Disclaimer: Prz and All Things Having to Do with Them Are Property of Saban
Entertainment. I Acknowledge That I Am Using Them Without Permission, but this Is Sorely
for Entertainment.
However, the Characters and Places, Kamara (Silver Star) Zara, Bagera, Karanda, Whitemist,
Silvermist and
Anything Else Not Belonging to Saban Is Mine. Also, Any Resemblance to Other Fan Fics, Be
it in Title, Plot,
Characters, Etc Is Strictly Coincidental.
Warning: Some Language and Sexual Situations. Not Suitable for Younger
Readers.
Prologue
SILVERMIST;
From the journal of Karanda, ruler of Silvermist;
Dear journal;
I am very concerned. The recent birth of our daughter, Princess
Kamara, has brought great joy to our world. The palace as been flooded with
well wishers hoping to get a look at their future queen. There have been
celebrations in her honor nearly every night. However, behind the joy,
there lies and air of tension. There is concern that the Bagerian Empire, led
by Queen Bageria, may know of this special event.
You see, it is written in their prophecy that the birth of the
Silvermist princess bearing the mark, will be the key to their unleashing
a great evil that will make them unstoppable. Our daughter bears that mark!
The mark is that of a silver star imprinted in the center of her forehead.
This star will be the source of the powers she will have, and the
origin of her warrior name, Silver Star. We will try for as long as we can to
keep Kamara a secret from this evil empire. As soon as she is old enough,
she will be trained as a fierce warrior and prepared for the day when Bageria
discovers her existence.
From the journal of Karanda, ruler of Silvermist;
Dear journal;
It has been nearly five centuries since I last wrote to you. Much has
happened since my last entry, and it has caused me great distress. First, we
have been at war with the Bagerian empire for the five centuries that I have
not written in you. Kamara, young as she is, has become an astounding
warrior. However, she is not yet good enough to go up against Bageria's
forces, and I fear we will not be able to hold them off much longer. It
pains me deeply to say this, but for the sake of our world and our daughter's
life, my beloved husband and I have agreed that she must be sent away so that
she may be given a chance to survive until she is of age and they can no
longer use her in their plans.
We will be opening a portal tonight, when all is quiet and will give
her the means to reopen it should the need to flee the world she ends up on
arises. Hopefully, it will be a while before Bageria discovers she is gone
and sends someone to attempt to retrieve her. I pray she finds friends and
help on the worlds she visits and I hope that one day, she makes it to Earth,
and seeks the help on my dear friend, Zordon.
I shall send word to him to watch for her. I must go now, and prepare.
I curse Bageria and her empire for robbing me of the joy of watching my only
daughter grow and blossom into something wonderful. And I curse her for
steeling the innocence of a child, who is still no more than a baby.
PART 1
Earth; 1900 years later;
"Hi-ya!" a fierce blow immediately followed the exclamation, followed
by several more rapid kicks and punches. From across the room, four teens
watched their friend swiftly inflicting blows in the punching bag with curious
concern.
"How long has he been at that now?" Rocky De Santos asked, looking
over the table at his friends.
"A good hour at least," Adam Park replied, taking a sip of his fruit
juice.
"Maybe one of us should convince him to take a break." Katherine
Hilliard said, "he might work himself to exhaustion if he keeps that up."
"Looks like it's already covered." Tanya Sloan said, nodding in the
direction of the Youth Center door. The others looked over and saw Tommy Oliver standing in
the doorway. He threw a glance in their direction, then turned his attention to the teen at the
punching bag, frowning as he watched him.
After a moment, the boy turned from the punching bag and launched
into a series of judo moves. Tommy looked back at the foursome and raised his
eyebrows questioningly. The looks he got back told him all he needed to
know and he quickly made his way over to his friend.
"Hey bro. Don't you think it's time you took a break?"
Receiving silence in response, Tommy decided to try another
tactic.
"It's those dreams again, isn't it?"
"Yeah," came the quietly grunted reply.
"Come on Jase, take a break and let's talk about it. Wearing yourself
out isn't gonna help any."
Jason Scott paused in mid strike and looked at Tommy.
"That's just it Tommy! I can't talk about it. I... I don't know
how."
"What do you mean?"
Jason sighed, staring at the punching bag absently as he tried to
figure out what to tell his best friend.
"Well, every time I try to talk about them, or even think about them,
my mind goes totally blank. All I can remember is silver light."
"Have you talked to Zordon about it?" Tommy asked in a low
voice.
Jason shook his head.
"Well, maybe you should. Come on, I'll get the others and we'll get
to the bottom of this once and for all."
Jason looked at Tommy, about to protest, but the look in the other
boy's eyes told him he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Sighing to
himself, Jason gave in and followed Tommy to a secluded spot where the others,
responding to a signal from Tommy, had already gathered. After a quick check
to make sure they weren't being observed, the six teen vanished from the
Youth Center in six columns of colored light.
***
"Okay Jase, just close your eyes and relax." Billy Cranston said ten
minutes later. The teens were all gathered in the Power Chamber,
watching in silence as Billy began the process of hypnotizing Jason.
"I want you to tune out all distractions and hear nothing but the
sound of my voice. Imagine getting lighter and lighter. All your tension is
melting away. Now imagine walking down a flight of stairs. The further
down you go, tell yourself, 'I am going deeper and deeper into a trance.'"
Billy paused, looking at Jason intently. His friend truly looked
lost in a deep sleep.
"Jason, can you hear me?"
"Yes," came the slightly slurred reply. "Good. Now, imagine yourself
watching a video of all the dreams you have ever had. Can you see them?"
A hint of a smile flickered across Jason's blank face. "Yes."
"Good. Now imagine hitting a fast forward button. Skim through all
those dreams until you come to the one with the silver light." Several
minutes passed and then Jason quietly said, "Found it."
"Okay. Now hit the stop button and press play. Tell us what you
see."
"I'm walking in the park alone. I think I'm headed for the Youth
Center. I haven't gone far when there's this sudden flash of silver light. When it clears and I can
see again, the area of the park I'm in has changed. Everything is silver or has a touch of it."
Jason paused, a frown crossing his features. "I can hear a voice. But it's whispering. I can't
understand what it's saying."
"Is it coming from your head Jason?"
"No."
"Then where is it coming from?"
Jason hesitated, then lifted his hand and pointed straight ahead.
"Over there."
"Okay. Follow it Jase. Is it getting any louder?"
Jason's frown deepened and took on the expression of one
struggling to understand. "Yeah." He said hesitantly. "It'…sounds like
It sounds like it's asking for help. It... It sounds like a girl... I can't
see anything now. Some kind of thick fog has just appeared out of nowhere.
The voice... It's definitely a girl. She seems to be calling to me...
leading me to her."
Jason let out a sudden gasp, startling the others.
"What is it Jason?" Billy asked calmly.
"Someone else is here. I can see their shadow in the fog."
"Who is it?"
"I don't know." Frustration entered his voice as he added: "There's
to much damn fog!"
"Okay, imagine you're standing beside a large fan. Reach over and
turn it on. Now what's happening?"
"The fog is disappearing. I can see more of who's there... It's a
girl. She's standing about fifty feet away, watching me. She's dressed in
some kind of silver armor, like in those medieval movies. She's wearing some
kind of mask, so I can't see her face, but her eyes are the brightest shade of
green I've ever seen! And her hair is incredibly long. It's blood red and
streaked with silver. I can feel some kind of bond, or connection, to her.
She is tired of running... she wants to go home and see her family again."
He paused, appearing to listen to voice only he could hear. "She's
asking for help. She's been trying to find Earth for such a long time. She's
asking me to help her get here. She's looking behind her now. There's some
kind of black cloud gathering about ten, maybe twenty feet behind her. She's
looking back at me, there's the most intense fear in her eyes. She's reaching
out, begging me not to let the darkness take her."
Jason's hand once again rose, as though reaching out for
something.
"Take my hand!" he cried out, much to the surprise of his
friends.
Tommy made a move toward his now distressed friend, but Billy
stopped him, watching curiously as Jason seemed to fully enter the dream he was describing,
frustrated that they could only hear his side of the conversation that seemed to be taking
place.
"Take my hand!" he repeated. "No! Move away from it! Run!" His
voice was now a fearful shout. He began to struggle as Billy and Tommy held him down to keep
him from falling off the table. "No! let her go! Star! Star! Take my hand!"
Without warning, he erupted in a pain filled scream.
"Jason!" Billy shouted in alarm. "Jason, when I count to three and
snap my fingers, the dream will dissolve, and you'll awaken. 1... 2... 3!"
He snapped his fingers and Jason immediately ceased his struggles and
screams. His eyes snapped open and he shot up, breathing heavily and looking
around wildly. "Easy bro." Tommy said soothingly, gently but firmly pushing
his friend back down on the table. Jason closed his eyes, struggling to bring
his breathing under control.
"Jason, what happened when you tried to take that girl's hand? Do you
remember?"
Billy asked quietly. Jason remained silent for several moments, and
Billy was starting to think he had fallen asleep when the quiet reply came. "She was trying to get
away form the black cloud, trying to get to me. I tried to run to her, but she kept getting farther
and farther away the closer I got. And the cloud... I moved faster the both of us. It engulfed
her.... I could feel her fear and pain. It was as if I was in her place. It hurt so much."
Before he fell into a deep sleep, one name escaped his lips in a
soft, whispering sigh; "Silver Star."
***
"Silver Star?" Tommy looked up a Zordon questioningly.
"I suspect this is the name of the mysterious girl in Jason's dream.
I believe it is serving as a warning that something is about to happen that
will drastically change Jason's life and very possibly your lives as well. I
suggest you keep your eyes and ears open. If my suspicions are correct, Jason
is guiding whoever or whatever is causing his dreams, here. We must be
prepared in case this force is hostile."
Billy watched the old mage carefully. He had seen the flash of
recognition fly through his mentor's wise eyes at the mention of Silver Star's
name. Evidently, Tommy had to, for he now looking at Zordon suspiciously.
"Zordon, is there something you're not telling us?"
When Zordon remained silent, Tommy knew his suspicions were
correct.
"You do know something."
"What's going on Zordon?" Adam asked.
"Yeah, do you know who this girl is?" Rocky added.
Zordon looked at the teens, his gaze settling on Tommy, who held a
challenging look in his eyes, as if daring their mentor to brush off their
questions.
"Yes, Rangers," he finally admitted, "I do know of a girl by that
name. But there is a chance that this is a different Silver Star."
"But it's a pretty small chance isn't it?" Billy asked quietly.
"Correct." Zordon paused, as thought collecting his thoughts. Finally,
he continued, "The story I'm about to tell you goes back twenty-six hundred
years, to a planet known as Silvermist. It begins at the birth of princess
Kamara, daughter of Queen Karanda and king Beraan. Princess Kamara bore a
special mark, that of a silver star imprinted in her forehead. This mark would
give her special powers that would go beyond the normal powers of a
Silvermistian. But it would also make her the target of a powerful empire,
known as the Bagerian empire, led by queen Bagera, a very powerful, very evil
sorceress."
"I have a picture of her on the viewing globe." Alpha 5, who had
been quietly standing off to the side, spoke up. The teens turned to the
viewing globe, an found themselves looking at a very stern faced,
frighteningly mean looking woman dressed in sinister-looking black armor with
long, midnight black hair.
"Wow. Wouldn't want to run into her in a dark alley." Rocky quipped
with a shudder. "She looks vaguely familiar somehow," Kat said, looking
hard at the woman.
"You feel a familiarity with Bagera because of your past experience in
Lord Zedd's service."
"What does old radiator face have to do with this?" Rocky
asked.
"Oh, my god." Kat whispered, realization crossing her face.
"I'm sorry, did I miss something here?" Tanya asked, confusion in
her dark eyes.
"No more than the rest of us," Adam replied, looking from Kat to
Zordon with equal confusion. It was obvious from Kat's stunned expression that she wasn't
going to explain things, so Zordon spoke up for her.
"Rangers, the connection Katherine has just made is the fact that
Bagera is Zedd's younger sister."
Shocked silence descended on the group as each absorbed this new
information.
"Man," Tommy said, shaking his head, "First Rita's brother and Father
and now Zedd's sister. What next?"
"Personally, I'd rather not know." Adam muttered.
"So Zordon, what happened to Kamara?" Billy asked, bringing them back on
topic.
"As I said before, she became a target of the Bargerian empire.
According to a prophecy of theirs, the Silvermist princess bearing the mark of
the silver star, would be the key to unlocking a power that would make them
unstoppable. Karanda and Beraan kept their daughter secret from Bagera for as
long as they could, and as soon as she was able, began training her in the
ways of the warrior. But it wasn't long before Bagera found out about the
princess and launched an all out war against Silvermist.
"This war lasted
over five hundred years. Kamara was about the equivalent of seven when her
parents realized they would not be able to protect her much longer. She
was still much too young and to early in the stages of her training to be
able to stand against Bagera's forces. So it was decided that, for her
own survival, as well as the planet's, that she would be sent away in
the hope that she would find help on other worlds and would survive
until she was powerful enough to return and assume her rightful place on
the throne.
"It was also Karanda's hope that Kamara would one day find her way
to Earth and seek my help. Not long after Kamara left, I was alerted by her
mother to keep watch for her and offer my assistance should she ever turn up
here. Jason was using Kamara's warrior name when he called out to her. If
this is, in fact Kamara, I have no idea how or why she is using Jason to find
her way here. We will just have to wait and find out."
***
Jason was one again alone in the park. This time, when the silver
light flashed and cleared, he didn't wait for the voice, but headed in the
direction he knew it would be coming.
"Please... help me..."
This time, he heard the voice clearly instead of a confused whisper
floating through his mind. He scanned the fog for her form and finally found
her. Concentrating hard, he will the fog away, then moved determinedly toward
her.
"Please, help me find my way," She whispered, reaching out. Behind
her, Jason saw the black cloud forming, and froze in his tracks. Silver Star
glanced behind her, then looked back, the intense fear flaring up in her
amazingly green eyes. "Please.... don't let the darkness take me."
They were now within arms length of each other. For the first time,
Jason felt hesitant about wanting to take her hand. He managed to tear his eyes from hers and
looked at the cloud. He felt the pain and intense evil emanating from it, and it quickly washed
away all doubt and hesitation. He reached out and firmly grasped her small hand in his own.
Immediately, they were engulfed in a bright, silver light. Jason was filled with an energy
unlike any he had ever felt. It wasn't painful, but actually relaxing and soothing. Jason felt all
the tension that had built up inside him, flow away.
'Thank you.' Her voice whispered though his mind like a soft breeze,
adding to his growing calmness. 'I am free, and now, so are you.'
The light began to fade, and he felt himself slowly returning to
awareness. From, somewhere, he wasn't quite sure where, he heard familiar voices. As he
struggled to hear, the realization of what just happened struck him. The girl... Silver Star... he
had gotten to her. He had finally gotten to her. But... where did she go?
"I got her." he mumbled. Confusion suddenly settled over him and
he staggered and fell to the ground. A haze enveloped him. He fought it and for an instant,
things went dark. He lay there, exhausted, no longer fighting, but welcoming the darkness. Then
his eyes flew open and he shot up, exclaiming
loudly, "I got her!"
The sudden outburst received startled jumps and a few gasps from the
others. Tommy was at Jason's side in an instant, gently but firmly pushing his confused friend
back down.
"Easy Jase," he said soothingly, "just relax."
"I got her Tommy," Jason mumbled, "I grabbed her hand. She's here...
gotta find her."
He tried to get back up, but Tommy easily restrained him. Feeling to
drained to protest, Jason closed his eyes and whispered, "Gotta find her," before once again
slipping into a deep sleep.
***
Tommy looked at Jason and then up at Zordon in concern. Zordon
gazed back at Tommy with a look that said, "Wait and see."
***
The roar of water, followed by a cold wetness, brought her back to
awareness. Bright green eyes slowly forced themselves open, then flew shut as
they were assaulted by bright light. After a few moments, the eyes reopened,
blinked a few times, and were hit with water. The girl cried out in surprise,
and quickly sat up, wiping the water away. She groaned softly as a wave of
dizziness overtook her and held her head in her hands. When it had passed,
she raised her head and took in her surroundings.
She was kneeling in the sand of an apparently secluded beach. High,
jagged cliffs surrounded her and, a little ways down, bluish water crashed
against the rocks.
'Can it be?' she thought, pushing a strand of wet, dark red hair from
her eyes. 'Could this be Earth? Was the one I made contact with really from
Earth?'
A soft breeze blew up and she shivered, wrapping her arms around
herself in an attempt to block it out. That was when she noticed something
was missing. She looked down and discovered that she was completely nude!
She wasn't surprised by it, however. It wasn't the first time she had
awakened on a new world with her armor gone.
'Probably teleported itself back to its holding place when I was
transported here. Wherever that is,' she thought. 'Hmmm.... I'm to weak
to summon it. The transport must have drained me. But I'll worry about that
later. Right now I'd better find a way out off this beach.'
She stood and looked up to the top of the cliffs.
'Wonder if I have enough power to teleport up there? It's not that
far, I'll give it a try.'
She closed her eyes and pictured the top of the cliffs. She then
searched around within her until she found power strong enough to carry
out the deed. Her mind called upon it and, seconds later, she vanished from
the beach and shimmered back into existence at the top of the cliffs. She
opened her eyes and smiled as she took in the breath taking view.
She looked around sharply at the sound of voices and laughter and
quickly concealed herself in a nearby bush. Peering out from her hiding
place, Kamara spotted two young humans- or what she assumed were humans-
walking and talking animatedly not far away. One was a tall, handsome boy
with long brown hair dressed in red and the other was a slightly smaller
girl with blond hair dressed in pink.
"Hey guys!" she jumped slightly as another boy, this one dressed in
blue, ran up to the pair. She watched as the threesome exchanged greetings
then continue walking.
'Better blend in with the locals,' she thought, remembering her
nakedness. She waited until the coast was clear, then closed her eyes, found
some more useable power, and used it to imitate the clothing she had seen
on the girl.
When she was finished, she found herself wearing a silver and green
T-shirt with matching shorts and white sneakers. A lock of her hip length red
hair fell over her shoulder, reminding her of the silver that streaked though
it.
'Better hide that,' she thought. Closing her eyes again, she touched
her hair and, seconds later, the silver streaks melted away. She touched the silver star imprinted
in the center of her forehead and it, to, vanished. 'Okay,' she thought, 'now to look around and
get my bearings.'
***
At the same time, in a remote area on the other side of the park, an
eerie light slowly shimmered in existence. It hovered, then slowly grew
until it was a large, gaping hole. A moment later, a midnight black cat
emerged. It glanced around, then as the portal closed behind it, began
to shimmer and change form. Seconds later, a girl stood in it's place.
She had shoulder length, jet black hair and chilling ice blue eyes.
She was clad in black leather and seemed to radiate with pure, evil energy.
Throwing a quick glance around at her surroundings, she pulled out what
appeared to be a communications device. She pushed a button and spoke into
the tiny speaker.
"Zara to Queen Bagera, come in."
She waited a moment, then repeated her request. "Zara to Queen
Bagera, do you read me?" A green light blinked on and a holographic image
of a stern faced, black clad woman appeared in front of her.
"Report," she commanded in a low, gravelly voice.
"I've located her," Zara said. "She managed to lose me quite well on
that last world, but she won't lose me on this one."
"I certainly hope not. Damn it Zara, we're running out of time! You s
hould have captured that brat centuries ago!"
"I'm aware of that!" Zara snapped, "You try catching the little mouse!
Not only is she tricky, but she's grown in strength and power over the
centuries, adding to her annoying little ability to elude me!"
She paused, then added with a malicious smile, "But don't worry. As I
said before, this will be the last planet I chase her to."
"What planet are you on now?" Bagera asked.
"Earth, I believe." Zara replied, looking around.
"Earth? Hmm. I do believe that is the planet your uncle and his bride
are attempting to take over. I believe they have taken up residence on its
moon. You might look them up, perhaps they can be of some assistance."
Zara nodded. "Right. I'll keep you informed."
"Give my love to your uncle... and my congratulations."
Zara smiled. "Yes mother. Zara out."
She pushed a button and broke the connection.
***
"Zeddie! I'm bored! Let's send something down to Earth and cause
some chaos!"
Zedd looked up as his wife, Rita, stalked into the throne room.
"Patience my love," he growled, "I'm working on a plan this very
moment."
"Oh? And what's that?"
Before he could answer, a movement in the doorway caught his
attention. He turned towards it, expecting Goldar or one of his other lackeys. Instead, in walked
the blackest cat he had ever seen.
"What the...? Rito, get your bony butt in here!" Rita screamed.
"What? Hey, what's up, sis?" Rito asked as he entered the throne
room, Goldar behind him.
"Rito! How many times have I told you not to bring home
strays?"
"Stray? What stray sis?"
"That stray, you moldy pile of bones!" Rita yelled angrily, pointing
to the cat, which was now seated on Zedd's throne. Rito looked at the cat,
then back at Rita.
"It's not mine, sis," he said in confusion.
"Well, if it's not yours, then how, in the name of the cosmos, did it
get in here?"
Before anyone could answer, a low laugh echoed throughout the room.
They all looked at the cat, who had begun to shimmer and change form. There
was a sudden flash of light and the cat was replaced by a girl, sprawled
lazily across the throne. She ran a hand through her pitch black hair
and chuckled in amusement at the startled looks she received.
"Zara? Is that you?" Zedd asked in bewilderment.
"Zara? Zeddie, you know this girl?" Rita asked in surprise.
"Yes," Zedd replied slowly. "Zara is…niece."
"Niece!" Rita exclaimed, looking from Zedd to Zara and back again.
Zara chuckled again as she got off the throne and sauntered over.
"Greetings uncle." She purred, "It's been far too long." She turned
to Rita, bowing slightly. "You must be aunt Rita. It's a pleasure to finally
meet you."
"Zara," Zedd said, finally recovering from his surprise, "I haven't
seen you since you first learned to mercilessly kill innocents. It is good to
see you again."
"Mother sends her love and congratulations." Zara replied.
"Yes... How is my dear sister?"
"Miserable as usual. She has recently enslaved a small world
and has been amusing herself killing off its populace."
"So what brings you here? You can't have traveled several hundred
galaxies just for a pleasure visit."
"I'm hunting a mouse whose hiding out on Earth."
"Don't tell me you're still chasing that princess
what's-her-name?"
Zara sighed and nodded. "Nineteen hundred long years. The little brat
is tricky. But, with your help, this will be the last world I chase her to. One way or another,
Earth is where it ends."
PART 2
"Hey guys." Jason said cheerfully as he joined his friends.
"Jason, you look great!" Tanya commented, taking in his bright
expression.
"I feel great to." Jason replied, signaling Ernie for a fruit juice.
"I've haven't slept so well in ages! You know, I'm begging to think those
dreams were just brought on by stress and to many sci-fi movies."
The others glanced at each other, but said nothing.
"Up to some sparing, bro?" Tommy asked with a smile.
"You bet," Jason replied with a smile of his own.
"Looks like you'll have to wait a bit," Kat said, nodding in the
direction of the mats. They all looked in the direction she had indicated and
spotted a young girl gracefully moving through a series of tai-chi moves. As
they watched, she suddenly launched into a mixture of karate, judo and another
form none of them recognized.
The girl's moves were lightening quick and, if she had been fighting an
enemy, she would have been deadly.
"Wow," Kat murmured, "She's really good."
"Has anybody seen her before?" Rocky asked.
"She must be new," Billy commented, "Nobody can remain unnoticed
around here with moves like that."
The others nodded their agreement. Jason stared at the girl,
fascinated. There was something about her....…he could feel it in his bones.
"Hey Jase, where ya going?"
He ignored the question as he got up and headed towards the mat, his
eyes never leaving the mysterious girl.
***
Kamara finished the series of complicated moves with a fierce strike
that, had it connected with anyone, would have proved fatal. The sound
of clapping reached her ears, and she spun around, startled. She found
a tall, good looking guy with short brown hair standing a few feet away,
interest in his brown eyes.
"Sorry if I startled you," the guy said, coming up to her. "Those
moves of yours are intense."
"Thanks," she replied softly, smiling shyly.
"I'm Jason," he said, holding out his hand.
"Kara," she responded, using her nickname. For a moment, their eyes
met and a strong energy seemed to pass between them. Kamara suppressed a gasp
and quickly lowered her eyes to keep him from seeing the silver glow she knew
was there. She felt the illusion she had created to hide her alien features
begin to dissolve and quickly summoned up a surge of power to keep it in place.
'Whoa,' she thought, 'what in the world caused that?' She looked back
up at Jason, forcing a smile. 'Could it have been Jason?' Her thoughts were
interrupted when Jason spoke.
"I was wondering if you'd like to join me and my friends."
Kamara looked at the table he gestured to and held back a look of
surprise as she spotted the girl and two guys she had seen eariler.
'Couldn't hurt,' she thought, 'maybe I can find out if I'm really
on the right world.'
She looked back at him and flashed a genuine smile.
"Sure, why not?"
Jason smiled back, then turned and led her back to the table.
"Guys, this is Kara. Kara, this is Adam, Tommy, Kat, Billy, and
Rocky."
They exchanged greetings as Tommy pulled up a chair for her and she sat
down. A slight tightness reminded her of the tight bun she had tied her
hair in. reaching up, she pulled the pin out and shook her head,
sending her long hair cascading down her back and around her shoulders,
framing her face.
"So Kara, how long have you been in Angel Grove?" Kat asked, noticing
with a hint of amusement the effect she was having on the guys.
"I arrived this morning actually. I checked into my hotel, went for a
walk and ended up here."
"So you don't actually live here?" Jason asked with a hint of
disappointment in his voice.
"Well, I'm traveling on my own. I have been since I was young
and I usually stay in a place anywhere from a couple of days to a couple
of years. The way things are looking, I'm considering staying at least a
year," she added, throwing a shy glance at Jason.
'Stop it!' she chided herself mentally, 'you're not here to start
a petty romance! Besides, the guy is human. You're as different as night
and day. Although.... I admit he is rather cute.'
"Doesn't that get awfully expensive?" Tanya asked.
"Oh, I have relatives all over the place. My uncle owns the hotel
I'm staying at now. He's letting me stay free of charge."
It was a straight out lie, of course. In reality, she had used
some of her hypnotic power to make the manager -and anyone else who looked-
think she was actually paying for it. That little trick had worked several
times in the past when she had hidden out on worlds similar to earth.
"So where are you from Kara?" Adam asked, breaking into her thoughts.
"Um... A little village way out in the boon docks," she replied
evasively. "Very few people have heard of it. Before they could question
her further, she rushed on.
"Say, could I ask you guys something?"
The others exchanged quick glances, puzzled as to why she was
being so mysterious about her origins.
"Sure," Jason spoke up, "shoot."
"Is this the city protected by the Power Rangers?"
"Sure is," Tommy answered, a hint of pride in his voice.
'Yes!' her mind shouted gleefully, 'after all this time I'm finally on
the right planet. Now all I have to do is locate them.'
She put on an innocent, wide eyed expression and said in an awed
voice, "You wouldn't know how to reach them would you? It's always been
sort of a dream of mine to meet them," she added with a shy smile.
They glanced at each other again, then Rocky said-a little nervously,
she noted- "Well, uh, actually no one knows. The only time anyone ever
sees them is when there's a monster attack. No one knows where they spend
their time when they're not fighting."
"Oh," Kamara replied with an air of disappointment. She didn't expect
them to know, but she had to give some reason for asking. She brightened a
little and added, "Well, maybe I'll luck out and see them while I'm here."
Too late did she noticed the sudden, evil power behind her. She
jumped as a hand clamped down on her shoulder and stiffened as an all to
familiar voice spoke.
"Well, isn't this a small world? Imagine running into you here of
all places!"
Kamara looked up and found Zara, disguised as a pretty blond, standing
next to her. She smiled warmly at Kamara but her eyes were ice cold. She
looked up at the others and said brightly, "Hi, I'm Liz. I'm a close, personal
friend of Kara's."
"I'm Kat," Kat said, extending her hand. Zara took it and an expression of surprise and
confusion lit both girls' eyes.
"Nice to meet you," Zara said, looking at Kat strangely. One by one, the others spoke up,
introducing themselves. Kamara remained silent, quietly praying that Zara wouldn't try anything
with all
the
people around.
"Would you like to join us?" Tanya asked, smiling.
"Oh, no. I have to get going. People to see, and all that. It was nice meeting
you all. Kara, we simply must get together and discuss.... old times. Hell, the way we keep
running into
each other, we
should just travel together."
She gave Kara's shoulder a sharp squeeze and smiled. Kamara held
back her gasp and looked up at Zara. There was an unspoken threat behind her words and her
eyes held a
dangerous spark.
"Yeah sure," she responded stiffly, letting her own threat creep into her
eyes. She was glad her new friends weren't in the position to see the hidden exchange. She
wasn't sure
she'd be able to answer any questions they may have had.
Zara looked back at them, flashed a dazzling smile, then left.
"How long have you known her for?" Billy asked.
'Far too long,' she thought bitterly. Out loud she said, "Uh... since I
was a child."
Her nervousness was starting to get the better of her and she thought it
would probably be better if she left and planned her next move.
"Um, listen. I really have to go. My uncle's expecting me anytime
now. I really enjoyed meeting all of you. Maybe we can get together later on."
Before anyone could respond she was gone. "Why do I get the feeling
those two aren't as chummy as they'd like us to think?" Rocky asked, looking at the others.
"Yeah," Tanya agreed, "I don't think I've ever seen anybody so tense
before."
"Hey Kat, you all right?" Tommy asked, taking in Kat's far away
expression.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Kat answered slowly. "It's just that the strangest
thing happened when I shook Liz's hand. I felt a strange energy and I had a sudden flashback to
my days
with
Rita. It was kind of scary."
"You were probably just affected by the fact that she was so strange,"
Adam put in. "I know I was a little creeped out."
"I feel like there's something I should be remembering something
here," Jason muttered softly. The others turned there attention to him and found him staring at
the table
thoughtfully.
"There's something about her," he added, mostly to himself. "I can't explain it... I feel like I
know her."
"Come on Bro," Tommy said, getting up. "Maybe a little sparring
exercise will help clear your mind."
***
Kamara knew Zara was there before she even showed herself.
"We meet again, Princess," Zara said, appearing next to a tree. She had
lost her disguise and was once again dressed in her black leather outfit.
"I really have to applaud that little trick you used to escape that last
world. It took me quite awhile to get back on your trail.
"You're not taking me, Zara!" Kamara said fiercely. "I've escaped you
on thousands of worlds and I'll continue to escape you through a thousand more!"
Zara let out a short laugh. "That's where you're wrong little mouse.
This is the
last world I chase you to. One way or another, our game ends here!"
"For once, we're in agreement!" Kamara closed her eyes and put a
hand
to her forehead, covering the silver star that was now there. "I call upon the powers of Silver
Star!" she
shouted.
Immediately, a silver light flared up and surrounded her. Her hand
shot up to the
sky and a bolt of lightning struck her, adding to the brilliant light. When the light subsided,
Kamara
stood, clothed in her Silver Star armor. She wore black, knee high boots with silver stars in the
centers.
The armor she wore was a silver cuirass (kew*ras). It was worn like a vest and consisted of a
light-but
fantastically strong-breast plate and back piece laced together at the sides with golden leather
thongs.
A wicked looking sword was strapped to her back. A golden mask
covering most
of her face completed her uniform, bringing out her stunning green eyes.
"I'd like to introduce you to a few friends," Zara said, snapping her
fingers. There
was a flash of light and twelve giant birds appeared. Kamara dropped to a fighting stance.
"I'm surprised Zara," she quipped. "You usually don't befriend your
food.
Working on a new torture method?"
"Actually I am," Zara retorted, "and I happen to need someone to test it
on. I
choose you. Tengas, get her!"
The Tengas rushed her, and the fight was on. It didn't take her long
to dispatch them, and when the last one disappeared, she looked up at Zara and
laughed.
"What was that? A warm up exercise?"
"Maybe it was. But this isn't!"
The move was swift, but Kamara managed to block it and retaliated
with
a blow of her own.
***
"I just can't get over how strange Kara's friend was," Kat said, glancing
at Rocky
and Tanya. The threesome were walking through the park, on their way to Rocky's house.
"I can't get over how strange Kara was," Rocky replied.
"Hey," Tanya said, stopping suddenly and cocking her head to one
side, listening.
Rocky and Kat stopped, looking at her curiously.
"What's up?" Rocky asked.
"Listen. Can't you hear it?"
Kat and Rocky fell silent, listening. A moment later, strange sounds
reached their
ears.
"Hey, that sounds like fighting!" Kat exclaimed, looking at the
others.
"Sounds like it's coming from over there," Rocky said, pointing to their
right.
Peering behind a clump of bushes, all three gasped in unison. Two girls, one dressed in a black
leather
body suit and the other in silver armor, were in the middle of a very heated battle. It was obvious
that the
girl in silver was hurt and wasn't likely to last much longer.
"We'd better but a stop to this," Rocky stated. The girls nodded in
agreement and Rocky called out, "It's morphin time!"
"Zeo Ranger I- pink!"
"Zeo Ranger II-yellow!"
"Zeo Ranger III-blue!"
Rocky pulled out his Zeo blaster and fired a shot in between the two
girl, knocking both to the ground.
"Haven't you ladies ever heard that it's bad manners to bring a fight
to a world that has enough problems already?" he called out.
The girl in black stood, but the other remained on the ground, still
stunned.
"Well now, who do we have here?" she purred, a small smile playing
on
her lips.
"Just call us the resident peace keepers," Rocky replied. "Now, since
you two are obviously new around here, these two lovely ladies and I are going
to give you the chance to walk away quietly, no questions asked. However,
if you choose not to take us up on the offer...."
He trailed off, and all three subtlety fingered their blasters.
"Look, I really don't wish to cause trouble," the girl in black said.
She gestured to the other girl, who was struggling to rise.
"This girl is my cousin, princess Zamira. Recently, she came in
contact with a wizard's spell that, when finally broken, left her very
confused. In her confusion, she came to believe that her family was not her
family and that she was in danger. She fled. I, being her closest friend,
was given the duty by her mother, my aunt, to find and bring her back, even if
it meant engaging her in battle."
"No! Don't…listen to her!" the other girl gasped, still struggling to get
up. Kat
went over and knelt next to her, examining her wounds. She looked up at her friends after a
moment and
spoke.
"I think her leg is broken."
"Perhaps you could assist me in getting her back to my base so that I
might repair any damage and get her home safely," the girl in black said.
"No," the other girl said weakly, "she's not my cousin. She means...
to take me back so her people... can sacrifice me."
She looked like she wanted to say more, but was unable to.
"There, that's the perfect example of what I've been telling you."
Kat looked into the stunning green eyes of the girl, then up at her
'cousin', and
suddenly had a very bad feeling.
"Please," the girl whispered, her eyes pleading, "don't let her take me."
"Call it a hunch," Rocky spoke up, "but I don't think she wants to
go with you. I don't blame her either. I get the feeling you're not who you
say you are."
"I don't this is any concern of yours," the girl in black responded
coldly. "I'm taking my cousin and leave and nobody is going to stop me. Now
step aside!"
She started forward, but stopped when Kat stood and fell into a
defensive position.
"You're not taking her anywhere!" she stated as Rocky and Tanya
moved
to join her.
"Sorry lady," Rocky added, "but if you want her, you'll have to go
through us
first." Before anyone could make a move, there was a flash of light followed by an exclamation
from
Tanya.
"Hey, she's gone!"
The other girl's eyes burned red with anger.
"You'll pay for that Rangers!" she growled softly. "You have no idea
how long it
took me to track that mouse here and I'll be damned if I'm going to let her get away again!"
"For someone whose supposed to be her cousin and best friend, you
sure have
some negative feelings happening," Rocky quipped. The girl glared at them and said, "You've
just made
yourselves a dangerous enemy."
"Well, does our "dangerous enemy" have a name?" Rocky asked in a
voice
laced with sarcasm. The girl's smile gave all three chills and her voice was just as cold as she
said,
"Zara."
Then, in a flash of black flame, she was gone.
"We'd better get back to the Power Chamber and tell Zordon about
this,"
Tanya said. Rocky and Kat nodded in agreement and the three quickly disappeared in flashes of
pink,
yellow and blue.
***
After Tommy and Jason arrived in the Power Chamber, the threesome
proceeded to tell about their strange encounter with the two girls.
"Before she disappeared, she said her name was Zara," Rocky finished.
"Ai-yi-yi! Oh no! Not Zara!" Alpha V wailed.
"You know her?" Tanya asked, looking up at Zordon. Before Zordon
could answer, Kat spoke up quietly.
"Let me guess. She's Zedd's niece isn't she?"
There was a moment of stunned surprise, then Zordon replied.
"Yes, Katherine, you are correct."
"How in the world did you know that?" Tanya asked, astounded.
"I... I don't know," Kat replied slowly, a puzzled expression in her blue
eyes. "It
was almost as though it was part of my instinct or something."
She looked up and a frown crossed her pretty features. "Jason? You
all right?"
They all turned their attention to Jason, who was staring into space,
his face pale.
"Jase? What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost man!"
Tommy
said, concern filling his brown eyes.
"Did... did she have a silver star in the middle of her forehead?"
he asked huskily.
"As a matter of fact, she did," Tanya replied, thinking back. This
caused Jason to turn even whiter, and Tommy grabbed his arm for fear that he
would fall over.
"Silver Star," he whispered. "She's here. I really did bring her
back with me."
"Zara's a fierce and powerful warrior," Kat said, causing the others
to once again look at her in surprise. Kat continued on, appearing not to
notice their looks. In fact, she appeared to be in a trance.
"Zara is Bagera's eldest daughter and the empire's most dangerous
warrior. She was the equivalent of ten or eleven earth years when Bagera
assigned her the task of pursuing and capturing Kamara. She has chased Kamara
for nineteen hundred years, returning home only once for the burial of her
twin sister, Katamina, who was killed in a battle with an enemy empire."
Kat blinked and looked around, the focus returning to her eyes.
"Sorry, what were we talking about?"
"Uh, Kat? Do you know what you just said?" Adam asked.
Kat looked at him curiously. "Yeah, I just asked what we were talking
about. It...
seems to have slipped my mind," she added slowly, putting a hand to her head.
"You just went though a history of Zara as though you knew her all
your life," Tanya said.
"Man, this is getting weird, you guys," Rocky put in as Kat's eyes
took on a look of confusion.
"Rangers, as Katherine said, Zara is a very dangerous enemy. It is
imparative that we locate Kamara and bring her into our custody before Zara
finds her again. Keep a close watch, for she had most likely disguised herself
as a human and is walking among you."
"Wait a minute," Tanya said, "You guys, what about Kara? I mean,
she's new,
she's traveling on her own, she even asked if we knew how to contact the Rangers!"
"You're right," Tommy jumped in, "she could definitely be Kamara."
"Rangers, keep a close eye on your friend. If you feel that there is no
doubt as to
her identity, confront her, and then bring her here."
The Rangers nodded, then teleported out.
***
PART 3
Kamara sat in a clearing in the middle of the forest, finishing the
repairs to her injuries. She had teleported herself there the previous day,
after escaping Zara, and had fallen into a deep sleep. When she had awakened,
she immediately set to work repairing herself. She had started with the minor
injuries, working her way up to her broken leg.
When she was done, she stood and tested her work. She smiled.
'With the exception of a few bruises, good as new.' As she began
walking out of the woods, her thoughts turned to the battle she had barely
escaped from. If she had known her energy level was as low as it was, she never
would have fought. She was grateful her three saviors showed up when they
did. She regretted not being able to thank them for buying her the time she
needed to teleport herself to safety. Perhaps they would meet again and she
would get her chance.
'They may even know how to contact the Power Rangers.'
"Kara! Hey, Kara wait up!"
Kamara, who was out of the forest and somewhere in the park, turned
to see who
was calling her. She smiled when she saw it was Jason, and quickly added more power to her
illusion,
remembering the strange effect he had on her.
"Hi Jason, how are you? It's a great morning isn't it?"
'Strange,' she thought, 'I'm suddenly sensing a power within him.'
Her thoughts were broken as Jason said, "Are you on your way to the
Youth
Center?"
"Yeah, I guess I am," she replied, hoping he didn't hear the slight
tension in her
voice.
'Is he working for Zara?' she wondered, 'better scan him.' She sent her
mind out
to him, searching for evil intentions. She mentally sighed in relief when she detected none and
decided
that whatever power he carried was pure and good.
"Great! How about I buy you a soda?" Jason was saying. She looked
up
at him and smiled, the tension she had felt, melting away. Upon arriving at the
Youth Center, they found the others already there. As she sat down, she once
again sensed power. She suppressed her surprise to find it was coming from
the others at the table. The power she felt was much the same as what she felt
in Jason and it confused her. She felt her own powers responding and struggled
not to loose control of her illusion.
'What's going on?' she wondered, 'I didn't sense this in them
yesterday. Why now all of a sudden? And why am I responding?'
"Where did you get those bruises Kara?" Kat asked in a concerned
voice.
Kamara looked down at her right arm where a nasty bruise showed
and
cursed herself for not hiding it better.
"Oh that," she grinned sheepishly. "I had a rough time in the pool
last night. I misjudged my jump from the diving board and whacked my arm on the
way down."
She paused, then decided to steer the topic away form herself. "Want
to spar a little with me Jason?" she asked.
"Sure, why not," Jason replied, exchanging quick glances with the
others as he stood. Once they were out of ear shot, Rocky spoke up.
"Well, that's new one. I expected her to say she walked into a wall or
fell down the stairs or something."
"Remember Rocky," Billy said, "She's probably not from this world,
so
therefore she doesn't know our more popular list of lame excuses."
"Looks like Jase has met his match," Tommy said with a grin,
watching
the pair spar. They watched as the pair basically took turns putting each
other flat on his or her back for several minutes.
Finally, they stopped and talked for a moment, then Kara nodded and
fell into a stance while Jason moved off to the side. She closed her eyes
and went through a series of strange, Tai-Chi-like movements. When she
finished, she motioned Jason over and slowly repeated the movements with
Jason mimicking her. It wasn't long before he had the moves mastered and the
twosome were moving fluently through the motions in perfect unison. At the
table, the six teens watched, transfixed.
"It's beautiful," Kat whispered in awe. The others nodded in silent
agreement.
***
Jason moved through the motions like he had known them all his life.
He felt
calm and relaxed. More so than he had ever felt in his life. He felt his mind open and reach out.
He
never felt more free. His mind suddenly touched upon something, startling him. It felt like
another
awareness, laced with power. Curious, he pushed his mind further, and was suddenly engulfed in
a silver
light. When the light cleared, he found himself in the middle of a majestic looking forest.
'Where in the world?' he thought, startled. He was in the middle
of a small clearing, surrounded by tall, almost proud trees. The forest
floor was lush green and flowers of all types and color littered the ground.
Jason was surprised to see that everything was tinged with silver, the
sky included. A movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention,
and he quickly spun towards it, dropping to a defensive position. His eyes
widened at what he saw. About twenty feet away, a pure white unicorn stood,
watching him calmly.
Seeing that she had his attention, she turned and walked back into the
forest, pausing only to look back at him, then continue on. Jason followed,
sensing that this was what she wanted. He lost sight of her for a moment as
he carefully climbed a steep path, and hoped she would wait for him. When he
reached the top, he discovered her standing several feet away, staring out over
the horizon.
Jason joined her and started when he found that they were at the edge
of a very steep cliff. He jumped back nervously as he saw the long drop and
looked at his guide. The beautiful beast was watching him with amusement in
her silverish-blue eyes.
'It's all right child,' her elegant voice whispered in his mind, 'you
are in no danger here.'
She turned her attention back to the horizon. Jason cautiously
approached and stood next to her, eyeing the drop suspiciously. Finally
managing to tear his eyes away, he looked up at the horizon and gasped.
Formed against a horizon of mountains and brilliant colors, was a
breathtaking, majestic castle of silver crystal. No words could describe
the view.
"Where….... where are we?" Jason whispered, finally finding his
voice.
'You will know in time child,' the unicorn replied. 'All you
need to know at this moment is that you and your friends will one day
play an important part in this kingdom's survival.' Her eyes took on a
sad look. 'Great evil and treachery will descend upon it in a time of
long deserved peace. Not even their greatest warrior will be able to
defeat this evil. Only the power you and your friends possess will be
able to save this world.'
"Who are you?" Jason asked softly, unable to tear his eyes away from
the beauty he was seeing. "How do you know all this?"
'I am the spiritual guardian of this world. That is all I can tell
you at present, golden power child. Your presence here indicates that you are
the one who shares the incredible bond with the future queen of this world. I
can no longer provide her with the protection she needs. Only you and the pink
power child can provide her with the protection she will need in the coming
battles.'
"Katherine?"
She nodded her great head. 'Yes, the pink one will find that she
possesses and special immunity to most of the power of the evil one.'
The guardian paused, then added, 'but I have told you too much. It
is time for you to return.'
She rested her horn on Jason's forehead and her voice whispered softly
in his mind.
'You will not remember anything of this meeting, other than the fact
that you must protect the princess. All else you have been told will remain in
the back of your subconsiousness, until the time is right. Now, power child...
return.'
Jason was once again engulfed in the silver light, and when it cleared,
he found himself back in the Youth Center, finishing the motions with Kara.
All memories of the meeting with the guardian vanished the instant he became
aware of his surroundings. They finished to a round of clapping. Startled,
they looked up to find that they had captured the attention of almost the
entire center. Blushing, they nodded their heads in acknowledgment. As the
audience dispersed, Jason turned to Kamara and spoke.
"Wow, that was amazing! I've never felt anything like it!"
Kamara smiled, a sad look in her green eyes. "That was my first
reaction," she said softly. "I learned it from a special friend I met in my
travels. It's always served to relax me and make me feel better when I'm
down."
She fell silent, and, for a split second, Jason thought he saw tears
in her eyes. But as fast as they had come, they were gone, leaving Jason to
wonder if he had actually seen anything at all.
"Uh, Kara?" he said, remembering something he wanted to ask her.
"Yes?" She looked up at him and Jason's heart skipped a beat as their
eyes met.
"Uh, there's a spring dance here tonight and I was wondering if you'd
like to go with me?"
Kamara's expression lit up. "I'd love to Jason," she replied,
smiling.
Jason smiled back. "Great! Meet you here at seven?"
Kamara nodded. "It's a date!"
***
Later that evening, Katherine and Tanya, chattering animatedly,
walked through
the park on their way to the dance at the Youth Center. Both girls were wearing simple
sundresses.
Nothing too stylish, but just perfect for the occasion. As they walked, Kat suddenly got the
strangest
feeling that they were being watched. She stopped and turned, scanning the area.
"Kat?" what's wrong?" Tanya asked, stopping and looking back at her
friend.
"Do... do you get the feeling we're being watched?" Kat asked slowly.
"Always," Tanya replied with a smile. "It's probably just Zedd and
Rita. You know how they are." She shrugged dismissivly.
"No, it's not Zedd and Rita, I'm sure of that. I'm used to being watched
by them. I
know what it feels like because of my time with Rita.This feels different."
A rustle in the bushes off to their right startled them and they both
spun around, dropping to fighting stances. A tense moment later, a pitch
black cat emerged and looked at them curiously. Tanya looked at it and laughed.
"Look that! You're getting us both worked up over nothing! Come on,
let's get to the Youth Center. The guys are probably already there."
She turned and started walking again, but Kat remained where she was,
staring at the feline. The cat looked up at her with eerie yellow eyes that
seemed to shimmer. She didn't like it. There was something very wrong, very
unnatural about the feline that gave Kat goosebumps.
"Kat! Come on!" Tanya called. Kat tore her eyes away and looked
back
at Tanya. When she looked back, the cat was gone. "Coming!" she called back.
Throwing one last, uneasy glance around the area, she turned and
hurried to catch up with her friend.
***
The black cat reemerged from the bushed and watched to the girls
depart. It then
shimmered and a flash of light burst forth. When it cleared, Zara stood in its place, studding
Kat's
retreating form hard.
'There's something about you pink ranger,' she thought, 'and I'm going
to find out
what it is.'
***
Twenty minutes later, the girls were standing with the guys in a small
cluster at the snack table, laughing and talking. As a slow song came on,
Tommy turned to Kat, bowed slightly and offered her his hand.
"Care to dance, my lady?" he asked, his brown eyes sparkling. Kat
smiled and replied, "Of course Mr. Oliver."
She took his hand and he led her to the dance floor.
"Hey Jase," Rocky said softly, "Look who's here."
Jason looked in the direction Rocky indicated, and a small smile lit
his face. Kamara stood in the doorway, looking around curiously. She was
dressed in a knee high silverish green summer dress, which effectively set off
her dark red hair.
"Wow," Rocky murmured.
"I'll second that," Adam added, receiving a light punch in the
shoulder from Tanya.
"'Scuse me guys," Jason said, his eyes never leaving her as he made
his way over.
"Kara, you look fantastic!" he exclaimed when he reached her. She
smiled and glanced down at her dress.
"You don't think it's too much?"
"No way. It's perfect." He smiled and took her hand. "Want to
dance?"
Three and a half dances later, Tommy and Kat rejoined the others in
the corner at the snack table. Tommy chuckled as he scanned the crowd and spotted Jason and
Kara,
dancing
close, their eyes locked together.
"I don't think I've ever seen Jason this love struck before."
Billy looked around, then lowered his voice and said, "I crossed
referenced Kara's description with the description of the girl that you rescued, requesting the
probability
that
they're one and the same."
"And?" Tommy asked anxiously.
"There's a ninety eight point five percent chance that Kara is
Kamara."
Rocky let out a low whistle. "Wow, not much of a chance for error
is there?"
"We'd better watch ourselves guys," Tommy said, his gaze returning to
Jason and Kara. "If we're right about this, things could get real ugly real fast".
***
Kamara found herself once again struggling not to loose control of her
illusion as she swayed to the soft music in Jason's arms. She found she had
to use more power than usual to sustain the illusion, and couldn't understand
why. She also didn't understand the powerful bond she felt growing between
them. Nor the fact she liked being in his arms. That it felt right, somehow.
'What is it about you?' she thought as she gazed into his warm brown
eyes. 'How are you effecting me like this? Most importantly, why do I feel
so drawn to you? Like I've known you all my life?'
Her thoughts were interrupted as an all too familiar power penetrated
her senses. Tearing her eyes away, she looked towards the door and tensed
up slightly. Zara, disguised once again as Liz, stood there, looking around
with an interest that Kara didn't like.
"Something wrong?" She looked back and found Jason looking down
at her with a hint of concern.
"Um, no. Listen... do you want to go for a walk and get some air?"
"Yeah, all right," Jason replied with a nod. She took his hand and led
him towards the door in a path that guaranteed Zara wouldn't spot them.
Once outside, she turned to Jason and asked, "So, do you want to
walk in the park?"
Jason looked up at the dimming sky and said, "I have a better idea.
Come on, there's something I want to show you."
Ten minutes later, after a quick short cut through the park, they ended
up in a secluded area surrounded by forest.
"Come on, this way," Jason said, leading her up a short hill. At the top
was a small, grassy area that ended abruptly at a cliff with a steep drop. Taking her hand, Jason
led her
to within a few feet of the edge and pointed.
Kamara gasped as she took in the stunning view. It was even more
spectacular than the one she had seen the day she first arrived. The colors of the setting sun
deeply added
to the effect and she found herself speechless for several moments.
"Jason, it... it's beautiful," she said softly, finally finding her voice. Jason nodded.
"Yeah. Not too many people know about this place. I like to come up
here and just sit and think or practice my martial arts."
There was a moment of silence, and then Jason asked softly,
"Kamara?"
"Yes?" came the quiet reply. Jason hesitated, unsure how to phrase
his question. Finally, he decided on the direct approach.
"You're in trouble aren't you?"
He watched her stiffen, then relax and turn to him, a puzzled look on
her face. But she couldn't hide the tension-and slight fear-in her eyes.
"I'm... not sure what you mean."
"Yes, I think you do," Jason replied in a gentle, yet firm voice. "Kara,
you're
displaying all the classic symptoms of someone on the run. Especially one who's been on the run
a long
time. You never stay in one place very long, you're never completely relaxed, and you're
constantly
looking over you're shoulder like you're expecting someone to suddenly jump out and attack
you."
Kamara looked at him, ready to deny his words, but as she looked into
his eyes, she realized she couldn't. She looked away, tears filling her eyes.
"Yes," she whispered, "I am on the run."
'Bingo!' Jason thought. He put his hand on her shoulder and said,
"I can help you know." This caused her to spin around, terror in her tear-
filled eyes.
"No, Jason! Please, promise me you won't get involved! My pursuers
are dangerous. More dangerous than you could ever imagine!"
Jason was about to tell her that he knew who she was and also tell
her who he was, but something stopped him. He thought he heard a voice
whispering in the back of his mind, telling him it was not yet time.
'Time? What does that mean?' he thought, but the voice didn't answer.
Instead, Jason felt a force overcome him, keeping him from speaking the
information he wished to share with her. Unable to tell her what he knew,
he simply stood there and listened as she continued with a far away look.
"I... I lost so many people I loved because they intervened and
tried to help me. I would be broken beyond all hope if anything happened
to you because you tried to help." She paused, then added, "I'm searching
for a friend of my mother's. He has the power to help me and I'm close to
finding him, I can feel it. I don't want to run anymore. All I want is to
go home and see my family again. With his help, I'll be able to do that."
She turned away and looked out at the dying light of the sun, the
tears flowing freely down her cheeks.
"I'm so tired of making friends and falling in love only to watch them
suffer or die at the hands of that wretched creature!" she whispered.
Jason reached out and gently turned her so she was facing him. Their
eyes met and locked. Despite her emotional state, Kamara's heart was racing at the fact they
were only
inches apart.
He gently stroked her tear-stained face, causing shivers to race up and
down her spine. She closed her eyes as Jason's head slowly moved towards hers. Seconds later,
their lips
met in a soft, gentle kiss that seemed to go on forever. When they finally broke apart, Kamara
sighed and
leaned her head against his chest, looking at the last rays of the sunset. They remained that way
for a
long time.
PART 4
"It's definitely her," Jason said the next morning as he joined Tommy,
Rocky, and Adam in the park. Jason quickly explained what she had told him,
leaving out the more private details.
"So what's our next move?" Rocky asked when Jason had finished.
"We're going to have to confront her and soon," Tommy said, "I doubt
things are going to stay quiet for much longer."
"Got it covered bro," Jason said, his gaze fixed on a figure a short
distance away. The voice that had spoken to him the night before was back,
whispering to him that the time was now right. He felt the restraint that had
been placed on him lifted, and the urge to tell her everything rushed at him,
almost overwhelming him.
"I'll catch up with you guys later," he said, rushing off toward the
figure.
Tommy looked at Rocky and Adam and said, "I'll meet you guys at the
Youth Center in a bit. I have something's to take care of."
Tommy took off in the opposite direction as Rocky and Adam nodded
and
continued on.
***
"Hey," Jason said in greeting when he reached her, "We need to
talk."
Kamara looked at Jason's serious expression and frowned, suddenly
nervous.
"Okay, what about?"
"Not here," Jason said, looking around at the people scattered about.
"Come on,
this way."
He took her hand and led her to a secluded, deserted area of the park
where they could talk without being observed. Taking a deep breath, he looked
her in the eyes and spoke.
"Kamara, I know."
Kamara looked at him blankly. "What do you...?" Her voice trailed
off and her eyes widened. "What... what did you call me?"
"Kamara. I know who you are, where you're from.... everything."
Kamara's eyes suddenly took on fear, and she started backing away.
Jason quickly, but gently grabbed her arm to keep her from bolting and said:
"No, no, it's all right. I don't want to harm you, I want to help you."
"Who... who are you?" Kamara asked, her voice tinged with
suspicion.
Instead of replying, Jason followed a powerful urge. He cupped her
face in his hands, and pressed his lips to hers in a long, firm kiss. That
was all Kamara could take. The power she was drawing on to keep her
illusion in place wavered and was cut off. Without the power to keep it
operating, the illusion slowly melted away. The first to appear was the
silver star in the center of her forehead. It glowed softly, then intensified
into a bright flash of light that enveloped them both. When it cleared, they
were no longer in the park, but a very familiar looking forest. They broke
apart, her eyes glowing silver beneath her golden mask. With a brilliant
flash of green, they returned to normal, holding a stunned expression as she
looked at him. Her gaze moved past and behind them and her eyes widened even
more.
"White Mist!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with joy. A flood of
memories rushed back to Jason as he turned and saw the unicorn. Kamara rushed
forward and embraced the beast lovingly.
"Why haven't you come to me for so long? I miss our walks and
talks.
"So that's your name," Jason said, stepping forward. Kamara looked at
him, surprised.
"You know one another?"
'Kamara, golden one, listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you,'
White Mist's voice echoed through their minds before Jason could respond. 'What
I have to tell you is very important. Kamara, the reason I have not appeared
to you in so long is because your time of fleeing is drawing to an end. Earth
is the final battle that will decide your fate. Although I will never leave
you, I can no longer fully protect you as I have for so many centuries. The
duty has been passed to the golden power child, who possesses a part of the
power needed that I cannot give to truly defeat Zara. The two of you have
finally completed an incredible bond. You are soul mates, which may seem
strange to you considering you are from different worlds and galaxies. However,
despite the great differences, you are both mortal. The love you share goes
far beyond that of mortal love, however. You will find that you can hear one
another's thoughts and feel one another's pain.'
She paused, and a far away look entered her silverish blue eyes. When
they cleared, she continued, 'My time grows short. Listen carefully, in times
of battle, when you are in serious trouble and need help, you may call on me.
Remember,' she added as she began to fade, 'I am always with you. Just look
in your hearts.'
As her image faded, so did the forest. Moments later, they were back
in the park and Kamara was once more in her normal clothes. Her illusion,
however, remained non-existent. She looked up at Jason, her eyes glowing in
reaction.
"Jason? Are you.... ugh!" She was abruptly interrupted as a powerful
blast hit her from behind, throwing her to the ground. Pain exploded from
somewhere within Jason and he fell to his knees, gasping.
"Kamara, are you... all right?" he wheezed. His answer came with
the feelings that enveloped him. The blast that had struck her had left
her very hurt and very weakened. She was also bleeding, he discovered as
his hand came in contact with a wet substance. A low chuckle caught his
attention and he looked behind him to find a girl, clad all in black, matching
Zara's description.
"Stand away human, and you won't get hurt. Your little girlfriend is
coming with me."
"Over my dead body!" Jason snarled. He felt a surge of power flow
through him and guessed Kamara was trying to help him. He stood and shouted, "It's morphin
time! Gold Ranger Power!"
"Well, well," Zara purred, "so you're one of the Rangers. I'm going to
enjoy this."
She launched herself at Jason and the battle was on.
After several moments of trading blows, Jason began to weaken. He
was painfully aware that Kamara was barely conscious, and it was severely affecting
him.
_Gotta get help!_ he thought as he stumbled. Through the haze that
was clouding his senses, he saw Zara send an energy bolt at him. Before he
could act, it hit him square in the chest. He felt pain explode through him
and, in a shower of sparks, fell to the ground.
He heard Kamara cry out weakly as the pain extended to her and felt
fear rise in his stomach.
"Zordon!" Jason yelled into his communicator in a pain filled voice,
"this is Jason! I... need help... now!" With that said, the last of the
energy feed faded, and he collapsed, fighting the darkness that threatened to
overtake him. Zara smiled and slowly walked towards him, energy crackling in
her hands.
"Say goodbye, Ranger," she murmured.
"Not so fast Zara!" a familiar voice shouted. She looked up and was
immeaditly assaulted with lazer blasts. She hit the ground hard and lay still
for a moment, stunned. Shaking her head, she looked up and saw the three
Rangers she had argued with a few days earlier, plus one more, this one green.
"How many of you brats are there?" she muttered, standing. "I told you
before, Rangers," she called, "Nobody is going to stop me from taking the girl
back where she belongs!"
"Is that a fact?" Rocky shot back, "Looks like we're doing a pretty
good job of that so far!"
Eyes burning with anger, Zara discharged the energy she still held in
her hands, which they skillfully dodged. They'd been fighting for less than a
minute, when a sharp voice rang out, "Enough!"
The battle stopped, and everyone turned in the direction of the voice.
Tommy, clad in his Ranger uniform, stood a few feet away from where Tanya
knelt, checking Kamara and Jason over, and protecting them from the fury of
battle.
"Rangers! Fall back!" he ordered in a voice that suggested he would
not tolerate disobedience. As the Rangers went to their leader, Zara spoke.
"Well now, you must be the one in charge of this energetic little
group. Now maybe I can talk to someone with some real authority."
She empathized authority, glaring at Rocky, who glared back under his helmet.
Tommy ignored her and put a warning hand on Rocky's shoulder. Looking
down at Tanya, he asked, "How are they?"
"Kamara's unconscious. She looks like she may be hurt pretty bad," she added,
raising a blood stained, gloved hand. "Jason's not in too good a shape
either, but I think he's still conscious."
"Get them back to the Power Chamber and have Billy and Alpha check
them out."
"Wait!"
Tanya paused and looked at Zara uncertainingly.
"Look," Zara said in her best pleading voice, "I know what those three
told you about our encounter the other day didn't sound so good. But you must
believe me, all I want to do is take the girl back to her family where she
belongs."
"Forget it, Zara," Tommy said coldly. He signaled to Tanya, who
disappeared with their injured friends in a flash of colored light. Tommy
turned back to Zara and added, "We know all about you and your little hunting
spree. As of now, Princess Kamara is officially under the protection of the
Power Rangers! You want her, you'll have to go through us first!"
Zara's eyes flashed a ruby red as she stared at the teens in a way that
sent chills through all of them. The red flickered momentarily as her gaze
stopped on Kat. Kat shifted uncomfortably and unconsciously fingered her
blaster as she glanced at Tommy.
'Hmm,' Zara thought, 'as much fun as it would be to take them all on
at once, I think it would be much wiser to retreat and gather up a force of
whatever uncle Zedd has to offer. Besides, I want a chance to call upon my
more special powers to fight their leader with. Taking him down will require
a lot of strength and brute savagery.'
"This is far from over Rangers! I'll be back!"
She disappeared in a flash of black flame. Adam was the only one who
noticed Kat's shoulder's sag in relief. Before he could say or do anything
however, Tommy ordered the return to the Power Chamber.
"Billy, how are they?" Tommy asked as soon as they arrived. "Kamara's
in pretty bad shape, but I think she'll pull through." Billy replied.
"And Jason?"
Billy frowned and looked at Jason. "It's strange. According to the
scans, he should be all right. He has a few minor injuries, but they shouldn't
be affecting him like this."
"He also keeps mumbling something about a bond and something called
'White Mist'," Tanya added.
"Ai-yi-yi!" Alpha suddenly exclaimed, "I don't believe it!"
They all turned to where Alpha stood, holding a scanner over Jason and
comparing the results to a second scanner in his other hand.
"Alpha, what's wrong?" Tommy asked in concern.
"Jason seems to be reacting to Kamara's injuries."
"What does that mean?" Rocky asked.
"Well, it appears as though he's sharing her pain," Billy explained,
picking up a strange device and going over to Kamara.
"What are you doing Billy?" Kat asked.
"Watch," Billy replied, flicking a switch. They all jumped as an electrical
current flared up, surrounding the upper part of the gizmo. Tommy quickly grabbed Billy's wrist,
keeping him from moving.
"Billy, are you nuts!?"
"It's all right Tommy," Billy replied calmly. "This won't hurt her
anymore than she already is. Just watch."
Tommy hesitated a moment, then his trust in Billy took over and he
let go of the other boy's wrist. Billy put the electrical current down
lightly on Kamara's arm, and they watched as Jason reacted.
"See? He seems to be reacting to Kamara's pain. I don't understand how
he's doing it. What do you think, Zordon? Zordon?"
Billy turned and looked up, as did the others. Zordon's eyes held a
far-away look, as though he was communicating with someone telepathically.
Finally, after several moments, his eyes refocused and he looked down at the
teens.
"Rangers, I have just spent the last several moments communicating with
someone who has given me the answers to your questions. First of all, White Mist is not the
name of a
place or a thing, but is the name of the spiritual guardian of Silvermist, Kamara's home world.
She has
informed me that Jason and Kamara share a special bond that enables them to, among other
things, feel
one another's pain. Because their bond is so new and strong, Jason reacted to Kamara's pain and
injuries
like they were his own. There was no time for the bond to readjust itself to a level where their
reactions
to one another would not be quite so severe."
He paused, looking as though he was listening to something. Finally,
he spoke again. "Rangers, Kamara must be conscious to fully heal herself. All
six of you must lend a hand in helping to revive her, so that she may
accomplish this task."
"How do we do that?" Adam asked.
"First, each of you place a hand on a part of her upper body, close to
her heart. Except for you Kat," he quickly added as the six teens began to do
as instructed. "I have been told that you are to place your hand over the
star in the center of her forehead."
Once everyone was in place, Zordon continued. "Now, close your eyes,
and allow your energies to flow. Do not be alarmed should you feel a slight
pull, it is just Kamara taking samples to help pull herself back to
consciousness. The teens did as they were told, and each jerked as they felt
the pull Zordon told them about. The pulling suddenly subsided, and they
opened their eyes with a start as Kat gasped loudly. Looking at her, they
found that she was staring straight ahead, with a fixed, vacant look in her
eyes and was surrounded in a soft, pink aura.
"Zordon, what's going on?" Tommy asked in alarm, reaching out for
Kat.
"Do not touch her Tommy. She is not in any danger. It would appear that
Kamara is drawn to Katherine's energy and is using her alone to complete the task at hand."
'Billy, Adam, Rocky.' The three boys looked up at Zordon in surprise
as his voice echoed through their minds. 'Despite the fact that she is not in
physical danger, Tommy is not going to like what is about to happen. Be ready
to subdue him.'
The three looked at each other, then back at Zordon, and nodded. Tanya
was looking at them curiously, but Adam made a guesture that said he would
tell her later.
They all turned their attention towards Kat, the three guys subtly positioning
themselves by Tommy, ready to act if needed. Kat had turned, her hand still on Kamara's
forehead, and
was slowly reaching over to where Jason lay, eyes half closed and glazed over. The hand on
Kamara's
forehead flared with energy that traveled up Kat's arm, illuminating the rest of her body, and
traveling
down her other arm. As her fingers touched Jason's forehead, the soft pink glow exploded into a
silverish
pink.
Kat's eyes went wide and her head flew back as she released a startling
scream.
"Kat!" Tommy exclaimed, panicking. He started towards her, but Billy,
Rocky, and Adam quickly pounced on him, holding him back. He struggled against them, yelling
Kat's
name as she continued to scream.
After almost losing him three times, Zordon said, "Rocky, Adam, Billy,
take Tommy to another Chamber and keep him there until Katherine is finished."
"Easier said than done," Rocky muttered as they attempted to drag their
violently struggling leader from the chamber. Tanya watched the scene, stunned. Not knowing
what else
to do, she went to an out of the way spot and sat down to wait patiently.
"Chamber six, open!" Billy grunted as they approached one of the chambers.
"Don't let him go," Billy ordered as they entered. He left the struggling boys, hurried over to a
council
and punched in some codes.
"Hurry up Billy!" Rocky gasped.
"Okay," Billy said as the door slid closed and a red light blinked on.
"Let him go."
They released him and Tommy immediately ran to the door, trying to
force it open.
"Won't work, Tommy," Billy said, "I've got the security system
operating. The door won't open until the right codes are entered.
"Then open it, goddamit!" Tommy shouted, pounding the door with his
fist and whirling around angrily.
"Tommy," Zordon's filtered through a hidden speaker, catching his
attention, "You must understand that Katherine is in no danger and only in mild pain."
"That's supposed to make me feel better?" Tommy snapped, glaring around
the room. "Let me out of here, now!"
"I'm afraid not, Tommy. You are in an extremely high state of emotion.
Katherine has now entered a state where she can easily pick up on emotions around her. Should
she pick
up on yours, it would confuse her and interfere with what she is doing."
"I thought she was supposed to be feeding Kamara energy to help her
regain consciousness," Tommy said, his anger and panic still high. "I can see that's not
happening, so
what the hell is?"
"That is something that cannot be explained until Kamara regains
consciousness." His voice was firm as he added, "I know you are worried, but you must remain
here until
Katherine is finished."
Tommy stared at the door for a moment, then turned to the others, his
eyes flashing. It was obvious Zordon's words did nothing to calm him.
"Billy," he said in a low growl, "open this door, that's an order."
Billy's first instinct was to obey, but he forced himself to stay where he was
and respond, "I'm sorry, Tommy. I can't do that. You heard what Zordon said."
Rocky and Adam tensed as a dangerous glare entered Tommy's eyes. Billy
stared back at him calmly. Finally, Tommy, gave in and stalked over to the
other side of the chamber, where a few pieces of gym equipment waited, and
began beating a punching bag. Rocky and Adam let their breaths out in relief
and both noticed Billy visibly relax. The three boys stayed on the other side
of the room as Tommy pummeled the bag violently. It always made everyone,
particularly Billy, nervous whenever Tommy got in such a foul mood.
It reminded Billy too much of the days Tommy had spent as the evil
green Ranger. In fact, the only Ranger who wasn't afraid of Tommy when he was
this angry was Jason. Billy chalked it up to the fact that the two boys were
so close. Keeping an eye on Tommy, the threesome quietly sat down to wait.
***
"Uncle Zedd? Uncle Zedd! Where are you?"
Zedd snapped awake from where he was dozing on his throne to the
bellows of his niece.
"Oh in the name of the cosmos!" he grumbled, then shouted, "I'm in
here, damn it!"
Zara sauntered into the room and looked around. Where's Aunt Rita?"
she asked.
"How should I know? I gave up trying to keep tabs on that woman long
ago. She's probably in one of her spell rooms or something."
"Well, find her. She's going to want to hear what I have to say."
"And what's that?" Zara smiled.
"You'll hear about when Rita gets here. Let's just say it involves an all-out
war and the fall of Zeo Ranger V."
Zedd regarded her for a moment, then yelled, "Goldar! Get in here!"
"Yes, my lord?" the giant space ape growled as he entered the room.
"Find Rita and tell her to get here immediately." Zedd ordered. Goldar
nodded and left. Several moments later, Rita stalked into the room, yelling.
"Zedd, what the hell is so important that you had to send monkey boy
to disturb me during my spell memorization exercises?!"
"Chill, Aunt Rita," Zara said from where she was leaning against a wall,
casually filing her nails. "You're not going to mind the disturbance after you hear what I have to
say.
The Rangers my little mouse into their protective custody. I've chased that little bitch for
nineteen
hundred long years and I'm not about to let a bunch of human brats get in the way of finally
capturing
her. Now, here's my proposal. You provide me with an unlimited supply of monsters- meaning
Tengas,
Putties and whatever else you have around here- to help me launch a full scale, all-out war
against the
Rangers with Princess Kamara as the grand prize, and I'll provide you with something that will
help you
get the earth."
"And that is?" Rita asked, curious. A small smile played across Zara's
lips as she said, "The total annihilation of Zeo V."
"Ha!" Rita scoffed, "That's easier said than done, sweetheart! It's hard
enough just injuring them with those damn power suits, let alone actually killing one of them!"
Zara's smile became chilling. "That's the gag, dear auntie. You see, I
possess a special little power that can penetrate that pesky little suit of his and do some serious
damage.
I'm not going to give you all the juicy details. You'll just have to watch. The only problem is,
once I use
my power,I'm going to need at least two days sleep to recover from it. But it will be worth it to
see him go
down."
Zedd and Rita looked at one another for a moment. Then, Zedd said, "All
right Zara, we'll supply you with what you need. But this plan of yours had better work!"
"Don't worry uncle, it works every time." She paused, then added:
"I'm going to need some time to prepare. My power is... sleeping you might
say, and I'll need to wake it up carefully."
"How long do you need?"
"Twenty four hours."
"Fine. Goldar! Start preparing squadrons of Tengas and Putties! And
have Finster prepare a monster or two. We attack in twenty four hours!"
PART 5
It was well over an hour and a half later when Zordon signaled Billy
that he could open the door. As soon as the door opened, a calmer, but
still worried Tommy, rushed out and into the main chamber. A now fully
conscious Jason was sitting up, looking around in confusion while Tanya
helped an exhausted Katherine into a nearby chair. Kamara still lay on the
table, her body glowing softly while she muttered words in a language none of
them understood. Tommy hurried over and knelt next to Kat.
"Kat? You all right?" he asked anxiously.
"Yeah," Kat replied slowly, "Just really tired."
"Such is the price of your gift." They all looked over to see Kamara
sitting up, watching them with Jason sitting beside her.
"Gift? What...?" Kat's voice trailed off as sleep overtook her.
"She'll sleep for a good hour or two," Kamara said, looking around. "Are
you who I think you are?" When Jason nodded, she asked: "Has my search finally ended?"
"Yes, Princess," Zordon boomed, causing her to look up in surprise.
"Are you Zordon?" she asked, unfazed by the unusual situation she was
facing.
"Yes. I am glad to see that you have survived all these centuries and
have at last made it here."
Kamara smiled. "It wasn't easy. I've come across so many worlds
similar to Earth. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever find the right one."
Her attention drifted back to Kat, who was sleeping soundly on a cot
Tommy had placed her on. "I'm going to have to show her how to keep that power quiet. It's
awfully
distracting."
"Kamara, what are you talking about?" Tommy asked, "What power?"
"Well," Kamara answered slowly, "I'll explain what I can to you. This
is all very strange and confusing to me to. Katherine has a power deep within
her. When you all were trying to revive me with your energies, I was drawn
specifically to hers. I think that when she put her hand on the star, a part
of that power awakened and came to the surface. Like I said before, I was
drawn to it. So, instead of using of your energies to help me revive quickly,
I used hers. It took longer, but it felt right, somehow. She now shares a
small part of the bond that Jason and I share. I'm not quite certain what
what this power of hers will do, but I do know that part of it is healing."
She winced and put a hand to her head at the same time Jason did.
"Man, that hurts!" he grunted.
"What? What's going on?" Tanya asked. Kamara didn't answer. Instead,
she went over and sat next to Kat. She put a hand on Kat's heart and closed
her eyes as the star on her forehead and her hand began to glow. A frown
passed over her pretty features, a moment later, and she opened her eyes
to look at them.
"The power... it's upset," she said in a slightly perplexed voice.
"It wants to be whole again and is trying to summon the rest of itself out
of... I guess you would call it hibernation."
"Wait a minute," Rocky interjected, holding up his hands, "You're
talking as though this power is alive or something."
Kamara hesitated, then said, "Well... in a way it sort of is."
Her statement was met with startled looks. "I'm feeling what may
be a presence deep within her. But this power is in such an uproar and
what I'm feeling is so deep down that I can't be sure." She winced again,
a sharp pain only she and Jason could feel. "If there is a power in her,"
she added, "I'm not so sure we want it waking up and joining the rest of
itself. There's something here, just on the edge, that's giving me a very
uneasy feeling."
"So, how do we keep this power from 'waking up' whatever's there?"
Rocky asked.
"I'll just have to subdue it a bit until I can show Kat how to do it on
her own. Jason, could you help me?"
Jason came over and she took his hand, placing it over her own,
then covering it with her other hand. Instinctively, Jason closed his eyes,
and opened his mind to their power link. The silver glow beneath their hands
brightened and became mixed with gold. The glow lasted several seconds, then
subsided and winked out. The pair opened their eyes, relief evident in their
expressions.
"That will keep it quiet until I can show her how to control it
herself." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I need some air.
Anyone care to join me?"
The others declined, but Jason nodded and, taking her hand, teleported
out in a flash of gold and silver light.
***
Jason and Kamara walked close, hand in hand, along the nearly deserted
beach. Kamara stopped to watch the water, a far away look in her eyes.
"Thinking about home?" Jason asked softly, already knowing the
answer.
"Among other things," she responded just as softly. She turned and
looked up at him, her bright green eyes locking with his brown ones. Jason
reached out and gently stroked her cheek with his fingers.
"Kara," he said huskily, "I.. I've never felt about anyone the way
I feel about you. I hardly know you and yet, I feel as though I have all my
life."
"I feel the same way, my love," she whispered. "I've never loved
anyone as much as I love you."
They fell silent, staring into each other's eyes, their minds filling
them with the love of the other. Their eyes closed and, as one, their lips met.
***
Zara sat in the center of a circle of candles, chanting in an ancient language
as she prepared for the coming battle. She opened her eyes and waved a hand. An image of
Tommy as
the evil green ranger appeared. She smiled as she watched the replay of his deeds under Rita's
spell.
"Such a waste," she whispered as the image faded and was replaced with
one of Tommy fighting along side the other Rangers. "He was so great at being
evil. To bad he's so unpredictable or I might be tempted to spare him and
make him mine."
The image changed to show him as the White Ranger, then Zeo V. She
frowned as she watched the image.
'Hmm, I can't continue with this until I fight him." She got up and
left the chamber, making her way to the throne room.
"Uncle," she said as she entered, "I'm going down to Earth to engage
the Rangers in battle. I'm going to need a few Tengas to get them out in the
open."
"What? What happened to the twenty four hours you wanted?"
"Oh, I still want it. I just need to fight Tommy so I can add a
little something special to my surprise."
"Very well. I'll send Goldar with you." Zara smiled, then left for
Earth.
"Wow, she's amazing," Jason said softly to no one in particular. The
others exchanged amused glances.
The group was sitting at a table in the Youth Center, watching Kat and
Kamara as they went through a Tai chi movement. In actuality, Kamara was
teaching Kat how to use, control, and subdue her power. They hadn't been doing
it long when an all to familiar chiming reached their ears.
"Figures," Tommy muttered, standing and moving to a secluded corner.
"This is Tommy, what's up?"
"Tommy," Billy's voice filtered through, "Goldar and some Tengas just
appeared in the park."
"All right, we're on it."
"No, wait! The sensors are detecting another presence, but we're not
sure who it is. Use extreme caution on this one. Something may be up."
"Right. Teleport Kamara to the Power Chamber would ya?"
"Right."
As Kamara vanished, Tommy called out, "It morphin time!"
"Zeo Ranger I Pink!"
"Zeo Ranger II yellow!"
"Zeo Ranger III Blue!"
"Zeo Ranger IV Green!"
"Zeo Ranger V Red!"
"Gold Ranger Power!"
Seconds later, the teens appeared to a crowd of panicked people being
chased about by Tengas.
"Zeo II," Tommy said, mindful of the crowd, "you and Zeo III and IV
get these people out of here. The rest of us will keep Goldar and the Tengas
busy."
"Right!"
A strange sensation overcame Kat as she fought off a pair of Tengas.
She knew there was someone else very close by and it was affecting her deeply.
She dispatched the two, then activated her communicator.
"Billy, this is Kat. Can you get a fix on whoever that other presence
is?"
"Yeah, hold on a second, I'm getting some readings now." Billy's
voice replied. There was a short pause and then Billy spoke.
"Kat, It's Zara. Uh oh. She's about two hundred feet behind Tommy!"
Kat spun around and, sure enough, there was Zara, preparing for a
sneak attack on Tommy.
"Oh no you don't!" Kat muttered, drawing her blaster and firing. She
watched as the blasts hit Zara, who fell to the ground, surprised and stunned.
"How do you like being on the receiving end of a sneak attack Zara?"
Kat asked as Zara picked herself up. Zara hissed and glared at her.
"I don't have time to play games with you my little kitten. I'm here
for one thing and one thing only, and that doesn't involve you."
She released a bolt of energy that should have knocked Kat clear
across the field.
"Katherine!" Tommy shouted, having seen the attack. He started
forward, but stopped in surprise as the smoke from the blast cleared. Kat
stood in the same spot she had been, seemingly unharmed.
"What?!" Zara exclaimed, her eyes widening slightly.
'Well now, isn't this an interesting little development.'
"Kat! You all right?" Tommy asked as he and the others joined her. Kat
was looking at her hands and down at the rest of her body in confusion.
"I... Yeah, yeah I'm fine," she said, her voice shaky with surprise.
Tommy looked from her to Zara and back again, then activated his communicator.
"Billy, teleport Kat back to the Power Chamber and check her over."
As Kat was teleported out Tommy turned to Zara and spoke.
"All right Zara, it's just you and us!"
Zara smiled. "Actually sugar, I was hoping it would be just you and
me." Her ice blue eyes radiated coldness as she looked at him. "Do you
Rangers accept one on one challenges?"
"Careful bro," Jason murmured. "She's up to something."
"Yeah," Tommy replied softly. "Be prepared, guys, just in case."
Raising his voice, he shouted, "All right Zara! You're on!"
The others moved a respectful distance away, but remained ready in
case they were needed. The pair circled each other, each waiting for the
other to make the first move. Finally, Zara lashed out and the fight was on.
'Hmm, he's very good,' Zara thought, 'Very strong, both physically and
mentally. I'm going to need something extra special for this one.' An idea
suddenly struck her. 'Let's see how good he is with a sword.'
She raised her hand skyward and an evil looking, black sword appeared
in her hand. Tommy started as a pair of glowing, cat like eyes appeared on
the hilt, just above where her hand gripped it. Recovering, Tommy quickly
summoned his power sword and the two went at it once more.
'Well now, I think I have something here,' she thought, blocking a blow
that caused her to stumble back several steps. 'Time to get out of here and
put what I've learned to good use.'
She threw an energy bolt at the ground in front of him, stopping him
from advancing further.
"Sorry to cut the game short sugar," she purred, "but I've got to run.
Don't worry," she added with a chilling smile, "We'll be finishing this real
soon."
She winked, then disappeared in a flash of black flame.
***
*Power Chamber
"I'm fine Billy, really," Kat repeated for what seemed to be the
hundredth time since she'd been teleported back. She tried to sit up,
but Billy gently but firmly pushed her back down onto the table.
"I'm sure you are Kat. But we need to be absolutely certain. I saw
that that blow you took and by my calculations, it was strong enough to
breech your suit. You should have been knocked out. Now just lie still
and let me finish this."
As soon as he finished his sentence, five colored beams of light
appeared, signaling the return of the others.
"How is she, Billy?" Tommy asked, removing his helmet.
"Irritated." Kat replied, earning a smile from Billy.
"Well," he said, "amazingly enough, she seems to be all right."
"That's what I've been telling you ever since I got here!" Kat said,
her annoyance rising. Kamara was the only one who spotted the soft, pink glow
forming around her clenched fists. She felt the other girl's agitation and
dangerously rising surge of power. Evidently, so did Jason, for he was looking
at Kamara in alarm.
"Katherine, calm down," she said firmly, going over to her. "Your
power level is getting dangerously high."
Their eyes met, and Kamara suppressed a gasp. "Move away!" she
ordered the others sharply. Kat's eyes had taken on a wild look and her
breathing had become heavy. Kamara put a hand on Kat's forehead and closed
her eyes, searching Kat's mind. "Her power is reacting to Zara's energy,"
she reported, "She must let it out, quickly! Jason, help me get her to her
feet. Billy, teleport us somewhere deserted, where it won't matter if
something gets blown up."
Billy nodded, and when she and Jason had Kat on her feet, teleported
them out. The others watched in the viewing globe as the threesome appeared
in the quarry. Kamara and Jason left Kat standing on her own and ran behind
some boulders for cover. Kat's body crackled with energy and, as they watched,
lightning struck the ground all around her. She raised her hands to the sky
and her head snapped back as the lightning struck her. One hand flew down
in front of her and the other off to the side. In unison, crackling pink
energy flew from her hands, causing to earth shattering explosions as they
collided with the rocks.
The energy flow finally stopped and Kat collapsed to her knees. Kamara
and Jason ran over and knelt next to her. Jason's voice then echoed through
the Power Chamber.
"Billy, Teleport us back."
When the threesome reappeared, Kat was clinging to Kamara, shaking
badly.
"Shh, it's all right, it's all right," she whispered soothingly. She
looked up at Tommy, who came over and knelt down on Kat's other side. He put a
hand on her shoulder and she looked over at him with frightened, confused eyes.
She reached out, and he gathered her in his arms, picked her up and laid her
back down on the examining table.
"Sleep now," Kamara whispered, placing a glowing hand on the distraught
girl's forehead. Kat sighed as her eyes closed, and she fell into a deep sleep.
"Wow, that was something else," Kamara, letting her breath out in a
rush.
"Kamara, what in the world is going on here?" Tommy asked.
"You do know, don't you?" Adam added hopefully.
Kamara nodded. "Yes. I've seen this happen several times before, but I
never thought I'd see Zara involved in one!" She paused, collecting her
thoughts. She looked each teen in the eye before saying, "Katherine's power
has made her immune to Zara. That little exchange between them set it off,
and that little episode just now sort of... well sealed the bargain. Once
she wakes up, she'll be completely immune to most of Zara's power. There
will be parts of Zara's power that she won't be immune to but, depending on
the strength of the blow, it shouldn't hurt her to much."
"Will she have another surge like that?" Tanya asked. Kamara shook
her head.
"Luckily, no. That was just the power's way of adjusting. But I'd
keep an eye on her just the same. These things can be unpredictable at times."
She paused, then added, "Now we just have to worry about how Zara's
going to react to this."
***
Zara once again sat in the middle of the circle of candles, eyes
closed. It had been several hours since the battle where she had discovered two
things. One; she now had the perfect way of using her power to dispatch Tommy,
and two; Katherine was immune to her. She now had a very serious, very
shocking hunch about the Pink Ranger, but she'd have to deal with that later.
Right now, she had to finish the last stage of her preparation.
Her eyes snapped open, and when she spoke, her voice echoed eerily
around the chamber.
"Forces of evil, mother of darkness, hear me!"
She stood and held a container up in the air.
"Provide me, your daughter, with your poisoned blood!"
She closed her eyes, feeling the forces she had called upon stir and
begin to work their evil magic. She opened her eyes, looked in the container,
and smiled. It was full of a black, bubbling liquid. She took it and placed
it on a table next to her sword. She once again closed her eyes and this
time, went deep into her soul, searching for the certain power she knew was
there. She found it and took a firm hold. She put a finger in the liquid,
then carefully began releasing the power.
'Careful, not too much at once,' she told herself. 'Easy, concentrate.
Just about there... now! Stop!'
She pulled her finger from the liquid and cut the power. She shuddered
as she released her grip, allowing the power to return to the deepest depths
of her soul. Zara opened her eyes and looked at the liquid again. It had
turned a sinister blood red. She laughed to herself as she watched it slowly
turn back to black.
She picked the container up, put the sword in it's place, and carefully
poured the liquid over the blade. A small flame flared up then died and the
blade turned red, then black, then back to it's dark, silvery color. A smile
of pure evil played across her lips as she took hold of the sword and raised
it to eye level.
"Watch out Red Ranger," she purred. "Your hours are numbered."
PART 6
Kamara stood, breathing in the crisp, morning air and staring out at
the horizon, uneasy feelings coursing through her veins. A small smile
crossed her lips as she suddenly felt Jason's mind behind her.
'Good morning Jason,' she thought, her eyes still on the horizon.
"Kara," Jason gently chided, slipping his arm around her shoulders,
"what are you doing out alone? You know Zordon told you not to leave the Power
Chamber without at least one of us with you."
Kamara smiled at his protectiveness. "I've lasted this long, Jason. I
think I can survive a morning walk. Besides, if I ran into trouble I couldn't
handle, you'd know."
They were silent for a moment, then Kamara asked, "Jason?"
"Yeah?" "Are... are you getting any bad feelings?"
"Just what I'm picking up from you. What's wrong?"
"I don't know," she answered slowly. She turned and looked at him.
"Ever since I woke up this morning, I've had this intensely bad feeling that
something is going to happen. It's not just a feeling in my mind either. It's
in the air. The whole... atmosphere is so... tense." She glanced around.
"Hell, even nature knows something's wrong!"
"Hey, relax," Jason said, putting a hand on her cheek.
"I can't relax Jason. Something's going to happen today. Something
bad. And it's scaring me."
"Hey," Jason said softly, "don't be scared. I'm not going to let
anything happen to you. I promise."
"It's not me I'm worried about," she whispered.
***
Billy checked his watch. It was nearly noon. The others would be
waiting for him at the Youth Center so they could eat lunch together, then
catch a movie. He crawled out from under the computer council he'd been
working on and stood.
"Hey Alpha, I'm going to take off now. I'll be back...."
He was abruptly cut off by the wail of the alarm. He looked in the
viewing globe and his eyes widened slightly.
"Oh man," he murmured softly. He quickly pushed a button and spoke.
"Tommy, this is Billy, come in."
"Billy, I read you. What's up?"
"Trouble. Big trouble. Zara and the biggest army of Tengas and
Putties I've ever seen have just appeared in the park. You'd better get
over there fast. I'll teleport Kamara here right away."
He pushed another button and Kamara appeared seconds later. Together,
the pair looked in the viewing globe and found the rangers already on the
scene, confronting Zara.
***
"What's the matter Rangers?" Zara called, "Afraid to let Kamara out to
play?"
"Quite the opposite Zara!" Tommy retorted, "she just has better things
to do than waste her time with you!"
"Well then," Zara returned with a smile, "Let's get this party started
shall we? Putties! Tengas! Attack!"
The two groups rushed forward to meet each other, and the battle began.
Tommy fought his way through to where Zara was standing, watching the fight,
and shouted, "Hey Zara! In case you've forgotten, we have some unfinished
business to take care of!"
Zara smiled and dropped to a fighting Stance. "Oh, I haven't
forgotten, sugar. In fact, I've been looking forward to it."
She lashed out with a fierce blow that Tommy ducked, then retaliated
with one of his own. After several moments of trading blows, Zara decided
to step things up a bit. There was a flash of light around her hands, and
cat like claws appeared. Grinning, she swiped at him, connecting with his
chest. Tommy gasped and pressed a hand to the spot she had connected with,
stumbling back a few steps.
'Damn!' he thought, looking down at the blood on his glove and then at
the tears in his uniform, 'her claws cut right through my suit like it was
cheese! Have to watch out for them.'
He took a quick glance around to see how the others were doing, and
found it wasn't well. In addition to the seemingly endless flow of Putties
and Tengas, a monster had also joined the fight. He also spotted Zedd and
Rita standing not to far away, watching the Battle with unsurpassed glee.
'Damn!' "Billy!" he exclaimed into his communicator while avoiding
Zara's claws at the same time, "we're getting swamped down here! If you've
got any new tricks, now would be the time a good time to share!"
He grunted as the claws raked across his left arm.
"All right, that's it!" he muttered, pulling out his blaster....
***
"Zordon, let me join them," Kamara said, turning from the viewing globe
and looking up at the interdimensional being. "It's far too much for
them to handle alone."
Zordon looked hesitant, so Billy spoke up.
"She's right Zordon. It's probably not a good idea to pull them out of
battle with the numbers as great as they are, and her power easily
equals that of two or more rangers. She'd be of great help."
Zordon considered his words, then nodded. "Very well, but use caution,
Kamara. This may be a ploy to get you out in the open."
Kamara nodded, bowing her head in acknowledgment and respect. Raising
her head, she called out, "I call upon the powers of Silver Star!"
Once she was changed, Billy Teleported her to the battle field.
Looking around, she spotted Tanya and Adam rapidly being over powered and
decided to help them first. She raised a hand to the sky and a sudden, fierce
wind blew up as she called upon her power.
"Silver lightning!" she shouted at the same time a bolt of silver,
jagged lightning entered her hand. She brought her hand down, aiming at the
group swarming over her two friends and shouted, "Strike!"
Faster than the eye could follow, the lightning flew from her hand
and struck the attackers, who exploded, leaving behind a mess of putty and
feathers. Surprised, Adam and Tanya looked around, spotted her, and ran over.
"Hey thanks," Adam said, "I thought we'd never get out of that."
"Hey!" Rocky shouted from where he was taking on five Tengas and a
Putty, "I could really use some help here!"
Silver Star looked over at Rocky, then over to where Jason and Kat
were struggling with an ugly, gargoyle like monster.
"I'll help them, you two help Rocky," she said, already running toward
the Pink and Gold Rangers. She threw a bolt of energy at the monster, knocking
it out of the way, and joined them.
"Take my hand!" she ordered. "Jason, use your power staff and gather
as much energy as you can until I say."
She looked at the monster, was watching them stupidly. Her eyes began
to glow a bright silver, and when she spoke, her voice echoed in the wind.
"Powers of silver, powers of pink, and powers of gold! Unite and
strike!"
She gripped the power her friends had summoned and drew it into
herself. The star on her forehead flared, and a beam of silver, pink and
gold energy flew out, striking the monster head on. With a scream, the
monster disintegrated.
"Wow, what a rush!" Kat exclaimed breathlessly as she regained control
and subdued her power.
"Yeah, we could've used you a long time ago," Jason added. Silver
Star smiled.
"Glad to help. Now, let's go help the others finish off these freaks!"
***
Zara grunted as she landed hard on her back, but quickly recovered and
got to her feet.
"All right sugar!" she growled, "Enough games! I've got a little
surprise for you."
She raised her hand and summoned her sword. Tommy summoned his own
sword and the pair crossed blades. For several moments the fighters traded
sword blows. Then Zara looked up and noticed with a start a serious decline
in her army's numbers. She then spotted Silver Star and realized that she had
better finish fast.
She looked back at Tommy and noticed that he was considerably weaker
from the loss of blood from the injuries she had given him. She smiled and
gave in to the irresistible, natural urge to play with her prey.
She lashed out with amazing speed, catching him several times. She
smiled again when she saw his sluggish movements and the blood seeping through
his uniform. Her next blow knocked him to the ground, stunning him. She
knelt next to him, running her finger through the slow flow of blood. Her
eyes flashed as she put her finger in her mouth, reveling in the taste of her
prey's blood.
"Shall we finish this?" she asked, standing and moving away so he
could get up. He climbed clumsily to his feet, and they crossed swords for a
few more minutes until Zara had him in the state she wanted him.
'It's time,' she thought. She closed her eyes and went deep inside
her body, searching for the spot she had left her power. Finding it, she
brought it to the surface and released it full force. Lightning flashed and
thunder crashed as she was surrounded by a sinister, crackling energy.
The blade was engulfed in a reddish black flame and she poured her
power into it. Tommy, dazed, confused, and injured, had dropped his sword
and was attempting to back away. Zara looked at him, an unholy light burning
in her eyes.
"So long, sugar!" she shouted, then plunged the sword deep into his
chest.
***
Jason dispatched two Tengas and was about to move onto another when a
terrifying, pain filled scream split the air. He looked over and his heart
nearly stopped when he saw Tommy, lying motionless on the ground. Zara stood
over him, pulling her blood stained sword from his chest.
"Tommy! NOOO!" Jason screamed, running toward his friend. Zara looked
up at him, shot him a chilling grin, staggered, then disappeared.
***
"Tommy! NOOO!"
Kat stopped firing her blaster at the sound of Jason's terrified
scream. She looked around and spotted him running toward.... Her face
paled under her helmet.
"Tommy, no!" she whispered. As the remaining Tengas and Putties
vanished, the teens ran to their fallen leader.
"Billy! Get us back to the Chamber fast!" Jason shouted into his
communicator. Their world vanished in a flash of light and seconds later,
the were back in the Power Chamber, Tommy laying on the medical table,
de-morphed.
Kat choked back a sob when she saw Tommy's blood stained, battered
body. Blood flowed freely from several, nasty wounds that showed through
his bloody, shredded shirt. Kamara rushed over and put a hand on Tommy's
forehead, then his chest. She shuddered as his warm blood seeped onto her
hand, but kept it there as she scanned him with her mind.
"There's a dark force within him," she whispered. "Ugh!"
Jason grabbed his head as Kamara gasped and jumped back, as if she had
been shocked.
"Quickly, take him to another chamber," she said urgently, "he doesn't
have much time left."
Billy nodded. "Alpha, take him to chamber 2. I'll make preparations
from here." Alpha nodded, and quickly wheeled Tommy from the main chamber,
Kat and Jason following.
"Billy, can you lock the chamber so that no one else can gain access?"
Billy nodded. "Sure. I can program it so that only you, me, and
Zordon can open it."
"Good. Do that. It's extremely important that nobody enters that
chamber, no matter what you hear." She paused, then added, "Oh, one more
thing." She held out a hand and a glass filled with a silverish liquid
appeared. "Give this to Jason. Tell him it will help his wounds."
"What is it really?" Billy asked, taking the glass and examining the
contents curiously.
"A mild sedative. It's better that he's not conscious while I'm
with Tommy." Turning, she left for chamber 2.
***
"Tommy?"
Jason and Kat hovered over their friend anxiously as the other boy
moaned and slowly opened his eyes. He stared at them with a vacant expression.
"Tommy?" Jason whispered, "Can you hear me?"
Tommy appeared to struggle to focus, then said in a soft whisper,
"Jason?"
"Yeah bro." Jason bent down closer so he could hear his friend.
"I... I don't think.. I'm going to... to make it."
"Don't say that bro. You're going to make it. You're not going to
die. I won't let you!" Jason said forcefully, tears in his eyes. Tommy
drew in a ragged breath, then coughed, causing blood to trickle from the
corners of his mouth.
"J... Jase... listen. I want you... to take... over command. You
have the.... most experience." He squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his
teeth as pain flew through his body. Tears streaming slowly down her face,
Kat reached out and gently touched his chest, releasing a small flow of
energy. Tommy relaxed slightly and looked at them again, his eyes pleading.
"Please Jase... take command for me."
Jason nodded and took his best friend's hand. "All right bro. I'll
take command. But just until you get better."
He looked up as the door slid open and Kamara quietly entered. Jason
nodded at the unspoken request that passed between them, then looked back down
at Tommy. His oldest, dearest friend had once more slipped back into
unconscious.
"Hang in there bro," he whispered, "you're not going anywhere yet."
Turning, he put his arm around Kat's shoulders, and led her from the
room. In the main chamber, Billy came up to Jason and handed him a glass
of something.
"Here, drink this. It'll help with your wounds."
"Thanks," Jason mumbled distractedly, taking a big gulp of the liquid.
"Zordon?" Kat spoke up softly, "What are the chances of Tommy
surviving?"
"I do not know, Katherine," Zordon replied quietly, "Much of his
life force is already gone. All we can do is hope and pray that Kamara
and her remarkable healing abilities will be enough to save him."
They all jumped at the sound of a glass shattering. Turning, they
found Jason swaying unsteadily on his feet, staring down at the broken glass
in confusion.
"B... Billy," he stammered, clutching Billy's shoulder as the
other boy appeared next to him, "what was that stuff?"
"Just a mild sedative," Billy replied casually, supporting Jason
on one side as Rocky appeared on the other.
"Sedative? What....?" Alarm ran through him and he began struggling.
"Whoa, Jase, calm down. It's all right. Just lie here and have a
nice, long nap," Billy said soothingly as Jason ceased to struggle and lay
down on the table.
Once Jason had drifted off to sleep, Billy turned and wasn't surprised
to see the others looking at him with stunned expressions.
"Billy, why'd you give Jason a sedative?" Tanya asked.
"It wasn't my idea," Billy replied, "It was Kara's. She said it would
be better if he wasn't conscious while she was in with Tommy."
"He's not going to be to happy when he wakes up," Rocky said.
"He probably won't even remember falling asleep," Billy replied. "I'm
guessing that sedative was of Silvermistian origin, which means it'll have
a different effect on humans."
"I wonder why she thought it would be better that way?" Adam wondered
out loud. A few seconds later, the screams began, and he had his answer.
***
Zara appeared in the throne room moments after Zedd and Rita. She
smiled weakly as she struggled to stay standing.
"Well, Uncle... Auntie. Are you impressed?"
"Are you kidding!?" Rita screeched. "I can't believe you just managed
to pull off the impossible! Tommy is finally gone for good!" She erupted
into a fit of evil laughter.
"He's not dead yet, but he's close," Zara laughed as she added.
"The drainage I've suffered will be well worth it when the remaining
Rangers fall and I'm on my way home with the mouse!"
She was still chuckling softly when she suddenly slipped to the
floor, and remained still.
"Is she dead, Zeddie?" Rita asked with a slight hint of concern as
Zedd knelt next to his niece. Zedd shook his head.
"No, it's merely the exhaustion she mentioned earlier settling in."
He rose to his feet and shouted, "Goldar!"
Goldar appeared in the door, his fur matted with dried blood from
the wounds he had received in battle. He looked down at the girl, then up
at his master.
"Yes, my lord?" he growled. "Take Zara back to her chambers and
put her to bed," Zedd ordered, "And place a guard outside to ensure she's
not disturbed."
"Yes, my lord." Goldar gently gathered Zara up in his massive arms
and left the room.
"Well, Zeddie, what's our next move?" Rita asked, studding her nails.
"We need to find out how many of our forces are left. We may need
Finster to make more. Then we shall continue our attacks while we have the
advantage."
Zedd began laughing maniacally, and Rita soon joined in.
PART 7
Rocky nervously paced the floor of the Power Chamber, trying to block
out the agonizing screams that floated in from the other chamber. It had
been over four and a half hours since Kamara had disappeared into the chamber
with Tommy. They had all left at one point or another, but had always ended
up coming back, no matter how hard they tried to stay away.
Jason was still asleep on the table, with Adam sitting next to him,
watching him with a blank expression. Billy had taken refuge under one of
the consuls, fixing and making on it. Kat was sitting in a dark corner,
sobbing quietly, a trick she had learned during the weaker moments under Rita's
spell. Tanya sat with her, trying her hardest to comfort her best friend.
"Hey," Rocky said suddenly, stopping, "Listen. The screaming's
stopped."
The others all looked up, listening. Sure enough, all was silent.
Billy climbed out from under the council and approached the door to chamber 2
as it silently slid open. Billy was ready when Kamara stumbled out and
collapsed. He gathered her up and carried her over to a second table and
gently set her down.
"I have done all I can," she said weakly, "I managed to heal the
more serious wounds and banish most of the dark force consuming him. There
is still a small part left, but it is up to Tommy to fight it. Katherine, I
found the energy you had placed in him earlier. It was a tremendous help
and I am grateful you did it."
"Can we help him fight?" Kat asked softly. Kamara nodded.
"Yes. You and I can help him by supplying him with energy when he
needs it. Which means at least one of us needs to be near him at all times,
if not both of us." She paused and drew in a shaky breath. "I must rest
and regain my power. Jason should awaken shortly, but do not be surprised
or alarmed if you cannot awaken me. Only when my powers are fully restored
will I awaken."
That said, her eyes closed, and she slipped into a deep sleep. Kat
looked at the door to Chamber 2, then back at the others. She threw a quick
glance up at Zordon, then made her way to the chamber. Tommy lay on the
table, just as they had left him. Only now, he was shirtless and most of
his wounds were gone, leaving behind little evidence that he had been wounded
at all.
"Tommy, it's me, Kat," she whispered, taking his hand in hers and
squeezing gently. "Fight the darkness. Come back to us... come back to
me. We need you."
"Kat?" Kat looked up to see Tanya standing in the doorway. "Goldar
and Rito just appeared on the beach with a bunch of Tengas," she said quietly.
Kat sighed heavily. "Okay, I'll be right there."
Tanya hesitated, a worried look in her dark eyes as she watched Kat,
then turned and quietly left. Kat looked back at Tommy, kissed her finger,
and gently pressed it to his lips. She left reluctantly and joined the others
in the main chamber.
"Billy, would you watch Tommy?" she asked. Billy was startled by
the hollowness in her voice.
"Yeah, I'll keep a close eye on him," he promised.
"It's morphin time!" Rocky cried out.
"Zeo Ranger I pink!"
"Zeo Ranger II yellow!"
"Zeo Ranger III blue!"
"Zeo Ranger IV green!"
In a flash, they appeared on the beach, and the battle began. Kat
looked up and spotted Goldar standing off to the side and observing.
"Hey fur face!" she shouted, taking down a Tenga and storming towards
him, "Where's Zara?"
"Zara sends her regrets, pink power brat, but she had a more...
pressing engagement. But don't worry, I'll be perfectly happy taking her
place in destroying you!"
A sudden rage flew through her, drilling down and piercing her very
soul.
"You can take her place all right you ugly son of a bitch!" she
snarled, "but just as a practice dummy!"
Before Goldar could react, she lashed out with a vicious kick to his
stomach, knocking him down. While he was down, she summoned her sword and
brought it down on him. Seeing the danger, Goldar quickly brought up his
own sword, blocking the would-be fatal blow. He got to his feet and the pair
continued to cross swords for several minutes, Goldar scrambling to avoid
his opponents furious blows.
"What's the matter Goldar?" she taunted, feeding on his awkwardness.
"Change your mind about destroying me? Or are you all talk and no action?"
They continued for a few minutes more, until Kat, fed up with the
exercise, threw her sword at him and said in a frighteningly dark voice,
"I don't need a sword to take care of you!"
Under her helmet, her eyes had begun to glow a dark pink and a fierce
wind had suddenly blown up. Her fists clenched at her sides and flared with
dark energy.
"Oh, no you don't," she muttered as Goldar started to back away. She
brought her arms up and crossed her fists, causing the energy to flash
blindingly, then shoot out, striking him square in the chest. The impact
knocked him back several feet, where he fell to the sandy ground, stunned.
As he attempted to struggle to his feet, Kat filled the sky with blackish
pink lightning. The wind turned violent as the lightning streaked across the
cloudless sky. Looking up at the sky, Kat took control effortlessly, and
directed the bolts of fire down on Goldar mercilessly.
***
Tanya had just finished off one of the last, remaining Tengas when the
strong, fierce wind blew up from out of no where. She had to struggle to
remain upright as she made her way over to Adam and Rocky.
"What's going on?" she shouted above the roar of the wind, holding
on to Adam's arm to keep from falling. "Where'd all this wind come from?"
"More importantly," Rocky shouted back, "Where's all the lightning
coming from?"
They looked up and watched the blackish-pink lightning streaking
across the cloudless sky, crashing into each other every few minutes, creating
a deafening effect.
"Look!" Tanya suddenly shouted, pointing. Adam and Rocky started with
surprise when they saw Kat, standing a few hundred feet away, hands raised to
the sky. Several feet away from her, an obviously wounded Goldar was
struggling to get to his feet. Kat's body suddenly began glowing the same
color as the lightning and, as the threesome watched in transfixed amazement,
Kat began to make hand motions that the Lightning seemed to follow!
"She's controlling it!" Tanya shouted in a stunned voice. One of
Kat's hands suddenly shot down and a streak of lightning followed, striking
Goldar. Kat repeated the movements and, seconds later, Goldar was being
pummeled mercilessly with lightning bolts.
"Oh man! I really hate to say this, but we'd better stop her before
she kills him!" Rocky shouted.
The threesome ran as quickly as they could in the sand and against
the violent wind.
"Kat!" Tanya yelled, reaching out to grab hold of her friend. She
cried out as a flash of light engulfed her, then fell to the ground.
"Tanya!" Adam exclaimed, kneeling next to her.
"I'm okay," she reassured him.
"Billy," Rocky said into his communicator, "we have a big problem
here."
"Yeah I know. I think I have the answer. All three of you need to set
your blasters on low and blast her in unison. It should be enough to break
the force field she's created and cut her power off."
"Okay, we'll try it." They took their blasters out, setting them
on low and taking aim. On Rocky's signal, they fired. There was a brilliant
flash of light as the lazers cut through the force field, and then Kat was
on the ground. As the glow surrounding her vanished, the wind and lightning
subsided and died out.
"Oh man," Rocky whispered, taking in Goldar's bloody, broken body.
He was amazed when he saw the giant space ape's shallow breathing.
'He's actually alive after all that?' He looked up at the sound
of heavy footsteps and fell into a defensive stance as Rito came stumbling
up, adjusting his head.
"Whoa! What the hell happened here?" he exclaimed when he saw Goldar.
Before anyone could react, Kat jumped up, grabbed Rito, and threw him into
a nearby tree.
"Kat! Wait!" Tanya exclaimed as Kat pinned him to the tree. Kat
glanced back at them and spoke angrily.
"Back off! I'm just going to have a word with our friend here."
She looked back at Rito and growled, "All right, listen up you mouldy
pile of bones! I want you to take a message to Zara. You tell that little
witch that she's going to pay for what she did to Tommy! She'd better pray
that he survives or she's going to end up looking a hundred times worse than
that thing down there! Understand?"
Rito nodded vigorously. "Yeah, sure. Anything you say!"
"Good. Now get out of here!" She yanked him away from the tree and
threw him toward Goldar. "And take that with you."
Part 8
Rito moved rapidly and, seconds later, they were gone.
* * *
Kat's eyes held a vacant expression as she removed her helmet and let it drop to the Chamber
floor. She glanced at
Kamara's sleeping form, then entered chamber 2, the door sliding silently shut behind her.
"Wow," Rocky murmured, picking the helmet up and setting it on one of the consoles. "I had no
idea she had that in
her."
Before anyone could answer, a low moan caught their attention. Looking over, they saw Jason
slowly coming
around. "What happened?" he muttered, his eyes opening slightly. "Last thing I remember was
someone giving me
something to drink, saying it would make me feel better."
"Yeah, that was something of Kara's," Billy replied, "I guess your system reacted to it and put
you to sleep."
"How do you feel?" Tanya asked.
"A little woozy."
"That's probably just a side effect," Billy assured him, "Don't worry, you'll feel better once the
fog clears."
Jason nodded, then stared off into space for a moment. "Tommy!" he suddenly exclaimed,
looking over and seeing
Kamara's sleeping form, "Is he all right?"
Billy quickly outlined the events that had occurred after he had fallen asleep up until he woke up.
"Oh man," was all
Jason could say when Billy finished.
"Rangers," Zordon spoke up, "Since you have not yet had the chance to do so, I suggest you take
this time to visit
Tommy. Send Katherine out here. I would like to speak with her alone."
They nodded and all but Jason, who was still feeling dizzy, entered chamber 2. A moment later,
Kat came out and
silently stood before her mentor. "Katherine," Zordon began in a gentle, yet firm voice, "I
understand what you are
going through, but you must learn to control your emotions, especially with your power being as
new as it is."
"I know Zordon," Kat replied softly, "I know it was wrong, but I couldn't help it. It was almost as
if... a force inside
me just took over. I knew it was wrong, but I let it. I wanted so much to get back at them for what
they did to Tommy
that I... I let it take over. I... really care for him." Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she
added in a barely
audible whisper, "I don't know what I'd do if I lost him." She bowed her head, her eyes squeezed
shut as the tears
continued to fall.
Jason stood, wobbled slightly, then went over, took his friend in his arms, and held her tightly.
"Shhh," he whispered,
"It's going to be all right."
"Oh, Jason, I'm so scared," she choked out, her voice muffled by his shirt.
"I know. So am I Kat. We all are, but he's going to make it. You know how stubborn he is. He's
not going out
without a fight. And were not letting him go without a fight."
The door to chamber 2 opened, and Tanya looked out, an anxious expression in her brown eyes.
"Kat, you'd better
come quick," she said urgently. "Tommy's acting like he's in pain or something."
Kat and Tanya hurried into the chamber and found the four boys holding a thrashing Tommy
down. Kat's hand began
glowing even before she placed it on Tommy's chest. Almost instantly, Tommy began to calm
down, and Kat felt the
tension in his body subside. She was about to take her hand away when she felt an odd energy
pass by. Frowning, she
closed her eyes and opened her mind, letting it flow into Tommy's body in search of the strange
energy. It was only a
moment later when she found it. Or, rather it found her. It had somehow managed to circle
around and come up
behind her, lashing out with a blow she narrowly avoided. Kat quickly retaliated with a bolt of
energy, hitting the
entity that stood before her in the chest-or what she assumed was the chest-with a bright flash of
pink. The entity let
out a growl, said something unintelligible and vanished. Kat's mind quickly returned to her body,
and she let out a
small gasp as she opened her eyes.
"Kat?" Tanya asked hesitantly, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"I'm all right," Kat reassured them, her voice slightly shaky.
"What happened?" Adam asked, "You looked like you were done, but then you went into some
kind of trance or
something."
"Well," Kat replied slowly, looking down at Tommy's still form, "as I was cutting off my
connection, I felt a strange
energy pass by. I decided to see what it was, so I went inside him with my mind to track it down.
It found me
first."
"So what was it?" Rocky asked.
"Well... remember that small part of the darkness that Kara couldn't get rid of?" They nodded and
she continued.
"I'm pretty sure that's what it was. I managed to fight it off for now... but I'm not sure I'll be so
lucky next time."
* * *
Tommy was severely disoriented and confused. He didn't know where everybody had gone,
where he was, or what
that thing that kept attacking him was. He was even more confused by the fact that every time he
was attacked, a
strange, yet comforting energy seemed to come to his aid. Not that he was complaining. The
energy helped him
immensely. He was just curious as to where it was coming from and who was sending it.
"Tommy...."
It was barely a whisper, but Tommy was certain he had heard someone speak his name. "Hello?"
he called out,
"Anybody there? I'm over here!" He began walking trying to find the source of the whisper.
"Tommy, don't give up." It was a little louder this time, and seemed to echo in the darkness. It
also held a familiar
quality to it that Tommy struggled to place. "We need you, Tommy. Please don't give up."
"Kat?" Tommy whispered. He raised his voice to a shout, "Kat! Where are you?"
He began running in the direction he thought her voice was coming from. A sudden warmth
overtook him and he
knew he was going in the right direction. He stopped when he spotted a ball of softly glowing
pink energy just ahead
of him. It looked like one of the energy balls that had come to his aid when he was fighting his
strange enemy. He
approached, then stopped in surprise when he heard Kat's voice seemingly coming from the ball
of energy. "Tommy,
come back to us. Come back to me." As a hunch, Tommy put his hand lightly on the side of the
energy, and closed
his eyes. Instantly, understanding filled his senses. Zara had severely injured him, and in the
process, had planted a
dark force within him to finish him off if his injuries didn't.
_So that's what that thing was,_ he thought as he opened his eyes. _That energy I've been getting
must be coming
from Kat and Kara. They must know when I'm in trouble and are using their energies to
help._
He looked back at the energy as Kat's plea not to leave them repeated. He closed his eyes again
and this time
concentrated until he felt a connection. _Don't worry angel face, I'm not going anywhere._ He
gently squeezed the
energy, and felt surprise run through it. He wasn't alarmed when the ball flickered and vanished.
She'd be back.
_In the meantime, I'll start looking for a way out of here... wherever here is._ Tommy thought,
looking around at his
dark surroundings.
* * *
Tanya looked up as Kat gasped and opened her eyes, looking at Tommy with a stunned
expression. "That thing
again?" she asked.
Kat shook her head. "No. Tanya... I heard Tommy! He... he squeezed my hand!"
"What?" Tanya jumped up, ran to the door, and called for the others.
They listened as Kat quickly told them what had happened. "I was so surprised, I broke the
connection and
returned," she finished.
"At least we know he's still with us," Jason said, relief heavy in his voice.
"Can you contact him again?" Adam asked.
"I don't know," Kat replied. She paused, then added, "I think it was an accident that I came in
contact with him.
We're probably going to have to wait 'til Kara wakes up to try again." She looked down as
Tommy's body began
trembling. She summoned her energy and sent a flow through him until the trembling stopped.
She frowned as she
took her hand away.
"Kat?" Rocky put a hand on her shoulder questioningly.
"I... thought I felt something," Kat answered slowly. She shook her head. "I'm just tired. It was
probably nothing."
He couldn't speak for the others, but Jason heard the hint of doubt in her voice.
"I'll wheel a cot in here for you so you can get some rest," Billy said.
"Thanks Billy," Kat returned, smiling up at him. Her gaze moved to Jason. The look he gave her
told her he wasn't
buying her thought that it was probably nothing. The truth was, she wasn't sure she believed it
either. But something
prevented her from speaking up. She felt a streak of darkness pass by the surface, and for an
instant, her eyes
darkened. But, as fast as it had come, it was gone, retreating to some remote area within. She
looked away from
Jason, returning her gaze to Tommy, again taking his hand in hers.
* * *
"Billy, you really should go home and get some rest," Alpha fretted, "It's almost one am."
"Yeah, I know. I just want to finish connecting these wires," Billy said from beneath the
console.
"That's what you said a half hour ago," Alpha looked up at Zordon, shaking his robotic head.
Zordon smiled, then said, "Billy, I am inclined to agree with Alpha. Today was a long day and I
would not be
surprised if tomorrow was even longer. You need your rest."
Billy sighed and climbed out. "Okay, okay," he said, giving in. "I'm just going to make a quick
check on Kat and
Tommy and then I'll head home."
He made a quick check on Kamara first, then headed into chamber 2. Kat was curled up on the
cot he had brought in
for her, fast asleep. She still held onto Tommy's hand, and every few minutes, a soft glow would
appear, only to
disappear seconds later. _Poor girl,_ he thought, gently brushing a strand of hair from her face,
_Everything's been
happening so fast, it must be overwhelming._
She stirred, but didn't awaken as he carefully drew a blanket over her. He looked over at Tommy,
who seemed to be
sleeping peacefully. He gently pressed his hand to his friend's forehead and frowned as he
detected a slightly higher
temperature than what it should have been. Normally, he wouldn't have been to concerned, but
under the present
circumstances... he drew a blanket over Tommy, then left the chamber.
"Alpha," he said as he entered the main chamber, "It looks like Tommy may be running a small
temperature. It
would probably be a good idea to keep a close eyes on him tonight."
Alpha nodded and Billy cast one last glance at chamber 2, a slight feeling of unease passing
through him. "Good
night Alpha, Zordon," he said, forcing himself to teleport out.
* * *
Tommy grunted as pain shot through his wounded arm. He was sitting in what he hoped was a
safe place, wrapping
his bleeding, right arm as best he could from the fabric of his shirt. He had just managed to
escape a surprise attack
from whatever was there with him. Tommy had used everything he had, including his martial arts
skills, to beat back
his attacker. Only when he had found several small energy balls, had he managed to escape. But
not before the entity
had managed to rake its incredibly sharp claws across his arm. As he leaned back against a
surprisingly soft wall, he
found himself feeling a little dizzy, and very, very tired. _I think I've lost my little friend for a
while,_ he thought,
_maybe I should try and catch a few hours sleep._ Sighing, he leaned his head back against the
comfortable wall, and
closed his eyes. Seconds later, he was asleep.
* * *
"Zeddie!" Rita screeched as she entered the throne room, "What's our next move and when are
we making it?"
"I don't know," Zedd replied, staring down at the Earth, "we'll have to think about it."
"Well, Goldar's going to be of no use to us for the next while, thanks to Kat's little temper
tantrum. And Rito's so
scared he's off hiding in the caverns somewhere! Sending a monster down would be pointless
considering what
happened to the one that went down with Zara. Kat, Jason and the little princess would destroy it
in no time
flat!"
"Well then," Zedd replied, turning to face his wife, "we'll simply have to wait until Zara wakes
up. Be patient my pet,
I'm sure she'll have something up her mischievous little sleeve."
"She'd better," Rita muttered darkly, leaving the throne room, "Cause if she doesn't... " She let the
threat trail off as
she disappeared into her chambers.
* * *
Jason arrived in the Power Chamber the next morning to find Kamara awake and energetic.
"Hey, how ya feeling?"
he asked, planting a kiss on her cheek.
"Much better, thank you," she replied, returning the kiss. _Can I ask you something?_ her voice
echoed in his mind.
_Does Billy live here, or does he have a home away from here?_ She pointed, and Jason couldn't
help but chuckle
when he saw Billy's legs once again sticking out from under the console.
_No, he does have a home, he just likes spending most time here, fixing, improving and making
things._
Kamara smiled and nodded in understanding. They turned as Kat appeared, rubbing her eyes and
yawning. "Kara!"
she exclaimed, smiling as she saw the young princess, "you're awake!"
"Good morning Katherine. How is Tommy doing?"
"Well, he seems to be doing okay," Kat replied, then went on to tell the other girl about making
contact with him the
previous day.
"Good," she said when Kat had finished, "that will make it just a little easier to bring him
back."
"Hey Kat?" Billy asked, stopping his work and joining them, "Did you check on Tommy when
you woke up?"
"Yeah, and I noticed he was a little warm. I was just going to get a cool cloth when I saw that
Kara was awake."
"I noticed that to when I checked up on you two before I went home last night. I also noticed that
you seemed you be
supplying him energy even in your sleep, so I figured he'd be all right. Just the same, I told Alpha
to keep an eye on
him."
"And that's just what I did," Alpha spoke up as he entered the chamber, "I had the computer feed
me information
while I was recharging. His temperature rose a few times, but went down almost immediately. A
little strange, I'll
admit, but nothing serious." He paused, then added, "oh, here's the cool cloth you wanted
Kat."
"Thanks Alpha," Kat said in surprise, taking the cloth the little robot handed her.
Kamara frowned as she watched Kat go back into the chamber. "Did Kat use a lot of Power
yesterday?" she
asked.
"She went a little berserk yesterday during a battle with Goldar, Rito and some Tengas," Billy
responded, "She
created quite an electrical show. Hurt Goldar pretty badly from what we could tell." He paused,
looking at her
curiously. "How did you know about that?"
"It shows in her appearance," Kamara replied distractedly.
"Is that a bad thing?" Jason asked.
"I'm not sure. But just to be on the safe side, I'd keep a very close eye on her if it ever happens
again. I'm still not
sure about the force within her. But I do know that I'm getting the increasing feeling that it's not
good."
* * *
Kat quickly approached Tommy and pressed the cool cloth to his forehead. She watched the
steady rise and fall of
his chest with a soft, sad expression. Her gaze traveled back up to his face, but stopped, her eyes
narrowing as she
spotted a dark, red stain on the other side of the light blanket. She reached across him and drew
the blanket down a
little ways. She gasped when she saw the fresh, bleeding wound on his arm. "Kara! Guys! Come
quick!" she shouted,
running around to his other side.
"Kat! What's wrong?" Jason exclaimed as they ran in.
"Look at this," Kat said, pointing at the wound, "This wasn't here before. What's
happening?"
"The darkness isn't playing around any more," Kamara said softly as she examined Tommy's arm,
"From now on,
whenever Tommy is hurt by this thing, it's going to show." She put a hand on his cheek, and
quickly jerked it away.
She looked up at the others in alarm. "He's burning up! The Darkness has taken on a different
tactic." She looked at
Kat. "We need to go in."
Kat nodded and hurried back to his other side. Together, the two girls put their hands on his
chest, closed their eyes,
and summoned their powers. Each was dimly aware, as she sent her mind into Tommy's, of Billy
calling the
others.
* * *
Tommy cried out as the dark entity threw him roughly into a hard wall. He clutched his throbbing
side and, with a
fierce roar, lashed out at his opponent. He managed to get in a few good blows before he was
thrown back against
the wall even harder than last time. His head smacked against the wall, and he slowly sank to the
floor, groaning in
pain. He gingerly touched the back of his head and felt something wet and sticky. He grimaced as
he looked at the
blood on his fingers. _Man, where are those energy balls when I need them?_
As if on cue, two bright balls of crackling energy, one silver, the other pink, flew past him and
smashed into the
entity, causing it to howl in pain. It was a sound Tommy would rather not have heard. He felt
himself beginning to
lose consciousness, and fought to keep that even more frightening darkness away. He had a
feeling that if he lost that
battle, he'd never wake up. Through semi blurry vision, he watched as the two energy balls,
instead of disappearing
as they normally did, glowed brighter and attacked again. He watched, half dazed, half amazed,
as the energies
forced the dark force back into its misty form and retreat. He suddenly felt his eyes get incredibly
heavy, and couldn't
fight the need to close them.
"Tommy. Tommy open your eyes," a familiar voice said urgently, "Tommy, don't go to sleep.
Stay with us, open
your eyes."
Tommy opened his eyes, and was startled to find Kat and Kamara kneeling on either side of
him.
"Kat? Kara? What...?" he whispered in confusion.
"Shh. Here," Kamara said, placing a glowing hand on his forehead. Almost instantly, he felt his
strength and energy
rush back. "Tommy, you must listen carefully," Kamara said, taking her hand away. "The
darkness isn't fooling
around anymore. These recent attacks have severely affected your physical body." She paused,
then added,
"Tommy... your physical body... it's dying." From the look on Kat's face, Tommy guessed it was
news to her as well.
Before Kat could say anything, Kamara rushed on, "From now on, every and any injury you
receive here will appear
just a bit worse on your physical body. Not only that, but you have been here in the darkness for
to long. Your body
is beginning to react with fever. You must defeat the evil and find the light soon or your physical
body will die and
all will be lost. Unfortunately, you must do it on your own. We can no longer provide you with
the help we have
been giving you. All we can do is fill you with temporary power that will allow you to fight this
evil properly. We
can also help you get on the right path that will lead you out of here. Do you understand?"
Tommy nodded, a little bewildered by what he'd just been told. Kamara looked at Kat and they
both nodded in silent
agreement. Kamara placed her hand over Tommy's heart and Kat placed her hand over Kara's.
They closed their eyes
as their energies flared and Tommy let out a small gasp as he felt his body flood with a strange,
new power.
"You will know what to do when the time comes," Kamara said when they finished.
Tommy started as their bodies began to glow. "What's happening?" he asked, reaching out for
Kat's hand.
"It's all right. We must go now. But don't worry, we'll do everything we can on the outside, and
what little we're
permitted to do in here. Good luck Tommy. Remember, your friends are with you."
That said, Kamara's form melted back into her energy form and vanished. Kat put her hand on
Tommy cheek, but it
had already become transparent, and neither could feel it. Instead, she blew him a kiss and, as
tears filled her eyes,
whispered, "I'll be waiting."
Then she, too returned to her energy form and vanished.
* * *
Kat's eyes opened with a start, and the tears that had filled her eyes flowed out. Unable to stop
them, she turned and
hurried from the room. Seconds later, they heard the familiar sound of Teleportation as she left
the chamber.
"What happened?" Tanya asked, looking at Kara uneasily.
Kamara took a deep breath, then quickly told her friends what she had told Tommy." Nobody
spoke when she
finished. They had all known their was a chance their friend and leader could die, but until now,
that chance hadn't
been so high.
Finally, Tanya spoke up quietly, "I'm going to see if I can find Kat." She activated the
Teleportation button on her
communicator, then vanished from the chamber in a flash of yellow light.
* * *
Zedd and Rita both looked up in startled surprise as a Tenga came running into the room,
squawking loudly and
frantically. Its eyes widened in fright as it looked back towards the door, then turned and bolted
out a side door.
Seconds later, the evil couple discovered the source of the giant bird's fright. Both were taken
aback as a sleek,
midnight black panther ran into the room.
"What in the world...!?" Zedd exclaimed, clutching his staff tighter. The panther regarded them
with bright, yellow
eyes, then began to shimmer and change form.
"Damn," Zara muttered with a small pout, "I've lost my breakfast." She looked at the pair and
chuckled. "I've been
awake for almost thirty minutes now," she said in answer to their unasked question. She looked
in the direction she
assumed her prey had escaped in and sighed. "You have to give those banana beaks credit. They
may be stupid, but
they're fast." She looked back at them and asked, "So how long have I been asleep?"
"Three days," Zed replied, "Today would have been the fourth."
Zara raised an eyebrow. "Wow, I used more power than I thought. Hmm, three days huh? Well, if
Tommy's not dead
by now, he's damn close."
"Hey Zara! You're awake!"
Zara turned as Rito entered the room. "So, my little coward of a brother finally decided to come
out of hiding!" Rita
said with a scowl.
"I'm guessing I missed something?"
"Did you ever!" Rito exclaimed, ignoring his sister's taunts. "Kat threw a temper tantrum and
beat Goldar to within
an inch of his life! She's not too happy about what you did to Tommy. She gave me a message
for you. Uh, let's
see... oh yeah! She said... wait, mabey you'd better see Goldar before you hear the message."
Zara sighed. "Very well. Where is he?"
"Follow me." Rito led them down a dark, slimy corridor and into a small room. In the center of
the room, Goldar
lay on a table under a glowing, glass dome, still deeply unconscious.
"Well now, she really did a number on him, didn't she?" Zara said, taking in his still battered
form. "All right, now
that I've seen Goldar, what's the message?"
"Well, she said to tell you that you're gonna pay for what you did to Tommy. She said that you'd
better pray he
survives or you'll end up looking a hundred times worse than Goldar."
"I have no doubt she could do it too," Zara said thoughtfully as she led the way back to the throne
room. She looked
down at the earth and a small smile crossed her lips. "But I'll deal with that later. Right now, I
spy someone who can
give me some information. After that, I can focus my attention back on the little mouse." Her
eyes flared, and she
disappeared in a flash of light.
* * *
Adam dropped to a defensive stance as soon as the all to familiar, black clad girl appeared less
than ten feet away
from him. "Zara! So you finally decided to show your face again huh?"
"My apologies for not being around to cause trouble these last few days Ranger," Zara said with a
smile, "but I've
been recuperating. Your leader managed to drain me rather well."
"Yeah, I'm sure he's really sorry about that!" Adam responded sarcastically. "It's morphin...." he
was interrupted as a
beam of light struck him, paralyzing him. Adam struggled to remain calm as he watched her
approach, a small smile
spreading across her lips.
"Don't worry sugar," she purred, lightly running her fingers down his cheek, "I'm not here for a
fight, just a little
information."
"Why don't you let me call Kat? She'll give you all the information you want!"
Zara's smile grew a little at his words and she moved closer to him. "I'm afraid it's not yet time
Kat and I to meet
again. Right now, it's time for you to tell me what I want to know." Adam's eyes widened in
surprise as her lips
pressed against his. She pulled back and chuckled softly as she took in Adam's softly glowing
eyes and vacant
expression. "Feel like telling me anything now?"
"What do you wish to know?" came the hollow reply.
"Is Tommy alive or dead?"
"He's alive."
"What's his condition?"
"He's not doing too well. He has a dangerously high fever that we can't cool down. Kamara is
getting more and more
afraid that he's not going to make it. She and Kat are doing everything they can but...." his voice
trailed off and he
remained silent.
Zara was partly surprised and partly amused to see tears in the boy's eyes. She looked past him
and saw her cue to
leave. "All right sugar, once I leave, part of this little spell will be broken and you'll be free to
move again. I want
you to keep me posted on Tommy's condition. Let me know when he dies or if he survives,
understand?"
Adam nodded and she smiled. "There's good boy. You know, you really are cute for a human."
She kissed his cheek,
then vanished.
"Adam!" Adam blinked and shook his head, trying to clear the fog that had suddenly overcome
him. "Hey
Adam!"
He looked up as Rocky and Tanya jogged up to him. "Uh, hi guys. What's up?"
"We were just heading for the Juice bar to pick something up for Kat and Kara," Rocky
replied.
"Adam? Honey, are you all right?" Tanya asked, seeing his foggy expression.
"Yeah... I'm fine. Guess I didn't much sleep last night."
"I don't think any of us did," Rocky replied with a sad look in his eyes. They stood in silence for a
moment, then
Adam said, "Come on, I'll go to the juice bar with you. I could use something to eat myself."
* * *
Jason and Billy looked up as the threesome appeared in their respective colors of light. "Hey,
how's Tommy?" Adam
asked.
Jason sighed and looked towards chamber 2. "Not good. He's gotten worse since yesterday." He
was silent for a
moment, then added, "He went into a pretty bad fit just after you left for the juice bar. The girl's
kicked us out and
have been with him ever since." He hesitated, then continued, "Guys... I'm picking up some very
bad feelings from
Kara. I... " He as interrupted as the door to chamber 2 slid open and Kamara stepped out. "Kara?"
Jason asked
anxiously, taking in her grim expression, "Is Tommy...?"
"No, no he's still alive. Although I... I'm not so sure it's going to be for much longer. His fever
has increased
drastically and we can't seem to locate him to give him what help we can. He... he's slipping
further and further and
further away. I don't think he has much time left."
"Tommy, NO!" Everyone jumped as Kat's shriek broke the stunned silence that had
descended.
Turning, they all sped into the room to find Kat, frantically beginning CPR on Tommy's
motionless form. She looked
up at them and cried out, "He's not breathing!" then went back to her task.
Kamara hurried over and joined her friend. "Jason, help Kat," she ordered, "I'm going to try
something."
While Kat and Jason performed the CPR, Kamara placed both hands on Tommy's forehead and
began chanting in a
language none of the others understood. After several, heart stopping moments, a bright light
flashed, blinding them
all. When it cleared, Jason and Kat were looking down at Tommy in relief. The others let out the
breaths they'd been
holding at the announcement that he was breathing again. "That was too close," Kamara
whispered.
"Kara," Jason said after a few minutes, "I know you said that you and Kat couldn't help him fight
that demon like you
had been anymore, but what about an outside force?"
"What do you mean?"
"Just tell me, could an outside force help him in the fight?"
"Well... I suppose if the force was strong enough. Why? What do you have in mind?"
"White Mist. She said if we were ever in serious trouble we could call on her. I think this counts
as serious
trouble."
"At this point, any idea is a good one," Kamara agreed.
"Wait a sec, who's White Mist?" Adam asked.
"I'll explain later," Jason replied, "Cross your fingers."
Tanya gently pulled Kat away from Tommy and led her to the one of the other cots. "Here Kat,
lay down for a
while," she said softly. She sat down on the edge of the cot and watched as Kara and Jason each
took a position on
either side of Tommy. They raised their arms in the air and closed their eyes as Kamara called
out, "White Mist!
Guardian of Silvermist, we call on you! Please, come to our aid!"
There was a flash of light, and both teens jerked, then remained still. Finally, after several
minutes, they opened their
eyes and lowered their arms. A grim smile crossed Kamara's lips as she turned to face them.
"Now, we wait." Before
anyone could respond, the alarm in the main chamber began to wail.
"Alpha, what is it?" Jason asked as they hurried in.
"Ai-yi-yi! Zara is attacking the downtown area!" Looking in the viewing globe, they saw Zara
and a small group of
Tengas running amuck downtown. Kamara suddenly winced and put a hand to her head as Jason
dew in a sharp
breath. Turning, they found Kat standing in the doorway of chamber 2, staring fixedly at the
viewing globe. Her eyes
glowed with hatred and angry energy crackled around her clenched fists.
"Katherine," Kamara said, quickly approaching and putting her hands firmly on the other girl's
shoulders, "Katherine
look at me. One of us must stay here and watch after Tommy. I think It would be best if it were
you. We cannot risk
you loosing control of your powers like you did with Goldar. It is not yet time for you to face
Zara. And, as much as
I desperately want it to be, it is not yet time for the final battle. This will be a short fight. I know
how to force her
into retreat. Besides, you are in no condition to fight. Look at yourself. You're exhausted."
Kat's gaze wandered over to Jason. The look he gave her suggested that her staying behind was
an order. Not one to
disobey orders, even from temporary leaders, Kat nodded shortly, glanced once more at the
viewing globe, then went
back into the other chamber.
* * *
Tommy dove out of the path of an energy blast and fired back one of his own. The blow knocked
the demon back
several feet, but didn't stop it. _Damn!_ he thought, scrambling for cover, _Nothing seems to
slow this thing down!
I'm not sure how much longer I can do this._ He wasn't sure how long he'd been fighting, but
judging by his wounds,
it had been quite a while. He was near exhaustion and knew that if he didn't get away and rest,
he'd be done for.
He looked up, and his eyes widened at the sight of an energy ball headed straight for him at a
pace he couldn't
possibly hope to avoid. Just as it was about to collide with him, there was a flash of light and the
ball was suddenly
flying back the way it had come! "Tommy."
Tommy looked around, trying to pinpoint the source of the unfamiliar, elegant voice. "Who's
there?" he called out,
summoning up a defense, just in case. There was another flash of light, and when it cleared,
Tommy found himself
in the middle of a
beautiful forest. "Where in the world?" Tommy whispered, taking in the haunting beauty.
Hearing footsteps behind
him, he whirled around, dropping to a defensive stance. His eyes widened when he saw a pure
white unicorn
standing a few feet away, watching him calmly.
He jumped as the majestic beast suddenly shimmered and began to take on another form. A
moment later, a
stunningly beautiful girl stood in the animal's place. She was dressed in a flowing white gown,
and her silver hair
spilled all the way to the ground. A soft light surrounded her, adding an eerie look to her beauty.
"I am White Mist,"
she said before he could ask, her musical voice echoing eerily in the woods, "I am a friend. That
is all you need to
know." She approached him, stopping inches away. "There is not much time," she whispered, her
silverish blue eyes
boring into his. "Listen closely power child. I'm going to give you something to help defeat the
demon. It is
extremely powerful and must be used with the power of the heart to give it full strength. It can be
used only once and
so the blow must be direct and true. Aim for the beast's heart and you will triumph. Do you
accept my gift, power
child?"
Tommy could only bring himself to nod, unable to find his voice. The glow around her
brightened and his eyes
closed with hers as their lips met. Tommy felt every part of his body fill with a raw energy unlike
any he had ever felt
before. It rushed through him, soothing his wounds and draining the exhaustion. Then, as fast as
it had come, it was
over, and he was back in the dark place, searching for his enemy. He could hear it moving around
close by, searching
for him. A moment later, he saw it move away from where he was, searching in the opposite
direction. Taking
advantage of the moment, Tommy quickly but carefully searched within him for the
unicorn/girl's gift. He found it
waiting not far down, took hold of it, and followed White Mist's instruction's to the letter.
He felt the power suddenly increase drastically and build up within him like a volcanic force. His
hands crackled
with pure white energy, staining to be released. Taking careful aim, he shouted, "Hey ugly! Over
here!" Tommy
released his hold as the entity turned around, and shouted in triumph as the energy ball hit its
target dead on.
The demon emitted a horrible scream as the energy penetrated its being, thrashing about and
trying desperately to
escape. Finally, the screams stopped and the demon simply vanished, leaving Tommy alone in
the empty darkness.
He sank to his knees as the last of the power left him, exhaustion settling in one more. It was
over. He could finally
rest. Finally get some much needed sleep.
_No Tommy, not yet._ A voice whispered through his mind, forcing his heavy eyes open. White
Mist, in her animal
form, was standing a few feet away, once again watching him with a sense of calmness. _It is not
over yet, power
child. You must find the light, and then you may rest._
Responding to her gentle coaxing and promises of sleep, Tommy got to his feet and followed the
elegant beast. He
had a feeling it was her power, not his own, that kept him going. She would disappear from time
to time, but would
always reappear a short time later to continue her support and guidance. Finally, after what
seemed to be an eternity,
a white light appeared.
White Mist stopped and looked back at Tommy. _Your ordeal is over, power child. Once you
pass through the light,
you will return to your physical body, where you will be permitted to recover properly._
Tommy walked up to her and put his hand on her neck. "Thank you White Mist. I Don't know
what I would have
done without you."
_You're welcome, power child. Now go. Your friends are waiting._ Tommy nodded, patted her
neck, then entered
the light. The light turned out to be a surprisingly colorful tunnel. As he walked, Tommy
marveled at the spectacular
colors as they danced around him. It wasn't long before he began to notice changes. The colors
were beginning to
dim and he was feeling little pains here and there.... He also heard voices coming from
somewhere ahead. He
couldn't make out what they were saying , but he thought he heard his name a few times. The
further down he went,
the louder the voices got. Except for a few words, he still couldn't make out what they were
saying, and it frustrated
him. Not only that, but the little pains were now bigger pains, which were rapidly spreading
through his body. Sheer
determination to discover the source of the voices kept him going. At one point, he stopped,
groaning as a
particularly sharp pain tore it's way through his chest.
"Tommy?" He looked up as a very familiar voice echoed all around him. "Tommy, can you hear
me?"
"Kat?" He started forward, trying to pinpoint her voice. "Kat, where... ugh!"
Tommy clutched his stomach and fell to his knees as an intense pain wracked his entire body.
"Kat... help!" he
gasped.
"Tommy," another voice - Kara?-floated through to him. "Tommy, you're almost back. You just
need to come a bit
further."
"It... it hurts."
"I know it hurts. We can make the pain go away if you come just a bit further."
Tommy stood and stumbled forward, only to fall back to his knees with a cry as the pain
increased. "I can't. The
pain...."
"Yes, yes you can," one of them encouraged, "Please Tommy, just a few more steps and it'll be
over. Please."
Gritting his teeth, Tommy forced himself to stand and move forward. He got perhaps five feet
before he collapsed
and the darkness enveloped him.
* * *
He was hot. Besides the now mild pain, the heat bothered him the most. "So hot," he mumbled.
He jumped as
something cool was pressed to his forehead and then made its way down his face and to his neck.
He reached out,
trying to get a hold of whatever the substance was. His hand closed over another, startling him.
Who was there with
him? That led to another question; where was he? For some reason, he couldn't open his eyes.
They felt glued shut.
He moved his head and instantly regretted it, letting out a low groan.
"Tommy?" A voice asked softly, "Can you hear me?"
"Kat?" he whispered, confusion mixing with his pain. He felt a hand on his chest and then warm
energy rushing
through him, soothing his pain. He felt himself relax and start to drift off. The sudden thought
that he may be in
danger entered his mind, causing him to panic and fight the energy being fed into him. He fought
to open his eyes,
ignoring the pain the movements caused him.
"Tommy, it's all right," came Kat's voice, "Just relax. It's just Kara's energy. It's all right."
The energy flow increased, adding to Tommy's fear of some kind of trap. Despite the fact that he
still couldn't open
his eyes, Tommy struggled to sit up. Strong hands gripped him by the shoulders and held him
down. "Tommy, it's
me, Jason. Calm down Bro. Let Kara and Kat help you." Tommy stopped his weak struggles at
the sound of his best
friend's voice. "Jase?"
"Yeah, bro, it's me. Can you open your eyes?"
"No," Tommy mumbled after a long pause.
"That's all right," Kara replied, her energy once more flowing through him. "You need rest. Just
relax and let my
energy take you."
Tommy relaxed and let the warm, soothing energy flow through him. He felt himself being taken
away, and moments
later, drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
* * *
Kamara stopped the energy flow and looked up at her friends with a smile. "He's going to be
okay," she announced,
receiving cheers in response. "I'm not sure when he'll wake up again," she added, looking back at
him. "It could be
anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days. It's going to take some time for him to fully
recover, which
means he won't be able to fight for a while."
"The good news is that you and Kat should more than make up for Tommy's absence." Billy said,
coming over with a
fresh blanket to replace the bloody one.
Kamara noticed Jason watching Kat thoughtfully. _It's all right my love,_ she thought, _she still
has a deep hatred for
Zara, but I sense she has gained much control over her feelings and powers. She will be all right
for the next battle
provided she is rested._
_What do you think Zara's plans are?_ Jason thought back.
_She thinks Tommy is dead, or close to it. That attack a few hours ago was a test. The next one
will not be so
careless.'_
Jason looked around at his friend's tired faces. "Guys, I think it would be a good idea if we all
went home and got
some sleep. It's been a long day and tomorrow is probably going to be longer."
The others nodded their agreement. Tommy mumbled something then tensed up as though in
pain. Kat silently
placed a hand on him, feeding him energy until the tension melted away. It was obvious to the
others that Kat
intended to stay, so they said their goodnights and teleported out.
Besides Kat and Kamara, Billy and Jason also stayed behind. Jason stayed behind to wish
Kamara goodnight in his
own way. Billy was once again absorbed in adding things to the defense systems. Jason's hand
slipped into Kara's.
"Want to go for a walk before calling it a night?"
"Sure," she replied with a smile. Jason poked his head through the door and called into the main
chamber,
"Goodnight everyone." He chuckled at Billy's absent response as he grabbed Kara's hand and
teleported out.
* * *
The young lovers stood close together, watching in silence as the last rays of the sun's light
slowly died out. Kamara
looked up at the new stars that filled the night sky and sighed. Jason gently squeezed her shoulder
and asked softly,
"What's up?"
"I was just admiring the stars. I've been to so many worlds, seen so much beauty. But the stars...
they've always been
the most beautiful, no matter where I am." She fell silent, her eyes glued to the sky.
"Kara? Is something bothering you?"
"No, not really. It's just that I know that somewhere, amid all that beauty, is my home." She
sighed, moving a little
closer to Jason as a slight breeze chilled her. "Sometimes, I wonder if I will ever see my home
again, it has been so
long. If it weren't for White Mist, I'd have forgotten long ago what Silvermist even looked
like."
She grew silent again, a thoughtful look crossing he features. Jason felt feelings of distress
growing within her. "You
know," she continued in a soft voice, "I'm not even sure I can get home anymore. My portal
opener has had so many
coordinates fed into it, I can't remember which one is Silvermist's."
Jason turned her around so she was facing him, and stared deep into her green eyes. "Kara, you
knows that whatever
happens, you'll always have a home here, with me."
Kamara smiled. "I know," she whispered as their heads bent closer together. She felt an odd
tingle as she closed her
eyes to receive Jason's kiss, and chalked it up to her overwhelming feelings of love for him. As
they fell deeper into
their kiss, either of them felt, or noticed the glowing eyes of a black cat watching them from the
heights of a nearby
tree.
* * *
Tommy's eyes slowly flickered open and focused on a roof. He stared at it for a moment, then
glanced around. He
instantly regretted it as a sharp pain shot through his head. He brought his hand to his temple and
noticed a slight
restraint. Looking down, he found his left arm in a sling. He frowned at it, then carefully looked
up and found Kat
sleeping in a cot next to him. Another careful glance on his other side revealed Kara asleep in
another cot.
"Kat?" he whispered softly, certain she wouldn't hear him.
However, Kat's eyes snapped open, and she quickly sat up. "Tommy," she whispered back, her
eyes lighting up in
relief. "You're awake!" She sat on the edge of his cot and took his hand in hers. "How do you
feel?"
"I've been better. What happened? Why do I feel like a heard of elephants used me as a stepping
stone?"
"You don't remember the fight with Zara?"
Tommy noticed her eyes flash with a dangerous light as she said Zara's name, but let pass as he
struggled to
remember his last battle. His mind was still filled with a thick fog, and the only thing he could
remember was intense
pain. Seeing he couldn't remember, Kat quickly told him what had happened and what had
happened since. "How
long have I been out?"
"Five days."
Tommy's eyes widened and he made a sudden movement that caused him to gasp in pain.
"Tommy, calm down. It's
okay," Kat whispered, putting her hand lightly on his arm. Tommy groaned and closed his eyes.
"Oh man. My
parents must be freaking out."
"No," Kat replied with a smile, "thanks to Kara and her manipulation powers, they think you're
on one of your
spiritual retreats. They're not expecting you back for at least another week or so." Tommy opened
his eyes, relief
filling them. A tingling sensation in his arm reminded him of the sling and he gestured to it,
asking, "What happened
to my arm?"
"Broken in the fight with Zara. Kara managed to heal most of it, but the rest is going to take
some time." Tommy
nodded, his eyes growing heavy as sleep came to claim him once more. As his eyes closed, Kat
leaned down and
kissed his cheek. Tommy sighed, then slipped into a fitful sleep.
* * *
Tommy awoke to the sound of voices. Looking around, he found both girls gone and the door to
the chamber open.
He also found that he was very, very hungry. Moving carefully, he slowly sat up, swung his legs
over the cot and
stood. He swayed and quickly put a hand against the wall to steady himself. When he was sure he
could, he shakily
made his way towards the door.
_Whoa, maybe this wasn't such a good idea,_ he thought as a wave of dizziness washed over
him. He made it to the
door and leaned against the frame for support. Looking up, he saw Kat, Kara, Billy and Jason
huddled over a
computer console, talking quietly. "Hey, what's a guy gotta do to get something to eat around
here?"
The foursome spun around, surprised. "Tommy!" Kat exclaimed, rushing over to him. What are
you doing out of
bed? You're not well enough to be walking around!"
"Yeah, I already figured that one out for myself," he weakly replied as Kat helped him back into
the cot. He closed
his eyes, then opened them again, startled as he felt the bed moving.
"It's okay," Kat assured him, "I'm just moving you into the main chamber."
"How do you feel Bro?" Jason asked, appearing next to him.
"Better than last night. What time is it?"
"Almost noon," Billy said, coming over with a glass of clear liquid. "Here, drink this. It'll help
clear any
haziness."
As Kat helped Tommy drink the liquid, Jason, Kara and Billy's attention was drawn to the center
of the chamber as
three columns of light signified the arrival of Tanya, Rocky and Adam. "Tommy, you're awake!"
Tanya exclaimed as
the threesome hurried over.
Tommy smiled weakly. "Hey guys."
"You really gave us quite a scare pal," Rocky said, smiling.
"Yeah, we were afraid you wouldn't make it," Adam put in. Nobody noticed the dark, glassy look
pass through his
eyes as he looked at Tommy. _Gotta report this to princess Zara,_ he thought. _She's not going to
be to happy._
"Adam? You all right?"
Adam started and looked up to find Kat watching him with a curious expression. "What? Oh,
yeah... I'm fine. I just
remembered something I forgot to do this morning. I'd better go take care of it. I'll be back in a
while." He stepped
back and teleported out before anyone could say a word.
"You know," Tanya said thoughtfully, "He's been acting strange ever since yesterday."
Rocky started to respond, but was interrupted as Tommy let out a gasp. Looking down, they
found his face contorted
in pain. "My chest," he gasped out through gritted teeth. Adam's strange behavior was forgotten
as Kat and Kara set
about trying to soothe Tommy's pain.
* * *
Adam stood stiffly as Zara appeared in response to his call. "Report," she ordered.
"Tommy's conscious. According to Kara he's going to be okay, but it's going to take some
time."
Zara's eyes flashed red with anger as Adam delivered his news. "How the hell did he survive?"
she snapped, her fists
cracking with dangerous energy. Then as suddenly as her anger had come, it subsided and she
smiled. "Well, I guess
he just doesn't know how to die." She looked at Adam and her smile grew as she saw the fire of
her spell at work in
his eyes. "I have a little job for you sugar. It looks like we're going to have to help Tommy get his
demise right. Here,
take this." There was a small flash of light as she held out her hand and a black dagger appeared
in her palm.
"It's not going to be easy," Adam said, taking the dagger and looking it over. "I mean, Kat and
Kara are there
constantly. Not to mention Billy, Alpha and Zordon."
Zara smiled as she ran her fingertips lightly down his cheek. "You just worry about your
assignment, sugar," she
purred, "I'll get the Rangers and Kara out of the power chamber." She reached behind her and
pulled out what looked
like a small lazer pistol.
"Here, use this on Billy and whoever else stays behind during my distraction. It'll trap them in an
unbreakable force
shield. However, it won't last long, so don't dawdle."
Adam nodded and took the device without a word. "Good, now go before someone sees us."
Adam bowed his head, concealed his weapons, and teleported out in a flash of green light.
* * *
Adam arrived to the wailing of the alarm. A small smile crossed his lips as he looked in the
viewing globe and saw a
small army of Putties and Tengas, led by Rito, tearing through the park. _Boy, she doesn't waste
any time,_ he
thought, half amused, half amazed.
"Here we go again," Rocky muttered.
"Katherine, Kamara, this battle will require your assistance. But be careful. If it appears that the
battle is directed
towards you, Kamara, teleport back here immeaditly. We cannot have you being captured."
Kara bowed her head in acknowledgment as Jason put his arm around her and said, "Don't worry,
I'll stick close to
her."
"Will you be all right Tommy?" Kat asked, looking down at him in concern.
Tommy managed a smile. "Yeah, I'll be fine. You'd better get out of here before the Putties and
Tengas do any
more damage."
Kat nodded and quickly joined the others. They morphed and teleported out.
* * *
Once in the park, Adam waited until the battle was in full swing, the discreetly teleported out.
"Adam, why'd you
leave the battle?" Billy asked as Adam reappeared in the chamber, "Is something wrong?"
Adam removed his helmet and Billy took a step back when he saw his friend's chilling smile.
"Actually yes, there is
something wrong. Tommy's still alive and I've been sent to correct that." Adam brought out the
lazer like device
and fired. The beam hit him and Billy was instantly trapped in a force field.
"Ai-yi-yi!" Alpha cried out, "Adam, what are you doing?"
"What's it look like tin head?" Adam sneered, trapping Alpha as well.
"Adam, you are under a spell. Release Billy and Alpha and let them help you." Zordon spoke
up.
"Sorry Zordon, but that's not in my orders." He pulled out the dagger and added, "My orders are
to help Tommy get
his death right." He turned towards Tommy and surprise flashed through his eyes when he saw
his target's empty bed.
"So you wanna play hide n' seek huh?" Adam muttered, his eyes searching the room.
"Adam. Come on man, don't do this," Billy pleaded. He had seen Tommy struggle out of bed and
stumble out of the
chamber at the first sign of trouble. He was relieved that Tommy had enough sense to know he
wasn't in any shape
for a fight. "Fight the spell Adam! Fight it!"
"Shut up!" Adam shouted, spinning around, his eyes burning with anger. The anger suddenly
vanished as he looked
at Billy, and he smiled as an idea formed in his mind. "Hey Tommy!" he shouted, "Considering
how injured you are,
I'm going to be generous and give you exactly two minutes to come out, or Billy here is gonna be
the one to pay!
Your two minutes starts now!"
"Don't do it Tommy!" Billy shouted, earning a deathly look from Adam.
"Come out, come out wherever you are leader man," Adam snarled, turning his attention back to
scanning the
room.
* * *
_Something's wrong,_ Kamara thought as she blasted a Tenga. _Something is very, very wrong._
Carefully, she
looked around at the mass of fighters, spotting her commrads one by one. Jason was a few feet
away, calling on a
gold rush to go through a line of Tengas. Not far from him was Kat, who had just taken down a
Tenga, and was now
taking on three putties. Her gaze then landed on Rocky, then Tanya, and finally....
_Wait a minute,_ she thought, _where's Adam?_ Dread flooded senses as she searched the battle
field in vain for the
Ranger she knew was not there. _Jason,_ she thought frantically, _I need to get back to the power
chamber now!
Adam isn't here and I have a terrible feeling._
_Gotcha,_ Jason thought back. "Kat! I'm taking Kara back to the Power Chamber! Can you three
handle things
here?"
"Yeah, go ahead! We're almost finished here anyway!" Kat shouted back.
Jason nodded, grabbed Kara's hand, and teleported them out.
* * *
They arrived to find Billy and Alpha trapped in force fields and a startled Adam. "What in the
hell...!" Jason
exclaimed.
"Careful guys, he's under a spell," Billy warned.
Adam quickly pulled out his device and fired. But Kara was faster. She summoned up a
and deflected the blast.
"Stay back!" Adam ordered, drawing his blaster and aiming threateningly.
"Adam," Kara said softly, taking a step forward, her hands raised so he could see them, "give me
your weapons and
let me help you."
"I said stay back!" Adam shouted, firing a shot at the wall behind her. He then dropped to a
defensive position, his
eyes holding a challenge.
_Careful Kara,_ Jason's thoughts entered her mind, _he can be a pretty brutal fighter if he thinks
you're the
enemy._
Kamara nodded slightly, then focused her attention back on Adam. "Adam, you're under a spell. I
know the real you
is in there, I can feel it. I know you can here me. Come on, fight the spell from within," As she
coaxed him, she
silently prayed for him to look her in the eyes. _Come on,_ she thought, _just shift your eyes a
little more... Gotcha!_
She silently cheered as Adam's eyes finally met hers and she locked him in her power. "Fight the
spell Adam."
"I... I'm trying," Adam whispered, unable to tear his eyes from hers. "Help me... please."
"I can't help you until you drop your blaster and give me that dagger Adam." Adam dropped his
blaster and slowly
took out the dagger, his eyes never leaving hers. "It... it doesn't want me to give it to you."
"Fight its will. Prove that your will is stronger. You can do it."
They watched anxiously as the red light in Adam's eyes dimmed and he slowly began lowering
the dagger.
Unfortunately, the others chose that moment to return from battle, distracting Kamara and
causing her grip on him to
loosen. Tanya had appeared within an arms length of Adam, and he reached out, gripped her arm,
and pulled her
close, putting the dagger to her neck as the red glow in his eyes flared even brighter.
"Nice try," he sneered, "Anybody moves and it's her neck." He glanced around. The force fields
around Billy and
Alpha were fading. It was obvious he wasn't going to be able to complete his orders. Even with a
hostage, they'd
never let him. _Well, at least I have something to take back to my mistress._
"All right, Tanya and I are leaving. Anybody tries anything and...." he trailed off, pressing the
blade against Tanya's
neck and causing her to gasp. Reaching down, he pressed the Teleportation button on Tanya's
communicator, and the
pair vanished.
"This is all we need right now," Rocky muttered, running a hand through his short hair.
"Billy, where's Tommy?" Kat asked fearfully.
"I don't know," Billy replied, running to a computer and pushing some buttons, "I saw him sneak
out as soon as
Adam started acting strange, but I'm not sure where he went."
"Okay, Billy, start a search for Tanya. The rest of us will split up and look for Tommy. He can't
teleport so he can't
have gotten far." Nodding, they split into pairs and left the main chamber in search of their
injured leader.
* * *
"Rocky, look!" Kat exclaimed, pointing to the floor.
Rocky knelt down and put his finger in a drop of a dark, liquid substance. He held it up to the
dim light and
grimaced. "It's blood," he said grimly, looking up at Kat.
Kat looked back at him fearfully, then began following the trail, calling his name as she did.
They'd been searching
only a few minutes when they heard a low moan. They hurried to a door that was slightly ajar
and burst inside.
"Tommy!" Kat cried out, rushing over to where Tommy lay, slumped against a wall. "Tommy?
Tommy can you hear
me?" Kat called, lightly slapping his cheeks.
"Oh, man, he must have slashed himself on something," Rocky said, pointing to where blood
oozed out of a nasty
gash in his side.
Tommy moaned and his eyes fluttered open. "So cold," he whispered, shivering.
"Billy," Kat said into her communicator, "We've found him in sector B. Can you teleport us
back?"
Her question was answered seconds later when the threesome vanished from the little chamber
and reappeared in the
main chamber, Tommy once more on the cot. Kamara hurried over and together, the two girls
set to work filling
Tommy with warm, healing energy. Kat was filled with relief when she saw a deep improvement
in the boy's
condition.
"Well, that's one problem solved," Jason said as Tommy slipped into a sound sleep, "Now we
just need to do
something about Tanya and Adam."
* * *
"Well, well," Zara purred as Adam appeared with Tanya, holding the dagger to her throat, "You
brought company."
She snapped her fingers sharply and several Tengas appeared. Adam roughly pushed her into
them and they caught
and held her in an unbreakable grip.
Ignoring Tanya, Zara looked at Adam and asked, "Well, did you complete your mission?"
Adam scowled and replied, "No, my lady. Kamara returned and kept me from completing my
assignment. Which is
part of the reason I brought back a hostage."
Zara smiled despite her anger over his failure. "Yes, she will come in handy," she said
thoughtfully, looking at the
struggling girl. She was silent for a moment, then said, "All right, I have another assignment for
you. As much fun as
playing with Tommy was, it's time to refocus my attention on the little mouse. I want you to
kidnap Jason. She seems
to be quite fond of him and his capture would surely catch her attention."
Adam threw a quick glance at his watch and said, "He has a class right about now that he's sure
to go down and
cancel. I can get him there."
"A wonderful idea sugar. I'll send some Tengas disguised as humans down with you. You can use
them to convince
Jason to go quietly."
Adam nodded and bowed his head. Then, after Zara summoned some Tengas, left to compete his
new mission.
* * *
"Oh uncle Zedd, aunt Rita, we have a guest," Zara called out as she entered the throne room.
Zedd looked at the glowing rope she held, pulled taunt with the resistance of whatever was at the
other end, and
growled, "Zara, I've already told you no pets! We have enough problems with your constant
shape shifting into
wildcats without needing to worry about a real blasted animal!"
Zara smiled coldly. "Oh but uncle," she purred, "You'll love this pet. I guarantee it." Turning, she
gripped the rope
and pulled hard.
Rita's eyes widened in surprise as Tanya stumbled in and fell to the floor. Her hands were tied in
front of her with the
glowing rope, and blood trickled down her arm from where the rope cut into her wrist.
"Well now," Zedd said, towering above the yellow ranger, "How did you manage to get this little
prize?"
"Actually, I didn't. she was brought to me by my new servant."
"And who was that?" Rita asked, surprised that one of the riff raff had actually done something
right.
"None other than Adam, Zeo Ranger IV."
"What!?" Rita screeched, sending a shiver down Tanya's spine.
"Oh, I've had him in my power since yesterday," Zara said off handily. Studding her nails, she
added in a bored tone,
"He's gone back to capture the Gold Ranger. He failed to finish off Tommy, but I think it's time I
turned my attention
back to princess Kamara. Jason's capture will help a great deal in that department."
"You won't win, Zara," Tanya spoke up. During Zara's explanation, she had gotten silently to her
feet and stood off
to the side, watching Rita and Zedd warily. Particularly Zedd. She didn't like the way he kept
looking at her and
desperately wished she had her zeonizers.
Zara sauntered up to her and swiftly backhanded her. "Quiet!" she snapped, "Prisoners speak only
when spoken
to!"
_She gets that from her mother,_ Zedd thought in amusement, thinking how militaristic his sister
was.
Tanya glared defiantly at her. "Just wait 'till Kat gets her hands on you, you witch!" she spat.
This provoked a chilling smile from Zara. "Her power is indeed strong enough to do to me what
she did to Goldar.
But I assure you, little Ranger, that she won't go beyond mildly injuring me. Just as I won't go
beyond mildly injuring
her." She paused, then added, "But I'm saying too much. Uncle, where do you want this
mouse?"
"Put her in the dungeon. And make sure she gets there! The last thing we need is a Ranger
running loose around the
palace!" Zara nodded and left the room, dragging Tanya behind her.
* * *
Adam watched with a small smile as Jason finished giving his class instructions on what to do
for next class. As
Jason approached the door, Adam moved to intercept him.
"Hey Jase, canceling class?"
Jason stopped and eyed him warily. "Adam, where's Tanya?" he asked quietly.
"She's safe. In fact, I've been sent with an invitation for you to join her. Oh and before you refuse,
take a look at
those kids over there." He gestured to a group of four teens, who sat at the bar, watching them.
Jason held back a
gasp as they suddenly switched forms to revel Tengas. Then, just as fast as they had changed,
they were back in
human form. "Now, unless you want them starting a major panic in which innocent people will
most likely get hurt,
you'll come with me nice and quietly. As soon as we're out of here, they'll leave."
Jason looked from Adam to the teens and back again. Realizing he had no choice, he let his
breath out in a rush and
muttered, "All right, I'll go."
Adam smiled and stepped aside. "After you." Jason threw him a glare, knowing from the red
glow in his friend's eyes
that it would be useless to try talking to him. Adam looked at the teens and nodded, then
followed the other boy out.
As soon as they were gone, the foursome shimmered and, with a loud squawk, changed into their
true forms. As the
screams started, the four giant birds began their terrorizing acts.
They had been running amuck only a few minutes when two columns of light signaled the arrival
of the two
remaining Rangers. "All right everyone, stay calm! Leave in an orderly fashion and no one will
get hurt!" While Kat
controlled the panicky crowd, Rocky tore into the Tengas. Once everyone was safely out, Kat
joined him.
However, before the fight went far, a piercing whistle stopped it. The Tengas immediately
flocked to it's owner.
Turning, both ranges held back gasps when they saw Adam, fully morphed, standing by the
doorway. "I thought that
would get your attention. I have a message for Kamara from Zara." He motioned with one of his
hands and a Tenga
ran up to them, pushing a small envelope into Kat's hands. Before any of them could respond,
Adam and the Tengas
disappeared in a flash.
* * *
Kamara paled as she read the note Kat and Rocky had given her.
"Kara? What is it?" Kat asked, fearing the answer. "Zara has Jason," Kara replied in a shaky
voice, "I have twenty
four hours starting from the time I get this to surrender or Jason dies. After him will be Tanya
and then Adam." She
sat down on one of the consoles, eyes closed and shoulders sagged in defeat. "Kara, don't give
up," Kat said, "We'll
get them back."
"No," Kara replied softly, "this has happened once to often already. Every time it happens, the
friends I'm with
always try and pull a rescue, and it always ends in disaster." She looked up at them, tears
streaming down her cheeks.
"I've lost so many friends that way. Friends trying to protect me at the cost of their lives. Look
what nearly happened
to Tommy. I love Jason too much to let that happen again."
"We're not letting you surrender." They all turned towards Tommy, who was sitting on the edge
of the cot, a
determined look in his eyes. "In all our years as Rangers, no matter what happened, whether it
was ourselves or
someone else we were protecting, we never surrendered. Even when one of our own was in
trouble, we always found
a way to foul Zedd and Rita, and later the Machine Empire, up. Surrendering isn't the Ranger
way and as long as I
lead this team, it's going to stay that way. Giving up to those clowns is a last resort that has never
been used and
never will be. Jase... Jason, Tanya and Adam know that. They know we'll rescue them... even if it
take a... a little
time. I know this sounds cold, but if we can't rescue them, then we can't rescue them. We all
knew the risks... what
could happen... when we accepted the power, and we all accept that."
"Tommy be careful," Kat warned, placing her hand on his shoulder, "You're still weak. You don't
want to over exert
yourself."
Tommy took a deep breath and closed his eyes, nodding. He put his hand on Kat's and gave it a
gentle squeeze.
"Rangers," Zordon boomed, "I am in agreement with Tommy. We cannot allow you to surrender.
Your life is too
important to risk losing, even at such a cost."
"Besides," Tommy added bitterly, "giving up will only give Zedd the excuse to kill them
sooner."
They were all disturbed by the tone in his voice, but Rocky, Kat and Billy were even more
disturbed by the look in
his eyes. Billy was once more reminded of the old days, when Tommy was still the Green
Ranger. Billy broke the
uncomfortable silence that descended. "I'll step up the search."
* * *
Jason strained against his bonds for what must have been the hundredth time in ten minutes.
"It's no use Jason," Tanya said from next to him, "these bonds are to strong."
Jason let out a frustrated breath and leaned his head back against the wall they were chained to.
"Man, I hope the
others get here soon," he muttered.
"I suggest you get used to your accommodations, Gold Ranger. You and your yellow friend are
going to be here for a
while."
The pair looked up as Zedd entered the dungeon, Adam and two Tengas following. "Come to
gloat Zedd?" Jason
asked with a glare.
Zedd chuckled as he approached them. "Still have the old spirit, huh Jason? Well enjoy it while
you can boy. When
I'm through with you, there won't be enough spirit left to match the tip of you pinkie finger!
He looked over at Tanya and Jason could have sworn he saw the evil lord grin beneath his metal
mask. The
sensation gave him chills, and a very bad feeling. Tanya stood stiffly and glared defiantly at Zedd
as he came and
stood before her. Although she didn't show it, she was terrified. She had head stories about the
evil lord, but had
never actually seen him. It was an experience she could have lived without. The only thing that
gave her comfort was
Jason's presence.
"You know, for a human, you are rather pretty." Zedd said, bring his gruesome hand up and
lightly touching her
cheek. Tanya quickly jerked away, causing Zedd to chuckle once more.
"Leave her alone, Zedd!" Jason said in a threatening voice.
Zedd ignored him, absorbed in slowly running his fingers down Tanya's neck and over her
breasts. Tanya's eyes
widened as his hand slipped lower and crept in between her legs. She let out a gasp and
attempted to move away, but
the chains held her in place.
"Zedd!" Jason shouted, struggling furiously against the chains, ""Leave her alone or so help me
I'll... " His voice
trailed off as he looked over at Adam and saw the red glow in the boy's eyes flickering as he
watched Zedd. "Adam!"
he shouted, "I know how much you care for Tanya! Look at what he's doing to her! Come on
man! Snap out of it and
help her!"
From the look in his friend's eyes, Jason could tell the boy was in a desperate struggle for control.
Jason's attention
was drawn towards the door as Zara hurried in.
She looked at Adam, then at Zedd and said in a voice filled with annoyance, "Oh, really uncle!"
Zedd turned and
watched Zara as she smothered Adam in a passionate kiss. Jason's heart sank as the red glow in
Adam's eyes flared
with new life and intensity. Zara smiled slightly, then turned back to face Zedd. "Really uncle, if
you're so fascinated
by her, you could have taken her somewhere else to get your kicks, or dismissed Adam. He
nearly broke free of my
spell!"
Before Zedd could respond, Rito walked in. "Oh, there you are Ed! Rita's looking for you. She
needs you to help her
with a spell or something."
"It's Zedd," Zedd grumbled under his breath. "All right, I'm coming." He turned back to Tanya,
who was watching
him with stone cold hatred in her eyes. "We'll continue this later on my dear," he growled, then
turned and left the
dungeon, Rito and the Tengas following.
Zara remained behind, watching them. Tanya met her gaze boldly and was surprised to see a hint
of compassion in
the other girl's cold eyes. Silently, Zara raised her hand and made a simple gesture. immediately,
glowing bars
appeared, and the chains holding them vanished. Taking Adam's hand, Zara turned and they, to,
left. Once they were
gone, Tanya fell to her knees, hugging herself and rocking back and forth.
Jason immediately knelt next to her and put his hand on her arm. She was shaking badly, and
when she looked up at
him, tears were flowing down her cheeks. Without hesitation, Jason drew her in his arms and
held her.
* * *
In another galaxy, on a world similar to earth, but lacking earth's technical advances and
knowledge, five soldiers
dressed in shiny, silver armor, converse with the planet's ruler. "How long ago did she leave,
highness?" the leader of
the group, a striking girl of about twenty earth years, asked.
Queen Marasana, an attractive, elven-like woman, wore a thoughtful expression as she regarded
the girl's question.
"I'm not entirely certain. I shall have to ask my daughter. They were very close in the short time
she was here." She
rang a bell, and several moments later, a girl of about seventeen earth years, entered the
room.
"Yes, mother?" she asked, regarding the soldiers curiously.
"Kira, these people are soldiers from the Silvermist world. How long ago did Kamara
leave?"
A look of sadness entered Kira's snow white eyes as she thought of her dear friend. "A little over
a month ago. I think
she had finally found a way to... what did she call the world she was trying to reach?"
"Earth?" One of the soldiers, a boy in his mid-teens, asked.
"Yes, that's the one," Kira confirmed with a nod. "I think she was close to making contact with
someone there. We
helped her create a diversion for Zara while she made her escape. I hope she made contact with
whoever she was
trying to make contact with."
"We should pick up on her trail again by morning," a girl, no older than the boy, spoke up,
looking at the device in
her hands.
"May I ask that you put us up for the night, highness?" the leader asked upon hearing that last
statement.
"Of course," Marasana consented with a nod. I'll have someone take you to your quarters and
bring you
refreshments... "
* * *
Jason looked at his watch. Ten one in the morning. He hopped the others found a way to get them
out soon. The
dungeon was cold and he was hungry. He shifted position and felt something jab him in the
thigh. He dug around in
his pocket and nearly shouted for joy when he pulled out a candy bar.
"Tanya," he said softly to the dozing form next to him. Tanya's eyes snapped open and she sat up
quickly, prepared
for a fight. "Relax," Jason said gently as he opened the wrapper. "Want some chocolate?"
"Thanks," Tanya replied softly, breaking of a piece. "Jason?" Tanya asked after a moment.
"Yeah?"
"I want to thank you for being there for me after Zedd... " Her voice trailed off and she took a
deep breath, trying to
calm her nerves. Jason reached over and took her hand in his, giving a gentle, yet firm
squeeze.
They looked up as the door the dungeon opened, and Finster walked in, followed by several
Tengas. "What do you
want, Finster?" Jason growled as they stood. He eyed the device in the creature's hands and
prepared himself for a
fight.
"Lord Zedd Has sent me to bring the Yellow Ranger to him," Finster said in answer to the
question.
Jason felt Tanya stiffen next to him and quickly moved in front of her. "She's not going
anywhere," he said in a
dangerously calm voice.
Finster sighed. "I figured that's what your reaction would be. Tengas," he waved his hand and the
bars disappeared,
"subdue them." Finster stepped back at as the Tengas rushed the teens, and watched the fight.
Even unmorphed, the
pair easily pounded the giant birds. Finster sighed and shook his head. "Well, they provided a
distraction anyway,"
he muttered, turning his device on and taking aim. Jason screamed in pain and fell to his knees,
clutching his stomach
as the beam hit him.
"Jason!" Tanya yelled, running to his side as the Tengas retreated to Finster. "Stop it!" she
shouted, looking at the
little monster, "Stop it, you're hurting him!"
"Only you can stop his pain, yellow ranger. All you have to do is say you'll come with me, and I'll
turn my stunner
off. It's up to you."
"No! Don't... do it... Tanya!" Jason gasped out, "Don't... let that... bastard win!" He tried
unsuccessfully to stifle a
scream. Instead, it came out as a terrible choking sound.
Tanya looked from Jason to Finster and back again. "All right, all right!" she shouted, "I'll go
with you, just stop
hurting him!"
Finster smiled and turned the device off. Jason collapsed, breathing heavily. "Come along,
Tanya."
"No," Jason moaned, "Don't... go with... him."
"Shh," Tanya whispered, "I'll be all right. I'll try to escape and get our zeonizers." She squeezed
his hand, then stood
and went to Finster. The little alien produced a pair of large shackles, which he snapped around
her neck and wrists.
He grabbed a chain dangling between the hand shackles, made a gesture that put the bars back in
place, then led
Tanya from the room. Jason raised his head and reached toward the door. "Tanya," he whispered.
Then everything
went black.
* * *
Kamara stiffened, then cried out, dropping to her knees and holding her head as pain flowed
through. "Kara!" Kat
exclaimed, startled. "What's wrong?" she asked, kneeling next to her distraught friend. "It's
Jason," Kara sobbed,
"he... he's in pain."
"Can I help?" Kat asked.
"No," Kamara whispered, "No, the pain is leaving. But he is still suffering. I must ease it on my
own." She closed her
eyes, and her whole body glowed a soft silver. When she opened her eyes again, they were filled
with relief. She said
nothing, and Kat didn't press her.
She looked up and had to smile when she saw Rocky, leaning against the wall, dozing. _He
actually slept through
that?_ she thought, making her way towards him. "Rocky," she said softly, putting her hand on
his shoulder.
Rocky jumped slightly and opened his eyes. "I'm awake," he mumbled, blinking as he looked at
her.
Kat smiled. "No you're not. Go home Rocky. It's late."
Rocky looked like he was about to protest, but a yawn changed his mind. "All right. Good night
everyone. I'll be
back first thing tomorrow, but if anything happens in the meantime, contact me." He gave Kat a
quick kiss on the
cheek and added, "Say goodnight to Tommy for me." Then he teleported out.
She looked over at Billy, who was busy pouring over search results. "How's it going?" she
asked.
Billy looked at her and sighed. "Not so good. Wherever Zedd is holding them, it's well shielded.
I'm willing to bet
they're on the moon, but we need to rule out all dimensions and other possibilities before we go
there."
Kat nodded in agreement. "I'm going to check on Tommy. Would you keep a rough eye on Kara?
I'm worried about
her."
Billy glanced at the other girl, who sat on the floor, and nodded. Kat looked once more at
Kamara, who now
appeared to be meditating, then headed for chamber 2. Tommy was sitting up, leaning against the
wall with his eyes
closed. He opened them as the door slid shut and gave her a smile as she approached.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" Kat asked, sitting down on the edge of the cot.
"Better. I'm dying for a workout. Feels like ages since my last one."
"Well, it's going to be a while yet. That darkness Zara implanted in you really did a number on
your recovery
speed."
"How's the search going?"
Kat sighed. "Not so good. So far, Billy hasn't been able to pick up even a trace of their ranger
energies. He says that
wherever their being held, it's well shielded. I hope they're all right," she added with a worried
look in her eyes.
Tommy suddenly drew in a sharp breath, putting his hand on his injured arm. "Here," Kat said,
immediately reaching
over and placing her already glowing hand on his arm.
Tommy relaxed as her warm energy soothed his pain. "You know," he said as he watched her, "I
don't think I ever
got the chance to thank you and Kara. If it weren't for you two, I probably wouldn't be here right
now enjoying your
company... or, your beauty."
Kat looked at him, then looked away again, blushing. "I'm just glad you're all right," she said
softly. "All that time
you were unconscious, I was so afraid you wouldn't make it. We've been through a lot together,
and the thought of
losing you...." She trailed off, and looked back at him, tears forming in her eyes.
Tommy reached up and lightly touched his fingers to her cheek. He drew her closer until they
were just inches apart,
then their lips met in a soft kiss that slowly deepened. Neither said a word when they broke apart.
Both just sat there,
staring into the other's eyes. The spell was broken when the door to the chamber silently slid
open, and Billy walked
in, carrying a sleeping Kamara in his arms.
"Poor girl's exhausted," he said as he gently lowered her onto her cot. "She's really taking this
hard. I was afraid I
would have to sedate her to get her to sleep."
"Speaking of which, you should go home and get some rest yourself," Kat said, "You've been
going non-stop all
day."
Until she had mentioned it, Billy had not realized just how exhausted he, in fact, was. "Yeah, all
right. I should warn
you though, I've got the alarm rigged to go off the moment the computer gets a signal on Jason
and Tanya."
Kat nodded. "Right."
"All right then. Good night."
"Night Billy."
* * *
Jason's next conscious awarement was of quiet sobbing. Forcing his eyes open, he focused on the
source and found
Tanya. She was sitting next to him, her knees drawn to her chest, and rocking back and forth as
she cried softly.
"Tanya?" he whispered. His heart jumped to his throat as she raised her head. Her right eye was
swollen and
blood-dried and fresh-trickled down the side of her head and both corners of her mouth. Her shirt
was torn in several
places and Jason saw more blood coming out of some nasty wounds. "Tanya... what did that
bastard do to you?" He
reached out to her, but stopped as she sucked in a fearful breath. "Tanya," he said gently, "It's
okay. It's me... Jason."
He reached out again, touched her tear stained face, then pulled her into his arms, holding her
protectively.
"Oh Jason!" she sobbed, her voice muffled by his shirt, "It was horrible! He kept touching me in
ways that hurt. I
tried fighting back with everything I had, but he only hurt me more. I nearly escaped twice, but
he caught me and... "
Her voice trailed off into a choked sob.
The door to the dungeon suddenly open, startling them both. They stood quickly as Adam
entered, followed by three
Putties and a Tenga. Two of the Putties were carrying trays of something covered with tin lids.
Jason immediately
noticed that the red glow in Adam's eyes had dimmed considerably since Zara's last kiss. Adam's
gaze fell on Tanya,
and the light dimmed even more as he saw her condition. He shook his head as if to clear it, then
said, "Supper time.
Princess Zara doesn't want you starving to death on her."
He motioned to the Putties, who quickly stepped up to the bars, knelt down and, as a section of
the bars faded, slid
the trays through. Jason's eyes narrowed as he looked at Adam. The other boy looked back at him
coldly, but Jason
thought he detected a hint of something else in his friend's eyes. Throwing one last glance at
Tanya, Adam turned
and quickly left, the Putties and Tenga following close behind. Jason approached the trays and
carefully lifted the
lid.
"Tanya," he said when he saw the contents, "We just got our ticket out of here."
Tanya limped over and peered over Jason's shoulder. "Are... are those what I think they are?" she
asked shakily,
unsure whether or not to believe her own eyes.
"Yeah. Yeah they are," he replied, handing her, her zeonizer. "There's also a note here," he added,
unfolding a small
piece of paper and reading;
"Guys, Zara's spell has weak spots, so I'm semi-aware of what is happening. I don't have total
control, so this is
all I can do to help you. You have to get to the caverns below the palace. Find the place the Zeo
crystal was kept
before we knew about it. Instinct will guide you. Hurry, I'm not sure how long it will be before
your escape is
discovered, or I betray you myself."
Jason looked up at Tanya, who held a look of amazement in her eyes. "We'd better take the
advice, he said, stuffing
the note in his pocket.
Tanya nodded, and he called out, "It's morphin time!"
"Zeo Ranger II-yellow!"
"Gold Ranger Power!"
Once morphed, Jason summoned his power staff and had their cage disabled in seconds. A shot
to the main door had
them out of the dungeon completely. Jason grabbed Tanya's hand and together, the pair raced
down the dark
corridors, taking care not to be spotted by the roaming groups of Putties, Tengas and monsters.
"If I remember what
Tommy told me correctly, the entrance to the caverns should be up ahead somewhere," Jason
said quietly as they
watched a group of Putties walk by.
"Jason," Tanya whispered as they continued on, "I think my power boost is wearing off. I don't
fee... ugh!"
Jason spun around and caught Tanya before she hit the floor. "Tanya!" Her uniform was smoking
from the lazer
blast. Looking up, Jason spotted to two strong, very ugly monsters moving rapidly towards them.
"Oh man, busted,"
he muttered.
"Tanya, can you run?" he asked urgently.
Tanya nodded. "Yeah, I think so."
"Then let's move!" He pulled her to her feet, and they took off running. After several moments of
hard running, Jason
stopped and fired a few blasts from his staff in the hope of slowing down their pursuers. When he
turned back, he
found Tanya leaning against a mold covered wall, looking for all the world like she was on her
last legs. "Jason, I...
can't go on... I'm too weak."
Without a word, Jason scooped her up in his arms, and continued running. He rounded a corner
and managed too
squeeze the two of them into a small crevice in the wall. He breathed a sigh of relief as the two
monsters ran by and
disappeared around another corner.
Seeing the coast was clear, he moved out of the crevice and was about to move on when a soft
glow caught his
attention. Moving closer, he found a door tucked away in a dark corner. As they moved closer,
the door glowed
brighter, then swung open, as though sensing their presence. Tanya stirred in reaction to the
warm light that
emanated from beyond the door. Hearing footsteps coming their way, Jason quickly stepped
though. _Must be the
caverns Adam told us to get to,_ he thought, looking around the new place. Several other caverns
branched off from
the one they were in. _Where to now?_
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he felt an irresistible urge to enter the cavern on the far
right. It felt like
hours before they finally entered a small room. Jason put his injured team mate's now limp form
down on a stone
slab and checked her over. Her uniform was blood soaked in placed where her injuries still
flowed with blood, and
she was unresponsive to anything he did to try and wake her. "Oh man. So how do we get out of
here?" he wondered
out loud, glancing around. His hand came to rest on the slab next to Tanya and a bright light
flared. When it cleared,
they were no longer in the caverns, but in a cave located in the quarry. _How in the world did I
know that?_ He
shrugged it off and closed his eyes, sending his mind out. _Kara. Kara, it's Jason. Can you hear
me?_
_Jason? Oh Jason thank goodness! The alarm is going crazy! Where are you?_
_Tanya and I are in a cave in the quarry. Tanya's out cold. We need to get back there fast!_
_Hang on. Alpha is trying to get a lock on you. It will just be a moment._
True to her word, a moment later, the cave disappeared, and the Power Chamber appeared in its
place.
"Jason!" Kamara exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck and embracing him, "I was so
worried!"
Kat knelt next to Tanya and carefully removed her helmet. "My god," she whispered, "Jason,
what happened to
her?"
"Zedd," Jason replied bitterly.
Kamara quickly knelt on Tanya's other side and the two girls began their now familiar ritual of
healing their friend.
Rocky and Billy teleported in seconds after they started and were quickly filled in. when the girl's
finished, Kamara
said, "Her physical wounds are now healed." She paused, looking at Tanya's sleeping form, then
added quietly, "I
cannot say the same about the emotional ones, however."
She looked up at Jason, her bright green eyes disturbed. "Jason, what in the world happened up
there?"
Jason closed his eyes and let his breath out in a rush. He then began to tell them what had
happened in Zedd's palace
from when Zedd first came down up until their arrival in the cave. "She didn't say anything about
it but... I think he
may have raped her."
A stunned silence fell over the group. Kamara brushed a lock of hair away from Tanya's face. "I
thought as much,"
she said quietly.
"This time, Zedd's gone to far," a low voice growled. They looked up and found Tommy standing
in the doorway of
chamber 2. It was obvious from the look in his eyes that he had heard every word of Jason's tale.
The tone in his
voice made even Jason nervous as he said, "Zedd's gonna pay for this. I'm gonna make him pay if
it's the last thing I
ever do."
* * *
"How in the hell did they escape?!" Zara fumed as she paced the throne room. "The only way
they could have
escaped was if they were morphed," Zedd said from his seat on his throne.
"And since their morphers were up here, someone had to bring them down to those two," Rita
added, staring
accusingly at Adam.
Zara looked to where Adam stood, his eyes staring blankly at the opposite wall, and smiled
slightly. "No, I would
have known if he had broken through my control. And he was the one who reported them
missing. Her smile
vanished and she began pacing again. "There goes my plan of forcing her to surrender!"
"Why not use Adam?" Rito asked.
Zara shook her head. "No, I'd have to keep my word to kill him if she refused to surrender, and I
intend on taking
him back home with me. There is little time left. No more games, tomorrow will be the final
battle. I will take her
back with me, or die trying."
* * *
"There, good as new," Kamara said with a smile as she finished with the energy flow and
removed the sling from
Tommy's arm.
Tommy smiled as he moved his arm around. "Wow, that feels great, Kara. Thanks."
"No problem." She looked over to where Tanya sat, staring vacantly at some breakfast biscuits
Kat had brought.
"How is she doing?" she asked quietly as Kat joined them.
Kat cast a worried glance in her friend's direction and said, "Not so good. I can't get her to eat
anything or even talk
to me for that matter."
Kamara nodded, then made her way over to Tanya. "Tanya, may I speak with you in the other
chamber?"
Tanya looked up at her, and the blank expression left her face as their eyes met. Nodding, she
silently stood and
followed Kamara into chamber 2. "What's up?" she asked quietly as the door slid shut behind
them.
Kamara looked at the girl, then decided to get right to the point. "Tanya... I felt the pain of what
Zedd did to you
when I was healing you. I can't make what he did to you go away, but I can make the pain and
memories go away. I
can prevent any frightening dreams you may have from coming. In short, I can prevent this...
experience from ruining
your life. I can give you the gift so many others in your situation have wished for... to forget it
ever happened. I can
also add something that will ensure it never happens again."
Tanya was silent for a moment, tears running down her cheeks. Finally, she whispered, "What
would I have to
do?"
"All you have to do is say, 'I want and accept this gift.'"
Tanya nodded and whispered, "I want and accept this gift."
Kamara smiled. "Good." She closed the distance between them and placed her hand over her
friend's heart. "Close
your eyes," she instructed, doing the same. When she next spoke, her voice was hollow and
echoed around the room.
"I call upon the power of the stars. Take the pain and memories of the evils committed upon the
body of this girl.
Make her forget and keep her from remembering."
The energy flowing into Tanya's body brightened and she screamed as a sinister looking energy
left her body in a
cloudy fog and disappeared. Kamara caught her as she fell forward and gently lowered her to the
ground. She
replaced her hand and whispered, "I give thee this gift of protection. Should a repeat of the
crimes committed upon
this body ever attempt to occur again, use this power in faith and instinct. May it be passed along
to children and
grandchildren until the end of time."
She passed her hand over Tanya's eyes and they opened, but remained unseeing. She helped her
to her feet and was
not surprised, as they left the chamber, to find the others clustered around outside. "Kara, what
happened?" Jason
asked anxiously.
"Why does Tanya look like a zombie?" Rocky added, taking in Tanya's even blanker
expression.
Kamara quickly explained what she had done. "She will remember being held captive and
escaping, but everything
in between will be gone," she finished, guiding Tanya back to her seat. "Kat, would you take a
seat across from her?
I implanted the memory of the two of you having breakfast together."
Kat did as she was asked and Kamara once more passed her hand over Tanya's eyes. They
cleared, and almost
instantly, she asked, "Would you pass the orange juice, Kat?" The others looked at each other in
amazement as Kat
complied.
The sudden wailing of the alarm startled them all. Rocky groaned as they looked in the viewing
globe. "Aw, man.
When is she gonna realize she's not going to get Kara?" he complained as Zara appeared, firing a
blast of energy at a
tree.
Kamara stared at Zara's image, a look of understanding lighting her eyes. "Kara? What is it?"
Jason asked, putting
his hand on her shoulder. "She's not playing games anymore. This battle... it's going to be long
and hard. It's to be the
final one. The one that decides my fate. I must fight in this one Jason," she quickly added before
he could voice his
thought. She turned to face them. "By fighting this battle, I'll have the chance to be rid of her
once and for all." She
paused, then added, "Tommy, I didn't expect this for at least a few more days. As a result,
Katherine and I must
infuse you with a special energy so that you will be suitable for battle. It's going to take a small
while, so the rest of
you had better go on ahead."
Jason nodded. "It's morphin time!" After the three remaining rangers had left, Kat and Kamara
set to work.
* * *
"All right, Zara! Playtime's over!"
Jason shouted when they arrived. "Well now, only three? Where's Katherine? More importantly,
where's
Kamara?"
"The only thing you should be worrying about right now is us!" Jason responded.
Zara laughed. "Actually sugar, I think you should be worrying about yourselves. Tell me, can you
fight someone you
still consider a friend and comrade?" She snapped her fingers, and in a flash of green light, a
morphed Adam
appeared by her side.
"Adam!" Tanya shouted. She started towards him, but Rocky held her back.
Zara smiled and said calmly, "Adam, attack." Adam charged forward, and the threesome rushed
to meet him.
"Adam!" Rocky shouted, grabbing Adam's arm, "Adam it's us! Come on man, don't do this!"
Adam snarled in reply and delivered a vicious kick to Rocky's stomach. After several moments of
fighting, Tanya
picked herself up off the ground and joined the boys, saying, "This isn't working. We need a new
approach. Wait
here." Tanya calming approached Adam, who had his blaster trained on her.
"Adam! Kill her!" Zara ordered.
"Adam," Tanya said softly, "Adam, it's me, Tanya. Snap out of it Adam. Come back to us."
"No Adam!" Zara shouted, "Kill her! She's your enemy!"
Adam fired a shot at the ground in front of Tanya, stopping her.
Unfazed, Tanya said, "Adam, I'm not going to fight you. If you feel you have to follow her
orders... then I'm not
going to stop you." She fell silent and watched as Adam tightened his grip on his blaster.
"Do it Adam! Do it and you'll be well rewarded."
Adam began to squeeze the trigger, then stopped and faltered. At his hesitation, Tanya knew he
was breaking
through. "Give me your hand, and let's end this," she said, holding out her own hand.
Adam stared at the offered hand, slowly lowering his weapon. He hesitated as Zara shouted
angrily at him. Then,
responding to Tanya's gentle coaxing, reached out and grasped her hand. Tanya pulled him into a
tight hug, ignoring
Zara's angry screams.
"All right!" Rocky cheered as he and Jason joined the pair.
"You'll pay for betraying me Adam!" Zara screamed, her fists crackling with energy.
Before she could release it, however, a shout caught her attention. "Hey Zara! Heads up!" She
looked up and was hit
in the chest by a lazer blast, knocking her roughly to the ground and stunning her. She raised her
head and hissed
when she saw Tommy, Kat, and Kamara joining the others. She got to her feet, gained control,
and smiled.
"Well, well Tommy," she purred, "You look much better than the last time I saw you. Less...
bloody." She rushed on
before he could respond, "but as much as I'd love to stand around chit chatting..." She snapped
her fingers, and a
large group of Tengas appeared, "It's time to get busy."
On the command, both groups rushed to meet each other. Somehow, Tommy once again ended
up squaring off with
Zara. The pair fought viscously, their hatred for one another the only thing keeping them going.
Finally, after over an
hour and a half of hard fighting, the others finished off the last of a long line of Tengas and
Putties, and joined their
leader.
"Zara! It's time to finish what we stared nineteen hundred years ago!"
"With pleasure, little mouse!" Zara hissed. They rushed each other, and the new fight was on.
Jason felt each blow
Kamara received, and helped retaliate by sending her his love and energy. No one was sure how
long the pair had
been fighting, when a fresh army of Tengas appeared.
"Man! Zedd just won't quit!" Rocky exclaimed as they prepared for the new fight. No one noticed
a portal open not
far from the battle site, and five, silver clad beings emerge. They took in the fight, quickly
picking out friends and
foes. At the command from their leader, they pulled out lazer blasters, and rapidly began taking
out the giant
birds.
"What the... !?" Rocky exclaimed as the Tenga he was fighting suddenly disintegrated into a pile
of feathers.
Looking around, he found other Tengas meeting the same fate. "What's going on?" he asked,
joining the others.
"Oh man, check that out!" Adam exclaimed, pointing at the five newcomers.
Once the Tengas were finished off, they turned their attention to Kamara and Zara. All five took
aim and fired,
knocking Zara back several feet and slamming her into a tree. Surprised, Kamara turned and
watched as the five
approached her.
"Come on, let's find out what's going on," Tommy said, running in their direction.
"Princess," their leader was saying, "There is no time to explain who we are. We are here to
help."
Kamara nodded in understanding and turned to the rangers. "Katherine, Jason, we're going to
need your help. The
rest of you, take cover." The others headed for cover without question while Kamara, Kat, Jason,
and the five
strangers formed a circle. Almost by instinct, they joined hands, closed their eyes, and began
glowing as they called
upon their powers, Kamara and Jason calling upon their bond. As the rangers watched from their
cover, all the power
summoned seemed to flow directly to Kamara. She began to glow brightly and, as Zara began to
rise, summoning her
own power, Kamara broke away from the circle and turned to face her oldest foe. Her eyes
glowed a bright sliver as
she raised her hands, releasing a bright ball of pure energy. Zara's eyes widened as the energy
slammed into her,
releasing a scream of anguished pain as the power of good tore thought her. There was a bright
flash followed by a
great crash of thunder as lightning struck the spot Zara stood. When the light cleared, Zara was
gone.
Kamara fell too her knees, gasping as the energy left her. "Kara, you all right?" Jason asked
softly, falling to his
knees next to her.
She nodded, looking at the spot Zara had stood only moments ago. "It's over," she whispered.
She looked at Jason,
tears forming in her green eyes. "It's really over," she embraced him, laughing as the others
rejoined them.
"Princess Kamara," the leader of the five spoke, bowing deeply, "we are relieved to have finally
found you."
Kamara looked up at them, confusion in her eyes. "May I ask who you are, and how you know
me?" she asked,
standing. "Of course. I am commander Jarva. These are lieutenants Liana and Jox and corporals
Mara and Corus. We
are from Silvermist. Your mother sent us to find and bring you home."
Shock entered Kamara's eyes at Jarva's words. She opened and closed her mouth, unable to get
any words out. She
was dimly aware of Tommy speaking into his communicator, then the world vanished in a flash
of white light.
* * *
"Wait a minute," Rocky said half an hour later when things had calmed down slightly, "You all
just fried Zara. Why
didn't you do that a long time ago instead of putting Kara on the run?"
_That is a question I can answer,_ a voice whispered in their minds. Kamara and Jason smiled as
the others looked
around in confusion. There was a flash of light, and when it cleared, the transparent, human form
of White Mist
stood in the center of the chamber.
"Who...?" Rocky whispered.
Tommy, recognizing his savior, put a hand on Rocky's shoulder and said softly, "I'll explain later,
bro."
_What was accomplished today was unable to happen all those centuries ago because the bond
and knowledge
Kamara had to gain had not been completed. Only when this happened, would the power to
defeat Zara appear. What
happened to your father was fate, as was with your mother. If your mother had not met her fate,
these five soldiers
would never have been sent and the power would never have been harnessed. Zara would have
won._ Apparently
finished with her strange explanation, White Mist shimmered, and vanished.
"Jarva? What happened to my mother and father?"
"Your father... was killed in battle shortly after your departure."
"And my mother?" Kara whispered.
Jarva shook her head. "I'm sorry princess. Before we made this journey four, maybe five earth
years ago, enemy
forces somehow managed to infiltrate the palace, where they attacked your mother and injected
her with a fatal
poison. Our healers tried to take it out, but only managed to tone it down. She died peacefully,
her last wish being
that we find and bring you home." Jarva reached into a concealed pocket in her uniform and
pulled out a small box.
"She wanted you to have this," she said, placing the box in Kamara's hand.
Opening it, Kamara removed a star shaped, silver ring. She slipped it on her finger and, almost
instantly, the ring
began to glow. The star on her forehead glowed in reaction and a beam of light shot out, stopping
in the center of the
chamber and forming a picture. The hologram, as it turned out to be, was of a stunning woman in
her late fifties. She
had Kamara's red hair and green eyes, and held an air of elegance about her. When she spoke, her
voice echoed
eerily around the chamber.
"My precious daughter. I hope this message finds you well and unharmed. If you are seeing this,
then you know of
my demise. I had prayed to the gods the night you left so many centuries ago, that I would one
day see your beautiful
face again. I never got the chance to tell you how much your father and I love you. Although we
cannot be together
in the physical world, we will always be together in the spiritual. Before I depart, know this. The
ring you now wear
signifies that you are no longer princess Kamara. You are now queen Kamara. With the
knowledge you have gained
from the worlds you have visited, I know you will make an excellent ruler. Farewell my
daughter. I love you more
than anything. Remember that." The image shimmered, then faded away.
"Billy," Kamara whispered, tears running down her cheeks, "Would you teleport me out? I'd like
to be alone."
Billy nodded and activated the teleporter without a word.
* * *
"Now what!?" Zedd exclaimed in annoyance as four Tengas tore through the throne room in a
panic.
"Zeddie!" Rita yelled as she entered the room, "What in the hell has those useless birds in such
an uproar?"
"How should I know?" Zedd snapped, "Those things have been afraid of everything sort of the
rangers lately. Rito!
Get in here!"
"You bellowed oh evil brother in law?" Rito quipped as he entered the room.
"Find out what's got those stupid birds so spooked!" Rita ordered. "Actually, I think the answer's
right behind you."
Rito pointed and the pair spun around, starting as a large black panther crept in.
The big cat shimmered and, seconds later, Zara stood in its place, bleeding from several nasty
wounds that she didn't
seem to notice. "Zara!" Zedd and Rita exclaimed in surprised unison. "But... how?" Rita
stammered, "We thought
you were destroyed."
Zara let out a short laugh. "Hardly. I'll tell you what happened later. Right now, I need to take
care of my wounds
and get some sleep. I'll be out for two to three weeks, so don't expect to see me for dinner."
"What about Kamara?" Zedd asked, "Aren't you going after her? She thinks you're dead and is
out of the power
chamber this very moment. Now would be the perfect time to strike."
Zara shook her head. "No. That game is over. Those five soldiers were from Silvermist. Time has
run out, we can no
longer use her. I'm moving on to something else."
"And what's that?" Zedd asked.
Zara smiled. "You'll find out when the time is right. But first things first. There's a relative who
would simply never
forgive me if I didn't look her up." She turned to leave, pausing at the door and saying, "See you
in a few
weeks."
* * *
Kamara sat in the fading light of the sun, staring at the gift from her mother. She had cried
herself dry some time ago,
and was now simply thinking about the recent events. _It's really over. I'm finally going home._
A small smile
crossed her lips as she felt a familiar mind behind her. "Hello Jason," she said softly.
"Hi," Jason replied, sitting down next to her, "I thought I'd find you here."
The couple stared at the horizon in silence, each lost in their own private thoughts. Finally,
Kamara broke the
silence. "I have to go back you know. I'll be departing in the morning."
"I know. I just wish you could stay or that I could go with you."
Kamara looked at him, touching her fingers lightly to his cheek. "So do I, my love. But my world
needs me, just as
yours needs you. I have a war to finish and an entire world to rule. But I promise we'll meet
again. We're soul mates,
and soul mates can never be kept apart for long." She dropped her shield, and the star on her
forehead appeared. She
took her hand in his and, as her body began to glow, whispered, "With this mark, I seal my
promise and give you my
undying love." She released his hand, allowing him to see what she had done. Surprise flashed
through his eyes as
the imprint of a silver star appeared on his hand. "Visible only to you, whenever you find
yourself in trouble, press
that hand to your heart. The power will guide you. Since Silvermist is so far away from earth, we
will not be able to
communicate through the power of our minds. This sign will allow each of us to feel the other's
presence and
love."
They sat in silence, for a moment, each knowing the other's thoughts and feelings. Moving as
one, they moved closer
and their lips met in a long, tender kiss. When they finally broke apart, they remained in each
others arms, neither
wanting to end their last night together.
* * *
The next morning, everyone gathered in the power chamber to wish Kamara goodbye. "I'll miss
you Kara," Kat said
as they embraced.
"I'll miss you as well, my friend. Take care to use your power wisely. Perhaps one day, you will
learn the full extent
of them."
After saying goodbye to the others, Kamara came to Jason. They stared at one another for a long
moment. Then,
Kamara put her hand out, and a flash of light enveloped her palm. When it cleared, a chain lay in
her hand, with a
silverish gold star attached. Breaking the star in half, she said, "This is the key to our love. By
breaking it in half, a
part of both of us is also breaking. Only when we meet again, and the star is whole, will we be
whole."
Jason took the offering, then pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. _I love you,_ he
thought, tears filling his
eyes.
_I love you to. With all my heart._ She paused, then added, _Do something for me. Keep an eye
on Katherine. The
power she holds is great, and I fear something is going to happen._
_All right._
"Highness," Jarva said gently, "It is time." Kamara pulled back and looked behind her. The
soldiers were all
watching with a sadness in their eyes. Next to them, a portal stood open. She turned back to
Jason, tears spilling
unchecked down her cheeks. "I'll miss you, my love," she whispered, planting a soft kiss on his
lips. Jason watched,
his own tears now flowing as Kamara went to the portal, motioned for the others to go through
first until only she
and Jarva were left. Kamara turned to go into the portal, hesitating as she turned one final time to
look back at Jason.
Then, she stepped through. Jarva bowed deeply, then entered also, the portal closing behind her.
Tommy knew Jason
was gone before he even turned around.
* * *
Jason stood in their spot, staring up at the night sky, his hand over his heart. He heard
approaching footsteps, but
didn't turn. "She's out there somewhere bro," he said as Tommy joined him. "Someday, we're
going to be together
again. Whether it's here, or out there, we'll be together."
Tommy put his hand on his best friend's shoulder and squeezed affectionately. "I know bro. I
know."
End