Kimberly's Destiny

Below, the dungeon rumbles with power. The shaking was enough to stir Tommy, who was against the far wall of the chamber. He looks up, and his eyes widen when he sees two beings of immeasurable power, dueling with all the fury each of them could muster. As he watched the bright silver scepter clash with the golden one, sparks of energy shot out, filling the chamber with a magical light much like fireworks. On one side, his visor still glowing with energy, stood Lord Zedd, the universally despised and feared Emperor of Evil. This villain had destroyed countless civilizations in his time, and has ruined billions of lives with his cruelty and tyranny. But his opponent, the latest victim of his ruthless manipulation, has been given by destiny the opportunity-- and the power-- to fight back. That opponent is Kimberly Hart, who, once upon a time, was a typical human girl, with dreams, goals, love, and friends. But Zedd stole them all from her, leaving an empty shell where a fun-loving teenager used to be. That void was filled with anger, hurt, and most of all... power. And that power is being thrown back upon the being who bestowed it upon her. It is the classic struggle of the created against the creator.

Tommy watches, completely mesmerized, as Lord Zedd swings his staff in a downward stroke, as if it were an ax chopping firewood. But rather than become kindling, Kimberly quickly sidesteps the attack, her flowing gown not inhibiting her movement in the least, and retaliates by striking Lord Zedd in the face with the heel of her own scepter. Her eyes, still pulsing with red energy, display the anger and hurt raging through her mind as she counters each attack expertly. The scene unfolding before Tommy's eyes was so dramatic and intriguing, he couldn't bring himself to move. He just stood against the wall, watching. While his face didn't display it, he unconsciously realized the irony of the situation.

Lord Zedd gave her absolute power, to allow her to help him rule the cosmos. Now, she's turned that power against him. And it looks like they're evenly matched.

Tommy was shaken back to reality when he felt small pebbles falling onto his head. He glanced up, and noticed the ceiling was splintering under the vast amount of power being released. Instincts kicked in, and he moved to the corner, hiding behind a podium of stone. He prayed it would be enough to shield him from any stray attacks. No matter how much he desired to help Kimberly, he knew he would only get in her way if he involved himself. Without his Turbo Morpher, he had no power to counter Lord Zedd's magic with. This time, Kimberly had to face her enemy alone.

"Give it up, Kimberly," Zedd huffed, ducking a swing aimed at his head, "you can't defeat me! I gave you that power! Without the Heart of Darkness, you're nothing!"

"Wrong!" she cried, "I'm a human being, with feelings, hopes, aspirations, joys... and everything was taken from me! I won't let you use me!!"

"You can't destroy me," Zedd announced, catching her arm, "Don't you understand? The Hart of Darkness had bonded to your life force, allowing you to tap into the bottomless well of energy that I draw from. If you destroy me, you destroy yourself. You've come to rely upon the power, Kimberly. You will die without it!"

Kimberly's ruby eyes softened a bit, as the realization struck her. She looked at Zedd, and then back at her scepter. She didn't notice Zedd start cackling cruelly, cementing his victory over her. Kim stared at the scepter, and the red gemstone upon it. She then realized the consequence of accepting Zedd's gift of fathomless power. The price was her life.

Tears began to well in her eyes, as she slowly turned her head to Tommy. In his eyes, she could see the fear he was experiencing. She knew that he wasn't afraid for himself. Rather, he was afraid for her. There was no way out of the bargain she struck with Zedd. Except one.

Kimberly turned to Zedd, casting an icy glare upon him. He immediately stopped laughing, and stared at her quizzically.

"I've sinned," she said quietly, "I've struck a bargain with the devil, trading my soul for the power to gain revenge. I can't get out of this. I must pay the price for my mistake."

She straightened, holding her scepter tightly. She stared into the red gemstone, watching the swirling cloud of energy encased within it. The power held by the stone was immeasurable. And deadly.

"The only way I can make amends for what I did, is to make sure we are both punished. You and I, Zedd. We both erred, and we both ruined lives. I can't say I'm a complete victim here. I will destroy you. And I'm going with you."

Before either Lord Zedd or Tommy could react to Kimberly's own judgement of herself, she swung the scepter with all her might at the ground beside Zedd's feet. As she did, she closed her eyes, mustering all her mental as well as physical strength. And her task was completed. As the gem struck the stone surface, it shattered into infinite grains of glass, releasing the energy trapped within it. As Zedd and Tommy watched in absolute horror, the energy took the form of a blinding flash of white light, throwing both Kim and Zedd away with all the force of supernova. Fortunately for Tommy, the blast was so concentrated that only the two at Ground Zero were affected. He didn't feel a thing. Physically at least.

Tommy scrambled to his feet, and ran towards Kimberly. The instantaneous flash of energy threw her into one wall, and she crumpled against the stone limply. He cradled her still body in his arms, and touched her cheek gently. Too surprised to do anything else, he shook her gently, hoping to wake her. It was at this moment that the Turbo Rangers ran into the dungeon. They stood at the entrance like statues, their gaze falling first upon Lord Zedd, who was lying completely motionless upon the floor. Across the room, they saw Tommy, clinging to Kimberly with all his strength. He looked up at his friends, his eyes blank with denial.

"What... what happened?" asked Katherine, approaching Tommy. The other rangers did the same. They all removed their helmets, each one displaying expressions of shock and terror. They knew they had arrived too late.

Tommy's lip trembled. "She... she killed Zedd," he said at last. Adam's eyebrow rose, and he glanced at the Emperor of Evil. As he watched, Zedd's body slowly faded away, leaving a spark of red energy. That red energy then faded itself, vanishing from reality. There was nothing left of Lord Zedd but his silver scepter, which lay on the stone ground.

Trevor glanced at Adam, and then back at the spot where the creature was lying moments ago. "Was that Zedd?"

"Yes," Adam said, "He's finally beed defeated. Forever."

Trevor nodded, and kneeled on the ground across from Tommy. He gazed at Kimberly's peaceful face, and then glanced up at Tommy. Tommy was staring at him quizzically. Trevor smiled weakly, wiping the moisture from his aqua colored eyes with his gloved hand.

"I'm Trevor," he introduced, "the temporary Blue Ranger. And you're Tommy."

Tommy nodded quietly. He then glanced down at Kim, who's eyes fluttered. Everyone surrounded the trio in a tight circle, as Kim's eyes focused on Tommy's face. They were soft brown.

"I... I'm sorry for what I did to you guys," Kim whispered softly, "There is no excuse I can give. Thank you all for trying to save me. But I was beyond salvation."

She turned to Trevor, and her eyes at first widened with surprise. Her expression softened, and she smiled at her friend.

"Hi, Trev," she said weakly, "Nice suit."

He chuckled slightly, "Somehow, I don't think it suits me."

Her eyes slowly shut, the light of life behind them fading. She then forced them open, and gazed at Tommy one last time. His eyes were wide and wet, and his expression was grim. With all the strength left in her body, Kimberly rose her hand to his face. He caught her hand as it began to fall, and held it to his cheek. Her hand was cold.

"Tommy," she said, weakly, gasping for air, "no matter what happens in the years to come, I want you to know I love you. I always loved you, and although my love was transformed to hate, I guarantee you that I never stopped caring about you. That's why I wanted revenge. I... I couldn't stand the fact that you didn't love me anymore."

"Never," he whispered, "I could never stop loving you. I never did, and I never will."

Her smile brightened slightly, as her touch weakened, "Thank you... for not giving up on me. Trev, guys... thanks for being my friends. Thanks for caring about me. I... I only wish I'd realized it sooner..."

Her soft voice died on her lips, and her eyes slowly closed. Tommy looked at her still form, his muscles tensing and his breath escaping. As if in a daze, he stared at her face, praying her eyes would open once again. But they never did.

Katherine turned away from her friends, letting her tears flow into her cupped hands. Tanya's face remained stoic, but she released her tension by squeezing Adam's hand tightly. But Adam didn't feel her touch. His hand was numb, as was the rest of his body. His bit his lower lip, and closed his eyes tightly. Trevor ran a hand through his disheveled blonde hair, casting his eyes to the floor as they spilled over with tears. He then glanced at Kim, and hesitantly kissed her forehead. He then stood up, and hid his face in his blue helmet.

"We... we should probably get going now," he said hoarsely, "Our job here is done."

In silence, the Yellow, Green, and Pink Rangers put their helmets back on. Adam touched Tommy's shoulder, but he didn't respond. He remained on the ground, his back slumped in defeat, and his eyes squeezed shut, still holding onto Kimberly tightly.

"Tommy," Adam said, "we have to go."

He didn't move. Adam couldn't even tell if Tommy had heard him. He sighed, and rose his communicator to his mouth. "Zordon," Adam said quietly, "We've got Tommy and... Kim. Teleport all six of us home, please?"