The Destruction of the Command Center and the Tragic Death of Tommy Oliver

"No!!!!" Billy leaped across the console, trying to get to the teleportation unit that would send all of them, all the Rangers, Alpha, and Zordon, out of the Command Center. Tommy pulled him away as fast as he could, then everything went white as they were teleported outside.

Slowly Billy made his way to his feet. They were outside; the Command Center sat on it's hill roughly fifty feet above them. His eyes went at once to the magnificent building that had been everything but his home the past three years. His heart spasmed as it exploded, scattering dust and debris everywhere. He started to run towards it.

"Tommy!" Kat's voice cut through the noise of the explosion, stopping him in his tracks. He looked over to where it came from, and his heart sank.

"No," he breathed the word this time. The explosion dwindled almost to insignificance at that moment as he saw who. . . or rather what. ..she was kneeling beside. "Tommy. . ."

He found himself beside her a few moments later. Tommy lay splayed on the ground, a huge piece of bloody shrapnel imbedded in his chest. "Oh, no," Rocky breathed, tears starting down his cheeks. "This is horrible. . ."

There was nothing that could be done. Tommy had likely been dying even as the Command Center exploded. And now. . .it was done with.

"Now what do we do?" Tanya whispered. Her life had been turned upside down in less than the space of a day. First she'd been torn from the time she'd been in and sent to them. Then just as she was adjusting to that, Rito and Goldar had stolen the Zeo Crystal and let off an implosion device in the Command Center. Now, one of the people she'd just met had died in that destruction.

"Let's go see if Zordon and Alpha are . . .all right," Billy suggested. "We . . .can't do anything for Tommy now. He'll be safe here."

Kat nodded a little bit, then slowly reached over to close the former White Ranger's eyes softly. As the others started up the side of the cliff, she leaned over to place a gentle kiss on his lips. "Rest well, Tom. You've earned it."