The End of Days
Title: The End of Days, Chapter 14
Author: Griddlebone/eggplantlady
Prompt: #028 - the lazy boy
Fandom: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers
Genre: Divergence/AU/Post-Apocalyptic
Word Count: 670
Rating: T
Summary: Tommy hates feeling helpless.
Previous installments are here.
Far ahead of the airship and far below, the desert shimmered in the afternoon heat. Tommy slumped in the pilot's seat, trying to ignore Kimberly's tense pacing behind him. He didn't have to ask to know she was nearly frantic with worry. So was he. Their friends were out there somewhere, and they were probably in danger.
Tommy wished he had a better idea of where they were going and what they - and their friends - might be up against. Would he and Kimberly make it in time to find their friends alive? He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer, but couldn't help feeling impatient and frustrated anyway. If there was one thing he missed from his real world, it was teleportation. The desert all looked the same to him, making it hard to gauge how fast they were moving or how much ground they had covered. It was almost as bad as not knowing what was going on in the first place.
Behind him, Kimberly muttered something angrily, her words lost in the drone of the airship's engine.
A moment later, he thought he could make out the shapes of people on the ground in the distance. That must have been what set her off, but it looked like a lot more people than just the wayward Rangers. Worse, he couldn't see any gliders in the air. He wondered, horrified, if he'd gone off course, or if something had gone wrong. "Kim…"
She stood beside him, radiating tension. When he risked a glance in her direction, she seemed ready to snap.
"Kimberly," he repeated.
"If any of them are hurt, I swear…"
"Kimberly," he said again, and this time she almost seemed to hear him. "Tell me what to do." That definitely got through to her.
As if snapping out of a trance, she stepped over to lean over him and walked him through stopping the airship's forward motion. By the time they were above the people they had seen on the ground earlier, the ship was moving so slowly that it was essentially hovering.
"Now what?"
She strode purposefully away from him, heading toward the back of the ship. "I'm going down."
Tommy glanced over his shoulder to follow her progress, then quickly turned his gaze straight ahead again. Behind him, and without even warning him about what she was doing, Kimberly had stripped out of her ordinary clothes and was in the process of pulling on the leather flight suit she had been wearing when he first met her, or one very like it. He wasn't entirely sure where she'd gotten it from.
He wasn't sure it mattered at all, as he attempted to wrap his mind around the image of a half-undressed and completely unself-conscious Kimberly.
When she had finished getting dressed, she came to stand beside him again.
"Just hold the ship steady," she instructed. "I'll take care of the rest."
"What are you going to do?"
"I told you," she said, impatient. "I'm going down there. You just hold the ship steady."
He could tell she was still frightened and angry, so he didn't take offense at her tone. Or at being told to stay put, even though the last thing he wanted to do was let her go down there alone. If it was going to come to a fight, he wanted to be there with her. But somehow he knew she wouldn't let him get away with that.
And besides, he had to admit they couldn't take the chance of the unmanned ship getting away. Or worse, crashing. "Okay."
She met his gaze and stared at him for a long moment, though he had no idea what she was looking for, before turning away.
Before she could get out of the cockpit, he said, "Kim."
To his surprise, she actually turned back. "What?" she asked, her tone surprisingly gentle. He'd half expected her to snap at him.
"Be careful."
She smiled, but her face looked more fierce than friendly. "Always."
Author: Griddlebone/eggplantlady
Prompt: #028 - the lazy boy
Fandom: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers
Genre: Divergence/AU/Post-Apocalyptic
Word Count: 670
Rating: T
Summary: Tommy hates feeling helpless.
Previous installments are here.
Far ahead of the airship and far below, the desert shimmered in the afternoon heat. Tommy slumped in the pilot's seat, trying to ignore Kimberly's tense pacing behind him. He didn't have to ask to know she was nearly frantic with worry. So was he. Their friends were out there somewhere, and they were probably in danger.
Tommy wished he had a better idea of where they were going and what they - and their friends - might be up against. Would he and Kimberly make it in time to find their friends alive? He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer, but couldn't help feeling impatient and frustrated anyway. If there was one thing he missed from his real world, it was teleportation. The desert all looked the same to him, making it hard to gauge how fast they were moving or how much ground they had covered. It was almost as bad as not knowing what was going on in the first place.
Behind him, Kimberly muttered something angrily, her words lost in the drone of the airship's engine.
A moment later, he thought he could make out the shapes of people on the ground in the distance. That must have been what set her off, but it looked like a lot more people than just the wayward Rangers. Worse, he couldn't see any gliders in the air. He wondered, horrified, if he'd gone off course, or if something had gone wrong. "Kim…"
She stood beside him, radiating tension. When he risked a glance in her direction, she seemed ready to snap.
"Kimberly," he repeated.
"If any of them are hurt, I swear…"
"Kimberly," he said again, and this time she almost seemed to hear him. "Tell me what to do." That definitely got through to her.
As if snapping out of a trance, she stepped over to lean over him and walked him through stopping the airship's forward motion. By the time they were above the people they had seen on the ground earlier, the ship was moving so slowly that it was essentially hovering.
"Now what?"
She strode purposefully away from him, heading toward the back of the ship. "I'm going down."
Tommy glanced over his shoulder to follow her progress, then quickly turned his gaze straight ahead again. Behind him, and without even warning him about what she was doing, Kimberly had stripped out of her ordinary clothes and was in the process of pulling on the leather flight suit she had been wearing when he first met her, or one very like it. He wasn't entirely sure where she'd gotten it from.
He wasn't sure it mattered at all, as he attempted to wrap his mind around the image of a half-undressed and completely unself-conscious Kimberly.
When she had finished getting dressed, she came to stand beside him again.
"Just hold the ship steady," she instructed. "I'll take care of the rest."
"What are you going to do?"
"I told you," she said, impatient. "I'm going down there. You just hold the ship steady."
He could tell she was still frightened and angry, so he didn't take offense at her tone. Or at being told to stay put, even though the last thing he wanted to do was let her go down there alone. If it was going to come to a fight, he wanted to be there with her. But somehow he knew she wouldn't let him get away with that.
And besides, he had to admit they couldn't take the chance of the unmanned ship getting away. Or worse, crashing. "Okay."
She met his gaze and stared at him for a long moment, though he had no idea what she was looking for, before turning away.
Before she could get out of the cockpit, he said, "Kim."
To his surprise, she actually turned back. "What?" she asked, her tone surprisingly gentle. He'd half expected her to snap at him.
"Be careful."
She smiled, but her face looked more fierce than friendly. "Always."