"Objects in Space"

[destinedinsanity]

Author's Note: A few things here for what I'm sure will be the very few reading this.

1) MMPR through DT is in continuity here. We stop there. SPD on hasn't happened. If something happens along the way that raises an eyebrow or two, raise the question, I'll be glad to answer.

2) For those currently reading this, I am really using this prologue I'm about to post as a feeling out process for the rest of the fic. If you guys think it sucks, please tell me. I will go back to the drawing board on this topic. Granted, you may need a little more then this first piece to make a judgment as it is very broad, but constructive criticism will really be appreciated. Focus on writing style if nothing else. Is it an enjoyable read?

3) Chapters will be posted inconsistently... at best.

4) Yes, I borrowed the title from an episode of Firefly - it fits.

5) Feedback would be absolutley tremendous!

6) Enjoy.

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Power Rangers: Objects in Space

Prologue – Open Your Eyes

Looking back I clearly see what it is that’s killing me.

Jason Lee Scott drove slowly through the quiet stretch of road this night as he made his way towards his destination This was all so surreal. How any of this had happened was beyond him. Here he was in the "prime" of his life, married, and now was essentially right back where he started. His powers hopefully re-charged and his life re-directed. What did any of this mean? Was the Ranger life what had him feeling so lost for all those years? Or was it the life that kept him from completely losing it all? All of these thoughts raced through his head as he made his way down this California road late at night. And as he quickly glanced over to see his loving wife sleeping in the passenger seat, he was able to render up a smile. The only thing he knew for sure was how much she meant to him. “I love you Kat” he thought as he continued to drive.

Through the eyes of one I know, I see a vision once let go. I had it all.

“This is what we always talked about” Trini said turning to her husband in the car while doing her best to hold back a grin.

“There is a difference between talking about it while reliving our glory days and then actually having to do it!” Zack said in return.

“C’mon you don’t even feel the least bit excited?” Trini replied.

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing! You are actually a little giddy at the prospect of this mutated nutcase trying to take over the Universe” Zack replied in disbelief but also with a slight smirk – he couldn’t help but be won over by his wife’s lust for danger.

“We use to have everything don’t you realize that?” Trini replied while slightly changing the tone of the conversation.

“What do you mean? I’d say we’ve been doing pretty good these past few years, wouldn’t you?” Zack answered.

“Sure, we have a nice home, jobs we love, and each other of course, but do you ever step back and think about what we had, pre peace-conference, pre Paris?”

Zack looked on puzzled, “Can’t say that I do Trin” Zack said as he quickly but intently looked at his wife.

Trini looked straight out the windshield and looked to the sky above. “We had the satisfaction of knowing that we were the ones that made sure others could have the things we do now” she said as she continued to look at the night’s sky above.

Zack digested the comment and was clearly taken aback as he too looked out his window and took in everything that was about to take place. He, unlike his wife, was scared.

Constantly it burdens me, hard to trust and can’t believe.“

Well when’s the last time you talked to him?” Billy asked.

“I believe you guys ‘secretly’ call it the ‘Divatox incident’” Kimberly responded while packing her bags with one hand and holding the phone with the other.

“I don’t call it anything; I wasn’t there… although I don’t discourage the use of that phrase when I hear it come up!” Billy responded on the other end of the phone with a slight smirk while also gathering his things.

“That Divatox… what a bitch” Kimberly replied somewhat jokingly while moving towards her closet to get more clothes.

“Kim, mind if I say something?” Billy asked while washing away the grin of Kim’s last comment off his face.

“Shoot Cranston” Kimberly quickly answered in reply using Billy's last name as she fiddled with a hanger.

“With only days, hell, hours before our planet is going to be attacked by an extremely powerful and possibly deadly force, the fact that your primary concern is what you are going to say to Tommy is pretty alarming… the fact that I am engaging in this conversation with you, is a clear sign that we are not taking this anywhere near as seriously as we should be!” he concluded.

“Billy…” Kimberly said in a prolonged manner while sitting down on her bed “…you’re probably right! Actually, you are completely right!” Kimberly said with an assuring nod that Billy would never see.

“So I have an idea that could result in our powers being re-energized” Billy proclaimed following Kim’s admission.

“Do you now, that’s great Bill… I almost called him once you know” Kimberly said while verging back to the conversation of one Dr. Tommy Oliver.

“KIMBERLY!” Billy shouted aloud unable to believe that his friend would be so off task in the wake of recent developments. However, he also couldn’t help but smile at Kimberly’s seemingly eternal sense of innocence.

“No really, I did” Kim replied ignoring Billy’s yell knowing full well that he would let her continue on with her story. “It was right around 04, you know ‘the comeback’. In the end though, I just didn’t know what I would say, I didn’t know if there was anything to say” she finished.

“You still love him don’t you?” Billy flat out asked while looking up as his clock to check the time.

“I don’t have an answer to that. I don’t have an answer to any of it. We are about to break a ten year silence that neither one of us willingly broke. I have an answer to none of it. All I have is the on again, off again pain and the burden of knowing that I might have let the one slip right through my fingers” Kim said as she lied back on her bed.

Billy felt for his friend “You know we will all be there for you, Kim” he said reassuringly.

“Thanks bud...” Kim said but quickly changed her demeanor “...but I don’t think it is going to come to that. I will see him, he will see me, there will be that ‘moment’ when our eyes meet and then we will get to business – we have to. Because you’re right, there is so much more at stake here then the writing of the next chapter in the ‘Tommy & Kim’ love story. Tell me more about your plan to get our powers back”.

“I will on the ride over, I’m ready to go if you are” Billy replied.

“Mhmm” Kim answered.

“Alright then, I’ll see you in about ten”.

“See you then, bye” Kimberly said as Billy reciprocated her goodbye on the other end. As she hung up her cell, Kimberly Hart sat up on her bed and just thought for a few moments. It felt as if seemingly everything she had done in her life for the past ten some odd years were no longer important. What was about to happen in these coming days were certainly going to change her life, she just wasn’t sure how.

It's hard to walk this path alone, hard to know which way to go. Will I ever save this day, will it ever change?

Tommy Oliver was not happy, this was very visible. “I’m done, retired” he continued to think while driving.” The ‘thrill’ is gone; I’m too old for this now”.

“Dr. O, remind me again of why we are driving up here instead of teleporting or something else that is very Ranger like?” asked Conner from the backseat.
Tommy sighed.

“And here I was thinking college would help your ability to listen and retain” Dr. O replied somewhat sarcastically. Conner mockingly made a face as Ethan and Kira did their handshake to signify that Conner had been ‘burnt’ by the fair Doctor.

“Andros tracked this… thing’s ship; its energy level was through the roof. From what we can tell it didn’t detect us though. Teleporting or Mega-shipping through the sky would probably hurt the chances of that remaining true”.

“We get it Dr. O” Ethan said with a smile as he pointed back and forth to himself and Kira.

Conner (who was sitting in the middle of Dr. O’s Jeep) replied “I understand Dr. O... and my oh my have I missed you guys!” Conner said as he put his arms over the shoulders of both Ethan and Kira in the backseat. And for the briefest of moments, Conner and Kira both smiled at the feel of the other’s skin.

Tommy quickly glanced to the passenger’s seat at his friend and confidant, Hayley. She could see his level of frustration, worry, and anger. She mouthed “Are you okay?” to Tommy, all the while knowing he wasn’t.

Tommy, of course nodded assuring that he was, all the while knowing that he wasn’t. Who was this creature? How would they all get their powers back? Could he still pull it off? Not the oldest, just the best? What would he say to Kim?

Would he ever truly be able to save the day? What if the answer was no?

Will they open their eyes, and realize we are one?

Trent was talking to his dad and Principal Randall, TJ & Cassie were discussing their nerves, and Adam, Aisha, and Rocky were discussing the philosophical side of life as Rangers all the while trying to figure out how they had gotten lost!

Tanya was anxious, Cole was determined, Damon was ready, and Wes & Eric were pissed. In a mere matter of hours every Ranger who had ever served would be at the sight of the original Command Center for the most important debriefing in the history of mankind. This creature (or creatures, no one knew for sure) was unlike anything they had ever encountered before.

So many emotions could currently describe the current state of the Rangers, but as Tommy pulled in and as the sun was beginning to set on the place where it all began, the faces of those in the car who had never been and words of a song playing on the radio gave the living legend a brief moment of clarity and a small glimmer of hope. Alter Bridge put it best ~

Still today we carry on; I know our day will come.

[destinedinsanity]

Author's Note: The Prologue and Chapter One are a good few days apart. What we are building up to in the Prologue are not what we focus on here. For anyone curious, yes, this was indeed intentional. Enjoy.

Power Rangers: Objects in Space

Chapter One

The explosion that went off was massive, but not unlike anything they all hadn't become numb to. Every second of this had been treacherous; however, as the fatigue grew and the numbers began to dwindle, they all quietly knew that these were the final moments. Victory or defeat would occur here, now - this was the final stand.

The Command Center sight had been totally decimated over the past week. This had been a war unlike any other. And as Tommy Oliver, fully morphed, engaged in hand to hand combat with yet another foot soldier of Grumm, he through the exhaustion, the doubt, and the suffering, used the history and legends that surrounded him to keep him going. "This has to end right" he thought as he threw a spinning roundhouse.

Kai, Joel, Blake, Katie, Ashley, and so many countless other Rangers were sharing the sentiments of Tommy. This destruction could not continue. They had held Grumm and his cronies off for days, but if they failed, everyone was doomed. His power was unlike anything they had ever experienced. “We are hope” Kai thought, echoing and thinking back to the statement that Jason had made to rally the troops before any of this started. “WE ARE HOPE!” Kai screamed aloud as he, Joel, and Merrick furiously attacked more of Grumm’s army with every fiber in their being.

Trent was a man possessed. He could not be stopped. With every punch, kick, and blast thrown his way he gave two back that were even stronger. Behind the visor was a man in pain, but he knew what he had to do. And with the loudest of HI-YA’S and strongest of kicks, Trent Fernandez worked his way further and further down the field of battle with no intentions of being stopped.

Jason, Kat, Zack, and Trini had stayed together throughout the entire battle. Kat had struggled at times, unlike many others, her Ranger days had become firmly a part of her past, but whenever she fell, Jason was to pick her right up. Zack and Trini on the other hand were a well oiled machine; Trini’s desire to return to action was evident and Zack’s early fear turned into drive as he saw his wife fight with such passion and he realized the magnitude that this fight would ultimately have on the rest of time. And as the four of them took down a succession of foot soldiers, a wicked laser blast came hurling across the battle field right towards Kat. Jason, out of the corner of his visor saw the blast coming and jumped and snatched his wife getting her out of harm’s way.

“Thanks” Kat murmured under her helmet smiling all the while shaken up and in agony.

“Don’t mention it” Jason responded. “Are you okay?” he continued.

“I’ll be fine, just cover me” she replied.

“Always” said Jason with a slight smile as he helped his wife up and they followed Zack and Trini’s voices to the next sight of battle.

“Just a little more...” thought Jason “...just a little more”.

Billy, Wes, Jen, Eric, Conner, Ethan, Kira, and Kimberly among others had been the largest grouping of Rangers on the field. They had positioned themselves as the first line of defense from the beginning. However, it now appeared that everything was going to come to a head right where they were – directly in the the middle of where the Command Center use to stand.

Jason, Kat, Trini, Zack, Trent, Kai, Tommy, everyone was moving in. The only ones who weren’t were Andros, TJ, Cassie, Carlos, Ashley, and Zhane. They were manning the Mega-Ship in the sky trying to thwart Grumm’s personal Zord, Omni. Grumm was manning Omni and seemed to be getting the better of the Mega-Ship with every blast.

“Tommy, this is Andros. If you can hear me we are not going to make it much longer, I repeat, we are not going to make it much longer. We are in desperate need of backup, over”.

Tommy heard the call but didn’t have a moment to respond amidst all the fighting. Up until this point, the strategy had been to hold off Grumm in the air and completely eliminate the threat on the ground, then be able to concentrate their entire fire power on Omni, which made Serpentara look like a child’s play thing.

“If we lose the sky we lose it all” Tommy thought as he blocked a punch and threw a front kick. “Change of plans” he continued as he took down another foot soldier then quickly scanned the field.

“ADAM!” Tommy yelled to the closest veteran he could see “Cover me, I need 1 minute un-interrupted!” he shouted out as more of Grumm’s creatures made their way towards him.

Adam, per Tommy and Jason’s request beforehand, had been everywhere on the battle field. They knew they could trust Adam and knew he had the skills to adapt to any situation. When he heard Tommy’s plea, he did not hesitate.

“You got it Tommy, go! I got this!” Adam yelled out as he began to hold off an even larger amount of ground then he already was.

Tommy moved only a few steps back from the battle field, got on his communicator, all the while keeping his eyes on the events transpiring in front of him.

“Rocky, this is Tommy, do you read?”

“I read you Tommy” Rocky replied from the other end of the Communicator.

“Tell Hayley that we need to go to plan b A.S.A.P. Within minutes would be best case!” Tommy said quickly as he saw Omni really beginning to assault the Mega-Ship in the sky and was also zoned in on Adam who was starting to struggle on his own.

“Copy that Tommy. Be safe, get this handled” Rocky replied.

“Tommy out” the Doctor said as he rushed back into battle to assist Adam.

Rocky and Hayley had been manning the Command Center from Dr. O’s basement. They had gone through their own share of trauma over these past few days but had to remain strong to be the ones the team needed.

“Hayley, that was Tommy, he said that we needed to go to plan b as soon as possible” Rocky said quickly as he turned his chair towards her.

Hayley had been examining the energy levels of Omni so keenly she had not even heard a moment of Tommy and Rocky’s exchange.

“He said he needed it within minutes” Rocky continued.

Hayley’s face turned to a vision of fear. She knew what this meant. “This is the last resort” she thought. But she knew that Tommy would only make this call if he knew it gave them the best chance in the here and now.

“I’m on it” she said as she moved towards her computer.

“What’s plan b, anyway?” asked Rocky.

“You’ll see” Hayley said somewhat cryptically as she typed in the final requirements to put the plan into action.

“Tommy, if you can hear me, their coming” Hayley said warily.

Tommy heard the communication but did not respond.

He began to count down the seconds until their arrival in his head. And as he continued to fight off foes, he could only conjure up one simple statement - “here we go...” thought the living legend “... here we go”.

[destinedinsanity]

Power Rangers: Objects in Space

Chapter Two

The Zords were beginning to falter – Omni was just too powerful for even the original Mega Zord, Dragon Zord, Q-Rex, and Mega Ship combined. Now with fewer Rangers on the battle field and a huge problem in the sky, they ran the serious risk of losing their ground and losing this war.

“This can’t happen” Tommy thought quickly under his current sense of panic.

“Eric, how you holding up in there bro?” Jason asked after Mega Zord barely avoided a huge blast from the ominous structure that was Omni.

“I don’t know how much more of this I can take, guys. This bastard is too much” Eric replied trying to hide the fear that was now firmly instilled in him – he had no idea that anything could be this powerful.

“Tommy, what’s our plan of action here? We are really struggling in here. One more hit could take us down for good” Andros said rapidly as he focused his eyes solely on wife, Ashley and the rest of his Ranger family.

As Tommy began to formulate his reply, Omni and Grumm let off an unprecedented blast directed right towards Dragon Zord that completely shattered through the glass visor of Dragon Zord and hit Tommy directly in his shield.

Dragon Zord was rocked; Tommy was hurt and falling fast.

“TOMMY!” Kimberly shouted from Mega Zord as she watched the Doctor take the massive plunge fall out of Dragon Zord down to the unforgiving ground below.

The thud was sickening; it reverberated throughout the battle field. Tommy’s powers disintegrated immediately on impact. He was alive, but just barely.

“EVERYBODY STAY FOCUSED!” Jason immediately shouted out after the originals all saw Tommy’s fall.

“Man, that was bad – c’mon Tommy, get up” Jason thought however behind his words of urgency to the team.

“There has to be a way to stop this thing – there just has to be a source” thought Billy as he replayed Tommy’s vicious fall in his head over and over.

“Trini” thought Zack as he quickly looked to his wife. This was Zack’s biggest fear coming into this – failure.

“Zack” Trini thought as she immediately returned her husband’s glance through their visors. Her zest for battle was now gone. Survival and love were the only thing on Trini Kwan-Taylor’s mind.

“I think its time” Kimberly continued to think. The words that Tommy spoke to her during their brief interaction that first night remained with her vividly in what seemed to be these final moments. “I love him” she thought as she zoned her eyes in on his almost lifeless body lying on the battlefield. "He can't be gone". She was out of it, they all were.

Omni let off another blast that the Mega Ship just evaded. Dragon Zord was down, Q-Rex was faltering, Mega Ship was barely holding together, and those operating the Mega Zord were being anything but the leaders that everyone needed them to be.

These were the final minutes...

Trent saw and felt Tommy’s plunge in the midst of slicing down another one of Grumm’s soldiers. Most on the battlefield did. Trent’s earlier rage had subsided. He was exhausted, everyone had given all they had.

Grumm’s combatants used the shock of the legend’s fall to firmly take the upper hand on seemingly every Ranger on the field. Conner, Ethan, Kira who had grouped themselves in close proximity to each other were in utter shock and ostensibly defenseless.

As Omni let off another blast that leveled the Q-Rex and Grumm’s soldiers began to seemingly close in on ending the Rangers that were on the battlefield, something incredible happened, something that no one could have expected –

Tommy stood up.

Bruised, battered, and beaten the living legend rose to his feet. The exploits on the battlefield had ceased. In a moment of brief irony, both the Rangers and Grumm’s soldiers had stopped fighting but for very different reasons.

“Are you seeing this Jase?” asked Eric and TJ essentially simultaneously from their respective Zords as they braced themselves for Omni’s next blast.

“Oh we see it” Jason replied from Mega Zord laughing as he could nor could any other original contain their disbelief or utter joy in what they were seeing.

“That dramatic son of a bitch” Jason thought jokingly with a smirk in a brief moment of lucidity.

Zack and Trini shared a brief moment with each other in the midst of all this. Zack extended his hand and Trini took it.

“I love you” Zack said holding back a tear.

“You’re not too shabby yourself” Trini replied jokingly also fighting back her emotions. “Let’s do this!” she assured him.

“Major funky style” Zack responded with a smirk as he released Trini's hand and got to setting up defense mechanisms for Mega Zord.

“I GOT IT!” Billy shouted out, “I HAVE THE SOURCE!” he continued. “I think I know what to do here guys” he communicated to the other Zords.

Tommy’s name had been the only thing going through Kimberly’s mind these past few moments. Her level of elation could not be described. However, when she heard Billy’s proclamation she realized that this still wasn’t over.

“I think it’s time” Kimberly poignantly said as Jason turned to her.

Jason nodded and smiled as he hit the transmitter device within Mega Zord to communicate with the other Zords.

“It’s now or never guys; Billy, what do we need to do?”

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Everyone, Rangers and Grumm's soldiers alike still stood or grimaced in awe. Tommy Oliver was standing, head down and fists clenched.

The Ranger turned Doctor had so many thoughts going through his head. Pain, triumph, salvation, Kimberly – he was using it all.

“Hayley, Rocky, if can you hear me listen carefully. I only have a few seconds” Tommy said, head still down, everyone still watching. He had tactfully activated his communicator.

“In a few seconds I am going to create a diversion. When I do, tell Adam to go and operate Dragon Zord and finish this thing”. “Do you guys copy?”

“We copy, but Tommy I cannot re-charge your powers, they are gone” Hayley replied worriedly.

Tommy took a deep breath. “I know” he said cryptically. “Tommy out” he quickly followed ending the communication.

Hayley and Rocky quickly shot glances towards one another. The panic in each of their faces was undeniable.

“We are hope...” Tommy began to murmur “...we are hope” he continued to say.

The Rangers on the battlefield could not believe what they were seeing. And as Tommy began to say the phrase louder and louder, the Rangers began to feel the emotion.

Conner, Ethan, Kira, Danny, Wes, Maya, Joel, Tori; every Ranger on the battlefield was riding the emotional wave.

Tommy knew what he was doing, knew what was at stake and knew what could happen to him. There was no other option though. He knew that this was it.

So as the living legend lifted up his head with the look of a man determined and ready to lay it all on the line, he screamed the words aloud – “WE ARE HOPE!”

With that, Tommy Oliver charged towards the battle - un-morphed but certainly not powerless.

[destinedinsanity]

Power Rangers: Objects in Space

Chapter Three

There was no time to lose for those in the Zords. Billy had a plan but he realized there was only limited time to put it into action.

“We have to all attack simultaneously, targeting different sections of Omni” Billy said transmitting to the Q-Rex, Mega Ship, and the inactive Dragon Zord.

“The blasts have to be timed and aimed perfectly” he continued. “We will get one shot at this” Billy continued as Omni let off another series of blasts targeted towards the remaining Zords. “If we don’t execute, we will be more then vulnerable with our limited defenses”.

“Jason, this is Rocky come in” transmitted to Mega Zord.

“We read Rocky” Jason replied from Mega Zord as the Mega Ship and Q-Rex covered for the originals.

“Tommy got in contact with me and Hayley. He is creating a diversion. We are going to get Adam to Dragon Zord. If you are planning on going for the jugular, stall for as long as you can!” Rocky concluded.

And as the Ranger’s looked out through Mega Zord to see Tommy’s ‘diversion’, Jason tentatively replied, “Copy that Rocky”.

“Good luck. Rocky out” said the former Red Ranger as he apprehensively ended the transmission.

“Jason out” replied the leader as his eye’s gravitated towards the battle below him.

“JASE! I could really use some assistance here!” the severly injured Eric transmitted from the Q-Rex.

And with that, the originals shifted focus back to the task at hand... all but one.

Kimberly’s eyed were glued to the battlefield. The wave of emotions she was feeling was unlike anything she had ever experienced.

“He’s not stopping” she thought as she closed her eyes, held back a tear, and began to pray.

“We ready for this?” Jason asked.

Billy, Zack, and Trini all signaled they were with the signature Ranger nod.

“Kimberly, are you ready for this” Jason asked again as he turned around to look at her.

“Amen”. With that, Kimberly Hart opened her eyes and looked right back at Jason through her visor. They couldn’t see the other’s eyes, but they didn’t have to.

“I’m ready” she said. “I’m ready”.
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“WE ARE HOPE, WE ARE HOPE!” Tommy continued to yell. He was now mere feet from the battlefield. And as he inched closer and closer to Grumm’s soldiers, the awe of the Rangers on the battlefield turned into vigor – they weren’t going to let Tommy do this alone – none of them.

And as Tommy clenched his fists as tight as humanly possible, he removed any thought process from his mind – he knew what had to be done...

“NOW HAYLEY!” the Doctor shouted towards his communicator as he came thundering towards Grumm’s soldiers with an impactful sidekick that sent the creature reeling.

And with that shot, every Ranger began their charge. Conner, Ethan, Kira, Trent, and Katherine quickly went to cover Tommy. They were the closest.

Tommy was attacking with a seemingly blind flurry. He knew it couldn’t last, but also knew his role in this. Adam needed to get to Dragon Zord.

Adam was fighting alongside Lucas, Cam, and Carter. They were trading blows with Grumm’s creatures and as Adam took one down with a pinpoint laser blast, he got the call.

“Adam this is Hayley, do you copy?”

Adam back stepped a few paces from the field of battle. “I read you Hayley. I don’t have much time. What is the status on Tommy’s powers?”

“Adam, we don’t have ANY time. Tommy wants you to go man Dragon Zord. Jason will give you your instructions from there. You need to get up there now!” Hayley concluded.

Adam took a deep breath, taking everything in. Realizing it could be for the last time. He exhaled – “Copy that, Adam out”.

“ADAM WAIT!” Rocky transmitted from the Command Center with a look of concern on his face.

“What is it Rock?” Adam replied.

“Be safe” Rocky responded.

Adam paused and quickly reflected, “Copy that”.

With that, Adam took off for Dragon Zord – he had a lot of ground to cover.

“I got your back Tommy” Wes screamed as he now too was in Tommy’s proximity – essentially everyone was.

His plan was working; all of Grumm’s soldiers were in close quarters on the battle field. It gave Adam the best chance he would have to get to Dragon Zord un-interrupted. His strength was failing him though. With every blow he dealt and took he knew he was drawing closer to his final breath, but he couldn’t stop, not now.

All the Rangers were beginning to waver on the battle field. They were giving Grumm’s soldiers all they had but they couldn’t do this much longer. Thankfully, Adam had a clear path to Dragon Zord and the Zeo Ranger was running towards the battling Zords like a man possessed.

Out of the corner of his eye as he blocked an attack, the bloody, bruised, and un-morphed Tommy saw Adam sprinting en route for Dragon Zord. The living legend breathed a brief sigh of relief. “Maybe this wont all be for nothing” Tommy thought as he continued to struggle with every passing second.

And then it happened – Adam was down and hurt badly... so was Tommy.

[destinedinsanity]

Power Rangers: Objects in Space

Chapter Four

Adam had been mobbed by an assault of Grumm’s foot soldiers; Tommy had simply reached his breaking point. Both were down and hurt badly.

Out of the corner of his eye, Max saw Adam being assaulted and drove himself and those around him towards their fallen comrade. Adam appeared defenseless.

Tommy was instantly covered by those who had been covering him since this began – the remaining originals and the Dino Thunder team. The living legend was down but not out yet. He had taken a few good shots from Grumm’s heavies and without his powers he just couldn’t withstand the assault any longer.

“Adam... has to get... to Dragon Zord” Tommy desperately thought as he lied wounded on the battle tested ground as Conner, Ethan, Kira, Kat, Aisha, Tanya, and especially Trent (who seemingly had found his second wind) were making sure that not a single creature would be able to get to him in his current state.

And then the panic set in for Tommy. Out of the corner of his eye, through the bruises and the blood, he saw Adam was down. Tommy’s face embodied the look of fear. He knew the only way to stop Omni would be with Dragon Zord’s aid.

“Adam... get up, get up” the Doctor thought as the circle of Rangers and friends around him continued to battle with all their might to protect not only him, but the World they knew.

Max, Cam, Tori, Dana, Maya, Mike, Lucas, and Wes had now transitioned their battles towards Adam’s motionless body.

“He’s still morphed” Wes quickly thought as he delivered a round house to one of Grumm’s cronies. “He can’t be gone, we can’t lose anymore”.

Grumm’s soldiers were inching closer and closer to victory on every level, Tommy sensed it even in his dazed state.

“Have... to do something” he thought as he continued to look at Adam’s limp body and also started to try and move. He looked up to see the remaining Zords essentially stalling for time, doing their best to avoid Grumm’s vicious blasts from within Omni.

And as he saw the Q-Rex take another blow, Joel fall to his knees in pain from an attack, and heard Kat essentially dying from lack of breath right above him, the legend realized it would be over in mere moments.

Then he saw the "white light" – he didn’t want to have to put anyone else in that position, especially someone so close to him, but it was their last chance.

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“HAYLEY, THIS IS JASON. WHAT IS THE STATUS ON ADAM?” the original Red Ranger shouted through his communicator as Mega Zord, Mega Ship, and Q-Rex continued to be assaulted with shots from Omni.

“I have lost all communication with him Jason... he should have been there by now” Hayley said cryptically as Rocky sat next to her in an extremely worried state.

“I have to do something” Rocky thought to himself as Hayley and Jason ended their communication.

“I will try and get in contact with Tommy, Hayley out” she concluded. “Rocky, I need you to bring up the power levels of the Mega Zord on screen”.

Rocky remained deep in thought with his eyes closed.

“Rocky! I need them now” Hayley said assertively.

“I can’t” he said very inaudibly, “I can’t”.

Hayley couldn’t have this, not now. She moved closer to him and grabbed his arm, which had Rocky in turn, open his eyes.

“Listen” she said. “I know you want to be out there, I know you are scared, but this moment right here, right now, your team needs you more than ever” she said as she looked deeply into his eyes with her hand still firmly squeezing his lower arm. “If you were on that battlefield you would never think about giving up, so I, or anyone else for that matter don’t expect you to start now – you are better than that Rocky”.

Rocky glanced down at her hand, back up at her eyes, which hadn’t moved off of his, and then holding back a tear, moved towards the computer to bring up the power levels.

Hayley had gotten through; they both got back to the task at hand.

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“Mega Ship, Q-Rex, I know you are tired of hearing this, but we need to stall for a little longer until someone can get up to Dragon Zord” Jason communicated to the other Zords.

The Mega Ship was falling apart and Eric was on the verge of death. Q-Rex’s structure had taken a massive hit and Eric himself was taking the brunt of a lot of the attacks Omni was directing to the Zord.

“We have maybe 3 minutes left up here Jase” TJ commanded from the Mega Ship as they continued to try and evade Omni’s blasts.

“I have even less then that” Eric said, struggling to hide any pain in his voice as he tried his best to have the Q-Rex shield himself from Omni’s blasts.

Jason was out of options. “Billy, we have to just go for it without Dragon Zord. We can’t NOT try” the respected leader said, knowing full well that without the fire power of the Dragon Zord, the attempt would be for nothing.

Billy briefly hesitated, but after glancing down at the wreckage below him, he, Zack, Trini, and Kimberly, all realized what was happening as Omni delivered another blast to the Mega Ship that nearly brought them crashing down. It already felt over.

“Let’s do it” the originals all said in semi unison with half hearts.

Jason nodded as he looked out at the destruction before him. “Q-Rex, Mega Ship, its time...”

[destinedinsanity]

Power Rangers: Objects in Space

Chapter Five

“KI-YA!” Trent yelled out as he continued to thwart off the foot soldiers. You could hear the emotion in his battle cries. He was as tired and beaten as everyone else, but he would not stop fighting. He was taking on challengers from all sides, protecting not only Tommy, but also Kat, who had really begun to struggle.

Trent held off another assault, shielded Kat, and then felt something grab his foot. He turned around ready to strike, but then realized it was not one of Grumm’s creatures, it was Tommy. Conner, Ethan, Kira, Tanya, and Aisha quickly shifted over to cover Kat.

Tommy looked up at his student, tears welling up in his eyes that were a result of many different emotions; Trent reciprocated the look through his helmet. For Trent, this brief moment was the first where he hadn’t been using his emotions of these past few days to fuel him to continue fighting. Instead, they were telling him to let go. He almost began to break down right there on the battlefield but Tommy cut him off before he could.

“I need you... to get to Dragon Zord... Jason will tell you what to do from there” he said struggling to speak as he looked Trent dead in the eyes.

Trent was about to respond, but Tommy cut him off once again.

“I will take care of things down here. Don’t worry. Just go” the Doctor said assuredly, as Conner, Ethan, and Kira held off Grumm’s soldiers and protected Kat who was struggling more and more by the second.

Trent looked in Tommy’s eyes, the battlefield, and the chaos going on in the sky. He closed his eyes for the briefest of moments, thought about everything that had happened here, everything he had been through. He re-opened them to look back at his teammates valiantly fighting and turned back around to extend his hand. Tommy grabbed it, and miraculously stood up.

The living legend gave Trent the slightest of nods and mouthed “Go” as he looked his protégé squarely in the eyes. Trent nodded back and with that, took off running.

He didn’t know it, but he only had mere seconds to get to Dragon Zord, or else his efforts would be all for not.

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“Eric, Andros, we ready?” Jason asked as he took a deep breath.

“Ready up here” Andros quickly replied as he dodged a blast from Omni and helped get the Mega Ship in position for the attack plan. The mood in the ship was tense – they too knew that the odds of this working without Dragon Zord were slim to none.

TJ, Cassie, Carlos, Zhane, and Ashley along with Andros had been at the command posts that they had occupied on the ship during their active days for the past few hours and had taken some very rough shots.

The Mega Ship was in really rough shape and would have probably already gone down if it wasn’t for the assistance of Karone and Justin, who came up on to the Mega Ship halfway through the battle, they would have more than likely already crashed and burned.

The “2nd Generation” Rangers all sensed each other’s presence as they began to countdown to their own destruction. Thoughts of meeting Cassie and saving Tommy went through TJ’s mind, similar thoughts of meeting TJ and becoming a Ranger went through Cassie’s. Tons of memories and moments raced through Carlos, Zhane, Justin, and Karone’s mind – all of their respective journeys had truly been incredible... they couldn’t believe it was going to end this way.

Andros and Ashley never once made eye contact – they were going to stay true to the promise they made to each other that first night. “This isn’t the end” they both continued to think to themselves, “this isn’t the end”.

Andros breathed in deep as he heard Eric’s confirmation – he had to have faith.

Trent was running furiously through the battlefield. Grumm’s soldiers were trying to flock to him but he was refusing to be stopped. With rapid punches and kicks all the while moving forward, Trent was gaining ground and getting closer to Dragon Zord... but time was running out.

“I’m ready to go Jase” Eric responded with his helmet visor cracked and his arm profusely bleeding. Q-Rex was barely hanging on by a thread, but Eric was finding enough strength in the Zord and in himself to dodge Omni’s blasts as best he could and get the Q-Rex in position.

Everything was racing through Eric’s mind – the Silver Guardians, his quest for respect, his quest for forgiveness, his quest for love. He was pessimistic by nature, but he refused to believe that these were the last moments.

His thoughts echoed those of Andros and Ashley, “This isn’t the end”.

Jason confirmed both of the replies. Mega Zord was also in position. Trent had been surrounded by four foot soldiers. If he could get past them, he would be in range to jump into the still standing Dragon Zord.

Grumm did not like the feeling of being surrounded. He also now had each Zord in a central location – what he had been waiting for.

The Rangers only had seconds to act. “EVERYBODY READY?” Jason shouted out. “Ready” replied Zack, TJ, Cassie, Eric, Trini, “WAIT!” Kimberly shouted – “LOOK, ITS TRENT!”

Trent had killed all four foot soldiers and was in the process of jumping into Dragon Zord. Kimberly spotted it out of the corner of her eye. There was no time to waste however. Omni was in control.

“JASE, YOU GIVE THE KID THE RUNDOWN! I’LL TAKE OMNI, ANDROS, TJ, COVER ME!” Eric shouted out. A new hope had arrived. It didn’t matter how much pain he was in, he needed to keep forging ahead.

The Mega Ship and Q-Rex were in perfect position in relation to the plan. In essence however, they couldn’t move. They had to hold their respective grounds. Billy’s plan was meant to be executed quickly.

“I hope Jase talks fast” Eric thought as Omni delivered the strongest blast to the Q-Rex yet reeling the Silver Guardian.

“TRENT, DO YOU COPY?” Jason communicated to Trent quickly.

“I copy, what do I need to do” Trent replied as he began to quickly survey the Dragon Zord’s control panel, all the while making sure Omni didn’t turn around and blast him.

“Trent, its Billy. We need you to move about 20 miles East of where you are right now”.

“Copy that” Trent answered.

“When you get in that position, Jason will give us all the 3-2-1. At 1, we are going to all attack a different section of Omni, all with different levels of impact coming from each Zord. The multitude of the attacks and variation of them will hopefully confuse Grumm, which will allow us all second shots at full blast that can take him down and out for good”.

“Copy. Anything else?” Trent answered again as he was already moving Dragon Zord into position as the Q-Rex and Mega Ship continued to struggle with Omni.

“Dragon Zord is probably in the best shape out of all of us, so your first blast is going to have to be the strongest – put everything into it” Jason chimed in.

“Copy” as he was inching closer and closer to being in position.

“JASE, IM LOSING IT!” Eric communicated. “WE NEED IT NOW!”

“BILLY, ARE WE IN RANGE?” asked TJ as they barely avoided an Omni blow.

“You guys are perfect, Trent, are you ready?” Billy asked as he tried to remain calm.

Trent breathed deep. “Ready...”

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All hope was lost on the ground. Tommy, who was somehow still standing, still fighting, was now one of many without their powers. Everyone had gravitated towards Adam’s still motionless body. The sight of Adam just lying there was tough for many to see, but they couldn’t take a single second to stop - Grumm’s creatures were winning, only a miracle would save the Rangers now.

Tommy had lost track of Trent running and didn’t have a single moment to look to the sky to see what was going on. All he knew was that he had to ignore the pain, ignore the “what ifs” and keep this fight alive on the ground. He needed a sign though, there was only so much left that they all could give.

There was a bang, Tommy looked up. He couldn’t believe what he saw.

The first phase of the plan caused a massive sonic resonance throughout the battlefield. Sparks and parts flew all over as the Rangers moved in on the offensive side.

“HE’S ROCKED!” Jason screamed out with the slightest bit of positive thoughts beginning to run through his head. “PHASE TWO READY!?” he continued.

The originals behind him confirmed they were, as did the Mega Ship, and Eric. But someone’s response was missing.

“Trent? You ready?” Trini communicated to Dragon Zord.

Trent had been hit - directly. The backlash of one of the blasts reverberated right towards Dragon Zord, shattering through the glass of the Zord’s visor and hitting Trent directly.

“TRENT, DO YOU COPY!?” Jason shouted as Omni was beginning to let off massive blasts.

“NO TIME JASE, NO TIME!” Eric shouted. This had quite the duel meaning for Eric Meyers. He truly believed that they were close to taking down the satanic Zord and also knew that one more direct blast and he was a goner.

Jason did what he always did, made the tough decision. “EVERYONE FIRE!” shouted Jason with a great sense of apprehension.

Trent was alive. Unable to speak, barely able to move, but alive. He knew what he had to do. He heard Jason’s command and with everything he had let off the strongest attack he could. The Mega Ship, Q-Rex, and Mega Zord all followed suit.

Omi was not going down without a fight however. Grumm released what seemed like all of his fire power into one blast. The reaction was massive.

Tommy and the rest of the Rangers looked from below and grasped that they had to somehow take cover. Tommy quickly realized there was only one option – “USE ‘EM AS SHIELDS” he yelled out with all his might as they quickly tried to make one last surge on Grumm’s cronies.

“EVERYBODY HANG ON!” Jason commanded as major flares shot into the Mega Zord, Mega Ship, Q-Rex, and Dragon Zord – dismantling any protection they had left. Because of the sheer force of the colliding explosions, the after effects seemed never-ending.

And then Kimberly saw it. She didn’t know if anyone else did, but she saw. Through all of the blasts and explosions, she saw it – Omni was failing. Billy’s plan worked.

“THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNIN...” Grumm began to shout, but just like that he was gone, and so was Omni. The detonation of the Zord was colossal. The Mega Ship flew as far away from the wreckage as possible, Eric did something he thought he would never do - abort the Q-Rex in an attempt to save himself, and the Mega Zord & Dragon Zord were caught right in the line of fire with no defense.

A massive blast shot up and out from Omni barreling straight towards Dragon Zord. Trent couldn’t move and the Dragon Zord had no defense. Trent knew this was the end.

“I love you dad” Trent thought as he saw the blast drawing closer and closer. He surveyed the wreckage of Omni, the battlefield below and then simply closed his eyes. And with the succinct moments he had left, he smiled – he knew what he had just done and more importantly, he knew where he was going.

The blast hit Dragon Zord, but the Mega Ship, Q-Rex, and Mega Zord did not see the destruction, nor did the Rangers on the battlefield who were desperately trying to protect themselves from the carnage of the blasts.

“WE ARE ALMOST HOME FREE!” Jason shouted out.

“KEEP HOLDING ON!” Zack yelled out to everyone, although he was directing towards his wife who was on the complete other side of the Zord and appeared to be trapped under a huge piece of metal folding that had fallen off Mega Zord.

Sparks and jolts were running through Mega Zord, the originals had lost all control of the Zord. Flames and debris made it impossible for them to manually leave the Zord, and they were all trying so desperately to hang on, that using their communicators to get out wasn’t an option.

The blasts pulverized through the battlefield. Grumm’s soldiers were as good as gone. The Rangers were still down, now all un-morphed, essentially powerless.

“We... are... hope” echoed throughout the battlefield.

“We are hope”

The living legend opened his eye.

“We...are hope”.

It appeared every Ranger had survived. “The duck and cover strategy actually worked for once – sweet!” Tommy thought with a smirk as he began to survey the bloody battlefield to see everyone getting up and chanting the three words that had defined this journey.

“It’s over” Tommy thought.

But it wasn’t – not yet.

As Tommy got up and turned around still very dazed and beaten he saw Dragon Zord engulfed in flames, Eric doing his best to crawl away from the wreckage, the Mega Ship landing on the next rock formation over, and the Mega Zord imploding before his eyes.

Tommy panicked. “No, no, no, Kim” he thought as he quickly reached for his communicator.
“HAYLEY, ITS TOMMY! IMMEDIATE TELEPORTATION FOR ALL ZORDS, NOW! GET THEM OUT OF THERE!”

Hayley and Rocky responded as quickly as they could, but for the fate of one, they were already too late.

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Zack had somehow managed to get to her side, but she was past saving. She had mere seconds left.

Zack took his helmet off, looked his wife in the eyes, and held her hand as tight as he could.
“We are going to get out of this, we have to get out of this” Zack said as tears began to fall from his eyes.

Trini knew her time was short. And as the explosions and chaos began to subside within Mega Zord, Zack put his wife in his arms. She needed him to know -

“Zack, know... it was all... worth it. All of it” she said as she gazed up into her husband’s eyes.
Jason, Kimberly, and Billy had managed to gather closer to her, also with their helmets off, all with tears in their eyes.

Tommy and the Rangers on the battlefield viewed from a distance not knowing what to think.

“Somebody help me get Eric!” Wes said as he ran to his partner’s aid.

“Where is Trent?” Kira asked apprehensively to Conner and Ethan as Conner tightly held Kira’s hand.

“Get out of there Jason, get out of there” Kat thought as she watched the implosion of the Mega Zord.

Tommy had no thoughts. He just wanted to see all of them teleport out of that Zord alive.

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“I love you all” Trini said as she fought back the pain and the tears, making eye contact with her teammates & best friends from her defenseless position. She shared a silent moment with each of them and then with her final breaths turned to Zack.

Managing to put her hand on his cheek, wipe away his tears, and look completely at peace, “I love you” Trini said to the love of her life as she took her final breath.

And with that, they teleported out of Mega Zord, safely to the battle ground below - Jason, Kimberly, and Billy kneeling, Trini laying in Zack’s arms, Zack with his head down crying into Trini’s shoulder.

Tommy stood still in shock with a single tear falling from his eye.

Now it was over.