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Tommy Oliver laid in his bed- staring at the same spot on the ceiling- where he hadn’t quite got the paint to cover the area. It had been uncharacteristically quiet lately. After his latest retirement- it hadn’t immediately settled down. He’d still found time to marry and divorce Katherine. JJ was the only good thing that came out of that disaster.
He was just getting used to the quiet and yet he felt like a shoe was about to drop. Things were never this silent- not for him. Not since he’d first been a ranger.
He fell into a fitful sleep. Honey brown eyes haunted him. He woke the next morning to an ache in his chest and the sound of his communicator beeping at him. So much for the silence.
“We have a problem.”
“No shit, Jase. What’s up?”
“In person- this is too risky.”
“Angel Grove or Reefside?”
“Miami.”
“Why the fuck would I- no. No.”
“I think you have the coordinates.”
He let out a long breath- tried to regulate his panic. Miami meant Kimberly. And Kimberly meant a new level of fucked up for whoever this was. She’d been off the table for nearly two decades. But if something had happened to her- it was safe to assume it was a message to him.
He tossed on a pair of shorts and a tank- there was no way that Miami was not humid and hot this time of year. What the fuck could possibly be coming after them now?
Jason Scott stood on the sidewalk- waiting. He knew Tommy would rush here. It was the one constant that hadn’t changed. Even when he’d been married to Katherine- the evils still knew to target Kimberly. She was his kryptonite- Tommy did questionable shit when she was a stake. She was the only person that affected him this way. It made her the perfect sacrificial lamb.
He nervously straightened his shirt- this had been too easy. He hoped that Tommy wasn't at his most observant this morning. He’d know. He’d know immediately that all of this was an inside job. The one threat Tommy didn’t have a game plan for. And if they were successful this would destroy Tommy.
The familiar footsteps sounded behind him and he forced himself not to smile. This was fucking perfect.
“The outside looks normal.”
“The inside does too.”
“You’re sure she’s gone? That she didn’t just go on an unannounced vacation?”
“One thing is off- follow me.”
He led Tommy into Kimberly’s home- a pace he’d been only a handful of times. He knew Tommy had been here even less. He heard the sharp intake of breath- the message hit just right.
“We’ll see what you’ll sacrifice to save her.”
He watched the panic hit Tommy and he dialed someone. He’d guess Katherine- but Katherine was in on this too. The ultimate payback.
“Kat- where’s JJ?”
“Visiting my parents in Australia- why?”
“Wake them up and confirm that. Right now.”
Tommy worked fast. It was why the timing of this was crucial. He would have everyone he cared about locked down and safe in under an hour. Good thing it was the middle of the night in Australia and JJ had already been taken.
“Tommy…he’s gone.”
Energy crackled- he had a feeling he was about to be in for a fireworks show. He was not disappointed as Tommy screamed and his powers burst.
“Fucking find them Jason.”
“On it.”
The demand came in two hours ago- an absolutely impossible choice. He could save JJ or Kimberly- it was likely he’d not be able to even bring her body back. He had to go after JJ and send Jason in the hopes that he might be able to do something to buy him time.
He checked his morpher, his eyes squeezed tight. He knew what Kimberly would tell him and it didn’t make this any easier. He’d never a to choose- not really- not like this.
“Buy me as much time as you can. I’m going after her as soon as JJ is safe.”
“But they said–”
“I have to try. She’d do the same thing.”
************
Looking back on it- it was too easy to get to JJ. He’d had to hike in, but nothing attacked him. Nothing came for him. JJ was barely guarded- he hadn’t even needed to morph. Like JJ had never been in real danger.
He left JJ with Katherine before he launched himself back towards her. Towards the one woman that truly held his heart. He stepped out of the teleportation ray and into the fresh hell that was this place. Jason was nowhere to be seen and seemingly hadn’t even made a dent in these forces. It was the perfect trap for him and he’d walked right into it.
“No! No! Tommy!”
Those screams. The screams he didn’t admit were imprinted on him forever. The terror hit him in the gut and the fact that he knew she was being tortured. He’d make every one of these fuckers pay.
He tore through the beings- the screams the only fuel he needed. Even as his powers flagged, even as he pushed and felt that this was a set up. He’d figure out who had done this later. No Jason in sight- no dent in the forces. The man was strong enough to do something and he let that bit of knowledge settle and felt his fury swell.
His chest heaved as the last being fell. Quiet. It was too quiet. He looked up and saw the stone dias. Kimberly was till- too still. He didn’t rush- for a few moments he could believe he was unconscious. Even if his soul knew the reality- the power dip had nothing to do with the battle and everything to do with her.
He felt for a pulse- nothing. Not a single fucking thing. He took a deep breath and tried another point. He desperately began CPR. He wasn’t sure how long it had been- but maybe this would work. He had to try. 10 minutes passed. Footsteps sounded behind him and he struck out as someone pulled his hands away.
“She’s gone.”
“Where the fuck were you?”
Silence. His eyes downcast, Jason bit his lip and he tensed. That was his tell, had been for years.
“Just got away- I’m sorry.”
But his lip again. He was too drained to take Jason on directly right now and he knew it. He scooped up her body and teleported to his home. In a last ditch effort his Command Center might be able to do something. He also locked down the place. If Jason had betrayed her- him- how deep did this go?
*************
He stood at the graveside. He’d gone back to her apartment and searched. The evidence he found had fueled his anger. He wouldn’t make a scene here. Not with her parents and the others that didn’t know. He knew of Jason and Katherine’s involvement- he suspected it was more than that.
He placed a hand on the coffin- a silent promise- they’d all die. Everyone who was involved. He’d tear the world apart for her. Most monsters knew that- his friends definitely did. So they had to know what was coming. He lifted his eyes and met Jason’s, then Katherine’s in turn. No confusion- only fear. Good- they should be afraid of him.
“If you do this- you won’t be the same.”
Billy. Of course Billy had also figured it out. He didn’t seem to be as possessed as him- but no one else would be. It was something that had always been true when it came to Kimberly.
“They started this. I’m fucking finishing it.”
Four Years Later
Lord Drakkon stalked towards him- Tommy had long been lost. After Kimberly’s funeral- he had disappeared. The rumor was that it was to grieve, but Billy knew better- it was to plan. And he saw no point dissuading him.
The next they’d seen him- Tommy had become this. He’d sunk into the evil tendencies of his powers. When Jason and Katherine approached him for protection- he just issued a reminder. They’d betrayed him- they’d betrayed Kimberly- the universe would be lucky if Tommy decided to only take down one planet.
“Billy.”
“Are you Lord Drakkon or Tommy today?”
“They’re the same now. JJ is safe?”
“Yes. Is it their time?”
“Yes.”
Drakkon settled next to him and they both stared at the gravestone. It was littered with power coins of the rangers that had been involved. Two were, notably, missing. He’d save them for last.
“They made me this- admiring their creation is the last thing they’ll ever do.”
He placed a hand on Drakkon’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. He was leaving Earth today- to care and raise JJ- his last promise to Tommy fulfilled. He didn’t need to see this and it was the only way to truly keep JJ safe.
Kimberly had been the sacrificial lamb and now Drakkon had one last hunt. They’d wanted to destroy Tommy- their fatal miscalculation being what Tommy would turn into for revenge.