Outraged Series: Chapter One
Written By: Liz Donovan
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It was another outrageously sunny day in Angle Groves, Billy was sitting on one of the many bench tables located throughout the large park. He was silent, lost in thought. In his hands he absently, twirled a strip of light pink material. Although he had found a fairly hidden bench in the park, he was brought out of his daydreaming as Rocky, Adam, Tanya, and Tommy approached. Sighing he looked up at them.
"Hey, Billy. What ya up too?" Tommy asked sitting himself down across from him.
"How is it going?" Tanya questioned, looking around.
"Where’ve you been? I called your house earlier and no one answered." Adam asked curiously.
Billy shoved the cloth into the breast pocket of his flannel. The three other teens sat around the table, uninvited.
"I just wanted to be alone for awhile." Billy mumbled, wishing they’d all just go away.
"Oh. Cool." Rocky said being his normal carefree self.
"Is something wrong, Billy?" Adam asked concerned, Billy sighed.
He shot a brief glance at Tommy shaking his head in a negative manner at Adam.
"No, nothings wrong." He replied, looking up. "How’s Zordon and Alpha?" He added.
"They’re okay. For being a floating head and a robot!" Rocky laughed. Billy didn’t seem to find that humorous.
"And Queen Machina and King Mondo?" He added, not really giving a hoot.
"Basically the same old, same old." Adam replied, trying to determine what was up with Billy.
"Its just not the same with out you there, Billy." Tommy said, seeming to upset Billy more. The former blue ranger snorted.
"Uh, sure." He mumbled.
Adam looked around, and as if for the first time, noticed Katherine wasn’t among them.
"Hey, Tanya, where’s Kat?" He questioned, as Tanya was Kat’s closest friend.
Billy sighed and the rest of the Rangers looked around. Wondering slightly. Tommy volunteered an answer.
"She had to stay after school for an assignment. I’m gonna meet her at the Juice Bar at 4:30." He told everyone.
--Like we care…-- Billy thought.
"Yeah? Well, it’s 4:32 right now…" Rocky said, glancing at his watch.
"Huh?" Tommy grunted, looking at Rocky. Tommy looked down at his watch and taped on it. "Awe, man! Guys, I gotta go. My clock is slow! See you around!" With that he sprinted off. Billy stood, wanting to leave these ‘Zeo Rangers’.
"I must be leaving as well." Billy said rather mechanically. He also walked off, in the same direction as Tommy, but at a much slower rate. Adam and Rocky watched them leave and them shrugged their shoulder. Rocky opened his books, and tried to study.
* * *
Katherine sat at a table, checking her watch repeatedly every few minutes. Tommy ran through the door. Kat grinned when she saw him.
"I’m so sorry. My watch was running slow." Tommy blurted, breathing heavily from running.
"It’s okay." Kat answered. "I understand."
Tommy slipped into a seat across from her. Over Tommy’s shoulder Bulk and Skull enter. Skull was cackling loudly.
"A room infested with dweebs." Bulk grinned scanning the room.
"Yeah, dweebs." Skull echoed laughing again, chopping away on his gum.
Bulk slapped Skull upside head with his hat. Skull frowned and looked at Bulk. "Watch it! You’ll wrinkle the uniform!" He cried, brushing his shoulders off.
"I hit your head, bozo." Bulk commented. Skull looked up at his head and then down at his Jr. police uniform. He grinned.
"Oh, yeah." He grinned broader.
"Come on, you nincompoop." Bulk said pulling his sleeve. The two walked over the Juice Bar counter.
"Want anything to eat or drink?" Tommy asked Katherine.
"Oh, no thank you." She replied politely.
"Uh, okay." Tommy replied at a loss for words.
"I’ve really got to study for this exam. I have a really big test on it tomorrow." Katherine said trying to fill a void of silence.
"Well, here. Let me help you study." He said. He stood and walked over to Kat. He leaned over and peered at the book. She looked up at him and smiled. Pushing her hair out of the way, she began to write down something.
"A dozen chocolate. And, uh, half a dozen jelly filled." Bulk said, placing an order for donuts.
"I only want six jelly filled." Skull told Bulk, trying to be helpful.
"And two glasses of milk with that." Bulk added, ignoring Skull.
"Okay. Why so many donuts?" Ernie asked bending down and packing some donuts in a box for the two teens.
"We’re police officers now. So we have to act like real officers." Bulk said proudly, standing up with sudden dignity.
"Whatever." Ernie said lifting up the box for the donuts.
Ernie turned to get the rest of the donuts and the drinks. Billy arrived and looked around, spying Tommy leaning over Katherine. He grimaced and strutted over to the dumbbell set. Pulling off his flannel, he laid on the bench press. He was wearing a white tang top and jeans. Lifting the bar he began to press weight. After a few pumps he stopped and loaded the machine with more weight.
"Be careful son, you might hurt yourself benching that many pounds." A coach came up and watched Billy load the weight set up. He commented. "A bench press is not something inexperienced people should…"
Coach stopped talking as Billy lifted the bar again. The coach scratched his head and whistled. Billy grunted, anger showing in his face. He set the bar on the rack after five presses. He sat up, sweating lightly. The coach grinned.
"I haven’t seen that kind of pressing since Jason left for Switzerland. Maybe Tommy can pump that much." The coach commented, trying to make Billy feel better. It didn’t quite go over well.
The teen clenched his jaw. He loaded the bench press more and a few kids came around to see if he could actually press as much as he had on the bar. Billy laid back down, and the coach put on a face of excitement, and worry. Billy grasped the bar and the coach came up to help him.
"Hey, what’d you think that crowd is forming from?" Tommy asked looking up from Kat’s shoulder.
"I don’t know. Lets go see." Kat looked up too.
Bulk pulled a donut up, and spotted the crowd of teens hanging around a tight circle by the weight set. Skull was gazing down at his donut intently.
"Hey, Bulky. Why do you suppose there aren’t any holes in the jelly filled donuts?" Skull asked, examining the donut curiously.
"To keep the jelly in, you pea-brain." He answered. Then looked back at the crowd. "Hey, what’s that crowd forming for?"
Skull looked up and saw the crowd, then he looked back at his donut, wondering why it had no hole.
"I dunno. Maybe there’s a fight going on?" Skull muttered, lost in thought.
"A fight?!" Bulk announced suddenly concerned. "Well, we have to stop it! We are the Jr. Police!"
Skull put the donut down and bolted up, somewhat proud, snapping a salute. Bulk rushed over to the weight area. Tommy and Katherine arrived right in front of them.
Billy felt the bar under his grasp. He slowly lifted it off the rack. In the corner of his eye, he spotted Tommy gasping at him, Katherine by his side. Billy’s eyes flashed a icy blue, and he lifted the bar off the rack. The coach tried to spot him, but Billy didn’t let him. He inhaled deeply and pushed the bar upward. The crowd cheered. Letting it drop, Billy breathed for a second and brought it up again. Tommy stared in amazement and Kat smiled in surprise. Billy lifted up for the sixth press, when the crowd parted and Bulk and Skull busted through.
"Stop! No, don’t fight!" Bulk cried, pushing past everyone. Skull followed close behind.
"Yeah! Stop, we’ve got you surrounded!" Skull added, making little sense.
The two saw Billy on the bench press. Skull cackled.
"The dweebs trying to lift weights, eh?" Bulk asked, pulling his pants up.
Billy lifted the weight bar again, the crowd cheered him on. After his tenth press, he set the bar back on the rack, and sat up. His shirt was sweaty and his breathing heavy. The coach leaned over him. Someone gave Billy a thermos of water.
"What’s your name, son?" The coach asked, pleased to see someone with such strength. "Have you ever thought of trying out for the weightlifting team? I think you’ve got-…"
Billy stood, glared at Tommy, and strutted over to the bar. Several people patted him on the back and complimented him. He ignored them for the most part.
"What’s wrong, Tommy?" Kat asked, looking up at Tommy.
"Billy is, the only other time I’ve ever seen Billy lift like that was when he wasn’t really him." Tommy replied watching the teen age boy.
"Huh? I don’t understand." Kat said, she was confused with Tommy’s answer.
"Well, Lord Zedd and Rita once stole a statue of Billy, and turned it into a real person. They kidnapped the real Billy and it made what we thought was Billy, seem real powerful, and strong. And mean, I just wonder…" Tommy trailed off, hoping Billy was just taking up weight lifting for a few days.
"Perhaps we should go talk to him." Katherine suggested. Both walked over to where Billy was sitting at the Juice Bar.
"That was quite impressive, Billy." Tommy commented.
"I know." Was all he replied.
"Are you sure nothing is wrong?" Tommy asked, repeating a questioned asked to Billy earlier.
"Positive." Was Billy’s simple answer.
Billy stood and walked back over to the weight area to get his flannel He draped it over his arm, and sat down again.
"I didn’t know you had it in you." Kat said, impressed with Billy’s weight lifting.
"Humph. How would you know? You’ve only been here a few months." Billy snorted turning away.
"Hey, Billy. That wasn’t nice." Tommy spoke up, frowning.
"Yeah, well I know a lot of things that aren’t nice." Billy spat back. Tommy leaned closer to Billy.
"Are you upset about losing you powers?" Tommy asked in a low whisper.
"I’m not upset, but that is on my mind." Billy replied, feeling that Tommy was standing to close for comfort to him.
"Is that why you’re trying to impress me?" Tommy questioned. Billy snorted.
"Impress YOU? I think not." He shot out, repulsed by the notion.
"Then, me?" Kat asked, bringing herself into the question.
Another, louder, ruder snort. "I would hardly think so." Billy snarled.
"Then who? Or why?" Tommy questioned, trying to get a decent answer from Billy.
"No one, and no reason." He said. He stood up and headed for the door. Tommy and Kat watched him.
"I’ll be back. I want to talk to him. I think I understand what he is going through. I was much the same when I lost my powers." Tommy said. He began walking after Billy.
"Okay." Kat agreed. She watched Tommy leave.
* * *
Tommy chased after Billy as the teen wove his way through Angel Grove Park. Tommy broke into a jog, and soon caught up to Billy.
"You don’t know when to stop, do you Tommy?" Billy snarled not turning around.
"Listen man, I understand what you’re going though. I felt the same way when I lost my powers." Tommy tried to show sympathy for Billy.
"That’s impossible. What I’m feeling has nothing to do with my powers." Billy spat angrily.
"Then something IS wrong." Tommy beamed, glad to know that he was making lead way.
"Affirmative." Billy growled.
"Well, what is it, if not your powers?" Tommy questioned, feeling a little more relaxed.
Billy whirled on him furiously, no longer able to contain his anger. "You. You! YOU!" He yelled.
"Whoa. Me? What’d I do?" Tommy questioned off guard.
"What you do, what you don’t do. It’s everything!" He cried, both had stopped walking.
"Everything? I…I didn’t know…what is it that I do?" Tommy blurted wonder what in the world had gotten into Billy.
"Do you remember Kimberly?" Billy shouted.
"Kim? Well, yeah, but what does she have to do with this?" Tommy asked thinking about this suddenly curve in the conversation.
"Do you remember Trini and Zack, and Jason?" Billy continued.
"Of course I do. But, what are you bringing them up for now?" Tommy asked, frustrated.
"And Aisha? Do you remember her?" Billy added, not finished talking.
"Well, yes. Yes of course, but why?" Tommy asked, not knowing what Billy was getting at.
"Because it sure as HELL doesn’t seem like you do!" Billy screamed, anger flowing into his face.
"I could never forget them." Tommy replied, trying to keep calm. Billy began walking, faster.
"You sicken me, Tommy." Billy mumbled under his breath.
"Sicken you?" Tommy questioned keeping pace with Billy. "I’m sorry, but what’d I do?" He added, not having a clue why Billy was so upset.
"Haven’t you realized what is happening? Didn’t you notice what Zordon is doing? What we’re doing?" Billy asked, he rounded on Tommy again.
"I don’t know what your talking about." Tommy recited.
"No, you wouldn’t. Your head is far to buried in Katherine’s bosom to see anything of importance, isn’t it!?" Billy seemed to state with disgust.
"What?! I’ll have you know-," Tommy began, suddenly realization came into his face. "It’s jealousy, isn’t it? You’re jealous because you can’t get any." He laughed darkly.
"And you can?" Billy snorted.
"I can! I had Kim, now I’ve got Kat. I could have had Trini, Aisha and Tanya if I had wanted." Tommy shot back, getting riled up now.
"Precisely! You had them, used them, and threw them away! You don’t regret that Kim is gone, do you?" Billy angrily commented.
"Well, I miss her, but I don’t regret she is gone, no." Tommy answered.
"Don’t you even care that she left? Don’t you care that she will probably never come here again? Don’t you care?!" Billy screeched.
"I don’t! Not really. I was getting bored with her anyhow." Tommy answered, playing this game, and mainly to piss Billy off more.
Billy threw his arms up in a futile gesture. He stopped and glared at Tommy.
"I could kill you right now. I could kill you bare handed, and I wouldn’t care. Here me, I wouldn’t care!" Billy roared, shaking his fists at Tommy.
"Chill man. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but your giving yourself WAY to much credit. You could never in a millennia take me out. Not ever." Tommy laughed, never thinking that Billy would actually challenge him to a fight.
"You are SO wrong. Tommy Oliver, so very, very wrong." Billy lowered his voice, eyeing Tommy.
"You wanna fight me? Come on, I’d like to see you try." Tommy encouraged.
Tommy stepped back, opening his arms wide tempting Billy to punch him, and readied himself in case his ‘friend’ was serious. Billy sneered and spat.
"Anytime, Red ranger, anytime." Billy sneered, dropping into a fighting stance. Although Billy had no powers and wasn’t a karate expert like Tommy, he knew the ranger’s weaknesses, and knew how to cripple a foe.
Billy made a fake jab to Tommy’s chest, and the ranger attempted to block it. With the distraction in place already, Billy dropped and roundhoused, Tommy’s legs out from underneath him. He fell to his rear, and scrambled for his feet. Billy kicked him in the side, very hard. Tommy yelped in pain. Grabbing his injured ribs, Tommy tried to stand again. Billy loomed over him, and kicked him again. Tommy grabbed Billy’s foot and pulled him until the former Blue ranger lost his balance. Billy saw the upcoming fall, but used it to his advantage. He fell onto Tommy, trying to crush the teen. Tommy was able to kick Billy in the back, and Billy cried in agony. The pain numbed his back, and he looked down at Tommy, a look on his face, never present before. With a war-like cry, he drew his fist back, and pounded it into Tommy’s face.
Tommy struggled underneath him, but Billy pinned Tommy’s legs under him, with his feet, and held the rangers arms down with his knees. Tommy cried out, as Billy pummeled his face in. Soon, after several more well placed punches, Tommy’s eyes rolled up into his head. Blood trickled down his nose, lips and forehead. In the distance, people could be heard approaching quickly. Billy stood, glanced at the direction of the noise and back down at Tommy.
He wiped his forehead, putting a streak of bright blood there. He kicked the unconscious Tommy in the side again and cried out.
"That’s for being an asshole." His kicked him harder. "That’s for taking all the glory when I deserved at least some!" His kicked him even harder, and although Tommy was knocked out, he gasped. "And that’s for using Kimberly, and not treating her the way she should be treated!"
With that last statement, tears stung his eyes. He reached down and removed Tommy’s Zeonizer. Shoving it into his own pocket, he jetted towards a secluded area in the park, running faster than he ever had before.
* * *
"Aye, yi, yi, yi, yie!" Alpha cried loudly.
"Alpha what is wrong?" Zordon bellowed from his tube encasement.
"Someone just attacked Tommy in the park." Alpha wailed.
"Queen Machina, King Mondo and their minions I presume. Is Tommy alright?" Zordon said. Alpha pushed buttons in.
"No! Oh, no! I’m getting a visual on the Viewing Globe." Alpha whined, he turned to look at the Viewing Globe.
Tommy appeared on the Viewing Globe, his face stained in blood, he was clearly unconscious. His right leg pinned under him.
"This is far worse than I feared. Contact the other rangers." Zordon spoke gravely.
"Right away, Ai, yi, yi, yi, yie!" Alpha moaned. Dialing the communication deceives for the rangers.
"We read you, Zordon." Adam said, only a voice in the Command Center.
"Adam, teleport to the command center, immediately! Tommy’s in serious trouble." Alpha cried sorrowfully.
"Alright." Adam answered. Soon three beams of light appeared in the room, green, blue and yellow.
"Where’s Kat?" Rocky questioned, concerned.
"What happened to Tommy?" Tanya inquired, looking around.
"Observe the Viewing Globe." Zordon commanded.
Everyone turned and looked into the sphere. Kat was leaning over Tommy, weeping and trying to help him. A crowd had gathered around him and some medical people were trying to keep people back, and help Tommy. All the rangers gasped.
"What happened?!" Adam cried out furious.
"We don’t know. I’m checking my scanners for monsters or any of the Machine Empires doings, but I haven’t found anything yet." Alpha answered, shedding very little light on the subject.
"But look at him. How could someone do that to him? Not only is he liked by most everyone, he is a damn good fighter too! Some John Doe couldn’t just take him out like that." Rocky stated, looking at the Viewing Globe.
"Look at all that blood…" Tanya muttered spellbound.
"We’ve got to go down there. If he is really hurt, then he’ll want some familiar faces when he come too." Rocky said, thinking ahead.
"Affirmative." Zordon boomed.
"What about who did this to him? They could still be in the park." Adam said, turning away from the Viewing Globe.
"Good observation, Adam. Rocky, you and Tanya go help Kat with Tommy. Adam, I will help you search the park for a culprit." Zordon stated, approvingly.
Both Rocky and Tanya nodded in agreement. They flash out in columns of Blue and Yellow.
"Adam, I will teleport you to a hidden area in the park. Search the unknown and little used areas. If you find anyone, confront them, or bring them to justice." Zordon said, addressing Adam.
"Alright." Adam nodded. He teleported out in a column of green.
"Ai, yi, yie!" Alpha cried softly.
* * *
A column of green light flashed down amongst the leafy green trees, unobserved by all. Within a few second Adam appeared from behind the trees. He walked quietly, looking for a possible criminal. He heard someone talking as they walked, and he headed towards the noise.
To be continued…
