Meeting and Understanding my Past

Chapter 9: Shocking unexpected news

"There's something that you and Rita keep calling me that I can't understand." Tommy acknowledged. "Would you mind explaining it to me?" He and Zedd were on their way back to the house, the cool breeze coming on was a little too much for them to bear.

"What's that?"

"The fact that you call me son."

"Well, that's because you're Rita and Zordon's son."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. At least, Power speaking. You see, Rita made you into a Ranger when she gave you the Green Power Coin. That's where you became her son so to speak. Afterwards, Zordon gave you back those Powers temporarily from the Morphin' Grid and by doing so, he gave you part of his magic. That plus the White Ranger Powers. Each Power Ranger has a father or mother in Power too and that corresponds to who gave them the abilities to become a Ranger. Now, do you get it?"

"I think so. That would explain why you think you have the right to punish me when I need it. You're acting on behalf of Rita."

"You can say so."

Tommy was speechless upon hearing the latest answer and was quick to change the topic. "What have you been doing since you were purified by Zordon?"

"If you're suggesting I got away from the Rangers, you need to reconsider that."

I knew it. It was only a matter of time until he wanted to get even with each one of us. I can't believe I was right, I tried to warn everyone about it. I wanted to save them but still... Tommy was exasperated, an inch away from completely lose his temper."You're confessing you killed Trini?! You're despicable, you preach about being good but I know deep down, you're still the same Lord Zedd I met in my teenage years."

"You're wrong." Zedd retorted. "I was too late to save Trini. I tried my best to make her last days as painless as possible. I even granted her last wish."

"Why did she pass away?"

"Because of the Power. She passed it on when she wasn't supposed to. Zack was also dying from the same disease but I was able to save him."

"Then Jason was saved because of the Gold Ranger Powers?" Tommy cut in.

"Yes, though his life force was compromised by those. You see, the Gold Rangers Powers were stored in the places within the bugs left behind by the Red Rangers Powers once he passed them onto Rocky."

"Are you saying the Powers we held know the correct time to pass them on?"

"Precisely."

"Then, I was also dying before receiving the Dino Gem, right?"

"No."

"Why not? I was the First Turbo Power Ranger."

"Didn't the coma teach you anything?" Zedd asked in disbelief.

"What does that have anything to do with this?"

"C'mon, try to remember."

Tommy Oliver began to quietly recall what happened a few weeks ago; his latest near-death experience. He encountered the Green Ranger, the White Ranger and Red Zeo Ranger. And he was dressed in all black.

"I was wearing black clothes. Does it mean the clothes were representing my current color?"

"It does. In your dream, you met your Green and White Powers and Red Zeo Power, right?"

"I did. And I still can't understand why I didn't meet Turbo if I held that Power even for a short period of time."

"Because you were never meant to hold it. You were merely protecting the Power until the true holder appeared in Angel Grove."

"I was the keeper of that Power until T.J. arrived in Angel Grove?" Tommy asked, trying to wrap up his brain around it. "Hard to believe, honestly. What if he had never come?"

"The Power never mistakes. And that's the difference between you and Trini. The Turbo Powers never connected to you, unlike what happened with Trini and her Thunder Powers. The Thunder Powers, the source Power for the ThunderZords, connected to her. When she passed those Powers on to Aisha, it was not the time to do the Power Transfer."

"I know, you already told me." The Black Ranger cut in again with slight impatience.

"Oh, shut up and listen carefully, boy. She transferred most of it but a tiny part remained with her. That part was what caused her the leukemia that killed her. After she told me of her disease, I ran a test on Aisha. I was able to discover she was also suffering from it but it advanced slowly because of the Ninjetti Powers."

"You're saying all the Rangers still have a tiny part of the power they once held? Why is that?"

"It's the Power's way of making you remember who you were in your life. For example, if for some reason, you held an evil power, that power will be within you and be the trigger if you're captured again."

"Then, every brainwashed experience I had was a consequence of those tiny portions of power?"

"Yes."

Zedd never cease to agitate and mortify me.

"I wonder why Zordon didn't explain this to any of you."

"What do you mean?" Tommy asked curiously. "How do you know he didn't explain anything of this to us?"

"Aisha, Zack and Trini each told me. They were as surprised and shocked as you are. Zordon certainly kept things to himself."

"What kind of things do you think he hide from us?"

"Are you sure you want to learn what has been kept from you?"

"That's why I asked you in the first place." Tommy responded sternly.

"For starters you can't escape from the Power, even death won't be a solution. Some Powers are not designed to be held by humans; such as the Gold Ranger Powers Jason had a taste of. As time goes on, you'd become puppet dogs of the Council of Light. You would be bestowed with supernatural abilities with each Power you held. Eventually… it would lead you to madness."

"Aren't you over-exaggerating?" Tommy asked with an inquisitive eye.

"Not at all. I mean, Zack and Trini's Powers were only updated. No extra abilities or messed up. On the other hand, we have you. That hunger for Power, consequences of all the Powers you held, coming from the Council of Light's involvement and manipulation of everyone's mind."

"Right, if I recall correctly, no-one asked or forced me to grab another Power."

"That's because it was a subtle job. I can't think of a better explanation for you holding four Powers already. And it all started when your Green Ranger Powers were restored temporarily. Even your break up with Kimberly was a job done by Zordon and the Council of Light."

"Bull."

"Oh, yeah? Every Power that Rita and I created was made to be the only Power held by the bearer. Rita and I went to prepare other teams to confront the new enemies that would come. And for the infamous Dear John letter, I believe it's called, Zordon used his manipulative telepathy on Kimmy for her to write it. His only goal was most certainly to transform you into the favorite Council dog, especially considering Rita has an emotional attachment to you. "

"How do you know all that?" Tommy inquired. "Did he confess it before his passing?"

"He didn't have to. That's standard procedure of the Council."

"What does Rita's emotional attachment have to do with me being the Council of Light puppet?" Tommy objected.

"They could very well use it or you to accelerate her demise." Zedd pointed out.

"I see. Do you have any abilities that weren't part of you before?"

"We can travel through time and space." Zedd observed. "That's why I know in the year 3000, there will be a ranger team."

Tommy thought Zedd's quipped comment was useless since he already knew of the existence of the Time Force Rangers, though he was eager to know more about the origin of such team.

"Well, the Time Force Rangers are actually a consequence of the Special Police Delta squad. I left all the instructions to access the Morphin' Grid and the key colors used up to that moment in the future so Earth would have the defense expanded."

"How is that?" Tommy asked.

"All the instructions are in a magical book in a specific city. For what I gathered, the technology from that specific timeline evolved greatly by the time the Time Force Rangers will come to be." Zedd answered. His responses were vague in order to not screw up the future. "The future we believe in is unchangeable." Zedd ruled.

"What other teams are you responsible for?"

"I also am the responsible for the Lightspeed Rescue team. I timed my encounter with Captain Mitchell right after his son Ryan was kidnapped by Diabolico. I personally taught him how to tip into the Grid." Zedd explained.

"I bet you did something to make that kidnapping possible." Tommy accused.

"You're still on that idea, huh? Tommy, how many times do I have to tell you I haven't done any evil deeds since Zordon's death?" It might be good to try a different approach; he isn't going to come voluntarily at this rate.

Tommy suspected something was up. The conversation he was having with Zedd surely had some kind of meaning the Black Ranger couldn't figure out yet and that last thought was the confirmation he needed that all of these events were connected somehow. Making Zedd to spit out is turning to be a difficult task. "And what about Rita? Which teams have she helped?" Tommy questioned more curiously.

"Rita created the Dino Gems from the meteorite that destroyed the Dinosaurs. She also passed on the knowledge to the Senseis Watanabe and Omino from the Wind Ninja Academy and the Thunder Ninja Academy respectably. Right after that, she met Shayla and taught her everything about the Morphin' Grid. Of course, that meeting took place while Animaria was at its best."

"Have both of you created a power in conjunction?"

"Of course we have. Rita and I created the Quasar Sabers centuries ago, before we were Evil Forces." Zedd concluded.

Tommy was stupefied to learn Rita and Zedd weren't always evil. He was even jolted when he was told their relationship went way back before he met them.

"How and why did you become evil?" Tommy requested. He wanted to know that answer for a long time. Zordon always denied answering. Tommy believed Zordon knew more than he led the rangers to believe.

"We were in a war with a powerful army led by Rasbisute, whose only goal was to create a utopia where the most powerful beings would be the rulers of the Universe." Zedd acknowledged. "Rita and I were among the races capable of doing extraordinary things, it was only a matter of time when our talent would draw his attention to us."

"Zordon fought them too?" Tommy mentioned.

"Yes, he did. And since he demonstrated great will power by not allowing Rasbisute manipulate him, the Council of Light recruited him. With the Council backing him up, Zordon was able to secure Eltar's safety. But that came with a huge cost. He couldn't save his friends."

"Why is that? Zordon secured Eltar's safety. His friends would be safe." Tommy objected.

"Rasbisute got to them while the decisive battle was taking place. He captured two young powerful beings, the same age as Zordon's." Zedd paused as he began to see the memory in his mind again; the feelings of that night coming back to him. Ever since he and Rita were purified, their memories of the first moments and the upcoming centuries with Rasbisute, returned to them. The couple avoided talking about the pain; the emotional scars having made a vow of silence, which was about to be broken by Tommy. Zedd linked his memory to Tommy's mind. He jumped at the same time as his eyes closed; it was a reflexive move.

Zordon's role in the battle was compromised when one of the most powerful generals of Rasbisute appeared with his two scared friends.

"Eltarians, surrender and join my forces now." Rasbisute's deep voice warned. "Otherwise, you'll have an eternity to regret."

"Zordon, don't listen to him. Do what you have to do." A soft voice pleaded.

"Don't worry about us. We'll be okay." Another deep voice expressed.

Zordon looked down, doubt in his face. He didn't want to sacrifice his two friends but defeating Rasbisute was priority. He felt he couldn't betray the Great Council seeing not only his life was in danger, but the whole Universe. "I'm sorry Rita. Zedd." Zordon cried as he charged against the army.

Rasbisute seeing his only warning didn't have any effect, he pushed Rita and Zedd into his ship and they disappeared.

That would be the last thing Zordon would see of his friends, Rita and Zedd, until 1993 when they emerged onto Earth in Angel Grove, California.

Rasbisute was a monster with red and blue skin, elf ears and vampire-like teeth. He could disguise himself as a young good-looking human as Tommy saw when the monster was facing the Eltarians.

"He was very knowledgeable over the magical arts with the Dark Arts being his favorites. He used his charm to seduce his victims, by telling exactly what they wanted to hear, to make them do willingly what he wanted. He was a very patient, stubborn and cruel being." Zedd described.

Tommy was stunned, he didn't know such creatures existed. After all, Zedd never showed his human-like appearance to the Rangers. Zedd on the other hand, was not happy with how this conversation was going. he didn't want to remember those days, despite this method being much better. At least he didn't have to hear his words and see images of the events at the same time.

"You didn't answer my original question, Zedd." Tommy pointed out. "How and why did you become evil?" Tommy was bombed with new memories.

Rasbisute pushed Rita and Zedd into the inside of his ship right after Zordon didn't prioritize his friends. He was angry with the Eltarians and got even with the two prisoners, who were led to a dimly lit dungeon, chained to a wall one in front of the other with no other beings for the next three centuries.
'You'll pay for your people's part in foiling my plans. I'll psychologically torture, manipulate and break you until both of you join my cause.' Rasbisute thought, already deciding the fate of the three friends. Unbeknownst to him, he'd be responsible for more than Zordon's, Zedd's and Rita's fate.

"What are we gonna do now, Zedd?" Rita feared.

"We'll have to hang in there. Zordon will come for us." Zedd assured.

Rasbisute's evil laugh was heard. He got the exact information he wanted. 'These Eltarians are going to make this a piece of cake.'

"Zordon has abandoned you. He's not going to bother to come for you. He betrayed you." Rasbisute's work started.

"Don't listen to him, honey." Rita advised her fiancée.

"He only saw you as Power creators, not as actual friends." The kidnapper kept going. "Why don't you start taking your priorities into consideration? Save your girlfriend, she's in danger." Rasbisute turned to Rita. "Your boyfriend will kill you if you don't stop him."

This situation would have no end.

After half a century, frustration would be a feeling for the three of them. The two prisoners were not allowed to die. Rasbisute was shut down. He couldn't penetrate their minds to implant his manipulative thoughts anymore. He didn't want to use other means, it was not his style. But since the resistance was strong, he figured it wouldn't hurt. For the next two and a half centuries, he would use physical torture. Every time one of them talked back to him, Rasbisute used electric shocks for 22 hours non-stop with the other witnessing it.

Rita had often been the victim of the electric shocks. Her cries and immense suffering was meant to break them to willingly join Rasbisute's forces. It was vital they joined with their will, so they'd be able to tap into their hidden powers, powers Rasbisute was compliant to teach them.

"Zedd, look at her." Rasbisute said one day. "She can't take it anymore. She'll die soon. Do you really want her to die?"

"No, please. Stop it. I'm begging you." Rita pleaded. Those were Rita's last words. Her heart stopped after taking 250 years worth of electric shocks. Her skin turned blue.

Zedd hurried to her, grabbed her and slightly rocked her back and forth, not wanting to believe what just happened. Rasbisute got near Zedd. "If you want her back, join me. Then, we can bring her back to life." The evil being claimed.

"That's impossible!" Zedd cried. "She's gone."

"She's not gone for good just yet. We still have a chance to undo her death. I only request one thing from you."

Zedd thought about it for a moment. He really loved Rita and didn't know how to live without Rita. "If I say no, you'll kill me too, right?"

"I'm afraid so." Rasbisute responded sincerely.

"Then kill me." Zedd warned. "Because I'll never betray my beliefs."

Rasbisute couldn't take it anymore. He spent three centuries trying to make these two change their minds and he got nothing. He was furious for the time he had lost on them. He underestimated them. He promised that was never going to happen again. From both his hands, a deadly amount of electric shocks took aim at Zedd. His body fell flat to the floor, dead upon contact. Next to him, Rita's body still laid.

"See what you forced me to do?" Rasbisute grunted.

The couple's souls were bound to the dungeon, suffering eternally for their actions. Their souls would be tormented by the Great Yom, the identity in charge of torturing the dead, for millenniums to come.

Rasbisute grabbed a rope and tied it to one of the wrists of each corpse. He pronounced unspoken words and the two corpses got up. Zedd's skin was reddish with white tubes as veins. His brown eyes couldn't be seen anymore. In its place, a big silver visor appeared. Rita wore a long brown dress, a cone shaped hat making her reddish hair look grey and a black pointed bra over the dress.

"Nice change." Rasbisute gloated. "Hope you two like it. Now, you'll be my puppets. It was your destiny all along." He said to the ghost versions of Rita and Zedd.

"Zedd what were you remembering?" Tommy asked.

"I was remembering what Zordon made possible for Rita and me when he committed suicide." Zedd answered.

"And what was that?"

"He returned our souls to our bodies after 5 millenniums. He brought us back to life by doing so. That's the main reason behind our dedication to help continue the legacy of the Power Rangers with new teams."

"Why didn't Zordon say anything back then?"

"What do you mean?"

"You and Rita weren't evil. He could have broken through whatever you were under. I can't believe he didn't say anything once you guys met again."

"To be honest, I don't know what his thoughts were. Maybe he was shocked when he saw us in our new forms, the ones you and your friends met." Zedd replied.

Silence fell in the room. According to the information Zedd and Rita gathered throughout the galaxy over the years since Zordon's suicide, the being that turned them into mindless dog puppets was dead.

"I'm just happy you didn't have to face him. You'd be dead if he decided to come this way."

"What do you think it happened to him?" Tommy was quick to ask.

"To tell you the truth, I think he was destroyed by the Council of Light a century before you were made a Ranger by Rita. Most certainly, I was somewhere in duty."

"I thought you'd have done that."

"Why do you think so?"

"I don't know, you had the mood back then. After all, you were mad at him for everything you had to endure."

"Who knows? Maybe I did kill him," Zedd replied. "But for some twisted reason, I can't remember."

"I'm sure you know how and who put Zordon into the tube he was when I met him?" Tommy thought.

"You bet I do. It was Rita and I first evil deed, I remember it like it was yesterday." Zedd paused for a moment. "Would you like to hear about it?" Tommy nodded, unsure if he wanted to. "Our first order was to incapacitate Zordon for good as a punishment for our race's inability in accepting its destiny. Immediately, we headed to the Council of Light's headquarters where we found him writing some reports for his superiors. He was overjoyed when he saw us there, just like the last time we were together. It was the perfect time to strike; he had no idea what was coming."

It was clear Zedd was on the verge of crying. What struck Tommy the most was seeing a remorseful Zedd, who didn't make any effort to hide it from the Black Ranger. It was not a fake stance as Tommy would think any other day. Tommy understood the being in front of him was filled with and ridden by it, he thought it'd be cathartic for Zedd to finally get it off his chest thus he listened to the recalling of the event intently.

"We used our new wands, which were part of the ritual Rasbisute cast once he killed us, to shoot at him immobilized spells. Once he was motionless, it was time for him to realize his new fate. We came closer to him, each of us aiming for a specific target. Hers was his heart which she attacked with a black ring in her left index finger while mine was his head, which I assaulted with the tip of the metal cover of my right index finger. As soon as the three of us were synch together a circle of cold fire surrounded us, a consequence of the heat of his body and the cool bodies of our own."

Tommy started to empathize with his interlocutor, the urge to comfort him rising. "Huge black orbs started to appear from Zordon's body, triggered by our doing. It was an excruciating pain for everyone. Nevertheless, Rita and I kept going. When those orbs lowered, coming in contact with the cold fire, it crystallized, creating a tall white tube and trapping Zordon within it." By now, Zedd was crying. Tommy doubted for a second but extended his hand to reach Zedd's and squeezed it firmly.

"It was not your fault, Zedd." Thomas added, his first time being polite to the old wizard.

"I know and you probably believe you're right but I beg to differ. It was my fault because I could have easily prevented it but did nothing." Zedd's look changed drastically to aversion. "The worst thing is that I'm convinced Rasbisute was watching the whole scene from a dark corner in the room."

"What makes you say that?"

"I saw his smug smile the entire time."

Tommy and Zedd hushed. The memory of the cruel episode was unbearable to both men.

The living room filled with a powerful blue light right in between Tommy and Zedd. Deep within the light, a figure was spotted by the two. Tommy was blinded by it and couldn't distinguish who or what it was. Zedd knew the answer though thanks to the color of said light. It startled Tommy when he was finally able to see who had arrived; the old alien emerged from the light greeting his emperor and the Ranger warmly.

"Your Excellence." Finster bowed. "I've been sent by my Empress to inform you that everything in the Palace is ready to receive the package."

"Finster?" Tommy greeted, asking for confirmation –almost a decade had passed since he last heard that trembling voice. "What package is that?"

"Yes, Tommy, it's me." Finster acknowledged happily. "It's really nice to see you again."

"Yes, Finster." Zedd added, fearing Tommy would bust them all. "What package is that?"

Finster didn't know what to say. It was clear to the old alchemist that Zedd was not very happy for nearly revealing their true intentions; it wasn't very hard to crack the code. Poor Finster had to think of something fast and believable. "Well, it's… um… it's an Earthly food supply of hamburgers, hotdogs and pizza. Goldar wants everyone to taste them." It was the first thing that popped into his mind. "I couldn't say 'no' when he looked at me with those big puppy eyes."

"Is that the food he used to eat when he was stationed on Earth with no memory?" Zedd asked, trying to cover up for the alien.

"I think so." Finster answered innocently.

The black Ranger was motionless, shocked. He glanced at the two aliens suspiciously; it was obvious they weren't talking about food at all.

After this evening's events, it wasn't unthinkable for Thomas that a minion, let alone one so close to Rita, would still be alive. He even understood the solidarity between the former minions (if that ever existed). Tommy made Finster the first in his book to score redemption points and it certainly helped that Tommy had always thought well of him. What Tommy couldn't understand though was Finster's choice to remain a servant to the couple, helping them keep a watchful eye over the new teams rather than going back to his home planet and family.

Zedd saw Tommy's distraction as a sign for action, looking over at Finster as he silently nodded in agreement.

This is the time, Zedd thought. I can use his magical powers to inform him about the danger he might face in the near future.

Zedd put his hands on Tommy's head, electric shocks hitting his temples immediately knocking the ranger down. Zedd laid an unconscious Tommy down onto the floor and kept releasing the source of power.

Tommy felt he was floating, heading towards the leafy tree. He stopped a few inches before reaching the hole in the center of the tree-trunk. He was surprised to see it differently from reality. He knew he was unconscious because of his inability to float.

A girl who he never met before appeared at the door/hole. The girl was wearing a yellow hooded cape that covered her entire body. Her height was only 3' 44'' ft long. She looked at Tommy with her happy eyes and cheerfully laughed. Her voice was soft. She lowered her hood. Tommy could see clearly her brunette long hair, tied in pigtails. She had blue eyes.

She grabbed the experienced ranger with such strength it stunned Tommy, and pulled him inside. The inside of the tree was exceptionally dark. They walked along the road with only the flickering streetlights to guide them through. Tommy couldn't understand where he was, it was not like any other dimension he visited before. Slowly, a full moon appeared to take its place in the starry sky. Eleven planets showed up next above his head. He couldn't make out his mind...this surreal picture was surely out of this world. Why am I here? The Black Ranger thought. She looks Asian, is she from that part of the world?

"Little girl, what's your name?" Tommy asked. "Why are we here? What do all of those planets mean? Are we in outer space? Do I know you from somewhere?" Tommy kept going, his questions unanswered. It seemed she was mocking him. He started to be upset with the girl's behavior.

"Mr. Thomas Oliver, we've arrived to the inter space. I know you want to know more about it but we have to hurry or we're gonna be late." The girl only said, took Tommy's hand and started running. Late for what? Dr. Oliver wondered.

They went passed by the planets. The inhabitants didn't notice the black ranger and his companion. Scanning their reactions, Tommy realized that to them, they were invisible. Tommy recognized all the people he went across in each planet. They were the rangers that followed the legacy he started with his friends. The Ninja Storm ranger team, the Wild Force, the Time Force, Lightspeed Rescue, Lost Galaxy, in Space, Turbo, Zeo, Aquatitians. She stopped out of a sudden. They've reached the world he was aimed to visit. They both entered it.

Tommy was taken aback when went pass the command center and kept going. Out of the blue, the girl stopped in a white room. Tommy recognized it immediately as the room he was given the white ranger power.

"Look carefully and remember," she said.

Zordon and Alpha were almost done preparing everything to power up the team. There was a teleporting reading coming up through one of the consoles, indicating someone was soon to appear in this place. Soon afterwards, a younger version of Tommy appeared behind a monitory table. What really impressed Tommy was his appearance. His skin and clothes were multicolored. He arrived in a white electrified manner. The same way he used to when he was the Green Ranger. He remembered his feelings at that time. Oh boy! How could I stand that? He wondered. I really felt sick. It was like ten times the awkward feeling of losing the Green Ranger Powers both times.

"Zordon, what's happening to me?" Tommy asked between breaths. He was having many problems breathing normally thanks to the condition he was.

"IT SEEMS YOU'RE THE CHOSEN ONE, TOMMY." Zordon declared.

"Eh?"

"LET ME EXPLAIN. FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS, ALPHA AND I HAVE BEEN RUNNING A TEST AROUND THE WORLD TO FIND SOMEONE CAPABLE ENOUGH TO STAND THESE NEW POWERS WE CREATED. THE RANGERS CAN BARELY FIGHT ZEDD'S MONSTERS WITH THE UPGRADED ZORDS, IT WAS CLEAR WE NEEDED A NEW POWER, SOMETHING THAT COULD REALLY CHALLENGE ZEDD AT THE SAME LEVEL. BUT THESE NEW POWERS REQUIRE A VERY FIT PERSON TO POSSESS THEM."

"And this sickness I feel means I can be that person?"

"YES. THE OTHER CANDIDATES WE CONSIDERED TURNED UP TO HAVE BETWEEN NULL TO LOW COMPATIBILITY WITH THEM. BUT YOURS IS HIGH ENOUGH, I AM HAPPY AND I AM SURE THE RANGERS WILL BE TOO IF YOU ACCEPT TO COME BACK TO RANGERING AGAIN. I PROMISE I WILL NEVER TAKE THEM AWAY FROM YOU."

"Of course I'd love to return, even though it doesn't make this sickly feeling away."

"ALPHA, PLEASE, END THE TEST RUN ON TOMMY." Zordon commanded.

The robot did as he was instructed to. Tommy felt much better within minutes.

"Do you feel better now?" Alpha asked.

"I do, thanks Alpha." Tommy responded.

"VERY WELL, THEN. IT'S TIME TO START THE PROCEDURE." Zordon ordered. Alpha 5 pressed a couple of buttons and from below the ground, a monitory table, a mask and a light green liquid appeared.

"Zordon, what's that liquid and what's it used for?" Tommy questioned, not having seen it before.

"IT'S A SUBSTANCE MADE OUT OF SCHULD KESTNER SEAWEED WHICH EXISTED LONG AGO IN MY HOME PLANET. THE COUNCIL OF LIGHT HAS SAVED IT AND IS REPRODUCING IT EVERY 5,000 YEARS. AMONG ITS MANY USES, IT'S A POWERFUL NARCOTIC."

"Ah, I see." Tommy acknowledged.

Zordon instructed Tommy to lie down on the monitory table. There was no time to keep wasting. The future white ranger did so. He trusted Zordon but couldn't help tensing, memories of the procedure he went through when Rita turned him into the evil green ranger returned to him. His body was trembling, especially because he didn't know the side effects of that seaweed liquid.

Zordon noticed Tommy's troubled expression. He needed to distract the teenager in order for him to not watch what Alpha was doing. "TOMMY, PLEASE DO NOT WORRY. EVERYTHING REGARDING THE SEAWEED HAS BEEN TESTED OVER ALL KIND OF BEINGS THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSE. I EVEN RAN SOME TESTS ON HUMANS A FEW CENTURIES AGO." Tommy's trembling ceased a bit. "THEY DIDN'T SHOW ANY ABNORMALITIES IN THEIR SYSTEM." The teenager felt comfortable with that explanation. His entire body loosed up, his mind's resistance weakened.

Meanwhile, as Zordon was trying to reassure Tommy, Alpha 5 was busy. Alpha added 25 drops of the seaweed into the breathing mask, before proceeding to place it on Tommy's face.

Zordon said. "BREATHE DEEPLY, IN AND OUT." Tommy did as he was instructed to. The Schuld Kestner seaweed was tasteless, its aroma seemed to be a combination of various things that can be found in Earth: Indonesian Cinnamon, cherries and lavender. It was so strong. Thomas felt numb and passed out within five minutes. "EVERYTHING WILL COME TO AN END WHILE YOU ARE ASLEEP IN THAT SWEET SCENT."

As Tommy Oliver kept watching his past self take on the White Ranger Powers for the first time, the mysterious girl grabbed his hand again before a transparent like crystal wall pushed through them and teleported the two back to the starry dimension unscathed. He lamented not being able to witness the entire process. It was one thing to experience it but another to witness the experience from the outside. It made him wonder just how many doses he had been given. He also wanted to know how much time had passed before Billy snuck into the Command Center and peeped on his transformation; his only clue was his knowledge of wearing most of that suit.

Tommy woke up and charged towards Zedd. He wanted to know the answers the little girl denied him. Zedd didn't understand it either. The former evil Lord couldn't figure out why Tommy went to the past if he was supposed to head forward. Zedd also didn't recognize the little girl Tommy told him about. That little girl's existence perturbed him.

Damn. The timing was perfect. Tommy could have learned of the near future and I wouldn't be forced to use other means to get him to return with me. Why did she have to interfere? Zedd pondered. He didn't like this turn of events but he didn't have much choice left. Tommy's destiny was unchangeable.

Zedd's initial plan after the revelation was to knock Tommy down with a minimal use of force, but now he wasn't sure that would be the best option. Tommy could very well counter his attempt. Maybe he's a bit slow now because of aging, but I can't risk it. Zedd reassured himself. I have to use the plan B. Better that than risking him to die in the future.

Zedd went to Tommy's kitchen; grabbed two glasses, filled them with red wine and in one of them, added three small-sized pieces of Schuld Kester seaweed. Soon after, he returned to the living room where Tommy was waiting for him.

"Let's do a toast to our much neglected cordial relations." Zedd expressed. Both glasses clinked together. Zedd and Tommy each drank from their respective glass.

Tommy noted the smell on his glass was not of a normal red wine. It seemed to him that Zedd had manipulated it. Two sips were made before Tommy started to wheeze.

"What did you do to the wine, Zedd?" Tommy asked as he was wheezing.

"What are you talking about? I haven't done anything to it. Finish your drink, Tommy. That way, the wish we made will become true." Zedd lied. Three raw pieces of seaweed were enough to knock out even the strongest man in the Universe for a couple of hours. Zedd was pushing Tommy to take the last sip, a move that proved to be a bad one as it only compelled Tommy to stay awake and fight the seaweed's effects.

"Why isn't it working?! That dose should be enough!" Zedd grunted, angrily. "You have to sleep Tommy."

"What are you doing?" Tommy requested while trying to move his head away from Zedd.

"It's not possible to be awake after taking this much of a dose. No matter the amount of Power you have." Zedd complained.

"You are hurting me." Tommy pointed out.

"Please close your eyes, Thomas." Zedd said, frustrated. He grabbed Tommy by the back of his head, and with his other hand he touched the ranger's chest which instantly immobilized him.

Tommy saw Zedd wave his hand in the air. Bright orbs took over the entirety of the living room, dissipating after a few seconds. Zedd welcomed the occurrence and what became of it was actually beautiful. Tommy, on the other hand was speechless. An oval shaped meadow of pure violet lavender lay before them; incredible, its flowers in the shape of a bed. What was more impressive than the fact that Zedd had summoned it, was that it fit perfectly in the middle of the living room. Zedd took in its majestic, satisfied he now had a mode of transportation for Tommy.

Zedd released Tommy from his state, caught him in mid-air and dragged him to the center of the living room where he placed Tommy on the bed. He strengthened his hold, trying to stop the ranger's resistance. He wasn't going to lose this battle; not in a million years.

Out of thin air, a soaked white cloth appeared in Zedd's left hand with the equivalent of ten pieces of the seaweed. He covered Tommy's mouth with it.

"Why are you doing this, Zedd?" Tommy insisted. Tommy's wheeze only worsened. "You're making me wheeze more, Zedd. Please take that thing away from me." Tommy pleaded, resisting him even more.

"Close your eyes, Thomas. Close them." Zedd repeated.

Tommy started to shout loudly. Zedd felt pity for him because it was clear the black ranger was in agony but he kept the cloth pressed regardless. After all, the Schuld Kester was not killer seaweed.

"Be still, Tommy." Zedd whispered. "And when you wake up, you'll be together with your family."

After an hour, Tommy's eyes closed. A few seconds later, Zedd removed the cloth from his face. Zedd felt relieved, his success in drugging the legendary ranger was definitely a win but at the same time it exhausted him because the task required much more effort than he originally thought. He took a moment to feel the softness of the bed with his fingertips and take in the wonderful scent of the flowers through his nostrils before transporting Tommy and himself to the Heavenly Palace where Rita was awaiting for them.

A/N: I know since chapter 6, I've come up with long waits on the chapters. For the most part, it was because the fic took me to a level I originally didn't plan. You all liked the cameos that were not planned. I only planned Goldar, Finster and Scorpina to appear in the last chapter. I know most of you are still wondering where this fic is taking place. Well, I think it doesn't hurt to answer here just to not keep repeating myself in the future reviews' answering. The correct time is in the weeks that follow Dino Thunder episode 27 but before episode 28. That was stated in the summary. I'm not mixing up DT and MF's timeline. Plan changed greatly with this chapter…more info will be given at the right time. The fact I'm using Rita/Mystic Mother is only because I'm on the roll bus with what Power Rangers in Space established with some villains being purified when Zordon was killed by Andros and wanted to see in Dino Thunder as some answer goes (mainly plotholes with Tommy, Rita, Zedd and Zordon).

This chapter was delayed because I needed to do research/refresh my memory on some facts. For that matter, I want to thank all these wonderful people who helped me when I asked to get some facts right: Maria Henderson, Bobby Leopold, Dorian Gonzalez, Tony Izzo, Jesse Garza, Michael Mucha, Indra Wiralaksana, Leon Yorke, Andre Drew, Dynasty Wells-Union, Levi Boodram and J.j. Howell. All wonderful people who I came across in facebook. Without your advices, insight and guidance there wouldn't be chapters 7-9.

I'm not sure if there are some fans of toku within the audience. If there are, you'll recognize some things in this chapter. If you were all fans of Power Rangers only, well some things would sound strange. I have to say, I was inspired by Japanese toku series (namely Kamen Rider Decade & Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger) with this chapter. Also, many of the questions you were having and expressed in the reviews, were answered in this chapter.

Regarding Rita being in this chapter, I honestly didn't plan for her to make a cameo. It sorta happened considering I wanted to tap the origin of Rita's and Zedd's evilness. I can't say anything more regarding the direction of the fic just in case something like this happen again. Meeting is a living being which loves to mess around with me and playing mind games on me.

Next chapter is the finale. By the way, I own Rasbisute only.