Chapter 3

Sorry for the long wait guys but I was busy with exams and stuff. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

" Resurrected? Why? But a better question would be how," Adam eyed Tommy thoughtfully as the former black Dino ranger just shrugged and stole a glance at the three young rangers exploring every nook and cranny of the dojo.

Someone probably decided to keep a bone fragment of Mesogog and used genetic or bioengineering to bring him back to life, but you would need a great amount of power to carry that out. Something that you can't find on Earth," Tommy said.

" I can't possibly imagine how dangerous our enemy is right now if they managed to obtain such a large and powerful power source. Who knows what they could do with it?" he continued.

Adam sighed and scratched his head. " Any clue who might be the culprit?"

Tommy shook his head slowly. " Not a clue. We've already ruled out Rita and Zedd and they are two of the most evil villains that I know."

" It's definitely not King Mondo or Divatox either. Hold on….scratch that. Thrax was destroyed years ago," Adam said.

" Well, whoever it is, we need to find him, and fast before he decides to resurrect other destroyed villains. That would just spell chaos and pandemonium," Tommy growled and Adam nodded.

" Don't forget, you still have a prehistoric reptilian maniac on the loose, hell bent on turning our world into Jurassic Park," Adam joked and Tommy couldn't help but let a small smile loose on his lips.

" Don't worry, he's about to become extinct once more, once we take him down. Adam, we need Alpha to restore our powers."

Adam was about to open his mouth to reply him when the two men heard the sound of glass shattering and a frightened yelp. They dashed to the sparring room to find Connor sprawled on top of Ethan while Adam's glass vase were in a million pieces on the mat.

Adam groaned while Tommy just folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at them.

He looked around for Kira as he did not see her anywhere.

" Where did Kira go?" Tommy asked Connor who just picked himself up and nudged towards the living room.

Tommy walked to the living room where he saw Kira smiling and talking to Alpha who was just as delighted to see the blonde ranger.

" Hey Alpha, remember me?" Tommy grinned and he couldn't help but feel nostalgic as he held out his hand to the robot who had helped him since in his Mighty Morphin, Zeo and Turbo days

" Ay yi yi yi yi, is that really you Tommy? I have not seen you in almost a decade," Alpha marveled as he toddled over to Tommy and shook his hand.

" Well, our paths were certain to cross once more. After all, once a ranger, always a ranger," Tommy grinned and Kira couldn't help but smile as she heard that last line.

" Alpha, do you think you could tap the morphing grid to reenergize the Dino gems?" Adam chimed in as he walked in together with Connor and Ethan.

" Woah…..what's with the tacky Halloween outfit?" Connor whispered to Ethan who looked fascinated at Alpha.

" That's no costume dude, I think it is a robot," Ethan whispered back, struggling to contain his newfound excitement and delight.

Connor looked skeptical and Kira pounced on it. " Connor, Alpha is a robot," she sniffed and Connor looked sheepishly at her.

" Adam, it is possible to reenergize the Dino gems but it will take some time to tap into the Morphing Grid," Alpha explained and Tommy nodded.

" In the meantime, I suggest we all try to get some rest and be on the alert if Mesogog decides to strike again," Tommy told his team and they agreed.

" Adam, do you think we could spend the night here? It's getting late and we have to leave the Dino gems with Alpha," Tommy told Adam.

" Of course you can. However, I only have two guest rooms, so I guess you will have to bunk in with Connor and Ethan," Adam grinned much to the Tommy's chagrin.

" Alright guys, we are spending the night here but there are only two guest rooms. Connor, Ethan and I will be in one room while Kira takes the other one," Tommy said and the two guys scowled at the smirking female ranger.

" Dr.O, that's not fair. Ethan snores like a thunderstorm," Connor whined.

" I would love to help you out and everything but you got to respect a woman's privacy," she snickered and carried her bag into her room.

" For the record Connor, you aren't exactly silent when you sleep," Tommy said and Connor coughed while Ethan looked triumphantly at him.

After dinner, the four Dino rangers decided to turn into bed early while Adam continued working on their Dino gems with Alpha in a special room built at the back of the dojo.

Kira hummed to herself as she prepared to turn in when she heard a faint knock against the door.

She frowned and got up to answer it.

" Who is it?" she called from inside

" It's me," came Tommy's reply and Kira reluctantly opened the door.

" What brings you here at eleven in the night? Must be something important," she said and Tommy just shrugged.

" Can I come in?" he asked and Kira hesitated before letting in her former high school Science teacher.

Kira couldn't help but stare at Tommy who was wearing a tight, grey cotton shirt which showed off his tanned, muscular arms and a pair of baggy sweatpants.

" Does he always look this good at night? Or does he look like this everyday?" she thought to herself before snapping out of her thoughts.

Tommy on the other hand, was admiring Kira's long slim legs and plentiful curves which were on display as she wore a fitting yellow night dress.

Kira felt the heat rush up her neck as she could feel Tommy's gaze scanning her from head to toe. She felt flattered but instead, cleared her throat.

" So, Tommy, what did you come here for?" she asked him and Tommy chuckled.

"Straight to the point. Still the same old Kira," he said and Kira didn't really like him saying it.

" I'm not the same old Kira anymore, just to rectify your statement. I'm assuming its concerning ranger duties?" she inquired tying her long flowing brunette hair into a simple ponytail.

" No. I came here just to check on you and maybe spend some alone time with you," he said and Kira sniffed.

" Well, you better make it quick because it's already half-past eleven. I didn't think you were the alone time type of guy anyway. More of the gung-ho and teamwork kind of guy," Kira continued and Tommy got up and stood in front of her.

" I'm guessing you don't really appreciate my visit but that's alright. I don't blame you. However, I just want to talk to you, find out more about your music career, love life…" Tommy's voice trailed off as he mentioned love life.

Kira looked away and mumbled a few words as Tommy gently took her hand in his.

" Kira, you know that I'll always be there for you- on and off the battlefield. If you have anything that's bothering you, don't hesitate to tell me. I can help you," he said gently but Kira slipped her hand out of his and shook her head.

" I don't think you can. You wouldn't want to hear about my career or my love life. It's all just a quixotic whirlpool of illusions and delusions," she muttered as she tried her best to suppress her urge to just scream in frustration or flood the room in tears.

" Anyway, let's just say that I'm a decent artist with a not so decent love life," Kira piped up and gave Tommy a small and dry smile.

Tommy chuckled and shook his head.

Kira frowned at him. " What the hell is so funny?"

" Boy, you crack me up. You haven't changed one bit. Still the insecure Kira, who pretends that nothing is wrong and wears a mask of bravery and resilience. The Kira who doesn't let her emotions show easily and doesn't let any outsiders tear down that emotional barrier which separates truth from lies," Tommy said and Kira growled at him.

" Are you done yet Tommy? Did you come here all the way at eleven in the night to preach and make me feel worse than I already am? You haven't changed one bit either! You're still the same Tommy who thinks that everyone should be ready to showcase their problems to you and let the good old ranger fix them out of sympathy," she ranted.

Tommy looked stunned and was about to respond when Kira bit her lip and quickly wiped the small tear forming at the side of her hazel eyes.

" Tommy, if you really want to know, then fine. I'm living in some small, dingy flat in California next to some rowdy neighbors who won't shut the hell up at night. My record label laid me off a long time ago and I'm forced to work in a local bar to pay rent. My ex-boyfriend supported my music career until I caught him cheating on me with his colleague in our bedroom! My flat has frequent water and electric cuts and lastly, my flat got robbed last week," she said, her voice low.

Tommy reached out to her. " Kira, I…..I didn't know that you were going through such hard times. You could have called me, I'm sure I could have helped you in some way," he said but Kira just forced a smile at him.

" I didn't want to trouble you Tommy, since you're busy grading papers and stuff. Besides, I'm a power ranger. I'm sure I can dig myself out of this hole," she said.

" Now, if you will excuse me, I think I want to get enough sleep before our next fight," Kira said as she ushered Tommy out of the room.

" Hold on, I'm not done yet," he called from outside.

" We can talk next time. Right now, I just want to be alone. Good night," she told him and shut the door, leaving him feeling angry at himself.

" What have I done? I drove her away from me to pursue her music career in California only to find out that she's suffering there. The worst part is, I ruined her chance at a happy love life in the process. Oliver, you're one smart guy," he thought to himself as he trudged back to his room.

Kira just flopped down on her bed and buried her face into the soft pillows.

" So, I just exposed my dirty little secret to my one true love. He's probably regurgitating all that stuff about me to those two goons in the other room. I feel so helpless as an adult. I'm strapped for cash and live in a box room. The only solace I have is being a ranger," she thought to herself.

She froze as she removed her face from the pillows to find a few wet spots where her eyes had been.

She gingerly touched her face to find streams of tears trickling down her cheeks and dropping onto the pillows.

" Am I crying?"

" What the hell anyway, there is nobody here to watch me," she whispered as she just let all her pent up frustration and disappointment in muffled sobs.

The next day…..

" Morning Kira. Did you sleep well last night?" Adam asked her as she ambled slowly into the kitchen where Tommy was sitting there having a cup of coffee.

Their eyes met but she quickly gave a small yawn and poured herself a glass of orange juice.

" Yeah Adam. Sort of," she smiled and sat down opposite Tommy.

There was an awkward silence between the two rangers with each one taking bigger gulps of their beverages with each passing minute. Adam raised an eyebrow and laughed to himself.

" Another lover's quarrel. What did you do this time Tommy?" he chuckled to himself as he continued toasting the bread.

" Tommy, I have good news for you. Alpha managed to reenergize your Dino gems last night so you guys are rangers again," Adam said and the two of them piped up immediately.

" Thanks Adam. You really are a lifesaver," Tommy smiled.

" Don't mention it."

Suddenly, an alarm began blaring as Adam gave Tommy a serious and knowing look. Connor and Ethan rushed out of their room in their pajamas, looking flustered and shaken, having been jolted from their slumber.

The four of them rushed into the back room to find Alpha busy handling the control panels.

" Ay yi yi yi yi yi Adam. There is a strange alien attacking the city and he has brought along reinforcements. Ay yi yi yi yi, what would Zordon do?" Alpha said in despair.

" Come on team, let's bring him to justice," Tommy said.

" Wait, you'll need these," Adam said as he handed each one of them their respective Dino gems.

" Sweet! It feels good to be back in red," Connor smirked as he admired his Dino morpher.

" I have to admit, fighting aliens in real life is way better than in the virtual world," Ethan grinned.

" Huh, I missed having some empty boneheads to take out my frustration on," Kira smiled.

" Well, teaching is lucrative and all but, hey, we all need our spice of life," Tommy glanced at his team who patted him on the back.

" Ready? Dino Thunder, Power Up!" they shouted as they morphed into their respective colors.

In the city….

" Yes, your screams of terror are music to my ears. Submit to me or perish beneath my power," Mesogog chuckled as he curled his fingers and stroked his chin as his Tyrannodrones wrecked havoc on the city of Angel Grove.

" Stop right there!" Tommy said as Mesogog snarled and hissed at the rangers.

" Hm, it seems that all of you have managed to get back your powers. No matter, your efforts will prove futile once I am done with you. Tyrannodrones, go and destroy the rangers," he said in a silky voice as hordes of Tyrannodrones swarmed at the rangers.

" Looks like they miss us after all," Connor said.

" Try saying that again when they aren't busy kicking your ass," Kira laughed as the rangers charged into battle.

Tommy punched and kicked a few Tyrannodrones before cutting them down with his Black Dino Sabre. Tommy was sent crashing into a car when a few of them fired laser beams directly into his chest.

" Boy, that's not something you can get used to everyday," he muttered as he picked himself up and continued fighting.

" Energy Orb!" Tommy said as he moved his saber in a circular motion until an orange ball of energy was in front of him. He thrust the orb towards a large group of Tyrannodrones who exploded when hit.

He ran to check on his team but he just folded his arms as he saw them easily dismantling the horde.

Connor destroyed some with his Tyranno staff while Ethan repelled them with his Tricera shield.

Kira dodged a few blows before doing a split and punching two Tyrannodrones away She did a small pirouette as she danced her way to throngs of Tyrannodrones before destroying them with her Ptera Grips.

" What!? Useless minions. I guess I will have to show you real power," Mesogog roared as he jumped down from a car and began slashing all the rangers away.

The rangers fell to the ground in pain as Mesogog fired a stream of lasers from his eyes which sent the rangers crashing into a concrete wall.

" Damn, I forgot how strong this guy was," Ethan grimaced as he clutched his side.

" No kidding but we have to finish him off once and for all, right here, right now," Tommy said struggling to get up as he charged at the reptile once more, his saber clashing with his iron nails, the contact resulting in sparks.

" Tommy, I will destroy you now and exploit the weakness of your pathetic human race. Dinosaurs will walk the planet once more and there is nothing you weaklings can do about it," Mesogog cackled.

" Shut up Mesogog. You and I both know that it's not going to happen," Tommy retorted as he backed away and dealt a heavy blow to Mesogog who staggered back.

" Dr.O, let's send this creep packing!" Connor said.

" Z-Rex blaster!" they said in unison as they combined their weapons.

Mesogog just smirked at them and chided them. " Your puny weapons won't do much good against me,"

" Ready? Aim?"

Before they could fire it, a bolt of lightning came hurling towards them which caused a massive explosion and severely injured the rangers.

" Kira, are you alright?" coughed Tommy as he saw Connor and Ethan demorphed and laying unconscious. Tommy and Kira weren't too badly injured as the lightning did not strike them head on.

" I'm alright Tommy but we have to seek medical treatment for Connor and Ethan," Kira coughed as she gripped her thigh in pain.

" But we have to finish him off now," Tommy's conscience argued and he clenched his fists.

" Kira, you take Connor and Ethan back to Adam. I'm not coming back till I have destroyed this creep," Tommy stood and brandished his saber.

Kira shook her head vigorously.

" No Tommy. We are a team. We stick together and nobody gets left behind. Look, you can't beat him in your current state," she challenged him but Tommy just pat her shoulder.

" Kira, listen to me. If you don't get them back to safety now, there's no guaranteeing any of our safety. Right now, Mesogog has to be stopped," Tommy said but Kira gripped his arm.

" Tommy, you're bruise and battered. You will be killed if you don't retreat, you understand? Please just ….just…stop trying to act all tough and cool. Look, as much as I'm still pissed at you, you're my friend and I can't let you die," she stammered.

Tommy felt touched but he just nodded his head. " Then, if you are my friend, you would take my advice and trust me on this one," he said before charging towards Mesogog once more.

The two of them fought and the sound of metal clashing filled the air.

Finally, Tommy gained the upper hand and brought down Mesogog with his saber.

" It's over," Tommy muttered as he prepared to deal the fatal blow.

" Put a sock in it Oliver. Geez, you think time would have worn out those cliché's," an oily voice came from behind as a stream of lightning exploded into his back, throwing Tommy into a construction site.

He demorphed and coughed a bit of blood as he lay helplessly on the ground.

" Ivan…..Ivan Ooze? I should have known," Tommy choked but Ivan Ooze just grinned and helped Mesogog to his feet.

" Ah, but your scientific brain has failed you once more. I'm going to skip part where I explain my plans before blasting you into smithereens and just skip straight to the last part."

" Actually, we both will," Ivan cackled as Mesogog and him prepared to finish the black Dino thunder ranger off.

" Say hello to that bastard, Zordon for me, black ranger," Ivan sneered as both Mesosgog and his hands glowed a bright yellow.

" So, this is how its going to end…..I can't say that I didn't enjoy my life so far" Tommy thought as he just glared defiantly at the two villains.

" Shall we?" Mesogog grinned at Ivan who licked his lips and released the energy beam.

Tommy felt a large tremor before being hurled backwards by the impact of the explosion. He flinched but then realized that he was unscathed.

He opened his eyes and got up. He was shocked to find Kira laying unconscious with a gash above her forehead, which was bleeding profusely. The acrid smell of charred flesh emanated from her body which was covered by tattered clothing.

Tommy cradled her in his arms as he saw Ivan and Mesogog were in the same state as well. " You haven't seen the last of us Tommy," Mesogog snarled.

" Yup. Next time, your girlfriend won't be there to save you. That is, if she is still alive," Ivan cackled before disappearing along with Mesogog.

" Kira? Kira? Wake up!," Tommy yelled as he shook her but to no avail.

" What the bloody hell were you thinking?" Tommy roared but it was futile. Tommy caressed her face slowly as he grit his teeth.

" Why did you sacrifice yourself to save me? Weren't you the one who told me that it was foolish and stupid? Yet, you rushed to my aid without a moment's hesitation and disobeyed my orders. You can't die on me….Not while there are still so many things I have to tell you," Tommy whispered to her as he kissed her forehead and carried her to the nearest hospital.

Kira was sent to the emergency ward as Adam walked up to him.

" Connor and Ethan are in the ward too. I heard about what happened to Kira. Is she doing okay?" Adam asked.

Tommy felt the words stuck in his throat and he gripped Adam on the shoulder.

" It's all my fault. If I had listened to her and retreated, she wouldn't have had to sacrifice herself to save me. I acted brashly and Kira has to suffer the consequences," Tommy muttered as Adam placed an arm around Tommy.

" Tommy, sometimes, being a ranger involves a lot of risks with one of them being the safety of the team. You of all people should know but, sometimes, we don't always make the right decisions."

" I don't know…..I'm supposed to be the leader."

" Adam, did you see what happened to Kira back there?" Tommy asked and Adam looked grim.

" Kira used her Ptera Scream to repel the energy beams but apparently, the beams and her sound waves underwent resonance and constructive interference which resulted in a maximum amplitude and force energy explosion on her," Adam marveled.

Tommy just shook his head and stole a glance at the resting Kira inside the ward.

" I wonder why she scolded me for broaching the idea and then, she proceeded to do the exact same thing," Tommy sighed and Adam looked shocked at him.

" Tommy, for a university lecturer, you really are dense. She risked her life to save you because she loves you! I guess that's the only acceptable justification for doing something as dangerous and foolish as that. Anyway, that girl loves you so much and I'm not sure whether you really like her or not," Adam berated him.

" Believe me Adam, I love her more than anything in the world. Right now, we have to figure out their next move and plan ours before thy strike again," Tommy said to Adam.

" Well, you should be in your ward resting and not standing by the balcony, talking to me. Hold on…did you say their?" Adam looked strangely at Tommy who just gave a wry smile.

" I found out who resurrected Mesogog and is using him to destroy Earth."

" Really? Who?"

" Ivan Ooz, that son of a bitch," Tommy said and Adam frowned.

" Wasn't he destroyed years ago?"

" That's what I thought as well till today. He and Mesogog have to be stopped," Tommy raged but he began to cough and clutched his stomach in pain.

" He will be after you have fully recovered. In the meanwhile, I'll take care of business for you. Don't forget, I have my powers as well," Adam smiled showing him his Mastadon power coin.

" Catch you later," Adam said as he helped Tommy into his bed and switched off the lights.

Tommy closed his eyes and images of Kira began dancing through his head as he was inundated with guilt.

" Kira, I swear to you, those bastards will pay dearly. I could never live with myself if you had been killed. If only I could tell you how much I care about you now," Tommy muttered before drifting off to sleep.

In the other ward…..

Kira slowly opened her eyes and a small smile began to form on her face.

" I'm not dead yet….Tommy, I know you're out there still fighting. I just hope that you don't forget about me.

A/N : That's it for chapter 3. I know that it's a long chapter but I had one month's worth of inspiration bottled up and I had to get it off my chest. Besides, I wanted to write a longer chapter because I will be away for the next two weeks for Christmas. Don't forget to review and tell me what you guys think. See you guys soon.