Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie by Heather Ray (beach read book .TXT) 📕

/> The laughter slowly tapered off as eight past holders of the Power watched Katherine's expression move from surprised to utterly excited. "You're kidding!" she squealed.

Kat nodded to more sounds coming from the phone, as if the caller could see her brow furrow thoughtfully. "Really?" she murmured, disappointed. "When will they let us in?"

She sighed at whatever answer she received. "Regardless, I'm sure Tommy's thrilled."

The next few words turned her expression of mild displeasure to thunderous outrage. "Well…I guess I can't really blame Mrs. Hart," she commented, though her harsh tone suggested otherwise. "Nobody ever told her what really

happened. Still, that's cold…especially considering how much time Tommy spent in that hospital before she arrived from Paris." She huffed away the rest of her anger, modulating her voice. "Why don't you stop by? Everyone's here...except Tommy, of course."

A whisper of a smile cracked the glower on her face. "Yes, I made brownies."

A few more words, and then she nodded. "See you soon, Jason. G'bye."

She laid the phone in its cradle, turning toward the inquisitive, excited stares of her friends.

"Well?" Zack demanded. "What's the scoop?"

The recent Pink Ranger smiled widely. "Kimberly's awake!"

The group of close knit friends erupted into loud applause, as the last distressing weight on all their chests was finally relieved.

"Told ya she'd make it!" Aisha affirmed.

"Let's go!" Zack cheered, jumping off his seat. The others were quick to follow his dynamic lead.

Katherine raised her hand. "We can't yet. Now only immediate family members are allowed to see her. Jason said the Harts are particularly concerned about security, since the media will be camped outside the hospital as soon as they realize she's awake. This is, after all, the first confirmed extraterrestrial kidnapping, and since Kim's something of a celebrity, the entire world

is intrigued by this story."

The teens all fell back into their seats, frustration crumbling their excited smiles.

Part Two

She remembered dying.

She didn't feel the unbearable pain she thought would accompany the blow that would finally end her life. Compared to the feeling of the Flame surging past all safe limits, which she likened to her insides knotting and slowly liquefying, the tight beam of heat carving through her chest felt like something less than a bee sting.

Still, she gasped, more from the sight of the blood spurting from the open hole than the actual feeling. Then, an unrelenting listlessness overwhelmed her, making her eyelids so heavy, she couldn't hope the hold them open.

She remembered falling forward, an oddly pleasing numbness conquering all the pain she'd felt the past few hours.

Then, sudden warmth enveloped her, tightening around her in a secure embrace, making her almost wish she could feel it better.

The warmth quickly disappeared, yet she couldn't tell whether it was the numbness setting in fully, or the warmth actually leaving her.

The last thing she remembered was radiant white light, so intense it flashed through her eyelids, and smothered all her senses. And then…nothing

.

She had assumed that was the famous "light"

that one enters to continue into the next plane of existence. That's why she thought she was dead.

So when her eyes finally opened, her glassy doe-brown gaze widened incrementally as slowly dawning horror overwhelmed her lethargy. "Mom?" she rasped. "You're dead too…"

Caroline Dumas' eyes, unusually devoid of any liner or mascara whatsoever, were flooded with tears. Months of agonized worry and utter helplessness etched new, persistent lines around the wide, watery brown eyes. Her typically stylish, currently auburn coiffed was tied in a practical, unremarkable bun, doing nothing to conceal the stubborn gray sprouting from her hairline like crab grass.

Kimberly stared at her mother, only half-recognizing her.

"Oh my baby," she sobbed, clasping Kim's thin, slightly withered hand with all her might. "You came back to us!"

Kim blinked her confusion, only partially feeling the flurry of kisses that suddenly attacked her forehead and cheeks.

Then, through her periphery vision, Kim watched a dark haired man hover over Caroline's shoulder, his wide gray eyes, also lined with worry, swimming in unshed tears.

"Daddy," Kim murmured.

His lip quirked as he laid an insistent hand on Caroline's arm. "Maybe you could give her room to breathe, Carrie."

The former Mrs. Hart nodded in rare acquiescence, leaning back and easing her death grip to something more tenuous. This gave room for Roger Hart to lean down, and plant a single, lingering kiss on his only daughter's forehead.

"Nobody's dead, Princess," he told her gently. Kim saw the caution hovering in his emotive gaze, the barely contained fear stiffen his features. "You're okay. The doctors have run every test from A-to-Z, and you're fit as a fiddle."

"Mr. Hart, Mrs. Dumas," the doctor spoke, suddenly appearing in the room, "I hate to interrupt your reunion, but I need to ask her a few questions."

"Can't it wait?" Caroline nearly begged.

The doctor shook his head insistently. "I'm sorry, but we can't be sure how long Kimberly will remain conscious. If we are to do anything more to help her, we must know what actually happened to her."

Kim felt her mother shiver through their interlaced fingers. Clearly, the sensitive woman hadn't yet prepared herself to learn what possible horrors may have permanently scarred her daughter during the weeks of her disappearance. Or, maybe she had

prepared herself…as much as any mother possibly could.

Kim warily watched the doctor approach from the opposite side of the bed. He was a tall man with a genuinely warm grin, and dark eyes that seemed eager to offer whatever comfort possible.

"My name is Jacob Henderson, and my team and I have been taking care of you these passed ten days." His grin widened into a smile, revealing white teeth that contrasted sharply with his dark skin. "You can call me Jake, okay?"

Despite his warmth, Kim felt herself squirm. "Okay."

"Just relax, Miss," he urged, pulling a pen from the pocket of his white coat, "This isn't an interrogation. I just want to check your memory."

Kim nodded, though his words did little to ease her building tension.

"First, please tell me your full name and date of birth."

"Kimberly Anne Hart. February 14, 1979."

He nodded. "And who are the people to your right?"

She smirked. "My parents: Roger Stephen Hart, and Caroline Joan Dumas."

He jotted something on his clipboard. "Excellent. Where are you now?"

She glanced out the window, peering at the buildings in her line of view. "Angel Grove Memorial Hospital. East wing, overlooking Redwood Boulevard."

Jack blinked in surprise. "How'd you know that?"

She sighed quietly. "I had a similar view the last time I was here; last summer. I fell off a balance beam during practice."

"Yes you did," he noted, tapping her medical history file. He then covered up his nametag. "One final question: who am I?"

"Jake Henderson."

His smile widened. "Well Kim, your long and short term memory seem okay, and so is your visual recognition. That's very good."

He then took hold of a nearby stool, dragging it to the edge of her bed. He sat down, bringing his empathetic face closer to hers. "Now, here comes the hard part, Kim. I need you to really be strong, okay?"

"…Okay."

"Do you know what happened to you?"

She blinked, absently chewing on her tongue as she considered the question. It took her moment to realize…she did.

She remembered everything

…every horrifying, sickening, embarrassing, humiliating detail. She remembered falling into Maligore's pit. Nearly killing Kat and Tommy. Joining Divatox's crew. Killing that utterly innocent security guard. Nearly killing Tommy again. Agreeing to marry Lord Zedd, the Emperor of Evil himself. Nearly killing Tommy yet again.

She remembered reading the letter that started it all. She remembered prompting the fight that ended it all.

But most of all, she remembered the feelings. The suspicion, the heartbreak, the vindictiveness, the guilt… and then all the intense, consuming hatred the Flame ignited within her.

She shivered when a sudden chill attacked her. She remembered it all…all

that she wanted to forget forever. And now, without the Flame burning her soul, she felt

everything she'd been running away from since Muiranthias.

The anger, jealousy, and humiliation all came back like a wave crashing against the shore during a hurricane. But what eclipsed them all was the excruciating assault of the twin beasts: Guilt and Regret

.

Oh God…why couldn't I have forgotten it??

The answer was absurdly simple. She didn't deserve the freedom, the innocence that would come with ignorance. True, she had been a victim, but she had also been an aggressor. The feelings the Flame fed upon were not imposed upon her: they were hers

, festering in her heart, buried deeply on behalf of the Pan-Global Games but never actually resolved. She could have rejected the terrible, dark influence of the Flame of Destruction, if not on her own than certainly with Lerigot's offered aid.

She tried to swallow back the bile that crept up her throat, but she wasn't able.

Caroline, adeptly interpreting the signs after caring for childhood stomach virus after stomach virus, promptly produced the metal container on hand for such an emergency. She held it beneath her daughter, brushing her dry, brittle hair back out of harm's way and whispering soft, comforting words.

She didn't even notice her own tears, that trickled down her cheeks in response to her daughter's obviously traumatic experience.

When there was no more substance in her stomach to resurface, Kim's throat convulsed with dry heaves. The nurse had arrived almost magically, producing a towel and glass of water, and taking away the container.

Eventually, her violent reaction subsided. Doe eyes and wan face were soaked with tears, and her skin was flushed heavily.

She snatched the offered towel, burying her face in its cottony warmth.

Caroline and Roger were quick to respond, the former continuing to whisper gentle reassurances, while the latter rubbed her back slowly.

Jake watched the family for a few moments, a sad, weary frown on his face as he took further notes.

"Can we do this later, Doctor Henderson?" Roger snarled, far more insistent than he had intended.

"Of course," he decided, rising from the stool. "I'll leave you alone."

Kim's father watched the doctor leave, and then turned his attention back to his little princess, who sobbed uncontrollably into the towel.

She felt her parents' trembling hands, trying to soothe away emotional anguish with physical caresses. She heard their voices, choked with emotion, as they promised her the relief and security they honestly couldn't assure.

She couldn't take it anymore.

"Mom, Daddy," she murmured, her voice muffled by the towel, "C…can I…can I have a second?"

Caroline opened her