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A Darker Shade of Green

Chapter 4: Minor Victories

Summary:

Chapter summary: Tommy begins to make friends with the teens with attitude, and Rita finally gifts him with the green power coin.

Author’s notes: Early on, the Rangers are pretty carefree. Sure, they’ve had some serious fights, but never to the scale that they’re about to suffer. I wanted the sense of dread as they’re making friends with Tommy, and we know what’s coming. The major relationship I wanted to build, though, was between Tommy and Billy, particularly since they stay on the show the longest. The show never quite built their friendship as much as I wanted, so I decided to start the process here.

Chapter Text

The overhead speaker played the pop tunes of five years as Tommy tried to find some bananas worth buying. On one side of the stand the bananas were neon green, which was perhaps better than the nearly black ones on the other side. After a few minutes of fruitless searching, Tommy chose two that would do and tried not to look as depressed as he felt.

The juice bar had been a bust. It was only open Monday through Saturday. He’d stopped by a taco place nearby so he wouldn’t be completely starving while shopping, and the rest of his evening looked like shopping, homework, and unpacking a few boxes so he could have clean clothes.

Bread, he recited in his head. Eggs. Milk…

“Wait up, mom. We forgot the cream cheese!” a voice came from the adjacent aisle.

Tommy stopped short and his senses sharpened. If he wasn’t completely wrong, that voice belonged to a pretty brunette who kicked people under tables.

That fact that she had in effect rejected him did not bother him as much now. He felt he had a higher purpose, and that purpose just happened to include befriending this girl and her friends. How could she affect him personally now? Yes, she was cute, but what did that matter?

He pushed his cart toward the dairy section, whistling aimlessly. The girl, now in a pink shirt and blue jeans, was mulling over different flavors of cream cheese spread. Tommy walked as if to get milk. He approached her from behind, careful to look casual and slightly preoccupied.

“Excuse me, but… oh. Hi,” he said, playing the scene awkward.

Kimberly’s head whipped around and, when she saw him, she smiled radiantly. She was a bit more than merely cute, Tommy had to admit, but he guessed that would just make his job more fun.

“Tommy…” she said. “I… how’s it going?”

“Good,” he shrugged. “Getting groceries.”

“I’m with my mom,” Kimberly pointed vaguely behind her at an empty aisle. She shifted her feet nervously, looking cuter by the second. “Listen, I’m sorry if you felt unwelcome before.”

Tommy feigned confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, just…”

Tommy laughed. “Come on, don’t worry about it. You probably had something going…”

“I wanted to ask you myself.”

Tommy hadn’t expected this, and neither apparently had Kimberly. She flushed; she’d said the sentence all in a rush, to where Tommy had to take a minute to decipher. “You… what?”

Kimberly smiled guiltily. “Okay, you caught me. I was really mad that Zack asked you before I could.”

“So… you were asking me on a date?”

Kimberly looked panicked. “Not date. Smoothies. I was going to ask you on a… smoothies. With friends. In a crowded room.”

“Nothing date-like about that.”

“Exactly.”

The two grinned at each other, only moving when an irritated woman with three young children nudged them aside to grab some margarine. They barely noticed her, or the five-year-old who was singing the Ninja Turtles song at the top of his lungs.

“So…” Tommy said. “There will be smoothies tomorrow?”

Kimberly’s eyes widened in surprise, but she grinned. “Yeah, after school. You can make it?”

“I think I can hang out a couple hours,” Tommy said, remembering that he absolutely had to be back at six. “See you in class tomorrow?”

Kimberly nodded emphatically.

“Kimberly! We have to get going!” they heard a voice coming from further up the aisle. Tommy turned to see a much older version of Kimberly pushing a cart with a twelve-year-old boy in tow.

“I’m coming, Mom!” Kimberly yelled over her shoulder. “Listen,” she said to Tommy in a softer voice, “I gotta go.”

Tommy laughed. “Yeah… I can tell.”

She walked with obvious regret back to her mother after grabbing the first container of cream cheese she could get her hands on. The mother was looking at him with interest. She must have noticed the scene she’d broken up, and the little brother would no doubt tease Kimberly to no end. Tommy smiled and turned to get his milk. He had enjoyed the conversation with Kimberly. He still felt an attraction to her, and it helped that she obviously didn’t find him undesirable. It would just make the job a whole lot simpler.

Now that he had taken the first steps in his first mission, Tommy could bear grocery shopping and even homework a lot better.


Tommy sat at the bar in the Youth Center, waiting for anyone to show up. School had just gotten out, so no one had been able to make it yet. The only people there looked like they were from the community college, come to use the exercise equipment.

Tommy liked the set-up of the Youth Center, now that he was seeing it on a normal day. There was a common area filled with equipment, mats… It wasn’t necessarily a professional gym, but it was much more comfortable.

“What can I get ya… Tommy, right?” a stout man from behind the bar asked.

Tommy nodded. “Water for right now,” he said. “You’d be Ernie?”

“That’s my name,” Ernie said as he iced a glass and pulled some water through what looked like a filtration system. “Owner, manager… whatever.”

“Nice place you got here,” Tommy said, taking a huge gulp of water.

“Thank you. Say… didn’t you show up before school ended?” Ernie asked leadingly. He obviously watched out for the kids who frequented his bar.

“Yeah, for most,” Tommy said. “Everyone’s either in Driver’s Ed or athletics for the last period. I already have a driver’s license, and I’m not doing athletics or activities yet.”

“You’re a freshman, though, aren’t you?” Ernie asked. “You’re driving already?”

Tommy shrugged. “I’m a sophomore, actually. Even then, I had a special license that you can get if you’re 15 and have… circumstances. My dad stays sick…” he trailed off, wondering why he was sharing his whole life with this guy. He imagined himself saying, I don’t worry about it much now, though, because I’m a faithful servant of the dread Empress Rita, sent to Earth to do her evil bidding by befriending random classmates. It’s the sweetest gig ever! Tommy figured that would not be a good thing to say.

“Listen, I’m sorry,” Ernie said, obviously disconcerted. He must have taken Tommy’s silence for sadness.

“Hey, it doesn’t bother me,” Tommy said. “I’m just here to meet some friends… Kimberly…”

Ernie smiled. “If I know her, she should be right in. She’s here most of the time. Look: there’s Jason. He’ll help you out.”

Tommy turned and, sure enough, the muscular martial artist in red was walking through the door, looking vaguely around. He spotted Tommy, smiled and waved, and made a beeline for him.

“I’m here as a messenger,” Jason began.

Tommy tensed, wondering if maybe Empress Rita was sending him a message. After all, she had one human servant in him. Why not two?

That didn’t make sense, though. From the way the others had been so uncomfortable around him, it seemed his conscription had been a first-time deal.

“Kimberly said she’d be late,” Jason said. “She’s got cheerleader practice she forgot about.”

Tommy nodded. “Sounds fine. I’ve got nothing better to do,” he added wryly.

“New-in-town syndrome, huh?” Jason asked.

Tommy laughed. In reality, of course, he felt a great sense of belonging. However, he had to play that close to the chest. “Familiar with it?”

“Vaguely. We moved here when I was nine. If I hadn’t made friends with Zack…”

Tommy nodded appreciatively. “I move around a lot. I’m used to it.”

“Well,” Jason began, “I was going to train some. Feel like a workout?”

“Sparring?”

Boy, were they making it easy to make friends with them.

Tommy changed in the locker room—Jason was already wearing his workout clothes—stretched, and faced off against the other teen. Again, Jason began with the fast attack, but this time Tommy was ready for him. Still pulling his punches, Tommy fought to match the other, but found himself growing wild trying to keep up with the speed. He finally found an opening in the other’s defense and pressed his advantage, grappling with Jason and flipping him over. Jason slammed into the mat but looked completely unhurt. He knew how to take a fall, and he was grinning.

Tommy helped him up, because they were all such good friends (although his mother would have berated him for opening himself up for attack), and they began again. This time Jason began completely differently, feinting left and right. Tommy was not fooled, and the one time he was fooled Jason didn’t press his advantage. Tommy finally tried the grapple again, but Jason was suddenly not there. Instead, a foot came out of nowhere, and Tommy landed on his back. He flipped up quickly before Jason could offer him a hand. They continued in this vein until he saw Jason’s endurance starting to waver. Tommy was starting to get tired himself, but he always worked hard to not let the enemy know his weakness.

Now, why did he think of Jason as an enemy? He was a sparring partner… that Rita had ordered him to befriend. That was all.

“Kimberly would like to know if you’re finished beating each other up,” an amused voice came from behind them.

Tommy turned to see the girl… Tina?... standing with her arms crossed. Further behind her, near the bar, Kimberly was sitting at a table, watching them for Tommy didn’t know how long. It was weird how he could lose himself in a fight, not even noticing when the rest of his primary objectives walked through the door.

“Sorry, Trini,” Jason said. “We just got caught up…”

“And fought so long that you both need showers,” Trini (not Tina) finished for him, holding her nose. “Tommy, didn’t anyone ever tell you that you needed to smell nice on a date?”

“N-not a date,” Tommy stammered, suddenly out of his element now there was no fighting. “Smoothies. She’s asked me on a smoothies.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind. I think I will shower, after all,” Tommy said. “Good match.”

“Same to you,” Jason said, and then walked in the opposite direction where a group of eight-year-old boys and girls were congregated around the Jason’s friend—Zack, Tommy was sure of that name. With respect, Tommy realized that after that heavy workout Jason intended to teach a class. Tommy shook his head and went to shower down.

When he returned, Trini and the boy in glasses were at a table beside Kimberly, deep in conversation over a textbook. Kimberly was half paying attention to them, half staring at Jason and Zack’s class.

“How was cheerleader practice?”

She turned in surprise and smiled. “It was okay. The captain’s sort of a psycho, though. She made us go through this routine so many times I could do it in my sleep.”

Tommy laughed. “Doesn’t sound too bad, though. There’re some katas that I think I have done in my sleep.”

“So, where are you from?” Kimberly asked. “Wow…” she trailed off. “That was a little more awkward than I thought it would be.”

“No problem,” Tommy said easily. “The getting-to-know people thing is really awkward.”

“Yeah?”

Tommy nodded emphatically. “Where are you from? What was it like there? What are you interested in? Family? Friends? Imminent career plans? All these questions that you somehow have to fit in a conversation as naturally as possible without it getting too personal or sounding like a TV interview.”

“And you’re used to this,” Kimberly said.

“Yeah, I move around a lot… See? You’re a natural. Question about me in a completely casual way,” he said.

Kimberly laughed. “All right… maybe we could make this easy on ourselves and just swap life stories.”

“Who goes first?”

“You.”

“See… it’s always the new guy that goes first.”

“Flip a coin?”

“Paper rock scissors.”

The two laughed. Tommy was enjoying how easy it was to talk to her. The mission was still in the back of his mind, but the task was so pleasant that it wasn’t at all like doing homework.

“Fine,” Kimberly said. “I can go first, though it’s pretty boring.”

“It can’t be,” Tommy said, leaning forward.

“No, it is,” Kimberly said. “I mean, I’ve lived here all my life. My mom’s a realtor, my stepdad’s an insurance officer, and I have an annoying brother who’s ten. I’m really into gymnastics, with cheerleading as a fun sideline.”

“What about your friends?” Tommy asked, hoping that didn’t sound too awkward. “You all seem pretty tight. I feel like I need to take an entrance exam.”

Kimberly looked panicked. “No… I mean…”

Tommy laughed. “I’m kidding. Everyone’s been really nice to me.”

Kimberly relaxed. “Well… I always lived across the street from Billy. Trini was my best friend since Kindergarten. Zack was in the same martial arts class with Trini, but we really didn’t get along that well until 8th grade. By that time Jason had moved here and he was best friends with Zack, but we didn’t really become a group like this until high school.”

“You feel put on the spot,” Tommy said, smiling at the rush of words.

“You have no idea.”

“Of course I do,” Tommy said. “I mean, now you know the experience of being a new kid.”

“Thanks,” Kimberly replied wryly.

“No problem.”

“It’s your turn, of course,” Kimberly said. “You’re not getting out of it that easily.”

Tommy heaved a fake sigh. “Right. Fine. My life… I… I move around a lot.” He paused. He wasn’t sure if he should share, but most of it would come out anyway if he had any contact with the girl. He just didn’t like to say it all at once. This was a stupid idea. “My dad has multiple sclerosis. First onset was when I was ten. My mom… she was a dedicated martial artist who traveled a lot and couldn’t be saddled with the diseased, so she left. I’ve been taking care of dad ever since. He’s in the hospital right now. I’ve taken it pretty hard over the years… to the point that I’ve been kicked out of a few schools for… their phrase was ‘acting out.’ Angel Grove is pretty much my last chance.”

Kimberly just sat there, wide-eyed. She wasn’t saying anything.

“Wow,” Tommy laughed quietly. “Awkward silence. Just what I was aiming for.”

“No… Tommy,” Kimberly said. “I could just tell why you wanted to get this over with.”

Tommy nodded. “I wish I hadn’t told you now. Now it’s all weird.”

“It’s not,” Kimberly began. She pushed a strand of hair out of her face and behind her ear, which Tommy found adorable. “Okay, so it’s a little weird. That’s fine. It’s just… I don’t think you’re weird, if that’s what you’re afraid of.”

“Oh, come on,” Tommy said. “You can’t say I’m not not weird.”

“Everyone’s weird,” Kimberly said.

“Then you won’t object to going out with me?”

Tommy knew he had surprised her. Mostly because she was choking on the dregs of her smoothie.

“I’m sorry… what?” Kimberly coughed.

“Oh, no,” Tommy said, suddenly solemn. “You’re in a relationship.” He knew she wasn’t in a relationship, but he still wanted to make sure.

“I’m not… I would love to go out with you,” Kimberly said, fully recovered.

Tommy grinned. “Wow. That was easier than I thought it would be.”

“You thought it would be difficult?”

“Oh, yeah, I had built up this whole thing where you had a boyfriend, or you weren’t in to me, or…”

“Kimberly, you didn’t tell him that you were taken?” a high-pitched voice sounded behind him.

Kimberly’s face twisted in an expression of incredulity and disgust. Billy and Trini stopped their conversation to look over toward them. Tommy twisted around in his seat to see two guys he’d seen in school wearing leather head to foot. Tommy wondered if they just got really really hot in the California sun.

“In your dreams, Skull,” Kimberly said wearily, as if this was something she had to put up with every day.

“Yo, new kid,” the larger of the two said in a lower voice. “You making time with my friend’s girl?”

Tommy glanced at Kimberly, who shook her head exaggeratedly.

“Well, I was asking her on a date,” Tommy said a bit louder than he meant to. He cleared his throat. “She said she was single, after all. She definitely didn’t mention ‘dog collar’ over here,” Tommy nodded in Skull’s direction.

“Hey, that’s a family heirloom,” Bulk said.

“Yeah, that’s a family heirloom,” Skull repeated, then got a confused look. “But Bulky, it’s not…”

Bulk got a furious look on his face. “Look, just go with it,” he said in a loud whisper. “So, anyway,” his attention back at Tommy, “I think you’re disrespecting us. And we don’t like being disrespected.”

“Yeah, we don’t like being disrespected,” Skull said, with as much enthusiasm is if he hadn’t just repeated Bulk’s words a minute before.

“Bulk, Skull, just leave us alone,” Kimberly said.

Tommy winked at her. “Kim… I got this.”

The two biker gang rejects sneered at him as he got up. Tommy didn’t worry. He knew how to take care of bullies.

“What, you wanna fight?” Bulk said, his voice raising, seeming to muster more bravado by the second. Tommy stared at him as the large guy waved his arms around and made sounds like from a bad kung fu movie.

In one perfectly controlled motion, Tommy punched at Bulk’s face and pulled back with only a millimeter of distance from Bulk’s eyes.

Bulk’s eyes crossed. He was frozen, as Tommy knew he would be. He kept his fist there and, still staring at Bulk, addressed himself to Skull. “Tell your friend not to interfere in private conversations. You might want to learn that yourself.”

Skull didn’t answer, looking terrified. He nodded his head vigorously when Tommy turned his gaze toward him.

Tommy lowered his fist and turned his back on the two deliberately. He realized the whole juice bar was staring at him, even the children in Jason’s and Zack’s class. He was vaguely aware of the two leaving the room, muttering loudly.

“Sorry about that,” Tommy said to Kimberly, motioning his head to the departing two. “I don’t like bullies.”

“Apparently not,” Kimberly said quietly. She was looking even more awkward than after he told her about his parents.

“What?” Tommy said. “You’re not going out with…”

“No. No no no no no no… no no no… no no,” Kimberly said in a rush. “It’s just… well… they talk big, but they’re mostly all talk.”

“Speak for yourself,” Billy spoke up behind them. “They’re all talk for the people who can beat them up… and girls. Tommy, you did the right thing. They just need to be intimidated.”

Trini smirked. “You just don’t like them because they decided to make you their personal target.”

“Yeah, and that’s definitely something I want everyone informed about. I was contemplating purchasing a newspaper ad.” Billy was obviously mortified, and Trini looked guilty about saying that in front of Tommy.

“Hey, don’t sweat it,” Tommy said, wanting to break the tension. He, after all, had to make friends with all of them, not just Jason and Kimberly. “I’ve experienced my fair share of bullying. Even if you don’t succeed in intimidating them at first, you can still have minor victories.”

“Besides, we’re not in junior high anymore,” Kimberly said. “And the lockers are way too teeny to be stuffed in.”

“Thanks a lot,” Billy said. Tommy wondered if he was the only one to sense the sarcasm.

Tommy was distracted, though, by the motions going between Trini and Kimberly. Kimberly was staring at Trini and jerking her head in the direction of the bathroom. Trini nodded and grabbed her purse. They were gone in seconds.

“They’re going to discuss you,” Billy said, still glum-looking.

“I figured,” Tommy said. He walked over to sit at Billy’s table. Billy looked rather surprised but took the swap in stride.

“Listen,” Tommy began, “I need a favor.”

Billy stared at him.

“I’m in dire danger of flunking if I don’t get some major help, and I figured you were the one to go to.”

Billy brightened. “I can definitely help you out. What subjects?”

“All of them.”

Billy laughed and cleared his throat. “Okay, then… I have a counter-favor.”

“What do you need?”

Billy checked around to see if no one was looking, and then lowered his voice. “Teach me what you did to Bulk and Skull.”

Tommy was confused. “But you’ve got friends already who are amazing martial artists.”

“Yes, I know,” Billy said. “That’s why I’m speaking sotto voce. Jason’s already tried to teach me… so has Zack and Trini… and I have a pretty good founding in basic self-defense right now.”

“So…”

“So, I’m at a loss as to how to intimidate people,” Billy said, lowering his voice even more. “Much less Bulk and Skull. They don’t do anything when the others are around, but I haven’t eaten lunch in weeks. I have to hide Pop-tarts in my locker just to get me through the day. If I bring money, they take it. If I pack a lunch, they take it. I have a tab at the cafeteria. It’s not like I can punch them in the school hallways, after all.”

“And you don’t want the others to know?”

Billy rolled his eyes. “They’ll make a big deal out of it and confront Bulk and Skull themselves. That’s not what I need right now. I need some minor victories already.”

Billy suddenly straightened and smiled. Tommy heard footsteps, heralding the return of the girls.

“What were you two talking about?” Kimberly said, amused. “It sounded serious.”

“Nothing,” Billy said shortly.

“Not nothing,” Tommy said reprovingly. Billy looked panicked, but Tommy tried to shoot him a reassuring look. “He’s offered to tutor me through most of my subjects.”

“That’s great, Billy,” Trini said.

“I know,” Tommy answered for him. “I’m not sure how I would have been able to survive this year without him. I really need the grades. Each school I go to seems to teach everything I already know and just be finished with what I haven’t learned yet. I have some serious gaps. Math is awful.”

“Math is my best subject,” Billy said in a relieved tone. “It’s my pleasure to help someone out.”

Tommy knew he’d made a friend right there. He definitely had some good stuff to report to…

He looked down in his watch. It was 5:45.

Holy crap…

“I… I’m sorry,” Tommy said, trying to keep his voice from shaking so much. “I’ve got to go. I’ll see you later Trini, Billy… Kimberly.” He flashed a brief smile and walked as quickly out of the room as he could, thinking that running might be too suspicious.

He was out of the building when he heard a voice yell, “Wait!” He turned to see Kimberly running after him. He stopped, balancing on the balls of his feet. He would have to run home, as he hadn’t brought his car.

“We never set the date,” Kimberly said.

Tommy tried to look like every moment spent stationary wasn’t torture. “I… I dunno. Next Saturday? We’ll decide what to do later?” He hoped she wouldn’t notice his voice was shaking. He was already picturing what Empress Rita would do if he was late.

Kimberly apparently hadn’t noticed anything strange. She grinned and bounced on her feet. “Sounds great.”

Tommy felt the sudden impulse to kiss her, but he controlled it. It was too soon, and he was going to be late if he didn’t start running now.

“See ya later. Don’t let me keep you,” Kimberly said.

“Right. See ya,” Tommy said as civilly as he could. He made sure she was walking back into the bar before he began sprinting down the sidewalk.


Kimberly fairly skipped back into the bar area of the Youth Center. Jason and Zack were just ending their class, and Kimberly had to dodge around children and the parents who were picking them up.

“What are you so cheerful about?” Zack asked.

“It’s a nice day,” Kimberly said.

Trini smirked. “Definitely a nice day to be asked out on dates.”

Before anyone could respond, Jason’s wrist communicator went off in the all-too-familiar beeps.

The five acted in unison, gathering their stuff and chatting casually. It was a well-worn ritual over these past few months. They walked together until they reached the outside, and then the five of them turned sharply into a blind corner of the building. They stopped talking, and Jason punched at his communicator.

“Rangers,” the low voice of Zordon came through the tiny speaker.

“We read you,” Jason said in a soft voice, in case anyone was around. He knew that the Command Center’s instruments would amplify even the slightest sound. “What’s up?”

“Rita has finally sent a monster to Earth. Teleport to the Command Center immediately.”

“Right, Zordon,” Jason said. The laughing, chatting teenagers were suddenly all business as they pressed their wrists and disappeared in a column of colored light.


Tommy launched himself into his room with one minute to spare. He wasn’t sure if he had remembered to lock the front door after him, but thieves stealing everything he owned would be better than Empress Rita’s ire if he was late. He grabbed a bedpost and forced himself to regulate his breathing. He glanced around to make sure the sticks were in place.

He knew he was teleporting a few seconds before it happened. The tingling was no longer unpleasant. He closed his eyes briefly as his bedroom, still filled with packing boxes, was replaced by Empress Rita’s throne room. He realized he’d half-thought it was all a dream until that very second.

His breathing was normal again, proof that he had perfect control over his body even under adverse circumstances. Empress Rita was not on her throne. She and the others were gathered around a telescope in the far corner of the room, near the balcony.

“Ah, Tommy,” Empress Rita said absently. “You were nearly late.”

“I’m sorry, my Empress,” Tommy mumbled, flustered that he had been found out.

“No matter,” Empress Rita said with a wave of her hand. “You were on time: that is all that matters. Come over here, Tommy.”

Tommy approached, trying to look like he belonged there. He noticed Goldar staring at him. No expression, but Tommy couldn’t shake the feeling that the golden warrior just didn’t like him.

“Finster, come bring my telescope attachment,” Rita barked an order.

“Right away, my queen,” Finster said. He was pulling in a large screen that looked like a mirror in a fancy house—the frame was ornate and carved in symbols Tommy didn’t recognize. Finster was struggling with the weight and nearly dropped it. Before anything could happen, Tommy grabbed the other end and steadied it. Finster looked at him and seemed to smile. Tommy was thankful that Empress Rita had her back turned on them all.

Tommy hoisted the screen in the air where Finster showed him while Finster made minor adjustments and connections to the eyepiece of the telescope. He motioned for Tommy to let go and, when he did so, the screen magically stayed floating in the air without support from anywhere. Tommy supposed that’s what “magic” meant.

“All ready, my queen,” Finster said, backing away quickly.

Empress Rita turned to the telescope and began making adjustments. “I usually don’t bother with this thing,” she explained. “It’s a pain to set up and it’s a bigger drain on magic than I can usually afford during a battle. However…” she said with a smile, looking up, “I want all of us to watch this.”

The picture starting coming in, showing a monster running through what looked like a community picnic of some sort in the park Tommy had his Putty fight in. The monster was shaped like a large pig’s face, with a sort of Roman battle helmet, and stumpy little arms and legs in relation to the rest of its body. It was currently chasing everyone away and gobbling up everything in sight.

“I think I recognize that monster from the news, Empress Rita,” Tommy said, staring at the rather ridiculous exploits of the monster.

“Yes, this is a monster I’ve used before,” Empress Rita said. “It is designed to consume the Earth’s food supply. It could plunge the North American continent into famine in a matter of weeks. The Rangers have defeated it before, of course, by exploiting a troubling weakness: it couldn’t digest spicy food. Finster fixed that weakness, haven’t you?” she directed her question to the scientist.

“Yes, my queen. Pudgy Pig has been newly engineered to consume all flavors and substances… with the only exception of toxic waste, but it is unlikely that the Rangers will discover this weakness. Their own work in environmentalism has made Angel Grove entirely devoid of toxic waste.”

Half an hour later, they watched as the Power Rangers used souped-up SuperSoakers to shoot what was unmistakably toxic waste right into the monster’s mouth. The monster vomited spectacularly and exploded.

Tommy didn’t recognize the word Finster muttered, but he was pretty sure it was a curse.

“Well…” Empress Rita said to tense, cringing silence. “That was to be expected.”

Everyone watched her as she turned from the telescope. Finster hobbled forward, staying out of her reach, to deactivate the screen. It lowered gently to the floor.

“Tommy,” Empress Rita said, “tell me some of your observations on that fight. I’m interested.”

Tommy felt the collective eyes settle on him. He gulped, unsure of what to say in the wake of this defeat. She didn’t seem particularly angry about it, though…

“My Empress, you weren’t trying to defeat them,” Tommy said in a tone of revelation.

“Of course I wasn’t,” Empress Rita said. “How did you know?”

“Well…” Tommy formulated. “Other than not being upset at the ‘defeat,’ you didn’t seem to place the monster at its best advantage. You didn’t send Putty reinforcements. You didn’t make it grow, like I’ve seen on the news before. Honestly, I was wondering if the monster could actually eat those big robots…”

“Zords,” Goldar corrected.

“Yeah, those,” Tommy said. “But it didn’t even have a chance. You were just messing around with them, Empress.”

Empress Rita smiled at him, and Tommy felt as if warmed with a ray of sunlight, even on the cold moon palace. “Any other observations?” Rita asked him.

Tommy instantly grew serious. “They’re the Power Rangers, aren’t they?”

“Oh, what a brilliant observation,” Goldar said. “How could you tell: their colored costumes or the fact they kept yelling their Ranger designations out?”

“No,” Tommy said impatiently. “My Empress… you’ve asked me to befriend the Power Rangers.”

The room grew quiet. Goldar couldn’t even come up with anything smug to say.

“And why would you think that?” Rita asked.

Tommy laughed slightly. “Their fighting styles, for one. I’ve fought Jason twice, so I can recognize that style anywhere. He’s more powerful, obviously, and all his skills are enhanced, but that’s definitely his style. I also recognized that weird dance style in the Black Ranger’s fighting, and the Pink Ranger uses a strange fighting style based in gymnastics. That takes care of Jason, Zack, and Kimberly. While I haven’t seen Billy and Trini fight, it’s not a hard jump to make. Kimberly mentioned that they weren’t really tight as a group until a few months ago, which was around the same time the Power Rangers started showing up. And… they sort of all wear their Ranger colors all the time, even when wearing street clothes. It all sort of adds up to ‘duh,’” he said. “My Empress,” he added respectfully.

Empress Rita laughed, not even minding the air of presumption he’d had during this speech. She wanted him comfortable here. She wanted him to feel more at home in her palace than he ever felt around the humans she’d ordered him to befriend. She had been watching him on and off all day, and especially during the hours at the Juice Bar. She’d been not a little disturbed with how easily he had insinuated himself into their group, and how much he seemed to enjoy his hours there. The link between them, after all, could easily turn fragile in these early stages.

“Very good,” Rita said. “Exactly right on all counts. This is the type of insight and battle smarts that will serve you well.”

“Empress Rita,” Tommy began hesitantly. “I was wondering something…”

“Oh, don’t tell me,” Goldar said snidely, as if he just couldn’t contain himself any longer. “You’re wondering why our queen asked you to befriend the Power Rangers, is that it? Will you not stop questioning orders?”

“I know perfectly well why Empress Rita ordered me to befriend the Power Rangers,” Tommy said, shooting an angry glance at Goldar. He was getting a little sick of Goldar trying to discredit him at every turn, but there wasn’t much he could do about the bullying unless Empress Rita allowed it. Even if Tommy could take Goldar in a fight, which he severely doubted, he knew his Empress would be displeased with him attacking her general.

“If I may be allowed to continue…” Tommy said in a softer voice. Empress Rita nodded at him. “I was wondering how I can be of full service if I can’t face the Power Rangers on the battlefield without getting severely maimed in the process.”

“And why do you think I want you on the battlefield?” Rita asked.

“My Empress, you recruited a fighter,” Tommy said. “You made sure of that before you brought me up here in the first place. It’s what I’m best at. You said I was a weapon… but right now I can’t even go one round with the weakest of the Rangers.”

“You’re right, of course,” Rita said, after a pause. “Tommy…” Her eyes bore into his, and Tommy felt afresh the deeply personal connection between the two of them. “Are you ready to completely devote your life to service to me?”

Tommy felt the rawness of the question and knew this was answer he had to deliver without the slightest bit of humor or bravado. He damned his pride and fell to his knees before her, nearly in tears.

“Empress Rita,” he said. “My life is yours. I will serve you until death.”

The chamber echoed in profound silence. Squatt and Baboo had stopped chattering among themselves—mostly making jokes involving eating and explosions that Tommy had worked hard to ignore—to gawk at Tommy. Goldar seemed entirely robbed of snide comments. Empress Rita stood frozen at this unexpected display of emotion.

“Very well, Tommy,” Empress Rita said. With deliberate movements, she pulled a long black box, resembling a jewelry case, out of an unseen pocket in her voluminous dress. “On your feet, then. You must meet your destiny on your feet.”

Tommy rose to his feet unsteadily, aware of the spectacle he was making of himself but not caring in the slightest. He watched in growing excitement as Empress Rita’s hands slowly opened the box to expose… a coin.

Holy shit, is that what I think it is?, he thought wildly. But, it couldn’t be. Empress Rita hadn’t given the Rangers powers, after all.

“Millennia ago,” Empress Rita said in a solemn voice, “I battled with Zordon, my greatest enemy, over control over the universe. In the end, while Zordon will claim his own victory, there was no decisive victory. We trapped each other into dimensional portals: I was cast into a clay jar, cut away and forced to wander about the galaxy. I was only recently freed. Zordon, on the other hand, is still doomed to only manifest himself in a tube-like space built into the Rangers’ Command Center. I call that a point to me,” Rita said not a little smugly. “Before the mutual casting, however, the war ended with our deciding who gets the mystical Power Coins: the chief artifacts at the center of our war. We flipped each coin. He won five. And I won… this.” She gestured to the coin.

Tommy could almost sense the power coming from that coin. He was entranced. The coin seemed to glimmer greenly in the black velvet surrounding it. It was inscribed with a triple-pointed design, and the inside top of the box was stamped with a picture of a dragon-like head.

“This is the key to the ultimate downfall of the Power Rangers,” Empress Rita continued. “This coin shares the same power source as the other coins that the current Power Rangers use. However, through contact with me and my magicks it has become different and certainly more powerful in several ways. And it is yours, Tommy… my Green Ranger.”

The blood was roaring in Tommy’s ears as he lifted the coin from the box at Empress Rita’s offering. Green sparks flew from the coin as it made contact with his skin. The world seemed engulfed in green light, and…

… he was… changed…

Tommy returned to reality, his heavy breathing loud in his own ears. While he could see quite normally, his face felt encased in something. He realized he was wearing a helmet that covered his entire head.

That was new.

He looked down. He was no longer wearing the clothes he’d worn earlier. The clothes were replaced by an unfamiliar uniform or costume. His eyes were assaulted with green and gold. Frustrated by no good vantage point, he spotted the screen they had used earlier, which had turned into a literal mirror when not used. Facing him in the mirror seemed someone entirely alien. The suit resembled the Power Rangers, with the diamond pattern and the green-on-white scheme matching the other Rangers in their respective colors. His helmet was uniquely stylized, like the other Rangers, to evoke the teeth and eyes of a dragon, Tommy supposed. However, unlike the Rangers, his chest and shoulders were covered in a gold mantle, like a shield. Tommy supposed this was one of the differences Empress Rita mentioned.

“Well, Green Ranger,” Empress Rita said smugly as she watched him admiring himself. “What do you think? Do you feel like you can be of use on the battlefield now?”

Tommy nodded slowly, forgetting for the moment to address her aloud. Instead, he walked over to Goldar and punched him as hard as he could in the face.

Goldar fell straight back, roaring and cursing. Finster, Squatt, and Baboo were backing away quickly, clearly thinking the power had turned Tommy against them. Empress Rita, however, didn’t seem worried, and forced Goldar back with a wave of her wand when the other warrior seemed keen on retribution. Tommy laughed, elated at the power coursing through his veins. It was like the ultimate battle high.

“Yes, my Empress,” Tommy finally said, bowing to her respectfully. “I feel now I can handle myself on the battlefield.”

“Good,” she said. “Oh, shut up, Goldar. It’s not like you didn’t have it coming.”

Goldar immediately stopped struggling against the spell she had put up to separate him from Tommy. Murder seemed to shine in his eyes, but Tommy no longer cared. Let Goldar try to take a poke at him. He was itching to use these new powers.

“Remember, Tommy,” Empress addressed her reproving glance to him. “The enemy is out there, not in here. Don’t pick fights with your allies. Just for that, tonight before bed, you and Goldar can duke it out. I might even let you stay morphed,” she ended with a wicked grin.

Tommy instantly regretted punching Goldar… though it felt really good at the time.

“You’ll sleep here tonight,” Empress Rita continued. “You’re too high on power right now, and my magic shield may not be enough to hide you from Zordon. The level should normalize by the morning. I’ve had Squatt and Baboo set a room up for you, which I hope you’ll utilize whenever you want.”

Goldar made a disgusted noise, which everyone ignored.

“You will not be used in battle quite yet, so be patient. You’ll report back here at 6:00 tomorrow night, and we’ll begin our plans,” Rita finished with relish. “Follow Finster to his lab—he had a few toys for you. Then meet Goldar in the training room, and I guess you can be morphed, if you like.”

Tommy heaved a real sigh of relief and bowed to Empress Rita on his way out. As he passed Goldar, though, the warrior blocked his way with an armored fist.

“Don’t think that will make a difference,” Goldar said in a low voice. “You caught me off guard. That won’t happen again.” Tommy was sure Goldar would be smirking if his face could express that emotion. “I will enjoy grinding you into the floor… Green Ranger,” Goldar said with more contempt than Tommy thought anyone could muster.

“Yeah?” Tommy said. “We’ll just see about that.” He glared at Goldar, but he realized his face in the helmet was as inscrutable as Goldar’s.

He turned from the armored warrior and followed the doddering scientist along the now-familiar pathway leading to the lab. Feeling a bit confined, he removed his helmet, fumbling over the clasps.

“How the heck do the other Rangers stand these things?” he said as he entered the lab. “It’s suffocating.”

“I’m sure you’ll get used to it,” Finster said kindly, “as they have. In the meantime, I’ve worked up a few things that, while not easing claustrophobia, will, I’m sure you’ll find, provide you with convenience.”

“Cool,” Tommy said, putting his helmet on Finster’s cluttered workspace.

Finster fussed over the space, trying to protect some of his devices and clay molds, but kept talking. “The first problem, of course, is transportation and communication. I believe with concentration Queen Rita will be able to speak to you telepathically…”

“You mean, in my head?” Tommy asked in awe.

“Precisely what ‘telepathically’ means,” Finster said, apparently flustered at interruptions. Tommy decided not to correct him: it had been an exclamation of surprise, not ignorance.

“However,” Finster continued in a business-like tone, “that form of communication is only for emergencies, as it may unduly distract you and unnecessarily overtax her. Therefore, I have this for you.” Finster handed him a small round device—black with green lines—with a speaker and three buttons.

“This is a communication device,” Finster explained at Tommy’s blank look. “The receiver is impossible to see, so you can speak anywhere around the device and it will pick up the sound and transmit it to the one of your choosing. Press the first button for Empress Rita, the second for Goldar, and the third for me.”

Tommy looked dubious. “And when would I need the second button?” he asked, still stinging from the barbed comments.

“Come now,” Finster said. “You’ll need to coordinate with him on the battlefield. You’ll be fighting alongside him a lot, so you better get used to him.”

Tommy shrugged. “And the button for you?”

“Medical emergencies… and the like,” Finster said. “Especially if you’re not able to teleport. I’m a doctor as well as a scientist.”

“Fair enough… did you say teleport?”

Finster nodded. “At the back of the device is a tiny button. Press it at the same as one of the three front buttons and you teleport directly to one of our locations. Press the button by itself for several seconds to teleport to your room here. Two short presses for your room at your Earth house.”

“That’s a lot of button pressing,” Tommy said, his mind whirling.

“It is discreet, which will come in use for you. You cannot, after all, use the wrist design without giving yourself away to the other Rangers.”

Tommy smiled, realizing he was sounding rather ungrateful. “Thanks a lot, Finster. This will make life a whole lot simpler.”

“Well, you’re welcome,” Finster said, a little taken aback. “That’s all I have for you right now. You’d better get ready for your fight. Your new room is through that side corridor, first door on the right. The training room has an entrance at the end of that corridor.”

“Thanks a lot,” Tommy said, a little glumly. “I guess I should get this over with, anyway.”

Tommy grabbed up his helmet, wondering how to put it back on for the fight.

“Tommy,” Finster called after him.

Tommy turned, suddenly realizing that Finster, right then, was the closest thing he had to a friend, and felt he had to remedy that situation. “Yes?”

“You said earlier,” Finster said hesitantly, “that you knew exactly why Empress Rita wishes you to befriend the Power Rangers. I must confess that I myself am at a loss.”

Tommy gave Finster a smile… one that did not reach his eyes. “I’m supposed to hurt them.”

“But…” Finster began.

“Not in battle,” Tommy amended. “Anyone can do that. No… I’m supposed to hurt them personally. No one can hurt you like someone you trust and love—like a friend,” Tommy finished roughly.

With that, Tommy left Finster with his fretful thoughts.