Tommy raised his gaze to Adam, Aisha and Jason. What
they saw there scared them more than facing any of the evil they’d seen before.
For Jason, it was like looking into the eyes of the evil green ranger, only he
knew that this was Tommy…
“Aisha,
please make sure that David is doing all right with getting Kim’s family and
mine back to their hotels. Explain that there were some problems and that Kim
and I will call them soon, and then come back to join the rest of us outside,”
Tommy gritted out, his teeth clenched.
She nodded,
and quickly fled the room.
“Jase, Adam,
go out to the church and bring every former and active duty ranger back to the
patio outside in the garden next to the reverend’s office. We’re having a
ranger meeting. Now!”
“Tommy,
you’re not thinking…” Jason began, and stopped when he saw the blazing look in
his friend’s eyes.
“Zeltrax
survived, and he waited until now to take her to get back at me. If I know him,
he’ll have taken her to the one place that’s the most secure… Mesogog’s island.
We’re going to find a way in there, and then I’m going to find her, even if I
have to rip the place apart with my bare hands, I’m getting her back!”
Jason and
Adam stood and stared at their friend as he stared at Kim’s pink dino gem
embedded in her gauntlet.
“I will *not*
lose her again,” he said under his breath.
-x-
Kim slowly
woke up and realized that she wasn’t in the church. Her head ached, and she
noted that she was strapped tightly to some kind of metal chair or something in
what seemed to be a lab. It was something from one of her worst nightmares; the
time Lord Zedd had nearly killed her by trying to drain her powers. She fought
to master her fear, even though she had no idea what had happened or what was
going on… The last thing she remembered had been fighting…
Shit, she
thought apprehensively, where the hell was she anyway?
“You’re my
guest,” said a voice from behind her. “I apologize for interrupting your plans,
but my loyal servant was adamant about this being the opportune time to crush
the rangers.”
“You’re kidding,
right?” Kim fired back, even though she couldn’t see who she was speaking too.
“Actually,
no. Your guard was down, and Zeltrax has been waiting so long to make his
reappearance and finally take his revenge on Dr. Oliver.”
Finally the
owner of the voice came into view, and Kim’s eyes widened. The humanoid that
walked into the light surrounding her wasn’t a man, or even a monster… he, it
was some kind of dinosaur hybrid thing. It was then that she realized just who
this was.
“Mesogog…”
she breathed, her voice tinged with new apprehension.
“Ah, yes, we
haven’t met Ms. Hart, but I guess my reputation must have preceded me.”
As Mesogog
moved to stare at her, Kim noticed finally the person/thing that she’d fought
with at the church, and from the headache she was feeling now, it must have
knocked her unconscious. The armor he wore was crimson red, and he seemed to
glower at her with malice; just him staring at her made her feel like her skin
was burning. Mesogog noticed her attention drawn away from him, and turned to
see where she was looking at.
“Ah yes, you
recognize Zeltrax, do you? He finally had a brilliant idea, capturing you.”
Kim tried not
to stare. She had never seen the thing called Zeltrax that used to be Tommy’s
friend Smitty. Tommy had said he’d killed him! Yet here he was… she carefully
shook her head, forcing back the pain there and drew on her inner strength to
fire back at the monster that had her captive. She had to get the hell out of
this place.
“You realize
this was probably the most stupid thing you could have done,” Kim shot at
Mesogog, fighting now against the straps holding her in place.
“Maybe, but
it most certainly will provide me a much better bargaining position with Dr.
Oliver than I’ve had before.”
“He’ll never
give you what you want.”
“To save you,
my dear… I think he’ll do anything,” Mesogog slurred, running a claw along the
skirt of her wedding dress.
“Please,” she
fired back in a sarcastic tone, “I don’t need him to save me.”
“Really?”
As Kim rubbed
her wrist against the straps she felt the material cut into her skin and
realized that her morpher bracelet was gone. Her face paled slightly, and she
frowned, staring Mesogog straight in the eye.
“Zeltrax
thought you might be potentially dangerous had you kept your trinket, so he
left it behind.”
“I don’t need
it to kick your scaly dino hide,” she nearly snarled.
“Brave words
for someone at my mercy. But no matter, we’ll have lots of time to chat before
Dr. Oliver makes his concession.”
With that, he
turned and headed from the room, the sliding metal door swishing shut behind
him.
It was only
then that Kim let her eyes drift shut as her heart called out in a silent
prayer for Tommy to find her.
-x-
Gathered with
Tommy in the paved courtyard, surrounded by trees, the side of the church and
the reverend’s office was a virtual history of the power rangers. Billy, Zack
and Jason were there from the first team; Rocky, Adam, Kat and Tanya from the
second through third; TJ, Cassie, Ashley, Carlos and Andros from the turbo and
then space rangers era; Wes from the Time Force team and Cole from Wild Force.
And then
there was his new team: Kira, Conner, Trent and Ethan.
The crowd of
wedding guests and rangers were all anxious and concerned. While some knew
Tommy and Kim, others didn’t and the whole idea of them being called together
by the man who had been considered the longest serving and best ranger had them
on edge. It only took a few more moments before the first question was
launched.
“What’s up?”
TJ asked, thinking that there had to be a reason for his predecessor to have
asked them there.
“What
happened?” questioned Kat, concerned about Kim and Tommy’s mental state.
“Is there
still a wedding?” Cole inquired, confused.
“All right
boss man, just tell us what you need,” said Rocky, looking for all the world
like he was ready to take whatever order Tommy gave, just as many of the others
around him who had served with Tommy did.
Little did
they know that was exactly what was going to happen.
The questions
had been coming at him in rapid fire succession, and Tommy finally held up his
hand to silence everyone. Once the group quieted, he looked around the group of
friends and fellow rangers before he began.
“Kim’s been
kidnapped,” he said simply, tightly as everyone murmured or gasped in shock.
“She didn’t go willingly, and they knew enough to strip her of her morpher.
Based on what I know, I believe Zeltrax, one of my enemies took her to attack
me. I thought I’d killed him, but I was wrong. Now it would be easy enough if I
only had to deal with him, but he’s the henchman of the evil sociopathic
tyrant, a mutated dinosaur named Mesogog that the current ranger team has been
fighting. Based on that, I can guess where she is, and that’s where you all
come in.”
Jason and
Adam looked to each other. Both had known Tommy long enough to guess what was
coming next.
“I’m getting
Kim back from Mesogog’s island, and I need a small ranger army to do it. I want
volunteers to help me destroy Mesogog once and for all, and rescue Kim.”
“You call, we
answer,” stated Rocky quickly, stepping forward. “I’m in.”
“We’ll get
Kim back for you Dr. O,” announced Conner, moving up, with Kira, Ethan and
Trent following him.
“This is what
we do, isn’t it? Help people? Well, I think I speak for the space team when I
say that we’ll help,” Andros remarked, stepping up to match the others who had
announced their intentions, with the rest of the space rangers right behind
him.
“Bro, you
know I’ve got your back, as always,” Jason stated, moving up to place his hand
on Tommy’s shoulder and into the line of volunteers.
And before
Tommy knew it, one by one everyone had stepped forward, nearly encircling him
in support. It was right then, in that moment that he realized again just what
the legacy of being a power ranger was. They were there for one another,
willing to be heroes even when they no longer had to be.
“Anyone who has a morpher that works, raise
your hand.”
Again a
series of hands raised, more than Tommy had expected. In fact, when he finished
looking, the only hand not raised was Hayley’s. He cocked his head to the side
as he regarded them all, wondering how lucky he was that they’d chosen to come
to a ranger wedding with their morphers, even if they no longer needed to serve
or had the full power to do so.
“All right
then. Hayley, Billy, give each person directions to the command center.
Everyone go get your ‘gear’ if you don’t have it with you and meet at my place.
Once you get there, Billy and Hayley will make any adjustments to ensure your
powers will stay stable while we’re in the field, and if necessary do whatever
they have to so that you’re on the team. I need you to all ready to go and
familiarized with what we’re up against, so Hayley and the new team will give
you a full rundown. Kira, Ethan, Trent and Connor, you need to make your
excuses to your families before you head over there. I’ll join you all there as
soon as I can.”
With that,
the group hurriedly turned and headed for the series of vehicles sitting in the
parking lot, a flurry of dresses and suits as they all made their way to get
prepared for action.
“What about
you bro?” Jason asked briefly once they were alone again.
“I’ll catch
up. I just need a little while, you know?”
The ache in
Tommy’s voice was clear to his friend, and he knew that the fear of losing Kim
was most likely eating away at him. Simply nodding, Jason clutched Tommy’s
shoulder briefly once more, and went to follow the others, leaving Tommy
standing alone in the wooded courtyard.
-x-
“So, you’re
the new pink ranger and the love of Tommy’s life,” said a cold voice from
behind Kim, surprising her into alertness.
Straining to
look, Kim pushed herself up on the chair and wrenched her neck to watch Trent’s
armored white uniform walk towards her. Her heart leapt at the sight, and she
struggled against the straps holding her in place.
“Trent! How
did you get here? Help me get loose!”
Kim stared at
Trent, still struggling against her restraints and was shocked as he wandered
away from her, his movements showing his unwillingness to release her from
where she lay strapped to the chair. As he turned back to her, she felt rather
than saw the evil grin behind the helmet.
“It’s funny
how ironic this is that I get to use the black ranger to accomplish my goals.”
“What are you
talking about? What happened?” she asked, realizing that this was not the
normal personality of her new young friend. “If somehow you’ve been turned evil
again, I can help you… Tommy, Kira, we all can…”
“Help me? You
foolish ranger. You see, Zeltrax and Mesogog are deluded enough to think they
can negotiate with Oliver for your release. They don’t understand that in
kidnapping you that they’ve declared war. And I know that your lover will do
anything to get you back… including ringing Mesogog… or actually Anton Mercer’s
neck in the process.”
“Mercer is
Mesogog?” Kim breathed in shock, her mind barely being able to process
everything that had happened since being attacked by Zeltrax.
“And Trent is
his dearest son,” the white ranger said, “Luckily I’m not him.”
In a flash,
Kim realized in horror her error. This wasn’t Trent, but the copy of him that
Zeltrax had made. One that was fully evil. But what confused her was his
interest in destroying Mesogog. She thought he was on the bad guys’ side… Instantly
she switched tactics, going into her sharp tongued offense that she used
against Mesogog.
“Why do you
want Mesogog destroyed? Aren’t you his lap dog or something?”
The evil
laugh of the white ranger chilled her to her bones. Even Zedd hadn’t sounded so
cold blooded. This thing before her posing as a ranger was just as ruthless as
his dinosaur-like master.
“Please, you
could never grasp my reasons. Besides, your just being here has proven that I’m
not anyone’s pawn. In fact, I may just be the king on this chessboard before
the day is through…”
With that, he
turned on his heel and stalked out again, his cold laugh nearly freezing Kim’s
blood in her veins. Things, she realized, had suddenly gone from bad to worse.
-x-
Tommy stood
alone at the end of the red carpeted aisle, having entered the church and now
stared at the altar, his hands clutching Kim’s morpher/bracelet. The red, pink
and white roses decorating the front of the church really were beautiful, he
thought idly. It would have been a beautiful wedding…
As soon as
the thoughts entered his head, he berated himself for them. It still would be a
beautiful wedding, even if it wasn’t today. They could do this again, just as
soon as he and the team got Kim back.
“Thomas?”
suddenly called a female voice from behind him that he knew like his own, the
sound of it nearly freezing him in place.
Whirling
around, Tommy shoved Kim’s bracelet into his pocket as he found himself staring
at the group of people he couldn’t face right now.
“Mom, Dad?
David?” he started, and then realized they weren’t alone. Sam Trueheart was
there along with Kim’s parents and brother.
“What’s going
on here son?” James Oliver asked his son as he moved up to grasp his arm.
“I thought
David was taking you all back to the hotel…”
“You thought
we’d just leave and wait to see what was going on? Where’s my daughter Tommy?”
Caroline Hart Dumas asked forcefully.
Tommy found
himself emotionally drowning. He didn’t have a lie in mind to explain what had
happened, and without Kim there to explain to her parents… Without realizing
it, he turned to David and found a pair of understanding eyes. Ones that seemed
calm in the midst of the chaos, as if he didn’t seem surprised about the turn
of events.
“Did you
know?” Tommy asked David point blank, nearly moving on him in anger. “Did Sam
give you some kind of clue? Could this have been prevented?”
“I… Tommy,
you and I both know that danger follows you around…” David stated seriously,
yet placating as he looked at his brother, willing him to remember that he and
Sam knew about his… past, even if no one else did.
“What?” cried
both sets of parents aloud at this sudden revelation.
“But you’re
just a high school teacher,” Jan Oliver said, now more lost than ever.
Before he
could open his mouth, Sam had moved from near the back of the group to stand at
Tommy’s side. Glancing from David to Tommy, he nodded sagely and stared into
the younger man’s chocolate brown eyes.
“Thomas, it
is time to let go of the last burden you carry. Reveal the secret that keeps
you from sharing your pain with your loved ones. It is what you must do to put
at ease all who care for you and your beloved. It will be the only way to be at
peace, to be focused, which you must be if you are to hear the call of your
soul mate and retrieve her,” stated Sam.
As the words
sunk in, Tommy realized the full import of what Sam was suggesting and he
nearly staggered.
“Sam, I
*can’t*!”
“Tommy,
please… if you know something,” began Kim’s father.
“Tommy, you
have to tell us what happened,” James urged his son.
“You wouldn’t
believe me if I did,” Tommy rebutted quickly, his mind whirling with Kim’s
kidnapping, the planned assault on Mesogog’s island, his and Kim’s families
questions, and the insistence of Sam for him to ‘come clean’.
“Try us,” Jan
stated firmly, and Tommy saw the determination on his mother’s face mirrored in
everyone.
Looking at
the people around him, his family, Kim’s… people that meant so much to him, he
knew that he might be putting them in danger by revealing this secret, but Sam
had never steered him wrong. He had David in his life, knew something about his
true parents and even had Kim wearing his mother’s engagement ring because of
the elderly Native American shaman. If he said telling them the truth would help
him get Kim back… He would move heaven and Earth to have her back in his arms,
and if telling his family and hers their secret to rescue her was what was
required to do it, he wouldn’t pause another moment.
“Mom, Dad,
Mr. Hart, Mrs. Dumas… there is something that neither Kim or I have told you.
Something that we’ve kept from all of you since we first dated in Angel Grove…
and, well I don’t know how to say this, so I’ll just ask you to bear with me
for a moment, and to hold on tight.”
With that
said, Tommy did the only thing he could think of to do. He shoved his tuxedo
jacket sleeve up, popped the cuff button and exposed his gauntlet. With a
little nod of his head to Sam, the older man reached over and guided James
Oliver back as Tommy stepped backwards.
“Kim and I
have been and are currently power rangers,” Tommy said simply, and then called
on his powers as he went into his morphing sequence, “Dino Thunder, Power up!”
In a bright
light, his armor and helmet enveloped him, replacing his tux, and he stood
there in his black and gold uniform. Sam and David smiled, nodding their
approval while his parents looked shocked. Kim’s mother was tightly holding
onto her new husband, desperately trying to keep from passing out while Kim’s
father and brother were equally in awe and in disbelief.
“Tommy?” his
father said, walking up to the ranger who seemed to have magically appeared
where his son had been.
Before his
dad could get any closer, Tommy reached up and popped the latches of his
helmet, pulling it off to show everyone that it really was him under the suit.
“It’s me dad.
I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you about this before, but…”
“You needed
to keep it a secret,” his mom stated suddenly understanding, and Tommy nodded,
his throat tightening at the proud look on his mother’s face, even as she
seemed to be on the verge of crying.
“How long?”
James asked, starting to come to grips with his son’s sudden revelation. “You
said since Angel Grove…”
“Not long
after we moved there. It’s a long story, but that’s sort of how Kim and I…”
“Kim really
was a ranger?” Caroline nearly stammered, shaking herself out of her stupor.
“She is one
now. And that’s part of why she’s been kidnapped,” Tommy stated, and as the
horrified looks crossed their faces, he mentally berated himself; they didn’t
know. “But we’re going to get her back. The rest of the current rangers, and
some of the former ones are going to help me get her back. So for now, I need
you all to go back to the hotel where it will be safe, and Kim and I will call
you as soon as it’s over.”
“Isn’t there
anything we can do?” Kim’s father asked, and Tommy smiled. While the man hadn’t
always been there for Kim, he was showing his dedication to his daughter’s
welfare now.
“I wish there
was. I guess you can just wish us all luck that we get to Kim soon.”
With that,
Jan and James nodded and then threw their arms around their son. Tommy
encircled them with his arms as best he could, his helmet in his hands.
“Take care
son,” said James. “You go and bring back that future daughter in law of ours,
and we’ll talk about all this later.”
Tommy went to
Kim’s family, his face a picture of seriousness.
“I’ll bring
her back. I promise,” he vowed.
“We know you
will Tommy. Just like I know you’ll always love her,” Caroline stated, and
Tommy grinned and leaned over to kiss her cheek politely.
“You’d better
go,” Sam informed Tommy in a serious tone. “The others are waiting on you to
lead them.”
Nodding,
Tommy paused only long enough to hug the older man, and then turn to his brother.
“You know I
wish I could come with you,” David said, staring at his brother with a sad yet
proud look.
“So do I, but
its too dangerous.”
“Go get Kim.”
With that,
Tommy put his helmet back on, snapping it in place and rushed out of the
church, heading for the command center and the battle with Mesogog for the
ultimate prize… Kim.
-End-
To be
continued…
Author’s
notes: 1. I know that the lore/history is that most of these powers are either
destroyed or non-operational, but in this AU world, they’re all just not being
used, having been retired for different reasons. 2. Also, yes I revealed Tommy
to his family. I figured at this point there shouldn’t be any secrets. Besides,
it really is important… secrets burden the soul.
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