A Midsummer's Nightmare
Part Two
by Rachel D Dawson

In Angel Grove Park, three of the Power Rangers, Jason Lee, Zack Taylor, and Kimberly Hart, play a game of basketball. Usually, the friends enjoy themselves, and only play for amusement and exercise. But today isn't a typical day, since all three youths are under the influence of a power emotion potion, which distorts and intensifies whatever emotion they are feeling at any given moment. At this point in time, the potion is intensifying Jason and Zack's aggression, and that can only mean trouble.

"Okay," said Kimberly, who was busy filing her fingernails, "Um, Jason's basket counts for two points."

"Are you nuts?!" shouts Jason angrily, "I was at least three inches beyond the three-point line!"

"No you weren't!" yells Zack, "Your feet were on the line, and that's not far enough! Now, give me the ball!"

Jason grunts and tosses Zack the ball. Hard. Zack manages to catch the ball, and throws Jason a look of disgust as he makes his way to the edge of the court. Jason continues to mutter under his breath, and follows Zack. The two young men frown at each other.

"Check," said Zack, throwing Jason the ball. Jason returns the ball to Zack, and Zack immediately begins dribbling. Jason stays right with Zack as the latter makes a break for the basket, intending to dunk the basketball and tie the game. But Jason knows Zack's game, and when Zack stops to leap into the air, Jason strips the ball from Zack by slapping Zack's shooting arm. Zack loses his balance, and falls hard to the court, while Jason grabs the ball and makes a break for the other basket. Jason makes the wide open shot, and throws his hands up in victory.

"I win!" he shouts, "Fifty to forty-six. I believe that's game."

"Not in your life!!" yells Zack, rising to his feet, "That was a foul! And you did it on purpose! I deserve two shots, and possession! That was real low, Jason."

"What the @%!# are you talking about?! I won that game fair and square! You're just upset because you're not as amazing a ball player as you like to think you are!"

"Guys!" called Kimberly from the sidelines, this time applying a base coat of nail enamel to her fingernails, "What's going on?"

"Okay, Kim, you call it," said Zack, "Jason slammed my arm and grabbed the ball while I was making a shot!"

"Well, if that's so, then I guess that's a foul. Right?"

"What do you mean 'if that's so'?!" shouted Zack, "Weren't you watching?!"

"Of course not!" Kim giggled, "Why should I waste my time watching you two play basketball? I mean, how important is it?"

"More important than polishing your nails!" Jason yelled, "You're supposed to be the ref!"

"And why should I be?" she shouted back, glaring up at the much taller Jason, "I'm only here because Tommy was supposed to play with you guys. But, he bailed on us, and I'm outta here!"

With that, Kimberly turned on her heels and started walking back to the grass to pick up her purse. Jason then picked up the basketball.

"Hey!" called Zack, "Where do you think you are going? The game isn't over!"

"Oh, yes it is," said Jason smugly, "I won. Deal with it."

"Why you... oh, it's on!!" shrieked Zack, jabbing Jason in the face. Jason was completely unprepared for the assault, and therefore he couldn't react before he was already on the ground. Jason then leapt to his feet and glared at Zack. Jason took a fighting stance, and Zack did the same. They circled each other for a moment, until Jason took the first move, and nearly pummeled Zack with a ferocious kick. Zack managed to block the kick, but it hurt nonetheless. Then, the fight began in earnest, while Kimberly was packing her purse with all her cosmetics.

"Boys will be boys," she sighed nonchalantly.

***

"IS SOMETHING WRONG, POWER RANGERS?" asked Zordon when Tommy Oliver, Trini Kwan, and Billy Mitchell materialized in the dark Command Center.

"You got that right," said Tommy, "Zordon, the whole city's under a spell!"

"Its not a spell," objected Billy, "Its a chemical potion. I was created by science, not magic."

"Aye yi yi!" shrieked Alpha 5, "What does the potion do?"

"It increases the intensity of a person's emotions," explained Billy, "I created the chemical as my summer project, to keep me occupied during my free time. I was working on it all summer, and last night, I tested it for the first time. It seemed to work on my lab rat, but it mysteriously vanished from my lab! The flask containing the chemical was shattered during an unfortunate incident in my laboratory, and I cleaned up the fragments of glass and potion, and placed it in a reinforced plastic receptacle. But when I woke up this morning, the receptacle was gone, and my family was acting in a strange manner."

"What do you mean 'strange'?" asked Alpha.

"I mean, they were affectionate," Billy said, "My sister and father have never been very affectionate, especially the latter of the two. But this morning, my father actually missed work in order to prepare breakfast for me and Stephanie. Normally, my father wouldn't cook, nor would he worry about us getting proper nutrition. Its just not his way."

"HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT ANGEL GROVE IS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A DRUG YOU CREATED, BUT ALSO DESTROYED LAST NIGHT? YOU SAID THE ONLY VIAL CONTAINING THE POTION WAS SHATTERED."

"True, but there is no other explanation. Somehow, the potion got into the water system, and so anyone who came in contact with faucet water this morning is under the chemical's influence."

"Its got to be Rita," said Tommy, clenching his fist, "Who else could it be? She probably wanted to create chaos in Angel Grove, and then conquer it while the Power Rangers are incapacitated."

"Where are the other rangers?" asked Alpha 5 worriedly, "Are they okay?"

"I'm afraid they're all under the influence," said Trini.

"WE SHOULD LOCATE THEM. THEY COULD BE IN GRAVE DANGER, ESPECIALLY IF RITA DOES DECIDE TO ATTACK NOW."

"They should be in the park playing basketball," said Tommy as he and Alpha approached the Viewing Globe, "We all were supposed to shoot some hoops today."

"I'll check," said Alpha, pressing a few buttons. The image appeared of Jason and Zack fighting each other fiercely, with Kimberly in the background, packing her belongings.

"They'll kill each other!" said Tommy, "I'd better break this up."

"BE CAREFUL, GREEN RANGER," said Zordon, "YOUR FRIENDS ARE UNDER A POWERFUL AND UNPREDICTABLE INFLUENCE. THERE IS NO WAY TO BE CERTAIN THEY WILL NOT DECIDE TO TEAM UP AGAINST YOU."

"If that happens, then I'll morph," said Tommy, touching his wrist communicator, "See you."

Once Tommy vanished in a streak of green light, Zordon turned to Billy.

"BILLY, HOW LONG DOES YOUR POTION LAST BEFORE IT'S AFFECTS FADE?"

"I... I don't know," admitted Billy, "I don't even know if it does fade on its own! I didn't get a chance to complete the test.

"THEN I TAKE IT YOU DON'T HAVE AN ANTIDOTE EITHER?"

"No."

"Well," said Trini, "maybe Billy and I can make one!"

"I doubt it," said Billy glumly, "Creating an antidote could take weeks!"

"NOT NECESSARILY," said Zordon, "WE HAVE THE EQUIPMENT NECESSARY IN THE COMMAND CENTER TO CREATE AN ANTIDOTE FOR ANY DRUG. ALL WE NEED TO DO IS ANALYZE A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF THE POTION."

"But, there is no more potion!" said Billy.

"Are you sure every last trace of the potion is gone?"

"Absolutely, Trini. Nevertheless, we can attempt to create an antidote using the notes I took while first creating the original potion. Hopefully, that will be enough."

"Then, let's go!"

***

Meanwhile, inside the solitary palace upon the surface of the Moon, the evil witch Rita Repulsa watches the fight between Jason and Zack through her Repulsascope. She frowns in confusion, and once again peers through the telescope.

"Now, this doesn't make sense," she said to Goldar, who was standing behind her.

"What, your Majesty?" asked the golden armored warrior.

"The Red and Black Rangers are fighting in the park."

"But they always do that!" said Squatt, "What do they call it... parring? Jarring?"

"Sparring, Lunk-Head!" shrieked Rita, smacking the short blue alien over the head with her magic wand, "But that's not it. They are fighting with anger in their eyes. And they're playing... for keeps. Something is wrong with this picture."

Rita stepped away from the telescope, and paced on the balcony, thinking. She then grinned, and turned to Goldar.

"It doesn't matter!" she declared, "I know I didn't cast a spell, but something is affecting those three rangers! I'll take advantage of the situation, and destroy them with a squad of Putty Patrollers! Finster! GET IN HERE!!"

Moments later, the short white alien with glasses scampered into the room, and bowed before the Queen.

I hope this doesn't take long he thought glumly, I'm trying to survey the results of that potion I created last night.

"Finster," shrieked the Empress of Evil, still looking through her Repulsascope, "I want two dozen Putties to destroy the Pink, Black, and Red Rangers, while they're still under the spell!"

"Spell?"

"Yes! Somehow, those three rangers are under a hate spell or something! Send down those Putties, and they'll destroy the rangers before they can even blink! Ha ha!"

"Yes, my Queen," said Finster, bowing and leaving. Once he was out of ear-shot, he began to think out loud.

"I doubt this particular plan will work," he said, "Their emotions are intensified! They may attack the Putties with an unnatural anger. Well, nonetheless, it shall be an interesting display of human emotion."

With that, Finster continued to his lab, and immediately began preparing a large batch of Putties.

***

Zack landed with a thud onto the cold concrete that is the Angel Grove Park's basketball court. His nose was bleeding profusely, and one of his eyes was black and blue. Zack pulled himself to his feet, ignoring the pain, and forced his aching body into a battle stance. He glared coldly at his opponent-- his best friend since grade school, Jason Lee.

"So, you a glutton for punishment?" said Jason, wiping beads of sweat from his brow. Even though Jason wasn't as injured as Zack, he too was in extreme pain, with bleeding nose, scrapes on his face, bruises on his arms from blocking Zack's powerful kicks, and finally blood dripping from his mouth. Jason remained on his feet, and launched his powerful body at Zack with a powerful leap kick, which Zack barely managed to dodge.

"Is that the best you can do?" Zack chided, smacking Jason's chin with the heel of his open palm, causing the tall red-clad young man to fall backwards.

Not far away, Kimberly was skipping through the park, humming to herself. She stopped before a bed of wildflowers, and began giggling and picking a few of the pink ones. A flash of green light grasped her attention, and she dropped the flowers she was holding and looked up.

"Tommy!" she shrieked, leaping up and wrapping her arms around his neck. Tommy managed to pry Kim off him, and placed her on the ground. He looked around urgently.

"What's wrong?" she asked, "Aren't you happy to see me?"

"Where are Zack and Jason?"

"At the court," she said, "But--"

Before she could finish, Tommy was running at full speed towards the basketball court. Kimberly frowned and ran after him, as quickly as her shorter legs could carry her. In a few seconds, Tommy had reached the court, and tackled Jason to the ground. Jason was about to step on Zack, who was lying on his back on the court.

"What are you DOING?!?!" shrieked Jason, struggling against Tommy. But Tommy had managed to pin the larger man to the ground, and looked down on him with a frown.

"Calm down, Bro," Tommy said in an authoritative tone, "Take it easy..."

"Who the %@&! do you think you are, telling ME what to do?!" roared Jason, "I'm the leader!!"

"Not if you keep this up!" yelled Tommy, "Kim, is Zack okay?"

Kim kneeled beside Zack, and helped him sit up. She pulled a small package of tissues from her purse, and she wiped the blood off his face. Zack glared at her, and pushed her aside.

"I don't need to be babied!" he yelled, forcing himself to his feet, "I can take care of myself!"

"Well, that's gratitude for ya!" shrieked Kim, standing up and rolling her eyes, "As if!"

"Everyone needs to calm down," said Tommy, struggling to keep Jason pinned, "You're letting your anger get the best of you! We're all friends here!"

Suddenly, in a flash of light, two dozen Putties appeared in the park, and ran at the four rangers.

"AIEE!" shrieked Kimberly, "Putties!"

Both Zack and Tommy turned to see the Putties approaching, and Tommy stood up and extended Jason his hand.

"I can get up by myself," Jason grunted, standing up. He then frowned at Tommy and Zack, and then he glared at the oncoming Putties. "Let's cream these Clay-Brains!"

Both Jason and Zack ran at the Putties, fighting with all their might. But both were exhausted from their fight, and were barely holding their own. Tommy was about to join the battle, but then he caught a glimpse of Kimberly, hiding behind a tree. Tommy ran after her.

"Kim, are you okay?"

"I... I don't know," she admitted, her entire body shaking, "I... I'm just... terrified!"

The potion must be intensifying her fear of the Putties! he thought, hugging her, "Its okay Kim," he said quietly, "You just wait here. We'll handle this."

Kim nodded, and Tommy joined the fight. The three rangers did their best against the overwhelming amount of Rita's Putties, but they couldn't gain the advantage. Things only got worse when Goldar appeared in a flash of golden light.

"Goldar!" shrieked Jason, whipping out his morpher, "Its Morphin Time!"

"DRAGONZORD!!" cried Tommy, holding his morpher at arms length.

"MASTODON!!"

"TYRANNOSAURUS!!"

The three Power Rangers split up, with Jason fighting Goldar, and Tommy and Zack battling the nineteen remaining Putty Patrollers. Behind the tree a few yards from the fight, Kimberly watched the fight, still too terrified to move.

"Oh, what's wrong with me? I've fought those things dozens of times before! The guys can't defeat Goldar and all those Putties without backup!"

Kimberly turned away from the fight, and looked around, making sure no one was watching. She then brought her communicator up to her mouth.

***

"It's no use!" yelled Billy frustratedly, throwing down a binder filled with notes, "I can't recreate a potion in an hour that took me months to perfect! I don't even have the proper chemicals here to create the potion!"

"Calm down, Billy," said Trini, looking up from a drawer filled with notes, "We need at least a tablespoon of the emotion potion to run through the scanners at the Command Center. Zordon and Alpha have the technology necessary to analyze the potion, and formulate a cure!"

"Well, it will take days to make more of the potion," said Billy, folding his hands over his chest, "I had to boil the serum over the Bunsen burner for three hours for the solid chemicals to dissolve, anyway. And my notes are so disorganized... I kept adding different minerals and--"

"Okay, Billy, okay," said Trini, closing the drawer and leaning against the lab table, "Maybe recreating the formula is a bad idea. Do you think we can extract enough of the potion from the tap water?"

"We could separate the solid particles from the water easy enough," he said, rubbing his chin, "but that would take forever! We need a whole tablespoon of the potion, and its so concentrated that it would take barrels full of water to extract that amount! We don't have the time, nor the equipment, to undertake that task."

"And you're sure you don't have another supply of the chemical, right?"

"Right. I had one Erlenmeyer Flask full of the potion, but it spilled last night..."

"Do you have any towels wet with the potion? How did you clean up the mess?"

"I used towels and sponges, but I threw them all away into a white plastic bag. The bag had vanished last night."

"This is so frustrating!" Trini sighed, touching her forehead, "Who knows what Rita has planned?"

Suddenly, Trini's wrist communicator beeped. Trini jumped a bit in surprise, and then answered the summons.

"Zordon?" she said, "Is that you?"

^No, it me, Kim!^

"Kim!" said Billy into Trini's communicator, "Where are you?"

^We're all at the park, and we've been attacked by, like, tons of Putties! And now, Goldar's here too!^

Both Trini and Billy could hear the panic in Kimberly's voice. "Take it easy, Kim," said Billy.

^But, Jason and Zack are still hurt from fighting before, and Tommy's powers are getting weaker! They need HELP!^

"We'll be there as quickly as we can," said Trini, "but we've got a problem here!"

"You go ahead, Trini," said Billy, "I'll think of something. They need help!"

Trini thought about it for a moment, and then reactivated her communicator. "Kim, I'll be there in a moment."

Trini then pulled her morpher from behind her back, and held it at arm's length.

"Take care, Billy. It's Morphin Time! SABER-TOOTHED TIGER!!"

In a flash of yellow light, Trini was clad in the yellow and white form-fitting armor of the Yellow Ranger. She touched her morpher, and vanished in a streak of yellow light. Once she was gone, Billy began pacing around the lab table.

"I've got to figure something out!" he cried, "This is all my fault! It's my duty to repair the damage!"

Billy wasn't paying attention where he was walking, and he tripped on the small metal garbage can beside the lab table. The lid fell off, and scraps of paper and wet paper towel tumbled out. Billy rose to his feet, and stared at the fallen bin curiously. He then smiled, and ran to his cabinet, and put on a pair of rubber gloves. While he searched through the garbage, images of the events of the previous night flew through his head.

"I guess its my fault," he sighed, wiping her cut with a cotton ball, "I should've locked the door. But I admit, I didn't think anyone was awake at this time of night. Fish, my serum is all over the place!"

He looked at the puddle on the lab table, and some of it began to drip on the floor. He sighed again, and began to search for a mop. Stephanie grabbed some paper towel, and began wiping up the chemical on the table. Soon, the paper towel was completely saturated with the potion, and Stephanie's hands got wet. Billy brought the mop, and saw her throw the dripping paper towel into the garbage can beside the lab table.

"Bingo!" he said, holding up a wad of matted paper towel, "I've got it! Since the garbage can was sealed, the potion didn't completely evaporate. There should be enough serum absorbed by the paper towel for the Command Center's analysis."

Billy squeezed the paper towel over a small test tube, and wrung out every last drop of potion he could. Once he was done, he sealed the tube with a cork, washed and put away the rubber gloves, and activated his communicator.

"Zordon," he said, "I believe I have a sufficient sample of the serum for analysis."

^EXCELLENT, BILLY. REPORT TO THE COMMAND CENTER IMMEDIATELY, AND ALPHA 5 CAN BEGIN RUNNING THE ANALYSIS TO MANUFACTURE AN ANTIDOTE.^

***

"This just isn't working!" panted Trini, unsheathing her Power Daggers and blocking the Putties' attacks with them, "They just won't die!"

No one responded to Trini's statement. Tommy was too busy dueling with Goldar a few yards away, and both Jason and Zack were both oblivious to anything but fighting the Putties. Kimberly, who still couldn't bring herself to join the fight, watched as both Zack and Jason began slowing down, and making weak, unbalanced punches and kicks.

"They're really tiring out," she said, peeking out from behind the tree. She then leaned against the tree, and sank down the trunk into a sitting position. She drew her knees in to her chin, and wrapped her arms around her legs.

Tommy's weakening, she thought silently, I can tell. He's really slowing down, and Goldar's giving him a good fight. And Zack and Jason are still exhausted from fighting each other. Not even morphin has restored their energy to full, and their wounds are probably bothering them too. Poor Trini is basically trying to protect everyone out there, and she can't do it alone. Who knows how long Billy will take to show up. They need me...

Kim looked up, and rose to her feet. But a shiver ran up her spine, and her hands shook as they reached behind her back to reach her morpher.

"I... I have no choice," she said, taking deep breaths to calm herself down, "I'm a Power Ranger! I can't let a little fear get in my way!"

She held her morpher out in front of her, and then turned to face the battle.

"PTERODACTYL!!" she cried. Her body was bathed in pink light, and when it faded, she was dressed in her Pink Ranger uniform. She immediately began a series of hand-springs, and she built momentum as she approached the Green Ranger and Goldar. Tommy ducked out of the way, leaving Goldar wide open for Kimberly's attack.

"Hya!" Kim cried, plowing her heels into Goldar's chest plate. Goldar was thrown onto his back by the force of Kim's kick, and Kim had pushed off Goldar, somersaulting in the air, and landing on her feet.

"I did it!' she shrieked, raising her fists in victory. She then ran to Tommy, who was on the ground not too far.

"Are you okay?" she asked, helping him to his feet.

"I'll live," he groaned, "But, my powers..."

"Get to the Command Center," she said, "I think we can handle it from here."

"Okay," he said, touching his belt, "Good luck, Kim."

With that, Tommy vanished in a streak of green light. Kim turned around, just in time to catch Goldar charging at her.

"Aaah!" she shrieked, leaping out of the way just in time. She tumbled on the grass, rolling out of Goldar's way.

"Good job, Kim," said Trini, standing over her with her Power Daggers in hand, "I'll hold him off!"

"You go, Trini!" said Kim, giving her best friend a thumbs up. Trini leapt at Goldar, deflecting his sword thrusts with her twin daggers.

"You can't stop me, Girl!" roared Goldar, "I'm too strong for you!"

"But your not smart enough," said Trini, side-kicking him in the face, "nor quick enough," she said, knocking his sword from his hand with her dagger, "to beat the Power Rangers!"

She punctuated her last statement by sweeping Goldar off his feet. But Goldar quickly recovered, and crawled on the grass to where his sword landed. But a blue and white boot was standing on the blade, and Goldar looked up to see a Power Lance pointed at his face.

"Game over," said Billy, "You lose!"

Goldar grunted and vanished in a streak of golden light. At the same time, the Putties that Kim, Zack, and Jason were fighting had all vanished as well. Kim leapt into the air in excitement, and the team all traded high-fives.

"When did you get here, Billy?" asked Jason.

"Only moments ago," Billy said, his lance vanishing from his hands, "I decided to join the fray once I gave Alpha the vile of potion."

"Potion?" asked Jason curiously, "What potion?"

"Its a long story," said Trini, "but I'm glad this nightmare is over."

"Not quite," said Billy, "Once Alpha finishes creating the antidote, we have to make sure everyone in Angel Grove who was exposed to the emotion potion partakes of the antidote. Alpha has already confirmed that the potion doesn't fade for over seventy-two hours, and three days of insanity is more that I can bear!"

Jason, Zack, and Kimberly immediately broke into a fit of laughter. Billy and Trini only shook their heads in disbelief.

"I think they'd laugh at anything," said Billy.

"True," said Trini, starting to giggle, "but I think its contagious!"

Suddenly, Jason's communicator beeped.

"What's up?" said Jason, still laughing.

^Hey guys!^ said Tommy's voice, ^What's so funny?^

"Nothing," said Billy, "Did Alpha finish the antidote?"

^Yep. We have exactly two cups of antidote. That's the dosage Alpha's calculations call for to null the effects of your potion. All we need to do is spread it.^

"We'll be right there," said Billy, and the five Power Rangers vanished in streaks of colored light. Moments later, they appeared in the Command Center, where Tommy was holding a large flask full of a light blue potion.

"Here it is," he said, handing it to Billy.

"Prodigious," he said quietly, looking at the flask, "Now, I'll dump it into the reservoir, and hopefully by this time tomorrow, everything will be in order. But first... Alpha, could I have a pitcher of water? And three glasses?"

"Okay," said Alpha, hurrying out of the main chamber. He returned moments later with about a gallon of water, and three clear plastic cups. Billy put one drop of the antidote into the water, and poured out three glasses of water. He then handed one to Kim, Jason, and Zack.

"What's this?" asked Kimberly.

"Trust me," said Billy, "Its for your own good."

The three rangers shrugged and drank the water Billy gave them.

"Well?" said Tommy, "Are they okay?"

"IT SHALL TAKE ABOUT TWENTY MINUTES FOR THE FORMULA TO TAKE AFFECT. IN THE MEANTIME, THE REST OF ANGEL GROVE IS STILL UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE POTION."

"We'll take care of that right now," said Trini, strapping her helmet back on, "Right Billy?"

"Right," he said, and the Blue and Yellow Rangers disappeared from the Command Center.

***

That evening, the six Power Rangers meet at the Youth Center for dinner.

"I must admit," said Billy, "This was not one of my best experiments."

"Oh Billy, its not your fault!" said Kim, putting her hand on his, "There's no way you could've known Rita would be interested in your summertime project."

"True, but if I had properly disposed of the chemical--"

"It doesn't matter now," said Zack, biting his hamburger, "What's done is done. Besides, at least you weren't infected! Sheesh, how embarrassing!"

"It was more than embarrassing," said Jason, "It was a nightmare! I mean, I was totally out of control! Tommy, I'm really sorry I clocked ya this morning."

"Its forgotten Bro," said Tommy with a smile, "I know you didn't mean it."

"And I'm sorry too, for the way I acted when you came to my house," said Kim, blushing a little, "I... I don't know what came over me..."

"Guys, you don't need to apologize!" said Tommy, "I've been under enough spells to know what its like when you can't control yourself!"

"Still," said Zack, "we did some pretty bad stuff today. Jason, I'm sorry we fought over a basketball game!"

"Me too," said Jason, "But, I still won."

"No you didn't!" yelled Zack incredulously.

"Yes I did."

"Okay, you and me, right now," said Zack, standing up.

"You guys aren't gonna fight," said Kim, "Are you?"

"No," they said in unison, "Its time for game two!"

With that, the two young men ran out of the Youth Center. Tommy stood up to follow.

"We'd better stay with them," he said, laughing, "Just in case things get personal!"

THE END

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