Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie by Heather Ray (best color ereader .txt) 📖

"What was that?!" cried Mondo, the king of the Machine Empire.

"Yer Majesty," said Klank, "there is a very large vessel approaching the palace!"

"Is it the Megazord?" asked Queen Machina.

"Nay, My Queen. Its headed towards us, but _not_ from Earth, from outer space. Its coming closer --"

The entire palace was rocked to its foundations, and the entire royal court fell to the ground in the throne room. Young Prince Sprockett was the first to recover, and quickly rose to his feet and ran to the balcony.

"Mom, Dad!" he called, "It's a Zord!"

"But, you said it wasn't the Power Rangers!" Mondo snapped at Klank.

"It isn't Dear," said Machina, joining her youngest son at the balcony, "It's Serpentera!"

"Lord Zedd's ship?" Mondo snarled, "So, the skinless coward returns! Does he plan on fighting the entire Machine Empire with that one zord?"

Suddenly, a flash of blood red light streaked through the darkness of the throne room. A cloud of gray smoke took shape, and Lord Zedd appeared, sitting upon his abandoned throne, and firmly clasping his Z staff.

"I don't have to fight off the entire empire," Zedd said, "After all, you four are the brain of the Machines. If something happened to you, the Cogs wouldn't know whom to obey. I'm sure I could convince them to work for me, but I prefer good old Putty Patrolers."

"You have a lotta nerve barging in here, and threatening my Dad!" Sprockett yelled, stepping towards Zedd. Zedd regarded the young machine for a moment.

"So," said Zedd, standing up from his throne and approaching Sprockett, "you are the heir to the Machine throne? Aren't you a cute little robot? I hate cute."

Zedd's visor flashed, and Serpentera's red eyes flashed in response. It roared tremendously, once again shaking the entire palace. Lord Zedd quickly grabbed Prince Sprockett, and pulled him away. Machina, Klank, and Mondo watched in mute terror as Zedd stepped back, holding his deadly scepter to the young prince's neck.

"Here's the deal, Mondo," Zedd snapped, keeping a tight grasp on the terrified prince, "You have one hour to evacuate this palace, and abandon your attempt to conquer Earth! Then, you'll get your son back..."

"You coward!" Mondo roared, his anger soaring, "You hide behind a child!"

"Why not?" Zedd laughed, "If you were truly evil, you would sacrifice your son to save your empire. But, I'm betting you aren't as threatening as you like to believe. You have one hour."

With that, Lord Zedd vanished from the throne room. Mondo's golden eyes flared with rage, as he turned around, towards Serpentera. "KLANK!!"

"Aye," Klank said humbly.

"Prepare every Cog we have for battle --"

"WHAT?!"

cried Machina, "You're actually thinking of sacrificing Sprockett, just so you can continue to attack this worthless globe?!"

"No, my Dear," he said soothingly, "but I will not

be bullied by Zedd! I'll evacuate, all right, but as soon as he returns Sprockett to us, I'll have the Cogs plow down his vessel!"

Inside the large bridge of Serpentera, Lord Zedd apppears, with his young, chubby captive.

"You won't get away with this," Sprockett yelled angrily, "When my Dad gets his hands on you--"

"Oh, shut up," Zedd snarled, letting a pulse of electricity from his staff shoot through Sprockett. The energy quickly overloaded the prince's circuits, and he deactivated. Lord Zedd lifted the prince, and lay him face down on a table.

"I don't have much time," Zedd thought aloud, opening a panel on Sprockett's lower back, "If I know Mondo, he's getting an army ready to attack me. He has me at a great disadvantage as far as numbers go. That's why I've decided to resort to other tactics..."

Zedd placed a small explosive, about the size of a half-dollar, into Sprockett's back. He made sure it was secure, and then activated the single button. The number 60 appeared in red digits on the tiny screen.

"I spent three months working on this device," he said, laughing triumphantly, "It packs enough explosive to destroy the royal family, and the entire royal ship! The other ships are all drones, and without the computer commands from the royal ship, they'll lose all navigational abilities! Mondo has exactly 56 minutes to save his son, and his son has exactly 59 minutes to live. Perfect."

At Starbucks a few miles from the Holiday Inn, Jason and Kimberly talk over two mugs of hot chocolate and some fresh muffins.

"... and so I decided to move back to Angel Grove," Jason concluded, stirring his hot chocolate, "It was the only place I really felt at home."

"I know how you feel," Kim admitted, "I really miss Angel Grove. I always believed it was the most beautiful spot on the planet. When the sun rises, and casts that orange-pink glow over the ocean, its just breathtaking. Miami is beautiful too, but it doesn't have that peaceful, easy-going air that Angel Grove has. Everyone here is always in a rush. Myself included."

"The coach has been keeping you busy?"

"You wouldn't believe how much practice we've been doing. Every day, except Saturdays, we work out in the gym, either at the gymnastics stations, or on the weights. We go for jogs around Miami, and swim laps. We do just about every form of exercise you can imagine."

"Have you been keeping up on your martial arts?"

"Actually, Coach Schmidt thinks keeping up on the martial arts is a great idea," Kim said, "I for sure thought he'd tell me not to, in case I get hurt or something. But he realizes that martial arts develops discipline, so he let me sign up for some classes a few months ago. Twice a week."

"That's good," said Jason, looking up at her. Kim could tell from his look that the subject of discussion was about to turn to something serious. "So, what are you planning on doing once the Pan-Globals are over?"

"I'm going to college in Paris," Kim said, "My parents are really glad that I decided to move in with them."

"When did you decide that?" asked Jason.

"Not too long ago. It was either that, or stay with the team to practice for the Olympics. I love gymnastics and all, but I'm not much into serious competition. I can do without it."

"And, when did you decide not to go back to Angel Grove?"

Kim looked away uncomfortably.

"Last time I talked to you, Kim, you said you couldn't wait to see everyone again," Jason continued, "That was back in December, during Christmas break. When exactly did your attitude change?"

"February 14th," Kim said bitterly.

"Excuse me?" Jason asked.

"Jase," said Kim quietly, "I know you and Tommy are best friends, and since you're living in Angel Grove again, I'm sure he's talked to you about what happened between us."

"Actually, he tries to avoid that topic. I was wondering what did happen. It must've been pretty bad, to lead you to totally cut off all contact with your friends. We've worried about you, Kim."

"I can't believe he actually didn't tell you," Kim said, shaking her head, "Maybe he feels guilty about it. Okay, the thing is, Tommy was going out with Katherine behind my back. I don't know how long it had been going on, but I know for a fact that he did. He chose her over me, and he didn't even have the decency to tell me about it."

"What?" said Jason in surprise, "Are you sure about that, Kim?"

Kim went on to tell Jason about this past Valentine's Day, and Tommy's skiing trip with Katherine. She also related the telephone conversation with Tommy's mother, and Tommy going to dinner with Katherine that same weekend. As Kim talked, a shadow seemed to darken her usually bright eyes, and her tone became more and more spiteful.

"... and that's it," she concluded, taking a long sip of her hot chocolate, "I guess they just couldn't get enough of each other Valentine's weekend. And he hasn't tried to call me since. So, I didn't try to call him. After all, I'm not the one who should have made the apology."

Jason was stunned by Kimberly's story. "It... it just doesn't make sense," he said, "I mean, Tommy wouldn't do that--"

"That's what I believed too," Kim said bitterly, "but he did. And Adam, Rocky, and Billy must've known about it too, and they didn't tell me Tommy was cheating on me. I realize now that I shouldn't blame them, but at the time, I was so hurt and confused, I didn't want to associate with anything-- or anyone-- that reminded me of Tommy. That included all the rangers, past and present."

"But still, I can't believe he did that. And you never talked to him about it?"

"No. I guess we both decided to have nothing more to do with each other."

"Would you consider coming to Angel Grove after the Pan-Globals? I mean, we were all a close-knit family before this whole mess. Maybe you and Tommy can come to an understanding?"

"There's nothing to understand," Kim said coldly, "He lied to me! End of story. How could I ever trust him again?"

"Kim," Jason said, reaching across the table and touching her hand, "as a friend, listen to me. Even if Tommy lied to you, I really think there's something more going on here. I'm sure you'd agree that we really should try to get to the bottom of this."

"Well," Kim sighed, "I guess."

"Welcome back, Kimberly," said Jason with a smile, squeezing her hand gently.