Mighty Morphin Power Rangers by Heather Ray (read e book TXT) 📕

the imminent deaths of the men and women who gave us life.

If Tommy hadn’t returned, and hadn’t taken a serious risk by allowing Zordon to temporarily restore the Green Coin, we would have lost everything that day.

Tommy...

He always came through when we needed him. Just at the right moment, he’d find a way out of Rita or Zedd’s traps, and run headlong into battle, willing to take any risk to save us.

It amazed me how self-conscious he was in social situations, yet how confident he could be in the face of even the most fearsome alien creature.

"Then there’s no other choice," he decided, walking out of my arms toward Zordon. "I have to take Haley’s place."

I should have known he’d suggest that. He knew Zedd’s ultimate goal was to restore the Green Ranger to his formerly evil glory. And he would willingly subject himself to the violation of his spirit and mind that had haunted him for months after we first freed him from Rita.

I couldn’t let him go so easily. Something inside me just wretched

at the thought of Zedd destroying all that Tommy accomplished... all for my mistakes.

That... and the unsettling realization that I would never recover from such a loss.

"No, Tommy," I spoke, in a tone that brooked no argument. "There has to be another way."

"What do you have in mind, Trini?" Alpha wondered.

I gazed at the helpful robot, as well as the mentor that shaped the past year of my life. For some reason, I knew I couldn’t look at Tommy. "Alpha, Zordon.... I’ll fight alone."

He reacted without hesitation. "Alone? Trini, you’ll end up with the others!"

I stared at him. If anyone else had said that to me, I would’ve been insulted that he had so little faith in me. But I knew better than to doubt Tommy. I knew he respected, and was even sometimes awed, by what I could accomplish. On many occasions he had complimented my unique style, allowing my natural grace and honed skill to compensate for my lack of physical strength and size.

"There’s only one thing left for me to do. And we all know what that is."

And then, he hugged me.

We had hugged before, swept up in the thrill of victory after a difficult fight. I never thought anything special about it, though I always enjoyed the brief moment when his arms wound around my back.

But this time, it lingered. The contact lasted perhaps three full seconds, but it stretched into eternity for me.

I held him close, one arm around his neck, the other around his back. In stark contrast to a typical hug between a man and a woman, his head was cradled in my shoulder, forcing him to bow to my height. And I felt the slightest tremble, letting me discern that he was just as terrified as I was.

That moment froze in time. I memorized the line of his face, the musky scent of his sweat, the feel of his arms around my back, the tickle of a few stray hairs against my cheek.

And when we broke apart, I longed to hold him again. That’s when I finally realized just how deeply my admiration... my love

... for Tommy ran.

"Tommy," Alpha called. For once, his tinny voice sounded choked. "Here."

He handed Tommy the green helmet, like a squire arming a knight for battle.

He was the noblest of us all; is it any wonder I had fallen in love with him?

Tommy held his helmet in the crook of one arm, and gazed up at Zordon, the counselor that believed in him so strongly, he risked death by restoring the Green Coin to active duty. "Look, I promise I’ll try to resist Zedd, but I don’t know if I can."

He then turned to me, a deep sadness in the dark gaze that had never made me weak in the knees... until that moment.

"And if I ever come back..." He choked on his words. "If I hurt any

of you... tell them for me... I’m sorry."

I just couldn’t take it any longer... the tears I’d been fighting back just overflowed, showing the entire world how this was ripping me apart.

I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to force him to reason. There just had

to be another way! We’d faced so many trials before, but we never

sacrificed a Ranger! We always found an alternative!

But his gaze held me... a grave, sad grin on his face... and I couldn’t get a single word passed the lump in my throat.

He reached his hand to me, and I clutched it desperately, turning away from the hypnotizing eyes that rendered me speechless and nearly immobile.

After an endless moment, he dropped his hand from mine, and prepared to teleport.

Then, just before Tommy vanished from the Command Center... and from my life... a computer began beeping.

"Wait a minute!" Alpha urged, pulling sheets that printed from the computer, "What’s this?"

Tommy and I waited in silence... though I noticed his proximity as he crept behind me. If I took a half-step back, I could lean my head against his broad chest.

"The computer has been analyzing the Invenusible Flytrap, searching for any weakness."

We remained in muted anguish as Alpha perused the data on the sheet. Then, after a long suspense, he squealed one word: "Heat!"

"OF COURSE; THE VENUS FLYTRAP CANNOT WITHSTAND HEAT."

"So if the others create heat while inside the monster..." I turned to Tommy, taking his hand, "..they might be able to escape."

Tommy’s hands gripped mine with matching enthusiasm. "It’s our only chance."

My heart racing, I reached for my helmet, then laid my free hand on his shoulder. "Let’s go!"

Chapter Three

The plan worked. We managed to express to our friends the idea of using heat against the monster, and they mercilessly attacked the creature’s stomach walls with the heat generated from the Power.

Tommy and I watched the Flytrap double over as the attacks took affect, and joined the assault from outside. Sickened to the extreme, the Flytrap released the other Rangers, none the worse for wear.

We finished him off with our combined weapons, raced across the sinking isle, and rescued Haley. Thank God no one was hurt.

No one... except me.

After the excitement faded, and we separated for the evening, I was finally able to process everything I was feeling.

It amazed me how Tommy’s hug had made my heart flutter. How his mournful grin reduced me to tears. How his strong arms seemed to invite me into them. How my stomach flipped at the thought of him leaving us.

I remember trembling that night, despite the warmth of the evening. How could I let it happen? How could I fall in love with my best friend’s boyfriend??

Kimberly had been attracted to Tommy from day one. It was painfully obvious to the rest of us, but it took Tommy a few months to realize it. And he felt exactly the same for her... if not more so.

If Kimberly hadn’t been rendered speechless at their first encounter, I probably would’ve taken the first opportunity to introduce myself.

That night was pure torture, as I laid my feelings bare for contemplation. I realized I’d loved Tommy for some time. I acknowledged that, while we had traded a few furtive glances and shy smiles, what I felt for Richie paled pathetically in comparison to the way Tommy captivated me. Perhaps, unconsciously, I was trying to find someone else to offer my affections to... someone that wasn’t involved with my best friend.

It was hopeless. I knew that day that what I felt for Tommy wasn’t fleeting. It had been building, from the day we met. For, while I first took notice of his gorgeous face and powerful body, I grew enamored with his shy charm, endearing faults, dependable strength, endless determination, and boundless loyalty.

I knew I loved him... and I couldn’t do a thing about it.

For Kimberly was more than my best friend. She was the sister I never had. The trusted friend who urged me to let my hair down once in a while. The friendly stranger who immediately welcomed me to Angel Grove at the awkward age of ten, eagerly praising my long hair and neat handwriting. The girl who invited me to join her and her friend Jason to play Frisbee... and the rest, is history.

I never thought anything could ever come between us. We stuck together through puberty, first crushes, middle and high school, and even life or death battles against evil aliens.

But never before had we both set our eyes on the same guy.

I couldn’t fall asleep, so at the ungodly hour of two a.m., I just stopped trying. I switched on my desk light, and grabbed the nearest pad and pencil. Clutching Ticklesneezer for moral support, I made a list.

All the reasons I could never, ever

act upon my feelings for Tommy.

One: He loved Kimberly.

Two: Kimberly loved him back, with incredible maturity for a teenaged girl.

Three: Kimberly’s friendship meant the world to me.

Four: If any hostilities were to develop, the entire team would be in jeopardy.

Five: I have no reason to believe he felt anything other than friendship for me.

Six: Lord Zedd might somehow discover my feelings, and use it against us.

Seven: If I even admitted it to anyone, I’d place an intolerable burden on my friends.

Those seven were more than enough to lead me to a resolution: put it behind me.

After all, I was far more disciplined than most girls my age. How difficult could it be?

I managed to fall asleep finally, lulled by that comforting conclusion... though in the days that followed, I realized my mistake.

No matter how rational my mind was, my heart was just as untamable as everyone else’s.

The following few weeks were a nightmare. I tried my best to stay away from Tommy entirely, and to a lesser extent, Kim herself. For in Tommy’s company, I feared my feelings would only be enhanced. And I feared that Kimberly’s uncanny insight into the hearts of others would leave my pain naked before her. I didn’t want her pity, advice, or far worse... her mistrust. I couldn’t stand to have Kimberly doubt my friendship, by thinking I had some designs on her boyfriend.

Thankfully, I found a perfect escape: the Peace Conference.

I signed up for the program far more eagerly than I should have. While I was always dedicated to doing my part for the world, I had a very personal, very sensitive reason to put as much distance between