Author's note: First, this is a standalone so there isn't any fanfics you have to read before this. This fanfic is going to be something I haven't done since I wrote my first fanfic. There's going to be torture but I'm going to try to be more descriptive. And I do use some not so kind language. It only happens once and it's not that bad. So I do warn all of you ahead of time.
Special thanks to: Randel for giving me ideas for this fanfic. They were twisted but hey they work!
Time frame: After Good as Gold.
Tommy and Jason were in the park hanging out. The others would be joining them soon. It had been one of the first times they had been able to all get together since Jason had to give back the Gold Ranger Powers to Trey.
"We're both actually early? How did you manage that Bro?" Jason asked. Tommy had a problem with remembering things and being on time.
"It's a mystery to me too!" Tommy said with a smile. "The others should be here soon."
There was a flash of light behind the two teens and they didn't quite see it because cogs appeared in front of them at that same moment. They both got into fighting positions. "Jase get out of here! I don't know what Mondo's up to but it can't be good." Tommy said.
"Sorry to disappoint you Zeo Ranger 5 but this isn't Mondo." A familiar voice said from behind them. They turned around quickly to face the monster.
It was Prince Gasket.
Tommy's communicator was going off but he chose to ignore it. "What do you want Gasket?" He asked.
Gasket didn't answer but watched as cogs came up behind the two teens and held them. "Well you obviously."
Tommy and Jason kicked the cogs off. Gasket took the distraction to his advantage. While Tommy and Jason, had their back turned he pointed his hand at Tommy and teleported the Red Ranger away.
"NO!" Jason yelled charging Gasket. Gasket just laughed and teleported away. A very confused and frustrated Jason was left behind. He disappeared in a flash of light. The alarms are going off full blast.
"Oh good." Alpha said when he turned around and saw Jason.
"Zordon Gasket took Tommy!" Jason said.
"CALM DOWN JASON. ALPHA CONTACT..." Zordon paused remembering something.
"Zordon what's wrong?" Jason asked.
"WE WERE TRYING TO CONTACT TOMMY BECAUSE AN EMERGENCY AROSE ON AQUITAR. THE OTHERS ALREADY LEFT TO HELP. FOR SOME REASON TOMMY'S SIGNAL WAS BEING BLOCKED SO WE COULDN'T FIND OUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING ON EARTH."
"Now what do we do?" Jason asked. "Tommy's been captured and the others are on Aquitar. There's no one here if Mondo takes advantage of that."
Zordon didn't have an answer.
*** Tommy landed in a cell. 'I hope this isn't déjà vu all over again.' Tommy thought. He went for his Zeonizers, and as soon as they appeared, they flew off his wrists along with his communicator. Tommy squinted against the darkness of the cell and saw Gasket in front of him. "You won't be needing these." The Machine King's eldest son informed him.
Tommy had a bad feeling about all of this. "My friends will find me."
"Your friends don't even know you were captured. I believe my father said that the other Zeo Rangers were on Aquitar. Don't you see? No one can save you." He paused a moment and signaled towards someone outside of the room.
Tommy stood there worried. He was having flashbacks of what happened the last time he was captured by Gasket.
The being that was on the outside came in. It was Archerina. She smiled at him evilly before she turned to her husband. "Everything is ready."
"Good." He replied and turned his attention to Tommy. There had an evil glint in the eyes of the machine. "Now the real fun begins."
*** Jason paced the Power Chamber nervously. Zordon had gone into a meditative state to think about the situation and Alpha was hurrying about the room pressing buttons. Soon the Viewing Globe clicked on.
"Alpha?" Jason asked the robot in confusion.
"It's from Aquitar!" Alpha said.
Soon Delphine and Billy appeared on the Viewing Globe. "Zordon?" Delphine asked.
"He's not here Delphine. He's in a meditative state." Jason said stepping forward.
"Hello Jason." She greeted him before continuing. "We were wondering if Tommy was going to be coming here."
Jason took a deep breath before answering her. "He was captured by Prince Gasket."
Billy went pale but Delphine was the one who spoke. "We'll notify the others." She said and started to turn away.
Billy interrupted. "No don't tell the others. Not yet anyway. I'll go back and see if I can help find him."
"But Billy-" Delphine started to say but Billy was already gone.
There was a flash of white light in the Power Chamber bringing Billy Cranston home.
*** Delphine walked out of the room in search of the Zeo Rangers. She was trying to decide whether to tell them or not. It was their leader and she knew the Aquitian Rangers would be mad if the roles were reversed. They needed the Zeo Rangers help after all but was it fair?
She found them all standing around looking over some papers. They all looked up when Delphine entered the room.
"Any news on Tommy Delphine?" Kat asked.
Delphine stood there thinking about how to answer this question.
"Delphine?" Aurico asked.
"I spoke to Jason. Tommy won't be coming." Delphine answered.
Adam stood there confused. 'She talked to Jason instead of Zordon or Tommy? Something's wrong.' But Adam didn't say anything aloud. He looked at the other Zeo Rangers expressions. They looked as confused as Adam felt.
"Well, let's get back to planning." Cestro said changing the subject.
*** Tommy was becoming worried. He didn't like this one bit. He was getting worried about what they had in store for him. Gasket and Archerina were whispering back and forth deciding something then left the room. Tommy stood there confused. He didn't understand why they had left. Then the lights in the room went on blinding the surprised Zeo Ranger. It was the first time he got a good look at the room. It seemed to be some kind of torture chamber.
*** "Billy!" Jason said and reached out to give his long time friend a hug. To them, it had been way too long since the last time they had seen each other. They both wished it were under better circumstances though.
"So what do you know? Do you know where he is yet? Has Zordon appeared yet?" Billy asked.
"Not yet to answer your questions. I am getting worried though. What is Gasket going to do with Tommy? The Brain Drain was destroyed by Trydor." Jason said with a frown.
There was a flash of light and Zordon appeared in his tube again. "IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN BILLY." He greeted the former Blue Ranger.
"It is good to be back again. Have you came to any conclusions on what's happening with Tommy?" Billy asked.
"NO BILLY I HAVEN'T." Zordon said sadly. He knew that the two former Rangers in front of him wanted more information. Unfortunately, he didn't have any. He hoped that Tommy was all right.
*** Gasket and Archerina came back into the room. "Scared?" Gasket asked. Tommy didn't answer. "You should be very afraid. Just to put you a little bit at ease, we are not planning to turn you evil. You had the chance to be evil. Now the only thing left for you is..." Gasket paused for a moment. "I won't tell you it will be a surprise." Tommy just glared at him. "Archerina!" He called to his wife. Archerina, who was standing off on the side of the room, came over holding restraints. "Now I know you won't be able to leave but this makes it so much more easier for me."
Tommy shook his head. "If you think I'm going to let you do this you have blown a circuit or something Gasket." He moved out of Gasket's way as he crept closer to him.
"I didn't expect you to Tommy." Gasket said. "But there is always other ways of getting things done." He said watching Tommy walk backwards into a chair.
Tommy tried to push it out of the way and something grabbed his hand. He tried to move but his hand was stuck on the chair. Gasket gave Tommy a slight shove to force him to sit in the chair. A bar went around his wrists so Tommy was firmly in place.
"I don't think we'll be needing those restraints Archerina." Gasket informed her. "Yes dear." She said and put the restraints away. She did take something else out though. She handed it to Gasket. Gasket held it up so Tommy could see it. It was an electric cattle prod. "I believe on Earth they use this tool to move cattle. Let's see how well a human reacts to it." Gasket said with glee. He turned it on and started going towards Tommy. Tommy tried to move but with his hands cuffed to the chair so it was impossible. He gritted his teeth in anticipation for what was going to happen. However, nothing prepares you for being shocked. Tommy tried his hardest not to cry out in pain and bit down on his bottom lip drawing blood. "Does it hurt, Tommy?" Gasket asked. "Well it's only going to get worse." He prepared to hit Tommy again with the cattle prod this time turning up the power just a little bit. This time it did cause Tommy to cry out in pain. Gasket chuckled and hit Tommy three more times with it but didn't turn it up again. Tommy was almost unconscious. He had never felt anything like that before. Gasket stepped in front of him again, raised his chin, and looked at the pained expression on Tommy's face. Then left the room. Tommy was left in the chair like that and finally passed out from the pain.
*** Billy stood over a console looking for a way to locate Tommy's power signature. He wasn't coming up with anything. Billy knew Tommy couldn't have just disappeared in thin air. That just wasn't possible. "Have you found anything yet Billy?" Billy turned around and saw Jason was trying hard to hold back his anger and frustration.
"Not yet. Something's blocking us from scanning for him." Billy replied.
"Zordon is there maybe another way to locate Tommy? Maybe looking for brain waves like how we were able to find Tommy the other time Gasket captured him?" Jason asked his mentor.
"WE CAN LOOK BUT WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS LOOK FOR RESIDULE ENERGY." Zordon informed him. "IF YOU WANT TO DO THAT JASON THEN YOU CAN. HOWEVER, I'M NOT QUITE SURE THAT WILL HELP. GASKET HAS YET TO USE ANY HOLOGRAPHIC ENTRY WAYS. I DON'T THINK HE WANTS US TO EVEN GET NEAR WHEREVER HE'S HOLDING TOMMY."
That stunned Jason into silence. Usually when Tommy was captured the villain was going to turn him evil but something seemed different about this whole situation.
Billy sighed and didn't say anything either. He went back to looking for the missing Zeo Ranger. "Wait a minute!" Billy said in surprise.
"What Billy? Have you found him?" Alpha asked.
"No but this is quite unusual." Billy said.
Alpha came up behind him. "Zordon! The Turbo Powers are fully charged!" Alpha said excitedly.
"Turbo Powers?" Jason and Billy asked.
"YES. THOSE WERE BACKUPS IN CASE SOMETHING EVER HAPPENED TO THE ZEO POWERS. THE POWER HAS BEEN COMING FROM THE CRYSTAL. IT HAS BEEN A SLOW PROCESS SINCE WE BROUGHT THE ZEO CRYSTALS BACK TOGETHER." Zordon answered.
Jason was getting an idea. "Zordon since the other Zeo Rangers are needed on Aquitar and can't come back to help look for Tommy, what if Billy and I and some others took the Turbo Powers?"
"IT'S A POSSIBILITY BUT JASON YOU ARE STILL WEAK. ALSO WE'D NEED TO FIND THREE OTHERS TO TAKE THE POWERS." Zordon informed him.
"If it would mean getting Tommy back, I'd be willing to take the chance. Besides I know the three perfect candidates for the Turbo Powers!"
"Who?" Billy asked.
Jason didn't answer. He went to a console to find the three candidates.
*** Kimberly Hart was on the uneven bars practicing a routine. Coach Schmidt was standing next to her acting as a spotter. She nailed the landing and held the pose imagining the applause.
"Very good Kimberly. You've got that routine down to a tee." Coach Schmidt complimented her. "Why don't you call it a day? Everyone else is just about done."
"Thanks Coach Schmidt." Kimberly said and walked into the dressing room to change. She grabbed her water bottle and took a drink before going back onto the floor to see if her roommate was finished yet.
Alison Williams stood near the balance beam talking to her new boyfriend Chris Becker. Kim hurried over to them. "Hey Alison are you ready to go?" She asked.
"Hey Kim! Chris and I were just about to go catch a movie. You are more then welcome to come. Bring Chase." Alison said mentioning Kim's boyfriend Chase Wills.
"Chase's going to visit his grandmother in Boca Raton for the month we have off." Coach Schmidt had given all of the gymnasts a month off. Most were going home, some were staying around. Kim had yet to decide what she was going to do. She was thinking of going home. "I really don't feel like going to a movie. You guys have fun." Kim said and walked out of the room.
When she got outside there was a flash of light and she was gone.
*** Zack and Trini were leaving a restaurant in Switzerland. "You know it really hasn't been the same since Jason decided to go back to Angel Grove." Trini remarked. "Yeah well we all had the opportunity to come home and well it's been so much fun." Zack remarked. "Though I still do miss Angel Grove."
"So do I. I miss everyone." Trini said with a smile. "It's been way too long since we last saw them."
There was a flash of light and the next thing they know, they are standing in some sort of room. They looked around and saw Billy, Jason, Kimberly, Zordon and Alpha were there. "What's going on?" Trini asked.
Zordon looked down at Jason. "IT WAS JASON'S IDEA TO BRING YOU THREE HERE I'LL LET HIM EXPLAIN."
Jason took a deep breath before starting. "Earlier today Tommy was captured by Prince Gasket. The other four Zeo Rangers are on Aquitar. Billy came back to help look for Tommy. Zordon and Alpha had created the Turbo powers and I thought that if Billy, three others, and me were to take the powers we could go and rescue Tommy. That's where you three come in."
"You mean us being Power Rangers again?" Kim asked. Jason nodded. "That would be cool."
"It would be jamming. Trini and I would have a really good excuse for being back in Angel Grove." Zack said with a huge smile.
"I would love to be a Ranger again." Trini said happily.
"Well you know my answer. Billy?" Jason asked.
"That's not a hard question. I would love to be a Ranger again." Billy said.
"JASON YOU KNOW THE RISKS. YOU ARE STILL VERY WEAK. HOWEVER I PROBABLY WON'T BE ABLE TO STOP YOU. BUT PLEASE THINK THIS OVER."
"I know Zordon. But I want to do this!" Jason said.
"ALL RIGHT. JASON YOU WILL BE THE RED TURBO RANGER." Zordon said. Jason stepped forward to take the key from Alpha. Zordon continued. "KIMBERLY YOU WILL BE THE PINK TURBO RANGER. TRINI YOU WILL BE THE YELLOW TURBO RANGER. BILLY YOU WILL BE THE BLUE TURBO RANGER. ZACK YOU WILL BE THE GREEN TURBO RANGER." Zordon finished and watched Kimberly, Billy, Zack, and Trini take their keys. "NOW WE MUST GO BACK TO LOOKING FOR TOMMY."
*** Tommy opened his eyes and saw Gasket standing in front of him. There was a machine type thing in front of him. "New test." He said and grabbed Tommy's head and forcefully kept his eyes wide open with some thing that Tommy wasn't quite sure what it was. Then a strobe light started and Tommy couldn't close his eyes. It was very painful. He thought he'd go blind if this continued. It stopped after awhile. Whatever was keeping Tommy's eyes open disappeared and Gasket left again.
Tommy closed his eyes again with a sigh. That last torture was strange. What was Gasket doing? The lights in the room went off. Leaving Tommy even more confused then before. It was a nice rest for his eyes, which hadn't fully recovered since the strobe light. He tried hopefully to get the locks that were holding him in the chair off but it wasn't working.
He heard what sounded like a teleportation behind him. He wished he could see who was there. He didn't have to wait long.
"Hey Bro." A familiar voice said.
"Jason! I'm so glad to see you! I don't know what's keeping these cuffs on my wrists but..." Tommy stopped when he realized how cold Jason's voice sounded. Then he was punched in the face. It was repeatedly done. He felt blood coming from his nose. "Jason what are you doing?" Tommy asked in-between getting hit in the face.
"I'm making you pay for what you did to me every time you turned evil." Jason said punching him in the ribs. Tommy heard Jason laugh when he heard a rib break.
"Jase what's going? Why are you doing this?" The laughter stopped and then became different. Like someone else laughing. "You're not Jason!" Tommy realized.
Then the voice of Gasket came through. "You're right Tommy. I'm not Jason." He said and punched him in the face again.
Tommy tried to kick at Gasket but it was no use. He heard Gasket's laughter but he wasn't sure where. "Gasket I don't know what you're up to but you're not going to get away with it."
"You keep saying that and yet you still are here. Looks like I'm getting away with it Tommy. You want to know what these tests are? I'm curious on how much punishment someone can take before they break." Gasket said.
Then there was silence. Tommy wasn't sure if Gasket left or he was just being quiet. Something was then placed on his arm and strapped down.
Gasket stepped in front of Tommy. "You might be wondering what that is. But I'm not in a telling mood. You'll find out very shortly."
Tommy was nervous about all of this. Gasket said the point to all of this was to see how far a human could be tortured until they break. What did he have planned?
"I'm going to ask you some questions and you're going to answer them. If you don't you will get an unpleasant feeling. We'll start with a simple question. Where is the Power Chamber?" Gasket asked.
Tommy didn't answer. He felt a shock go through him.
"Let me repeat that. Where is the Power Chamber?" Gasket asked.
Tommy still didn't answer. Again, he was shocked harder this time.
"Come on Ranger! You can't keep this up for long. You're eventually going to answer or something will happen to you." Gasket reminded him.
"I will never answer Gasket." Tommy spat drawing in as much strength as he could to do so. He was shocked again this time even more strongly. Tommy cried out and did everything he could do, to not pass out.
"Answer and the pain will stop Tommy." Gasket said. "Where is the Power Chamber?" He asked again.
"Go back to hell Gasket." Tommy said and was jolted with more electricity and finally did pass out.
"My husband I don't think Tommy is going to crack." Archerina said from the doorway. "He's got too much pride."
"I never really thought he would. If I wanted someone that would crack, I would have probably chosen the Blue Ranger. But I hate this Ranger. I want him to be in pain." He noticed what Archerina had in her hand. "Has the modifications to the Brain Drain been finished?"
"Yes it has. It's ready to be used." She said and handed it to him.
"We can start it now. He doesn't need to be conscious." Gasket said and placed it on the Ranger's head and turned it on.
*** Tommy found himself no longer cuffed to the chair so he stood up. He didn't hear Gasket in the room. He could hear someone running down the hallway going in the direction he was.
"I think Zordon said he was this way." He could hear someone saying.
'That sounds like Jason! Wait why would he be here? He doesn't have any powers anymore!'
"Affirmative!" Another voice answered.
'Now that sounded like Billy!' Tommy realized.
"I hope Gasket didn't hurt him too much!" Another voice said.
"Don't worry Kim. I'm sure he's not hurt that badly." A male voice said.
"We've just got to believe he's okay." Another voice said.
'Wait that's Zack, Trini, and Kim! How'd they get here?' Tommy wondered.
The door was blasted open and Trini, Zack, Billy, Trini, and Jason came into the room. Or so Tommy thought. The door being blasted open caused the room to be lit up. They were in their old Power Rangers outfits.
"I am so glad to see you guys!" Tommy said as they approached him.
"Are you okay Tommy?" Kimberly asked.
"Yeah I think so." Tommy answered.
"That's good." Zack said.
Tommy was knocked down by a kick to his back. "What's going on?" Tommy asked.
"We're glad that you weren't injured that badly." Jason said kicking Tommy in the face. "Zordon wanted us to take you out ourselves. Gasket wanted to know where the Power Chamber was because he wanted to let Zordon know we could come in. But Zordon contacted him."
"No Jason. Please tell me you're lying." Tommy said.
"Does this look like I'm lying?" Jason asked and called his power sword and tried to cut Tommy's leg.
Tommy moved out of the way quickly and ran into Trini and Zack. They both called their power weapons and fired at Tommy. Then Kimberly stood in front of Tommy.
"This is for breaking my heart." She said and punched him in the ribs. Tommy hit the ground in pain.
*** Gasket stood there watching Tommy's body flinch as he was taking punishment. He changed the Brain Drain so that every hit he took while in the Dream State would appear the same in the real world. He saw blood flow from the Ranger's leg guessing 'Jason' was able to cut him. He smiled and turned the machine off and watched Tommy slip back into unconsciousness. He removed the Brain Drain and pulled Tommy into the middle of the room. He wanted to make Tommy think that had all actually happened.
*** "Ai yai yai yai yai! Zordon!" Alpha was saying in the Command Center.
"What is it Alpha? Have you found Tommy?" Jason asked hopefully. They'd all had spent the day trying to find Tommy and had been very unsuccessful.
"Brain waves have started coming up! It could be Tommy's." Alpha said.
"Wait! Is Gasket erasing Tommy's memory again?" Kim asked. She, Zack, and Trini had been filled in on Gasket. And what had happened lately.
Zordon seemed to be reading all of this and frowned. "RANGERS THIS IS MUCH DIFFERENT THEN BEFORE."
"What do you mean?" Trini asked.
"THE BRAIN WAVES AREN'T BEING CHANGED THIS TIME. I'M NOT SURE ON THIS." Zordon said.
They all turned to Billy who helplessly shrugged. "Could the Brain Drain have been modified for other uses?"
"COULD HAVE BEEN BILLY. ALPHA SEE IF YOU CAN TRACE THE BRAIN WAVES." Zordon said.
"Doing it right now Zordon." Alpha said.
Awhile later, Alpha found what he was looking for. "I've found the coordinates!" He told Zordon excitedly.
"Can we be teleported there?" Jason asked.
"YES YOU CAN. MORPH FIRST. I'LL GIVE BILLY THE LOCATION." Zordon said.
"Shift into Turbo!" Jason yelled.
Then they teleported away.
*** Tommy came to and realized he was lying in the middle of the room. Gasket stood above him. "What's the matter Ranger? Did your friends desert you?" Gasket asked.
"What?" Tommy asked then looked down at his leg and realized it was bleeding. 'Had all of that actually happened?' "Gasket is this another one of your tricks?" Tommy asked.
"Nope. It all actually happened. I watched. Your friends ran out of here as soon as you passed out." Gasket said. He could see Tommy was losing all confidence in himself.
"Your friends hate you." A voice said stepping out of the darkness.
"Aisha?" Tommy asked in confusion.
"That's right it's me Tommy." She said and kicked Tommy in the ribs. "I'm the one you all didn't care about. You didn't care that I was going to stay in Africa. Now you're going to pay." She kicked him in the head and Tommy's eyes started rolling to the back of his head. "You're not getting out of this that easily Tommy!" She said kneed him in the ribs.
"Aisha we cared. But you made the decision." Tommy whispered he was having trouble breathing because Aisha was choking him. He passed out.
Aisha stood up and smiled at her work. Everything had been made so much clearer after Gasket took her under his wing. She was glad he took her out of Africa. He told her none of the Rangers cared about her. That Tommy was behind all of this.
Gasket smiled. He knew putting Aisha under his control would be handy.
"Now what master?" She asked.
Gasket didn't say anything because he heard noise outside of the room.
*** The Turbo Rangers landed in Gasket's new palace and looked around. "Billy did Zordon say where Tommy was?" Kimberly asked.
"He said in there I believe." Billy said pointing at a closed door.
"Zack help me with the door." Jason said. They got ready to kick the door down when they realized it wasn't locked. Jason opened the door and saw Aisha and Gasket looking at them.
Aisha had an evil grin on her face. "Who are you?" She asked.
"Aisha it's us!" Kim said and took her helmet off. The others quickly did so.
There was a surprised look on Aisha's face. "What are you doing here?" She asked.
"We're here to save you and Tommy." Zack said.
"I don't need rescuing. Your friend does but not me." Aisha said and moved so they could get a good look at Tommy.
Kim gasped. Jason stepped forward. "Gasket let Tommy and Aisha go."
"Why would I want to do that Ranger? Are they of some importance to you?" Gasket asked. "Zordon wouldn't even send the Zeo Rangers after him. You want them? Fight me Red Ranger."
"If it means getting Tommy and Aisha back I'd be happy to fight you." He said and got into a fighting position.
Aisha stood there confused and watched Jason and Gasket fight. 'They really do care about me? What have I done?' Aisha asked and grabbed Tommy by the arm and tried to pull Tommy to the others.
"Don't Aisha!" Kim cried.
Aisha looked at her strangely. "You don't want Tommy?" She asked and let go of Tommy's arm.
Gasket stepped back, watched this, and realized he had lost control over Aisha. "I'll get you yet Rangers." Gasket swore and left.
"I am so sorry." Aisha was crying. "I didn't mean to break some of Tommy's ribs. Gasket told me Tommy was behind you guys hating me. I can't believe I actually believed him."
Kim put a hand on Aisha's shoulder. "It's all right Aisha. We know you didn't mean it. You were under a spell."
"Let's get out of here." Trini said watching Zack and Jason pull Tommy up and put his arms around their shoulders. They teleported out.
When they landed in the Power Chamber Alpha came hurrying over. "We've got to take him to the Med. Bay!" It said and led the others into a room next to the main room.
There was a flash of light bringing the Zeo Rangers home. "It's good to be back." Rocky said.
"I'm glad we were able to help them." Adam said and sat on the end of one of the consoles tiredly.
"RANGERS IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. I TAKE IT YOUR MISSION ON AQUITAR WAS SUCCESSFUL?" Zordon asked.
"Very. I don't know why the Machine Empire left suddenly but everything's back in order." Tanya said.
Kat hadn't said anything. She was about to ask where Tommy was, when she saw blood on the floor. "Zordon whose blood is this?" She asked in a trembling voice. She was worried that it was Tommy's and that's why he hadn't been on Aquitar.
Zordon wasn't quite sure where to start. "IT'S TOMMY'S KATHERINE. HE WAS A PRISONER OF GASKET'S UNTIL A FEW MINUTES AGO WHEN WE WERE ABLE TO GET HIM BACK."
"Where is he now?" Adam asked.
"IN THE MED. BAY."
Katherine ran out of the room and into the Med. Bay the other Rangers were behind her. She found the Turbo Rangers and Aisha standing there around Tommy. Zack and Trini saw the blond and moved out of the way. They presumed she was a Zeo Ranger.
"What happened?" She asked.
"Gasket captured him. After that we aren't totally sure." Jason said. Then realized Trini and Zack didn't know Kat and vice versa. "Kat this is Trini and Zack. Zack and Trini this is Kat she's the Pink Zeo Ranger."
"It's good to see you guys." Rocky said as he and Adam came closer. Tanya hung back a bit. The introductions were made for Tanya who only knew Aisha, Jason, and Billy.
"No!" Tommy cried as he came to. He was trying to get up and had a look of horror on his face.
"Bro calm down. You're home." Jason said putting a hand on Tommy's shoulder.
That made Tommy even more scared as he tried to shove Jason out of the way. Alpha, realizing Tommy was too worked up for his own good, injected a sedative into Tommy. Tommy went unconscious again.
"What's wrong with Tommy Alpha? It was like he was afraid of us!" Jason said.
Aisha spoke up. "I'm not quite sure what Gasket did because I didn't see any of it except when I was called in. I should have fought Gasket's spell better."
"Aisha it wasn't your fault." Kat said.
Alpha looked at his scans and sighed. "He's got burns of various degrees including a third degree burn on his upper arm, broken ribs, and that cut on his leg. He took quite some punishment whatever did happened. I do think we should let him rest." Alpha said. "Maybe you should go to the Youth Center."
"No. I'm not leaving." Kat said the others nodded their heads in agreement.
"The sedative won't wear off for awhile. Zordon can contact you when Tommy comes to." Alpha said.
The others knew there was no use arguing and teleported to the Youth Center. Ernie looked at them in surprise. "Kim, Trini, Zack, Billy! It's good to see you all again. Are you all back for a visit?"
"Yep." Zack said and the others nodded.
"Who's this?" He asked pointing to Aisha.
"Hi I'm Aisha Campbell. I just moved here." Aisha said. She was so sad that outside of the Rangers no one else knew who she was."
"Nice to meet you Aisha. My name is Ernie." He said. Let me get all of you some drinks." He said and hurried to do so.
The Rangers and Aisha took their usual tables and Emily came over and talked for a few minutes. The communicators went off and they excused themselves as they hurried to an empty spot. "This is Adam." Adam said.
"RANGERS TOMMY'S AWAKE." Zordon informed them.
"We'll be right there." Adam said and they teleported away and landed in the Med. Bay.
Tommy looked at them but didn't say anything. He still had the fear in his eyes and got very uncomfortable when Jason came closer.
"How are you doing Bro?" Jason asked nervously.
Tommy didn't answer. He just stared at the ceiling.
"Can he leave?" Kim asked.
"If he wants to." Alpha said.
Tommy heard that and teleported out.
The Rangers stared in shock. "Well I guess he wanted out." Rocky said, trying to lighten up the mood. They shrugged and teleported out in search of Tommy.
*** Tommy landed outside of his house and walked into the house. Alpha had been able to heal the broken bones and the cut but the burns were still there.
"Tommy!" Charlotte Oliver called as she saw him enter. "I was wondering where you have been. Dinner's ready."
Tommy realized then that he was hungry and whispered, "Thanks." And followed her into the kitchen. They ate dinner. Charlotte and Ryan didn't seem to notice how quiet Tommy was being.
Ryan turned to Tommy. "You going to watch the Braves/Dodgers game with me?"
"No. I'm kind of tired. I might just go to bed." Tommy said.
"I'll watch with you Dad." Cory volunteered.
Ryan smiled and continued eating.
When they finished eating, Tommy went to his room, Ryan and Cory went to watch the game, and Charlotte went to do work that she had taken home.
There was a knock on the door and Cory jumped to his feet and ran to answer the door. Jason was standing there. "Hi Jason!" Cory greeted.
"Hi Cory. Is Tommy home?" He asked.
"Yeah. I think he's asleep. I can go check for you." Cory said starting to turn away from the door.
"Never mind Cory. Just tell Tommy when he wakes up, I was here and to call me." Jason said and walked away.
*** In Tommy's room, he was having a fitful sleep. He was caught in the middle of a nightmare and woke up drenched in sweat. In his dreams the other Rangers tried to kill him and actually succeeded. Tommy checked to make sure he had no new cuts on him. He found none. He rolled over and looked out the window. He wasn't sure if it was all real or not. He barely remembered teleporting home or eating dinner. He looked at the burns on his hands and the torment Gasket caused. It would never end. He didn't trust his friends. What if that was how they felt? He knew that there was only one thing left for him to do. He took out a piece of paper and pen and started writing.
*** There was a hard knock on Jason's door the next morning. Jason sat up and looked at his alarm clock. It was 6:00 AM. 'What was so important for someone to wake me up at 6:00?' "Come in." He called.
Elizabeth Scott entered the room still in her bathrobe and looked like she had been crying. "Jason. I've got bad news. I just got a phone call from Charlotte Oliver. Jase, Tommy killed himself last night."
Jason went white as a sheet and didn't want to accept what his mother was telling him. "No!" He said shaking his head and crying.
Charlotte held her son in her arms and rocked him back and forth.
*** Aisha, who had spent the night in the Power Chamber, came into the main room. Zordon wasn't in his time warp and Alpha stood in a corner. Aisha walked over to Alpha and shook him. "Alpha! Where's Zordon?" She asked worriedly.
"Aisha. Tommy killed himself. There was nothing we could do to stop him." Alpha said.
"No! That can't be right! Tommy would never..." Aisha stopped as she was over come with sobs. Alpha stood there with a Zeonizer in its hand.
*** Kimberly and Katherine were awoken by the sound of a phone ringing. Kat reached over and answered the telephone. "Hello?" She said groggily.
"Katherine?" A shaky voice asked.
"Mrs. Oliver? What's going on?" Kat asked.
"Katherine Tommy killed himself. He wasn't himself last night why didn't I see it?" The phone went dead.
Kat screamed, "No Tommy!" She fell back onto the bed. Kim looked at her in shock.
Mr. and Mrs. Hilliard, and Angela Hilliard heard the scream and came into the room. "What's going on?" Marcy asked.
"I don't know." Kim said.
Kat sat up and burst into tears.
"Kat what's the matter?" Angela asked her younger sister.
"Tommy died." She said and broke down into tears again.
Kim burst into tears and the three older Hillliard's were left to try to comfort two crying teens.
*** Aisha sat on the floor crying when the alarms went off.
Zordon re-appeared. "ALPHA CONTACT THE RANGERS AND TELL THEM THEY ARE NEEDED IN THE PARK." Zordon said his voice full of emotion.
"Right away Zordon." It contacted the Rangers and they went to the park.
Zordon looked down at the young girl who was still crying. "AISHA WILL YOU ACCEPT THE RED ZEO RANGER POWERS?" He asked.
"What? I couldn't do that Zordon! Tommy just died! It wouldn't' be right!" Aisha said in surprise.
"AISHA THE RANGERS NEED THE RED ZEO RANGER. YOU ARE THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB. THE RANGERS ARE HAVING TROUBLE FIGHTING THE MONSTER. PLEASE AISHA GO HELP THEM." Zordon said.
"I'm doing it for Tommy. It's Morphin Time!" Aisha called. "Zeo Ranger 5 Red!"
*** On the battlefield, there were two monsters and none of the Rangers had their minds on the battle. There was a flash of Red light and someone kicked a monster off of Kimberly.
"What?" Kim asked as the person helped her to her feet. "Who are you?"
"I'll explain later." Aisha said and went to help some of the others.
The others stood in shock for a couple of minutes before they got back into the fight. They may not have been totally focused but they were able to send the monsters packing.
The Rangers teleported back to the Power Chamber and powered down. "Aisha?" They all said in surprise.
"Zordon asked me to be Zeo Ranger 5 and I took it. I'm doing it for Tommy." She said sadly. "But I don't want to be leader of the Zeo Rangers. Adam?" She asked looking at her long time friend.
"If Zordon wants me to." Adam started to say. Zordon nodded. "Then I'd be glad to."
"What I don't understand is, why did Tommy kill himself?" Tanya asked.
"He looked afraid of us. He wouldn't even talk to us remember?" Jason asked. The others nodded. "Gasket really messed with his mind."
"If I ever see Gasket..." Katherine said under her breath.
"Gasket will get his someday Kat but until then we've just got to continue on." Zack said.
"For Tommy." Jason said and put his hand out the others followed suit.
"For Tommy."
*** The day after Tommy's funeral The Zeo Rangers and Turbo Ranger, minus Aisha, were gathered in the Oliver's Living Room.
"Kids I called you here today because Tommy left a letter for all of you. Jason if you want to read it you can." Charlotte Oliver said handing Jason the letter then she and Ryan left the room to allow them some privacy.
Jason cleared his throat before opening the envelope and starting.
"My friends,
You might be wondering why I killed myself. I was scared. To go through what I did, I just can't explain. I've never been so scared in my life. Gasket did everything he could do. I guess to get me to break. He said he was testing me to see how far a human could break. One of the tortures was so real it made me think maybe it wasn't the influence of Gasket. Tonight I had a nightmare. It was that what Gasket said was true. I can't go on like this anymore. The dreams I've had ever since I was released from Rita's spell still plague me and this is far worse. Don't blame yourselves. Defeat Gasket for me.
Tommy."
The room went silent, as the only thing that could be heard was the sound of crying.
Author's Note: I swear I don't hate Tommy. I was in a bizarre mood. Email me with your thoughts at Willow@grrtech.com.