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

heart to do any damage to his former teammate. After a brief confrontation, the Green Ranger fell to the wayside.

And then, there was the Blue Ranger.

Jason didn't even need to hear his high-pitched voice to discern it wasn't Rocky beneath the armor. The new guy was too anxious... he didn't have any of the poise in battle that was Rocky's signature. And his style was absolutely atrocious...it looked more like the Blue Ranger was mimicking moves he'd seen on television than executing strategic strikes.

Sad. Honestly, tragically, sad.

Deep down, in his heart of hearts, Jason had wondered if he still had 'it'

-- that unique, nameless quality that won him the Tyrannosaurus coin all those years ago. Once upon a time, he was the leader of the Power Rangers. His teammates looked up to him, respected him, depended on him. And he'd given his all to guide them through battles, protect them against threats, and shine as a living example to inspire them.

Then, Tommy arrived. In less than a week, the Green Ranger did more damage to Angel Grove than all of Rita's previous monsters combined.

Sure, it wasn't Tommy's fault. He was under a spell

...conveniently free from blame. Free from conscience.

Jason couldn't let himself be angry with Tommy. His

conscience burned him whenever the thought crossed his mind. After the months passed, the Red and Green Rangers became inseparable friends; but Jason couldn't always quiet the nagging voice in his mind, warning him that Tommy was doing more harm than good to the team. His reckless need to fight solo was damaging to the team chemistry Jason had worked so hard to encourage. Tommy always stood on his own, delaying his arrival until the Rangers desperately needed him, only to perform some over-the-top rescue to save the day.

Hmph. Probably just to impress Kim...

But it was more than that. For Tommy managed to impress someone other than the Pink Ranger: Zordon

.

And Zordon made the White Ranger the leader.

Jason had swallowed his pride, and shook his new leader's hand. He'd buried the hurt that cut him to the quick, as he struggled to understand why he'd been punished. What did he do wrong to deserve the demotion...and what the hell

did Zordon see in Tommy? Couldn't he see the harm in putting the Lone Ranger in charge of a team?

It grew even worse. For not only did Tommy take over the leadership...he'd done irreparable damage to the Power Ranger team.

Jason had no idea how bad things had gotten while he was in Geneva. Thousands of miles of distance always turned one's attention elsewhere. But when he returned, and donned the Gold Ranger armor, he'd gotten the unique opportunity to relive his glory days. Become the armored superhero, fighting as a Power Ranger once again.

And he was gravely disappointed. What had Tommy done

to the team?

Trini was a Kung Fu extraordinaire, studying styles ranging from the artistic to the devastating. Graceful, lithe, with a quiet wisdom that more than once pulled the Rangers out of the fire. Aisha, her successor, was an accomplished fighter, a black belt in karate, with a smattering of Kung Fu mixed in to add some flavor.

But in comparison, Tanya was slow, uncoordinated, and weak.

Granted, she was a nice girl, with a lot of spirit and commendable intelligence. She was even a decent athlete. But that didn't make her Power Ranger

material.

Kimberly was the most agile person Jason had ever known...with the grace and speed to win championship trophies in gymnastics and cheerleading. Plus, she'd taken several self-defense classes from her friends. Granted, she had no true martial arts experience when she first donned the Pink armor, but she eagerly subjected herself to intense training from Trini and Jason, in an effort to brush up her skills and create a style all her own. While she didn't have an official belt standing, Jason was confident Kimberly could tousle with the best of them.

Katherine had all the grace Kimberly did; but where was the spunk? She spent her time dancing

in the Youth Center...did she ever work out? Again, a nice girl -- but she'd proven in her confrontation with her predecessor that she didn't have the fighting rhythm. And she'd been the Pink Ranger for nearly a year

.

And then...the rookie. Jason approached Justin, who was desperately staggering to his feet.

As the former leader of the Power Rangers, he was nauseated

the team he helped forge could become such a joke!

"I can't believe Tommy let a kid

be a Power Ranger,"

he hissed, lifting the Blue Ranger with his collar. "Rocky was a force to be reckoned with, and even Billy learned how to hold his own. Let me guess...you picked up your moves from Saturday morning cartoons, right?"

Justin didn't bother to answer, latching onto Jason's wrists in an effort to force the former Ranger to release his death grip.

"Pathetic. I'm strong...but I shouldn't be strong enough to route three Rangers. If some capable

people were fighting, you guys might have won. How does it feel to fail your planet? See, I wouldn't know. My

team never failed."

Jason snarled viciously at the kid, and then tossed him out of his way. Frankly, the kid wasn't the source of the problem.

He tensed his muscles, pivoting and walking purposefully toward the young man that ruined his legacy. That stole

his legacy, humiliating him by taking the role of leadership. That posed as his best friend, but showed little loyalty when it really counted.

The question always lingered, from that long ago afternoon when they tied at the Martial Arts Expo: Who was the stronger of the two?

Finally...without his conscience buzzing in his ear, without the consequences weighing down his broad shoulders, without affection restraining his might...Jason was free to get his answer.

Chapter Forty-Two

Tommy watched with bated breath as Kim hovered over Kat, laughing deeply. "No! This has to --"

"You're mine!"

came a terrifyingly deep voice, as suddenly a vice latched onto his neck from behind. Tommy didn't have a chance to react as Jason lifted him off his feet, and catapulted him into the thick dust.

Tommy sprawled to the ground dangerously close to the pit of flames. Struggling to orient himself, he rolled onto his stomach, and lifted his head.

His eyes narrowed as he watched his best friend approach, heat billowing off his entire body.

"Come on, Ranger!"

he taunted. "Your entire team is a waste of my time. Can you

face me?"

Tommy pushed himself to his feet. As he noticed his hair hanging over his forehead, he mutely cursed himself for taking off his helmet. From the bloodthirsty glare Jason threw at him, he knew he needed all the help he could get.

The Red Ranger surprised himself by easily taking his favored ready stance. He wasn't able to lift a finger against Kimberly, even as she nearly took his head off...but deep down, he'd been waiting

for this confrontation.

Gritting his teeth, he tried desperately to rein in the fury. Stop it! I can't get distracted! Jase is under a spell...he doesn't really want to hurt me! And I don't want to hurt him. Do I?

With a ferocious scream, Jason dove for Tommy, launching a roundhouse with enough power behind it to snap a man's spine. Tommy ducked the high kick, firing a snap kick Jason swiveled to block.

Dust kicked up from the ground as their battle increased in speed, inching the pair ever closer to the pit of fire.

Finally, Tommy found an opening in Jason's near-flawless defense, and made contact with Jason's nose.

The former Red Ranger stumbled back, blood gushing from the injury. He shook his head to clear it, his eyes erupting into fresh rage as he steadied himself.

As Tommy glanced at his bloodstained knuckles, horror suffused his face. No...I didn't want this! I...I wanted to talk to Jason, clear the air...find out the truth! Not batter him!

He and Jason had sparred countless times...and while a few bruises were to be expected, he'd never shed his best friend's blood. Even when he was evil, he never had the opportunity to sink that low.

Yet lately, as he wrestled with his suspicions, Tommy had to admit that deep down, he'd wanted vengeance. In a blind jealousy that surpassed all reason, he wanted to see Jason suffer for his attachment to Kimberly.

Oh God...what's happening to me? What am I turning into??

So deeply immersed in his own mind, Tommy was unprepared for Jason's fresh assault. The former Ranger fired a series of body punches that slowed his opponent down, and finished with an uppercut that laid the Red Ranger flat on his back.

Tommy tasted the blood in his mouth. He waited for the world to stop spinning before he lifted himself to his elbows.

Jason hovered over him, chuckling quietly. "I knew you couldn't measure up. You never deserved

any of it...the Power, the leadership...anything

! But you weaseled your way onto my team, and stole my

role!"

Tommy took a deep breath as he suffered the verbal blows. He...he can't mean this...can he? Could he have carried resentment the whole time, without ever letting on? Is that why --?

Desperate for the truth, Tommy bolted to his feet. Fighting off the protest of his body, he readied himself for a fresh onslaught. "Is that why you did it? Is that why you...and Kim...?"

Afraid of the answer, Tommy couldn't even put his suspicions to words.

Jason noticed the agony playing over Tommy's face, and folded his arms. How pathetic is

this guy? He's still hung up on Kim!

His lips quirked savagely as he speared the obviously unhealed emotional wound. "I always wondered what

Kim saw in you. I mean really...you're nothing like all her other boyfriends were. You're too needy...kinda like a bird with a broken wing, aching for some TLC."

He noticed Tommy shiver, fighting to maintain composure.

"Maybe that's it, then. You were her charity case! She felt bad for you...so lost and alone...and you mistook that for love!"

Tommy snarled, a terrifying anger swelling to life. A haze of red clouded his vision...but out of nowhere, a numbing fear froze him.

No...I can't fight him...

Tommy realized, struggling to suppress the beast Jason's words had awakened. He's under a spell! He's just trying to hurt me, goad me into a fight.

Then, he took a deep, long breath, summoning every scrap of willpower in his winded body. He forced his addled mind to silence, delving into his past. Delving into the memories he carried of the Evil Green Ranger.

He'd locked them into a mental closet, in a desperate attempt to put the nightmare behind him and move on with his life. While his "good