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A Darker Shade of Green

Chapter 19: Tommy vs. Jason

Summary:

The title says it all.

Chapter Text

"Jason, do you read?" Trini yelled into her communicator. She grabbed onto her console as the cockpit of the MegaZord shook violently. "He's still not answering."

"Leave him," said Zack. He had just made the MegaZord throw Goldar hard onto the ground, and he was relishing the minor victory. "I think I know what he's doing."

He felt the Rangers staring at him. Finally, Kimberly got it. "He's taking on Tommy."

"I was led to believe the plan was postponed," Billy commented.

"Until we got Kimberly back and safe," Zack said. "Don't worry, guys. Jas knows what he's doing, and we can handle this."

The MegaZord shuddered roughly, shoving the teens out of their seats. They scrambled back up and prepared for the next attack.

"Like I said," Zack said in a cheery voice. "We can handle this."


 

Finster recoiled as soon as he got to the throne room. He heard a steady stream of low curses, increasing in intensity and nastiness. Finster steeled himself and walked deliberately into the throne room.

"My Queen," he said, noting that a vein on her temple looked close to bursting. "My Queen, you must calm down. Your blood pressure… your migraines…"

"How… the… hell… am I supposed to calm down?" Rita said through gritted teeth. "Your monster-making device is ruined, if you want to know. We have the Blue Ranger… and Goldar's stupidity… to thank for that."

"Well," Finster said, taken aback. "That is disappointing, but there are still fail-safes…"

"On top of that," Rita continued, as if Finster hadn't said a word, "Tommy is completely ignoring me."

The air was tense with Rita's fury. "M-my Queen… has he turned from y-you?" Finster stammered, half hopeful and half afraid of showing that hope.

"No…" Rita said. "No, he's still here… in my head. The connection is still there, although I would like some eye contact time with him later." Her voice was finally calming, becoming thoughtful. "He's fighting the Red Ranger. And he's fighting every impulse to obey me in order to continue that fight."

Finster peeked into the telescope while she was pondering. "My Queen, please consider this. Yes, Tommy has not joined the fight with Goldar, Scorpina, and Pop Star. However, he has also kept the Red Ranger from joining with the MegaZord. That puts the Rangers at more of a disadvantage, since they rely on teamwork so much more."

Rita looked up from her ponderings. "I've realized that, thank you, and that's why I haven't teleported Tommy back up here right away. Finster, please leave the strategy for the people who are actually good at it."

Finster relaxed a bit. Rita seemed happier and much less prone to hitting things. "I have the status report on the monsters, my Queen."

"Go ahead." Rita put her eye back to the telescope.

"Pop Star is performing admirably, though the sonic weapon is a liability when we have our own warriors to think about." Finster frowned, his brain already turning to possible improvements. "Clown Man is successfully incapacitated, though I have already begun improvements on his design. He should be ready in a day if needed. As for the Grizzlinator…" Finster cleared his throat. "He sort of wandered off into a nearby wooded area and seems to be digging for roots and… berries…"

"He's a bear, isn't he?"

"Yes, my Queen. He's just a bear."

Rita laughed. "No matter. The 'Grizzlinator' provided just the right amount of mayhem at the right time. We can let the humans worry over him. Now, we have more important things to worry about."

Rita grew quiet, her eyes glued to the telescope. Finster wondered which battle she was watching. He'd been watching both battles on the screens in his lab. Tommy had been injured, and the fact he wasn't getting treated and staying morphed… and fighting an extremely intense fight… it was all so dangerous. He was endangering his life.

But if the Red Ranger could beat him, could subdue him safely…

Finster hated that he could only trust an enemy like the Red Ranger… someone who had every cause to hate everyone at the Moon Palace, including Tommy. He hated betraying Rita like this.

But it was the only thing he could think of. Rita was hurting herself with this connection. She was killing Tommy. But the nature of the connection meant that neither of them would listen to reason. They would destroy each other eventually. Finster had to protect Rita. It was his job to protect Rita, even without her knowledge or consent. He was her doctor, after all.

As for Tommy… Finster felt a rush of affection for the human teen. He was a truly good person. He was kind, and decent, and one couldn't help but grow to like him. If he were capable of serving Rita voluntarily, that was one thing… if it weren't his planet in danger, for instance. But he wasn't, and, painful as it was, Finster had to do everything in his power to turn Tommy against them… against Rita.

It would be painful, Finster knew. Tommy had not lived among them for very long, but he had come to be a part of their little group. Everyone had partially forgotten that Tommy was under a spell. Goldar especially had become friends with Tommy, and he never made friends with anyone.

Finster quietly made his way back to his lab, leaving Rita engrossed in the battles. He worked absently on the clown monster, all the while watching the fight between Tommy and the Red Ranger… and hoping that Tommy would survive this.


 

Jason groaned and pulled himself out of the wreckage of what looked like some teacher's Chevy. The glass and metal rolled off him—he was protected by the shields in his costume that much—but he felt like one big bruise after the impact. "Okay, first…" he muttered, "Tommy can throw pretty good one-handed."

He gasped as a flash of green came toward him. He rolled off the car onto his feet as Tommy sliced the wreckage of the car in two with his sword. The car was definitely totaled now.

"Second," Jason said, "get this fight away from the parking lot." He dodged a kick and aimed a few hard punches at Tommy as he was still off balance.

"Talking to yourself, Red?" said Tommy. "Isn't that a sign of insanity?"

Jason forced a laugh as he tried to think of a way to move the fight. "Guess you'd know a lot about insanity lately. Only a maniac would work for a bitch like Rita."

On the whole, Jason thought as he felt himself thrown to the ground, that was probably not the best strategy. Tommy was obviously clinging ever more fiercely to his connection with Rita. On the other hand, the rage made Tommy's fighting sloppy. Jason easily dodged a flurry of attacks and buried his knee in Tommy's gut. Tommy sank to the ground, gasping. Jason backed off, folding his arms and waiting for Tommy to recover.

Tommy pulled himself shakily to his feet. He was laughing weakly. "You think you're winning, don't you?"

Jason shrugged. "Yeah, you've gotten in a few good hits, and I think I'll be feeling this fight for a week, but you're hurt. You got injured, and your endurance is fading fast, whereas I've barely broken a sweat. You don't really have any powers I can't deal with… so, yeah. Things are looking pretty grim for you."

Tommy shook his head, still laughing. He seemed to be stalling for time to catch his breath, and Jason decided to allow it. "You know," Tommy said, "I think I had you pegged just right when we first met… at the Expo. Local champion, swelled head, with no idea of your own relative strength. Sure, I rethought that when I found out you were the big bad Red Ranger, but now I think I was right the first time."

Jason's eye twitched. "And what do you think you were right about?"

Tommy pulled out his Dragon Dagger. "That you're too stupid and too self-assured to be a serious fighter."

"The match was a tie back then," Jason said.

Tommy's laughter grew wilder. "News flash, Red. I held back. I didn't want to seriously hurt you. Sorry to break it to you, Red, but you're not even in my league. And I'm about to prove it to you."

Jason back off a step. "Dude, are you gonna call your Zord on me? Not cool!"

It was the unspoken rule… that Rita never followed, of course. Tommy wasn't a true Power Ranger… he could escalate a fight if he wanted to. That included his Zord… and right now Jason's own Zord was being controlled by the others as a part of the MegaZord. Essentially, Jason would have no choice but to run away from the fight and join the others… or end up as a greasy spot on the bottom of the DragonZord's foot.

Tommy raised the Dragon Dagger and put it to his lips… but the Zord did not come. Instead, the ground between Jason and Tommy exploded. Jason felt himself being thrown back by what seemed like physical waves of sound. A deafening CRASH resounded from behind Tommy as the faculty parking lot exploded in glass—all the windshields and windows had shattered. Car alarms blew from at least five cars.

And still, Tommy played. As the victorious-sounding song went on, explosions bombarded Jason wherever he went. The ground itself seemed to be on fire. Jason tried to move in closer to Tommy, to knock the musical weapon away from him, but each wave of sound pushed him further back. Finally, one last blast blew him backwards through the glass doors of the school. He flew through the hallway. Fighting to keep conscious, Jason snagged a doorframe of a classroom, threw himself in, and was finally out of the path of Tommy's attack.

Jason sagged against the blackboard, gasping to catch his breath. Zordon had warned them the day before that the Green Power Coin and attendant weapons might have powers different from their own, just by the separation and different power influences the coin had come under, but this was insane.

"Oh, Red!" Tommy's voice called from the hallway. "You don't want to play anymore?"

As quietly as he could, Jason pushed himself against the wall, keeping out of sight of the doorway. The school… the classroom… was too confined a space to have a fight, especially when Tommy had the big Dragon Dagger attack. He didn't want to think about the damage Tommy could wreak on the school. From the burned smell in the air, the school had already suffered enough damage.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Tommy yelled in a sing-song voice.

He was getting closer to the classroom. Jason slowed his breathing down, hoping Tommy wouldn't hear his breath echoing in his helmet. He thought desperately of a way to get Tommy out of the school building, to find a nice, deserted place to continue their fight.

The footfalls faded, and Jason hazarded a peek out of the classroom door. Tommy was walking down a corridor toward the science labs. Quickly and quietly, Jason left the classroom and went up a wide staircase out of Tommy's view. He could easily cross the building and possibly lay an ambush for Tommy, but he had to be far enough away from him to communicate with Zordon safely. He hoped communications were working again.

The school was completely empty. Signs of battles and general chaos were everywhere. Garbage cans were overturned. A few lockers hung open, and a few backpacks littered the hallway. It wasn't as bad as downstairs, for in this wing there were fewer classrooms. The whole place had a creepy vibe, like walking through a deserted building at midnight. Compound that with the fact that any moment Tommy could jump out at him to renew the fight…

Jason ducked into the guidance counselor's office and shut the door behind him. He leaned against a file cabinet and slid down to the floor. He brought his wrist to his lips. "Zordon, do you read me?" he said quietly.

"Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi!" The sound erupted from his communicator. "Jason, are you okay?"

Jason, in a panic, cupped his hand over his wrist. "Shh… yes. I'm fine. Alpha, I need your help in a plan…"

"Jason," Zordon's voice cut in, "are you sure you wish to continue in this plan? While civilians are no longer in danger, you are putting yourself and Tommy in danger with this one-on-one fight. The plan never was for you to handle him alone."

Jason sighed. He didn't have time to justify his actions, but he owed it to Zordon to make the time. "Even if it wasn't the plan, we're stuck like this. Unless the Rangers can end the fight with the monsters quickly, which, I mean, they're against three…" Jason let the statement hang in the air, completely aware that by all rights he should abandon his fight with Tommy to join the others in the MegaZord. "I can't just abandon Tommy, no matter what he throws at me."

"Then what do you need?" said Zordon.

Jason smiled, glad that Zordon wasn't pushing the issue. "I need to get this fight away from the school. I can engage him in close battle, but I'm not sure if I can teleport both him and me away, and I don't trust myself to not, say, accidentally teleport us to the middle of the mall or something. I need Alpha to teleport us to some deserted place as soon as I can get in close enough."

"Will do, Jason," Alpha said. "But, ay-yi-yi, be careful."

"You know me," Jason said, and shut off communication.

His senses at their peak, Jason crept out of the office and crossed down the corridor. He guessed that Tommy would continue past the science labs toward the gym—the gym, of course, being the best secondary location for their fight. He could easily cut through the computer lab, make his way around the cafeteria, and if all went well he could take Tommy by surprise and keep him from launching any more devastating attacks.

Of course, he thought as he walked past the computer labs, it seemed weird that Tommy had never used that particular attack before, even when threatened rather severely. It seemed the ideal attack against multiple opponents. Goldar and Scorpina's safety could have been an issue against using the attack, but Tommy could have still used it before. So why hadn't he? Was it possible that the attack was a drain on his own power, significant enough to make the attack a desperate move?

It was a possibility… a hopeful one. But not a possibility that Jason could outright rely upon. He wasn't going to underestimate Tommy again. Not if he wanted to save Tommy's life and preserve his own while doing it. Tommy had so far been their worst enemy that day. He most likely engineered the attack of the school. He had stolen the generator and incapacitated Kimberly. It was all the more reason to save him—just to deprive Rita of such a valuable resource—but it also reminded everyone that Tommy was dangerous. Even Jason was rethinking his plans to offer Tommy a place on their team. Could he really work with someone who had done the things Tommy had done, even if he was under evil influence?

"You will leave this school! Immediately!"

Jason had circled around the cafeteria and was in the corridor leading to the gym. At the end of the corridor, he could see the Green Ranger, his blade blaster raised. Across from him, his back toward Jason, Mr. Kaplan faced the evil Ranger, a baseball bat in his hands. The blade blaster was pointed directly at his chest, but Kaplan stayed where he was, radiating fury without a hint of fear. Jason's respect for his principal tripled right then. He swore to himself he'd never laugh about the man's toupee again.

"Out of the way, old man!" Tommy shouted, his voice muffled to be unrecognizable by the helmet.

"You will leave!" Mr. Kaplan said firmly, as if breaking up a minor scuffle in the hallway between classes. "You have terrorized my school and my students enough today. You have no place here!"

"I'm giving you a chance!" Upon closer inspection, Jason was shocked to see the hand holding the blade blaster was shaking, not enough to spoil the aim, but enough to show Tommy's first sign of humanity that day. Possibly he was just as affected as Jason by this sign of bravery. Possibly, the idea of killing another human being was too much for Tommy, spell or no. Either way, the situation was still too dangerous for Mr. Kaplan. Jason had to get him out of there.

Jason ducked into a classroom and pulled his own blade blaster. Locking it into blaster mode, he took careful aim at Tommy's hand and squeezed the trigger.

The blade blaster flew out of Tommy's hand. Jason realized Tommy had been holding his blaster with the injured arm; Tommy fell to his knees and screamed in the pain as the impact made his arm fly back at the shoulder. Mr. Kaplan whirled around to see who had fired the shot. Running toward the pair, Jason amused himself with the idea of Mr. Kaplan trying to give him a detention for fighting in the hallway.

"Red Ranger…" Mr. Kaplan gasped. "My students… are they…?"

"They're all fine," Jason said. "The school is deserted."

Tommy had stopped screaming, but he didn't seem able to get up yet. He was laughing through his gasps of pain. "You think they're all fine, don't you? You both think you're the big heroes who save all the helpless students. Tell that to the student I shot."

"What?" Jason wheeled around, leveling his blaster at Tommy. "You… shot…" Jason knew it wasn't one of his Rangers, he knew that. But that meant it was a civilian…

"Who did you shoot?" Mr. Kaplan asked calmly. Again, he sounded absurdly like he was questioning a student about a minor bit of mischief.

Tommy was regaining his footing, moving slowly as he still had a blaster pointed at him. "That kid with the leather fetish. Hangs out with the fat guy."

Jason let out a breath. "No wonder Bulk pushed you off the roof."

Mr. Kaplan's eyes had grown wide. "But… where is he? Is he okay? Is he…"

Jason was taken aback. Whereas a minute before Mr. Kaplan stood larger than life, ready to take on all of Rita's forces by himself, now he looked lost in panic. And Jason had always gotten the impression that he sort of hated Bulk and Skull.

"Red Ranger, come in," Zordon's voice broke the momentary silence.

Jason lifted his wrist slightly to his mouth, still carefully covering Tommy with his blaster. "Yes, I read you."

"The injured student, Eugene Skullovich, was healed by the Blue Ranger and teleported to the hospital for blood loss. If Mr. Kaplan wishes, we can teleport him straight to the hospital."

And use the distraction to teleport me and Tommy to another location, Jason thought.

"Yes, certainly, tell the man yes," Mr. Kaplan said, his entire frame pouring relief.

Tommy laughed derisively. "Do what you want. Empress Rita will triumph, so none of this will make any difference."

No sooner were the words out of his mouth, Jason felt the familiar, welcome tingle of the teleporter beam. He blinked, and the vision of the school was replaced by the rock quarry. In the distance, he saw the MegaZord fighting against three monsters. He laughed slightly to himself—yes, Zordon had done what he asked, but he'd done so backhandedly. Obviously he wanted to consolidate the two fights.

Tommy, on the other hand, had stopped laughing. "That was a dirty trick."

Jason shrugged. "No dirtier than any of yours. Besides, it was so confining at the school."

Tommy tried to shrug, but his whole body seemed to wince as he tried to move his injured arm. "If this means I get a decent fight out of you, I'm fine with it." He looked over toward the battle in the distance and whistled. "Doesn't look good for the intrepid MegaZord."

At that moment, there was a brilliant flash of light as the sun glinted against the MegaSword, seemingly called from the sky by the MegaZord (in reality, called into existence using the same technique the Rangers called their own weapons into existence). The MegaZord lifted it, charged at Pop Star, and sliced the monster through the middle. Pop Star exploded in a fountain of fire and sparks. The percussive explosion blew Goldar and Scorpina back about a mile, both of them roaring in rage.

"I dunno," Jason said casually. "Looks to me like they're doing a pretty good job."

Jason barely had time to fend off Tommy's attack.


 

The cockpit of the MegaZord resounded in cheers. They'd been fighting for half an hour, keeping everything at a draw. Without Jason's added power there, they'd had to wait longer for the MegaSword to charge. But when it had, they'd worn down Pop Star enough to take the monster out with one slice.

"Don't relax yet," Zack broke through the cheering. "We still have the monkey and the bug to beat down."

"Zack," Kimberly said through a fit of giggles, "I will pay you five dollars to call them 'the monkey and the bug' to their faces."

"You're on…" Zack said quietly. "Hey! Monkey! Bug!"

Goldar had recovered his feet and was lumbering back to the MegaZord. "Are you talking to me, Black Ranger?" he roared.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you!" Zack made the MegaZord lift the sword level to Goldar. "For the record, I hereby, face to face, call you a monkey. And your girlfriend over there a bug. Hear that, Scorpina?"

Scorpina had just arrived. "What was that?"

"I called your boyfriend a monkey, and I, face-to-face, though I don't really know where your face is, call you a bug. What do you think about that?"

Kimberly was holding her console as her body shook with laughter. Billy and Trini tried not to laugh, but one look at each other broke down their resolve, and they laughed as hard as Kimberly. Goldar and Scorpina, in the meantime, stared at the MegaZord as if Zack had lost his mind.

"Honestly," Scorpina said, "I don't know what to think. Do you think the fight has unhinged them, love?" she addressed to Goldar.

"It's possible," said Goldar, bewilderment still evident in his voice. "Should we put them out of their misery?"

Zack steeled himself for another attack. "Okay, guys, fun's over. Kim, you owe me five bucks. Now, let's take them down."


 

Mr. Kaplan landed in the deserted park in front of the hospital. He stood there a moment, trying to shake off the unfamiliar effects of teleportation. Not to mention the fact that he had almost died twice that day. As soon as he regained he composure, he ran into the hospital as fast as he could. He reached the nurse's station and braced himself against the desk.

"I'm Bob Kaplan," he gasped out in answer to the nurse's questioning look. "Principal at Angel Grove High. One of my students, Eugene Skullovitch, was admitted here earlier."

The nurse grinned. "Hi, Mr. Kaplan! I'm Jenny… I was at school a few years ago."

Now that he was seeing straight, Mr. Kaplan recognized her. "Hello, Jenny, of course I remember you." He didn't want to be rude, but…

But Jenny was already tapping away at her computer. "Sorry, I should have been looking this up. Eugene… Oh, good, I only had to spell part of the name…" she mumbled to herself as Mr. Kaplan tried to stay calm-looking. "He's in room 3105. We usually don't just let people visit when it's not visiting hours, but since it's you…" She trailed off with a smile.

"Thank you," Mr. Kaplan said, planning to make up for his abruptness later. He walked swiftly to the elevators, still too winded to trust himself on the stairs. Eugene was in a room… It didn't sound all that serious, then. That Power Ranger must have done as good a job at healing Eugene as the Rangers had done healing Billy Cranston.

Mr. Kaplan tried not to reflect too much on how many injuries and how much chaos had gone down the past week. Billy nearly maimed, dock workers injured, the monster attack rate going up three times its usual count, and now an attack on the school. Eugene had been injured, and who knew if he was the only one. Tommy Oliver, for instance, had obviously been defeated in his office since the generator was gone, but Mr. Kaplan had no idea where he was. And all the while the real Power Rangers seemed to be scrambling to keep everything from falling to pieces. If they all survived, Mr. Kaplan reflected, he'd have to at least call an assembly, and maybe arrange for special counseling.

Mr. Kaplan knocked lightly on the door and pushed it open. "Eugene?" he said softly.

"Mr. Kaplan… come in," a quiet voice answered him. Farcas Bulkmeier was sitting next to Skull's bed, stuffed awkwardly in a tiny armed chair. "These things were made for stick figures," Bulk grumbled as he struggled out of the chair. He offered it to Mr. Kaplan, who sank gratefully into it.

Bulk leaned against a wall; his eyes kept nervously flicking over to the prone figure on the bed. "He's asleep right now. He didn't lose enough blood to need a transfusion or whatever, but they're keeping him for… observation, they said."

Mr. Kaplan looked at Skull's pale figure. All he could think of was how many times he had lost patience with Bulk and Skull. What if the Power Rangers hadn't been there? What if…?

"I called his parents," Bulk said, more for something to say than anything else. "They're worried… but they can't get here yet. The whole town's on curfew until the monster attack ends."

Mr. Kaplan shook his head, his mind whirling. "Farcas, I need to know what happened. I was knocked out for most of it."

Bulk told him what he could: the attack on the school, Kimberly knocked out, the force fields disappearing, Skull being shot for trying to save Kimberly, the device on the roof, pushing the Green Ranger and almost getting shot himself, and the Blue Ranger destroying the device and saving Kimberly and Skull.

"Is Kimberly here?" Mr. Kaplan said quickly.

Bulk crossed his arms. "Nah. I don't think she was as hurt as Skull was. She's probably wherever everyone else got teleported."

"And no one else you know got hurt?"

Bulk shook his head slowly.

Mr. Kaplan let out a slow breath. "That was extremely brave and extremely dangerous, what you did. You could have been killed, Farcas."

Bulk's face set in the "I-do-what-I-want-and-I-don't-care-what-you-think" expression Mr. Kaplan had gotten to know over the years.

"Of course," Mr. Kaplan laughed, "I threatened the Green Ranger with a baseball bat, so I'm not much better."

The two laughed, Mr. Kaplan enjoying the moment of non-drama with one of his most troublesome students.

After a moment's awkward silence, Bulk grabbed the remote and flicked on the news. Vague shots of monsters and Zords, now so familiar to Angel Grove citizens, played while the newscaster tried to guess what was going on. They replayed footage of an explosion, the newscaster pointing out that one of the monster had disappeared, and the explosion was most likely its destruction.

"In other words," Bulk said, "they don't know squat and if we're all alive by tomorrow, the Power Rangers won."

Mr. Kaplan chuckled and tried to discern the blurry fighting objects on the tiny screen.

"Mr. Kaplan," Bulk began, "you ever wonder who the Power Rangers really are?"

Mr. Kaplan shrugged. "Of course I wonder. Everyone wonders. I just don't know if I'd ever want to find out."

"Why not?"

"Well…" Mr. Kaplan pondered. "I think I'd feel too sorry for them. I mean, they're all that stands between us and alien invasion. Can you imagine that kind of pressure? And I assume they have some kind of normal life. Honestly, I'd rather think of them as costumed heroes and nothing more. I'd feel too bad to know exactly who the people are who are fighting a fight that by all rights we should all be fighting."

"Well, I'd give anything to know who they are," Bulk broke in.

"And why is that?"

Bulk stared at his friend on the bed. "It's hard being grateful to a guy with no face, is all."

A gentle knock came on the door. Mr. Kaplan had left the door partially open, and a tall man—obviously a patient by his clothes—towered in the doorway.

"I'm sorry to intrude, but I recognized you from the school brochure," the man said. "Mr. Kaplan, right?"

Mr. Kaplan got up, frowning slightly. "Yes… I am."

The man smiled and extended his hand. "John Oliver, sir. You know my son, Tommy."

Mr. Kaplan smiled and shook the man's hand. "Yes. I'm glad to meet you. I was planning to meet with you once you were discharged from the hospital…"

"Next week, early, if all goes well," John supplied. He turned to Bulk. "Are you one of Tommy's classmates."

"Yeah," Bulk said, awkwardly returning a hand shake. "Name's Bulk. That's my friend Skull over in the bed. You're really Tommy's dad?"

"For nearly sixteen years now," John joked lightly.

Bulk made what sounded like a noise of disgust, and John shifted uncomfortably. Mr. Kaplan frowned. Clearly there was more going on there than he could tell.

"Well, it's nice to meet both of you," John said abruptly. "I'd best get back to my room."

"I'll walk with you, Mr. Oliver," Mr. Kaplan said. "Farcas, would you tell me if Eugene wakes up?"

"Sure thing, Mr. Kaplan," Bulk said, turning his attention back to the television.

John Oliver seemed to walk slowly and deliberately, as if afraid of tripping over tiles. His room, however, was only two down. He was in the room by himself, the other bed unoccupied.

"I'm glad you came over, Mr. Kaplan…"

"Oh, please…" Mr. Kaplan said with a grin. "Call me Bob."

John eased himself on the edge of his bed. "Bob, then. I've just been wanting to talk to you about Tommy."

Mr. Kaplan frowned and sank into a chair.

"I just wanted to know…" John began hesitantly, "if he's been getting into trouble. Acting oddly or anything like that."

Mr. Kaplan shook his head slowly. "No… I mean, he missed yesterday and was late today, though it would have been better if he had missed today and missed the attack on the school. But when he showed up he actually impressed me with his bravery. Fought beside me until I got my fool self knocked out."

John licked his lips and nodded. The news of the attack on the school was already on television, so that wouldn't be a surprise. But there was something else behind the man's eyes, as if he knew something Mr. Kaplan didn't and was interpreting events differently.

"This just in," the newscaster from the television broke into the silence. "Apart from the fight between Zord and monster, two Power Rangers are fighting near the other battle. Last report has the Red Ranger fighting the Green Ranger. The Green Ranger, if our viewers will remember, has been reported to be allied with the invading forces of Rita Repulsa. Along with his battles against the Power Rangers, the Green Ranger last week attacked high school sophomore Billy Cranston. He is also responsible for the severe injuries of Chen Kenichi, Masaharu Morimoto, and Hiroyuki Sakai, dock workers present for the attack of the Green Ranger's 'Zord.' We also now have reports that during the attack at Angel Grove High School, he attacked and wounded students Kimberly Hart and Eugene Skullovitch, both of whom have been healed by the Power Rangers."

The volume went down sporadically, and Mr. Kaplan noticed the hand holding the remote was shaking. John's face had blanched white as he stared at the blurry images of red and green on the monitor, the camera crew too far away to catch any detail.

"I'm sorry, John," Mr. Kaplan said softly. "I didn't even think when I said your son fought beside me. I'm sure he got out okay with the other students. At least, he wasn't in my office when I woke up, so I'm sure he was able to take care of himself. He's fine."

John stayed staring at the television screen. "I hope so…"


 

Jason crossed swords with Tommy, the impact of metal on metal nearly forcing both of them back. They were fighting at the top of their strength, holding nothing back. At least, Jason prayed that Tommy wasn't holding anything back. He didn't think he could take any more.

Tommy unexpectedly angled his sword and sliced across Jason's bicep. A line of fire seemed to race across Jason's arm, but he had enough presence of mind to counter with a fierce jab to Tommy's chest. The shield repelled the tip of the sword from cutting through, but the harsh impact made Tommy back off.

The problem was, Jason reflected as they went in for another exchange, Tommy's sword was better for infighting. It was slender and slightly curved, single-bladed and lightweight. It was ideal for one-on-one combat, especially when the wielder wasn't a big ox like Goldar. Jason's sword, on the other hand, was a weighty broadsword with very little sophistication. It was ideal for the usual monsters he had to fight—when the call of the day was just slice and dice—but on a complicated one-on-one fight the sword was too long, too heavy, and too unwieldy.

"You're slowing down," Tommy said, a bit breathlessly.

Jason ducked under a sword swipe. "And you're getting tired," he countered.

The battle had gone on too long, by all rights. Jason had no idea what time it was, but by the sun it was past noon. The battle at the high school had started at mid-morning, so they'd been in constant battle for several hours. Jason knew—they both knew, as experienced fighters—that the next few minutes would decide everything.

Jason landed a solid kick to Tommy's chest, and Tommy fell back several feet. Feeling like it was kind of a cheap move, Jason drew his blade blaster, locked it, and fired.

In an instant, Tommy had drawn his dragon dagger and was playing again. Jason braced for the impact. Instead of the explosions, however, the music turned Tommy's shield as bright as a mirror. The shots bounced off his chest and hit Jason before he could even think to avoid them. He fell back and crouched. The shots hurt, but it was nothing like the wind attack from before. Tommy's power was ebbing fast, especially as he used those fancy attacks.

"That the best you can do?" Jason said. "Geez, Tommy, you are running out of ideas."

"I thought it was pretty effective."

On the last syllable, Jason fired again. Tommy had no time to set the shield back up, and the blast erupted across his chest, his golden shield marred by a black mark. To top it off, he landed awkwardly on his hurt arm. Jason could tell he was trying not to show pain.

"Oh, you're going to pay for that," Tommy growled.

Jason barely had time to prepare. Tommy had launched himself at Jason with a flurry of punches and kicks, only using the sword as a blunt instrument. Jason kept up with the attacks, but it had to be admitted that he was slowing down himself. He was knocked down to the ground, a bit dazed. Through the fog before his eyes, he saw a flashing sword being driven straight down. Instantly he flashed back to the fight with Goldar, and the panic gave him speed. He rolled out of the way. Tommy, however, was prepared for that; he kicked Jason, sending him flying across the battlefield.

Tommy crossed his dagger and sword. Lightning flew from the point of intersection straight at Jason. He didn't know what else to do. He ran, dodging lightning bolt after lightning bolt. His left leg had been hurt earlier in the fight, and now the effort of running over the rocks made it feel as if daggers were shooting through his ankle. He could feel the heat of the lightning's near misses. But it was still okay. As long as he could maneuver in close to Tommy…

Jason's ankle exploded in shattering pain. He tripped, flipped through the air, and landed square on his back. Pulling himself up slowly, he saw the boot around his ankle had turned black. The lightning had cut completely through all his defenses, and blood was seeping from the wound.

He looked up at Tommy, who was regarding him in triumph. Jason knew it was over. There was no way to even get up, much less dodge with any speed. Tommy had him cold. He would not survive this next lightning blast.

"This is it, Red," Tommy said softly. "It's been a hoot and a half, but we both knew it would end this way. And don't bet on cheating death this time."

Jason felt his sword by his side, and he felt a glimmer of hope. It was his only chance…

Thankfully, Tommy did not see the hope spring to Jason's eyes. "Don't worry, Red. It will be quick, and you won't even have to watch your friends die." He took a breath, savoring his victory and Jason's helpless silence. "All right… Jason. Prepare yourself."

The two weapons came together, and the lightning sprang forth with incredible slowness and clarity. Jason brought up his sword, which flashed in the sunlight, and pointed the flat of the blade to intersect the lightning perfectly. He felt the heat sear his hands, burning his gloves black.

As soon as the lightning hit the sword, it ricocheted back, hitting Tommy square in the chest before he could move an inch. He fell backward instantly, de-morphing and hitting the ground hard, apparently lifeless.


 

Rita screamed and fell to her knees. Pain lanced through her chest and head, and her arm involuntarily reached out toward Earth, as if she could scoop Tommy from the surface and bring him back safely. But there was something blocking her power to teleport, and her magic had been drained too much. She couldn't reach him in any way.

Amid her mad grief, a spark of sanity flashed. She could still feel the connection. He wasn't dead. He was still breathing, his shield protecting him better than the other Rangers. But now his shield was gone… he wasn't morphed… and that damn Red Ranger was limping toward her SON!


 

"Goldar! Scorpina! Tommy's hurt… Save him!"

Goldar and Scorpina looked at each other in shock. The command had screamed through their heads as if Rita were physically next to them. They didn't even note the charging MegaZord, sword pointed right at them.

"He's down there!" Goldar said, noticing for the first time the two tiny figures at the edge of the quarry.

In an instant, Goldar and Scorpina disappeared in a burst of golden fire. The MegaZord stumbled as it attacked vacant air.

"Where did they go?" Trini yelled, looking wildly around.

Kimberly was the first to see. "Down there, guys! It's Jason!"


 

Jason dragged himself slowly to the unconscious Tommy, unbearable pain shooting up his leg with every step. Don't be dead… Please don't be dead… His breath came in ragged sobs, and the distance to Tommy seemed to grow bigger with every step.

Finally, he collapsed next to Tommy and felt for a pulse. It was there, slow but reassuring. Jason sobbed his relief, fought back a wave of nausea at the idea that he could have very well been dead, and nearly passed out himself. Spots swam in Jason's vision, and looking back he saw a trail of blood—his own blood.

"That's far enough," the rage-filled voice of Goldar broke the silence.

Jason felt a sword tip at the back of his neck, and he froze. Breath came fast and panicky. He knew he was too weak to fight Goldar. He may have escaped death by Tommy's hands, but Goldar was about to finish him off anyway. It was fitting, in a way, but Jason could not come to terms with it. He merely shook as the fear choked him.

"Is he alive, human?" Scorpina's hard voice came from beside Goldar. From the sound of her voice, she had changed into her humanoid form.

Jason somehow found his voice as the sword blade increased in pressure. "Y-yes."

"That's lucky for you." Goldar's voice was low and dangerous, the voice straight from Jason's nightmares. "That means you get to die quick."

Jason closed his eyes, too weak and hurt and afraid to protect himself.

"Jason! Duck!"

Jason pitched himself forward away from sword. Something whizzed by above him—an arrow?—and Goldar and Scorpina roared in pain.

"Power Axe!"

"Power Bow!"

Jason lifted his head as the familiar process played out before him. They needed him. He couldn't just give up.

In a burst of energy he didn't know he still had, Jason pushed himself from the ground. The Rangers were near him, standing between him and the two warriors.

"Power Daggers!"

"Power Lance!"

In an effort that made his ankle burst in fresh pain, Jason bounded up to the assembled weapon in the air. "Power Sword!" He brought the weapon back down and tried to stay upright after the impact with the ground. The Rangers crowded around him and the weapon, helping to hold him up.

"FIRE!"

Beams shot from all points of the weapon and hit Goldar and Scorpina dead on. The area around them exploded in fire and sparks, and they were thrown back nearly half a mile.

"Let's get out of here!" Zack yelled, grabbing Jason as the Red Ranger's legs gave out under him. "Someone grab Tommy!"

Billy crouched and put a hand on Tommy's shoulder. And even as they teleported away, they saw Goldar and Scorpina running toward them, screaming for them to stop.

Jason collapsed against a console as soon as they landed in the Command Center. He absently noted he was no longer morphed, though the others were. "Get Tommy to the quarantine chamber. Keep weapons on him until you get him behind the forcefield," he gasped.

Billy and Zack lifted Tommy by the arms and legs, and Trini and Kimberly followed them, blade blasters trained on Tommy. They had set up the quarantine chamber in the room Jason, Billy, and Zack had used as sleeping quarters.

"Where's Alpha?" he asked, barely lifting his head.

"Alpha V is preparing the quarantine chamber for our guest," Zordon said, his voice laced with worry. "Jason, you need to lie down."

Jason slumped to the floor, the world dissolving into a sort of blurry darkness. He could no longer hear properly, it seemed. He stayed there in a stupor for he had no idea how long.

Distantly, he felt a warm hand on his shoulder and the sharp stab of a needle. The world came rushing back to him, sound and color and light. The pain was gone, and he could stand, though he was still shaky. Trini helped steady him.

He laughed weakly. "That's the second time you've saved my life, Trini."

Trini hit him on the shoulder none too lightly. Her eyes were shiny with tears. "Then stop getting almost killed."

"It is getting to be a bad habit of yours," Billy said.

"And that goes for you, too," Trini said furiously, actually shaking a finger at Billy. "Rushing into battle after you drained your power so much while healing Skull."

"Never mind that now," Jason said. He felt himself gaining strength with each minute, though even the serum couldn't cure his exhaustion. He felt like he could stay in bed for a week. "Everyone's safe and alive."

"Which is a freakin' miracle," Zack said under his breath.

Jason chose not to respond. "What about Tommy? What's his status?"

"He's safely within the containment field," said Billy. "We've placed his Power Coin and teleporter in a hiding place in the room, so he won't feel any adverse effects from separation from his Power Coin, but he also won't be able to morph or teleport. We have cameras monitoring him, and we'll hear an alert as soon as he wakes up."

Trini looked a little perturbed that her lecture had been dismissed so quickly. "I only gave him a half-dose of the serum. He'll hurt like hell, but his life is in no danger. I'm afraid to get him too healthy… afraid that he was going to wake up too soon."

They didn't say it, but Jason was sure the others thought along his lines: they didn't want Tommy too healthy. They wanted him hurt and vulnerable. That would make it easier to break the spell.

And, Jason thought with not a little guilt, he didn't want all the pain from their recent fight gone yet. Tommy had almost killed him, after all.

Alpha, in the meantime, was busy at one of the consoles. "Rangers, Goldar and Scorpina have now left Earth. There seems to be no injuries, and your classmate Skull is recovering in the hospital."

"There is nothing more you can do now, Rangers," Zordon said. "I congratulate you all on successful battle. You've all performed admirably under conditions far worse than any could have anticipated."

"So what about Tommy?" said Kimberly, glancing nervously at the closed door across the room.

Zordon seemed to sigh. "We must wait until he awakens. Simply separating him from Rita is already half the work. Now, we face the most difficult part of our plan. It is time for you all to rest, Rangers. I project that it will be a difficult few days."

"And that'll be different how?" Zack said.

"Zordon's right," said Jason. "After emergency curfew ends, we need to put in face time with our parents…"

"Oh, God, my mom's going to be frantic," Kimberly said. "I mean, I bet the attack on the school was all over the news."

"I don't like leaving Tommy up here along with Zordon and Alpha." Zack was also staring nervously at the closed door. "I say we take it in shifts to stay up here. We don't know what Tommy's capable of. I mean, what if Rita gave him weird-ass special powers along with that spell or whatever."

"It's possible, but not likely," Billy said.

"Yeah," said Trini. "Why would she give him a Power Coin if she could give him other powers?"

"Zack's right," Jason said, and he smiled at the look of surprise on Zack's face. He's obviously been expecting for Jason to disagree. "Tommy's dangerous, and we don't know what he's capable of, with or without any extra powers. I think we'll have more problems with his intelligence now, along with his devotion to Rita. Zordon, could you alert us when Tommy wakes up? I think we're safe as long as he's asleep."

"Sleep," Kimberly groaned. "That sounds good about now."

"No kidding," said Zack. "I couldn't sleep for nothing last night."

"Zordon! Rangers!" Alpha's hand was quivering over the console. "Rita is attempting to communicate with us."

"That's not unexpected," Zordon said. He glanced at Jason. "How would you have us respond, Jason, as her greatest grievance is against you?"

Jason smirked. "Ignore her, Alpha."

"But, Jason…"

"We know what she wants. We know what threats she'll make. I'm just not interested. If she attacks, we'll fight. As for Tommy, she can't have him back, no matter what. She'll just have to get used to it."


 

"They're not responding, my Queen," Finster said quietly.

Rita sat on her bed in her darkened bedroom. She shielded her eyes from the sharp pain of the light coming from the crack in the door. "So it's as I expected," she said. "They have no plans to give him back."

Finster quietly closed the door, holding a tray of various medicines. He began preparing the usual remedies. When she wasn't looking, he put something a bit stronger in the usual mixture.

"Then we'll take him back," Rita growled through the pain. "We'll just take him back."

"Yes, my Queen," Finster said. He gave her the mixture.

Rita drank it down in one. "Finster…" she said, her speech slurring as the medicine took instant effect. "Tell Goldar to start an attack. Get the monsters. I want monsters and Putties and… Get them down to Earth. Keep attacking… keep attacking… until they give him back. Do you hear me, Finster? Get him back for me…"

She slumped over on the bed, and Finster quickly got her out of her dress and into bed. She was not resting peacefully, though. Her brow kept contracting, and she mumbled slightly in her sleep.

As Finster left the room, taking the tray with him, Goldar ambushed him outside of the door. "How is the Empress? Does she have any orders for us?"

"No," Finster said, not even blinking at the lie. "She's sick and needs her rest now."

Goldar didn't question him, much to Finster's relief. "None of us are fit to lead an attack right now." His mouth pulled back in a grimace. "But I swear I will make those Rangers pay."

He stormed off, leaving Finster to dread the consequences of his actions.