Disclaimer: Saban/Disney not me created/owns the characters.
Author's Notes: This is an alternate take on Passing of the Torch. Rocky
and Jason are powerless but still hang with Rangers when they have down time.
And anyone who has held the Morphin' Power retains some residual Power. They
can't Morph or call on Zords but they possess accelerated senses, strength and
healing. David is Tommy's twin brother but ironically they were born at the
almost same moment. This is my first attempt at fanfic . Please be brutal:)
Part I: The Gate
by: Bhotanni
The sun high in the sky reflected the heat waves rising up from the ground. The waves formed a giant lake forever seen in the distance. The shadow of the mountains provided the only shade as a red pickup truck drove along a dusty road. "Are you sure we're not lost, Tommy?" Kat asked sitting in the passenger's seat next to her friend. "We've past that gift stand three times already."
"We're not lost Kat, I know where we are, and I know where we're going." Tommy smiled.
"But do you know how to get us from where we are to where we're supposed to be?" Kat responded. "I think we're lost and you're too proud to admit it. Let's just stop at the gift stand and ask for directions, I'm sure somebody knows how to get there. We're late enough as it is! Rocky's probably already eaten all the food!"
"Oh, alright," He conceded. "But I'm sure Jason and Adam can keep him away from the food until we get there." He smiled. Just as Tommy was about to head back to the gift shop, the truck was jostled as someone rammed them from behind. "What the..." He checked the rearview mirror to see several Piranhatrons on motorcycles racing toward him.
"Oh great! This is just great!" Kat exclaimed between bumps.
"Kat! Try to contact the others!" Tommy shouted trying to remain in control of the truck. The Piranhatrons had begun firing at them and it was becoming more difficult to stay in control.
Kat never had the chance to call for help. A Piranhatron had managed to pull up to the left side of the truck. Tommy had swerved to ram him when the Piranhatron fired a shot aiming for the engine, but hit the front left tire instead. The truck fish-tailed uncontrollably wiping out two Piranhatrons. He regained partial control and tried slamming on the breaks in order to take out a few more Piranhatrons riding his tail, but discovered the breaks had given out on him. "Damn!" he swore "That shot must've hit the brake line too!" Quickly looking at his options, he made a quick decision. "Kat! Open your door!" "What?" Kat screamed. "Are you crazy
"Kat, I don't have time to argue, do it!" Tommy ordered.
She opened the door and looked back to Tommy hoping he'd do the same. When he didn't, she was suddenly more frightened than she'd ever been in her life. "Tommy. . ." Before she could say more, he shoved her out of the truck. Rolling to a stop, Kat looked up as a few yards away from her, the front of the truck exploded. "NOOOO!" the pain filled cry ripped from her body. She tried to get up and run toward him, but her progress was sluggish. She looked down and noticed a large gash on the outside of her leg.
"Your name must be Visa, 'cause you're everywhere I wanna be." A grotesque looking man spoke to a girl while riding on a bus. "Girl you must be tired, 'cause you been running through my mind all day."
Man! This guy has tried every pickup line in the book on me. Ugh, I wish he'd just go away! Cassie sighed as she tries to ignore the man sitting next to her. "Really. I'm not interested," she told the man for the twelfth time in four hours. At least he'll be gone after the next stop. I can't wait to get to Stone Canyon. If for no reason more than to be off this bus! She thought as the next stop approached.
When the bus pulled into a terminal at a large Bus Station for a twenty-minute layover until the next departure, Cassie got off the bus to stretch her legs. She'd just started shopping at one of the little kiosks when she realized she didn't have much time to get back to the bus. Making a mad dash through the station she just made it time. All the seats were full except for one next to a young black man who looked about the same age as her. God, I hope he's better than the last one.
Seeing her head his way TJ looked at the girl and thought to himself. Man, is she pretty! Seeing that she had a few bags in her arms, he offered to take them for her and put them in the overhead compartments. She thanked him and sat down.
"Hi! My name is TJ what's yours?"
"Cassie Chan. Nice to meet you." She looked into his warm eyes and immediately felt a sense of relief. His smile was genuine and he had an honest feel about him. Please, oh please don't let him be a jerk! Cassie prayed silently.
After a few moments of timid introductions, the two warmed up to each other quickly. Cassie learned that TJ was headed to Stone Canyon to meet up with a cousin who was in minor league baseball. She also learned that TJ practically ate slept and drank baseball and that it was his dream to play in the majors one day. TJ learned that Cassie's parents had died recently and she was on her way to live with her aunt in Angel Grove. He also learned that she loved singing; she had even hummed a few bars of a song she'd been writing.
The two had become fast friends by the time the bus came to a stop at a gift shop along the way. Chatting away outside the gift shop, TJ heard an explosion in the distance. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Cassie asked. She had also heard the explosion but did not want to get involved.
Searching the sky for the telltale smoke, TJ spotted it a little ways away. "I've got to see if anyone's hurt!" So saying, he dashed off in the direction of the smoke.
"Wait! You can't go! The bus is about to leave!" Cassie shouted after him. Frustrated, she returned to the bus. "Sir, please! Can you wait a few minutes for my friend?" She pleaded to the bus driver.
"Look," The driver said. "I've got a schedule to keep and I'm already behind schedule. Either take your stuff or get on the bus. I've got to go."
Cassie was torn, she looked back and forth between the bus and TJ's rapidly disappearing figure. Oh, what the hell. She grabbed her things. Quickly, she asked the owner of the gift shop if she could leave her things by the door and the owner told her not to take too long. She agreed and dashed off after TJ.
I've got to do something! Kat thought. Come on Kat, you have to get up. If you don't, the Piranhatrons will find you and you'll be a goner for sure! She tried standing up again, but fell right back on her butt. OK, think Kat, think. You can't stay here much longer, they'll spot you. Trying the think of what to do she cursed. "Damn! If only I could Morph. . ." The lights went on in her head. She morphed, quickly. Yes! Just like I knew it would. Kat smiled. Though her leg had not completely healed, she was able to stand and walk on it. Just in time too, for the Piranhatrons had just taken interest in her.
She noticed two young teens, a boy and a girl. The boy was dressed in red and the girl was dressed in pink. They had snuck up behind three Piranhatrons, edging their way toward Tommy. With surprise on their side, the pair made quick work of Divatox's footmen. The girl twisted and turned in smooth complex motions as the boy worked energetically against the footmen using his muscles and wit.
Rushing to Tommy's side, the girl checked him over. The two lifted him up. Carrying him on their shoulders, the duo put as much distance as they could between themselves, the Piranhatrons, and most especially the truck. No sooner had they begun to move away, the truck exploded in a huge fireball, knocking everyone to the ground with the aftershock.
"Ooh! My plan is working perfectly!" Divatox exclaimed as she watched the action from the viewer aboard her submarine. "Soon, Tommy will be out of the picture and those pesky Ranger Brats will be without a leader! This jamming device I've set up will make certain Dimitria won't be able to warn those. . ." she had so much disdain for the Rangers that she couldn't repeat their name. Taking a deep breath, she continued with the most evil smile of sated delight. "Tommy will be out of the picture before Kat can get to the rest of her friends."
"I'd say he's pretty much out of the picture now Auntie D," Elgar bubbled.
"You idiot!" Divatox swatted her nephew upside the head. "Tommy is protected! Why do you think every plan to kill him or turn him evil has ultimately failed!" Licking her lips and rubbing her hands together, she continued. "No, what I've got planned for the Power Brats' illustrious leader is much more insidious than turning him evil or even killing him!" She cackled loudly as she resumed watching the escapade on the viewer.
"What do you have planned Auntie D! Tell me tell me! Ahh come on! You can tell me!" Elgar whined until he saw her whip her head around to stare at him with two furious eyes. "Uhh, never mind!" He said quickly, and then excused himself. He found the farthest place away from her on board the sub and hid there until her frustrated anger at him subsided.
TJ ran towards the sound of the explosion. Hearing the sounds of fighting as he neared his destination, he slowed down and ducked behind a dirt mound to assess the situation. A girl wearing a spandex costume and a helmet to cover her face was fighting off a dozen metallic fish men. It appeared she was trying to make her way to a young man lying unconscious next to the pickup truck near by. She must be a Power Ranger. He had seen them on TV before but he always thought it was some publicity stunt or something. Now he realized all those monster attacks his cousin told him about and what he'd seen on TV were true.
Getting a closer look at the truck, TJ realized it would not be long before the entire truck exploded. He was just about to jump up and run toward the truck to help the young man, when someone tapped his shoulder. He nearly jumped out of his skin. Turning around to see who it was, he relaxed. It was only Cassie. "I thought you went with the bus."
"I was going to, but this little voice in my head said you'd need help." She smiled as she crouched down beside him. "So, what's the plan? I hope you don't think we can take them straight on if that Power Ranger over there can't do it either." Taking a moment to get a better feel of the fight, Cassie said to herself. I wonder where the other Rangers are? I thought they usually fought as a group.
"Hey don't the Rangers usually fight as a group?" TJ queried echoing her unspoken thought.
"I was thinking the same thing." Cassie replied watching the Pink Ranger take a nasty hit to the side of the head. "Ouch! That's got to hurt," looking back at TJ she urged. "Come on, we have to help her!"
"But how?"
"I think she's got all of those . . .those things" Cassie pointed at the Piranhatrons, "occupied. She's trying to get that guy by the truck. I think we can sneak over there and get him without being noticed." TJ looked at her incredulously. "OK" she conceded. "We'll at least be able to get him a safe distance from that truck. Once that fire reaches the gas line it's all over!"
"You've got a point." TJ said, "Let's do this." They snuck their way past the Piranhatrons. It seemed as if the Pink Ranger had spotted them, for she suddenly switched tactics. Instead of trying to edge her way toward the truck, she started to draw the fight away from it.
Cassie and TJ were almost to the young man when they were spotted by the Piranhatrons. Throwing stealth to the wind they dashed to the unconscious man and quickly pulled him up by the arms, both putting an arm around their shoulder and ran as fast as they could. They were nearly back to the mound when the truck blew up. The concussion wave from the blast knocked them all to the ground. The Piranhatrons were on them in an instant. Cassie kicked and punched her way to a standing position. They were grossly outnumbered but she was not going to give up without a fight. "Man, what are these things made of?" Cassie yelled after a solid connection to a Piranhatron's jaw with her fist. Every time she hit one of those things it felt like she was going to brake her hand. TJ and Cassie stood back to back as the Piranhatrons encroached closer and closer, taking turns at beating them up. Then from out of nowhere, a streak of blaster beams took out the Piranhatrons nearest them. Looking in the direction the shots came from, the duo saw the Pink Ranger standing a few yards away blaster in hand.
Kat had no way to reach Tommy. Although Morphed, she was still outnumbered and couldn't make any head way to the truck. Damn! I wish I could get enough breathing room to contact the guys! She cursed while dodging a blow from one of the Piranhatrons after her. That was when she saw two teens, a boy and a girl, trying to sneak their way to Tommy. Switching tactics, she tried drawing the enemy's attention from the truck. She nearly succeeded when one of them caught on to what she was doing. Most of them ignored her and rushed after the teens trying to rescue Tommy. A lucky shot sent her flying. Dazed, she shook off the pain to see the teens trying to help her, were in trouble. Standing up shakily she took out her blaster and fired at the Piranhatrons nearest the teens. She quickly closed the gap between her, Tommy, and the teens. Jumping in to the fight the tide of the battle shifted in their favor. That is, until more Piranhatrons teleported in. Before the three of them realized it. The Piranhatrons had snatched Tommy, and were gone.
"What?" The young girl looked around puzzled when the Piranhatrons suddenly left. "Did we win?" She glanced to her companion for confirmation, but all he did was shrug.
"DAMN IT!" Kat swore violently. The two teens looked at each other in shock.
"What's wrong?" the young man asked her timidly.
"They took him!"
The duo looked around for Tommy. Sure enough, he was nowhere in sight.
"Damn! What's taking them so long?" Adam looked at his watch for the tenth time in as many minutes. He paced around the campsite where Tommy and Kat were supposed to meet them three hours ago. "Tommy's got a habit for being late, but he's never this late!"
Getting dizzy, Tanya walked up to Adam and put her hands on his shoulders to stop his pacing. "I'm sure if there were any problems they'd have called or something."
Adam slumped his shoulders in defeat. "I guess your right." He conceded to his girlfriend's better wisdom. "And besides, if they couldn't, Dimitria would've contacted us."
Jason, Rocky, Justin, and David sat around a fire they'd built in the center of camp. Jason stood up and walked over to his friend to reassure him. "Adam, don't worry. They probably got stuck in traffic or something like that. Tommy can take care of himself." Then why do you have a sneaky feeling that Adam may be right? Jason refused to answer that thought and continued to pour out supporting words to his friend while trying to quiet the worry he himself felt.
Another hour later, even Jason felt the temptation to use his communicator to find out what was taking his friends so long. It was getting dark and they'd still heard nothing. Justin had went off to the hole they had dug earlier to use the bathroom. Man! Something is wrong. I know it.
His suspicions were confirmed, at least partially when he heard Justin's startled yell. The whole gang dashed off to the potty hole. There, they were met by the ugliest monster they had ever seen. It called itself Flamite while it literally kicked Justin's ass. Justin fell to the ground and got up almost immediately feeling extremely ticked. "OK, flame bucket. You're gonna get it!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, and kicked him in the back of the leg just underneath its right knee cap. Then after bringing his opponent a little closer to his level, Justin connected a solid spinning heel kick to the monsters head. While it was momentarily stunned, the Rangers Morphed. Jason, Rocky, and David did their best to put out the fires the monster was creating from missed attacks on the Rangers. Watching Jason splash a bucket of water on a burning bush, Adam got an idea. Over the internal comm. unit in Rangers' helmets, Adam spelled out his plan. Justin started taunting the monster with very childish insults. "Ya mama was a Bunsen burner." He barely avoided a char broiled tush for that one. "You're so stupid you can't even avoid a bucket of water." He shouted out.
"Wha?" Was all the monster could get out before getting splashed with the buckets of water the Rangers, Jason, Rocky, and David all held in their hands. "AGHHH!" He screamed as his torch went out and then ran away as fast as he could.
"Man, that was too easy." Justin proclaimed with a grin on his face as he demorphed. When he saw the looks on the faces of his comrades he asked "What? What'd I say?"
"Why'd you have ta go an say that?" Rocky groaned.
"I don't get it?" Justin said.
"Every time someone says that. Something . . ." he didn't get the chance to finish his sentence because, at that precise moment, Rygor appeared out of nowhere with Piranhatrons. "Damn!" He cursed.
"Here we go again! It's Morphin' Time!" Adam called out. Then three Rangers Morphed and jumped into battle.
Jason, Rocky and David hung back from the battle. Jason tried to contact Tommy and Kat with his communicator only to have it knocked from his wrist by a Piranhatron "It looks like we aren't sitting this one out after all." He mumbled, as David and the two ex-Rangers got into it with the Piranhatrons
With their accelerated strength and reflexes, residual effects from having held the Power, Rocky and Jason were more than holding their own against the rusted tin cans that called themselves footmen for Divatox. David, not having any special abilities other than his martial arts, was holding out, but he was already showing signs of fatigue. "Damn! It feels like I'm hitting raw iron!" He yelled out after hitting a Piranhatron at a less than perfect angle with his fist. This day could only get worse.
"Alpha, please try to cut through the interference." Dimitria intoned, very concerned. Roughly twenty minutes ago, she suddenly lost contact with all her Rangers at once. Alpha had surmised Divatox had used some type of jamming device to disrupt the Power Chamber's tracking and communication systems. "We must get communications between the Rangers up. They need to know what is going on." Whatever that may be. Dimitria had a feeling that this plan the villainess had devised was at last going to be successful. Great Divine, please keep my Rangers safe. She silently prayed.
"I've almost hacked through it." Alpha exclaimed while running from counsel to counsel trying to hack through the jammed frequencies Divatox had put up. "Another minute or two and I'll have the system back up again."
"He can't be gone!" Cassie looked around for the boy they had been fighting so hard to save. "He was just here! I saw him!"
"There was nothing I could do. I was out numbered and couldn't contact the others. I . . .I lost him it was me!" Kat said in a light voice that sounded like she was very seriously going to fall off the deep end at any moment. NO! You will not lose control Kat, she spoke to herself. This isn't your fault. We'll get Tommy back and everything will be perfect. Half convincing herself that everything was indeed all right, she proceeded to reassure the two teens that had come to her aid.
"We will get him back. I promise." She said. The girl tried to speak, but Kat cut her off. "There were just too many. Even with The help of the other Rangers, we still would've been hard pressed to prevent the kidnapping." She forced herself to smile despite the fact that she knew the teens could not see her face. "I'm glad you were here to help me. You two really gave those Piranhatrons a run for their money." She was about to leave when she realized something. "Are two going to be alright? There isn't anything around here for miles."
"We'll be fine, Pink Ranger. There's a gift shop not far away. We'll catch a ride into town. Don't worry about us. Just find that guy those creeps took." The boy spoke up. "By The way, I'm TJ and this is Cassie." He stuck out his hand and the Pink Ranger firmly shook it.
"I wish I could say, nice to meet you, TJ. But under the circumstances, all I can say is a gracious thank you for all your help." Then she turned to Cassie. "The same goes for you too Cassie. I wish we could've met under better conditions but thank you." Stepping away from them she bowed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to find my comrades." With that, she teleported away.
Kat arrived on the scene to see Jason flying through the air toward a tree. Acting quickly, she caught him in mid air. Had he actually hit the tree at the speed he was going, Jason would have been dead before he hit the ground. "Are you all right?" Kat asked.
"Yeah, I'll be alright." Jason said groggily as she helped him regain his equilibrium. A Piranhatron came at them. The two quickly dodged the attack and joined the fray.
Rygog! Divatox yelled inside Rygog's head. I have what I wanted. Return! He gave a brief nod in acknowledgment. "See ya later, Rangers." Then Rygog and the Piranhatrons teleported back to the sub.
Once there, they discovered Divatox wasn't there. "Divatox?" Rygog said as he looked around the sub their missing commander. He found a Piranhatron that had not went with him. "Where did Divatox go?" The Piranhatron shrugged and walked on. "Dammit! I hate being out of the loop!" He hurumphed and stalked off.
Inside one of the many caves located in the Angel Grove Mountains, Tommy lay unconscious on the rock floor. Four Piranhatrons and two Putrapod Warriors stood guard over him. On the opposite side of the cave Divatox yelled in an ear splitting tone. "Ma!" then in the sweetest voice she could muster said. "I'm ready." batting her eyelashes all the way.
A few feet away, a black mist formed and Big Mamma D appeared. Putting her finger in her ear to clear it out, she spoke to her daughter. "Daughter, you didn't have to be so loud." She sized up her surroundings. "You sure know how to get the choice locations, Dear." Her eye fell on Tommy. "Yum! I don't know why you didn't pick him to be your mate. He looks like a Grade-A hunk to me!"
Diva rolled her eyes. "I thought about it Mom. But the fact is, he's just too dangerous. Look what happened to Rita, Zedd, and Mondo! Rita and Zedd have been reduced to blubbering idiots and Mondo's in the scrap heap!" Diva threw her hands up in the air. "I'm not going to end up like them." The determination in her voice was solid.
"I wonder what Diva's up to? That couldn't be it. It just couldn't be? Where's the big monster?" Tanya spoke as she de-morphed. Getting evil stares from her comrades she stared back at them. "I know, I'm just asking for trouble by saying that. But It's true. There's got to be more to this than it looks." Then it hit her. Someone was still missing. "Where's Tommy?"
All eyes turned to Kat, who lowered her head, trying not to lose her composure. "Guys, Divatox' got Tommy." Everyone gasped, and then immediately asked what had happened.
"I don't mean to interrupt." David stepped up before Kat could tell her tale. "I want to find out what happened to my brother more than anything, but could we move to a safer place? Divatox could take advantage of the fact that you don't have a leader."
"David's right. Let's go to the Power Chamber." Jason suggested.
"I wonder why Dimitria hasn't contacted us yet?" Adam thought aloud. Shaking off his thoughts, "Come on, let's go." Adam grabbed Rocky's arm, Tanya grabbed David's and Justin grabbed Jason's, then they all teleported to the Power Chamber.
As soon as Kat's feet touched the floor of the Power Chamber, "Dimitria, where's Tommy?" behind her, the rest of the gang had teleported in.
"I do not know Katherine." Dimitria replied, a bit saddened that she could not give a better answer. "Divatox has set up a jamming device in the mountains. We, " she gestured to Alpha. "have been unable to penetrate the jamming. I was afraid the interference would disrupt the teleportation systems. I am glad it has not." Turning her attention once again to Alpha. she asked, "Have you made any progress, Alpha?"
"Aye yai yai yai, Dimitria. At first glance it appeared to be a rather simple technique. But every time I got through one layer of data, I'd hit another." Alpha shook its head. "Whatever Divatox has planned, she definitely wants to make sure she isn't interrupted.
"What happened?" David spoke up as he got Kat's attention.
Steeling herself, Kat told them what had happened. "When I left, the guy and girl were headed back toward some gift shop to find a ride back to wherever they were headed."
"Man! Why is it always Tommy?" Jason slammed his fist next to the display of the White Ranger uniform against the back wall of the main chamber.
Justin looked around. What did they mean, 'always'? He had thought of Tommy as the invincible older brother who was always there for you. He couldn't imagine him any different. "What do you mean? Has this happened before?"
Jason burst out in hysterical laughter. "Has this happened before? They go after Tommy like he's got some huge target on his back and a sign on his forehead saying 'TAKE ME!'" He was losing it and he knew it. He was itching to hurt something, anything, just to release the anger he felt for Divatox and all the others that had physically and mentally hurt his . . . friend.
"Maybe he does."
Everyone looked around to see Trey of Triforia walking out of the shadows from the opposite side of the large chamber.
"Trey!" Several of them shouted at once.
"Greetings, Rangers." Trey spoke as he looked at the gathered group of teens. His eyes fell upon a face he did not recognize. "I assume you must be Justin Stewart, Rocky's successor to the Blue Power." He inclined his head slightly. "I wish I could say it is a pleasure to meet you. Given the circumstances of my visit, I cannot." His vision fell briefly upon Jason as he spoke. It was very uncomfortable being in the same room with him. Only months before, the young man had nearly given his life to protect the Power. Later, he had learned that he had did something similar for his friend Tommy, which brought him back to the reason for his visit.
Stepping into the circle of Rangers and friends, Trey looked up at Dimitria. "Has Tommy begun to show the signs yet?" Dimitria shook her head.
"What signs?" David asked.
Instead of replying directly, Trey responded with a question of his own. "Where is Tommy?"
Lowering her head before speaking, Kat answered. "Tommy's been captured by Divatox."
"She's set up some sort of jamming field to disrupt communications and it's also barring us from searching for him." Adam continued after noticing that Kat could not.
"Then I am too late." Trey looked sorrowful. "I came here to warn him. A Triforian ship on it's way to Nefesta Prime, intercepted a transmission to Divatox. The message contained the identity of Tommy's birth mother." He paused to draw in a breath, about to speak when the alarms suddenly went off.
"Damn! Divatox isn't taking any chances." Rocky exclaimed.
Everyone turned to the view screen to see what was up. They saw two giant monsters. One was attacking Stone Canyon, and the other the Angel Grove business district. "We've got to stop them. but how?" Rocky declared.
"Simple. We split up. Half of us go to Stone Canyon, and the other half to Angel Grove." Adam spoke up immediately taking control of the situation. He looked back at Rocky and Jason. "You think you're up to being on the active duty list again?" Jason and Rocky looked at each other and then at Adam and nodded in unison. "Great. We'll need all the help we can get." He looked at David. "How about you. Are you in?"
"You bet." David replied.
Adam turned his attention back to his current mentor. "Dimitria, do you think we can use the Zeo Crystal to make Rocky, Jason, and David Rangers?"
"There should be no trouble returning Rocky's Powers to him. However, there is a risk that the Crystal may not accept Jason and David. The risk is yours in this dire hour." Dimitria somewhat hesitant, but she knew the Rangers would do anything to protect the ones they loved. She sincerely hoped no adverse effects would befall David in taking the Power the risk was even greater for him than Jason. "Alpha activate the Zeo Crystal." Alpha nodded in acknowledgment stepping up to one of the many counsels center around the massive Chamber and punched a few buttons on the panel. Within a few seconds, the Zeo Crystal formed in the center of the chamber. David, Rocky, and Jason stepped up to the crystal. "Please place your hands upon the crystal."
The trio looked at each other slightly hesitant. Then with a nod, Jason spoke firmly. "Let's do this." The others gave a laconic nod and together, David and the two former Rangers touch the Zeo Crystal at the same time. A bright light flashed and they were instantly powered by the Crystal.
David felt a powerful tingling sensation run through his entire body as it glowed an intense yellow. The tingling sensation increased until he felt every nerve of his body hyper-charged. Whoa! So this is what it feels like to Morph! No wonder the others seemed so addicted to its Power! This feels awesome! "Amazing!" he said aloud. He looked down to see that he was dressed as the Yellow Zeo Ranger minus the skirt. Why yellow? He thought distantly.
Rocky felt the familiar return of the Blue Crystal. Man! I never thought I'd feel anything like this again after my accident. I can't wait to get back into action. He shouted aloud. "Wah Hooo!!" performing a flawless back tuck in the process.
The Power entered Jason and at first he felt a searing sensation coursing through him as if part of himself were being burned away. He could almost see the last vestiges of the Gold Power being burned away. He had never told anyone but Tommy, that despite returning the Gold Powers back to Trey he was still dying. The process had been slowed down but not halted. He was afraid that trying to take another set of Powers would kill him.
A second wave of energy blast through him and he cried out in pain. Although it felt just as intense as the first wave, the second brought with it the feeling of soothing liquid to quell the flames that burned him. This second energy glowed bright red. He had the feeling that if Alpha scanned him, it would discover that the deterioration caused by the Gold Power had been completely been reversed. For the most tiniest of moments he had a link with the previous bearer of these powers. He gasped for breath when he felt the pain of his missing friend. As suddenly as the connection was formed it disappeared back into the impenetrable mists of his mind. Before the connection completely vanished, he mentally cried out. Tommy! Hold onto the eye of the storm! All of this passed inside of him within the space of a few moments. As he opened his eyes, Jason looked down to see that he was clothed in the uniform of the Red Zeo Ranger.
"Jason, are you OK?" Adam asked noticing the pained look on Jason's face when he touched the Crystal.
"I'm OK." Jason spoke calmly. The others eyed him curiously. "Really! I'm fine! Just a little shaken that's all." He tried to distill their concern.
"Alpha will you run a scan just to make sure?" Dimitria spoke. She sensed that the Gold energy had been excised from Jason but she wanted Alpha to make sure. "While you are at it, please see to it that Rocky and David are scanned as well."
"Sure thing, Dimitria." Alpha replied. It quickly scanned the three teens. All three scans revealed that the Crystal had successfully accepted them.
"OK, here's the split." As soon as Dimitria okayed them. Adam went right to the strategy without pause. "Kat, Justin, Tanya, and I will go to Stone Canyon with the Turbo Zords Jason, Rocky, David, and Trey; you go to Angel Grove with the Super Zeo Zords and Pyrimadas to take care of the monster there. Everybody got that?" He looked around the group. They all gave swift nods of understanding. "Alright then let's do this! It's Morphin time!"
Cassie and TJ were headed back to the bus stop. "You think the Rangers will be able to find that guy?" TJ asked after the uncomfortable silence that had pervaded between them since the Pink Ranger had left.
"I hope so. He wasn't looking too good when we found him." Cassie looked down, dejected. When she looked up, she saw a red flash of light emanate from a nearby cave. "Did you see that?"
nodding his head TJ replied. "Yeah, what do you suppose it is?"
Cassie just shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know either. Seeing the look that TJ had in his eyes she decided to put a stop to any action. "Oh no, no you don't."
TJ looked perplexed. "What do you mean?"
Cassie was more than happy to oblige. "We are not going to check it out!" She shook her finger at him. "Look what happened the last time! We almost got killed!"
TJ was about to answer when he heard sounds coming from the cave they were currently discussing. He put his index finger to his lips. "Shhh"
"Don't shush me! I..." TJ put his hand over Cassie's mouth to shut her up.
"Listen." Cassie was furious, but stayed quiet. "Hear that? It sounds like voices." TJ moved his hand away, preparing to be slapped, punched, or kicked by Cassie, but she stayed unusually quiet. She too was listening to the sounds from the cave. It sounded as if someone was being tortured. "Come on. They might need our help." He spoke in hushed tones as he edged his way closer up a hill where the entrance to the cave was located.
"Can't we talk about this?" Cassie kept her voice quiet hoping that whoever or whatever was in that cave wouldn't over hear them.
"You don't have to come along you know." TJ hissed.
She rolled her eyes in response. Why on earth do I bother? "Let's go, OK?" With that, the duo went up the hill as stealthy as they could, approaching the cave at an angle.
The cave was dark and ominous. Baleful stalactites reached down from the ceiling; sinister stalagmites sprung up from the ground. The feel of doom pulsed out from the very walls. Flaming torches lit one of the many chambers. The light gave no comfort to an awakening prisoner. Even the light held the wickedness of those whom imprisoned him. Feeling pain in his arms, the prisoner looked up. He was not surprised to see his hands bound above his head. The rope that bound him had been wrapped securely around a stalactite. Looking down he discovered his feet also bound tight and the ropes secured to a boulder beneath him. Body stretched tight between the ceiling and the floor, his whereabouts uncertain, he began to panic. Pulling at his bindings only made them tighter. Breaths came in frantic spurts. This is no time to hyperventilate! Calm yourself. Get a handle on the situation and then you can . . . His thoughts were cut off when he heard a sound off to his right.
"Ah, I see the prisoner is awake." The voice was full of hatred and loathing. The prisoner shuddered slightly.
"What do you want Divatox?" The prisoner spat. The villainess only nodded her head to someone at his back. Before he could figure out what was going on, he felt the sting of a whip across his back. Every nerve in his body screamed. Don't yell, Oliver. Don't do it. You can't let that . . . that WITCH win. His body jerked as he received another lashing. Again and again the figure whipped him. The captive never said a word, never screamed. He didn't even moan in pain. He only sharply inhaled breaths crossed his lips. As a matter of fact, he bit down so hard on his lips, they actually bled. The prisoner glared defiantly at his captor, clearly saying without words. You think you can break me? I've survived worse beatings than this without so much as a whimper. You will never break me.
The captor, Divatox, Pirate Scourge of the Seven Clusters, stared back at him with menace. "I will break you." She did not yell. She did not shout. For once, her voice was calm and even, and deadly. "Piranhatron!" She snapped loudly over her shoulder, never taking her eyes off of her precious prize. "Bring me the electrodes. I want to see how long it takes until he screams like a little child." She noticed with delight, her conquest had flinched when she mentioned the electrodes. So you think you're so tough because you can take a whipping without crying out. But you will not be so brave when I dump a few thousand volts into your system. "You asked me what I wanted?" her voice was light and almost pleasant.
The prisoner just glared back at her, knowing that to answer would mean another whipping. Divatox smiled. "You learn quickly." She walked closer to him, circling her way around him until she was able to reach out and touch him physically. As she ran her fingers along one side of his face, the prisoner tried to pull away. She grabbed his chin forcefully digging her fingernails into his skin, making sure she had his attention. "Believe me. You will break." Her only response was a loogy in the eye, the unmasked eye. Resisting the temptation to strangle him dead right then and there, she wiped away the phlegm filled spit and spoke with extremely forced calm to the nearest Piranhatron. "Strip him." Before the man could offer any protest, his clothes, what was left of them at least, were ripped from him.
Divatox walked around him, inspecting his form. She poked him a few times to test his reflexes. She sighed almost remorsefully. Almost. "If you weren't so dangerous to keep around, I'd make you my manservant." At last, she tore her eyes away from him. "Just think. This is only the beginning of it. I thought I'd give you a little taste of what is to become of you. Your days as a Ranger are over!" Turning around to see what reaction she received, ahe was extremely miffed to find he only glared at her steadfastly. "I was going to wait until my mother arrived before the next stage in your torture began, but I see you're bent on defying me." She pointed at a Piranhatron with a hose dripping a clear fluid. "Hose him down." With that the prisoner was hosed down with the liquid.
The man sputtered, trying to keep the liquid from his mouth. From the few involuntary swallows of it he took, he figured it was just plain old water. "What? Your gonna drown me with water from a hose?" he scoffed. He would have laughed if his entire body didn't ache so much. He'd survived ten years of abusive foster homes, nearly a month in Rita's dungeons, a week in Lord Zedd's clutches, not to mention what the Machine Empire had done to him; only to give up now. No, if Divatox thought a few sessions with a whip and some water were going to break him. She had another thing coming.
Divatox answered simply. "No." Gesturing to another Piranhatron holding a bunch of bands connected to wires, she ordered it to place the bands on the young man's body. Seven bands total. One for his neck, one for both of his arms, one for his torso, one for his groin, and one for both of his legs.
Understanding reached through the young man's clouded mind. The water was to help the electricity travel better. An idea flashed through his mind. If he could somehow manage to lure Divatox closer she might step into the current with him. That idea was immediately dashed as he noticed that everyone was grounded. The villainess' clothes were just about completely rubber made. Looking at the Piranhatrons he noticed that they too were wearing protective gear to keep them from being electrocuted. There goes that plan. He wasn't prepared for what happened next.
Most people start out small when they torture you. They start out with the low setting just to see how you react and they work their way up from there. Slowly. It was a lot easier to build a resistance. Let the captors drag out the torture, and give your friends time to rescue you. That was the way it always went. Usually, the extra time allowed you to let your mind drift away so that you could disconnect your mind from the pain. Not this time. Pain beyond the most excruciating nightmares he had ever experienced in his entire being raged through his body. His screams were deafening to the ear, yet he could not hear them for the pain. Coherent thought went flying out the window the moment the switch flipped. In those moments all he knew was pain. Nothing existed before it, and nothing after it. White light seared his vision and gradually the light faded without an end to the pain. Just before he completely lost consciousness, it stopped. The raging fury burning through his body stopped, leaving only the remembered fire. His body twitched uncontrollably, and his throat was bloody and raw from his terrifying screams.
He'd received shock treatment before. But this . . . this was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. He could usually retreat to a secret place in his mind. In the eye of storm you'll see a lone falcon. The experience of survival is the key. Over and over he would say this in his mind. He could picture a single white falcon soaring within the eye of a storm. Blocking out everything else around him, no tormentor could ever touch him. This time was different. His vision of the falcon burned away and the eye of the storm moved away from him. Electricity stormed through his body and he knew nothing else. When the pain had finally ended he wanted to weep right then and there. He had only to look into Divatox' eyes to regain his resolve.
"You like?" Divatox walked close to him after the current was turned off. Still, she did not touch him. Looking into the young man's eyes, saw the words conveyed in them, even though he couldn't possibly speak them aloud. You may break my body Divatox, but you will never break my spirit. Grunting with frustrated anger. She screamed out loudly. "Mamma D!!!"
****
To be Continued...