Pawns

Chapter Ten: The Truth

Jason sat heavily on a tree stump, cradling his face in his hands.

His little sister was gone.

Immediately after Kimberly disappeared, Jason had ushered the Liarians out of the cave. While his conscience ate at him through the entire retreat, he bowed to simple logic.

That was how he convinced himself to leave. When they'd reached the bottom of the volcano, they'd found Bulk and Skull, still wandering in a detached daze, muttering about the "pretty go boom."

That innocent comment brought a world of terror into Jason's heart, as a bitter reality struck him. That's a volcano! The entire temple could erupt!

And moments later… it did. The mountain erupted, its ferocious lava and ash swallowing all the Piranhatrons, Divatox, the natives… and Kimberly.

Had Jason eaten anything recently, it surely would've seen daylight again. "I should've followed her," he murmured. "Should've tried harder! She didn't kill me… maybe she couldn't bring herself to kill me? Maybe she remembered how close we are?"

He jumped when he felt warmth enclose his knee. Perplexed, he gazed into the large, friendly eyes of Yara, who gently rubbed his knee with her furry hand.

She gurgled something, yet Jason couldn't understand. "I'm sorry, I don't speak… whatever it is you speak."

She turned to her husband. Lerigot approached, gurgled something to her, and then beckoned Jason.

Jason obeyed, sliding onto his knees so he was approximately eye to eye with the Liarians. Lerigot reached out, touching his stout fingertips to Jason's forehead. Suddenly, he was once again staring into flaming eyes, so engulfed with outrage, fire actually leaked from the corner of her eye… almost like teardrops.

"You're right," Jason sighed, his shoulders drooping, "She was too angry with me to listen to anything I had to say. If I'd followed her back into the temple, she'd have either killed me, or knocked me out… and then I would've been caught in the explosion. Either way, we'd both be dead."

Lerigot nodded assuredly, and pointed one finger toward the sky. Jason followed his direction, squinting against the brilliant afternoon sun.

"Divatox's ship!" he realized, a sudden weight lifted off his heart, "If Divatox made it, maybe Kim did too!"

Galvanized, Jason leapt to his feet. "Lerigot, can you watch Bulk and Skull for me? I'm gonna check the-"

His words died when the Turbo Megazord flew overhead, slowly approaching the ground. And suddenly, Jason's throat closed anew.

* * *

"Tommy," Justin reported, a frown pinching his young face, "I'm picking up a vessel just reaching Earth's outer atmosphere."

"It's Divatox's ship," Tanya noted. "Should we pursue?"

Tommy didn't even pause to consider. "No. She's moving away from Earth, so she's no longer a threat to us. Now we have to find Kim, Jason, and the Liarians."

Tommy's eyes slid toward the towering mountain at the center of the island, where a plume of thick smoke polluted the sky. He swallowed his breath. "Any reading yet?"

Katherine fought against a sigh. "N…nothing yet."

"The scan is thrown off by the lava," Adam contributed, "We can't make out any body heat."

Just then, a flash of light streaked across the view screen, directly into the sky. The Rangers watched as the streak then exploded into bright fireworks.

"Lerigot!" Kat realized, "He sent up a flare!"

"Tracing the origin now…" Justin stated, "Yup, I found 'em!"

The main screen focused on a small clearing over a mile away from the volcano. The Rangers released a collective sigh as they saw Jason on his feet, waving frantically to get their attention. The three Liarians were huddled together nearby.

A worried frown creased Tommy's face. "Kat, how many life signs are down there?"

"Six."

Justin grimaced. "Six? How's that possible?"

"Maybe there's a native in the bushes," Tommy supposed, unlatching his seatbelt, "I'll get them."

* * *

Jason watched as the Megazord gently lowered to the ground feet first. No sooner did the titanic Zord touch down did a form in red emerge from the cockpit.

Jason's dark eyes followed as the Red Ranger dove for the ground, landing easily on his feet as if he had just taken a step.

"You okay, Jason?" Tommy asked.

Jason keenly felt the distance his best friend maintained between them, so he did nothing to close the gap. "The Liarians and I got out long before the volcano exploded-"

Tommy's breath hitched at the connotation. Whirling on his toes, he quickly scanned the entire area.

He frowned in disbelief when he saw two familiar people lingering in a tree branch nearby. "Is that Bulk and Skull?"

"Yeah, they, uh… were kidnapped by Divatox first. When she realized they weren't… 'pure' enough… she nabbed Kim and me instead." He cleared his throat. "Bro-"

"Don't call me that," Tommy murmured. "Where's Kim?"

Jason swallowed the lump that clogged his throat when he heard Tommy's answer. The words were spoken without anger… only a deep hurt. Jason instantly knew he would've preferred anger.

"She fought me, Tommy. She woke up, demanded I let her go, and ran back to the temple."

For a long moment, Tommy didn't even breathe. He stood perfectly still, his helmet angled towards Jason, yet his eyes were indiscernible.

Then, he slowly inclined his head toward the remains of the mountain, smoldering under rivers of lava and columns of dense smoke.

"Tom, listen to me," Jason said sternly, "Divatox got away. I saw her ship! So if she survived, Kim probably did."

After another eternal moment, Tommy slowly lifted his wrist to his mouth. "Do you read?"

^Justin here.^

"Send down the Megazord hand, and pick up Jason and the others. Once they're inside and secure, I want you to follow me with the Megazord."

^Follow you…?^

^…with the Megazord. And I want you to keep searching for life signs. Run every search we're capable of… heartbeat monitor, body heat, the works. When you run out of ideas, contact Zordon for more. And while you're doing that, the rest of the Rangers will join me at the volcano. We'll dig by hand.^

There was silence on the other end of the communicator, as the new Blue Ranger digested the hidden message behind Tommy's request.

It was Katherine who spoke. ^What… are we looking for?^

He didn't respond. Instead, he looked again at the volcano and broke into a supersonic run… vanishing in a blur of red motion.

* * *

The Rangers spent hours searching the rubble of the temple. Adam, Katherine, and Tanya combed the forest immediately surrounding the volcano, and searched along the perimeter of the temple. Only Tommy went inside, refusing company despite Kat's repeated offer. He cut through the smoke filled, overheated tunnels, often coming to a dead end as rivers of lava, debris from collapsed ceilings, or both blocked his way. Yet he managed to meander to the main room, which was completely flooded with the lava that spewed from the pit.

His heart in his throat, he scoured every nook and cranny in the labyrinth, until the smoke was so heavy even his headlights couldn't illuminate his way.

Completely crushed, he emerged from the volcano, blackened but uninjured.

The search went on well past sunset, all the Rangers beyond the point of exhaustion. Yet despite the frustration and hopelessness, none had the heart to voice even the smallest discontent to their leader.

Jason remained in the Megazord, the search area being far too hazardous for a normal human to sustain. He sat with Justin, suggesting further scans, and consulting with Zordon.

In the end, it was the sage himself who put into words what no one else dared. ^JUSTIN… PATCH ME IN TO TOMMY.^

The Blue Ranger gulped in a breath, trading anxious glances with Jason. Then, his fingers nervously toying with the helmet resting on his lap, he did as his mentor requested.

^Tommy here.^

^TOMMY, WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE SEARCH?^

Silence. Then: ^We're trying to put the fire out so we can take a better look in the tunnels, but that's it.^

^JUSTIN AND JASON HAVE EXHAUSTED ALL THE SCANS AVAILABLE. I'M AFRAID NOTHING HAS TURNED UP.^

^Yet.^

Zordon sighed… a strange sound coming from a being locked in a time-warp. ^I WISH YOU ALL TO RETURN TO THE POWER CHAMBER IMMEDIATELY.^

^But we're not-!^

^TOMMY.^ There was infinite patience, as well as deep understanding, in that soothing-yet-stern voice. ^PLEASE… RETURN TO BASE. WE CAN BETTER ASSESS OUR OPTIONS WITH YOU ALL HERE.^

^Zordon,^ Tommy's voice was pleading, ^just getting back will take all night! What if Kim's trapped under debris, or blocked off by lava streams?^

^NOW THAT YOU HAVE LERIGOT, YOU WILL NOT NEED TO TAKE THE GHOST GALLION. HE CAN OPEN THE BARRIER WHILE ABOARD THE MEGAZORD, SO IF YOU TRAVEL AT THE FASTEST SPEED, YOU WILL REACH THE POWER CHAMBER IN APPROXIMATELY HALF AN HOUR. CONSIDERING HOW MANY HOURS YOU'VE SPENT SEARCHING, THE LIKELIHOOD OF YOU FINDING ANYTHING WITHIN THE THAT TIMEFRAME IS SLIM AT BEST.^

Harsh reality; but spoken so gently, so patiently… it was nearly painless.

Nearly.

^I'll stay here-^

^THE POWER RANGERS NEED THEIR LEADER… NOW MORE THAN EVER.^

And with those ten words, Zordon miraculously induced reason in the stricken young man. For all of Tommy's distractions and concerns, he couldn't deny that, as Red Ranger, he had an obligation to his team. He had to maintain good sense, if for no other reason than to assure them that their newest challenge could be met.

Finally, an answer. ^Okay. Justin?^

The boy blinked, suddenly guilty for eavesdropping on the conversation… though of course, all the Rangers below heard everything as well. "Yes, Tommy?"

^Bring the Megazord around and pick us up. We're going home.^

* * *

Jason took a deep breath, steeling himself for the confrontation. He couldn't deny his best friend's response to the term "Bro," the nickname they'd called each other for most of their acquaintance, hurt like a physical wound.

I can't take this… I need to apologize, make him understand that it was all the spell talking…we need to come to terms before we get back to the Power Chamber. Before the situation gets any worse. He took a deep breath. Unless a miracle happened, when the truth hits him, he's gonna need me if he's gonna cope. And… I'll need him.

It was hard enough facing the possibility of Kim's death… to do so while at odds with his best friend was beyond torture.

Finally resolved, Jason returned to the bridge… the first time since the Turbo Rangers returned from the volcano. "Tommy, we need to talk."

The Red Ranger, the only one still in full uniform, didn't turn around. "Later."

Jason stood his ground. "We need to talk now," the former Red Ranger pressed. He kept his gaze on Tommy, but he could feel the stares of the other Rangers.

Then, Tommy stiffly rose to his feet. "Fine."

Wordlessly, Tommy strode passed Jason. Jason followed, and soon the two were in the onboard barracks.

Tommy stepped inside first, and spread his arms apart. A red surge of energy flooded his body, then receded into his wrist-mounted Turbo Morpher. He pulled the key from the unit, and slid it into his pocket.

Then, he sat heavily upon the closest cot. "Talk."

Jason found himself speechless, as he stared at Tommy's face for the first time since the fight with Maligore. He'd hidden behind his crimson helmet throughout the search, working beyond physical limits to find her… while all the time, hiding his tears behind the wall of leadership.

Tommy didn't seem to care about his appearance now. In front of Jason, the façade of the indomitable leader was pointless. His tears were allowed. "I thought you had something to say."

That comment, muttered with a touch of animosity, pulled Jason out of his stupor. The larger man folded his arms, squeezing his muscles in a desperate attempt to release some of the tension. "Tommy, you have to believe me… I didn't mean what I said back there. None of it was true."

Tommy's face hovered parallel to the floor, and he laced his fingers together. "You're talking to the expert in evil spells," he said. His voice lacked even a hint of humor. "You don't have to explain how they work. What you experienced wasn't like the spells I'd been under."

Jason frowned his confusion. "How do you figure?"

"This was personal."

Tommy stayed silent, letting his epiphany sink in. Jason looked thunderstruck. "What?"

"When I was Rita's pawn, I wanted to kill you because Rita wanted me to kill you. I didn't have anything against you, so the feelings weren't mine. After the spell was over, I remembered wanting to kill you, but none of that anger lingered. When Gasket brainwashed me, he convinced me I was the Machine King. I wanted to kill you because you were a threat to my kingdom. But today, you wanted to kill me because you were angry with me. You even told me why… because I 'stole your role.'"

Jason grimaced as his own words were thrown back at him. He'd hoped against hope Tommy would've just dismissed everything he'd said; but he found himself unable to avoid a stomach-turning confession.

Midnight eyes turned away, as if suddenly intrigued by the drab gray paneling of the room. "You… you're right," he conceded, releasing a long breath, "There was a kernel of truth in that. But I wasn't angry at you… I was angry at the situation. I never understood why Zordon made you the leader in my stead. It… hurt. And I guess a small part of me turned that frustration into resentment. A small part."

He rubbed his temples. "The spell… Divatox said Maligore would steal my purity. And when we fell into the fire, it felt like the Flame of Destruction got under my skin, into my heart. It erased all positive feelings, muted my conscience, and made me see the world through a red lens. I looked at you… and was enraged that you'd ruined my career as a Ranger." He shook his head slowly. "I didn't even consider the fact I left two weeks later to Geneva, and therefore would've given up the leadership anyway. It was completely irrational… selective memory with the sole purpose of making me hurt people, and feed the Flame."

Jason waited for some response from Tommy, some kind of acknowledgement of his explanation. Words of forgiveness or understanding. When none was given, he continued. "I'm really, truly sorry for everything I said. Please believe me… what I said was intended to hurt you. It didn't reflect what I really think of you."

Courageously, he lifted his gaze. Now, Tommy's eyes were staring right at him. Jason managed to meet the intense gaze. "There's something else," he realized.

Tommy got right to the point. "How exactly would you describe your relationship with Kim?"

The complete lack of inflection in his voice was nearly frightening. But all one had to do was look into Tommy's eyes… at the strain that caused his face to twitch, to see how difficult it was for him to voice this question.

Jason would have laughed at the utter ridiculousness of Tommy's fears had the situation been different. But he'd already been prepared for that question.

"She's my little sister," Jason answered, without any hesitation that could be misconstrued as dishonesty. "We've been friends for over half our lives, and throughout all that time, I've never thought of her as anything other than friend, sister, and teammate."

"Never." Tommy repeated. His disbelief was almost palpable.

Jason permitted the smallest of grins. "She's not my type. She's too… cutesy."

The former Ranger had hoped his slight irreverence could have warmed the room just a few degrees… but Tommy was far too grave to find any humor in his comment.

"Tommy, I swear Kim and I aren't seeing each other. Man, you know I'm starting to get serious with Emily!"

Actually, in typical Tommy fashion, he'd forgotten all about the pretty blonde Jason had been seeing both during and after his stint as the Gold Ranger. That piece of evidence did tilt the scales in Jason's favor… why would he invest so much time and attention in Emily if he had any romantic interest in Kim?

Finally, Tommy relented. He heaved a deep breath, and fell backwards onto the cot he was sitting on. Jason stared at his best friend, watching him take deep, contemplative breaths, rubbing his face with his hands.

"So… am I forgiven?" Jason ventured.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Bro."

And then, Jason realized the truth. He didn't even care about the spell! The only reason he couldn't even look at me was Kim?

It was incredible… Tommy could wave away all the hurtful words Jason had uttered, even though there was a deep-seated resentment beneath them all. Tommy found no reason to hold any of it against him. All his frustration, the distance Tommy kept between them after the spell had been broken, had all been because he misunderstood Jason's relationship with Kim?

"I'm sorry, Jase," Tommy sighed, staring up at the ceiling, "I… just needed to hear it from you to really believe it."

"What would give you the idea Kim and I were dating?" Jason wondered, truly dumbstruck.

"I saw you hugging her at the Games." The slightly petulant tone proved even Tommy realized that was pretty flimsy evidence.

"You're kidding."

Tommy sat up, and began chewing his lip as he struggled to express himself. "I know it was dumb… but I just didn't get it. I watched the tape of the Games to figure out which guy was her new boyfriend, and you were the only person she got close to during the entire broadcast."

For a fleeting moment, Jason actually considered smacking his best friend upside the head. "What makes you think she's got a new boyfriend? Sheesh, Tom… she's been a train wreck ever since you guys broke up."

Tommy stared at his best friend, brow furrowed in confusion. He could see the accusation lingering in Jason's ebony eyes. "She told me she had a new boyfriend. Why'd you think she broke up with me?"

Both young men stared at each other, puzzling through the tidbits of information that just didn't seem to fit together.

"She… broke up with you?" Jason repeated.

Tommy nodded slowly.

"Seriously?"

That brought a frown to Tommy's face. "Why would I lie about it?"

"When did she break up with you? Over Christmas?"

Tommy took a steadying breath. It still hurt to talk about it- which is why he never did discuss it with his best friend. Or anyone else, for that matter. "No… she sent me a letter." He took another breath, keeping his eyes on Jason's face to measure his reaction. "She wrote that she'd met someone new… someone she'd rather be with."

Jason wouldn't have been more shocked if Tommy had suddenly declared the Earth was flat. He fell upon the cot opposite his best friend, suddenly too overwhelmed to stand on his own power. "Let me get this straight: Kim sent you a Dear John letter?"

Tommy nodded mutely.

"When?"

"I got it right before Valentine's weekend."

Jason buried his face in his palms, slowly picking through his memory of his volatile conversation with Kim before the Pan Globals.

She was in such pain that night, it was overwhelmingly clear how much she suffered, due to Tommy's neglect.

"Why didn't you call her?"

Tommy stared at Jason as if he had suddenly asked the color of the sky. "Jase, she sent me a Dear John letter! What would I say to her… 'Please Kim, take me back'?"

"You could have asked for an explanation."

Tommy chuckled humorlessly. "She gave me an explanation, and believe me… I didn't want too much information of how perfect that Adonis is."

The Red Ranger took a deep breath, calming his frazzled nerves. "If she wanted to talk to me about it, she would've called me."

The same reasoning…Jason realized, squeezing the bridge of his nose. For an absurd moment, he considered pinching himself. This just can't be happening…

"Jase?"

No doubt Tommy saw the terrible despair that crossed his face. Jason closed his eyes tightly, trying to collect his thoughts and let the bomb drop as gently as possible.

His best friend had the right to hear the other side of the matter.

"Kim told me what happened."

Tommy didn't move. He kept his wide, red-rimmed eyes focused on Jason… eager to get some insight into the most painful moment of his life.

"We talked about it right before the Games," he continued, "It was the first time I'd seen her for months. I noticed she was… different. Frankly, she was miserable; though she was trying to hide it."

"Did that new guy dump her?" Tommy groused. His tone was heavy… but with what, Jason couldn't quite tell. Was Tommy angry at Kimberly, or at the 'new guy' for daring to hurt her?

Jason stopped trying to read too deeply into Tommy's reaction, and continued. "She told me that you two had split on bad terms. It was never official, but when you stopped calling her, you made it clear that you didn't care for her anymore."

Tommy's face folded in anger. "What the hell are you talking about? I didn't stop calling her!"

"You didn't? You just said you got a letter in February, and never spoke to her again."

Tommy's jaw hung in outrage. "Didn't you hear me? She fell in love with someone else!! Why would I make a follow-up call?"

"You didn't call her on Thursday, the day you usually called her-"

"Of course not! She-!"

Once again, Jason's glare shut the Red Ranger up.

"She was hurt you didn't call, but figured it was because her birthday was the following day. You never called her then, so she called you."

"Well, she didn't call me-"

Tommy stopped short, his words dying on his lips when realization dawned on him. "I wasn't home that weekend. I was-"

"Skiing with Kat."

The Red Ranger stared at Jason in surprise. "Who told you that?"

"Kim. She'd called you, and that's what your family told her."

Tommy hesitated. "No one told me she called."

"She didn't ask them to. She said she'd call back. And she did, on Sunday. And you weren't home, were you?"

For a long moment, Tommy was silent, his face twitching in visible agony as he replayed those heartsick days. "I… I had a date with a girl I met skiing. The Machine Empire sent a monster, forcing me to leave her alone. When the fight was over, my date had left… so it was just Kat and me."

"Well, Kim heard the tail end of that. On Friday, she called and found out you were skiing with Kat. On Sunday, she was told you were at dinner with Kat."

"B…but that's not what happened!" Tommy stammered desperately, "I was skiing with Kat and Billy, and on Sunday, I was supposed to have dinner with Heather!"

"Dinner with another woman," Jason clarified, "It doesn't sound like Kim was that far off."

Tommy's eyes narrowed. "Hey… I didn't go against Kim's trust. She dumped me! So what if I went on a date?"

"Less than a week later?" Jason challenged.

His frustration mounting, Tommy pounded his fist into the mattress. "Okay, okay! I was on the rebound! Is that what you wanted to hear? I was hurting… and Heather… she reminded me of Kim, and-"

He swallowed the rest of his sentence.

An enduring silence settled, as both young men gathered their thoughts. Then, with a deep sigh, Jason stood up, and sat down beside his best friend. He settled his hand on Tommy's shoulder. "Look, Bro… I didn't mean to come down on you like that. I'm not trying to take sides here, either. You and Kim are more than my friends- you're family. And it really shocked me to find out that everything ended so badly between you."

Tommy opened his mouth to once again affirm his innocence, but Jason shook his head. "There's no point in arguing 'who did what to who'. Until we find Kimberly, there's no way to figure out the truth anyway."

Tommy's eyes met Jason's in a grim stare. "Yes there is."

* * *

Tommy didn't emerge from the barracks until Adam announced their approach over the intercom. The instant the Megazord returned to its underground docking base, the Red Ranger leapt from the vessel. The other Turbo Rangers watched in shock, trying their best to keep up with their distracted leader.

Only Jason lingered behind, his face uncharacteristically drawn.

Without a word of greeting, Tommy marched straight to the teleportation console. Before Alpha could even declare his habitual "Aye yi yi," the Red Ranger was gone.

Tanya quirked an eyebrow, and then turned to Jason. "What did you two talk about?" she demanded.

Adam reached for his girlfriend's hand. "Tanya-"

"Don't even go there," she cut him off, "Tommy's our friend and teammate. We have every right to know what the hell's going on around here."

Jason released a sigh, drawing everyone's attention. "You're… you're right, Tanya. You all need stay in the loop-"

Jason's words were interrupted by a violent flash of crimson energy. The Red Ranger materialized, clasping a crumpled piece of paper in his white glove.

"Alpha, run a scan on this," he ordered.

"Aye yi yi," the robot whispered, his optic sensors scanning the page, "is this…?"

"Compare the handwriting with this," he continued, holding out a postcard with the Eiffel Tower on front. "If the handwriting does match, see if you can find traces of anything suspicious."

Alpha V nodded wordlessly, and followed the orders.

Zordon threw Tommy a puzzled look. "WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO FIND, TOMMY?"

"The truth," he murmured.

The Rangers watched as Tommy drew away from them. Slowly, he pulled his helmet from his head, letting his hair spill down his back.

Katherine did her best to suppress a gasp. She'd never seen him so broken. His once vibrant eyes were bloodshot and misty. His healthy tan gave way to an almost sickly pallor. And his proud, strong shoulders hung weakly… as if Tommy put every ounce of his remaining strength into standing upright. As if the slightest wind could bowl him over.

Justin gazed up at his compatriots. "I don't get it. Shouldn't we be figuring out a new plan to find that girl?"

"The computer shows the handwriting matches perfectly," Alpha reported, stout fingers tapping at the controls. "I'm also not picking up any traces of magic, to make us think the handwriting looks like Kimberly's."

"Magic?" Adam and Tanya repeated in unison.

Tommy and Jason exchanged heavy looks. Then, the former leader of the Power Rangers stepped forward. "Alpha, can you derive the type of ink and paper used? What it's made of?"

"It'll take a moment," Alpha answered, typing in a new command.

Grim silence befell the Rangers, causing the gentle beeping of the computer to ring in their ears like a knell.

Finally, a particularly long beep acknowledged the scan was complete.

"That's weird," Alpha mused, tearing the readout from the printer, "The ink matches the properties of the yeklin plant."

"Does that mean something?" Tanya wondered.

After a pregnant silence, Zordon lifted his head. "THE YEKLIN PLANT HAS BEEN USED FOR MILLENNIA AS A BASE FOR PERMANENT INK BY SEVERAL DOZEN SYSTEMS. HOWEVER… IT DOES NOT GROW ON EARTH."

Tanya, Adam, and Katherine gaped in astonishment. Jason shook his head, again pressing the bridge of his nose. Alpha fell into a muted litany of "Aye yi yi yi yi." Justin stared at the computer in wonderment. "A letter from an alien?" he gushed, eyes lighting up with boyish interest, "Cool!"

Tommy lost all strength in his entire body. He collapsed into the nearest chair, letting his head hang.

His view of the solemn black tiles that comprised the Power Chamber floor grew clouded. He blinked, forcing the tears to drip out the corners of his eyes.

Not from Kimberly.

* * *

"Whiney, snot-nosed brats," Divatox muttered under her breath. She stomped through the dark passage linking the bridge to her private quarters, her frustrated, heavy footfalls announcing her approach to every Piranhatron in her path.

The mute sentinels moved to either side, lining the hall for the Pirate Queen.

"Oh, you'll see," she hissed to no one in particular, throwing open the bronze double doors, "The Rangers are doomed!"

She tore her raggedy cape from her shoulders, and tossed it onto her large, circular bed.

"And just how do you plan on doing that?"

Divatox couldn't prevent a startled "Eep!" as she whirled around.

The visitor reclined before the vanity, absently patting her swollen cheek with a moistened towel.

Divatox blinked. "Where did you come from? And where did you get that?"

Kimberly offered an innocent smile, holding up the medicated cloth. "Oh, this?" she bated, "Well, I fished around your medical supplies while you were throwing your little hissy fit."

The Pirate Queen's nostrils flared, hands flying to her hips. She approached her vanity, glaring down at the petite human girl who dared invade her personal quarters.

"How dare you speak to me like that?!" she screeched.

Kim didn't even wince at the shrill voice. Instead, she turned around in the swivel chair, and rose to her feet.

Despite the solid half-a-foot height advantage, when she looked into the smoldering red eyes, Divatox still felt impossibly small.

"Don't delude yourself, Diva," Kimberly murmured, her voice soft, yet unspeakably dangerous. "I know perfectly well that you have absolutely no super strength or magical abilities. That's why you were so desperate to ally yourself with a powerful husband- a weakling like yourself can only cling to power so long before someone sees through your charade."

Impressively, Divatox maintained some semblance of composure. "Is that a threat?"

A smirk slowly spread over Kim's face. "No. I'm joining your crew."

A perfectly-sculpted eyebrow rose. "Excuse me?"

"You need me. Without Maligore, you have no muscle at all. You're just a pirate... have you ever even faced a team of Power Rangers before today?"

The Pirate Queen scowled. "I'll have you know I have an entire army of mutants on my home world! Once I collect my resources, I'll lay waste to the Rangers!"

"Please, Diva... don't insult my intelligence. If you had such powerful friends, you never would've come after Maligore." She folded her arms smugly. "Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Maligore's charming wit or dashing good looks that attracted you."

Divatox sputtered furiously, her fists trembling in helpless outrage.

Kim waved her hand. "Look… my point is, you don't have to leave Earth empty handed. You didn't get a husband out of this, but Maligore's Child has survived. And I'm willing to make sure you're successful against the Rangers."

Divatox managed to reign in her anger, and watched the young woman with a suspicious eye. "And what do you get out of it?"

"I get the Pink and Red Rangers… to do with what I will."

The pirate chewed her crimson lip thoughtfully. Why wasn't this making any sense? True, Maligore had stolen the girl's purity… but why was she so determined to harm her friends?

"Why?"

Kimberly knew exactly what Divatox meant. "It's personal."

And then, she saw it. The hate, the frustration… and just under the surface, the gnawing feeling of inadequacy.

She'd felt the sting of betrayal more than once. From suitor after suitor, that left her standing at the altar alone, suffering embarrassment worse than torture, and humiliation far harsher than the icy hand of Death itself.

And suddenly, Divatox looked at the human girl with new eyes. Eyes of understanding.

A satisfied smile easily lit up Divatox's face. "Welcome to the crew, Kimberly."

Kim blinked in surprise; she hadn't been expecting a warm welcome. Before the former Pink Ranger could open her mouth, Divatox slid her arm around her shoulders, guiding her new protégé to her enormous armoire.

She threw open the large doors, revealing literally hundreds of outfits, neatly hanging from the ceiling organized by color. "The first thing we need to do is get you out of that wetsuit." She tapped her chin, then strode to the section of pink garments.

Kim shook her head. "Like I told that wannabe, pink is out." She cast her flaming gaze along the incredible collection, her face lighting up as she found an appealing section.

"Diva… what do you have in black vinyl?"

To Be Continued...