1992 Valencia Rd. - Early Evening
Tommy's only been vaguely aware of the events of the past couple days, though it's not for lack of paying attention. He's been almost mind-numbingly bored; pondering the question of how the amber is sustaining him lost its interest very soon after he'd started to think about it.
One thing he has been able to deduce is that earlier today, the other Rangers had come into contact with some sort of meteorite. Another is that proximity to the object had caused a 180-degree flip in their personalities. Ethan had become obsessed with bodybuilding, Kira had gone from punk to primped and preened, and Conner had actually opened a book, at least one not related to soccer, voluntarily.
Right now they seem to be clustered nearby, and he can hear the muffled hum of their chatter; they sound like their old selves again, and Tommy breathes a sigh of relief. They're saying something about a fragment of the meteor, an object that they determined would draw out a person's inner self, or at least an aspect of their personality not being realised.
"Hey, since the meteor changed Trent to good, couldn't we use it to fight the effects of the Dino Gem?" That from Kira.
"It might work," Hayley replies, "but let's try this, first."
"Come on, Hayley!" That from Ethan, and Tommy has to agree. They'd be screwed without that woman; he'd learned how beneficial having a non-Ranger as the team's devoted techno whiz could be back when he'd been the leader of the ZEO team.
The next thing that registers is the pink bolt of energy hitting him right in the face, and Tommy wonders if Hayley really had to aim it at his head. After all, they still don't know if it will work. But that suddenly doesn't matter as his vision suddenly clears and he feels the amber melting away from his arms and torso. Then there's a sudden shower of sparks and smoke as the machine generating the energy beam that's freeing him overloads.
Too preoccupied with the fact that he can actually move to pay attention to the rest of the team, Tommy shifts on his feet for the first time in two days, muscles complaining loudly. He doesn't care; he's too happy to be free of the amber prison again. The others surge forward, and behind his helmet Tommy is grinning like a maniac. He knew they'd do all right.
"Good job, guys!" There, congratulations made. Now, time to get out of his damn uniform. "Power Down!"
To Tommy's immediate and acute distress, absolutely nothing happens. No surge of energy, no sudden feeling of his civilian clothing against his skin. He looks at one gloved hand, then the other, and tries again.
"I said, Power Down!"
The look of alarm on the others' faces speaks volumes, and he knows that behind his helmet, the helmet that refuses to go away, he's wearing the same one.
-Oh, SHIT. No, this can't be happening, oh Christ, what if that meteor decided this was my inner self and I'm stuck like this forever?- Tommy looks at his hands, alarm klaxons going off inside his head even though he manages to keep his voice relatively calm for the team's sake.
"I think we might have a problem."
-And that's the understatement of the century.-
One thing he has been able to deduce is that earlier today, the other Rangers had come into contact with some sort of meteorite. Another is that proximity to the object had caused a 180-degree flip in their personalities. Ethan had become obsessed with bodybuilding, Kira had gone from punk to primped and preened, and Conner had actually opened a book, at least one not related to soccer, voluntarily.
Right now they seem to be clustered nearby, and he can hear the muffled hum of their chatter; they sound like their old selves again, and Tommy breathes a sigh of relief. They're saying something about a fragment of the meteor, an object that they determined would draw out a person's inner self, or at least an aspect of their personality not being realised.
"Hey, since the meteor changed Trent to good, couldn't we use it to fight the effects of the Dino Gem?" That from Kira.
"It might work," Hayley replies, "but let's try this, first."
"Come on, Hayley!" That from Ethan, and Tommy has to agree. They'd be screwed without that woman; he'd learned how beneficial having a non-Ranger as the team's devoted techno whiz could be back when he'd been the leader of the ZEO team.
The next thing that registers is the pink bolt of energy hitting him right in the face, and Tommy wonders if Hayley really had to aim it at his head. After all, they still don't know if it will work. But that suddenly doesn't matter as his vision suddenly clears and he feels the amber melting away from his arms and torso. Then there's a sudden shower of sparks and smoke as the machine generating the energy beam that's freeing him overloads.
Too preoccupied with the fact that he can actually move to pay attention to the rest of the team, Tommy shifts on his feet for the first time in two days, muscles complaining loudly. He doesn't care; he's too happy to be free of the amber prison again. The others surge forward, and behind his helmet Tommy is grinning like a maniac. He knew they'd do all right.
"Good job, guys!" There, congratulations made. Now, time to get out of his damn uniform. "Power Down!"
To Tommy's immediate and acute distress, absolutely nothing happens. No surge of energy, no sudden feeling of his civilian clothing against his skin. He looks at one gloved hand, then the other, and tries again.
"I said, Power Down!"
The look of alarm on the others' faces speaks volumes, and he knows that behind his helmet, the helmet that refuses to go away, he's wearing the same one.
-Oh, SHIT. No, this can't be happening, oh Christ, what if that meteor decided this was my inner self and I'm stuck like this forever?- Tommy looks at his hands, alarm klaxons going off inside his head even though he manages to keep his voice relatively calm for the team's sake.
"I think we might have a problem."
-And that's the understatement of the century.-