Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, Heather Ray [read ebook pdf TXT] 📗

remembered, even before we began dating. Even before I knew his name, he stopped Bulk and Skull from harassing me.

Despite the recent disappointments she'd experienced, Kimberly found a surprising amount of confidence in that memory. Tommy Oliver may not have been a faithful boyfriend… but he was born to be a hero.

"Maligore, the Flame of Destruction," the Pirate Queen invoked, "it is I, Divatox, your one and only true soul-mate. This moment is long in coming, and now, I bring you two perfect specimens to seal our matrimonial pact!"

She glanced up, and smirked as Kimberly and Jason began to struggle against their chains. "Come forth, and feed upon their purity! Join forces with me!"

The crowd of villains gave a cheer as a Piranhatron began to lower Kim and Jason into the pit of lava.

Kim screamed as the slow descent began.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

The terrified scream tore right through his body, freezing the air in his lungs. And suddenly, all the confusion that buzzed in his mind vanished, as old instincts took over.

Just like in the good-ole' days of White and Pink, whenever danger singled her out, his entire world narrowed into one thought: save her

!

"Kim!

I'm coming!"

Tommy's feet moved faster than he could've imagined. The four other Turbo Rangers were hard-pressed to keep up as they braved the dark, humid tunnel, bracing themselves for whatever was in store.

He skidded to a halt just within the sanctuary of Maligore, where dozens of natives danced in jubilation as Kimberly and Jason inched ever closer to the lava.

"NO!"

he roared, breaking into a fresh run.

"Stop him!" Divatox screeched, her voice easily as shrill as Rita Repulsa's at her very worst.

Kimberly's entire body fell numb. She couldn't move. She could hardly breathe. All she could do was watch as the Red Ranger tore a path through a sea of monsters and natives, delving into a frenzied strength she never seen a man possess.

She knew in her heart it was Tommy under that helmet. His scream made her breath catch, hope swelling her soul as he hacked through mutants and Piranhatrons alike.

"Told you," Jason murmured. "The Rangers would never let us down."

Kim continued to stare, her vision blurred by standing tears. She'd heard him call her name…heard the raw emotion behind his feverish shout. Maybe he does still care after all. M…maybe there's something left we can salvage…

Her thoughts were interrupted by Divatox's mocking laugh. "Ha! You think you can save them?" Her face cast into a blood-chilling smirk. "Piranhatron! Drop

them!"

The servant tending the lever obeyed, and jerked his hands away. Suddenly, there was nothing hindering their combined body weight from dropping them straight into the pit.

"Kim!" Tommy cried, racing toward the pit. However, a wall of Piranhatrons tackled him, keeping him away.

"Into the fire!" cheered Rygog, as Kim and Jason plunged further down.

Kimberly felt sudden vertigo as her body succumbed to free fall. Mindless panic setting in, she drew her feet closer to her body in an absurd attempt to buy a moment more of life.

Her heart lodged in her throat, she choked out one word. "Tommy…"

The Red Ranger released a wordless scream as they dropped into the stone well.

"No, no, NO

!" Tommy roared, his voice jagged. He would have leapt into the pit after them, if it weren't for the endless mutants blocking his way. Helpless to do anything else, he watched the fire swallow the two people he loved the most.

The mighty leader of the Power Rangers sank to his knees, clutching handfuls of sand that sifted between his fingers. No no no no…this can't be happening…no! I won't believe it they're not gone they're not…oh God please help me this must be a dream it can't be real it can't!!!

The rest of the team slowly migrated to their leader's side, watching numbly as plumes of flames leapt from the pit.

Divatox wicked laughter put their nerves on edge. "Maybe if you're quiet enough, you can hear your friends shriek as my hubbie devours them alive!"

Chapter Thirty-Nine

She felt the fire licking her flesh, but it didn't blister her skin, or even singe her clothes. Instead, it pressed deeper, saturating her body, invading her every pore and igniting her entire being from within.

First to burn away in the consuming inferno were the tears that slid down her cheeks. They evaporated completely, leaving no sign of their existence. It felt like the fire ate even deeper than the tears she had already shed, somehow burning away all the tears she had left. Burning away her ability

to cry.

Then, her panic turned to ash. Instead, she felt a slow numbing of senses.

Fascinated, she searched further into her being, feeling out the changes.

The panic was gone. The fear was gone. The insecurities were gone.

The river of contradicting emotions, the thick frustration and persistent love that she'd been drowning in for months, suddenly evaporated.

Mesmerized, she took a moment to enjoy the perfect peace of feeling absolutely nothing at all.

Only, it didn't last. All too soon, a new sensation flooded her, as the dry riverbed of her heart was filled with something fierce.

A river of lava.

Suddenly, she shrieked anew, muscles tensing as the very Flame of Destruction itself, the essence of the dread Maligore, spread through her veins, roasting her blood, blackening her heart like a candle wick that served its purpose.

And as she felt her heart of hearts crumble to ash, only one reaction occurred to her.

She opened her mouth, deeply inhaling the liquid fire surrounding her…and laughed.

Part Nine: The Rage

"For the rage of a man is jealousy,
And he will not show compassion
In the day of his vengeance."
--Proverbs 6:34

Chapter Forty

All he could hear was the crackle of liquid flame, churning in the pit before him. That, and the riotous laughter of Divatox, as she bathed in her victory.

Through a film of unshed tears Tommy stared at the pit, watching the smoke rise... all that remained of Kimberly and Jason.

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he remembered that the sacrifice had been completed. That soon, the Flame of Destruction himself would rise, and try to lay waste to humanity yet again. Somewhere, he realized he and the other Turbo Rangers were all that stood between Divatox and ultimate power.

Yet all he could do was sit, hands and knees entrenched in sand, waiting patiently for someone to wake him from this hellish nightmare.

Ever-so-slowly, the Pink Turbo Ranger kneeled beside him, arms trembling as she threw them around him. "Oh God, Tommy...I..."

Katherine fell wordless, a sorrow unlike anything she'd ever felt choking her. Yet he didn't hear her anyway, nor feel her tortured embrace. He simply sat there.

The Yellow and Green Rangers stood at either side of the pair, helpless to provide any other comfort than their protective presence.

The Blue Ranger lingered back, wide eyes staring at the stone pit of eternal flame. His fists clenched and unclenched nervously, desperate to release the anxious energy that built within.

He didn't know who those people were. He only knew his teammates

in passing, mostly thanks to their participation in the martial arts contest to benefit his orphanage. Yet, he could sense an overwhelming loss. Those two...must have been special people.

They were also the first living creatures young Justin saw die.

His mind pleasantly detached, he watched the fire leap from the pit. His eyes narrowed curiously.

The fire's getting stronger. Does that mean Maligore's waking up?

"Guys!" he cried in warning. "Look out!"

His cry came too late, for a split-second later, two massive plumes of fire erupted from the volcano, the sheer force of the explosion knocking everyone meters away from the opening.

Mesmerized, all the witnesses watched the two amorphous flames stretch out, slowly spreading into arms, legs...

Suddenly, Tommy snapped out of his daze, a joy bolder than any in his memory flooding his heart. "Kim! Jason!"

He was right. As the two shapes gradually became solid, everyone was shocked to see the former Power Rangers standing at the edge of the pit, heads hanging and eyes closed.

"Whoa," Elgar gasped, clapping his hands enthusiastically. "That's a neat trick!"

Rygog scratched his head. "I thought Maligore was gonna eat them, or something."

"Yeah," Divatox noted, tapping her chin. "The scrolls said he needed to feed on Purity to give him the strength to break free from his fiery prison. I figured