Holocaust landed with a thud onto the cold, slimey stone floor of Lord Zedd's lunar palace. He stood up immediately, trying to scrape the grime off his exo-armor. He then turned to the throne, where Solar sat in deep meditation. Holocaust angrily stormed towards Solar, his skull glowing red.
"How dare you pull me out of battle!" he roared down at Solar, "I could have defeated those five rangers once and for all! Then after we had their Zeo shards, we could have attacked the Power Rangers' home base and destroyed the other two! Solar, are you listening to me?!"
Solar had indeed heard every word Holocaust hollered, but he was too busy dealing with the rage of emotions in his splintered mind. He then blinked, his gold power signature tinted with aqua energy. An evil smirk crossed his lips.
"I don't want to kill the Power Rangers," he said quietly, "Or at least, not all of them. But that isn't the reason I summoned you back. I must figure out how I can separate the Zeo Crystal from the bodies of the Power Rangers. In order to wield the Terra powers, each ranger must internalize the gemstones."
"Why don't we just kill them, and rip the crystals from their cold carcasses?" asked Holocaust without the slightest tinge of emotion.
"I don't know if it will work. The crystals are intangible while they are inside the bodies of the Terran Rangers. There is no way to know if that is the case when they die. Besides, I told you, I don't want to kill them all."
"And why not?" asked Holocaust, his temper starting to boil, "If you want to rule the Multiverse, you need those gems. You must crush all who stand in your way, and the Power Rangers are on the TOP of the list!"
"We must capture one of them," said Solar finally, "That way, we can see how to separate the gem from the human. Once we learn how to do so, we can use the same technique to get the remaining gems. Or, we can also trade the life of the captured ranger for the rest of the gem."
"Very well," said Holocaust with a slight sigh, "But we have to wait until the rangers leave their headquarters and separate. Which one should I capture?"
"Tommy Oliver," said Solar bitterly, "The Red Terran Power Ranger. He is your target."
In the Central Access Complex, the seven Power Rangers argue about their next step.
"Jason, we can't just fly to the Moon Palace!" cried Tommy incredulously.
"And why not, oh fearless leader? Just because you never want to try the direct approach? You're not afraid , are you?"
"Well then, Hot Shot, what do we do when we reach the Moon?" sneered Tommy.
"Guys, calm down," said Kat gently, "You're not accomplishing anything."
Jason and Tommy stepped back from each other, still snarling. Annie sighed as she watched from across the room. Nate threw up his hands in frustration.
"I'm getting stir crazy in here!" he complained to Annie, "We have to do something!"
"Well, Jason's idea has merit," whispered Annie, "When the other Terran Rangers and I attacked the Moon Palace in 2006 we managed to not only save Will and the other astronauts, but also to get rid of Zedd and Rita once and for all."
"But we're not dealing with Zedd and Rita! Solar is a killer! And I don't understand how he's blocking my telepathic scans!"
"He's not," said Billy, approaching them, "The CAC cannot be scanned, either with technology, mutant powers, or magic. Your powers cannot penetrate the protective barrier, and neither can Solar's. The computers are especially designed in sync with the barrier's frequency, so we can scan outside through it. Nothing else can penetrate."
"So maybe Solar doesn't know I'm here yet," said Nate quietly, "I have an idea."
Nate walked over to where the Power Rangers were sitting in awkward silence.
"Okay, Tommy, here's the plan. I have reason to believe that Solar may not know of my involvement. That could be the Trump Card we need. And even if he does somehow know I've arrived, there is no way he'll be expecting Annie. Annie is our only chance of stirring Trevor's consciousness. Billy, Annie, and I are gonna figure out a way for us to go to the Moon Palace without being detected. It won't be easy, but there must be a way."
"So what do we do?" asked Alexis, picking up her helmet.
"The seven of you un-morph and go about your business."
"No way!" yelled Tommy, "Solar's attacking Earth, and the Power Rangers have the responsibility to stop him!."
"He's right, Tommy," said Annie quietly, "Solar hasn't informed you of his existence, and there is no reason for you to suspect that Holocaust works for him. Do what you would normally do after you defeat one of Zedd's monsters--go to the Youth Center and hang out."
Tommy looked at Annie curiously. How does she know so much about us? And why do I get the feeling that I know her somehow? Her voice sounds so--familiar...
"But Nate, can you and Annie defeat Solar without any help?" asked Jason, "If I'm not mistaken, the battle against Onslaught in New York cost the lives of dozens of super heroes."
"That was Onslaught, not Solar," said Nate, "I doubt Solar is as powerful as Onslaught was at his prime. At least, not yet. And since Solar is an amalgam of Trevor Monroe and Onslaught, I think we can coax Trevor's consciousness to the forefront. If Trevor has a good enough reason, he can muster the willpower to purge Onslaught from his mind. But, I probably could use Kim's help. She could be my backup telepath."
"If Kim goes, then I'm going too," said Tommy coldly.
Annie smiled weakly and put her hand on Tommy's shoulder, "Don't worry, Tommy, we'll take good care of her. If you come, you'll only complicate matters."
"They're right," said Zack, crossing his arms in front of him. His X-Ranger costume immediately vanished, leaving him in his Adidas shirt and shorts. "Let's go to the Juice Bar and wait for Solar to strike again. This time, we'll be ready for him."
The four Terran Rangers and the Purple Power Ranger un-morphed and prepared to teleport. Kimberly turned to Nate, still in her golden uniform.
"Should I stay here with you three?" she asked quietly.
"Nah, go with your friends, Kim," said Nate, "We'll contact you when we figure something out."
"Did you figure out what Solar wants from us?"
"Revenge, most likely," said Annie, "but we don't know for sure."
With that, Kimberly un-morphed and joined the others. They all teleported out of the CAC.
"Finally, they're gone!" said Annie, pulling off her face mask, "This outfit is so hot!"
Billy couldn't help but stare at "Annie" in surprise. She looked exactly like the Kimberly he knew: golden brown hair, charming smile, perky nose, and eyes that just twinkled with life. Wow, Kim certainly didn't change much in twelve years.
"What are you doing?!" yelled Nate in shock, "I thought I told you not to reveal your identity to them! Billy's still here."
"Billy realized it was me already," said Kimberly, trying to fix her hair, "So there's no reason to suffer under that awful mask! Its worse than the Power Ranger helmet." She turned to Billy, "So, what do we do now?"
"I've already started scanning the Moon Palace, to figure out exactly what kind of power Solar is radiating through the area and how we can cloak you from his senses."
"I had a feeling you'd have an idea what to do," said Nate with a smile, "You're just like an old friend of mine. So, how long will this scan of yours take?"
"Half an hour at most," said Billy, "Then I can use the data to create a device to block Solar's scans, and hook it up to the Thunderbird Terrazord. You are taking both Kims, right?"
"Right," answered Kim, sitting down on the step, "So what do we do in the meantime?"
"Well, you can start by telling me about Trevor Monroe," said Billy sternly.
"He's my husband," said Kim quietly, "In my timeline, Zedd and Rita Repulsa left in December 1996. They didn't return, so the six of us went our separate ways. I went back to Florida to prepare for the Olympics right after graduation, and Tommy and I had a fight not long after I left. I was so mad that I didn't talk to him again, 'til about a month later. I sent him a letter, telling him I had met someone..."
"You dumped Tommy?!" cried Billy in disbelief, "You dumped him in a letter?!"
"I didn't really dump him. I think we both understood it was over, I just severed the final link is all. Trevor worked at the gym we practiced in. He also attended the University of Florida. He was one of the two real friends I had in Florida, and our friendship blossomed into something more. After the Olympics, I started studying fashion design in France, where I lived with my mother and step-father. I always kept in touch with Trevor--he went to Harvard Law. He graduated in the year 2001, and asked for my hand in marriage. We got married in 2002, and now we have a son Anthony. I'm president and CEO of the Hart Fashion Industry, and Trevor is a corporate lawyer. He disappeared in 2007, which is two years ago my time. The rest of the story Nate told you when we first got here."
"How's Tommy?" asked Billy, enthralled by Kim's story, "How'd he take it?"
"I...I don't know. I didn't talk to him again until Zedd and Rita returned in 2006, but Adam once told me he didn't seem the same afterwards. I guess we both spent a lot of time wondering what could have been. We reconciled after we defeated Zedd and Rita and re-activated the Terran Rangers. We're good friends now--"
"I think you've told him enough about his future, Kim," said Nate crossly.
"It doesn't really matter," said Kim, "After all, I'm from an alternate future, one where the Terran Rangers disband. If your Kim doesn't go back to Florida, how will she fall for Trevor anyway? It won't happen."
"So, you, Kat, Tommy, Jason, Aisha, Alexis and Zack are all still active Rangers?" asked Billy, "You and Zack never became X-Rangers? You never passed on your powers to other teenagers?"
"Well, you're almost right," said Kim, "Aisha was never a Terran Ranger. She moved to Africa and became an ethologist. She calls me from time to time, but she never came back to the US, except for a visit every now and then. Adam is the Green Ranger. And I haven't seen Alexis in years. But yes, we're still rangers. Will hasn't figured out a way to transfer the power into people who never had Power Coins. He said that the ownership of a coin biochemically changes the person, making them compatible with the Zeo crystal shards."
"So different, yet so much the same," said Billy quietly. Then, the computer started to beep.
"The scan's done," he said, printing out the information, "You two make yourselves comfortable. I'll be in the Zord hangar. I'll call you if I need you."
With that, Billy hurried out of the main chamber in the CAC. Kim and Nate sit and wait.
"Do you think we'll be able to save Trevor?" asked Kim.
"I honestly don't know," he said, "But we're certainly gonna try."
Meanwhile, Zack, Jason, Tommy, Alexis, Katherine, Kimberly, and Aisha sit in the Juice Bar, sipping on various beverages. Usually, they'd be involved in an energetic conversation, or even practicing karate, gymnastics, or weight lifting. Today, however, the seven teens sit in a stony silence.
"Hey guys," called Rocky from the mat. He and Adam had been involved in a heated kata, and didn't notice their best friends walk in. Rocky frowned when no one answered his greeting.
"You okay?" he asked again, strolling over to their table and pulling up a chair beside Alexis. Adam soon joined them, his brow furrowed with worry.
"Did something happen?" he asked in a hushed voice, "Where's Billy?"
"Billy's running some scans in the CAC," whispered Zack.
"Where were you guys?" asked Rocky.
"A monster called Holocaust attacked the plaza," said Alexis, "He escaped."
"So Rita and Zedd are up to their old tricks," said Adam angrily.
"No," said Tommy, "Solar is the one behind it all. We have to wait for him to strike again. I feel so... helpless!"
Kimberly reached and squeezed his hand reassuringly, "Relax, Tommy. Something will happen soon."
As if on cue, the entire Youth Center started to shake. The nine friends cling desperately to the table in order to not fall down. Suddenly, the shaking stops, and a huge explosion is heard from outside.
"It came... from the school!!" cried Jason, leaping to his feet and running outside. The others immediately followed him, and stood in shock in front of the building. The entire entrance was destroyed, along with the majority of the wall along the offices. The teens saw Mr Caplan sitting dumfounded at his chair, staring at the gaping hole made in his office wall. Adam and Rocky stayed behind as the rangers immediately hid themselves among the rubble.
"It's Morphin Time," cried Zack, crossing his arms, "X-Ranger One!"
"X-Ranger Two!!" cried Kimberly.
"TERRA FIRE POWER!!" yelled Tommy.
"TERRA WIND POWER!!" cried Aisha.
"TERRA EARTH POWER!!" bellowed Jason.
"TERRA WATER POWER!!" shouted Katherine.
"Purple Ranger Power!" called Alexis. The seven Power Rangers leapt onto the battle scene, immediately digging though the rubble of their school, searching for survivors. The X-Rangers lifted the bricks and steel beams of the damaged building, the Blue and Green Terran Rangers put out the flames caused by the energy blast, while the Purple, Black, and Red Rangers cautiously helped the people trapped in the rubble. Holocaust watched from the roof of the building, chuckling to himself.
Now is my chance to capture the Red Ranger, he thought, powering up his arm cannon, Now he is inside the burning building, and the others are too busy to help him.
Holocaust burns a hole in the roof, and stealthily slips through it into the building. He heard a girl screaming for help, and soon saw the Red Ranger approach.
"Hang on, Angela," said the Red Ranger reassuringly, lifting the piece of ceiling that pinned her to the floor, "I've got ya."
He gingerly lifted Angela off the ground, supporting her with his shoulders. He quickly lead her to the entrance, where Holocaust waited for him, barring his way.
"Greetings, Human," he chuckled, "Missed me?"
The Red Ranger struck a protective stance in front of Angela, who was starting to panic.
"So, you're the one who caused this destruction!" shouted Tommy angrily, "Why? What could you possibly gain by hurting these people?"
"Well, I got you here, didn't I?" scoffed Holocaust, raising his arm cannon, "That's all I wanted."
Holocaust fired a deadly plasma ray at Tommy, who effortlessly dodged it. Angela had taken cover behind a fallen row of lockers, watching mutely as her savior battled the hideous creature towering above him. The Red Ranger continued to dodge Holocaust's best shots, causing the latter to glow with rage.
"You may be agile, Boy, but you're too selfless to avoid me forever!" roared Holocaust, charging his arm cannon for one final strike. Instead of pointing to Tommy, however, Holocaust released the pent up energy in the direction of the girl cowering behind the lockers. Tommy immediately saw the danger and leapt to Angela.
"Duck!" he ordered, leaping in the path of the energy beam. Angela screamed in horror as the hot plasma scorched through the Red Ranger's chest, leaving a patch of tender, bleeding flesh. The Red Ranger grunted slightly as he fell to the ground, losing consciousness. Holocaust roared with laughter and flung the fallen ranger over his shoulder.
"You heroes are all alike!" he roared, "Always too busy protecting the weak to properly protect yourselves!"
With that, Holocaust and the Red Ranger disappeared in a streak of golden light, leaving Angela still cowering behind the lockers. She had witnessed the Red Ranger's heroic deed, and had seen the horrible wound he now bore. Her eyes swelled with tears of guilt until she realized that the creature left her there to die.
"Help!" she cried hoarsely, choking back sobs, "HELP ME, PLEASE!!"
"Where are you?" she heard a voice from by the stairs call to her. She sighed in relief.
"By the lockers!" she answered, standing up to show herself. She was surrounded by powerful flames, and started to choke on the dense smoke.
"I've got ya, Miss!" said the Black Ranger, grabbing her hand. He lifted her gently into his arms and carried her quickly out of the building. Once he was safely away from the building, he gingerly laid Angela on the ground, giving her room to breathe. By now, the fire trucks and ambulances arrived, and helped the Green and Blue Rangers put out the rest of the flames. The Silver, Gold, and Purple Rangers, along with Rocky and Adam, helped the injured people into ambulances. Two attendents lifted Angela off the charred grass and placed her on a cot. They put on an oxygen mask and started to cart her towards the ambulance.
"Hey," said the Black Ranger, "Where's the Red Ranger?"
Upon hearing the question, Angela immediately pulled the mask off her face and cried out, getting the rangers' attention.
"The creature with the red skull grabbed him!" she coughed. The Power Rangers and Rocky and Adam all stopped what they were doing and ran to her, who was trying desperately to stop coughing.
"What do you mean?" asked the Gold Ranger gently.
"He was trying to save me... and the monster shot a blast at me... Red Ranger blocked the plasma... he's hurt badly and unconscious... the monster grabbed him and--"
Angela fell into a fit of coughs and the attendents immediately placed the mask back over her mouth. The Power Rangers stood back as the attendents carted Angela into the ambulance.
"Holocaust took Tommy," whispered Alexis, "But why?"
"We should get to the CAC," said Zack, "and fast!"
"What's going on here?" asked Rocky in exhasperation.
"It would take too long to explain," answered Aisha.
"Do you guys need our help?" asked Adam, "I don't think there's much we can do here."
"We'll keep ya posted," said Jason, "All clear?"
The Power Rangers took a quick scan around the area to make sure the situation was under control. The six rangers looked at each other, and in silent agreement, they disappeared in six streaks of colored light.
Tommy moaned quietly as he came into awareness. His eyes slowly opened, but there was nothing to see--everything was pitch black. He felt a searing pain in his chest, and tried to feel if he was bleeding, but his hand wouldn't respond. He then realized that both his arms and legs were restrained. He felt the chill winds blowing against his bare arms and legs, and noticed that he was no longer wearing his insulated Power Ranger uniform. He was lying on his back, wearing his red tank top and beige denim shorts, that reached just below his knee. He struggled against his restraints and tried to cry out, but his voice cracked and he was suddenly out of breath. Breathing became painful and difficult.
I hope I didn't puncture a lung, he thought gloomily, I can tell I have at least one broken rib.
Tommy shut his eyes tightly when a bright light flashed from nowhere. When is eyes adjusted, he lifted his head to see two forms approaching him from an enlightened entrance.
"Hello, Tommy," said the tall one, "I'm glad you're still alive. I was worried I had used too much power. I do hope you're comfortable on Finster's work table."
"Whatever you're looking for... I'm not gonna help... you find it!" wheezed Tommy painfully.
"You're so brave, Boy," chuckled the shorter figure, "But what I have planned for you doesn't require your consent."
Tommy squinted to clear his vision. He recognized Holocaust's mocking voice immediately, but the other voice wasn't clear. He saw a man, about six foot two, with sandy blonde hair and a rather muscular build. He had aqua colored eyes, and he wore a red, white, and blue armored uniform with a gold badge on his chest. Tommy recognized the figure immediately.
"Solar," he mumbled quietly, resting his head back against the cold stone lab table.
"Aren't you surprised to see me?" asked Solar, grinning maliciously, "After all, I'm sure you thought you killed me during our last encounter. I see you're hair has gotten even longer!"
"Cut to the point," grumbled Tommy quietly, trying not to show how much pain he was in.
"Fine then. I plan on separating the red Zeo Crystal shard from your body."
Tommy looked up at Solar in surprise, "Why? The shard only responds to its rightful owner- the one destined to wield its powers."
"Not true. You see, I plan on collecting all six shards to re-create the Zeo Crystal. Then I'm on my way to possessing the M'Kraan Crystal. You have a choice. If you surrender the shard willingly, it will be a painless procedure. If not, then I'll have to extract it myself, which will certainly cause you incredible pain and quite possibly death."
"Do what you will-- you're not getting any help from me," Tommy said weakly, but sternly.
"Fine. Holocaust, hook him up to that device we found in the laboratory."
Holocaust connected a few wires to the bed that Tommy was lying on, and activated one of Lord Zedd's old power-absorption machines. This particular one was the one Zedd used to drain the last vestiges of pink power from Kimberly during her last days as the Pink Ranger.
"This machine will transfer the energies of the crystal into another vessel," Solar explained, grinning, "Once all the energy within the crystal has been absorbed, then I can extract the crystal from your body without worrying about the possible hazzards of doing so. Then the energy will be returned to the crystal. Of course by then, you'll be dead. The process should take about an hour to drain all your energy. You have that much time to change your mind. Your body cannot withstand the incredible stress of having the gemstone lose its power while still in you heart. If you surrender the gemstone willingly, I'll let you live."
With that, the two villians leave the laboratory and shut the door behind them, leaving Tommy in darkness.
"It won't work!" growled Holocaust, "The boy has too much spirit. He will never give you the gem. You should have just killed him quickly and taken the gem from his corpse."
"How many times do I have to tell you that it might not work?! I refuse to take any chances. Besides, he may not surrender to save his own life, but he surely will to save the lives of the other rangers, and they'll surrender their Zeo shards to save him. Friendship is the humans' greatest weakness. They'd do anything to save each other, even let evil win."
In the Central Access Complex, the six remaining Power Rangers arrive. Annie immediately hides her face behind her mask and visor, and both Billy and Nate turn around in surprise.
"What're you doing here?" asked Billy, "I didn't call you yet."
"Where's Tommy?" asked Nate frowning.
"You don't know?!" cried Kimberly in rage, "Holocaust kidnapped him! He also nearly burned down the whole school! Four students are seriously injured, and the building will take weeks to repair! Its a miracle no one was killed!"
"Impossible," said Billy, running to his personal desk and activating his PC, "If there was any release of powerful energy, the system would have alerted us!"
"Solar probably cloaked the whole thing," said Nate, slamming his fist into a console, "And Holocaust snatched Tommy too?"
"Yes," said Jason, "Our friend Angela saw the whole thing."
"What do we do?" asked Katherine.
"Nate," said Annie, moving towards the zord hangar, "We'd better go now."
"You're right," said Nate, turning to face her, "Tommy's in great danger. Billy, is the Thunderbird Terrazord prepped for take off?"
"Affirmative," answered Billy solemnly, "The ship is cloaked from Solar's telepathic powers. You should be able to fly it close enough to the Moon Palace to enter it stealthily."
"Great!" said Kimberly, strapping her gold helmet back on, "Let's go!"
Annie looked to Nate, turned to her younger self, and sighed.
"Kim, you probably shouldn't come. Solar raised the stakes when he grabbed Tommy."
"There's no way you're going to the Moon without me. You need me."
Nate sighed and nodded his head, "She's right. We'll need all the help we can get."
As the trio ran towards the hangar, a face appeared on the Viewing Globe. A deep chuckle was heard through the audio systems, and Nate stopped in his tracks.
"Onslaught's laugh," he whispered, as he, Kim, and Annie ran back into the CAC. They saw the other rangers circled around the viewing globe. It was a close-up of a human with sandy blonde hair and aqua eyes.
"That's Solar?" asked Jason, "He certainly doesn't look that tough."
"Looks can be deceiving," said Nate quietly.
^Greetings, owners of the Zeo Crystal. I am Solar, the ruler of the Multiverse! I have a deal to offer you.^
The image shifted, and in a dark room, lying on a stone bed connected to a machine was--
"Tommy!" cried Kimberly, "What're you doing to him?"
^This machine drains the energies of the Zeo shard. The process will most likely kill Tommy, since the crystal is still in his body. He has one hour before the process is complete. Therefore, you have one hour to surrender your Zeo shards to me.^
The image disappeared, leaving the Viewing Globe blank.
"Jason," said Kimberly quietly, a golden glow transforming her out of uniform, "we need to buy ourselves time. If we don't come back to Earth before the deadline, give Solar the crystals."
"Excuse me?" said Jason incredulously, "We can't! We'll be helpless, and Solar will conquer the universe! I know how you feel about Tommy, but--"
"Jason, we can always get the crystal back, but once Tommy's dead, he's dead!!" cried Kimberly, nearly quaking with fear and anger. She raised her arms to the air, and in a flash of yellow light, her yellow Zeo shard floated out of her chest and landed in her palm. She placed it in Jason's hand. Jason looked at her, and nodded in agreement.
"But, Kim, how will you manage to fight without your powers?" whispered Alexis.
"Her telepathic powers are part of her," said Nate, "They'll function without the Zeo shard."
"WHAT?!" cried all the Power Rangers in shock.
"When Roma created the X-Ranger powers, she used my and Magneto's powers as templates. Magneto and I are both mutants, so, in effect, Kimberly and Zack can access their powers from within, even when the crystal is separated from their bodies. But, its not as powerful, and requires far more focus. But with practice, you can develop formidable natural skills."
"Roma did say that the X-Ranger powers were special," observed Zack.
"Wait a minute!" cried Aisha, "How do you plan to fly the Thunderbird without your Zeo shard, Kim? After all, the crystal is like the ignition!"
"Oh, I didn't think of that," said Kimberly quietly.
"It shouldn't be a problem," said Annie, "I can pilot the zord."
"How?" asked Katherine.
"I...uh," said Annie, searching for an explanation that didn't blow her cover.
"I created a device to allow Annie to pilot the Thunderzord," lied Billy, "just in case we decided that Kim should stay behind."
"Right," said Nate, "Now, we have lives to save."
The three heroes hurried into the zord hangar and sealed the door behind them.
"So," said Kimberly, "how are you going to activate the zord?"
"Simple," said Annie, lifting her arms to the sky, "TERRA LIGHTNING POWER!!"
After a blinding flash of yellow light, Annie was wearing the yellow uniform and golden shield of the Yellow Terran Power Ranger. Kimberly's jaw dropped.
"Yellow Thunderbird...ACTIVATE!!" continued Annie, and the whole hangar was saturated with yellow light. The red eyes of the Thunderbird began to glow, and its beak opened, releasing a loud shriek. The beak remained open, and the three heroes entered the ship and climbed up the ladder, which lead to the cockpit. Annie buckled up at the pilot's seat as Kim and Nate sat in passenger seats in the back.
"Billy," said Annie into the communicator, "Is the cloaking device on line?"
^It will be, once you activate the voice identification scanner,^ said Billy's voice.
Annie turned off the communicator and flipped a switch.
"PLEASE STATE FULL NAME, COLOR, AND POWER SOURCE" said the computer.
"Kimberly Hart--Yellow Ranger--Lightning! Thunderbird on-line!"
The zord gave a final cry and the thrusters activated. The door to the hangar opened, and the zord flew out the door, headed to the Moon.
"I hope you two are buckled up," said Annie, "I haven't done this in a while."
Kimberly absently buckled the seat belt, and continued staring at "Annie". She then turned to Nate, frowning.
"Why did you lie to me, Nate?!" she demanded, "Why did you lie to us all?!"
"Well, I really didn't want you, any of you, to know too much about the future. I needed her help to stop Solar, but I also wanted to preserve the future. So, I disguised her."
Kimberly crossed her arms angrily, mumbling to herself. She then sat up again, her doe eyes wide with surprised realization.
"Are you really Solar's wife?" she asked the Yellow Ranger.
"I'm Trevor Monroe's wife, Kimberly," she answered.
Kimberly fell back against the back of her seat, still overcome with shock, "What happened to Tommy?" she asked quietly, "What could have possibly happened between us? I always thought eventually..."
"Kim, the future isn't written in stone," said Nate, "In her timeline, Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa disappeared in the winter of 1996, so the team disbanded. She went back to Florida, and... well..."
"I fell in love with Trevor," said the Yellow Ranger matter-of-factly, "and I don't regret it in the least. I love my husband. If I didn't, I wouldn't be risking my life for him now."
"But, what about Tommy?" asked Kimberly quietly, "Did you... dump him, or was it some kind of mutual separation...?"
"I'm the one who officially ended 'us', but I'm sure we both knew it was over."
"And... are you and Tommy... happy with your lives?" asked Kim, rubbing her arms for warmth.
"Yes. We're good friends now, and I'm happily married. Tommy's wedding is next week."
"Who is he marrying?" asked Kimberly, her curiosity piqued.
"Maybe its better that you don't know," interrupted Nate, "It doesn't matter anyway. He never would have fallen for her if he and Kim stayed together. Besides, we have work to do. Don't forget, both of you have loved ones trapped in that castle. Kim, how close are we?"
"About half an hour," she said, "If we go any faster, we may be detected. And by the way, you'd better just call me Annie. We don't want to get confused, do we?"
"We're certainly cutting it close," said Kim worriedly, "Tommy only has another fifty minutes left, before--"
"We know Kim. We're doing our best."
Solar angrily marched into the laboratory. He telekinetically crushed the iron door and lit up the whole room with his bright blue psionic fury. He leaned over Tommy, staring him in the eye.
"Give me your Zeo crystal shard NOW!!" roared Solar, his eyes glowing fiercely with a strange aqua colored power.
"Never," whispered Tommy weakly.
Solar scowled in anger and punched Tommy in the chest with all his might. Tommy groaned loudly, and nearly lost consciousness.
"I should tear you apart limb from limb, Tommy," said Solar angrily, "I owe you that."
"What are you talking about?" whispered Tommy, "What have I ever done to you?"
Solar sneered. He telekinetically ripped Tommy off the lab table and threw him against the cold wall. Tommy crumpled against the wall, hearing bones break in his body.
That's probably another rib or two, he thought grimly, I don't know how much of Solar's wrath I can survive. His voice sounds so...human, so in pain. And his powers aren't gold anymore-- what does it mean...?
Solar stood above Tommy, still glowing with rage.
"You dare ask me what you've done to me?" he roared, "You're the one thing standing in the way of what I love most of all! You both are so young, so in love! And even in my time, you still love her, and she still loves YOU!! If I kill you right now, you can't keep us apart anymore! You will no longer come between us!"
Tommy could barely understand a word Solar said, since he was fighting to stay conscious. A dozen thoughts were racing through his head as he tried to focus enough to morph. However, the energy draining process had left its mark, and even though he wasn't completely drained, he couldn't muster the strength to even stand up.
"Calm down, Trevor," whispered Tommy, "I only want to help you."
"HELP ME?!" cried Solar, "You're the one who needs help! You took everything from me! She is the world to me, did you know that?"
"Trevor, please. You know you don't want to do this. Annie, your wife, told us you're a good man. Help us help you, Trevor. Help us stop Onslaught. You're his pawn!"
"Annie?!" asked Solar, glowing in rage, "Who is Annie? You're trying to trick me, Oliver! Our little 'friendship' ends now!"
Tommy's squeezed his eyes shut, and tried desperately to concentrate, and push past the pain that threatened to make him pass out. Gotta think fast! Gotta find something to think about to calm him down. Before he kills me.
Tommy focused his mind on Annie, the woman who fell from the portal earlier that day. She had claimed to be Trevor's wife. He forced himself to visualize their conversation with her:
"Trevor Monroe?" said Kimberly with a gasp, "I know him! He works at the gym I trained at in Florida. He's a nice guy, definitely not capable of being Solar." "Trevor isn't capable of evil," said Annie, "The creature called Onslaught has taken over my husband's body! We have to find a way to destroy Onslaught while not harming Trevor..."
Solar cut off from Tommy's mind and fell to his knees, clutching his head in his hands.
"Kimberly," he whispered in his human voice, "she's here! She came for me... to help me."
Tommy's eyes shot open, and stared at Solar in absolute amazement.
KIMBERLY?!?! Of course! That explains why she sounded so familiar, and also why she hid her face from us. It makes sense now. Everything. But, why did Kim marry this guy? What happened to US? Is this what the future holds for us?!
"No!" cried Solar, his voice quickly deepening, "The woman means nothing to me! I am Solar, the ruler of the Multiverse! She must die! They must all DIE!!"
Solar lifted his head from his hands, his aqua eyes glowing gold. His face was unexpressive, and his glowing eyes displayed pure, unfathomable power.
"Nice try, Human," he said, "but I am stronger than Monroe. I am Solar, and I think for myself. I can keep my halves under control. And I will have the Zeo Crystal."
Solar stared at Tommy, and a glow of pure gold energy surrounded the Red Ranger. Tommy was lifted into the air, and placed onto the stone bed. The restraints quickly wrapped around his appendages, limiting his mobility. But Tommy was already too weak to resist. Solar then reactivated the machine, which continued to drain Tommy's energy. Tommy immediately passed out, and lay unconcious on the table.
"He is too weak to survive much longer," said Solar flatly, "Now is the time to go and claim the Zeo shards."
Solar walked to his throne room, where Holocaust was observing Earth from the balcony.
"Where did you go?" asked Holocaust.
"I had a little... issue to settle with the boy," he said calmy, "I had to teach him a lesson."
"Oh? How did it go?"
"Well," Solar said, sitting on Lord Zedd's throne, "Actually, the best word to describe it is... theraputic. Now is the time to strike, my friend. Go to Earth, and wait for the Power Rangers outside the ruins of the Command Center. I shall contact them through the Viewing Globe. If they refuse to surrender the gems, destroy them all."
"Very well," said Holocaust, stepping through the portal of light Solar made for him.
