Chapter Text
“I didn’t see it, I didn’t see it, why didn’t I see it…”
Kimberly is watching Diana pace wildly, her eyes wide and her hands clenched in fists as they wait for the others to show up.
She’s never seen Diana like this before, she looks almost hysterical, her whole body trembling as she paces back and forth at an almost inhuman speed, breathing deeply as she shakes her head over and over again, refusing to believe in any of it…
“Diana…you can’t blame yourself-.”
“She told me! She told me right to my face that she was seeing Rita everywhere and I didn’t listen!” Diana yells, her accent growing stronger due to her overwhelming emotions, and Kimberly bites down on her lip to stop herself from crying. So much had happened in such a short amount of time, she’s not sure she can even believe it.
How could her entire world have been so perfect and yet so destroyed so quickly?
One second they were telling each other ‘I love you’ and the next, Trini was gone.
Kimberly can’t wrap her head around it, can’t understand it…
“When I get my hands on that woman…” Diana whispers, and Kimberly looks up at her with a frown.
“I don’t understand. Is she being possessed, or is Rita here, I just…I don’t understand.” Diana looks at her, eyes filled with rage before she runs her fingers through her hair in frustration.
“I should have seen it…”
Before Kimberly can respond, the front door suddenly bursts open and Kimberly’s jumping to her feet as Zack, Billy and Jason run through the door, all of them with looks of concern on their faces and Kimberly whimpers and jumps up, running straight toward them as her heart pounds against her chest with relief.
“Kim-.” Jason’s the first to embrace her, hugging her tightly as she cries into his shoulder and Billy and Zack wrap their arms around the both of them, the four of them huddled together in their grief.
They’ve lost a Ranger, and none of them saw it coming.
Kimberly jumps when another set of arms wrap around them, and she can almost feel the grief and anguish emanating from Diana as she joins the group hug, her tall frame almost big enough to wrap her arms around all four of them.
“What do we do?” Jason asks Diana in a small voice.
“We have to find her.” Diana murmurs, and Jason nods before he pulls away from Kimberly and grips her shoulders, the leader in him taking over.
“You said she said something about the ship?” He asks Kimberly, and she bites down on her bottom lip to stop it from trembling as she nods.
She needs to be strong right now.
“What exactly did she say?” Jason asks.
“She said ‘You win. I’ll take you to the ship, just don’t make me do this’…” Kimberly says firmly, and Jason frowns.
“So Rita needs something from the ship. But what?”
“I don’t know…” Kimberly whispers.
“This is why Zordon should have told us everything that happened with Rita, we asked him over and over again, but all he did was avoid the subject!” Zack hisses, looking at Jason in anger and Billy’s the one to shake his head as he reaches out and grips Zack’s shoulder.
“Look man, now’s not the time to get mad at Zordon. We’ve gotta save Trini. That’s our top priority.”
“But how do we do that? We can’t just go running after them-.”
“We’ve got no choice. Whatever Rita wants from the ship, it can’t be good. We’ve gotta get to the ship. Now.” Jason says firmly, and when Zack and Billy nod along in agreement, she sighs and reluctantly gives Jason a simple nod.
“Let’s get moving-.”
“Wait!” They all freeze, all of them turning as Diana looks at each of them before she takes a deep breath in and nods.
“I’m coming with you. Morph into your suits while I make a call and change.” She says, and Zack opens his mouth to say something, but doesn’t get the chance to. Diana runs upstairs as fast as she can, grabbing her phone from her pocket as she does and all of them watch her for a long time before Zack turns to the others.
“Morph into our suits? Who is she calling? What is she changing into?” Zack asks in confusion. Jason purses his lips.
“Her armor, Zack. And she’s probably calling the Justice League.” Jason says with a sigh. Kimberly’s heart drops, and they all exchange looks of shock.
“Is…is she expecting a fight?” Kimberly whispers, and Jason turns to look at her gravely, and his response has her choking on the lump that forms in her throat at his words.
“Aren’t you?”
-
Trini’s on the verge of death.
She can feel it. The darkness that tints her eyes, and the way her body doesn’t seem to be moving forward anymore, each step causing pain and each movement taking all the energy she has in her.
Rita walks beside her, her frustration growing more and more as Trini tries her best to keep going, but even her Ranger powers aren’t helping her.
She’s too weak.
“If you don’t move faster, Yellow, I’ll wrap a collar around that pretty little neck of yours and drag you.” Rita growls, and Trini groans as she reaches up to climb the Cliffside, pushing herself up as her shoulders tremble and her fingers ache terribly.
As soon as she reaches the chasm where the ship is buried underneath the water, she stops short, gasping for air as she rests her hands on her shaking knees.
“Why are we stopping?” Rita hisses, and then her fingers are gripping Trini’s hair and forcing her up and Trini cries out in pain before grabbing Rita’s hands wrapped in her hair, trying to elevate some of the pain.
“D-Down there!” She croaks out, nodding down the chasm and hissing in pain when it causes Rita’s fingers to dig further into her scalp. Rita scoffs and lets her go, pushing her forward and Trini collapses onto her knees.
“After you, Yellow.” Trini ignores the pain that explodes at the impact of her knees hitting the graveled rock surface of the Cliff, and she’s pretty sure she’s got cuts and bruises all over her body from Rita constantly pushing her to move faster. She grits her teeth and stands on shaking legs before she takes a deep breath in and closes her eyes before jumping off the cliff in a dive.
As soon as she meets the water, it hits her like a bucket full of ice, stinging her body as she squeezes her eyes shut and winces, wishing more than anything that the water would take her away from this, all of this…
But when she opens them, Rita is floating beside her, a wide grin on her face and it hits her that there’s no escaping, and as Trini begins swimming downward, with every stroke, her heart drops further.
She doesn’t want to do this…she knows what will happen if Rita gets inside that ship…
The whole world will end as she knows it.
As soon as she surfaces and drops down from the ceiling, she lands on her knees and screams as her leg explodes with pain. She grips it tightly, baring her teeth before looking up to see Rita waiting for her, her eyebrow raised as she holds a hand out to help her.
“You’ve been torturing me for weeks a-and now you wanna h-help me up?” Trini gasps out, and Rita sighs.
“It’s this or I make good on that collar, DeeDee. Now get up.” Trini glares at her, and she bares her teeth and slaps her hand away before standing. As soon as she puts pressure on her knee, pain explodes throughout her right leg and she gasps and grips it, looking down at it to see it’s shaking terribly, her jeans torn as blood soaks them.
She limps her way toward the entrance of the ship, Rita shoving her slightly to move faster, and she stops just before it, biting her lip in hesitation before Rita sighs impatiently behind her.
“Collar…” She sing songs, and Trini bares her teeth and squeezes her eyes shut.
She has no choice.
She steps forward, and when the entrance whines before the doors roll upward, she groans in anguish as Rita cackles loudly behind her.
“Oh, Yellow…Yellow, Yellow, Yellow…this is a dream come true.”
Trini’s frozen as the door comes to a stop, the entrance to the ship completely exposed, but Rita doesn’t urge her forward, and Trini looks back at her to see she’s simply staring at the entrance in awe as tears well in her eyes.
“Sixty five million years…” She whispers, looking up at it with a mixture of regret and sadness. Trini shudders, drenched in water and still on the verge of collapse as her whole body threatens to give up its task of standing still and that seems to catch Rita’s attention.
“Go on, Yellow…” She breathes, looking at her gleefully, and Trini swallows the lump in her throat before she limps forward.
She makes her way up the steps, tries her best not to cry with each step up, and walks through the front door.
She hears the telltale sign of Alpha 5 moving toward her, the sound of his feet hitting the steel of the ship, and a low whine escapes her when Alpha 5 comes into view, a warning on the tip of her tongue before he brightens up and quickens his pace when he realizes who’s waiting for him.
“Trini? It’s you! We’ve been wondering where you are, Jason said-.”
“Get rid of him.” Rita hisses, effectively cutting off Alpha 5’s words, but Trini doesn’t move.
She can’t hurt him.
“Trini, is everything okay? You seem a bit pale. Maybe I should scan-.”
Rita growls, and then Trini’s arm is acting on its own as she reaches down and grabs Alpha 5’s metallic arm between her fingers and yanks him forward before swinging him around behind her. A silent scream builds in her throat as she hears the sounds of his shouts of confusion before he’s bumping down the stairs and landing in a metal heap at the bottom, sparks flying off his body as he groans.
Trini stares in horror as Rita laughs loudly and looks at Trini with glee.
“Keep going.” She hisses wickedly, and Trini looks back at the cavern, reaches an arm out to Alpha 5-
“I said keep going!” Rita growls, and she grabs Trini’s bicep and spins her around as Trini sniffs and wipes her tears away before making her way further into the ship, stopping just as they enter the center of it, the lights in the room flashing on and Trini stares longingly at the morphing grid.
God, she’d do anything to get her hands on her suit right now…
But she knows she’s way too weak to attempt it, but maybe, maybe she can just try-
“It’s to the left, DeeDee. Move it.” Rita says, and Trini pauses for a moment before passing the morphing grid and entering the left hallway of the ship, somewhere she’s never been before.
But she barely makes it five steps before the wall lights up and Zordon blinks into focus.
Trini’s heart skips a beat as he stares around the room before his eyes lock onto her.
“Trini? What is it?” He asks firmly.
“Ignore him, I’ll deal with him later. Get to where I need you.” Rita growls, and Trini hesitates before doing as she’s told, almost on autopilot as she makes her way down the hallway.
“Trini? Trini, where are you going? Trini!” Zordon’s calls for her to come back, but Trini ignores him.
Until-
“Alpha! Alpha, where are you?”
Trini chokes on a sob, her heart breaking, but she keeps moving.
She’s never been to this section of the ship before, none of them have, and it isn’t long before Rita’s the one leading the way now, walking in front of Trini eagerly as Trini follows behind her reluctantly.
She makes a right before making another left and then she comes to a stop in front of a room Trini’s never seen before.
They’ve always been so focused on training that exploring the ship never even crossed their minds. She has no idea what’s on the other side of this door.
But Rita does.
She lets out a moan of pleasure as she looks at Trini with wide eyes.
“This is it.” She whispers.
“What?” Trini whispers back. Rita points at the door.
“Your coin. Place it in the slot.” She says firmly, and Trini looks to the door to see a small circle shape cut out in the middle of it. Trini swallows the lump in her throat and reaches into her pocket for her Power Coin.
She whines when she sees the Yellow is almost completely obliterated, and she looks at Rita with tear filled eyes.
“Are you…what happens…?” She doesn’t know what to say, doesn’t know how to voice her worries when Rita chuckles and steps forward, running her fingers through Trini’s hair.
“Don’t worry, Yellow. You’ll understand everything soon enough. That’s if I don’t kill you for not doing as I say. So how about you do as I say…and put that Power Coin in the slot to open the door?” She hisses, and Trini winces as her nails dig into her scalp before she nods. Rita lets her go, and Trini grips the Power Coin and steps forward, fear gripping her as she places the Coin into the slot against the door.
The Power Coin shines brightly, a light green filter echoing around the room before there’s loud noises and the door hisses and begins opening.
“Get in, DeeDee!” Rita cries out, and Trini looks up to see Rita urging her forward. She winces in pain, but jumps forward into the room, clutching her knee when it gives way beneath her before looking around the room in wonder.
In the middle of the room is a pedestal, similar to the ones around the morphing grid, except this one is bright purple instead of white, and Trini looks around the room to see a glass case on the side with what looks like golden bracelets in it.
But apart from that, the room is empty, nothing but the tile grated floor and the steel walls surrounding it.
“What is this place?” Trini asks. Rita steps forward and looks at the pedestal in awe.
“That, Yellow…is my ticket off the moon.” She breathes, reaching out to touch the railing of the pedestal.
Trini freezes.
Her heart is pounding against her chest as Rita stares at the pedestal for a long time before looking up at Trini gleefully.
“Get on the pedestal, Trini.”
“Not until you tell me what it is.” Trini breathes, clenching her fists to hide how her hands are shaking with fear as Rita rolls her eyes.
“Can we maybe do this later?”
“No. Now. You owe me this. You’ve tortured me for weeks, I deserve to know if you’re about to…to take over my body.” She says firmly, and Rita stares at her for a long time before she seems to come to a conclusion.
“I’m not possessing you, Yellow. You’re not going to turn into me, and I’m not going to turn into you.” She says finally, and Trini almost collapses on the spot.
“But…my coin-.” She gasps out, and Rita holds up a hand to silence her as she rolls her eyes before pointing at the purple pedestal.
“It’s a teleportation device, Yellow. Gets Rangers from Point A to B without all the hassle of riding Zords across the world to get there. It can teleport us to anywhere…and from anywhere. We just have to be wearing the bands, and lucky for me…I’m still wearing mine from sixty five million years ago.” She chuckles, and Trini looks down at her wrist to see that there is indeed a golden bracelet wrapped around it, something she thought was just a part of the design of her suit…
“If you’ve had the band all along, why didn’t you do this ages ago?” Trini whispers, and Rita steps toward her, reaching out to caress her cheek as she smirks.
“Because in order for the bands to work, there needs to be a mental link between the Rangers. That’s why your coin has been getting little flecks of Green in it, DeeDee. A mental link that allows us to become one.”
Trini closes her eyes, lets out a sigh as she nods.
“That’s why you’re always in my head…” She whispers, and Rita laughs.
“Yes. If I didn’t have the training that you clearly don’t have, you’d be showing up on the moon where I am, too. But I learned a long time ago how to block out the mental link from the other Rangers…my skills are much more advanced than any of yours, a simple mistake that has cost Zordon greatly.” She hisses. Trini blinks before looking up at her.
“So what…what happens now?” Trini whispers. Rita watches her before she smirks.
“I’ve been trying to reach one of you ever since you threw me into the atmosphere, DeeDee. I considered Blue for a while, but…there was something about you, Yellow. I knew you’d be easier to crack. Blue is loyal, pure of heart, but you…you’re tainted. You’re just like me. It’s only a matter of time before you betray your team as well. And look…you’re already halfway there, leading their enemy to their ship…all so you can save your little relationship!” Rita laughs loudly, and Trini feels the guilt bear down on her like a hundred pound weight, crushing her as she gasps for air and tears fall down her face. Rita brushes her tears away before gripping her chin with her fingers.
“You’re selfish, Trini. But it’s okay…as soon as we’re done here, I’ll kill them all…and then you and I can rule the world together.”
Trini’s bottom lip trembles, and Rita leans forward and presses her lips against Trini’s cheek before breathing her in, humming before she pulls away and looks at the case with bracelets.
“Go put one on and step on the pedestal, Trini.” She says, her voice soft but firm at the same time, and Trini knows there’s no use in fighting, no use in asking for details. Rita won’t tell her anything.
And Trini will still do it because Rita’s right.
She’s selfish.
She moves to the case, eyes stinging with tears and exhaustion as she opens it and grabs one of the golden bracelets lying in it. She slides it over her hand, and as soon as it settles on her wrist, there’s a strange clicking sound before it shrinks and locks into place securely around her wrist. There’s a burning sensation as soon as the bracelet locks and Trini hisses in pain and grabs it, trying to pry it off, but it’s no use.
“The pedestal, Trini.” Rita says, her voice getting a little impatient now, and Trini looks up at the pedestal, watches it glow a bright purple before she takes a deep breath in and moves forward.
She stops short before it, and she looks up at Rita, who looks like she’s about to pass out with excitement.
“Will it hurt?” She whispers. Rita shakes her head.
“No. Hurry.” She urges, and Trini bites down on her lip before grabbing the railings on either side of the pedestal and stepping on.
As soon as her foot makes contact, the pedestal lights up with white light that blinds her, and Trini is screaming.
She’s on fire.
She’s on fire and the flames can’t possibly be extinguished, not with water, or air, or anything, she’s on fire, she’s burning, she’s dying-
Her heart is racing way too fast for her to still be alive, and it’s possible she’s having a heart attack along with being on fire, her whole body shaking and throbbing with pain-
She’s never felt pain like this before, and she’s positive she never will. She’s not sure how her grip on the railings is staying secure, but her whole body is contorting, and it feels like every bone in her body is breaking apart-
And all too suddenly, it stops.
The white light bursts one last time before she’s thrown back by a force she can’t see, and Trini falls flat on her face as she gasps for air, the corners of her eyes turning dark as bile rises in the back of her throat, and before she can stop herself, she’s vomiting, pushing herself up weakly by her hands as a flood of liquid escapes her mouth.
It doesn’t hit her that it’s blood until her eyes finally focus and she sees the red coloration against the tiled steel of the ship. Her eyes are stinging, white lights flashing every time she blinks as she chokes down air and wills her arms to stop shaking as she holds herself up-
“When I said it wouldn’t hurt, Yellow…I lied.”
Trini almost faints.
See, there was always something about Rita’s appearance in her dreams and her reality that made Trini know she wasn’t really there.
Yes, everything she did was painful, and Trini could feel everything Rita did to her, had the marks to prove it because of their…what did Rita say? Mental link…
But Rita’s voice always had a slight echo whenever she spoke, something to let Trini know that she wasn’t really there. Something to confirm her suspicions that it was all in her head, that Rita wasn’t physically on Earth…
But now…now it’s different.
There’s no echo anymore.
Trini doesn’t want to look, keeps her eyes downcast on the blood that’s escaped her mouth on the floor, but it isn’t long before she feels nails run through her hair and grip it tightly.
And it always felt real before, but this…
THIS is real.
Her nails are sharp, and ten times more painfully than they ever were before, and Trini feels like she’s back in her bedroom the first time Rita attacked her, being pinned to the wall as she’s tugged up by her hair into a standing position. Trini gasps for air, and as soon as Rita steps into her vision, she can’t help but the wail of anguish that escapes her.
She’s here.
She’s really here.
All Trini can see is the green glow of her eyes as she bares her teeth, glinting gold in the now dissipating white light from the pedestal as she cackles loudly.
She looks around the ship with pride, a tear escaping her left eye as she finally turns her attention to Trini, a soft whine escaping her.
“Yellow…so good to actually see you…to actually touch you.” She breathes, and Trini can’t help the whimper that escapes her when Rita leans forward and brushes her nose across Trini’s jawline, humming in content as she sniffs her in.
“Hmm…it always felt so fake before but now it’s real…” She moans, and Trini chokes on a sob as Rita moves her hand out of her hair and rests it on her shoulder instead.
“You and I have a lot of work to do, DeeDee. Come on.” And before Trini can do anything, Rita’s wrapping a hand around the back of her neck and squeezing it, and Trini bares her teeth as Rita wraps her other hand around her staff and makes her way toward the door, dragging Trini along with her.
She comes to a stop at the left panel of the door, grinning as she takes out Trini’s Power Coin from the slot and the door slams shut behind them.
And Trini groans when she sees her Power Coin still has flecks of Green on it as Rita throws it up and Trini catches it and turns it over in her hands.
God, what she’d do to just see that Yellow color take over…
“Not yet, DeeDee. I still need you.” Rita hisses, and she grips her neck tighter as she begins dragging her back down the hallway.
When they reach the center of the ship, Trini sees Zordon isn’t there, the wall completely blank and she whimpers, about to call out his name, to beg for his help because there needs be someone, somewhere who can stop this, can stop Rita-
“Let her go, Rita!”
Rita grinds to a halt, her nails digging into Trini’s skin as they both look up at the same time, and Trini cries out in relief, her knees shaking terribly.
All of the Rangers are at the entrance of the ship, and Trini can see Alpha 5 standing in the corner as well, and she almost groans in relief. All of the Rangers are in their armor with their visors and helmets down as they look at the sight before them.
Rita, in the flesh, gripping Trini tightly as she growls under her breath at the Rangers that stand in her way.
She can feel the shock coming off the others, but Kimberly’s the first to snap out of it, her eyes moving to Trini as she glares at Rita and steps forward.
“We said let her go.” Kimberly growls, and Rita laughs loudly.
“Why? Because she’s yours? Think again, Kimmy.” She hisses, and Trini whines when her nails dig into the skin of her neck and blood begins dripping down her back.
“STOP!” Kimberly runs forward, but Jason grabs her and holds her back as Rita laughs manically, shaking her head as she looks at them gleefully.
“Oh, you’re all so emotional! So willing to die for each other-.”
“Let her go.”
The voice is calm. Collected.
Trini knows that voice from anywhere and she almost faints on the spot.
The Rangers step aside.
And Diana Prince steps forward.
But Trini can’t see a hint of her mother as her eyes take in the red and blue armor, the band that holds her hair back from her face, the shield that rests in her left hand as she reaches behind her for the sword strapped to her back.
All Trini can see is Wonder Woman. No Diana Prince in sight.
The warrior has come out in full force.
“Let her go, and I won’t kill you.” Wonder Woman says calmly, her hand wrapping around the hilt of her sword, and Trini looks up at Rita.
And she’s completely taken aback to see, for the first time ever, complete and utter fear shining in Rita’s eyes.
Wonder Woman steps forward, and Rita steps back, dragging Trini with her.
Wonder Woman steps forward again, and Rita growls before she slams her staff into the ground.
“ENOUGH!”
Trini watches as a long, green piece of rope that glows neon green appears in Rita’s hands, and before Trini can react, she clicks her fingers and the rope is suddenly around her neck, tightening as Rita throws her down to the ground onto her hands and knees and tugs on it.
Trini’s knee burns with pain on the impact, but it’s nothing compared to the feeling of air refusing to go down her throat as she chokes, tries desperately to scrabble at the rope around her neck, but it’s so tight the rope is burning her skin, tears welling in her eyes from the pain as Rita hisses and tugs on it again.
“Take another step and I snap her neck clean.” She hisses at Wonder Woman, and Trini watches a flash of her mother appear in the eyes of the warrior as she looks down at Trini in panic and stops short.
“Told you I’d make good on that collar, DeeDee.” Rita cackles, and Trini bares her teeth before whining as the rope burns her skin once more and chokes the air out of her again.
All of them are frozen, glaring at Rita with enough hatred to kill her on the spot as Jason speaks up.
“How did you come back?” Jason growls, and Rita looks up at him with a sadistic grin.
“Yellow helped me! Didn’t you, DeeDee?” She cackles, and when Trini doesn’t answer, refuses to show her betrayal to the team, Rita tugs on the rope and laughs when Trini cries out in pain.
“Answer the question, Yellow!” She growls, and Trini nods, gasping for air as she scrabbles at the rope around her neck again.
“Y-Yes!” She chokes out, and she looks up at Wonder Woman to see a hint of Diana come out, watches as Diana closes her eyes and clenches her jaw in anger before she looks at Rita.
And the rage in her eyes is something Trini’s never, ever seen before.
And Trini hates herself for being so weak, for being so pathetic-
“Rita!” They all jump as a light fills the room, and Trini groans in relief at the sound of Zordon’s voice, turning to look behind her to see he’s appeared on the wall again, his pixelated eyes on Rita as she looks up at him with a growl.
And the look they share is a million different things.
Anger and hatred and rage in Rita. Grief and regret and guilt in Zordon.
“Zordon! How nice of you to join us.” She hisses, and Zordon looks down at Trini with what can only be taken as anguish before he looks at Rita again.
“Your quarrel is with me. Leave these kids out of it.” He says softly, and Rita’s eyes widen before she scoffs in disbelief.
“Oh, don’t tell me you’ve grown to actually care for these kids, Zordon?!” She roars, and when his eyes fall down to Trini again, Rita takes that as an answer and laughs loudly.
“Oh, this is too easy! If I had known how easy this would be, I would have done this weeks ago!”
“Let Trini go, Rita. Enough.” Zordon says firmly, and Rita laughs as she tugs on the rope with a hum as she rests her hand on top of Trini’s head for half a second before her nails dig into her hair, gripping it tightly.
“No. I think I’ll keep her. I like her, Zordon. She’s pretty...and so, so much like me. We get along, don’t we, Yellow?” She says softly, and Trini wants to say no, wants to shake her head in defiance, but Rita tugs on the rope and it burns, it burns so much…
“Y-Yes.” She whispers, and Rita hums in content.
“Rita, please…she’s just a child.” Zordon whispers, and Rita hisses.
“So was I.” She growls, and Trini looks back and forth between the two as Zordon bows his head, averts his gaze before Rita turns and looks at the others standing in her way.
“Let us go and I won’t kill her.” She says firmly, tugging on the rope for emphasis as Trini whines.
“You won’t kill her. You just said you like her.” Zack says, and Trini groans because of course, of course Zack would think to say that…
“You really think that, don’t you, Black?” Rita hisses, and Trini knows what’s coming before it happens.
Rita wraps a second hoop around her neck and forces her to stand, and as soon as Trini is standing upright, she steps behind her and pulls the rope against her neck from behind, and Trini can feel her eyes beginning to darken as she gasps for air, her lungs burning against her chest as she digs her nails into Rita’s arm to get her to let go-
“Believe me now, Black!?” Rita roars, and they’re all crying out and running forward as Diana bares her teeth and growls.
“STOP! STOP, PLEASE!” Kimberly screams, and Rita screams over her.
“TAKE ANOTHER STEP, AND I CHOKE THE LIFE RIGHT OUT OF HER!” They all come to a stop, breathing heavily as Trini looks at each of them.
Zack is looking at her in terror over what he’s done.
Billy looks desperate to get to her, tears falling down her face as his hand reaches out.
Jason is glaring at Rita, his eyes only on her as he clenches and unclenches his fist.
Kimberly is crying, her bottom lip trembling as she looks at Trini in grief.
And Diana has eyes only for Rita, the same anger in Jason’s eyes burning in her own tenfold and Trini knows she won’t look at her.
She needs to stay focused, needs to be Wonder Woman, not Diana Prince.
And looking at Trini in this way will only break her heart.
Rita cackles before finally loosening her hold and Trini gasps for air, almost collapses as Rita holds her up, gripping her bicep into her hand before looking at Diana with a wicked grin.
“You know, I don’t know much about you, but I know you’re special. I’ve sensed that much in your daughter’s mind. You don’t have any weaknesses, do you, Diana?” Rita hisses, gripping Trini’s chin with her fingers and chuckling as her eyes never leave Diana’s.
“Looks like I just found one.” She whispers, and her tongue snakes out, licking the side of Trini’s face as she whimpers and tries to inch away, the tears falling before she can stop them and Trini looks at Diana to see tears falling down her face as her bottom lip trembles.
And as soon as Trini sees that, she knows they’ve lost.
They’ve lost before the war could even begin.
All because they care about each other too much…because they never learned that sacrifices are necessary-
“Mom…” Trini whispers. And Diana’s façade breaks completely as she turns to look at Trini with eyes filled with grief. Rita digs her nails into her arm.
“I didn’t say you could speak.” She hisses, and Trini says nothing more, cries quietly as Rita looks at the others.
“I’m leaving with her. Any of you follow me, I’ll kill her. It’s time I took this world for my own. And you can all watch as your little DeeDee joins me in destroying this world.” Rita calls out, and when no one moves to stop her, she cackles and begins dragging Trini along with the rope as she still attempts to elevate the pain around her neck to no avail.
But when they reach the top of the stairs, they both come to a stop at the sound of a voice.
“When I get my hands on you…” Rita stops short at the sound of Diana’s voice, and she hasn’t moved from her spot as she turns and glares at Rita openly.
“When I get my hands on you, you will beg for death.” She whispers.
And there’s a flash of fear in Rita’s eyes before she blinks and scoffs.
“And when I kill your daughter, you’ll be begging for the same, Diana.” She hisses, and before any of the others can move, Rita leaves the entrance and drags Trini along with her, Trini watching the others in anguish as the entrance door slides down slowly.
As soon as it shuts, Rita chuckles before she caresses Trini’s cheek.
“Don’t worry, DeeDee. I’m not going to kill you…” She says softly, and finally, finally, she removes the rope from around Trini’s neck, pulling it up and over her head harshly and she cries out in pain, gasping air down as fast as she can and coughing when it whistles down her throat painfully.
“Y-You’re not?” She gasps out, looking at her in shock. Rita chuckles.
“Hmm, not yet, at least. Maybe I’ll kill you, maybe I’ll do something that will make you want me to kill you. We’ll see how I feel when this is all over.” Trini’s lip trembles and she’s not sure what she’s feeling.
Relief that an end might be in sight, or fear at the fact that her life is actually hanging in the balance of a mad woman.
Rita grabs her arm and drags her to the water above them, looking up at it with a sadistic grin before looking at Trini.
“Now, let’s go have some fun!”
-
It’s strange, because neither of them move for a few moments before they’re all collectively rushing toward the door, Kimberly’s mind only on getting to Trini when Zordon’s voice echoes around the ship.
“Don’t move!”
They all freeze, all of them looking up at Zordon as he watches them each individually with careful eyes.
“Not yet. She’ll kill Trini if you go after her too soon.” He says firmly.
“She can kill Trini now if we don’t stop her!” Kimberly yells, looking at him in disbelief.
“You don’t know Rita like I do-.”
“Yeah because you never told us anything about her!” Zack roars, and Zordon glares at him as Alpha 5 suddenly pipes up.
“My circuits may be a bit haywire right now, but Zack, even I know that that story is complicated-.” He starts before Zordon interrupts him.
“It is a story you cannot possibly understand, cannot begin to comprehend-.”
“You do not control these kids. Their friend, my daughter, is in danger! If they want to move, they’ll move!” Diana shouts suddenly, looking up at Zordon in rage, and Zordon blinks down at her rapidly as if she’s someone he doesn’t know.
And she isn’t.
“You’re not from here…who are you, creature?” He asks, and Diana bares her teeth.
“Who I am is none of your concern.” She hisses.
“She’s Wonder Woman, a Goddess from the island of Themyscira, her powers are beyond what we know, Zordon!” Alpha 5 says, and Zordon looks at Diana, almost as if he’s trying to see right through her as she shakes her head and glares at Alpha 5.
“None of that matters, all that matters is that I am Trini’s mother, and you are responsible for all of this! You brought my daughter into this mess.” She yells at Zordon.
“The Power Coin found her because she was destined for this!” Zordon yells, and Diana suddenly slams her sword down into the ground.
“She was destined to have a normal life! You ruined that for her!” She screams.
“And having a Goddess for a mother was supposed to do that for her?!” Zordon shouts back, and Diana’s about to surge forward, possibly seconds away from ripping the wall to pieces when Kimberly jumps in front of her and pushes her back, gripping her shoulders tightly.
“STOP! This isn’t helping Trini!” She shouts, and Diana fights against her before she suddenly stops and looks at her in shock. Her eyes fill with tears before they fall down her cheeks, and she wipes them away and sniffs before glaring up at Zordon.
“I will fix this mess you’ve made. But after that, she’s done. I won’t have her do this anymore. Being a Ranger has only destroyed her life! I won’t let it continue.” Diana says firmly.
“That is not for you to decide. Whether she wants to be a Ranger or not is up to Trini and Trini alone.” Zordon says calmly. Diana laughs in disbelief.
“And do you really think she’ll want to continue being a Ranger when this is what it’s done to her? Do you see what that woman is doing to her? She’s treating her like dirt, like a pet, I-.” Diana grips her hair in frustration, and Kimberly can feel her anger burning through her own body, her mind replaying Rita choking the life out of Trini with that rope-
“Diana, I understand you’re upset, but Zordon’s right. Trini loves being a Ranger. But we can’t sit here and discuss this right now, we need to go after them.” Jason says softly, and Kimberly’s pulled out of her thoughts as Diana looks at each of the Rangers before looking up at Zordon.
“Jason, you can’t go, it’s too risky-.” Zordon starts, but Jason shakes his head.
“I know that! And I promised myself after what happened with Billy last time, I would never rush into a situation again! But Rita has Trini, Zordon. She has Trini and we can’t just stay back and come up with a plan. She can kill her at any moment, and there’s no coming back from that like Billy did. I’m sorry, but I can’t risk another member of my team dying. We have to stop her. No matter the cost.” Jason says, and they all begin making their way to the entrance when Zordon speaks up again.
“Even if it means losing another member?” He calls, and Jason comes to a stop. He turns, looking at each of the Rangers before looking up at Zordon.
“When we all said we’d trade our lives for Billy, we meant it as a team. I’m willing to trade my life for Trini’s.” He says, and Kimberly’s nodding without hesitation.
“So am I.” She says, and Billy and Zack look at Zordon with determination.
“So am I.” Zack says, lifting his head.
“And so am I.” Billy finishes, crossing his arms over his chest. Diana looks at each of them with a mixture of gratitude and awe before she raises an eyebrow and looks at Zordon.
“You may train them, but they control their own destinies. Trini is their family as much as she is mine. And where I come from, dying for family is an honor, not a sacrifice.” Diana says, gripping her shield tightly in her hands.
Zordon is quiet for a long time, before he lets out a long sigh.
“You’ll need the Zords. Take them.” He says softly. Jason nods once before looking at the others.
“Come on.”
Kimberly’s dashing toward the Pit, Diana close behind her as she comes to a stop beyond the Pit where the Zords are, each of them whirring from the proximity of their owners.
“Diana, you can ride on top of my Zord. I hope you don’t mind a lot of wind.” Kimberly says, and Diana doesn’t say anything, just jumps down after her as Kimberly enters her Pterodactyl Zord. As soon as the others are secure in their own Zords, Kimberly’s eyes move to Trini’s Saber Tooth Tiger Zord, unmoving and still and her heart sinks as tears well in her eyes.
But when there’s a loud bang atop her Zord and she looks up to see Diana gripping the Zord, her face filled with determination and rage, Kimberly feels a fire light inside her heart.
No time for fear, no time for grief.
Trini needs her.
-
Trini’s watching the destruction from the Cliff below her in horror.
It’s like Rita’s first attack all over again.
There’s no Goldar here to cause chaos, but there’s got to be at least over a thousand Putties, all of them destroying Angel Grove once more, knocking down the construction for buildings on the verge of completion from repair, work that will need to start all over again as they make their way to a half-repaired Krispy Kreme and Trini watches her entire city burn, fires erupting and people running and she never saw this the first time, too preoccupied with defeating Rita to notice-
“The crystal is there, the crystal is there…” Rita mutters before cackling, and Trini wants nothing more than to morph, to get her armor and strike Rita where she stands, but her heart is pounding against her chest and her whole body just fucking hurts and she can barely breathe as it is-
“You want your armor, don’t you, Yellow?” Rita says, not taking her eyes off the destruction as Trini glares at her. Rita simply smiles, cranes her neck and moans when it cracks.
“Your armor won’t come to you no matter how hard you try. Your powers are gone.” She says simply, and Trini looks at her in shock.
“W-what?” Rita laughs and nods as she looks at Trini with glee.
“Mmm…you’ve been feeling weak for a long time, haven’t you? An effect of the bond…sharing a mental link with another Ranger limits your powers. Using the link to use the teleportation device weakens them more. And I came all the way from the moon, DeeDee. Your powers are history. At least for a few hours...or unless we sever the bond, but I don’t see that happening…do you, Yellow?” She teases, and Trini doesn’t answer.
Her powers are gone.
And she can’t hold on for a few more hours, her body is on the verge of collapse with every second that passes…
She’s completely useless.
“Your powers…they’re still there. How?” Trini asks, and Rita raises an eyebrow.
“My power is stored somewhere safe, DeeDee. Not in my body. If I’m affected, my powers are not.” She says simply, and Trini watches as she grips her staff tightly, her bright green, untainted Power Coin shining at the top of it in the sunlight. Trini reaches into her pocket, pulls out her own Power Coin, bites down on her lip to stop herself from crying when she sees it’s almost completely light green now.
A part of her knows this means something important, but Rita interrupts her thoughts with a loud cackle and a cheer as an explosion sounds in the distance. Trini turns to see a fireball erupting in the air, and she blinks back tears before looking up at Rita again.
“Why are you doing this? What did the other Rangers do to you?” Trini whispers. Rita’s smile fades, and Trini’s surprised to see anger and grief in her eyes as she looks down at Trini before scoffing.
“They’ll betray you, Trini. Just like my team did. I told them we should use the crystal to bring our race back, to make a second planet for our people to grow…but Zordon said that the natural course of things should take place…that we should leave the world to do as it was destined to do. That our only job was to protect the crystal from harm.” She shakes her head angrily, and when she looks down at Trini, her expression is eager and saddened.
“We were given the chance to bring our people back and they all refused! They all listened to Zordon as if his word was final! What person does that? Denies the chance to bring their people back?” She cries, and Trini is so shocked, she can barely even think.
“I just wanted to bring our people back…and because of that, they cast me out.” She whispers, and a tear falls down her face, and Trini swallows the lump in her throat.
“It doesn’t matter. His team paid for it greatly. I destroyed them all before they could even blink.” Rita says, her voice shaking with emotion before she looks down at Trini.
“Your team will do the same one day. One disagreement and they’ll turn their backs on you.” She says softly. Trini bares her teeth.
“My team is not your team.” She says stonily, and Rita laughs before she sniffs and wipes away her tears, lifting her head up high as she observes the destruction below her.
“It doesn’t matter either way, DeeDee. I’ll destroy this Earth that Zordon fought so hard to protect. And nothing can stop me.” She hisses, and then she looks down at Trini with a sneer.
“That’s the first time you’ve been so defiant, Yellow. I think I need to keep a better leash on you.”
“No, don’t-.”
Too late.
With a click of her fingers, the rope is around her neck again, and Trini whines as it chafes the already damaged skin on her neck, blood immediately pouring from the wounds as Rita laughs before gripping Trini’s hair and forcing her onto her hands and knees.
“My pet…” She sing songs, and Trini doesn’t have it in her to argue, doesn’t see a point…
She is her pet.
And god, that fucking kills her.
She’s the daughter of Wonder Woman, and yet she’s a slave to the woman before her. How did her life get this fucked up?
Trini closes her eyes, tries not to cry at the sounds of screaming and cries of terror before she hears Rita growl and her eyes snap open.
“Of course.” She hisses, and Trini looks where she’s looking.
She chokes on a sob as her eyes focus on the gigantic red, blue, black and pink figures in the distance.
The Zords…
“I told them to stay away!” She roars, and then she clicks her fingers and the rope disappears from Trini’s neck, but it’s only a second of reprieve before her fingers are wrapping around Trini’s throat.
“You really mean a lot to them, don’t you, DeeDee?” She growls, and Trini bites down on her lip to stop herself from replying.
She knows whatever comes out of her mouth won’t make Rita happy.
“No matter…I’ll destroy them before they even get the chance to save their precious city…and I’ll make you watch me kill them, Yellow.” She says with a sadistic grin, and Trini whimpers as Rita lets her go and raises her hands.
“PUTTIES! DESTROY THEM!” She screams, and despite the fact that she’s on a Cliff up high and a few hundred feet away from the town, the Putties all turn and look to the horizon, zeroing in on the emerging Zords before they begin charging toward them.
“Destroy the Rangers, get the Crystal, take over the world…” Rita mutters, and Trini watches her pace with wide eyes before she turns her attention to the Putties.
When they clash with the Zords, Trini can almost feel the impact as Jason grips a few in the mouth of the Zord and rips them to shreds, teeth biting down on the Putties and crumbling them to dust. Kimberly fires the gun attached to her Zord as she flies past, and when Trini sees she’s heading toward them, her heart sinks.
“No, get away…” She whispers weakly, but Kimberly is coming closer, and Rita’s eyes are narrowing as she looks at Kimberly before smirking.
“She’s not too bright, is she, DeeDee?” She laughs, and then she’s using her staff to send a wave of electromagnetic energy toward Kimberly’s Zord.
As soon as it impacts, Kimberly’s Zord begins crashing down, and Trini screams, screams so loud her voice box feels like it’s about to tear-
The Zord crashes, fire erupting on impact and she’s screaming Kimberly’s name in anguish before she sees a flash of gold-
Two figures fly up the Cliff before there’s the sound of metal clanging and Trini feels a rush of explosive air as she’s thrown back slightly, falling onto her back with a groan before it comes to a stop.
She gasps for air, looks up and behind her to see Rita groaning in pain on the ground before she looks ahead.
Diana moves her arms away from each other, the bracelets of submission shining in the sunlight as Kimberly steadies herself beside Diana, gripping the lasso of truth in her hands.
“Trini!” Kimberly rushes toward her, but then there’s a growling sound and a pulse of energy and Kimberly’s being thrown back, her whole body almost falling off the Cliff before she digs her heels into the ground and collapses onto her hands and knees.
Trini looks back to see Rita standing, her hand around her staff as she glares at Diana. She slams her staff against the floor, and Trini feels her whole body contort as her back suddenly flares with pain, and she hears the sound of a bone cracking, knows it’s her spine-
“TRINI!” She’s screaming, screaming so loudly she can’t bear it as her body burns with fire-
Another loud cracking sound like a gunshot, another bone broken-
“STOP! PLEASE!”
“YOU TAKE ANOTHER STEP, I’LL BREAK ANOTHER BONE!” Rita roars, and Trini looks up at Diana and Kimberly breathlessly, tears falling down all of their faces.
“Kill me…” She pleads, gasping for air as she looks at Diana and Kimberly in anguish.
God, please, just let them end this, let them show her mercy…
“Kill me, please…” She gasps out, and Kimberly whimpers and Diana lets out a soft cry of pain before she grabs Kimberly’s arm to stop her from moving forward. She looks at Trini in despair before she turns her attention to Rita, and Trini can barely see from the pain exploding throughout her body, white lights in her vision-
“Enough.” Diana hisses. Rita rolls her eyes.
“Why don’t you just give up already, Wonder Girl?” She growls, gripping her staff tightly in her hands. Diana clenches her jaw.
“My daughter is a fighter. I know she is. And you can’t do this forever. There’s only one of you, and your monsters are no match for them. And once reinforcements arrive, it will all be over.”
“And who the hell do you think you are to say my monsters aren’t capable of destroying those…those stupid imbeciles?” Rita roars, pointing toward the other Rangers in their Zords.
Diana steps forward, lowering her shield slightly as she reaches for her sword strapped behind her back.
“I am Diana of Themyscira, daughter of Hippolyta, mother of the Yellow Power Ranger, and your wrath upon this world is over.”
With a wild roar, Diana charges forward, and Trini can barely focus as Rita charges as well, both of them colliding as Kimberly watches in shock before her eyes move to Trini.
And finally, finally, she rushes over, and finally, Trini feels Kimberly’s warmth, feels it take over her body as warm her heart and her soul she wraps her arms around Trini, hooking her arms underneath Trini’s shoulders as she sags against her.
“I’ve got you, I’ve got you! Come on!” Kimberly drags her, Trini wanting nothing more than to collapse against her, to fall asleep for the rest of her life in Kimberly’s arms…
She’s so tired…
“Come on, Trini! Fight this!” Kimberly cries, and Trini wishes she could respond, but she doesn’t even have the energy to form words, to talk, just breathes in Kimberly’s scent-
“My…my powers…” She whispers.
“What?” Kimberly leans in, and Trini presses her lips to Kimberly’s ear.
“My powers…are g-gone…” She gasps out, and Kimberly’s hold on her tightens.
“It’s okay, Trini, we can do this, just stay with me-.”
“NO!”
They both look up at the same time, both of them watching as Diana steps over Rita, her sword raised as Rita looks on at the town before her in anguish, and Trini looks out to see the Putties being destroyed by Zack, Billy and Jason, their Zords ripping them apart as a gigantic black Zord flies above them-
Wait.
“What?” Kimberly breathes, and Trini’s eyes focus for half a second before she’s laughing weakly.
“B-Bruce…B-Bruce…” She gasps out.
“What?” Kimberly whispers, and Trini grabs her.
“Batman.” She croaks out. Kimberly looks up and sees it is indeed, not a Zord at all, but the famously media dubbed ‘Batwing’ that circles alongside Billy, Zack and Jason’s Zords, firing down the Putties with ease and Kimberly can’t help but laugh.
“Billy must be crying right now.” She says breathlessly, and she grins as Trini smiles weakly and buries her head in Kimberly’s lap.
“It’s over, Rita.” Diana breathes, and Rita glares up at her furiously before Diana raises her sword-
Rita holds her hand out, and her staff flies into her grip before she’s slamming it into the ground and Diana flies back, her shield and sword falling out of her grip as her back slams into the Cliff wall above them. She lands face first, and Kimberly barely has time to stand before Rita’s suddenly right in front of her-
“You annoy me.” She growls, and then she’s grabbing Kimberly and throwing her across the Cliffside, her back also landing against the Cliff wall above them as she collapses beside Diana.
They both stir, both of them groaning in pain and Trini reaches out for them before Rita’s cold hands grab her by the arm and drag her upwards, making her stand on her feet and Trini almost collapses before Rita grips her around the neck and holds her up, and Trini looks down to see Diana’s sword in Rita’s hand.
“I’ve grown tired of this, Trini.” She hisses, and then she’s raising the sword and grinning wickedly as she looks Trini right in the face, green eyes glowing, and Trini doesn’t know why, but she knows what’s going to happen next.
“Say hello to the other Yellow Ranger for me.” She breathes, and she thrusts the sword forward.
Trini’s surprised when the impact doesn’t hurt, surprised when the sword slams forward and cuts through her body as easily as a knife going through butter, a gasp escaping her as she grips Rita’s shoulders in shock, and when Rita laughs and presses a kiss to her forehead, Trini feels whatever life she had left in her beginning to leave her body, the corners of her eyes growing dark as her body grows weaker…
She hears the sounds of people shouting her name, the voices growing faint and becoming more and more garbled before she feels something tugging, something pulling out of her body before she falls forward, and when her world turns dark before she hits the ground, the last thought that runs through her mind is that it’s over.
It’s finally over.
-
Her whole world is crashing and burning and she can’t breathe.
She can’t breathe as she watches Rita grab Trini. Can’t breathe as she watches Rita grip her sword, HER sword in her hand before using it, using it to spear her daughter through the stomach, and when blood pools her shirt within milliseconds, she loses all control.
Pain unlike anything she’s felt in over a hundred years hits her like a freight train, knocking the air out of her lungs before she hears the sound of Kimberly screaming beside her, scrambling to her feet, and she watches her daughter fall, watches her collapse to the ground with her eyes wide and staring, growing glassy by the second as the last breath of air leaves her-
She screams, and the world explodes.
She feels the energy pouring out of her, feels the grief, the anguish erupting from her soul as she crashes forward, embraces the abyss of her emotions as she stands to her feet and runs toward her target, toward the destroyer of her universe-
Rita’s eyes widen before Diana reaches her, and she wraps an arm around Rita’s neck from behind before gripping her head in her other hand tightly and twisting.
There’s a sickening cracking sound, and Rita’s body goes limp in her arms.
Diana doesn’t drop her.
Holds her, breathes heavily as Kimberly wails loudly behind her.
No, no, it can’t be, this can’t be, this isn’t happening-
The other three Rangers suddenly appear on the Cliffside, all of them climbing up at the same time as Bruce Wayne descends from his Batwing, dropping to the ground before looking up at Diana.
“No…NO!” Jason’s cries echo in her heart, and it isn’t long before Billy and Zack are screaming as well, all three of them running toward Diana before moving past her, and Diana closes her eyes, tightens her grip around Rita’s neck-
“Diana…” Bruce’s voice is low and hard, an effort to mask his identity as the Batman as he steps forward, the cowl over his face not masking the grief in his eyes as he extends a hand-
“Do. Not. Touch. Me.” Diana growls, and Bruce clenches his jaw before dropping his hand.
“Diana…she’s dead. You have to let her go.” He says softly. She looks at him, cranes her head, tries to understand how he can be so cruel-
“Rita, Diana. Rita, she’s…she’s dead. You’ve killed her. Let her go.” He reaffirms. Diana can’t unclench her arms, can’t relax them-
“Diana…” Kimberly’s voice is anguished, shaking in her grief and Diana closes her eyes, lets the truth settle deep inside her…
Rita’s body collapses at her feet with a thud, and Bruce watches her warily before looking at the Rangers behind her.
“Step back.” He says simply.
“What-.”
“Step back. Now.” He says again, more firmly this time.
Diana turns.
The Rangers step away slowly, Kimberly the last to let go.
And Diana looks down at her dead daughter for the first time.
Trini’s eyes are closed now, her skin already turning pale, marked with blood from her wounds that Diana guesses Kimberly tried to slow down to no avail.
There are other marks all over her body, signs of Rita’s abuse…
“Diana…stay in control.” Bruce’s voice is incessant, annoying, like a plague that settles deep inside her and she’s reaching out and gripping his throat without even looking at him.
She hears him choking, hears the others protesting, doesn’t take her eyes off her daughter, her dead daughter-
“Don’t…don’t tell me…” She can’t get the words out, feels Bruce grip the wrist of the hand around her throat.
“Okay. Okay…” He manages to gasp out, and Diana feels her hand relax, feels her fingers loosen their grip before it falls down to her side uselessly.
She crouches down, reaches a shaking hand down and as soon as she makes contact with the skin on Trini’s arm, feels how icy cold it is, so cold…
She failed.
She promised to protect her and she failed.
Diana curls a hand under her neck before lifting her, holding her body close as she buries her head in Trini’s hair.
And when the smell of coconut shampoo and sweat and something else that is so purely Trini, so purely her daughter, a scent that has been on her skin since she was a child hits her, Diana breaks down.
She can feel the rocks on the ground trembling, the small pebbles bouncing up and down as she wails and holds Trini’s body close to hers, cries as she silently begs for death, for her immortality to end, for her life to end alongside her daughter’s-
This is pain she never thought she would feel again, pain she never wanted to feel again…
She pulls away, brushes her fingers through Trini’s hair as she stares at her face, pale and lifeless, expressionless, and the thought, god the thought that she will never see that brow furrow in confusion or anger again, that she’ll never see her daughter’s smile, never feel the light that settles deep in her heart at the sight again-
“Z-Zordon-he c-can bring h-her back-.” Kimberly gasps out, her chest heaving before Jason suddenly wraps his arms around her, sobs escaping him as he shakes his head.
“Not anymore, K-Kim.” He manages to get out, and Diana watches as Kimberly’s armor melts away, her emotions too strong for her to keep a hold on it before Jason’s disappears as well, followed by Billy and Zack, all of them crying so hard, so deeply-
Hippolyta’s last words to her reverberate in her mind, and Diana whimpers before leaning down and pressing a kiss to Trini’s forehead, her tears splashing onto Trini’s face as she closes her eyes and allows the memories of her life with Trini to flood her.
“You have been my greatest love…today you are my greatest sorrow.” She whispers against Trini’s skin.
They’re all silent, all of them wallowing in their grief before Diana sees Billy bend down beside Rita’s body, and she can’t look back, can’t see the destroyer of her universe-
“Guys…” Billy whispers. Diana turns her head, watches Billy lift Rita’s staff from the ground before he pulls the green coin from it, and it shines brightly before the green color is zapped from it completely, turning clear as the coin suddenly stops shining and dies.
Diana sees a light in Trini’s pocket, and Diana reaches in and pulls out the coin resting inside it. Billy takes it from her fingers gently, looks up at the other Rangers, and holds the coin up to the sunlight.
And they all watch as the Coin, almost a light green color, suddenly begins to change, Billy wincing as it burns in his hands and shines brightly, the green color fading right before their eyes as the Yellow shines through, obliterating the green as if the sun is bringing it to life-
“Diana…” Bruce grips her shoulder. She swallows back her tears and looks up at him, and at the look on his face, she blinks away the grief and frowns.
“W-What is it?” She croaks, and Bruce looks down at the device in his hands.
The device in his hands that’s directed at Trini.
“I’m…” He trails off, and he’s bending down and removing the leather glove from his hand before he touches two fingers to Trini’s neck.
He lets out a long sigh, his head sagging before he looks up at Diana in disbelief.
“She…this is impossible-.”
“What?” Diana demands, and Bruce shakes his head.
“There wasn’t a pulse just a minute ago-.”
“Guys!” Zack yells, and Diana looks up at him to see him pointing at Trini’s knee, where there’s an obvious gash that’s so deep, Trini’s bone is almost sticking out-
But the muscle is healing over it, the knee sliding back into place before it suddenly stops, and Diana looks up at the other Rangers.
“What’s happening?” She croaks out, and Kimberly’s eyes widen.
“Her…her powers…they’re coming back.” She whispers.
“What?” Jason says, looking at her with wide eyes.
“She-She told me that her powers were g-gone, but-.”
“They’re coming back…the Ranger healing…” Jason breathes, and Diana watches as they exchange looks of shock.
“What does that mean?!” She cries out.
“She’s healing! I, we…part of our powers is that we heal fast, faster than most humans but-.”
“It takes time, even with small wounds, and Trini-.” Billy starts.
He’s interrupted by the sound of a soft gasp, and Diana feels gentle movement in her arms.
She blinks down, tears welling in her eyes and she can’t move, her whole body going into a state of shock and she swears she sees Trini’s eyes move underneath her eyelids, and then her fingers are twitching-
“She’s moving. She-she’s moving, she’s…how…her powers-.” Jason stutters.
“It doesn’t matter how, we’ve gotta help her!” Kimberly screams, and she jumps forward before Bruce extends his hand to stop her.
“Will adrenaline give her powers a boost?” He asks.
“I-what?” Zack says, and Bruce glares up at them.
“Adrenaline! Will it give your powers a boost or not?” He shouts, and they all exchange looks.
“I…we don’t know-.”
“We’re about to find out.” Bruce murmurs.
“What-?” But Bruce doesn’t answer, reaches for his utility belt and grabs a needle, and before Diana can protest, he stabs it into Trini’s chest, right into her heart and squeezes whatever is inside the needle down-
Trini gasps loudly, sitting up wildly as Diana jumps back and lets her go, and Trini grips the needle in her heart and pulls it out, wincing in pain before looking around her, taking in her surroundings as she gasps for air.
“Whoa…” She chokes out.
Everyone is silent, unsure of what’s going on, what’s happening when Trini looks down at her blood stained shirt before lifting it up.
Her wound is still there, but it’s no longer a gaping hole that tears through her body, but a deep gash that still oozes blood from her the front where the sword entered her, and the back where the sword exited her, and she winces before looking up at Diana, her face pale and covered in sweat.
“I think…I need stitches.” She breathes.
Diana chokes on a sob.
Reaches out and touches her cheek, feels the warmth beneath the clammy sweat matting her skin-
She’s alive.
Her daughter is alive…
“You…I…” Diana can’t form words, and Trini nods once.
“I know, but I’m still bleeding and we kinda need to stop that, so maybe we can do all the crazy ‘she’s alive’ celebrating later?”
-
Kimberly is silent as she paces the living room of Diana and Trini’s home.
The others are watching her from the couch, all of them desperately waiting for news.
Diana had carried Trini in her arms and had run them back to the house without hesitation as soon as they all noticed that Trini’s wounds hadn’t completely healed, and Bruce had followed her in the Batwing before Jason had told them they needed to get their Zords back to the Pit.
Kimberly had instead run straight to Diana’s house, shouting at the others to get her broken Zord back to the Pit for her.
Kimberly had burst through the front door to find Bruce in the living room, his cowl off before he had stopped in his tracks and looked up at Kimberly in shock.
“Uh-.”
“I knew you were Batman already, don’t worry. How is she?” Kimberly had asked with worry, and he had sighed and told her that Diana was stitching her wounds as they spoke.
Then he told Kimberly about the giant gash on her forehead that also needed stitches, and that’s how Kimberly Hart was talked into receiving stitches to her face from Bruce Wayne.
She reaches up and itches the wound, hissing when she touches the stitches.
All in all, he hadn’t done a bad job. Kimberly should’ve known he’d be good at it, god knows how many stitches he’d done of his own…
The look on Billy, Zack and Jason’s faces when they had come into the house half an hour after Kimberly to see Bruce Wayne in Batman’s outfit had been priceless, a small glimmer of humor in an otherwise tragic and grief-stricken day.
Billy had covered his mouth and screamed into it, the noise muffled slightly, Zack had raised an eyebrow before scoffing in disbelief, and Jason, as always, had been taken aback before walking forward and holding his hand out for Bruce to shake.
Bruce had looked between all of them before smirking.
“So the Power Rangers are a bunch of kids, huh?” He had said, before Zack had grinned.
“So Bruce Wayne is Batman, huh?” He retorted, and Bruce’s jaw clenched as he gave him a lopsided smile.
“I’ll keep your secret if you keep mine.”
“Deal.”
Bruce had tended to the injuries of the boys as well, Jason telling Kimberly that he had taken Rita’s body back to the ship to Zordon, who had simply thanked him and asked them all to leave. Kimberly doesn’t have it in her to care for the moment, and Jason says neither does he.
Kimberly had watched as Bruce looked at Zack and Billy goofing around with a fond expression on his face for half a second before it turned back into his usual hard glare, and Kimberly knew there was a story there, but found she didn’t want to know.
She’s had enough tragedy for one day.
Finally, after almost an hour and a half, Diana suddenly descends the stairs, looking incredibly worn out and tired, her hands covered in blood as she reaches up with a shaking hand to remove the band from her forehead, her hair falling over her face as she looks at the others with a sigh.
“She’s okay. Exhausted, but…okay. I don’t even know how many stitches I had to do…” She trails off, and Bruce sighs.
“I told you to let me do it, Diana.”
“She’s my daughter.” Diana says simply, and Kimberly bites down on her lip before Diana looks at her with a weak smile.
“Are you all okay?” She asks softly. Zack scoffs.
“Define ‘okay’.” He says gruffly, and Jason sighs.
“We’re okay, we’re just worried about Trini.” He murmurs, and Diana nods once.
“Go and see her. Maybe one at a time though…I don’t want her to be overwhelmed right now.”
“Zack, go first. You need to get home to your mom.” Kimberly croaks out, and he frowns before nodding once and jumping up, ascending the stairs two at a time.
“Knock, knock.” He sing songs as soon as he enters her room, and when he walks in to see Trini in her bed, covered in blankets and drinking water from a straw in a bottle, Zack’s heart melts.
“Hey…” She croaks out, and Zack smiles and walks forward, leaning down to press a kiss to her clammy forehead before he sits down beside her.
“Hey, you.” He whispers. Trini reaches up, her thumb brushing across the cuts on his face and he grips her hand and presses a kiss to her palm.
“You had us scared, Trini.” He says softly. She smiles weakly.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Nah, not your fault. I’m just glad you’re okay. I don’t think we can survive without you, Trini.” He murmurs, and she chuckles, winces in pain before reaching up and ruffling his hair.
“You got along just fine before me.”
“Yeah, but my life got so much better when you and the others came into it. So don’t go leaving me now.” Zack teases, but there’s a tone of sincerity that has Trini nodding, gripping his hands in her own and squeezing them.
“I promise.” She whispers. He smiles again, sighs before shaking his head and standing.
“I gotta go. My mom-.”
“Of course. Go. I’ll be okay. You better text me, I’m gonna get bored with all this bed resting.” She pouts, and Zack chuckles and leans in to press another kiss to her forehead.
“I promise, don’t worry.”
He squeezes her hands before he lets her go, and he walks to the door, letting out a deep breath before he exits the room and descends the stairs.
“How is she?” Jason asks, and Zack smiles.
“Good. Go see for yourself.” He says, and Jason hesitates before Billy suddenly climbs the stairs, and Zack grips his shoulder as he passes him, Billy nodding grimly.
As soon as Billy reaches the door, he knocks before entering, and when he sees Trini, he feels his heart pound against his chest.
“So, Bruce Wayne is Batman.” He blurts out. Trini looks up at the sound of his voice, and she smiles widely as he steps closer to her.
“I know.” She says with a chuckle, wincing in pain, and Billy sits down beside her, twisting his fingers in his hands as he shakes his head.
“His Batwing is super cool.” He murmurs, and Trini raises an eyebrow.
“Cooler than me coming back from the dead?” She asks, and Billy winces, but shakes his head.
“Nah. I think you and I take the cake for coolest of the cool on that one.” He says with a smile, and Trini grips his hand, smiling softly.
“I’m okay, Billy.” She whispers.
“I know.” He says, closes his eyes as he tries his best to repeat her words back to himself.
She’s okay. She’s okay. She’s okay…
“I’m…I’m really happy you’re okay. I don’t think we could survive losing one of our own. I know I couldn’t survive it.” He says, and Trini sighs and squeezes his hand.
“Neither would I.” She says hoarsely, and Billy watches as she squirms, wincing in pain at the movement before he jumps up and shakes his head.
“I’ll leave, you gotta rest, and the others wanna see you, too.” He says, and Trini’s face falls before she nods.
“Oh, o-okay.” Billy smiles, and Trini smiles back before she beckons him forward with a finger.
He bends down, and Trini leans up and presses a kiss to his cheek.
“Love you, Billy.” She whispers, and he smiles, leans in and presses a kiss to her cheek.
“Love you, too, Trini.” He leaves the room, his smile never leaving his face and as soon as he appears at the top of the stairs, Jason runs up them, giving Billy a warm smile before he enters Trini’s room with a soft knock on the door.
She smiles as he walks in, and Jason’s entire world stops and he can feel his heart pounding against his chest.
He nearly lost a Ranger today…again…
“I’m starting to think I’m not cut out to be the Red Ranger.” He whispers. Trini’s smile fades, replaced with a frown as Jason crouches down onto his knees beside her.
“Why?” She asks, running her fingers through his hair, and Jason suddenly flashes back to the time he slept in Trini’s bed that night he almost hit his father, her hands gentle in his hair as she held his crying body in her arms…
He almost lost her today. Trini, his Trini, the girl who was like a sister to him…
“I keep leading you guys to your deaths.” He chokes out, and Trini shakes her head, cooing softly as Jason rests his head on her shoulder, his sobs escaping him before he can stop them.
“No, no, shh…Rita had control over me for weeks, Jason…you can’t blame yourself for this, it wasn’t you. Shh, Jason…”
“I’m sorry, Trin. I’m so sorry.” He cries, and Trini wraps an arm around him, pressing a kiss to his hair as he grips her hand tightly.
“God, I almost lost you today.” He whispers. Trini smiles.
“You didn’t. That’s what matters.” She says softly. He sniffs, wipes his tears away before he leans up and presses a kiss to her forehead, inches away from where Zack’s lips touched her.
“Kimberly’s probably itching to get up here.” He murmurs. Trini smiles.
“She said she loves me.” She whispers, and Jason smiles against her skin before pulling away.
“Did you say it back?” And Trini smiles widely.
“Yeah.” Jason chuckles, wipes his tears away with his hand before nodding once.
“You two are good for each other.”
“We’re all good for each other. Together…”
“We are more.” Jason finishes, and Trini smiles.
“We are.” She says, and Jason chuckles.
“I never really understood that until now. We were one Ranger short on the field and I felt like we were about to collapse. But apparently we did really well. Bruce said we did good.” Trini laughs, coughing and wincing as she does.
“So weird to hear you guys call him by his first name.”
“I still can’t believe Bruce Wayne is Batman.” Trini rolls her eyes, and Jason chuckles before he squeezes her hand and lets go.
“I’ll send Kim up, but after that, you get some rest, okay?” He says, and Trini chuckles under her breath.
“Aye, aye, captain.” She teases, and he rolls his eyes before walking toward the door.
He’s barely out of the room before Kimberly’s at the top of the stairs, and Jason steps aside as Kimberly enters.
She whimpers at the sight of Trini, a soft whine that escapes her as Trini looks up at her.
And Trini’s bottom lip trembles as Kimberly walks over to her without hesitation and sits down beside her, gripping her hand tightly as tears leak from the corners of her eyes and fall into her hair.
“I’m-I’m sorry for how things ended last night-.”
“No. That was Rita, Trini. Don’t you dare apologize for what she did.” Kimberly says simply. Trini swallows the lump in her throat and nods, and Kimberly smiles and lean in, pressing a gentle kiss to the corner of her mouth.
“How are you feeling?” She asks, and Trini shakes her head.
“I don’t want to think about it.” She says, and Kimberly nods once.
“Neither do I.”
“We have to talk. But I’m so tired…” Trini whispers, and Kimberly smiles, presses another kiss to the corner of her mouth.
“We have tomorrow…and the day after, and the day after…” She whispers shakily, and Trini turns to look at her as tears fall down her face.
“And I’m so thankful for that.” She says hoarsely, and Trini bites down on her bottom lip.
“So am I.” She whispers.
Kimberly doesn’t go back downstairs, simply runs her blood stained fingers through Trini’s hair as they fall silent, and it isn’t long before the fatigue finally gets to her and she falls asleep, curled up against Trini’s side with her head resting on Trini’s shoulder.
And Trini grips her hand, interlaces their fingers before she looks up at the ceiling and tries her best to fall asleep.
But an hour passes, and sleep doesn’t come, and when there’s a soft knock at her door, she looks up to see Diana walk in, Bruce trailing behind her, both of them still in their superhero outfits, and Trini takes a moment to appreciate that Batman and Wonder Woman are in her room right now as a small smile lights Diana’s face as she looks at Kimberly fast asleep beside her.
"The boys went home...I told them to go shower and get a good night's sleep." Diana says softly, and Trini nods as Bruce sighs and steps forward.
“I gotta head back to Gotham, but…I’m glad you’re okay, Trini.” Bruce says in a soft voice, and Trini smiles up at him.
“You saved my life.” She says, and Bruce smiles, leans down to run his hands through her hair.
“All in a day’s work, kid. Stay safe, alright? I don’t wanna hear you’ve given your mother another heart attack. This Power Rangers business seems…dangerous.”
“It is.” Trini sighs, and Bruce frowns before he pulls away and touches Diana’s shoulder.
“I’ll talk to you later.” She frowns, clenching her jaw as she nods once, and Bruce heads out of her room, but Diana stays, her arms crossed over her chest before she sighs and lays down on Trini’s other side, wrapping her arms around both Trini and Kimberly gently.
"None of us have showered, we're covered in blood and grime and sweat." Trini mutters, and Diana shakes her head.
"I'll clean everything tomorrow. I'm not moving and neither are you." She says gruffly. Trini simply nods once.
They’re silent for a while before Diana speaks up.
“I’m sorry.” She says hoarsely.
“For what?” Trini asks.
“For not noticing it before, for not listening to you when you told me you were seeing Rita everywhere-.”
“I should’ve told you the truth. But I was so scared of what she could do. I’m the one who’s sorry.” Trini says softly, and Diana shakes her head and pushes herself closer to Trini, being careful to avoid the wounds on her stomach and back.
“We both screwed up.” She whispers. Trini nods as Diana rests her forehead against the side of Trini’s head, nuzzling her mother as she grips her arm tightly.
“Yeah…I’m sorry for almost dying.”
“Don’t.” Diana murmurs, and Trini sighs.
“We have to talk about it eventually. We all do. The boys aren’t okay either, Kimberly’s a mess, and you-.”
“I know. But right now, we need to rest. To heal. And I just want to sleep knowing you’re safe beside me.” Diana says simply, and Trini nods against her.
“Okay.” She says. It’s silent again for a few moments before Diana sighs.
“Your Ranger healing…why did it kick in so late?” She asks. Trini closes her eyes tiredly.
“I was linked to Rita, mentally. When she used the link to get herself off the moon and back to Earth, it cost me my powers. But as soon as that link was severed, I got my powers back.” Trini says, avoiding the conversation they had while Diana patched her up…about how Diana had snapped Rita’s neck…had killed her in cold blood…
“The green faded from your power coin when Rita died…was that the link severing?” She asks, and Trini shrugs.
“Probably. I’d say so.” Diana sighs.
“I love that you’re a Power Ranger, sometimes.” And Trini laughs, coughs and winces as she lets out a soft groan of pain.
“I love that you’re Wonder Woman, sometimes.” She teases, and Diana chuckles in her ear, presses a kiss to her hair before Trini sighs.
“What happened to her body? Rita’s?” Trini asks. Diana sighs again.
“Jason told me he took her back to the ship.” She says simply, and Trini nods once.
“Good.”
“Good?” Trini sighs.
“Another thing to explain at another time.”
“Mmm…for now, we rest?” And Trini groans and nods, squeezing Kimberly’s hand and nuzzling into her mother’s side.
“Yes, please.”