Hearts and Armor

Chapter 1: Return of an Old Friend

Part 1

The arena was filled with cheering as the gold Ranger was sent sprawling once more and the man the machine empire was proclaiming as their King lifted his hands in victory. "And now, Rangers I will finish you one and for all to stop the spread of your vile evil from going beyond this arena for now and forever!"

"Tommy, no!" Katherine de-morphed, powering down her zeo crystal and standing before him in her street clothes. Her blonde hair blew slightly in the wind as she stepped forward, out in front of the Rangers. "Tommy, don't do this, we're your friends; we want to help you."

"Friends?" The Red Ranger spat the word, his helmet tilting derisively. "You are a scourge, a plague and one that I have the opportunity to extinguish here and now!"

She stepped closer. "No, Tommy." Her voice softened, her accent deepening. "We're the only line of defense against evil. They have you brainwashed; you're one of us."

He moved forward, as if to step beyond her, and she grabbed him, attempting to wrap her arms about his chest. The Red Ranger reacted, his arms shooting up between them and out. Her arms went wide, leaving her completely exposed and without the protection of her crystal. Her eyes widened for a half-second in alarm but she had no time to react as his hand came down and then back up, whipping across her face in a powerful backhanded slap.

Katherine spun several times in the air, a sickening snap audible through the suddenly silent arena as she was sent sprawling, collapsing in an unmoving heap.

"Kat!" The Gold Ranger's voice echoed through the arena on the heels of the sound as he and the other Rangers surrounded her. The Gold Ranger dropped to his knees beside her unmoving form as the others surrounded them protectively. Gold Ranger carefully checked Kat for injuries. Something in her shoulder was off, her arm hanging at a funny angle from the socket as he rolled her towards him. Her head dropped to the side, a small trickle of blood visible on the corner of her lip.

"Kat, can you hear me?"

She didn't twitch, didn't move, but he could she was breathing.

"This isn't good guys. She needs help and fast."

None of the Rangers could argue as they held their ground, facing the Red Ranger and former leader.

The Red Ranger laughed maniacally. "She was but the first; the rest of you are next!"

Behind the Red Ranger, the evil minions of the Machine Empire hooted and hollered their approval for their new king.

Back in the control center, Alpha 5 grasped his oblong head as he watched the events unfolding on the viewing globe. "Aie yi yi yi yi! What will we do Zordon? Tommy's completely unreachable!"

"Katherine's plea has failed, Alpha, but there is one person who may be able to reach him where she was not."

"But Zordon-"

"There is no time to argue, Alpha. You must go to Florida and find Kimberly. Without her, the Rangers are doomed."

Kimberly Hart inhaled deeply as she balanced carefully on the beam, her arms stretched in front of her for balance. She closed her eyes for a half-second, visualizing the move before bending her knees and arching her back. She gripped the beam between confident hands, pushing off, and had barely landed before she threw herself into a second backwards flip, this one without her hands. She landed, tilting slightly to the right before regaining her balance.

She extended her arms, a brilliant smile crossing her lips. Yes! She'd been trying to nail that move for hours!

Clapping brought her head around as she dropped from the beam.