[Power Rangers] Kat x Tommy, #2, reflection
Title: The Opposite of Love
Author: cynthia_harrell
Fandom: Power Rangers
Pairing: Kat x Tommy
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.
Notes: I'm using the 'Double Night' challenge for this. Prompt used is 'reflection'
Divatox liked watching the Power Rangers. She liked knowing that there wasn’t anything they could do about it, and watching them gave her all manner of interesting ideas she could and did use against them.
What she didn’t like was some of what she saw that she couldn’t use. Their jobs held a modicum of interest, as did their family lives, to some extent. She learned that Tommy had a brother, and made a note to put that to use one of these days. She hadn’t yet decided how, and the boy didn’t come into town that often, so she saved the idea for when it would become useful.
She also learned very early on in her observations that Kat and Tommy were an item and had been for months. The more she watched them, the more her twisted heart beat faster with rage.
How dare they! How dare they! A low growl throbbed deep in her throat as she stared through her periscope at the happy couple, currently wrapped around one another at Kat’s parents’ home, watching some movie together. From what she’d heard, this was their first weekend together in almost a month, with his work at the racetrack having kept them apart.
If only they’d stayed like that. Even if they were still together, knowing they weren’t together would’ve thrilled Divatox to no end.
Spitting out a few words that would’ve turned the ears of almost any human who heard them bright red, she threw herself back into her chair, tossing the periscope to the side. “I hate those Power Rangers!”
Neither Rygog, Elgar, nor Porto took any special interest in her declaration. She’d said it at least four times a day since they’d arrived on Earth, and it ceased to have any special meaning to them. Porto was busy anyway, cataloging some of the lesser used storage areas. When she’d packed up the Subcraft for this mission, she hadn’t bothered to clear out the junk, and he’d mumbled something hours earlier about wanting to see if they had anything useful in there. She doubted they would. If it was, she would’ve used it already.
She drummed her fingers on the side of her throne, trying to think of something that would actually bring her victory. Forget victory, I’d settle for those two Power Ranger lovebirds to start throwing knives at each other.
Well, maybe not knives. Three of her ex-boyfriends considered that a form of foreplay. But at least not cuddling up together, cooing, and in general trying to make her sick. They had to be doing this on purpose. They knew that she watched them; there wasn’t any other reason for them to curl up like that. Not that she would accept, anyway.
“My queen?” Porto had to call her twice more before she bothered looking up. Whatever he wanted couldn’t be as important as her pouting, and if it was, she wanted it disposed of as soon as possible.
“This better be good. I’m in the middle of planning how to destroy the Power Rangers.” In some circles that was much the same as saying she was in the middle of breathing. Those circles being those who called themselves her servants and advisors, of course. “Especially that Kat and Tommy.” She’d heard it was all Rita’s fault the two of them were Power Rangers, much less knew each other in the first place.
No surprise there. Rita never had been known for her skill in plotting.
Porto shifted closer to her. “This is very good, my queen. I think it might even work with what you’ve got in mind right now.”
“What?” Divatox lifted her gaze to meet her science advisor. “What are you going on about?” The thought that he might actually have something she could use was a strange one. He created and summoned monsters at her command, but that was his job, to do as she told. If he showed something like initiative, it would be the first time she could remember.
He held out a small tablet toward her. “This is what I’ve found doing my inventory of the storage areas.”
She almost threw it back at him. “What do I want with all of that junk?” The only reason she didn’t throw it out was because she hated getting rid of anything. It could be valuable someday, even if not to her. The idea of trading it all in for cash did appeal to her. She’d have to get around to it.
Porto took the tablet back and tapped one line on it. “Look here, my queen. It’s the emotional reverser device that we picked up on that raid about three hundred years ago.”
“Emotional reverser?” Divatox tasted the words carefully. She vaguely recalled something about it, but not any actual details. “Tell me more.” It did sound a little interesting.
Behind his mask, Porto smiled. “It turns any human emotion to the reverse of what it is.” He tapped the tablet with his thick fingers. “Love becomes indifference, for example.”
Divatox’s eyes widened as all the implications began to crash in on her. Then she frowned, eyeing him. “Indifference? Why not hate?” As fascinating as it would be for Kat and Tommy to ignore one another, the thought of them at each other’s throats was equally tempting and delicious.
“Because hate is just as strong as love. Indifference means they’d never even look at each other.” Porto waved one hand. “With this, you can control how anyone feels about anyone else. There’s just one small problem with it.”
“I don’t care.” Divatox waved one hand. So long as it didn’t blow up in her face and could do what she wanted, she was fine with it. It could blow up in Elgar’s face, so long as it made Tommy and Kat completely apathetic toward one another. “How does it work?”
“You just point it at the couple in question and press the button.” Porto shifted back and forth, watching her cautiously. “But, my queen, you really should let me finish.”
Divatox smacked him upside his head. “Shut up and bring me that device. I’m going to do this myself.” She could hardly think of anything at the moment that would make her any happier than she already was.
Well, maybe a few billion tons of gold would do it. But until she could get hold of that, she would settle for this.
Kat leaned her head on Tommy’s shoulder, breathing in his distinctive aroma. It wasn’t like it had been when they’d first started to date, though she could still catch that whiff there. Now oil and the scent of the racetrack teased at her nose. It wasn’t the most enticing smell she’d ever encountered, but since it was Tommy’s, she liked it anyway.
He wouldn’t be here much longer. He needed to get his rest. But she didn’t want him to go.
We don’t have that much more time. Sooner or later it would happen. They’d already begun to search for their successors, and after that, the call of the world would come. If it hadn’t already.
Until then, though, she would enjoy what time they did have together. So she closed her eyes and relaxed into the warmth of his arms.
“Kat.” She didn’t know how long she’d been there when she heard him call her name. She drew in a deep breath and opened her eyes, leaning back.
“Is it that time already?” She really didn’t want it to be. She wanted tonight to go on forever.
Tommy smiled, leaning his head against hers for a few quiet moments. “Sorry. But if I don’t get some sleep, it’s going to show up on the track.” Kat winced at the thought and began to push herself up.
“When’s your next race?” She was going to make it there; he’d come to more than one of her recitals and she wanted to see him winning yet again.
“Not until next weekend. I’ve still got some time.” He folded his hands around hers and brought them up to brush his lips over them. “Let’s hope Divatox behaves herself until then.”
A soft smile tugged at Kat’s lips. “No kidding. But she’s been pretty quiet lately anyway.” Maybe they could have a little more time to rest. Not that any of the Rangers (except maybe Justin, given how new he was at all of this) trusted quiet time to last all that long.
Reluctance in every line of his body, Tommy stepped toward the door, Kat only a few breaths behind him. Perhaps next time they had a little time to spare, they could meet up at his apartment, she thought. It would be a lot more private. Her parents were still there, in their own room, giving them at least some time to themselves. His apartment, small as it was, would be just for the two of them.
They stood on the porch, the soft shadows of night dispersed only by the streetlights and the porchlights. Kat tightened her grip on Tommy’s hand and smiled at him.
“I’ll be there next weekend.” She decided right away she’d bring him something to eat; he never would eat before a race, just like he never had before a martial arts competition. He’d told her that it always tended to sit in his stomach like a rock, but afterward, he’d plow through any food put in front of him. She wasn’t the best cook ever, but she knew a couple of recipes that he might like.
“Can’t wait to see you.” He leaned down to kiss her and she returned it, heart picking up as it always did whenever they kissed.
“Same to you.”
For a moment they stood like that, until finally Tommy turned away and started toward his car. Kat didn’t want to watch him leave, but she didn’t want to just go inside, either.
A faint flicker of movement from the bushes nearby caught her attention briefly, and she tensed. Years of being a Power Ranger taught Kat how to recognize when there was danger of some kind near her, and the sense that someone out there did not like her rang sharp and strong all through her. Her attention flicked back to Tommy, only a few steps from his truck, and she began to open her mouth to call to him.
Light washed over her from somewhere she couldn’t precisely see and for a moment, Kat’s legs grew weak and watery. She blinked a few times, her head spinning, as she tried to figure out what was going on. Had she seen something? Heard something?
Whatever it was, if it had even been anything at all, it was gone now. Nothing at all had even happened. Probably just something I imagined.
She stepped back inside, closing the door behind herself, barely acknowledging Tommy’s headlights as he started his truck and headed away. She had more important things to think about than him anyway. She had to work on her latest routines and keep up with her own students.
Now that she thought about it, maybe having a boyfriend wasn’t such a great idea right now anyway.
Divatox squealed in triumph, twirling around in place as she held her new toy to the sky. “This is perfect!” Sure, it looked like it was starting off slow, but she could already see a few changes in the two Rangers. Normally from what she’d seen watching them, they’d both hang around staring at each other in the most annoying fashion possible before whoever needed to go home actually did. This time, Kat simply turned and walked back inside, while Tommy drove away without a single lingering look behind himself.
“My queen…” Porto shuffled closer to her, keeping an eye on the house just behind the bushes. “We should probably go back to the Subcraft.”
As much as she wanted to stay and revel in the destruction of those horrid, annoying emotions, Divatox almost thought that he had a point. Besides, the longer they stayed there, the more likely it was that Dimitria would notice their presence, and that would really annoy her. Stupid embodiment of good. She’d find a way to get rid of her one of these days.
“Then let’s go.” It only took a quick flexing of her power to get back to the Subcraft, and she kept hold of the emotion reversal device all the way, gloved fingers running up and down it. “Porto. I have an idea.”
He shuffled closer as they materialized on the bridge. “Yes, your greatness? What can I do to help?”
“I want you to make me a very big version of this thing. I want it able to affect the entire world.” Divatox smiled as the idea shaped itself fully in her head. “Just one blast, and everyone stops caring about protecting their valuables. Then they can all be mine.”
Porto blinked several times, staring at her. Divatox ignored him, settling herself on her throne and reaching for the periscope. She wanted to make certain that everything worked out the way she wanted it to between the Red and Pink Rangers.
After a few moments, she frowned. “Porto, you haven’t scuttled off to do what I told you to do. Why not?” That wasn’t like him. Normally he jumped to listen before she finished telling him what to do.
“Queen Divatox, there really is something that you need to know about this device.”
She rose to her feet, eyes flashing, mere heartbeats from incinerating him where he stood. “All I need to know is that you are working on the planet-sized version and that it will be ready as soon as possible. I think tomorrow should give you plenty of time.” She reached over and patted him on the cheek, or whatever it was passed for his cheek. “I’ll even be nice and say you can have until lunchtime tomorrow.” Divatox’s voice hardened. “But only until lunchtime.”
Porto scuttled back as quickly as he could, snatching the device from where she’d dropped it. “Yes, my queen! You’ll have it!”
Divatox smirked as she turned and settled herself back on her throne. She liked it when people understood just how good it was to be the Queen.
“Hey, Auntie D! Look what I caught!”
She hated it when Elgar existed. Why couldn’t he go bother someone else?
Dimitria didn’t need all the sensors and probes that Zordon had in order to know when the forces of evil moved on Earth. She hesitated to call herself the ‘embodiment of good’, though she knew full well that Divatox called her that. Nevertheless, the two of them did have a bond of some kind, one that the Inquirian sorceress had never fully explored or even thought about a great deal. It simply wasn’t something she was interested in.
But now that the two of them both called Earth home, it was something she could and did put to use on occasion. This meant that she knew when Divatox grew close to one of the Rangers, thanks to a variety of warding spells she’d placed on each of them shortly after her arrival. She wanted them to grow and be stronger, to not depend on strengths and knowledge outside of their own, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t look out for them.
Which was why she knew that Divatox had been in the area of Kat’s parents’ home that night. Precisely what the space pirate was up to, Dimitria couldn’t yet figure out. Nothing had happened that she could see.
“Something up, Dimitria?” Alpha-6 asked, his own attention going over the sensors. He needed them, even if she didn’t, and for that reason she wanted them kept in full working order.
“Would it surprise you to learn that I am not entirely certain?” Phrasing what she needed others to know wasn’t always easy for her people, but if it could make them think, she was all for it. “Were you aware that Divatox drew near to Katherine and Tommy not very long ago?”
Alpha drew up in surprise and started for the monitors. “Are they okay? Why didn’t they say anything?”
“Could it be possible they were not aware of her presence?” Dimitria suspected that was the only reason; neither Kat nor Tommy would’ve just ignored Divatox if they knew she was there. The real question was why she was there in the first place.
Her assistant fiddled around with the monitors and alarms, running test after test. “Can’t find anything that she did. No monsters in the area. It’s like she just stared at them for a while.”
Dimitria considered that with all due care. “Would it not be wise to watch them over the next few days?”
“Probably right. Just because we can’t find something doesn’t mean Divatox didn’t do something.” Alpha shuffled about even more, muttering under his non-existent breath about how difficult it was to watch for something when they didn’t even know what they should be watching for.
Dimitria quite understood that. But being a Power Ranger, or one who guided the Rangers, was never easy. Nothing that involved the forces of evil on any level ever was.
Tommy parked his truck and headed up to his apartment, a vague sort of distance in his thoughts that was a little unusual. Normally after a date with Kat, she was all that was on his mind, the scent of her hair, the soft warmth of her skin, the sparkle in her eyes. But now, he couldn’t seem to bring any of that to mind, and even more unusual, he didn’t seem to care all that much.
Maybe it’s over? They’d had a fun time tonight, but looking back on it…well, something just didn’t seem the same anymore. It wasn’t something he could put his finger on, but it was there all the same. Or not there. He wasn’t sure which was which and he couldn’t muster up the interest to think about it very hard. Especially not when he had a race to win in the very near future.
That was really more important, anyway. He’d worked hard to get into the circuit and while they’d been kind of enjoyable, the time he took away to spend with Kat could be hampering his effectiveness just a little.
Well, it wouldn’t be the first time that he and someone else had broken up. At least this time he could do it in person, and it would be his choice on the matter.
He’d call her in the morning and bring it up. If he had the time. Right now, he stifled a yawn, and headed on to bed. Getting sleep was a lot more important than thinking about his love life, or about to be lack of.
Even though the Youth Center was traditionally where the students of Angel Grove congregated before, during, and after classes, it still welcomed those who had graduated. Most of them lent a hand around the place in some fashion or other, helping to clean up or to do stock whenever they had the chance. Which was why Jason and Rocky were now helping Jerome Stone get everything cleaned and sorted out. His ownership of the Youth Center was still somewhat new, only a few months old, and he wanted to make certain everything was in absolute order at all times.
“It’s kind of weird, you know,” Jason murmured under his breath to his fellow former Ranger. “I just am not used to seeing him behind the bar.”
“Yeah, I know.” Rocky pushed his broom carefully; he couldn’t haul the stock around the way Jason could, since his doctor still had him being very careful about how much he lifted or pushed around, but he could manage a broom well enough. “I keep looking over there and expecting to see Ernie.”
“You and me both.” Jason shook his head as he set a box of fruit destined to become smoothie ingredients on the counter. “I guess things change, though.”
Rocky nodded; Power Rangers knew that better than most, since their lives revolved around powers changing, teammates changing, and enemies changing. And, something he’d never considered before, even mentors changing.
He leaned back carefully, rubbing his forehead, and inspected his work. He didn’t get to Angel Grove as often as he wanted, not since he was still busy with his business classes in Stone Canyon, but he wanted to help out here. He’d spent a lot of good times in the Youth Center.
“Hey!” He looked up at the sound of Jason’s voice and grinned when he saw Kat coming in. “It’s been a while.”
“Yeah, I’ve been really busy.” Kat headed over to the bar even as she replied. “What about you guys? I haven’t seen you around.”
“Been busy.” Rocky swept a bit closer to her. “Just in town to get a few things from my parents’ before I head back to Stone Canyon.”
“I’ve been applying to a few schools.” Jason hadn’t made up his mind on exactly what he wanted to do with his life after graduation. Nothing had ever thrilled him to the point of commitment, not like being a Power Ranger had, anyway. He spent most of his time doing odd jobs around town, enjoying helping people wherever he could.
Kat nodded, settling down with the drink she’d ordered. “I’ve been working with the kids at school.” She took a quiet drink, eyes distant for a few moments. Whatever was on her mind, though, she said nothing of it, simply enjoying the company and her drink.
“What about Tommy?” Rocky asked, leaning against the counter. He’d done about all the sweeping he could do for the moment. The floor wouldn’t need it again until closing time. He hoped.
She blinked and shrugged, a sort of attitude that he couldn’t remember seeing from her before. “Driving, mostly.”
Rocky glanced toward Jason, and wasn’t surprised at all to see the flickers of worry going through those dark eyes. He knew Kat better than the ex-Gold Ranger did, but both of them could figure out easily that something about this was off. “I hear he’s been doing pretty well at that.”
“I didn’t expect him to end up like that.” Jason put in, taking a few steps closer. “I thought he’d probably end up with a martial arts studio.”
Rocky couldn’t help but nod in agreement; he would gladly have offered any of his friends a share in the one that he planned to start once he’d graduated college. Tommy would be an excellent teacher.
“I guess it is kind of a surprise.” Kat’s voice didn’t hold the fascinated interest that it had the last time they’d talked to her about her boyfriend. If anything, she seemed almost…uncaring? “You should probably talk to him about it, though.”
Again Rocky and Jason exchanged glanced, more and more concern rising between them. “Are you all right, Kat?” Jason asked finally. “You don’t quite seem like yourself.”
“I’m fine.” She blinked at the two of them, gaze flicking between them. “What makes you think I’m not?”
“Well, for one thing, you don’t usually brush off talking about Tommy like that.” Rocky pointed out.
“I what?” Kat shook her head in confusion. “I guess…well, I suppose I can tell you.” She adjusted her grip on the glass, looking down into it before returning her attention to them. “Tommy and I broke up this morning.”
There weren’t that many people in the Youth Center anyway, but even so, Jason and Rocky both felt as if a dead sort of quiet fell, deeper than could be accounted for with just a half-dozen or so there.
“What?” Jason uttered the word carefully, as if uncertain of what kind of reaction it might get. “I talked to him just the other day, he was…” He broke that off. “He didn’t say anything at all about it.”
“He might not have thought about it then.” Kat didn’t appear all that upset about it. “It’s probably for the best, though. It’s nothing to get worked up about.”
She looked into her glass and then toward where Jerome Stone stood. “Could I have another one, please? And make it to go, I need to get going.”
“Sure, Kat.” His look was as confused as Jason and Rocky both felt, but he moved along to fill her order anyway.
“Something is going on.” Jason kept his voice low as Kat paid for her drinks and headed out of the Youth Center. “This isn’t like either of them. Tommy…” He hesitated, then shook his head and shrugged. “He wanted to ask Kat about a promise ring.”
Rocky’s eyes widened and a quick grin flashed over his face. “Man, I’m always the last to know these things.” The grin faded in a matter of seconds, however. “So if they’re broken up now, then something really bad must’ve happened.”
“Right.” Jason’s gaze followed where Kat had left. “Wonder if it’s…” His eyes dropped for a moment to his right wrist. Every ex-Ranger still wore their communicator, or the new version that Billy made for them. It wasn’t something they used on a regular basis, but it was there in case any of them needed any help out of a tight situation. After a couple of his experiences with the Machine Empire, Billy wanted to make certain no one stood a chance of being captured by their enemies.
Rocky fidgeted a little. “Maybe we could go find out?” If this all turned out to be them overthinking things and making mountains out of molehills, it would probably be better if they didn’t involve too many other people with it.
“Wouldn’t hurt to ask.” Jason lifted his head and cleared his throat, getting Stone’s attention. “Hey, we’ve got to go. Something came up.”
The former police officer/detective nodded. “Sure. Thanks for the help, guys.”
“Our pleasure.” Rocky tossed the broom into the nearest closet and headed for the doorway. Teleporting from the entryway probably worked for Power Rangers, but he didn’t want to push his luck now that the Power wasn’t protecting them quite as much as it used to.
Behind them, a small periscope appeared in a pitcher of ice water, and far away, Divatox growled in fury.
“They’re going to wreck everything!” The pirate queen wanted to throw a temper tantrum and saw no reason to hold back. “Stop them! Stop them right now!”
Rygog stepped up, sword at the ready. “I can take some Piranhatrons to Earth. Those two aren’t Rangers anymore; this will be easy.”
“Do it! I don’t care if you catch them or not, just make sure they don’t get to the Power Chamber!” She ached to find out where that was; all of her tracking couldn’t locate it, and Rita and Zedd never wanted to answer her when she called them and demanded to know it. ‘Find it on your own’, they said. As if it were that easy.
She would find it, and when she did, she’d tear it to the ground, leaving not one stone on top of another. Perhaps she’d build herself a castle on the ruins. A sly, slow smile tilted her lips at the thought of that. Yes. That was exactly what she would do.
Until she found the Power Chamber, she’d have to content herself with just trashing the Rangers and everything about them any chance she got.
“Porto! How far along are you with that planet-sized emotion reverser? You’ve only got until lunchtime, you know!” If he lazed about and refused to give her what she wanted, she knew several very soft places on his hide that she could blast until he hurried up and obeyed her.
He stuck his head out of his workshop, fidgeting with every word he spoke. “I’m working on it, my queen. But I still think that you should-”
“I think you should shut up and get back to work.” Why did he continually attempt to tell her things that didn’t matter? Hadn’t he learned his lessons by now?
Well, no matter. He’d have it ready, she’d use it on the entire planet, and scoop up every single bit of gold, silver, jewelry, and money that she could get her hands on, and the Power Rangers still wouldn’t know what she was doing or how to stop her.
Maybe she’d even toss a detonator or two around, just to draw them off. Oh, I like the sound of that. She started to turn over the idea of just where one would really do the most damage and hit on it a second later. That very place those two annoying ex-Rangers had just left: the Youth Center. Perfect.
“It is so good to be the Queen.”
Jason and Rocky hurried behind the Youth Center, coming to a rest as soon as they were out of sight of everyone else. “I hope Dimitria can help.” Jason said; he’d only met her once, when all of the ex-Rangers were brought in to meet the new mentor. Seeing everyone else had really occupied more of his thoughts at the time, but he had the impression she was very, very different from Zordon.
“You and me both.” Rocky shook his head. “This is too strange, even for us.”
Jason lifted his communicator, about to call for Alpha to let him know they were coming, when a splash echoed around, and a group of fish faced warriors appeared before them. Leading them was a blue-shelled creature that he remembered from Murianthus.
“Rygog.” He tensed up at once, eyes flicking toward Rocky. “This is trouble. He works for Divatox.”
“Yeah, I remember hearing about him.” Rocky fell into a fighting stance just as Jason did. “Ready for this?”
“Always have been. What about you?” Jason knew quite well how Rocky’s back pained him still.
Rocky grinned at him, eyes dancing with the first flickers of battle. “I’m always ready for this.”
Two humans, without any Ranger powers at all, and one of them still recovering from a back injury from months earlier, against a group of Piranhatrons, some of the most powerful foot soldiers available in the universe, along with Rygog, known as one of the fiercest warriors in the cosmos.
Someone didn’t stand a chance. And it most certainly wasn’t Jason and Rocky. Jason started the battle with one of his best kicks toward Rygog; he’d seen the other fight before, and while he’d never had a chance to go up against him personally, there was something he wanted to try.
“Hey, Rygog! How do you move in that?” His foot slammed into Rygog’s chest, sending the alien warrior stumbling back a pace or two. “Because it looks to me like if you landed on your back, there’s no way for you to get up again!” He did a spin kick, quite gratified when it hit textbook pure and threw the other back yet again. Rygog still carried his sword and Jason didn’t have one - he’d never thought he’d miss the Power Sword as much as he did right now - so he needed to make certain the other didn’t get close enough to actually attack him with it.
A short distance away, Rocky did his best to fight without stressing his back out too much. He’d done as much therapy and painkillers as he could over the last few months, and he was healed enough to spar and work out, but battle was a different sort of situation altogether. Still, the more he moved, the easier he moved, and he couldn’t help a grin. This was almost like old times, fighting Putties or Tengas or Cogs.
Though he could’ve done without the odor of rotting fish in the air.
“You know, Divatox really must be up to something nasty if she’s sending a bunch of her goons after us just because we want to go to the Power Chamber!” Jason declared as he pounded yet again on Rygog’s shell. He hadn’t managed to get the warrior down yet, but he kept giving it his best, avoiding the swings of the sword as best that he could.
“That just means we have to get there as soon as we can!” Rocky ducked a Piranhatrons flying fist and slammed one of his own into the creature’s stomach with all of his strength, knocking it backwards.
“Really, now?” Divatox’s voice came from one side and both ex-Rangers backed off enough to get a look at her. “Do you two really think you can stop me?”
Jason didn’t take his eyes completely off Rygog; he had no idea of how much the other weighed, but it had to be impressive if a half-dozen of his best kicks and punches couldn’t get him off his feet. “What is it you’re up to, Divatox?”
“Is it really that important to you? Don’t you have some silly human things you should be doing?”
“If you’re messing with our friends, then it is important to us!” Rocky shot back, refusing to back down. “And you are up to something!”
“I never said I wasn’t.” Divatox lounged against a convenient tree, watching them. “I just said that you can’t stop me, and you can’t.”
“What are you up to?” Rocky took a step closer. “What did you do to Kat and Tommy?”
She laughed, a horrible sound that sent chills down both their spines. “You should ask what they did to me. Wrecking my wedding and daring to show off their perfect relationship.” Divatox all but spat the words out, a faint glow in the back of her eyes that kept them both wary. “If I can’t have a social life, then why can’t anyone else?”
Rocky and Jason exchanged a look. Jason looked back at Divatox, shaking his head. “You’re doing whatever you’re doing because you’re jealous of them?”
“Have you got any better reasons why I should do anything?” Divatox snorted before she waved one hand, calling in even more Piranhatrons, and Elgar to go with them. “Now, this is what you need to worry about.” She snapped her fingers and a slender device appeared between them. “I’m sure the Rangers have told you all about these. If you can find it, you can stop it. But can you find it before it goes off?”
A trickle of energy crawled all over the detonator before it vanished. “I don’t really think so. Get them!” Divatox snapped, and the new Piranhatrons, plus Elgar, charged into the fray, even as the ones already there started fighting.
Jason took a hard hit to the side, staggering back, breath swooshing out of him. “Rocky, I think we could use a little help here!”
“So do I. Got any on you?” Rocky’s back twinged harder, especially as more and more Piranhatrons circled in, and he couldn’t keep his eyes on all of them. None of them fought fairly, either, and it was all he could do to avoid getting hit too many times in the back.
“I think so!” Jason spin kicked, clearing just enough room for him to tap his communicator. “Power Chamber, this is Jason. Rocky and I are being attacked by Piranhatrons. Rangers, we need your help!”
Five different communicators beeped a few heartbeats later, and Alpha-6’s voice came over them all.
“Rangers, your friends Jason and Rocky are in some trouble behind the Youth Center. Better go lend a hand or they’re gonna be mush!”
Tommy pulled his car off the course and leaped out of it. “I gotta take care of something, I’ll be back as soon as I can be.” He tossed his helmet toward his manager and zipped out of sight.
In mere moments, five different colored beams of light touched down behind the Youth Center, to where Jason and Rocky still fought their hardest against Divatox’s minions, resolving into the forms of five already morphed Power Rangers. The evil queen herself still remained where she was, throwing orders here and there that few of them listened to, since they all amounted to the same thing of ‘beat them up!’
“Hey, Divatox!” Tommy shouted as soon as they touched down. “Why don’t you have your goons pick on someone else for a change?”
“Oh, like all of you? I’m all for it!” Divatox snapped one hand toward the Rangers. “Go get them!”
The school of Piranhatrons shot toward the new arrivals, leaving Rocky and Jason to catch their breath for the moment. Rygog and Elgar surged along, blades waving in the air.
“What is she up to this time?” Tanya wondered, ducking out of the way of one wildly waving fish fist and ramming her shoulder against another one. “She’s never attacked anyone like this before.”
“Once we get this done, we can ask her.” Adam put in, whirling around another one of the fish warriors. “She’ll probably want to stick around and gloat a little.”
Kat laughed a little, though there didn’t appear to be a great deal of humor in it. “They’re all like that. And I don’t even know why.”
“I don’t think even they do.” Tommy threw in his own opinion on the matter. For a brief moment, the Red and Pink Rangers stood and looked at each other. The moment lasted no more than that, since Rygog and Elgar slammed into the two of them.
“Hey, you two! Auntie D went to a lot of trouble to break you up, so no going back now!” Elgar declared, kicking Kat as hard as he could. The Pink Ranger moved away from the blow just in the nick of time, swinging back with all of her own strength.
“What are you talking about?” Behind her helmet, something stirred within Kat at those words. She shoved it aside for now; it was more important to finish the fight than worry over a relationship that ended that morning anyway. Still, it wasn’t easy to not think about, and the question came out of her before she could decide not to say it.
Elgar laughed, swiping his sword at her again. “Just what I said! Come on, you’re not that stupid, are you?”
“Elgar, shut up!” Divatox appeared behind him, seizing one of his large ears between her fingertips. “If I wanted them to know, I would’ve said something!”
Tommy shoved his way past Rygog to Divatox. “Well, I want to know what you’re talking about. So spill it!”
“Sorry, Rangers.” Divatox waved everyone back quickly. “But I think we’ve had enough of storytime for today. Maybe you’ll figure out everything later on. What do you say we meet up around lunch?”
Without waiting for an answer, she swept all of her forces away in a huge teleportation circle. The Rangers stared at where she was for a few moments, before all powering down and turning toward their friends.
“What was that all about?” Justin wanted to know. “I think that’s probably the weirdest fight I’ve ever seen.”
“We could tell you stories.” Jason grinned at the youngest Ranger before he looked back up at Tommy. “I think we do need to talk, though. Got any time?”
Tommy shook his head right away. “Sorry, I need to get back to the track. Unless the world’s about to end if we don’t.”
“I don’t think it is, but-” Rocky interrupted Jason before the other could finish what he was trying to say.
“Divatox set a detonator. Not sure where, but there’s one around somewhere. That’s more important.”
“Great.” Tommy bit back a sigh. “We’d better get to the Power Chamber and see what we can find out from there.”
Jason shifted closer. “We’re going with you. We found out Divatox might be up to something and I want to ask Dimitria if she can check into it.”
For a moment, it looked as if Tommy might turn down the offer. Then he shrugged. “All right. Whatever it is, it’s important enough to her that she attack you guys anyway. Better safe than sorry.”
Seven shimmering beams of light lifted out from behind the Youth Center, arcing across the sky to land in the Power Chamber. The moment they did, Jason stepped forward.
“Dimitria, I think Divatox has something to do with Kat and Tommy having broken up this morning. She’s bent out of shape because of what happened on Murianthus still, and Elgar said something about her being responsible for it anyway.”
“And she’s put a detonator somewhere in town to distract everyone from finding out what’s going on.” Rocky put in his own comment.
“Yo, yo, yo, Rangers…and ex-Rangers!” Alpha-6 waved his arms quickly. “One thing at a time. Detonator, you say?”
“Yeah.” Before Jason could say anything else on the matter, Tanya and Adam both moved to the back of the room.
“We’ve got this.” Each of them picked up something Jason recalled having been described to him as a Turbo Navigator and teleported out.
Dimitria’s warm gaze looked down on them all. “What does Divatox have to do with Katherine and Thomas’s affections for one another?”
“Just like I said.” Jason kept an eye on his friends, not liking how they didn’t even look at each other. That wasn’t like them. There was always some level of awareness between Tommy and Kat; not a constant touch, but a subtle acknowledgment similar to what he’d seen between himself and Emily. “She did something. I just don’t know what it is or how to fix it.”
Alpha shuffled over to one of the monitors. “This could be what she was doing down here last night, Dimitria. It would be just like her to mess around with someone else’s life.”
“Do you not think this could be a natural progression of their relationship? For do not many such end soon?” Dimitria posed the questions, still with an intent look on the ex-Rangers.
Jason folded his arms over his chest. “No way. I mean, a lot of people do break up, but Tommy, don’t you remember?” He glanced quickly at his best friend, who only looked back at him blankly. “Just last week you asked what I thought about you giving Kat a promise ring.”
He glanced for a moment to Kat, wondering what she thought of that, and winced a little at the equally blank look on her own face. It didn’t look right at all, which spoke far more eloquently than anything else about Divatox being at the root of all of this.
“Alpha-6, could you scan both of them to determine if their minds have been affected by an outside source?”
At Dimitria’s word, Alpha rummaged around until he found one of the scanners and waved it over both of them. Everyone else stood in silence, waiting for the results. A series of beeps emitted from the device and Alpha checked the readout.
“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a winner here. Can’t be sure of what caused it, but there’s some kind of altered brainwaves or something going on here.” Alpha peered more at the screen. “It’ll take a while to figure it out, but you guys still should be in love with each other.”
Kat and Tommy glanced only briefly toward one another, then back to Dimitria. Kat spoke up first. “I don’t feel like I’m in love with him.”
“Same here. I mean, I don’t feel like I’m in love with her.” Tommy scratched his head and shrugged. “I’m going to help look for that detonator.”
“Yeah, me too.” Kat stepped over to get her own Turbo Navigator. The two streaks of light that were her and Tommy vanished, each going in a different direction once they left the Power Chamber itself.
Rocky drew in a deep breath, clenching his fists. “How long is it going to take to figure out what Divatox did?”
“Shouldn’t be too long.” Alpha hooked up the scanner to one of the computers. “You guys should probably head back to Angel Grove. We’ll keep an eye out for any trouble on this end.”
Jason nodded, somewhat reluctantly. He didn’t like this, but there wasn’t much else that they could do for now.
“Porto!” The word exploded out of Divatox almost as soon as she arrived back on the Subcraft. “Is it done yet?”
“It’s not lunchtime yet, my queen.” Porto hedged. “And we still need to choose a monster that can defend it from the Power Rangers.”
“I don’t care that it isn’t lunchtime. I want it ready and I want it ready now. And just pick some monster, it doesn’t matter which one.” Divatox stalked back and forth, muttering darker words under her breath. She hated it when people found out her plans too soon, and if she hadn’t shut Elgar up, that was exactly what would’ve happened.
How are we related? That probably could be listed under questions that they would never have an answer to, along with how Elgar managed to get himself out of the volcano and back to the Subcraft.
Porto hesitated before he answered. “It will be ready shortly.” He ducked back into his workshop, strange and loud noises coming from it moments later. Divatox ignored them all, trying to decide instead which banks she would get to first. Or perhaps she could delve into some old museums for rare treasures there. There were so many wonderful options. All she would have to do was fight off the Power Rangers.
Unless, of course, the device could also make certain they lost interest in protecting the Earth.
“I think…I think…” Tanya looked around, trying to find anything that even vaguely resembled a detonator. Divatox was very skilled at hiding them due to all the practice she had, but the Rangers were just as skilled at finding them. “I think I have no idea of where it could be.”
Adam offered a rueful grin. “Neither do I. This one’s really well-hidden.” He didn’t say what they both knew; that they had to find it or wherever it was hidden would be revealed with a very loud bang and quite a bit of damage.
“It’s kind of weird that Divatox would do that to Kat and Tommy.” Tanya mused as they kept searching. It was somewhere in the vicinity of the Youth Center; they’d pegged it down that much at least. Kat and Tommy were checking farther out, just to be safe, while Justin looked around inside the Youth Center itself. He’d told them everything that happened after they left the Power Chamber.
“I guess some people are never happy if anyone else is happy.” Adam checked his readouts again. All he could be certain of was that it was in range of the Navigator, not where it was or what it could be disguised as. Much less how much time they had before it blew.
Probably a good thing she likes to use them as distractions and not to actually blow up something. She always left enough time on her detonators so that the Rangers could find them and get rid of them. He wasn’t going to complain about that.
They had to hurry on this; not just because of the detonator running down, but there was only so much time that any of them could spend away from their jobs. Adam saw more and more why Rangers were best chosen as teenagers, at least on Earth. Even though most of them technically still were teenagers, they didn’t have the same free time they had before graduation.
Something brilliant all but exploded in the sky and the first thought through Adam’s mind was that the detonator had gone off. He and Taniya both looked up to see what could only be one of Divatox’s monsters hovering up there, a huge creature that resembled some kind of flying dump truck. In its hands it held some kind of huge device.
“All right, Power Rangers!” Divatox’s voice rang from all over. He didn’t know how she did it and he didn’t care. “It’s time for all of you, and everyone else on this miserable little planet, to stop caring! Hit it, Dumptron!”
Man, Divatox is scraping the bottom of the barrel with this guy. That was all Adam had time to think before the monster reached to hit a button on the device. A pale beam, almost nothing more than a ripple through the air, began to pour outward from the needle tip of the device, washing over anyone it could reach.
“What is that thing?” Thoughts of the detonator put aside for the moment, the five Rangers gathered outside of the Youth Center, doing what they could to avoid being hit for right now.
“No idea, Justin.” Tanya shook her head. “But I don’t think getting hit by it’s a good idea.”
“Yo, Rangers!” Alpha’s voice came over the communicator. “That thing’s a bigger version of what hit Kat and Tommy. If it nails you, then you stop caring about whatever’s really important to you. You gotta get rid of it!”
That told them all that they needed to know. Kat hesitated, though. “What about the detonator?”
“Don’t worry about it.” This was Jason’s voice over the communicator now. “Alpha’s giving us what your Navigators picked up so we can track it down while you guys take care of that monster.”
“Thanks, guys.” Tommy’s voice warmed more than it had since this entire debacle began. “Be careful.”
“We’re just looking for something that can blow up a couple of city blocks. You’re fighting Divatox’s monster. We’re not the ones who need to be careful.” Rocky teased.
The five Rangers got ready to get down to business. “Shift into Turbo!” Tommy declared, and the battle began in moments.
Dumptron kept on blasting anyone that got in range; the moment the beam hit someone, they stopped in their tracks, a vague look entering their eyes, before moving onward, a vital spark missing now. Tommy tried not to look too hard at them; it reminded him far too much of how he felt right now every time he looked at Kat. It wasn’t a huge ripping gash in his soul, but more of a faint little twitch that something wasn’t right in his world, and he didn’t know what to do about it except not look at her.
“Red Ranger!” Dumptron whirled and released one arm from holding the device to point at him with one taloned finger. “So I hear you dumped your girlfriend! Now I’m gonna dump you!”
“You know, one day I’m not going to have to listen to all these ridiculous puns you monsters come up with!” Tommy groused; he could hardly wait for that day to come. Just another couple of months…
He didn’t have time for another thought, since the monster charged toward him swiftly, knocking him backwards with one hit. He stayed on his feet, though, and rushed around to try attacking from another angle. The other Rangers joined in, weapons, fists, and feet slashing at the monster and trying to get hold of the device all at the same time.
There weren’t many battles where Tommy couldn’t figure out what was going on for the most part. He generally kept his head in them and watched everything to some degree. This one was the exception. Piranhatrons swarmed everywhere, making it even more difficult to keep track of what was going on. Rygog and Elgar joining in the confusion didn’t make matters any better.
What he did manage to do was kick Dumptron’s arm hard enough to knock the device out of it, sending it spinning to the ground. He didn’t hesitate another second; regardless of what he felt at the moment, no one deserved to have what they felt for anyone or anything taken out of their control. Tommy pulled out his Turbo Sword and slashed it through the device, cleaving it in two.
All over the city, the people affected stopped where they were, looking around curiously as affections they thought for a few minutes didn’t matter anymore surged back through them. Some few could still see the Power Rangers fighting the monster, and were experienced enough to realize what had happened and that it was a very good idea to move out of the way. So they did just that.
“Okay, it’s supposed to be around here somewhere.” Rocky looked around for anything out of place. They could still hear the sounds of battle, thin and tinny through the Youth Center’s walls, and it made him want to get this done all the quicker.
Jason moved closer to the bar, noticing that Jerome hadn’t moved the box of ingredients he’d put there earlier yet. Something tickled in the back of his mind and he hurried over there, Rocky only a few steps behind him.
“Got anything?”
“I don’t know.” Jason peered into the box, trying to remember what he’d seen there before and what he hadn’t. It only took a moment to put it all together.
What he hadn’t seen was the slender detonator and its ominous red numbers counting down with under a minute to spare. He snatched it out quickly and pelted for the outside, hissing into his communicator in the same breath.
“Alpha, I’ve got it!” Quick as he could, he tossed it high into the air, just as the Power Rangers sliced through Dumptron. The explosion of the detonator and that of the monster mixed together, and Jason relaxed. They’d won again.
“Everyone who got zapped by the big machine is back to normal. Now we just have to fix up these two.” Alpha gestured to where Kat and Tommy stood awkwardly next to one another.
Jason rubbed his chin, staring at them. “Can we? Wouldn’t we have to destroy the little one too?” That would be all but impossible; Divatox likely wouldn’t let it out of her sight.
Alpha shook his head at that. “Not according to the scans I did. There are two ways to put things back to normal. One of them is just to wait. The effects of that machine wear off in a couple of days.”
Tension neither Kat nor Tommy wanted to acknowledge eased out of them, and everyone else. “What’s the other way?” Kat wondered. She wasn’t sure if the nervousness that slid through her was because of Divatox’s machine’s effects or her own reactions. She hated feeling like that; it reminded her too much of being Rita’s pawn.
If Alpha had possessed a mouth capable of smiling, every last one of the teens there knew that he would have. “Simple. All you two gotta do is plant one on each other and you’ll be good as new!”
Kat and Tommy shot a quick look between them. Kat spoke up first. “All right.” The part of her that she knew was affected by the device didn’t want to. Why bother? What did it matter?
The part of her that didn’t want to let control slip away to anyone else knew better.
Tommy only nodded before he stepped toward her. Their arms slid around one another and heads tilted closer. Their lips touched one another, gently at first, then with increasing passion. Their arms tightened and everyone else felt a sudden urge to look away and give them some privacy.
“I don’t believe this! They did it again!” Divatox stomped up and down the bridge, trying to figure out where it had all gone wrong. “Porto! This is all your fault! I don’t know how yet, but it’s all your fault!”
Porto shuffled his feet and looked down. It wasn’t the admittance of guilt she wanted, but she’d take it for right now. She turned toward her periscope, wondering if the Rangers had yet returned to somewhere she could spy on them.
“At least Kat and Tommy are broken up. That’s something!” She’d take what she could from this disaster.
“Uh, my queen…” Porto shifted more. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”
Divatox waved a hand; she had more time to listen to his babble now. “What is it?”
“The device’s effects aren’t permanent. They’ll wear off in just a couple of days. Or sooner, under the right circumstances.”
Divatox’s scream of rage could be heard on the far side of Angel Grove. The only one that dwarfed it was the one she howled when she saw Kat and Tommy snuggled up to one another in his apartment after his successful race the following weekend.
The End
Author: cynthia_harrell
Fandom: Power Rangers
Pairing: Kat x Tommy
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.
Notes: I'm using the 'Double Night' challenge for this. Prompt used is 'reflection'
Divatox liked watching the Power Rangers. She liked knowing that there wasn’t anything they could do about it, and watching them gave her all manner of interesting ideas she could and did use against them.
What she didn’t like was some of what she saw that she couldn’t use. Their jobs held a modicum of interest, as did their family lives, to some extent. She learned that Tommy had a brother, and made a note to put that to use one of these days. She hadn’t yet decided how, and the boy didn’t come into town that often, so she saved the idea for when it would become useful.
She also learned very early on in her observations that Kat and Tommy were an item and had been for months. The more she watched them, the more her twisted heart beat faster with rage.
How dare they! How dare they! A low growl throbbed deep in her throat as she stared through her periscope at the happy couple, currently wrapped around one another at Kat’s parents’ home, watching some movie together. From what she’d heard, this was their first weekend together in almost a month, with his work at the racetrack having kept them apart.
If only they’d stayed like that. Even if they were still together, knowing they weren’t together would’ve thrilled Divatox to no end.
Spitting out a few words that would’ve turned the ears of almost any human who heard them bright red, she threw herself back into her chair, tossing the periscope to the side. “I hate those Power Rangers!”
Neither Rygog, Elgar, nor Porto took any special interest in her declaration. She’d said it at least four times a day since they’d arrived on Earth, and it ceased to have any special meaning to them. Porto was busy anyway, cataloging some of the lesser used storage areas. When she’d packed up the Subcraft for this mission, she hadn’t bothered to clear out the junk, and he’d mumbled something hours earlier about wanting to see if they had anything useful in there. She doubted they would. If it was, she would’ve used it already.
She drummed her fingers on the side of her throne, trying to think of something that would actually bring her victory. Forget victory, I’d settle for those two Power Ranger lovebirds to start throwing knives at each other.
Well, maybe not knives. Three of her ex-boyfriends considered that a form of foreplay. But at least not cuddling up together, cooing, and in general trying to make her sick. They had to be doing this on purpose. They knew that she watched them; there wasn’t any other reason for them to curl up like that. Not that she would accept, anyway.
“My queen?” Porto had to call her twice more before she bothered looking up. Whatever he wanted couldn’t be as important as her pouting, and if it was, she wanted it disposed of as soon as possible.
“This better be good. I’m in the middle of planning how to destroy the Power Rangers.” In some circles that was much the same as saying she was in the middle of breathing. Those circles being those who called themselves her servants and advisors, of course. “Especially that Kat and Tommy.” She’d heard it was all Rita’s fault the two of them were Power Rangers, much less knew each other in the first place.
No surprise there. Rita never had been known for her skill in plotting.
Porto shifted closer to her. “This is very good, my queen. I think it might even work with what you’ve got in mind right now.”
“What?” Divatox lifted her gaze to meet her science advisor. “What are you going on about?” The thought that he might actually have something she could use was a strange one. He created and summoned monsters at her command, but that was his job, to do as she told. If he showed something like initiative, it would be the first time she could remember.
He held out a small tablet toward her. “This is what I’ve found doing my inventory of the storage areas.”
She almost threw it back at him. “What do I want with all of that junk?” The only reason she didn’t throw it out was because she hated getting rid of anything. It could be valuable someday, even if not to her. The idea of trading it all in for cash did appeal to her. She’d have to get around to it.
Porto took the tablet back and tapped one line on it. “Look here, my queen. It’s the emotional reverser device that we picked up on that raid about three hundred years ago.”
“Emotional reverser?” Divatox tasted the words carefully. She vaguely recalled something about it, but not any actual details. “Tell me more.” It did sound a little interesting.
Behind his mask, Porto smiled. “It turns any human emotion to the reverse of what it is.” He tapped the tablet with his thick fingers. “Love becomes indifference, for example.”
Divatox’s eyes widened as all the implications began to crash in on her. Then she frowned, eyeing him. “Indifference? Why not hate?” As fascinating as it would be for Kat and Tommy to ignore one another, the thought of them at each other’s throats was equally tempting and delicious.
“Because hate is just as strong as love. Indifference means they’d never even look at each other.” Porto waved one hand. “With this, you can control how anyone feels about anyone else. There’s just one small problem with it.”
“I don’t care.” Divatox waved one hand. So long as it didn’t blow up in her face and could do what she wanted, she was fine with it. It could blow up in Elgar’s face, so long as it made Tommy and Kat completely apathetic toward one another. “How does it work?”
“You just point it at the couple in question and press the button.” Porto shifted back and forth, watching her cautiously. “But, my queen, you really should let me finish.”
Divatox smacked him upside his head. “Shut up and bring me that device. I’m going to do this myself.” She could hardly think of anything at the moment that would make her any happier than she already was.
Well, maybe a few billion tons of gold would do it. But until she could get hold of that, she would settle for this.
Kat leaned her head on Tommy’s shoulder, breathing in his distinctive aroma. It wasn’t like it had been when they’d first started to date, though she could still catch that whiff there. Now oil and the scent of the racetrack teased at her nose. It wasn’t the most enticing smell she’d ever encountered, but since it was Tommy’s, she liked it anyway.
He wouldn’t be here much longer. He needed to get his rest. But she didn’t want him to go.
We don’t have that much more time. Sooner or later it would happen. They’d already begun to search for their successors, and after that, the call of the world would come. If it hadn’t already.
Until then, though, she would enjoy what time they did have together. So she closed her eyes and relaxed into the warmth of his arms.
“Kat.” She didn’t know how long she’d been there when she heard him call her name. She drew in a deep breath and opened her eyes, leaning back.
“Is it that time already?” She really didn’t want it to be. She wanted tonight to go on forever.
Tommy smiled, leaning his head against hers for a few quiet moments. “Sorry. But if I don’t get some sleep, it’s going to show up on the track.” Kat winced at the thought and began to push herself up.
“When’s your next race?” She was going to make it there; he’d come to more than one of her recitals and she wanted to see him winning yet again.
“Not until next weekend. I’ve still got some time.” He folded his hands around hers and brought them up to brush his lips over them. “Let’s hope Divatox behaves herself until then.”
A soft smile tugged at Kat’s lips. “No kidding. But she’s been pretty quiet lately anyway.” Maybe they could have a little more time to rest. Not that any of the Rangers (except maybe Justin, given how new he was at all of this) trusted quiet time to last all that long.
Reluctance in every line of his body, Tommy stepped toward the door, Kat only a few breaths behind him. Perhaps next time they had a little time to spare, they could meet up at his apartment, she thought. It would be a lot more private. Her parents were still there, in their own room, giving them at least some time to themselves. His apartment, small as it was, would be just for the two of them.
They stood on the porch, the soft shadows of night dispersed only by the streetlights and the porchlights. Kat tightened her grip on Tommy’s hand and smiled at him.
“I’ll be there next weekend.” She decided right away she’d bring him something to eat; he never would eat before a race, just like he never had before a martial arts competition. He’d told her that it always tended to sit in his stomach like a rock, but afterward, he’d plow through any food put in front of him. She wasn’t the best cook ever, but she knew a couple of recipes that he might like.
“Can’t wait to see you.” He leaned down to kiss her and she returned it, heart picking up as it always did whenever they kissed.
“Same to you.”
For a moment they stood like that, until finally Tommy turned away and started toward his car. Kat didn’t want to watch him leave, but she didn’t want to just go inside, either.
A faint flicker of movement from the bushes nearby caught her attention briefly, and she tensed. Years of being a Power Ranger taught Kat how to recognize when there was danger of some kind near her, and the sense that someone out there did not like her rang sharp and strong all through her. Her attention flicked back to Tommy, only a few steps from his truck, and she began to open her mouth to call to him.
Light washed over her from somewhere she couldn’t precisely see and for a moment, Kat’s legs grew weak and watery. She blinked a few times, her head spinning, as she tried to figure out what was going on. Had she seen something? Heard something?
Whatever it was, if it had even been anything at all, it was gone now. Nothing at all had even happened. Probably just something I imagined.
She stepped back inside, closing the door behind herself, barely acknowledging Tommy’s headlights as he started his truck and headed away. She had more important things to think about than him anyway. She had to work on her latest routines and keep up with her own students.
Now that she thought about it, maybe having a boyfriend wasn’t such a great idea right now anyway.
Divatox squealed in triumph, twirling around in place as she held her new toy to the sky. “This is perfect!” Sure, it looked like it was starting off slow, but she could already see a few changes in the two Rangers. Normally from what she’d seen watching them, they’d both hang around staring at each other in the most annoying fashion possible before whoever needed to go home actually did. This time, Kat simply turned and walked back inside, while Tommy drove away without a single lingering look behind himself.
“My queen…” Porto shuffled closer to her, keeping an eye on the house just behind the bushes. “We should probably go back to the Subcraft.”
As much as she wanted to stay and revel in the destruction of those horrid, annoying emotions, Divatox almost thought that he had a point. Besides, the longer they stayed there, the more likely it was that Dimitria would notice their presence, and that would really annoy her. Stupid embodiment of good. She’d find a way to get rid of her one of these days.
“Then let’s go.” It only took a quick flexing of her power to get back to the Subcraft, and she kept hold of the emotion reversal device all the way, gloved fingers running up and down it. “Porto. I have an idea.”
He shuffled closer as they materialized on the bridge. “Yes, your greatness? What can I do to help?”
“I want you to make me a very big version of this thing. I want it able to affect the entire world.” Divatox smiled as the idea shaped itself fully in her head. “Just one blast, and everyone stops caring about protecting their valuables. Then they can all be mine.”
Porto blinked several times, staring at her. Divatox ignored him, settling herself on her throne and reaching for the periscope. She wanted to make certain that everything worked out the way she wanted it to between the Red and Pink Rangers.
After a few moments, she frowned. “Porto, you haven’t scuttled off to do what I told you to do. Why not?” That wasn’t like him. Normally he jumped to listen before she finished telling him what to do.
“Queen Divatox, there really is something that you need to know about this device.”
She rose to her feet, eyes flashing, mere heartbeats from incinerating him where he stood. “All I need to know is that you are working on the planet-sized version and that it will be ready as soon as possible. I think tomorrow should give you plenty of time.” She reached over and patted him on the cheek, or whatever it was passed for his cheek. “I’ll even be nice and say you can have until lunchtime tomorrow.” Divatox’s voice hardened. “But only until lunchtime.”
Porto scuttled back as quickly as he could, snatching the device from where she’d dropped it. “Yes, my queen! You’ll have it!”
Divatox smirked as she turned and settled herself back on her throne. She liked it when people understood just how good it was to be the Queen.
“Hey, Auntie D! Look what I caught!”
She hated it when Elgar existed. Why couldn’t he go bother someone else?
Dimitria didn’t need all the sensors and probes that Zordon had in order to know when the forces of evil moved on Earth. She hesitated to call herself the ‘embodiment of good’, though she knew full well that Divatox called her that. Nevertheless, the two of them did have a bond of some kind, one that the Inquirian sorceress had never fully explored or even thought about a great deal. It simply wasn’t something she was interested in.
But now that the two of them both called Earth home, it was something she could and did put to use on occasion. This meant that she knew when Divatox grew close to one of the Rangers, thanks to a variety of warding spells she’d placed on each of them shortly after her arrival. She wanted them to grow and be stronger, to not depend on strengths and knowledge outside of their own, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t look out for them.
Which was why she knew that Divatox had been in the area of Kat’s parents’ home that night. Precisely what the space pirate was up to, Dimitria couldn’t yet figure out. Nothing had happened that she could see.
“Something up, Dimitria?” Alpha-6 asked, his own attention going over the sensors. He needed them, even if she didn’t, and for that reason she wanted them kept in full working order.
“Would it surprise you to learn that I am not entirely certain?” Phrasing what she needed others to know wasn’t always easy for her people, but if it could make them think, she was all for it. “Were you aware that Divatox drew near to Katherine and Tommy not very long ago?”
Alpha drew up in surprise and started for the monitors. “Are they okay? Why didn’t they say anything?”
“Could it be possible they were not aware of her presence?” Dimitria suspected that was the only reason; neither Kat nor Tommy would’ve just ignored Divatox if they knew she was there. The real question was why she was there in the first place.
Her assistant fiddled around with the monitors and alarms, running test after test. “Can’t find anything that she did. No monsters in the area. It’s like she just stared at them for a while.”
Dimitria considered that with all due care. “Would it not be wise to watch them over the next few days?”
“Probably right. Just because we can’t find something doesn’t mean Divatox didn’t do something.” Alpha shuffled about even more, muttering under his non-existent breath about how difficult it was to watch for something when they didn’t even know what they should be watching for.
Dimitria quite understood that. But being a Power Ranger, or one who guided the Rangers, was never easy. Nothing that involved the forces of evil on any level ever was.
Tommy parked his truck and headed up to his apartment, a vague sort of distance in his thoughts that was a little unusual. Normally after a date with Kat, she was all that was on his mind, the scent of her hair, the soft warmth of her skin, the sparkle in her eyes. But now, he couldn’t seem to bring any of that to mind, and even more unusual, he didn’t seem to care all that much.
Maybe it’s over? They’d had a fun time tonight, but looking back on it…well, something just didn’t seem the same anymore. It wasn’t something he could put his finger on, but it was there all the same. Or not there. He wasn’t sure which was which and he couldn’t muster up the interest to think about it very hard. Especially not when he had a race to win in the very near future.
That was really more important, anyway. He’d worked hard to get into the circuit and while they’d been kind of enjoyable, the time he took away to spend with Kat could be hampering his effectiveness just a little.
Well, it wouldn’t be the first time that he and someone else had broken up. At least this time he could do it in person, and it would be his choice on the matter.
He’d call her in the morning and bring it up. If he had the time. Right now, he stifled a yawn, and headed on to bed. Getting sleep was a lot more important than thinking about his love life, or about to be lack of.
Even though the Youth Center was traditionally where the students of Angel Grove congregated before, during, and after classes, it still welcomed those who had graduated. Most of them lent a hand around the place in some fashion or other, helping to clean up or to do stock whenever they had the chance. Which was why Jason and Rocky were now helping Jerome Stone get everything cleaned and sorted out. His ownership of the Youth Center was still somewhat new, only a few months old, and he wanted to make certain everything was in absolute order at all times.
“It’s kind of weird, you know,” Jason murmured under his breath to his fellow former Ranger. “I just am not used to seeing him behind the bar.”
“Yeah, I know.” Rocky pushed his broom carefully; he couldn’t haul the stock around the way Jason could, since his doctor still had him being very careful about how much he lifted or pushed around, but he could manage a broom well enough. “I keep looking over there and expecting to see Ernie.”
“You and me both.” Jason shook his head as he set a box of fruit destined to become smoothie ingredients on the counter. “I guess things change, though.”
Rocky nodded; Power Rangers knew that better than most, since their lives revolved around powers changing, teammates changing, and enemies changing. And, something he’d never considered before, even mentors changing.
He leaned back carefully, rubbing his forehead, and inspected his work. He didn’t get to Angel Grove as often as he wanted, not since he was still busy with his business classes in Stone Canyon, but he wanted to help out here. He’d spent a lot of good times in the Youth Center.
“Hey!” He looked up at the sound of Jason’s voice and grinned when he saw Kat coming in. “It’s been a while.”
“Yeah, I’ve been really busy.” Kat headed over to the bar even as she replied. “What about you guys? I haven’t seen you around.”
“Been busy.” Rocky swept a bit closer to her. “Just in town to get a few things from my parents’ before I head back to Stone Canyon.”
“I’ve been applying to a few schools.” Jason hadn’t made up his mind on exactly what he wanted to do with his life after graduation. Nothing had ever thrilled him to the point of commitment, not like being a Power Ranger had, anyway. He spent most of his time doing odd jobs around town, enjoying helping people wherever he could.
Kat nodded, settling down with the drink she’d ordered. “I’ve been working with the kids at school.” She took a quiet drink, eyes distant for a few moments. Whatever was on her mind, though, she said nothing of it, simply enjoying the company and her drink.
“What about Tommy?” Rocky asked, leaning against the counter. He’d done about all the sweeping he could do for the moment. The floor wouldn’t need it again until closing time. He hoped.
She blinked and shrugged, a sort of attitude that he couldn’t remember seeing from her before. “Driving, mostly.”
Rocky glanced toward Jason, and wasn’t surprised at all to see the flickers of worry going through those dark eyes. He knew Kat better than the ex-Gold Ranger did, but both of them could figure out easily that something about this was off. “I hear he’s been doing pretty well at that.”
“I didn’t expect him to end up like that.” Jason put in, taking a few steps closer. “I thought he’d probably end up with a martial arts studio.”
Rocky couldn’t help but nod in agreement; he would gladly have offered any of his friends a share in the one that he planned to start once he’d graduated college. Tommy would be an excellent teacher.
“I guess it is kind of a surprise.” Kat’s voice didn’t hold the fascinated interest that it had the last time they’d talked to her about her boyfriend. If anything, she seemed almost…uncaring? “You should probably talk to him about it, though.”
Again Rocky and Jason exchanged glanced, more and more concern rising between them. “Are you all right, Kat?” Jason asked finally. “You don’t quite seem like yourself.”
“I’m fine.” She blinked at the two of them, gaze flicking between them. “What makes you think I’m not?”
“Well, for one thing, you don’t usually brush off talking about Tommy like that.” Rocky pointed out.
“I what?” Kat shook her head in confusion. “I guess…well, I suppose I can tell you.” She adjusted her grip on the glass, looking down into it before returning her attention to them. “Tommy and I broke up this morning.”
There weren’t that many people in the Youth Center anyway, but even so, Jason and Rocky both felt as if a dead sort of quiet fell, deeper than could be accounted for with just a half-dozen or so there.
“What?” Jason uttered the word carefully, as if uncertain of what kind of reaction it might get. “I talked to him just the other day, he was…” He broke that off. “He didn’t say anything at all about it.”
“He might not have thought about it then.” Kat didn’t appear all that upset about it. “It’s probably for the best, though. It’s nothing to get worked up about.”
She looked into her glass and then toward where Jerome Stone stood. “Could I have another one, please? And make it to go, I need to get going.”
“Sure, Kat.” His look was as confused as Jason and Rocky both felt, but he moved along to fill her order anyway.
“Something is going on.” Jason kept his voice low as Kat paid for her drinks and headed out of the Youth Center. “This isn’t like either of them. Tommy…” He hesitated, then shook his head and shrugged. “He wanted to ask Kat about a promise ring.”
Rocky’s eyes widened and a quick grin flashed over his face. “Man, I’m always the last to know these things.” The grin faded in a matter of seconds, however. “So if they’re broken up now, then something really bad must’ve happened.”
“Right.” Jason’s gaze followed where Kat had left. “Wonder if it’s…” His eyes dropped for a moment to his right wrist. Every ex-Ranger still wore their communicator, or the new version that Billy made for them. It wasn’t something they used on a regular basis, but it was there in case any of them needed any help out of a tight situation. After a couple of his experiences with the Machine Empire, Billy wanted to make certain no one stood a chance of being captured by their enemies.
Rocky fidgeted a little. “Maybe we could go find out?” If this all turned out to be them overthinking things and making mountains out of molehills, it would probably be better if they didn’t involve too many other people with it.
“Wouldn’t hurt to ask.” Jason lifted his head and cleared his throat, getting Stone’s attention. “Hey, we’ve got to go. Something came up.”
The former police officer/detective nodded. “Sure. Thanks for the help, guys.”
“Our pleasure.” Rocky tossed the broom into the nearest closet and headed for the doorway. Teleporting from the entryway probably worked for Power Rangers, but he didn’t want to push his luck now that the Power wasn’t protecting them quite as much as it used to.
Behind them, a small periscope appeared in a pitcher of ice water, and far away, Divatox growled in fury.
“They’re going to wreck everything!” The pirate queen wanted to throw a temper tantrum and saw no reason to hold back. “Stop them! Stop them right now!”
Rygog stepped up, sword at the ready. “I can take some Piranhatrons to Earth. Those two aren’t Rangers anymore; this will be easy.”
“Do it! I don’t care if you catch them or not, just make sure they don’t get to the Power Chamber!” She ached to find out where that was; all of her tracking couldn’t locate it, and Rita and Zedd never wanted to answer her when she called them and demanded to know it. ‘Find it on your own’, they said. As if it were that easy.
She would find it, and when she did, she’d tear it to the ground, leaving not one stone on top of another. Perhaps she’d build herself a castle on the ruins. A sly, slow smile tilted her lips at the thought of that. Yes. That was exactly what she would do.
Until she found the Power Chamber, she’d have to content herself with just trashing the Rangers and everything about them any chance she got.
“Porto! How far along are you with that planet-sized emotion reverser? You’ve only got until lunchtime, you know!” If he lazed about and refused to give her what she wanted, she knew several very soft places on his hide that she could blast until he hurried up and obeyed her.
He stuck his head out of his workshop, fidgeting with every word he spoke. “I’m working on it, my queen. But I still think that you should-”
“I think you should shut up and get back to work.” Why did he continually attempt to tell her things that didn’t matter? Hadn’t he learned his lessons by now?
Well, no matter. He’d have it ready, she’d use it on the entire planet, and scoop up every single bit of gold, silver, jewelry, and money that she could get her hands on, and the Power Rangers still wouldn’t know what she was doing or how to stop her.
Maybe she’d even toss a detonator or two around, just to draw them off. Oh, I like the sound of that. She started to turn over the idea of just where one would really do the most damage and hit on it a second later. That very place those two annoying ex-Rangers had just left: the Youth Center. Perfect.
“It is so good to be the Queen.”
Jason and Rocky hurried behind the Youth Center, coming to a rest as soon as they were out of sight of everyone else. “I hope Dimitria can help.” Jason said; he’d only met her once, when all of the ex-Rangers were brought in to meet the new mentor. Seeing everyone else had really occupied more of his thoughts at the time, but he had the impression she was very, very different from Zordon.
“You and me both.” Rocky shook his head. “This is too strange, even for us.”
Jason lifted his communicator, about to call for Alpha to let him know they were coming, when a splash echoed around, and a group of fish faced warriors appeared before them. Leading them was a blue-shelled creature that he remembered from Murianthus.
“Rygog.” He tensed up at once, eyes flicking toward Rocky. “This is trouble. He works for Divatox.”
“Yeah, I remember hearing about him.” Rocky fell into a fighting stance just as Jason did. “Ready for this?”
“Always have been. What about you?” Jason knew quite well how Rocky’s back pained him still.
Rocky grinned at him, eyes dancing with the first flickers of battle. “I’m always ready for this.”
Two humans, without any Ranger powers at all, and one of them still recovering from a back injury from months earlier, against a group of Piranhatrons, some of the most powerful foot soldiers available in the universe, along with Rygog, known as one of the fiercest warriors in the cosmos.
Someone didn’t stand a chance. And it most certainly wasn’t Jason and Rocky. Jason started the battle with one of his best kicks toward Rygog; he’d seen the other fight before, and while he’d never had a chance to go up against him personally, there was something he wanted to try.
“Hey, Rygog! How do you move in that?” His foot slammed into Rygog’s chest, sending the alien warrior stumbling back a pace or two. “Because it looks to me like if you landed on your back, there’s no way for you to get up again!” He did a spin kick, quite gratified when it hit textbook pure and threw the other back yet again. Rygog still carried his sword and Jason didn’t have one - he’d never thought he’d miss the Power Sword as much as he did right now - so he needed to make certain the other didn’t get close enough to actually attack him with it.
A short distance away, Rocky did his best to fight without stressing his back out too much. He’d done as much therapy and painkillers as he could over the last few months, and he was healed enough to spar and work out, but battle was a different sort of situation altogether. Still, the more he moved, the easier he moved, and he couldn’t help a grin. This was almost like old times, fighting Putties or Tengas or Cogs.
Though he could’ve done without the odor of rotting fish in the air.
“You know, Divatox really must be up to something nasty if she’s sending a bunch of her goons after us just because we want to go to the Power Chamber!” Jason declared as he pounded yet again on Rygog’s shell. He hadn’t managed to get the warrior down yet, but he kept giving it his best, avoiding the swings of the sword as best that he could.
“That just means we have to get there as soon as we can!” Rocky ducked a Piranhatrons flying fist and slammed one of his own into the creature’s stomach with all of his strength, knocking it backwards.
“Really, now?” Divatox’s voice came from one side and both ex-Rangers backed off enough to get a look at her. “Do you two really think you can stop me?”
Jason didn’t take his eyes completely off Rygog; he had no idea of how much the other weighed, but it had to be impressive if a half-dozen of his best kicks and punches couldn’t get him off his feet. “What is it you’re up to, Divatox?”
“Is it really that important to you? Don’t you have some silly human things you should be doing?”
“If you’re messing with our friends, then it is important to us!” Rocky shot back, refusing to back down. “And you are up to something!”
“I never said I wasn’t.” Divatox lounged against a convenient tree, watching them. “I just said that you can’t stop me, and you can’t.”
“What are you up to?” Rocky took a step closer. “What did you do to Kat and Tommy?”
She laughed, a horrible sound that sent chills down both their spines. “You should ask what they did to me. Wrecking my wedding and daring to show off their perfect relationship.” Divatox all but spat the words out, a faint glow in the back of her eyes that kept them both wary. “If I can’t have a social life, then why can’t anyone else?”
Rocky and Jason exchanged a look. Jason looked back at Divatox, shaking his head. “You’re doing whatever you’re doing because you’re jealous of them?”
“Have you got any better reasons why I should do anything?” Divatox snorted before she waved one hand, calling in even more Piranhatrons, and Elgar to go with them. “Now, this is what you need to worry about.” She snapped her fingers and a slender device appeared between them. “I’m sure the Rangers have told you all about these. If you can find it, you can stop it. But can you find it before it goes off?”
A trickle of energy crawled all over the detonator before it vanished. “I don’t really think so. Get them!” Divatox snapped, and the new Piranhatrons, plus Elgar, charged into the fray, even as the ones already there started fighting.
Jason took a hard hit to the side, staggering back, breath swooshing out of him. “Rocky, I think we could use a little help here!”
“So do I. Got any on you?” Rocky’s back twinged harder, especially as more and more Piranhatrons circled in, and he couldn’t keep his eyes on all of them. None of them fought fairly, either, and it was all he could do to avoid getting hit too many times in the back.
“I think so!” Jason spin kicked, clearing just enough room for him to tap his communicator. “Power Chamber, this is Jason. Rocky and I are being attacked by Piranhatrons. Rangers, we need your help!”
Five different communicators beeped a few heartbeats later, and Alpha-6’s voice came over them all.
“Rangers, your friends Jason and Rocky are in some trouble behind the Youth Center. Better go lend a hand or they’re gonna be mush!”
Tommy pulled his car off the course and leaped out of it. “I gotta take care of something, I’ll be back as soon as I can be.” He tossed his helmet toward his manager and zipped out of sight.
In mere moments, five different colored beams of light touched down behind the Youth Center, to where Jason and Rocky still fought their hardest against Divatox’s minions, resolving into the forms of five already morphed Power Rangers. The evil queen herself still remained where she was, throwing orders here and there that few of them listened to, since they all amounted to the same thing of ‘beat them up!’
“Hey, Divatox!” Tommy shouted as soon as they touched down. “Why don’t you have your goons pick on someone else for a change?”
“Oh, like all of you? I’m all for it!” Divatox snapped one hand toward the Rangers. “Go get them!”
The school of Piranhatrons shot toward the new arrivals, leaving Rocky and Jason to catch their breath for the moment. Rygog and Elgar surged along, blades waving in the air.
“What is she up to this time?” Tanya wondered, ducking out of the way of one wildly waving fish fist and ramming her shoulder against another one. “She’s never attacked anyone like this before.”
“Once we get this done, we can ask her.” Adam put in, whirling around another one of the fish warriors. “She’ll probably want to stick around and gloat a little.”
Kat laughed a little, though there didn’t appear to be a great deal of humor in it. “They’re all like that. And I don’t even know why.”
“I don’t think even they do.” Tommy threw in his own opinion on the matter. For a brief moment, the Red and Pink Rangers stood and looked at each other. The moment lasted no more than that, since Rygog and Elgar slammed into the two of them.
“Hey, you two! Auntie D went to a lot of trouble to break you up, so no going back now!” Elgar declared, kicking Kat as hard as he could. The Pink Ranger moved away from the blow just in the nick of time, swinging back with all of her own strength.
“What are you talking about?” Behind her helmet, something stirred within Kat at those words. She shoved it aside for now; it was more important to finish the fight than worry over a relationship that ended that morning anyway. Still, it wasn’t easy to not think about, and the question came out of her before she could decide not to say it.
Elgar laughed, swiping his sword at her again. “Just what I said! Come on, you’re not that stupid, are you?”
“Elgar, shut up!” Divatox appeared behind him, seizing one of his large ears between her fingertips. “If I wanted them to know, I would’ve said something!”
Tommy shoved his way past Rygog to Divatox. “Well, I want to know what you’re talking about. So spill it!”
“Sorry, Rangers.” Divatox waved everyone back quickly. “But I think we’ve had enough of storytime for today. Maybe you’ll figure out everything later on. What do you say we meet up around lunch?”
Without waiting for an answer, she swept all of her forces away in a huge teleportation circle. The Rangers stared at where she was for a few moments, before all powering down and turning toward their friends.
“What was that all about?” Justin wanted to know. “I think that’s probably the weirdest fight I’ve ever seen.”
“We could tell you stories.” Jason grinned at the youngest Ranger before he looked back up at Tommy. “I think we do need to talk, though. Got any time?”
Tommy shook his head right away. “Sorry, I need to get back to the track. Unless the world’s about to end if we don’t.”
“I don’t think it is, but-” Rocky interrupted Jason before the other could finish what he was trying to say.
“Divatox set a detonator. Not sure where, but there’s one around somewhere. That’s more important.”
“Great.” Tommy bit back a sigh. “We’d better get to the Power Chamber and see what we can find out from there.”
Jason shifted closer. “We’re going with you. We found out Divatox might be up to something and I want to ask Dimitria if she can check into it.”
For a moment, it looked as if Tommy might turn down the offer. Then he shrugged. “All right. Whatever it is, it’s important enough to her that she attack you guys anyway. Better safe than sorry.”
Seven shimmering beams of light lifted out from behind the Youth Center, arcing across the sky to land in the Power Chamber. The moment they did, Jason stepped forward.
“Dimitria, I think Divatox has something to do with Kat and Tommy having broken up this morning. She’s bent out of shape because of what happened on Murianthus still, and Elgar said something about her being responsible for it anyway.”
“And she’s put a detonator somewhere in town to distract everyone from finding out what’s going on.” Rocky put in his own comment.
“Yo, yo, yo, Rangers…and ex-Rangers!” Alpha-6 waved his arms quickly. “One thing at a time. Detonator, you say?”
“Yeah.” Before Jason could say anything else on the matter, Tanya and Adam both moved to the back of the room.
“We’ve got this.” Each of them picked up something Jason recalled having been described to him as a Turbo Navigator and teleported out.
Dimitria’s warm gaze looked down on them all. “What does Divatox have to do with Katherine and Thomas’s affections for one another?”
“Just like I said.” Jason kept an eye on his friends, not liking how they didn’t even look at each other. That wasn’t like them. There was always some level of awareness between Tommy and Kat; not a constant touch, but a subtle acknowledgment similar to what he’d seen between himself and Emily. “She did something. I just don’t know what it is or how to fix it.”
Alpha shuffled over to one of the monitors. “This could be what she was doing down here last night, Dimitria. It would be just like her to mess around with someone else’s life.”
“Do you not think this could be a natural progression of their relationship? For do not many such end soon?” Dimitria posed the questions, still with an intent look on the ex-Rangers.
Jason folded his arms over his chest. “No way. I mean, a lot of people do break up, but Tommy, don’t you remember?” He glanced quickly at his best friend, who only looked back at him blankly. “Just last week you asked what I thought about you giving Kat a promise ring.”
He glanced for a moment to Kat, wondering what she thought of that, and winced a little at the equally blank look on her own face. It didn’t look right at all, which spoke far more eloquently than anything else about Divatox being at the root of all of this.
“Alpha-6, could you scan both of them to determine if their minds have been affected by an outside source?”
At Dimitria’s word, Alpha rummaged around until he found one of the scanners and waved it over both of them. Everyone else stood in silence, waiting for the results. A series of beeps emitted from the device and Alpha checked the readout.
“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a winner here. Can’t be sure of what caused it, but there’s some kind of altered brainwaves or something going on here.” Alpha peered more at the screen. “It’ll take a while to figure it out, but you guys still should be in love with each other.”
Kat and Tommy glanced only briefly toward one another, then back to Dimitria. Kat spoke up first. “I don’t feel like I’m in love with him.”
“Same here. I mean, I don’t feel like I’m in love with her.” Tommy scratched his head and shrugged. “I’m going to help look for that detonator.”
“Yeah, me too.” Kat stepped over to get her own Turbo Navigator. The two streaks of light that were her and Tommy vanished, each going in a different direction once they left the Power Chamber itself.
Rocky drew in a deep breath, clenching his fists. “How long is it going to take to figure out what Divatox did?”
“Shouldn’t be too long.” Alpha hooked up the scanner to one of the computers. “You guys should probably head back to Angel Grove. We’ll keep an eye out for any trouble on this end.”
Jason nodded, somewhat reluctantly. He didn’t like this, but there wasn’t much else that they could do for now.
“Porto!” The word exploded out of Divatox almost as soon as she arrived back on the Subcraft. “Is it done yet?”
“It’s not lunchtime yet, my queen.” Porto hedged. “And we still need to choose a monster that can defend it from the Power Rangers.”
“I don’t care that it isn’t lunchtime. I want it ready and I want it ready now. And just pick some monster, it doesn’t matter which one.” Divatox stalked back and forth, muttering darker words under her breath. She hated it when people found out her plans too soon, and if she hadn’t shut Elgar up, that was exactly what would’ve happened.
How are we related? That probably could be listed under questions that they would never have an answer to, along with how Elgar managed to get himself out of the volcano and back to the Subcraft.
Porto hesitated before he answered. “It will be ready shortly.” He ducked back into his workshop, strange and loud noises coming from it moments later. Divatox ignored them all, trying to decide instead which banks she would get to first. Or perhaps she could delve into some old museums for rare treasures there. There were so many wonderful options. All she would have to do was fight off the Power Rangers.
Unless, of course, the device could also make certain they lost interest in protecting the Earth.
“I think…I think…” Tanya looked around, trying to find anything that even vaguely resembled a detonator. Divatox was very skilled at hiding them due to all the practice she had, but the Rangers were just as skilled at finding them. “I think I have no idea of where it could be.”
Adam offered a rueful grin. “Neither do I. This one’s really well-hidden.” He didn’t say what they both knew; that they had to find it or wherever it was hidden would be revealed with a very loud bang and quite a bit of damage.
“It’s kind of weird that Divatox would do that to Kat and Tommy.” Tanya mused as they kept searching. It was somewhere in the vicinity of the Youth Center; they’d pegged it down that much at least. Kat and Tommy were checking farther out, just to be safe, while Justin looked around inside the Youth Center itself. He’d told them everything that happened after they left the Power Chamber.
“I guess some people are never happy if anyone else is happy.” Adam checked his readouts again. All he could be certain of was that it was in range of the Navigator, not where it was or what it could be disguised as. Much less how much time they had before it blew.
Probably a good thing she likes to use them as distractions and not to actually blow up something. She always left enough time on her detonators so that the Rangers could find them and get rid of them. He wasn’t going to complain about that.
They had to hurry on this; not just because of the detonator running down, but there was only so much time that any of them could spend away from their jobs. Adam saw more and more why Rangers were best chosen as teenagers, at least on Earth. Even though most of them technically still were teenagers, they didn’t have the same free time they had before graduation.
Something brilliant all but exploded in the sky and the first thought through Adam’s mind was that the detonator had gone off. He and Taniya both looked up to see what could only be one of Divatox’s monsters hovering up there, a huge creature that resembled some kind of flying dump truck. In its hands it held some kind of huge device.
“All right, Power Rangers!” Divatox’s voice rang from all over. He didn’t know how she did it and he didn’t care. “It’s time for all of you, and everyone else on this miserable little planet, to stop caring! Hit it, Dumptron!”
Man, Divatox is scraping the bottom of the barrel with this guy. That was all Adam had time to think before the monster reached to hit a button on the device. A pale beam, almost nothing more than a ripple through the air, began to pour outward from the needle tip of the device, washing over anyone it could reach.
“What is that thing?” Thoughts of the detonator put aside for the moment, the five Rangers gathered outside of the Youth Center, doing what they could to avoid being hit for right now.
“No idea, Justin.” Tanya shook her head. “But I don’t think getting hit by it’s a good idea.”
“Yo, Rangers!” Alpha’s voice came over the communicator. “That thing’s a bigger version of what hit Kat and Tommy. If it nails you, then you stop caring about whatever’s really important to you. You gotta get rid of it!”
That told them all that they needed to know. Kat hesitated, though. “What about the detonator?”
“Don’t worry about it.” This was Jason’s voice over the communicator now. “Alpha’s giving us what your Navigators picked up so we can track it down while you guys take care of that monster.”
“Thanks, guys.” Tommy’s voice warmed more than it had since this entire debacle began. “Be careful.”
“We’re just looking for something that can blow up a couple of city blocks. You’re fighting Divatox’s monster. We’re not the ones who need to be careful.” Rocky teased.
The five Rangers got ready to get down to business. “Shift into Turbo!” Tommy declared, and the battle began in moments.
Dumptron kept on blasting anyone that got in range; the moment the beam hit someone, they stopped in their tracks, a vague look entering their eyes, before moving onward, a vital spark missing now. Tommy tried not to look too hard at them; it reminded him far too much of how he felt right now every time he looked at Kat. It wasn’t a huge ripping gash in his soul, but more of a faint little twitch that something wasn’t right in his world, and he didn’t know what to do about it except not look at her.
“Red Ranger!” Dumptron whirled and released one arm from holding the device to point at him with one taloned finger. “So I hear you dumped your girlfriend! Now I’m gonna dump you!”
“You know, one day I’m not going to have to listen to all these ridiculous puns you monsters come up with!” Tommy groused; he could hardly wait for that day to come. Just another couple of months…
He didn’t have time for another thought, since the monster charged toward him swiftly, knocking him backwards with one hit. He stayed on his feet, though, and rushed around to try attacking from another angle. The other Rangers joined in, weapons, fists, and feet slashing at the monster and trying to get hold of the device all at the same time.
There weren’t many battles where Tommy couldn’t figure out what was going on for the most part. He generally kept his head in them and watched everything to some degree. This one was the exception. Piranhatrons swarmed everywhere, making it even more difficult to keep track of what was going on. Rygog and Elgar joining in the confusion didn’t make matters any better.
What he did manage to do was kick Dumptron’s arm hard enough to knock the device out of it, sending it spinning to the ground. He didn’t hesitate another second; regardless of what he felt at the moment, no one deserved to have what they felt for anyone or anything taken out of their control. Tommy pulled out his Turbo Sword and slashed it through the device, cleaving it in two.
All over the city, the people affected stopped where they were, looking around curiously as affections they thought for a few minutes didn’t matter anymore surged back through them. Some few could still see the Power Rangers fighting the monster, and were experienced enough to realize what had happened and that it was a very good idea to move out of the way. So they did just that.
“Okay, it’s supposed to be around here somewhere.” Rocky looked around for anything out of place. They could still hear the sounds of battle, thin and tinny through the Youth Center’s walls, and it made him want to get this done all the quicker.
Jason moved closer to the bar, noticing that Jerome hadn’t moved the box of ingredients he’d put there earlier yet. Something tickled in the back of his mind and he hurried over there, Rocky only a few steps behind him.
“Got anything?”
“I don’t know.” Jason peered into the box, trying to remember what he’d seen there before and what he hadn’t. It only took a moment to put it all together.
What he hadn’t seen was the slender detonator and its ominous red numbers counting down with under a minute to spare. He snatched it out quickly and pelted for the outside, hissing into his communicator in the same breath.
“Alpha, I’ve got it!” Quick as he could, he tossed it high into the air, just as the Power Rangers sliced through Dumptron. The explosion of the detonator and that of the monster mixed together, and Jason relaxed. They’d won again.
“Everyone who got zapped by the big machine is back to normal. Now we just have to fix up these two.” Alpha gestured to where Kat and Tommy stood awkwardly next to one another.
Jason rubbed his chin, staring at them. “Can we? Wouldn’t we have to destroy the little one too?” That would be all but impossible; Divatox likely wouldn’t let it out of her sight.
Alpha shook his head at that. “Not according to the scans I did. There are two ways to put things back to normal. One of them is just to wait. The effects of that machine wear off in a couple of days.”
Tension neither Kat nor Tommy wanted to acknowledge eased out of them, and everyone else. “What’s the other way?” Kat wondered. She wasn’t sure if the nervousness that slid through her was because of Divatox’s machine’s effects or her own reactions. She hated feeling like that; it reminded her too much of being Rita’s pawn.
If Alpha had possessed a mouth capable of smiling, every last one of the teens there knew that he would have. “Simple. All you two gotta do is plant one on each other and you’ll be good as new!”
Kat and Tommy shot a quick look between them. Kat spoke up first. “All right.” The part of her that she knew was affected by the device didn’t want to. Why bother? What did it matter?
The part of her that didn’t want to let control slip away to anyone else knew better.
Tommy only nodded before he stepped toward her. Their arms slid around one another and heads tilted closer. Their lips touched one another, gently at first, then with increasing passion. Their arms tightened and everyone else felt a sudden urge to look away and give them some privacy.
“I don’t believe this! They did it again!” Divatox stomped up and down the bridge, trying to figure out where it had all gone wrong. “Porto! This is all your fault! I don’t know how yet, but it’s all your fault!”
Porto shuffled his feet and looked down. It wasn’t the admittance of guilt she wanted, but she’d take it for right now. She turned toward her periscope, wondering if the Rangers had yet returned to somewhere she could spy on them.
“At least Kat and Tommy are broken up. That’s something!” She’d take what she could from this disaster.
“Uh, my queen…” Porto shifted more. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”
Divatox waved a hand; she had more time to listen to his babble now. “What is it?”
“The device’s effects aren’t permanent. They’ll wear off in just a couple of days. Or sooner, under the right circumstances.”
Divatox’s scream of rage could be heard on the far side of Angel Grove. The only one that dwarfed it was the one she howled when she saw Kat and Tommy snuggled up to one another in his apartment after his successful race the following weekend.
The End