|
Post by tia on Jun 30, 2008 3:30:23 GMT -5
You got me hooked on this story from the very beginning. I read the whole thing yesterday evening and it's incredibly gripping/exciting from the start. Your beginning dialogue was perfect to draw me in. It's always nice to see Kat/Jason because I think they had great chemistry in ZEO as well Can't wait for more. Awesome job, you two !!!
|
|
|
Post by chrisangelo on Jun 30, 2008 10:30:37 GMT -5
Thanks so much Tia! I'm glad you are enjoying this fic TBH I hope a lot of people would. Jat 'Jason/Kat' will be more noticed from now on. ;D
|
|
rapunzl
Wild Force Ranger
Icon courtesy of our lovely and utterly fantabulous Kim!
Posts: 189
|
Post by rapunzl on Jul 2, 2008 16:50:41 GMT -5
Wow. Holy poopie. Freaking wow. How in the heck did I miss this fic popping up? I don't even know what to pick out... it's just so awesome. Tommy's jealousy over Kim & Jason's relationship - so perfect. Kim's memory of the Dark Dimension was just so vivid. Tommy's recurring density, not realizing that if Kim was that floored by his death, she obviously feels more than nothing for him. The guest starring Dino Rangers - and Haley! (she never gets enough love) The way you guys had me totally convinced that Kat was the Pink Psycho Ranger. The battle scenes - totally incredible. The string of Tommy's memories almost made me cringe and laugh all at the same time. (Laugh, you ask? Because of all the stuff Tommy's been through, Tommy has decided that being mean to Kim was one of the things he never wanted to remember. ) The cute coupley pairing before Dulcea's fantabulous entrance (yeah, you had me totally confused about how the Crane could show up if both Kim and Kat were right there). And the yellow and black rangers - that has to be Zack and Trini, and none of you are going to convince me otherwise. Yay! The originals are back (mostly)! I LOVE this!
|
|
|
Post by chrisangelo on Jul 2, 2008 17:02:40 GMT -5
Just a little clarification on Dulcea. She's the Queen of Phados/Creator of the Ninjetti (some could say along with Ninjor, but he's not in this story) so she is able to use all of the animals powers. I.E. "Ninjetti Crane!" The agility and might stopped the arrows. I don't know how you missed it either but I hope you'll still continue to read it! Katherine as Psycho Pink? Really? That's what you thought? She's not of course but wow, I guess I didn't know we depicted it that way.
|
|
rapunzl
Wild Force Ranger
Icon courtesy of our lovely and utterly fantabulous Kim!
Posts: 189
|
Post by rapunzl on Jul 2, 2008 17:20:01 GMT -5
Oh, no, I figured that out once Dulcea removed her cape and revealed her identity. You did a great job describing it, and I had no problem understanding that she would be able to control the power, too.
Oh, come on... the way that Kat just happened to be in Reefside... the way Psycho Pink wasn't around with Goldar... the way Goldar was just waiting for them to show up and rescue Kat, like it had been staged to lure them out of hiding... the way that it was just Kat and Goldar, not Kat and Goldar and Psycho Pink...
Or maybe I'm just too suspicious for my own good. ;D
|
|
|
Post by Jade_Max on Jul 2, 2008 17:40:57 GMT -5
lol, Kat as Psycho Pink? Now there's a twist if I ever heard one. For all you know, she still is psycho Pink - just from another reality *evil grin*
|
|
shawn30
Wild Force Ranger
~* King of TK *~
Cookies!!!!
Posts: 185
|
Post by shawn30 on Jul 2, 2008 19:32:06 GMT -5
There's something so tragic, dark, and epic about this story. I think I have a pretty good idea what happened to Kim, and the set-up to the actual reveal and how broken she appears is the thing of great storytelling. The action is solid and brutal, while the slow reveal of the Jason/Kim backstory keeps you dying for each new chapter. Both authors should feel damn prouud of their work. I highly recommend this story.
S
|
|
|
Post by chrisangelo on Jul 2, 2008 23:04:03 GMT -5
Meh.. Psycho Pink; Kat? Hm... I'm glad you read the latest chapter Shawn Highly Recommend? Wow I'm pretty sure a lot of people 'suspect' what happened to Kim from the chapters and my video, but you never know with fanfiction. Not that I'm doubting anyone's intellect here. KoA and I are very proud of this fic so far, and after planning it for nearly a month, the results have been great. This should be quite a long fic so it's still a baby Thanks everyone for reading!!
|
|
|
Post by Jade_Max on Jul 4, 2008 20:43:23 GMT -5
gotta echo that.
chris was very persuasive in getting me to help with this fic and it's developed into far more than either he or I envisioned at the start. His base idea was the tip of a much, much larger iceberg - and so far it's been one hell of a berg!
Thanks to everyone for reading and for your kind words. This is going to be a long, twisting ride that we hope will keep everyone entertained from start to finish...
|
|
|
Post by chrisangelo on Jul 5, 2008 0:51:15 GMT -5
Pss please. Me, persuasive? Okay maybe I did stalk your email only a few times xD j/k but I sought you out to get you to do a Hearts & Armor sequal. That was my original intention ANYWAY Yes everyone thank you so much (again) and please stay on this rollercoaster of angst.
|
|
|
Post by chrisangelo on Jul 8, 2008 0:09:14 GMT -5
Chapter 5 – A Nightmare Unveiled: part one[/b]
They’d been out on the boardwalk when Goldar had appeared out of nowhere, taking them by complete surprise. Jason had urged her to run, but Kimberly hadn’t been about to leave him. There was no way she was leaving him to face the golden monster alone - especially not when Goldar was supposed to have been dead for months.
Without their powers, the fight had been embarrassingly short. Goldar had called up his minions as he threw Jason back into their arms. Kimberly had quickly followed and just as quickly they’d been taken, in broad daylight, from the Miami boardwalk to the world of darkness and mist Rita had favored - and now belonged to Lord Zedd.
None of it made any sense.
Lord Zedd was supposed to have been defeated, Rita having gone with him, and - disoriented and sore from the fight - Kimberly and Jason tumbled to the ground as they were dumped in the large cavern. Darkness encroached on all sides as they rolled with the tumble, landing together in the center of the room with an ominous greenish glow.
They skidded to a stop in a tangle of limbs, and Kimberly hastily pulled herself free, regaining her feet immediately as she twirled in place. “Where are we?”
Jason was slower regaining his feet. “This looks like Rita’s Dark Dimension.” His words were low, pitched so only she would hear. There was also a fear in his tone that Kimberly didn’t miss. “It looks different then when I was last here.”
“Dark Dimension?” Kimberly’s voice echoed around them and she slapped her hand over her mouth before modulating her tone to a hiss. “Why would we be here? We’re not Power Rangers anymore!”
Sharing a look that spoke volumes, they both acknowledged there were more questions than answers. With no any powers and no communicators, how were they supposed to escape?
“Kim…”
Smoke swirled about the area and Kimberly spun as a sound echoed from somewhere to her right. "Who's there?" Silence greeted her query. “Did you hear that?”
Jason nodded - the voice had seemed familiar.
“Kim...” The faint call came again.
Turning her head, Kimberly looked around, attempting to penetrate the surrounding fog to see who was there. Moving forward in the direction she believed the call to have come from, she searched with the tips of her shoes. Jason was at her side, keeping an eye out around them for Goldar or more of his goons.
Confusion and dizziness threatened to overpower her and she was forced to take it slow - until something grabbed her ankle. Jason steadied her, only to let go as she collapsed to the ground instead of flipping away, trying to search beneath the curling, concealing smoke.
As she hit the ground, the impediment to her vision cleared and what she saw horrified her.
“Tommy?!” Kimberly cried out as she placed her hands on his chest and shook him. "Tommy!"
Burns marred his once perfect skin, his bare chest and arms sporting circular welts unlike anything she’d ever seen. The skin around them was dark, almost black and puffy with infection. A large gash in his side was newly sealed - but not healed. He looked haggard, emaciated, almost as if he'd been tortured or starved - but it wasn't a physical pain that was shadowed in his gaze.
It was the terror she saw there that caught her attention - not for himself but for her.
"Tommy, say something."
"Kim..."
"Tommy!" She clasped the hand he reached towards her. "What have they done to you?"
“Couldn’t… save you… Beautiful.”
She jerked as if slapped, the agony and fear in his words and gaze making her shiver. “I’m right here Tommy; you’re scaring me.”
White beams of light emanated from his body as he struggled to form the words to tell her. His expression turned intense and, somehow, he forced the words out. “Kim...you..."
Gripping his hand tighter, she could feel the substance starting to slip away.
"need...to..."
Horror engulfed her as she realized that Tommy was sliding from her grasp, his hand going from substantial to semi-substantial - her own squeezing his tightly in an attempt to hold him.
"escape...”
“Tommy?”
White energy beams of light were floating all around his body and when he finished speaking, his form beamed white and then all that was left of him was piles of white energy dust. The feel of it was gritty on her skin, slipping through her fingers as his hand disintegrated in hers. Unconsciously clenching her fingers about it, she reached for the pile blindly, trying to bring him back.
Everything had been in his gaze - regret most of all. Regret that he couldn't spare her the same fate.
“No! TOMMY!”
Collapsing to the ground on top of the pile of dust, Kimberly tried to gather it to her. “Tommy! No, Tommy, come back! Come back!”
“Kim!”
Jason’s hand landed solidly on her quaking shoulders and she turned bleak eyes to him, tears pouring down her cheeks unheeded. “Make him come back, Jason!”
Fighting back his own tears, Jason hauled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. Words failed him - there was nothing he could say or do that would ease the void that had opened up within them. Kimberly's ragged cries echoed through the cavern as tears misted his eyes and she clung to him tightly.
"It won't help."
Kim's sob cut off mid-sound as she whirled, her eyes wide and fearful. "Trini?"
"Right here, Kim."
"I can't see you."
"To your left."
Jason and Kimberly turned, the mist parting to reveal a stone like slab along one wall which extended for many feet across the darkness. On it lay the former yellow ranger, a sickly tint to her normally vibrant skin. Trini Kwan managed a faint smile as she pushed herself up on her elbows and regarded Kimberly and Jason with haunted eyes.
"Welcome to hell."
----------
Winds ripped through the plateau as the former Rangers landed in a heap in roughly the same positions they'd left earth. Katherine still clung to Jason, Kimberly lay sprawled - alone and seemingly unconscious - several feet away, Tommy was beside Jason and Kat and Billy had appeared several feet beyond Kim. To their left, almost as if taking a stance, were the yellow and black clad figures that had rushed in to save Kimberly.
Dulcea was nowhere to be seen.
Tommy staggered to Kim's side, ignoring the other for the moment, and knelt beside her. Turning her over, he checked her vital signs. She was unconscious, just as he'd feared, the blood on her face drying in the breeze. He pulled her into his arms, cradling her against his chest and looked to his best friend.
"Jason, what was that?"
Silence greeted his question and Tommy turned to look at the former Red Ranger. Jason's gaze, however, wasn't on him. It was centered on the Yellow and Black robed figures, his absent hold on Kat seeming to be completely instinctual - everyone but Jason noted it. The former Red Ranger was pale under his tan, his gaze trying to penetrate the disguises before him as he answered Tommy's question. "That, bro, was what Kim and I saw in the first five minutes in Zedd's Dark Dimension before being hooked up to his new toys."
"Is that what Kim's seeing right now?"
The yellow clad individual spoke, her voice pitched low but obviously feminine. "It is. We went through something similar when Dulcea first brought us to help."
"Trini?" Jason's tone was incredulous. "But you died!"
The figure tugged her coverings from her head, revealing the intelligent visage of one Trini Kwan - livelier than the one in Kim's vision. "In our reality, Jason, you and Kim died."
"Then you're-"
"The Zack man." Zack tugged his head covering off, revealing a newly scarred visage. A puckered scar ran from his forehead, down over his left eye - but hadn't sealed it shut - to the top of his cheek bone. "Hey bro."
"Why can we see what Kim's seeing now?" Tommy asked, bringing them back on topic. "We couldn't see what she was seeing when Psycho Pink pulled these memories from her before."
"Because, my Falcon," Dulcea told him succinctly, appearing on the edge of the plateau. "You must understand what the wounds are to be able to heal them - and the Crane's scars are many. Watch... and remember..."
----------
"Trini?" Kimberly rushed to her side, clutching the other woman's hands. "Tommy... he's... he's..." Kim hiccupped, unable to voice the grim reality, to face it. Tommy couldn't be gone, he just couldn't be!
Trini pushed herself to a sitting position on the slab and pulled Kimberly into her arms. "My God Kim - we thought you were dead!"
"I'm not! I'm not, but Tommy-" His name came out strangled as if something had suddenly hit her. "He thought I was dead?"
The former yellow Ranger nodded as Kimberly pulled away with horror written all over her visage. "Oh God - did he give up because he thought I was dead?"
"I doubt it."
They turned to find Zack limping towards them from the mists - where he embraced Kimberly tightly before turning her back over to Trini's embrace. "Jason - Kim. I wish I could say it's good to see you, but..."
"What is this place - Zedd's Dark Dimension?" Jason queried, getting identical nods from his friends in return. "Why are we here?"
"You'll find out soon enough when they strap you to it."
"It?"
"Zedd's new toy." Zack's tone was grim. "It's what killed Tommy."
Kimberly let out a muffled shriek, clutching Trini tightly as if to deny the reality of the situation. "He can't be dead, he just can't be!"
"Kim..." Zack placed one hand on her shoulder. "Was there a pile of dust?"
"What of it?" Jason pulled himself up onto the slab with Trini, helping her hold Kimberly upright as the gymnast didn't seem to be able to support herself. She'd sagged into their embraces, weeping soundlessly.
"What color was it?"
"White." Jason's brow furrowed. "White... as in, White Tiger?"
Zack nodded. "Zedd's collecting that dust. We don't know why yet, but we do know it's all that's left of us when we die..."
----------
As the Rangers "watched", the image faded and swirled, panning away to a series of kaleidoscopic collages. Jason on a table similar to where Tommy had found Kimberly during her power drain once upon a time. Kimberly on a similar contraption with Trini and Zack similarly bound. They struggled against restrains that were a new addition, the smell of burning flesh permeating the air even as their screams tore the silence to shreds.
The focus suddenly shifted and they saw what appeared to be Tommy appear from the surrounding mists - which was impossible because they’d all seen him die.
Jason's expression hardened as they watched, his grip on Kat tightening. She placed a soothing hand over his heart, seeming to understand what was about to happen next and offering what wordless comfort she could.
----------
Screams echoed from within the dark caverns of mist - trembling cries soon following from each of the captive rangers. The machines were not only draining their powers but every time one would try to escape - Jason in particular - the machine would amplify the drain with a surge of with electricity. It flowed through their bodies, shocking them beyond belief and rendering them temporarily unable to control their limbs.
Blood drowned what little was left of Jason's shirt, the connections from the hub having bit into his skin when he'd violently opposed being strapped to it. He'd fought their captor far harder than any of them and his wounds were still fresh. From the bruises to the cuts and tears across tender flesh, he looked like a side of beef that had been tenderized.
It hadn't stopped him and as a consequence, his restraints were more numerous and done far tighter than the others. A strap across his chest - a restraint the others lacked - made breathing deeply impossible. It was so tight his screams were left short - causing an endless scream that faded into silence as he gasped for breath.
Even after hours of trying, Jason's mind couldn't fathom that it was impossible to escape. The will to escape, protect, and save his friends was the only thing he accepted - his drive to survive. It was the only thing that mattered.
“Jason, please!”
Having already been through several days of the torture, Trini could not bear to see one of her best friends killing themselves for nothing. “You're not helping anyone! Just stop, Jason!” Tears formed in her eyes as she rested back against the machine, yellow beams of light leaving her body.
“I have to get us out of here...” Panting and still thrashing against the restraints, Jason's attention on his current plan was diverted to the gasp that came from Kimberly.
“Tommy!”
The impossible was apparent, standing right in front of the four machines.
“Kim...”
Tommy's body was still in the state it was before he transformed into white dust; black burns and welts covering his chest. Open wounds were still exposed as the crimson blood trickled down his chest. His eyes were focused on Kimberly with a startling intensity that had never been there before.
“Help me...”
Kimberly shot up, heedless of the fact she was restrained, in an attempt to try and help. The only thought in her mind was to run to him and try to do as he asked. Tommy needed her and was asking for her help - she couldn't not try.
The restraints flared, a whirring noise emitting from the machine and Kimberly screamed as her movements spurred the machine into reacting. The pink waves had been moving slowly from her body, only to increase in speed as she struggled. Electricity arced through her system as the restrain belt cut against her skin.
“Kim!” Three voices echoed around her, almost begging her to desist.
With everything that had happened, the impossibility of the situation made the improbable feasible - was it credible Tommy’s death had been an illusion? Despite witnessing his death, could Zedd have set this reoccurring series of tortures as a way to try and break them? Was Tommy really alive and at the mercy of their foe? The other former rangers weren't sure but any guess was good as theirs.
“Please... Beautiful...”
Gritting her teeth, and clasping the restraining belt, Kimberly attempted to lift it away from her. “Hang on, Tommy!” Hearing the nickname made her spirit thrive with an immutable hope. “I'm coming.” She whispered and tried once again - only to fail; horribly.
The dark misted cavern illuminated moments later with the blue-white light of the lightning bolts that arced from Kimberly’s restraints.
Like moths to the flame; Jason, Trini, and Zack instinctively rose to try and aid her, but the machines triggered just like they had with Kimberly's, and soon the room was drowned out with lights and screams - the image of Tommy, fading back into white dust.
Kimberly’s anguished cry had nothing to do with the physical pain she was enduring and everything to do with having seen him die. “No, Tommy!”
----------
The images of the visions faded, focusing on Kimberly. She continued to struggle, despite the obvious pain that was being inflicted on her frail and tortured body. The focus and determination in her eyes was enough to give the observers chills. She never gave up, her jaw locked against the pain, blood running freely across her hips where she’d been able to shove the restraining belt - continuing to struggle even as the electricity made her hair smoke and her skin began to take on a darker hue.
Only when a particularly powerful shock rendered her unconscious did the image fade completely - and even then her body struggled, as if aware of her desire to be free.
As the image dissolved, Billy and Tommy became aware of the stoic silence of the other four. Watching the horror, seeing it inflicted and how their friends had fought against it was one thing. To have endured it - to even consider enduring it - was beyond the scope of their imaginations.
Tommy pulled his attention from Kim's memories with difficulty, his heart aching for his friends, his hands unconsciously having clenched with the plight of their suffering. Turning his attention back to the still unconscious woman in his arms, he considered what he had seen and how she'd endured it to the way she was now.
Watching as her hope was stripped away had been unbearable. Even now, when she seemed so scared - as if all hope was lost - it burned, twisting inside him like a brand to leave a festering sore..
He hated - no despised - seeing her like this.
Her normal confident, fierce, head strong, and highly independent nature had been silenced by this fragile, decrepit, vulnerable being. Somewhere within her was the fighter he continued to see in her memories - but that fighter only surfaced now in times of adversity. Kimberly as he'd known her was in hiding, muffled by the fears and events that had transpired - smothered by ten years of despair
How she and the others had been able to resist was unfathomable.
Hoping she'd wake, terrified she wouldn't, Tommy slowly reached down and brushed her cheek with the tips of his fingers. She remained comatose, locked within the memories the others had to see to understand and to help heal. Locked within her mind as she had been for years on end - a prison of unending pain.
Shifting his grip, Tommy eased back into a sitting position, using his legs to brace Kimberly against his chest as he pulled her close once more and buried his face in the fall of her hair. Tears matted the chestnut locks - but he didn't notice as he whispered the apology he knew would never be enough. Never nearly enough when he'd failed her so completely and Zedd had used her feelings for him against her.
“I'm sorry, Kim - so sorry I wasn't there...”
----------
Divine and perfect were words that Zedd used to describe his ultimate machine, but they lacked one key item that would classify them as truly perfect; time. The machines took weeks before they would absorb enough energy to destroy whatever ranger they were programmed to work on.
Zedd couldn't let the rangers die before he had enough energy or his purpose would be defeated. That in mind, the rangers were released from their table-top prisons and given a period of time to regain their strength and replenish their health every now and again.
It was on one of these rare occasions, are a week long session with the hubs, that the four friends found themselves back in the room where Jason and Kimberly had landed almost a month prior. Exhausted, they'd done little more than sleep for the first day of their release. As the days passed, their strength returned as did their focus and their drive.
Jason paced back and forth like the trapped animal he was as Zack was trying to work the feeling back into his extremities. Each session on the hubs resulted in a loss of feeling for him and each time it was slower to return.
Trini had curled up with Kimberly, the girls clinging together as Kimberly struggled with the events that continued to transpire. Tommy's initial death upon their arrival and his subsequent disappearing act had left a damaging imprint on the brunette. After everything they had already been through, losing Tommy twice was destroying Kimberly. Trini rubbed her back, offering what comfort she could, looking to the former Red Ranger for guidance. “Jase... we have to get out of here.” Her exhaustion was obvious and while she and Zack had been through this longer, but they all felt the effects.
“Make Tommy come back.” Kimberly pleaded into Trini's shoulder as the former yellow ranger's weak arms steadied around her best friend's back.
"Kim..." Trini hugged her fiercely, tear lines clearly visible on wan cheeks. "Kim, he's gone."
"He can't be; I need him!”
Zack bit his bottom lip as he rubbed out the many torn muscles in his arms. “Jase...there's no escape, is there?”
Before Jason could consider having another look, the inexplicable happened again. Tommy appeared from the mist, but unlike the previous two times, he was seemingly healed. “Kim...”
Once again deciding to single her out from the others, Tommy stepped forward - shirtless - approaching her slowly.
“Tommy!” The twice-broken heart seemed to mend with the voice that was Tommy, which propelled Kimberly out of Trini's embrace. Despite everything she'd endured, Tommy's presence renewed her as rest hadn't. Life seemed to well within her as she leapt into Tommy's inviting arms. Her laughter was relieved and joyous as Tommy's arms enfolded her against his chest where she belonged, the tears streaming from her eyes now longer agonized but elated. "I knew it, I just knew it!"
Relieved confusion was echoed on the expression of the other three Rangers. Either Tommy had escaped death and his murder had been an illusion - or the Tommy before them was an illusion. Kimberly didn't seem to notice their looks as she placed her head against Tommy's chest.
But it was Jason who spoke for them all and drew her attention. “Bro...you have to stop doing that.” He said with almost a hint of laughter in his voice, the only that would offer any warmness to his strained mind. “What is this, another one of Zedd's tricks?”
Kimberly remained where she was. "I don't care what Jason says; you're here now and everything's going to be okay."
“Why didn't you save me? ”
Shock rippled through the group with Tommy's accusatory question, Kimberly's head coming up with a snap to search his strained expression. It wasn't something she did consciously, not was easing her grip on him, as something about the embrace registered in her mind as being not quite right. “What do you mean?”
“You could have saved me!” Tommy yelled and pushed Kimberly roughly out of his arms and to the ground. The look in his eyes made her think back to when he'd been under Rita's control as the evil Green Ranger. They were filled with a cold and trembling darkness - not the eyes of the man she loved.
“Hey!”
Jason and Zack ran forward and shoved Tommy back, away from Kimberly. The aggression that had come from being held captive drove their senses beyond the norm and Tommy stumbled when pushed. “What's with you?” Jason shouted as he knelt to help Kim up.
“It's your fault...”
"What-?"
The illusion dissolved before them once more, the same horrific effect as Tommy disappeared. More white dust rained towards the ground and prompted a scream from the former pink ranger. It was too much in too short a time.
“No! Tommy!” Kimberly lunged for the disappearing image, her fingers closing about nothing even as Jason wrapped his arms about her waist and caught her as she collapsed. Crying and screaming as her heart broke once again, she made no move to quell them or brush away the tears that streamed down her face.
"Come back..."
----------
“Please come back... I love you, Tommy.”
Heads turned when they heard Kimberly's desolate words, Tommy's lifting from the pillow that was the top of her head. A quick check showed that Kimberly was still unconscious, apparently perfectly content to remain in that state despite the memories. She twitched, thrashing about a little as one hand feebly reached for something it couldn't grasp and Tommy slid his hand into hers, knowing she was reaching for him. Her hand closed convulsively around his, gripping with a frightening intensity. While they might be watching what she was remembering, Kimberly was reliving the whole experience - and knew it.
And it was the first time any of them had heard anything from her, since before their arrival - since before Dulcea had insisted they share in what had happened to her and the other Rangers.
Kimberly's words were something Tommy had long since given up hope of ever hearing and it took a long minute after they echoed across the plateau for them to truly register. When they did, he felt himself pale, beginning to tremble as tears burned behind his eyes. There was no point in denying them escape - it was energy better focused on the woman in his arms.
Wondering, he slowly touched her cheek and watched as her tragic, torn face seemed to somehow sooth and settle, as if she was simply in a deep sleep. Was this look the same one she'd worn when she'd been held in the Dark Dimension? A look that showed nothing to live for, no hope at all? He'd never doubted that he was important to her, but the centre of her life? The driving force, a very reason to live? The one thing out of any that meant the most to her - was him?
As if reading Tommy's thoughts, Zack stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing. “You were everything to her, man. Everything. Even in our reality, you always came fist for her.” He looked at Dulcea, the raw emotion in his voice making the other flinch. “How much more do they have to see?”
“Enough for everything to be clear. They won't be open until all is revealed.”
----------
Hours merged into days as days merged into weeks and the captivity of the Rangers continued. Strapped to the hubs for a week and released for a week, their strength was slowly ebbing despite the continued rest periods in between.
As far as tortures went, the false hope of being free of the machines was almost as damaging as Tommy's continued reappearances. After the last time, he'd appeared only once more - but he'd done nothing but stare silently at them as they'd been strapped to the hubs. He'd still been bare-chested - but all of his injuries had vanished. Nothing, not Kimberly's continued cries for him, nor the other's attempts to reach him, had made him speak. He'd simply stood there, a silent statue, watching - before once more dissolving into white powder.
The weeks turned into a month when Kimberly first noticed that the machinery which sent the electrical deterrent through their restraints seemed to be failing on her machine. It wasn't that it no longer worked, or that she'd grown immune to the pain, it was simply that the restraints themselves no longer held the same charge.
The tone of her screams when she made to move never changed and a plan had hatched in the former Pink Ranger's mind. If she could get free and do it in such a fashion it wasn't obvious she was free, she would be able to lose the others - and together they could locate Tommy. Despite what had happened, her mind had resolved that everything they'd seen thus far of Tommy had been an illusion.
That she'd held him, smelled his scent, tasted his fear and despair had ceased to matter and she'd convinced herself that he was somewhere nearby waiting for their help.
It was how, in the hours before they were to be strapped down to the hubs once more, she was lured from the swirling mists that had been their prison for almost five weeks.
Jason, Zack and Trini were sleeping, leaving Kimberly alone with her thoughts and during those troubled thoughts she hashed out her plan for finding Tommy and freeing him. Tonight was their last night of freedom before being strapped in once more - it meant she'd have to act almost as soon as the restraints were in place. It was the time when the energies that flowed through the restraints were at their lowest and - in her case - almost nonexistent. She'd just finished piecing the plan together, when a sound had her looking up to find its source.
Water. Dripping water.
Curious, she rose to her feet, following the sound through the mists. She didn't notice as they closed in behind her, obliterating her friends from view. It was only when the sound stopped and a doorway came into view that she realized where she was. This was the door through which they were taken and strapped to the hubs.
Shivering, she wrapped her arms about herself - and jumped as another pair suddenly wrapped about her from behind. "Shh."
"T-Tommy?"
He kissed her temple. "You were expecting someone else?"
Tears brimmed in her eyes. "I wasn't... I didn't... you said-"
"It was one of Zedd's tricks." His lips traced down over the curve of her temple and across her cheek. "It wasn't me."
"Oh... Tommy!" Turning in his arms, she burrowed into his chest, relishing the feel of his arms about her. "I thought... I thought I'd lost you for good."
He held her for a long minute, before lifting one hand and cupping her face in it, brushing her tears away with the pad of his thumb. "Never. I'll always be here, Kim."
Kimberly's hands slid up his bare chest, a distant part of her mind wondering why he never wore a shirt anymore as the immediate part of her dismissed it. He was here - nothing else mattered. His muscles bunched and flexed under her palms as they skimmed upwards, sliding about the back of his neck. "Why do you-?"
Whatever she'd been about to ask was lost in the fierceness of his sudden kiss as his lips slanted forcefully across hers.
This is wrong!
Her body stiffened, even as her mind clamored for her to remember... something. Only to have that clamoring die away, smothered by a lethargy that didn’t normally accompany Tommy's kisses - on the contrary, usually he was so shy, his kisses were very gentle. Barring of course the final kiss he’d given her at Christmas and before she’d left to go back to Florida.
This was different, a possessive, almost branding kind of kiss - and nothing like what she’d shared with Tommy before. Despite it, she had no desire to be anywhere else then where she was - as if someone or something had taken a hold of her mind and decided he could do no wrong.
----------
“That’s not me.”
The observation dropped into the silence as the vision continued, Kimberly clinging to the phantom that wore Tommy’s face like a life line. Yet there was something in her posture that warned Tommy that Kimberly knew she wasn’t kissing him. That she knew it was an illusion. Still, she didn’t pull back or attempt to end the kiss as far as the others could see and Tommy was eventually forced to look away, his jaw locking against the hurt that kiss caused.
Kimberly had thought she’d been kissing him initially - her words and actions had made that plain - but once she’d actually accepted the kiss, something had changed. If it was the bruising grip the imposter had on her upper arm, or perhaps the unnatural stillness of Kim’s posture, he didn’t know.
She’d joined in that kiss as a willing participant and been forced to endure it when he’d known she’d have normally turned away.
“Are you so certain, Falcon?”
“I would never do that to Kim,” raw emotion made his voice shake. “She’s not participating in that kiss, Dulcea - she’s on the receiving end of it; and she doesn’t want to be.”
The vision seemed to have stuck on the scene and Tommy was forced to look back and analyze it to justify his response. “Kimberly’s being controlled.”
Jason and the others exchanged looks, shifting uncomfortably. “Controlled, bro? How? She thought she was kissing you - surely that’s not so strange.”
Tommy met Jason’s gaze head on and arched his eyebrows. “You can’t honestly tell me, as well as you know her, that you don’t recognize the signs of a displeased Kim?”
Jason took another critical look at the scene - and his jaw suddenly locked. “She’s not resisting.”
“But she’s not participating either.” Tommy rubbed his hand over Kimberly’s back only to burying it in her hair to keep himself grounded. Fury was building within him with every scene he witnessed, every miscarriage and misuse of his face and body. The image in Kim's memory was likely tainted in some ways by her desire that this individual was him, but that aside - Tommy knew with absolute certainty it wasn't.
And it infuriated him that someone - he was starting to suspect who - had toyed with her in such a fashion.
"The arch of her back, the tense muscles - even the way her head is slightly tilted; everything in her posture is screaming displeasure - but she's just standing there." Tommy got the words out with difficulty. “Kim’s always been a more than willing partner in any kiss we shared - this..." his tone faltered. "This is assault."
----------
The encounter with Tommy had left Kimberly's mind muddled and confused and she walked back to her friends in a daze. They were awake when she returned, talking in low tones, but she caught Tommy's name and her own and a deep thread of concern about her being duped by illusions and magic.
Her head knew they had a right to be concerned - at least it did in the deepest most private and untouched sections of her mind - but her heart thought them blatantly unfair. Tommy was... well Tommy and he'd never do anything to hurt her. Even that last kiss, despite the strangeness of it all... he was still Tommy.
"It doesn't matter," Kimberly murmured to herself. "Tommy would never hurt me, it's just this place. Whatever Zedd is doing to him is making him act funny - it can't be easy being back here and no longer under Rita's spell."
Her friends didn't hear her approach, nor her soft litany of self-reassurances as she built up her confidence in Tommy once more. "And so what if he kissed me differently? Our relationship's always evolving and changing, it's not like he still kisses me the same way he did the first time. Okay so the shirtless thing all the time is a little strange, but it's not like any of us have much clothing left after everything we've been through so far - Jason's just about shirtless too."
Taking a few more steps, she could vaguely make out Trini mention something about escape and warning other non-active Rangers. "I just wish he'd tell me where they're keeping him and what they're doing to him - I wish I knew for sure he was going to be okay."
----------
"So that's how she did it."
"Did what?"
Jason shook his head. "We were trying to figure out how Kimberly had been so blind to Zedd's manipulations; she talked herself into believing them because she wouldn't accept that you had died, bro. Zedd used her worst fear against her."
What Jason didn't say was that the worst was yet to come.
Billy, who was already at speed from everything that Jason and Kim had told him, pretty much knew the base of what they'd gone through. Of course the details were lacking, but now they were being revealed - and they were details that he could have done without. Out of six rangers, Tommy and he had been the ones to have escaped their fate - it was both a blessing and a curse.
As Kimberly's memories continued to play, he turned to the Ninjetti Queen. “How could Zordon let this happen, Dulcea? Wouldn't he have sensed this? Another Zedd - from another world?”
“During the transformation of your powers, when the Command Center was no longer thought of, the alternate Lord Zedd was able to capture the Rangers. Zordon was kept away from any thoughts of danger. He kept watch over the minions of darkness, but was unable to with the reconstruction of the Power Chamber.”
"I don't understand," Jason looked to the others. "Even if Zordon didn't see it, we know he kept tabs on those of us who'd been Rangers. He should have known something had happened to us."
"Normally I would agree with you, Jason," Dulcea's tone held a compassion they hadn't expected. "However, Zordon was not omnipotent nor omniscient no matter how much he appeared to be - and Lord Zedd learned lessons in his timeline that the Lord Zedd in yours had not. The Lord Zedd you remember is a very different enemy than the one you encountered in his Dark Dimension."
Kimberly's whimper cut into whatever else Dulcea was going to say. The Ninjetti Queen stepped forward, moving through the ground until she stood in front of Tommy and Kim. Unexpectedly, she dropped to one knee so she was at Tommy's eye level, one hand going out to touch Kim's head softly. "Falcon."
Tommy turned his attention to her - though it was obvious to everyone he was almost completely focused on Kimberly and the traumas she continued to experience.
"The Crane's scars are many.” Dulcea reiterated softly as she looked at Tommy. "More than are visible and more than are known. She has been flightless for some time, grounded by circumstance and kept there by darkness."
"What happened, Dulcea?"
"Do you truly wish to know?"
No. No he didn't - and Tommy knew the answer was plain as day on his face, but he couldn't not know. If they were going to help Kim, he needed to understand everything that had happened, no matter how painful. Swallowing hard, he nodded decisively - once.
Pushing to her feet, Dulcea looked down at how the Falcon cradled the fallen Crane protectively and spoke the words none of them wanted to hear. “The Crane's wings were forcefully clipped.”
Billy's eyes widened after he deduced what Dulcea's criptic words meant. “You mean...you mean...Kimberly was...” He stopped questioning if he should even say it, if he should even dare it. Jason's face was stony, as if to confirm his suspicion, and neither Trini nor Zack would meet his gaze. Tommy and Kat didn't appear to follow his line of thought - they rarely did - and Billy forced the word out as much for their understanding as his own. “Raped?”
|
|
jps1926
Astro Ranger
by Kim
Posts: 134
|
Post by jps1926 on Jul 8, 2008 3:49:21 GMT -5
I wasn't sure if I should leave my comments here or on ff.net. At first, the changes to italics confused me, but when I caught on, I was all in. I mean, I was literally hanging on every word. My mother was talking to me, my son was screaming for me, and the tv was on, but I didn't hear anything. All I was paying attention to was what happened to Kim and the rest of the rangers. (I know, I know. I should've been paying more attention to my son. I'm currently in the process of joining A.A.) To finally understand why Kim acted the way she did around Tommy is heartbreaking. And the fact that it gets worse is just frightening. I'll forgive you for leaving us hanging if you promise to continue it soon.
|
|
|
Post by chrisangelo on Jul 8, 2008 8:36:04 GMT -5
Omg please forgive me lol. Actually the next chapter - is finished. I'll talk with Anne and form a date when we want it released. We wrote ahead so we wouldn't always have to rush the chapters. But yes... things get much worse. So be prepared to ignore your husband now
|
|
|
Post by Kim on Jul 8, 2008 13:42:43 GMT -5
I was right! And it was Zedd's dumb ass who did it.....he will die, slow and painfully if Tommy ever gets his hands on him.....*shakes her head* That was, pardon the language, FUCKED UP! *sighs* I can't wait to read the next chapter, but something tells me my heart's gonna break some more before it's over. Great job, both of you.
|
|
|
Post by chrisangelo on Jul 8, 2008 18:33:16 GMT -5
*slowly backs up putting his hands up* Don't kill me, Kim! I'm sure a lot of you were thinking who it was, which we figured. With the hints we left it was somewhat obvious. Your heart will shatter with the next chapter. *offers tissues* I'm not sure if it was you who wanted her damn JK but be prepared for more of that too Thanks everyone for reading ^.^
|
|
|
Post by Kim on Jul 8, 2008 18:55:06 GMT -5
I WANT MY DAMN JK! I also want my DAMN TK too, but *sniffles* Oh my heart....*sniffles some more*
|
|
|
Post by chrisangelo on Jul 8, 2008 18:58:01 GMT -5
*omg*
- *pics her up and drives over to A.A.*
;-; me too haha.
I think you are going to be quite happy with how things turn out for both of them.
*goes back to making a Jason/Kat promo*
|
|
|
Post by Kim on Jul 8, 2008 20:02:02 GMT -5
We all forgot to mention I'm demanding, didn't we? *looks over at Shawn* You know, as my big brother, you were supposed to warn the new people that meet me that I'm demanding, I think I just scared a few years off poor Chris' life. *smirks* Can't wait to see that promo!
|
|
shawn30
Wild Force Ranger
~* King of TK *~
Cookies!!!!
Posts: 185
|
Post by shawn30 on Jul 8, 2008 20:13:45 GMT -5
This is such a great, great story. Its darker than most, with some really disturbing visuals at times, but the storytelling is stellar and so respectful to the characters. Even having a clue as to what happened to Kim from the previous chapter, as well as reading the build-up to the big reveal in this one, none of that took away from the gut wrenching feeling you get when Billy says the chapters final word. Its so obvious the care both authors are putting into this story and I just hope other PR authors work as hard to really learn the art of storytelling and pacing - how you hit your marks, plot twists, and when the next big thing is revealed. This story has it all and I look for it whenever a new chapter is released.
S
|
|
|
Post by chrisangelo on Jul 11, 2008 9:56:56 GMT -5
Ahh so many awesome comments. *grabs onto Anne and shakes her*
|
|
|
Post by Jade_Max on Jul 11, 2008 17:38:13 GMT -5
Ahh so many awesome comments. *grabs onto Anne and shakes her* Indeed - I'm actually rather floored by the reception this is getting both here and on ff.net. Well see if that continues once chapter 6 is posted...
|
|
jps1926
Astro Ranger
by Kim
Posts: 134
|
Post by jps1926 on Jul 11, 2008 20:35:01 GMT -5
Unless if in the next chapter, Tommy wakes up and says, "This was all just a dream," I have faith in you guys that it will be excellent.
|
|
|
Post by chrisangelo on Jul 11, 2008 20:37:00 GMT -5
Omg I love it! Tommy imagining all of this and rushing to find Kim and reunite their love. Awe let the flames flare.
xD JUST KIDDING!!
We would never do that. This is far to dark to even terror into his dreams.
|
|
jps1926
Astro Ranger
by Kim
Posts: 134
|
Post by jps1926 on Jul 11, 2008 20:50:59 GMT -5
Even though I call you "Master of Twists", I never thought you would write such a lame twist like that. You're too good for that. I've only seen someone do it once. I don't usually flame writers, but I had to go off because I felt jilted. Anyway... I am emotionally preparing myself for the next installment of Semper Fi. *Inhale, exhale* Okay, I'm ready.
|
|
|
Post by chrisangelo on Jul 11, 2008 21:38:50 GMT -5
Hey now, I pretty much messed up DMF like 500000 times which is why it's so damn hard for me to release the next chapter of It's Only Love, I've re-written it like 5 times. My writing's improved so it's hard to look back at the other two chapters without cringing... *gives you more tissues and tells you to breathe more* You need to trust me. You'll forget to breath through the whole thing.
|
|
|
Post by Jade_Max on Jul 14, 2008 19:37:46 GMT -5
indeed, and chapter 6 is coming very, very shortly... or you can read it at ff.net and then again here.
|
|
|
Post by chrisangelo on Jul 14, 2008 19:47:45 GMT -5
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!! This chapter contains graphic descriptions of forced sexual situations – rape. This is a very dark chapter so please if you cannot handle the mentions of 'sex' then please do not read as this is mentions of 'rape'. You can simply push the back arrow on your internet explorer. ONLY FOR MATURE and CAPABLE READERS. WARNING WARNING WARNING.
Did I mention Warning?
YOU have been warned.
.
.
.
.
.
Chapter 6 - A Nightmare Unveiled - Part 2:
Kimberly didn't struggle for the first time since being strapped to the Transmogrifier Hub, instead she let the cloaked minions secure her in place, bunching her muscles as she did to prevent the ties from being placed too tightly. The creatures tying her down were drawn by Jason's struggles and she silently cheered him on as he fought being strapped down once more.
Each and every time he'd had to be dragged into the chamber. Each and every time he'd been beaten, bruised and bloodied - but this time Kim used it to her advantage. The creatures tying her down did so quickly and didn't notice as she shifted her body to prevent the ties being as restricting as the last times. They moved away to help secure Jason, and Kimberly allowed the tense muscles to relax.
Power hummed throughout the chamber, but hadn't yet been activated - and wouldn't be until all of the former Rangers were in place. It took seven of the minions to get Jason down on his hub and another two to secure the straps. Only once all of the straps were secure did they let go - and Jason reared off the table, blood already pooling on his abdomen.
Without the power on, he fought and kicked, catching one of the creatures in the face. Another was hit by his closed fist - and then power surged through his restraints and he yelled his agony to the ceiling as electricity ripped through his body.
It took several minutes for the creatures to leave the room, checking and re-checking Jason's binders before satisfied he couldn't escape. One by one they left, summoned away or simply drifting away - they'd long ago lost interest in the draining process.
Kimberly waited until the minions had left before beginning her own struggles against the restraints, the energy surges having seemed weaker of late as she fought to be free. Around her, the other former Rangers struggled against their own restraints, but their screams continued to assault her - whatever the reason, her restraints didn't cut as deep or cause such damaging shocks.
Jason stopped his own struggles to catch his breath, panting, and caught sight of what she was doing.
"Kim, don't."
Kimberly looked to where Jason continued to struggle against his charged restraints. "I'm almost free; hang in there."
"Don't! You'll kill yourself."
"And you won't?" The gymnast shot him a glare, twisting her wrist this way and that.
"I refuse to die in this place - it'd be undignified." His attempt at humor fell flat as another shock was caused by his writhing. "I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you."
"The hub is off." She didn't know why or how, but this was their chance. "Tommy must've shut it off."
"Tommy's dead, Kim."
"No!" Her vehement denial was accompanied with a grunt as she pulled one wrist free of the loosened restraint, ignoring the gash it left on her wrist and where blood welled to the surface. It was just one of many and if it was the price to pay for her freedom - for the chance to rescue Tommy and the others - she'd pay it. "He's not dead; he can't be."
"You're going to have to face facts," Trini's voice came from the opposite direction. "Whatever or whoever is goading you isn't Tommy!"
"You're wrong, both of you!" Kim freed her other wrist, managing to escape with only minor cuts and scrapes before working on her ankles. "You'll see. Once we're free from here, we'll find him and we can all escape together - it'll be just like old times."
"You can't bring him back with wishful thinking," Zack's insistence echoed the other's disbelief that the apparition who continued to appear to Kim was Tommy. "We've got to get out of here and warn the other former Rangers - if we don't, they'll become dust the same as Tommy."
Tears welled in Kimberly's eyes as she freed one and then her other of her ankles in quick succession. The rest of the restraints and electrodes popped off in seconds and she slid her feet over the side of the hub. A shudder raced through her as she saw the others, but one thing nagged at her. There were many stations in this room - eight to be exact - and with the four of them they were only half full.
Where's Tommy?
Doubt had crept into her mind over the last weeks as their captivity had dragged on, Tommy's infrequent appearances were the only thing saving her from the first memory of this awful place. Despite that, she couldn't banish the image of what he'd looked like as she'd held him - and he'd dissolved into dust. Even if it had simply been a horrible nightmare, it seemed surreal. It was reoccurring and haunted her dreams - almost as if to taunt her, to say that what she'd seen had been real - but she refused to believe it.
He was too stubborn to give in without a fight, too stubborn to die - he had to be. Tommy was alive; she couldn't believe otherwise. Still, he was a current Ranger - one of the only still in service - and if Zedd was collecting their energies, shouldn't he have been locked in with the rest of them? Or was there another room for active Rangers?
Dropping to the ground, she clutched the table for support, feeling weaker than she ever had before. Her life force had been steadily drained along with her powers over the course of their incarceration and it took a minute before she was able to stand on her own. Even the few minutes attached to the hub had been enough to drain most of whatever vitality this last week's recuperation had returned to her. When she was steadier on her feet, she made a bee-line for Jason.
He shook his head as she neared and smiled faintly. "Pink to the rescue, huh?"
"Former Pink." Kimberly quipped. "Didn't you know? We've retired."
"Doesn't feel like it."
Kimberly smiled wanly, pulling the plug on the hub he was strapped to. It wouldn't end the power drain - that power source was elsewhere - but it would kill the electrical resistance in his restraints. Working quickly, she loosened one of his wrists.
Jason stopped her as she made to finish pulling it off with a shake of his head. "I can handle it from here - get Trini and Zack."
Turning to do as he bid, the room suddenly spun off kilter as the magnitude of what they were attempting to do hit her. Dizzy, it took a moment for her to get her bearings once more. Kimberly darted across the room as quickly as her suddenly spinning head and wobbly legs would allow her. Trini came free quietly, nodding towards Zack as she had one hand to work with. Kimberly's plan was going off without a hitch as Zack's wrist started to come free when the sound of the door opening made her turn, holding her breath in suspense, her fingers pulling the last of Zack’s restraints free without conscious thought.
A figure with dark long hair stood silhouetted in the doorway, its gaze on the table where Kim had been strapped. The build, the look, the way it held itself - everything was familiar and her heart leapt into her throat as she took a step towards him. She'd know that shadow anywhere. "Tommy?”
There was no answer forthcoming and she took another step towards it, trying to see within the glare.
"Don't Kim!" Jason struggled against his restraints - the one Kimberly had loosened having re-closed once she'd moved to help Trini and Zack. His blood helped lubricate his attempts at freedom - but it wasn’t enough. "It's not Tommy!"
“Your Tommy is dead, Kimberly.”
The voice that echoed through the room was sinister and familiar - the voice of their captor.
Kimberly didn't dare turn back to Zack, her hands clutching the hub on which he lay, breathing the name fearfully as something dark and unfamiliar slithered down her spine. "Lord Zedd."
The personification of evil stepped into the room - wearing Tommy's face.
"No." Inside, something crumbled, dying a slow death as Kimberly realized what had been happening, the word an agonized whisper of despair. "No!"
"That's right, Kimberly," Lord Zedd's voice informed her nastily - but coming from between Tommy's lips. "Your precious White Ranger is dead. I killed him just as I’ll kill the rest of the Rangers both past and present.”
“It was you.” Kimberly’s heartbroken whisper carried through the room despite the low volume. “All this time Tommy was really gone and you-“ Her throat closed on her grief as she realized that every interaction she’d had with Tommy since they’d arrived in this horrible place had been a lie. All of it – except her first few moments when he’d died in her arms.
“That’s right, Kimberly,” Zedd’s tone was a hissing caress and something in the way he said her name sent a shudder of revulsion and fear skating down her spine. She began to tremble as he finished the sibilant caress. “He can't stop me now - no one can."
"Run, Kim!"
Kimberly registered Jason's frantic order, her heart beating erratically in her chest as she considered everything that she’d been through, every emotion she’d felt since arriving in this nightmare – all because of Zedd. Tommy was dead - and Zedd had killed him. For what? For power - it didn't seem likely, not with the injuries Tommy had suffered. They far outstripped what the hubs were capable of. He'd been tortured, injured deliberately - and she understood it – but didn’t understand why. She had to know. "Why the charade, Zedd?"
"Kimberly - run!"
"No!" She almost screamed the word at Zack, hearing his struggles to be free behind her, unable to take her gaze from Tommy's features. Features she knew better than her own and would never see again on the face of the man she'd loved. "I need to know. Why, Zedd? What was there to gain from it?"
"Why not?" Tommy's features shifted, turning colder, elongating into an aristocratically, perfectly symmetrical handsome face none of them recognized. Black hair, cropped short and close to the skull topped the perfection, red eyes glowing from slightly slanted sockets. "He had something I wanted and now... now the White Ranger is no more and you, Kimberly will be mine."
"Never." She backed away from Zedd, trying to put some distance between them as panic began to set in. Zedd was between her and the door and there were no hiding places in the room where he wouldn't reach her quickly. She was trapped, almost at his mercy - but she wasn't broken. Not yet. "I'd rather die."
"There are things worse than death." Lord Zedd's eyes flashed as his body continued to change with every stalking step he took towards her. The red melted away into flesh - human flesh - tinted with silver. A stylized "Z", his trademark, was emblazoned across his chest. His bare chest. "Your precious Tommy learned this lesson well."
"What did you do to him?" Her only thought to keep him talking as she edged around, she couldn't help the level of interest the conversation had sparked within her. She would deal with Tommy's death later - for now she had to escape Zedd himself and self-preservation was first and foremost in her mind.
"I showed him his greatest failure." Zedd's upper body was now completely naked, the emblem on his chest visible as a tattoo that glittered in the faint light. The clothing he'd been wearing while masquerading as Tommy was beginning to melt away from his bottom half. “He was unable to protect you from the threat he perceived me to be – you’ve escaped me once, but I've learned from the last time, Kimberly - and you will be my Queen."
"Run, Kim - don't worry about us! Save yourself!"
"Yes, run," Zedd taunted her, his steps deliberately slow as he circled the slab upon which she'd been resting. His naked body reflected the light - and he did nothing to hide the physical effect her predicament was having on him. Lord Zedd was enjoying this and his full erection showed them not just his intentions but his sadism. To Kimberly’s way of thinking, he was insane. "But where would you run to when your precious Tommy is no more than a vial of white dust in my throne room? The White Ranger can no longer save you."
Kimberly moved to the side, keeping the table between her and Zedd only to shriek as he lunged for her, moving impossibly fast. Her scream as he caught her, driving her to the floor under his weight, echoed through the room. Rolling automatically with the hit – her Ranger training was too firmly ingrained not to – she was pulled to an abrupt halt by the grip Zedd had on her shoulders. Her feet landed squarely in his chest and she pushed, trying to dislodge him.
The sound of her struggles reverberated back to the others, and Jason reacted – violently. Heaving up against his restraints, the ones across his chest were strained to the limit and began to shriek in protest. “Leave her alone! Kim!”
Pushing back against Zedd, using her complete weight, Kimberly managed to dislodge one of his hands, only to force the other closed, his fingers digging into the tendons and muscles of her left arm. The pain made her scream again and Zedd pulled her roughly back to him, using his free hand to knock her feet aside and down.
“No! Let me go!”
"You are mine!" His grip was bruising, his fingers digging further into her flesh without care or concern. "There is nothing… nothing anyone can do to save you now!”
Kimberly shrieked as Zedd pressed her into the ground, his fingers shifting their hold as his greater weight held her pinned. Struggling, she attempted to throw him off, but Zedd's hold was too much; there was nothing she could do on her own – she wasn’t strong enough. “Somebody help me!”
“Kimberly!”
Trini's desperate cry barely registered as Kimberly fought with the last of her fading energy, adrenaline coursing through her system. Attempting to kick him, he caught her foot, pushing it out and to the side as he laughed at her pitiful attempts, settling his erection intimately against her. Kimberly thrashed and screeched as his hands closed about her wrists with a vice-like intensity. She arched her back, attempting to use it to throw him off, but Zedd instead bent down and bit her breast through the material of her shirt, causing her to scream again.
“Get away from me!”
"Kim!"
“Shall I steal another kiss, Kimberly?” Zedd taunted, leaning down over her as he forced her back to the floor.
“Oh God, that was you.” A sob caught in her throat, verging on hysterical. This was unreal – this couldn’t be happening. His words had spurred her on, though, and she fought with renewed strength, desperate to get away from him. He made her feel unclean – and she now understood why kissing ‘Tommy’ had felt so wrong, why she’d wanted to pull away and run.
She understood too late.
Lord Zedd didn't seem to even notice her writing form, except for the way it brushed against his own, his throbbing sex a burning violation pressed intimately against her as his grin widened with her every move. "Fight me. That's it, fight me; you will make a fine Queen once we consummate our liaison."
"No... NO!"
"Get away from her!"
"Get off me!" Kimberly thrashed, but Zedd's grip was unrelenting, his free hand moving down her body as he tore her clothing from her one piece at a time. Her top - already shredded from her struggles with the hub - came free with barely a flick of his wrist. He left her bra, uninterested in foreplay, his hand moving down to the place between her legs. The moment he cupped her through the fabric of her clothing, she bucked and thrashed in a desperate attempt to dislodge his hand. The touch wasn’t gentle, but possessive – covetous; Zedd wanted her and intended to have her. "No!"
Scrambling, Kimberly tried to crab crawl backwards, away from him, but her strength wasn’t up to the task. Zedd’s magic was too powerful, too prevalent – and she was no longer a Ranger.
"KIM!"
"Not that - not there!"Kimberly's whole body convulsed as her pants were torn, shredded down the crotch - but nowhere else - under the pressure of Zedd's hand. His fingers delved into the torn material, straight to the very core of her womanhood; a brand of ownership. She screamed, attempting to kick him, writhing across the floor in an attempt to unseat him even as his fingers pushed brutally into the tender flesh of her virgin sex.
"Help me," she was still trying to kick him away - but Zedd had caught her legs and forced them wide with his free hand, keeping her efforts down to an ineffectual token resistance. There was nothing she could do, nothing; and there was no rescue waiting in the wings. He was too strong. "Somebody, please!"
"You will be my Queen!"
"KIMBERLY!"
Kimberly's body pulled away from his touch instinctively, trying to minimize the sting of his penetration only to lock and go rigid, the agonized screech that tore from her vocal chords ripping through the room like fingernails on a chalkboard as Zedd aligned his body to hers - and brutally thrust forward with a triumphant cry.
The head of his sex caught on the lips of hers for a split second, tearing flesh before forcing its way inside. There was no consideration, no preparation – her body was unwilling and inexperienced – just the way Zedd wanted her. Just the way his Queen should be and his possessive cry echoed through the room.
"Mine!"
Blood vessels exploded behind her eyes, the agony of his penetration like a thousand knives shredding her innocence - for he didn't stop, didn't give her body time to adjust. Zedd continued, thrusting and withdrawing, destroying her insides as surely as if he'd taken a blade to her. Crimson stained her clothing and him, the viscous liquid lending lubrication where there had previously been none even as her body writhed in pain, the tortured sounds coming from her throat only seeming to spur him onwards. His rhythm increased, as did the pitch of Kimberly’s screams and Zedd used the momentum, gaining speed with his thrusting as she vocalized with his every move. Zedd only seemed to become more lost in his motions the louder she screamed.
Salvation came in the form of a familiar "Ki-yah!" as Zedd gripped her hips in brutal hands and began thrusting harder than before. He was mid-stroke, withdrawing from her torn body when he was sent sprawling; a double kick to the side of the head taking him over and off Kimberly's bloodied form.
Jason's hands were on her then, helping her sit up, scooping her from the floor into the familiar brotherly hold that had banished many a nightmare when she'd been a child.
But this was a nightmare that couldn't be banished.
"Go, Jase!"
"We're not leaving without you."
"Go!" Trini told him as she landed a powerful strike to Lord Zedd's dazed countenance. "We'll be right behind you!"
Jason tore from the room as Kimberly clung to him desperately, whimpering with his every step.
************
Tommy looked sick as he clutched Kimberly close, rocking her shuddering body back and forth in his lap. "Oh, Kim..." He didn’t know what to say as he held her tightly, trying to convey through touch what he couldn’t through speech. Tortured was too tame of a word for what Zedd had put her through – and Tommy hadn’t been there to stop him. Hell, he hadn’t even known there was anything wrong until Jason and Kim had landed in his driveway with Goldar on their trail.
Kimberly’s traumas explained so much – her inability to trust anyone but Jason, the way she cringed from physical contact – the way she refused to have anything to do with him. He’d failed her when she’d needed him most.
The others were silent as Tommy cradled Kimberly, waiting for him to say something - anything - to them. Shuffling their feet, those who had born witness to Kimberly’s attack exchanged uneasy looks while Katherine and Billy stared at them in a stunned, horrified silence.
Tension crackled through the clearing and the wind picked up, tossing hair and clothing about. Unbeknownst to tall but Dulcea, it was an extension of Tommy’s rage, manifesting itself in the elements around them – the Falcon expression his grief for the fallen Crane.
When Tommy spoke at long last, long minutes has passed and Katherine had given into tears, her face buried in Jason’s shoulder. Tommy’s voice was muffled by Kimberly’s hair. "Jason."
"Yeah?"
"Why didn't you stop him sooner?" Tommy lifted his head. "Why didn't you save her?"
"We couldn't." Jason shifted uncomfortably, Kat pressing close against his side in silent support. Everything Jason couldn't say was in his tone; his desperation during Kimberly's assault and his helplessness until Zedd had already done irreparable damage; the inability - the failure - to protect her. "Zedd had some of his magic on the restraints. It wasn't until he was so... involved... with Kim that it failed. I tried, bro. I tried to get to her - we all did and I have the scars to remind me."
Zack placed a hand on Jason's shoulder and squeezed. "You did in our reality too."
"Is that what Zedd meant?" Tommy wanted to know. "When he said he'd learned from the last time?"
Zack and Trini exchanged uncomfortable looks and then looked away from the others.
"Zack? Trini? What did he mean?"
The desperation in Tommy's voice was palatable and Zack bowed his head, his shoulders slumping. "It was... worse in some ways in our reality."
"How does it get any worse than that?"
"We'd escaped before Jason and Kimberly from this reality were caught. Kim and Jason from our reality died there - as did you, Tommy. Just like you saw, apparently. But when Zedd came after our Kimberly..."
Trini grasped Zack's arm in a show of silent support and took up the halting tale. "We were all there, Tommy. Even you. The original six in the same room - reunited at last - but for the wrong reasons. You were targeted specifically and in our reality it was your disappearance that lured in Jason and Kim."
"He used me to get to her." Tommy was numb. Zedd had used him as bait to trap Kimberly, to take control of her.
"All the time. When she and Jason were first captured, he used you as leverage for her good behavior. She wouldn't struggle if he threatened you. Even when he... he..."
Zack covered Trini's hand with his own, picking up the story as she faltered. "Even when he raped her, he used you against her. In our reality he threatened to kill you if she didn't give him what he wanted. Kimberly still refused, knowing we were all going to die anyway, so he threw her down on the hub you were tied to and raped her there - so you could see her face."
"Son of a bitch!" It escaped before Tommy could censor it, clutching Kimberly that much closer as he hunched over her - as if to protect her from the gruesome reality of that alternate reality
"It was the same in our timeline as yours - when Zedd became so enraptured by what he was doing to Kimberly, his magic faltered and we were able to get free. Kimberly, even while being assaulted, freed your hands so the moment the magic faded, you were able to attack Zedd. "
"But?"
"He snapped her neck before letting go."
"We don't know if it was deliberate or an accident," Trini added softly. "But we do know it's what made you and Jason stay behind to try and avenge her. It's what got you two killed."
"So what she saw when she arrived-?"
"Was you - our Tommy - apologizing for not being able to save her from Zedd, or stop her death." Zack's confirmation was soft. "You - he - believed he'd failed Kimberly when she'd needed him most."
"I did, didn't I?" Tommy shuddered to think of what Kimberly - both of them - had endured because of Zedd and his sick obsession. “I didn’t even know she was in danger in this timeline – I never felt anything on the connection between us. I should have know something was wrong! I should have saved her!”
“You couldn’t have, Falcon.” Dulcea stepped in before Tommy could blame himself further. “The Crane’s connection to you was severed to all but a whisper when she surrendered her coin to Katherine. In Zedd’s Dark Dimension, it would have been completely silent.”
“I...” Tommy looked at Dulcea, and then at the rest of the former Rangers. “I still should have know; I could have saved her.”
“You couldn’t save her when you had your Powers, bro,” Jason reminded him pointedly, wincing as he had to play the devil’s advocate. “You were younger and likely stronger then, than you are now. How could you have done anything but get yourself killed again?”
Tommy almost lashed back, but he couldn’t. Not when Jason’s words held the wisdom of years spent trying to understand what had happened. His shoulders slumped and he adjusted Kimberly in his lap, careful of how she was sitting lest she wake terrified; he didn’t want to scare her. Still, he didn’t ease his grip on her, couldn’t – the need to hold her was too great after what he’d just witnessed.
"Tommy." Zack placed one hand on his shoulder, his expression dark. "I do have one more thing to add."
"More?"
"Yeah; before you and Jason sent Trini and I away, you made a vow. You swore you'd make Zedd pay for what he did to Kim. Regardless of what reality we're in, I'm going to hold you to that, bro. Zedd can't get away with this."
Tommy stared down into Kim's unconscious visage, his heart aching for what he'd seen and heard her endure - in both realities. How she'd survived for ten years with the pain was beyond him. She'd never dealt with it entirely - that much was clear - but how had she continued despite it showed her true colors.
His Kimberly was a fighter.
"If you weren't going to hold me to it, Zack, I would have held myself to it. Zedd will pay for what he's done to Kim - for what he's done to all of us." The determination and steel in Tommy's eyes was almost frightening to see. Ten years had turned a rash boy into a man of conviction and confidence - a man of purpose. "Mark my words... it might take the rest of my life, but Zedd will pay."
Not one present doubted that claim.
|
|
|
Post by chrisangelo on Jul 14, 2008 19:57:04 GMT -5
*passes out tissues and slaps away evil hands that hated this chapter*
I defend this chapter 100% as it showcases the true darkness of this series + Zedd.
Once again I strongly agree you being mature and capable to read this chapter - we don't need any parent's coming to our doorsteps and yelling at us for giving their kids nightmares D<
Comments.. *can't wait*
|
|
|
Post by Kim on Jul 15, 2008 12:40:34 GMT -5
*sits in a heap bawling her eyes out then remembers the image of Tommy's face when he says Zedd will pay* That f**ker better go down, HARD! Can I just say, I love the story, but I really hate this chapter for obvious reasons? Kim's my girl and that was just....hmmm
|
|
|
Post by chrisangelo on Jul 15, 2008 13:12:54 GMT -5
*dies* someone finally responded.
We knew a lot of people wouldn't appreciate this chapter, and it made is both weep writing and reading it. But the chapter was meant for a purpose - thats why you can skip it, which is why we had the warning. If you wish you can just know that Zedd is a mother ** and move on :/
*hugs you*
|
|