Send in the Clones Series: Chapter Three
Written By: Liz Donovan
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A small chirping noise could be heard, echoing softly under muffled clothing. No other sound was present in the dark and foreboding place. Suddenly a rustle was heard as someone sat up abruptly. Another clank of noise and the chirping ceased.
"Damn watch." Someone mumbled, climbing to their feet. William suddenly realized where he was and why he was there. He immediately dropped into a low stance and his eyes dart through the inky nothingness. Sensing no one awake in the vicinity he stealthily crept out of King Mondo’s throne room into the main viewing room.
A beautiful window of stars filled the front half of the room. In one of the corners, the night side of Earth could be seen, its soft blue atmosphere protecting it from the suns deadly rays. Draw by the compulsive lure of celestial majesties, he took a daring step towards the star-filled night. Moonlight spilled into the black viewing room, washing him with an eerie pale white light. Taking no notice of the visible position he was in, he continued until he was standing at the window, gazing out into the endless void of space. A breath of awe escape him as he saw the moon in her orbit not far at all from his position. The clarity and precision of the lunar satellite was astounding.
He turned his head, peeling his eyes off of the luminescent moon. He located Mars, the red planet and looked at it. Suddenly he felt a pang that he hadn’t felt before. He knew that all his life he had longed to travel to Mars. To fly through space. He realized how many memories the Machine Empire had kept hidden from him, and suddenly he was very upset. He tore his gaze from the window and looked back into the blackness of the throne room. He suddenly couldn’t wait to destroy this residences of this space station.
Realizing the degree of time he wasted looking at the stars might foil his plan unnerved him. He quickly brought his arm to his chest and pressed the small communicator device on the watch. Suddenly he flashed out in a column of maroon light.
* * *
Rocky’s red Toyota pulled out of Tanya’s driveway. He glanced at the digital timer in the cars interior, it read sixteen minutes after one. Kat sighed in the seat next to him. He looked at her. She was soaked, as the three had been swimming, her hair was pulled in a ponytail tied in a pink scrunchy. She had a plain white tang-top over her bathing suit, both equally wet and a pair of short blue Jean shorts. She looked at Rocky from the window and smiled. He fumbled around and finally got the car onto the street. Tanya waved from her porch. Kat smiled and waved back as Rocky accelerated away. Soon they were cruising towards Katherine’s house.
"Want some music?" Rocky asked, as he felt uncomfortable in the complete silence. Kat mumbled, grinned and said.
"I like it this way." Rocky glanced at her briefly. She smiled at him again, and he stepped on the gas a bit harder, reflexively. The car lurched forward with the sudden acceleration of gas.
"Whoa! What was that?" Kat called she slightly grabbed Rocky’s arm, and looked out the windshield. Rocky lifted his foot a bit.
"Sorry!" He checked his speed meter and lowered the cars speed to match that of the current speed limit. "Accidentally hit that pedal a bit hard."
Kat let go of his arm and put her hands in her lap. She sat silently. Soon Rocky couldn’t take the silence, so he said. "How is Tommy doing?" He hoped the question didn’t upset her too much.
"He is alright. The doctors said that he’d be well enough to be released possibly as soon as Monday." Kat replied, letting her left hand fall from her lap and trace the seat. Rocky nodded, very aware of her movements. He tensed slightly and kept his eyes on the street.
"Good. God, I hope he recovers soon…" Rocky mumbled, concentrating on the white lines in the road. Kat’s fingers danced on the seat next to the stick shift. Rocky cranked the stick forward, into second drive. Again the car lurched forward and Rocky turned off the public road and onto another smaller street.
"You seem tense Rocky. Are you alright?" Kat asked as Rocky seemed to hunch over the steering wheel.
He glanced down at Kat’s hand and then back out at the road. "I’m fine, just fine." He blurted out, feeling very awkward. Kat’s hand found its way to his right thigh and he turned the car sharply down another road.
"You sound distressed. Are you sure nothing is wrong?" Kat cooed, talking but not really making any sense to him. Rocky wasn’t sure what she was trying to pull, but he didn’t like it one bit. He had to do something and quick, or else Kat would get carried away. They were still a good five minutes away from Kat’s and by then anything could happen.
Rocky stopped abruptly for a stop sign he hadn’t seen and Kat lurched forward, her hand sliding to his knee.
He wanted to stop the car right there and tell her to get out, but he didn’t. She slowly, almost unnoticeably brought her hand back to his thigh, and gradually began to caress his leg. He broke into a sweat then and there. He took his hand off the stick shift and placed it on Kat’s, stopping it. Although he didn’t look, he could see Kat smile. He suddenly became sickeningly aware of how close her hand was to his groin, and that fact was worsened by the fact that he seemed to be holding her hand there in place. He quickly lifted his hand up, but Kat didn’t move. Within seconds she was caressing his leg again.
--Enough is enough!-- He thought. He pulled the car over, unable to handle this any longer. Kat stopped and looked around, she smiled and said.
"Why are we stopping here?" Rocky glared at her. "So something is wrong!"
Had he not been such a well mannered boy he probably would have slapped her for that. He brushed her hand off his leg and turned in his seat towards her. She smiled and turned in her seat as well. He looked hard at her for a moment ready to tell her off, but before he could say anything to her, she put her hand to his cheek, leaned over and kissed him. Rocky gasped giving her access to his tongue. He seemed whisked away by the fact that this was a woman and she was passionately kissing him, but the feeling ended as soon as he recalled it was Kat.
He had no sexual feelings for her whatsoever. She pushed herself off her seat, and onto him. His back was smashed to the window, and Kat pressed her wet body to his, and began rubbing his clothed chest. He was just able to put the car into park before she knocked his foot off the break, and intertwined her legs with his. Her hands began to grope, and he got his left hand off the steering wheel, under her and shoved her off of him. She sat back and licked her lips pulling on the white tang-top. Rocky gasped, sunken in his seat. He finally composed himself and spat out.
"What the HELL was that?!"
Kat frowned, and looked at Rocky. He didn’t move. She pushed a stray strand of wet hair behind her ear and blushed a bit.
"I don’t know. A kiss?" She answered. Rocky sat up, and straitened his collar. His fingers shaking as he did.
"What do you mean you don’t know?!" Rocky took the car out of park and pulled out back onto the street. His breathing had subsided a bit, but he was still very jittery. "Were you and Tanya drinking before I got there?"
He accelerated the car well past the speed limit trying to get to Kat’s house as quickly as possible. His heart was pounding in his throat and he felt sick. Kat nodded no, but he hoped she was just too drunk to understand what he was saying. In two minutes flat he pulled into Kat’s driveway. As much as he wanted to speed away as soon as she was out of the car, he got out and walked her to the porch. There she got him against the door and tried to kiss him again, she pinned his arms down and rubbed her knee up against him. He jerked his chin up and she ended up slobbering all over his face. Luckily he was stronger than her was able to push her off.
"Dammit Kat! Knock it off!" He wiped his face and opened her door. She tried to pull him inside with her, but he yanked away and closed the door between them. In seconds he was in the car again on his way home to shower.
He’d never felt so dirty in all his life.
* * *
Adam and Alpha looked into the Viewing Globe. The outside of Billy’s home showed on the Viewing Globe, and a strange bluish light seemed to bathe the entire house. Adam looked away and up at Zordon.
"What is that?" Adam asked, looking back at the Viewing Globe. Zordon seemed to frown.
"I am not yet sure, but it does not seem natural. Alpha, scan this light and see if it is possibly masking Billy’s entering and exiting his home." Zordon said, gravely knowing that this could very well be the worst enemy they ever faced.
"Right away, Zordon!" Alpha replied, hurrying to a computer console. Adam yawned and Zordon did a calculation of the Earth’s time.
"Adam it is late. You have classes tomorrow, I want you to go home and get to sleep. You will need sufficient rest if this turns out to be something you have to fight." Zordon commanded Adam. The Green Ranger yawned again and nodded. He watched Alpha and said.
"Good luck, call me if anything develops." Alpha nodded and Adam teleported out. Alpha looked up at Zordon, and the Wizard sighed.
* * *
William teleported himself in a small grove not far from his house. He needed to get to his lab. Everything after that would be set, to an extent. He knew Zordon would probably be keeping tabs on the house, since he had just attacked Adam. Therefore he would have to be extra careful in his movements. Instead of trying to do the obvious and most stupid way of walking over to his house, William set about locking on to Billy’s signature. He’d have to do this quickly. Once he teleported Billy outside, it would only be a matter of minutes before he got back to his house.
William looked at the crisp glade he was in, and then he pressed his communicator. His matter was teleported through the air and re-solidified in his dark bedroom. Luck was with him as he spied Billy sleeping on his bed. He hurried to the sleeping form and prepared to teleport him out when he really stopped and realized that he was the clone. He’d known he was a clone, but seeing himself lying there was quite an immense shocker. He quickly teleported his other self out and grabbed a few things from his room and tried to push the thought from his mind. Then in seconds he was in his lab, the halogen light humming softly as he began to work.
* * *
Billy woke with a start as he suddenly felt cold. He’d tried to draw his covers around him, and had been met with chilled wet grass. He jumped to his feet and scanned the darkness around him. His eyes discerned the shape of trees and led him to believe that he was in a small grove not far from his house. He suddenly wondered why and who brought him here. He thought of contacting Zordon, but decided against it for the time being. He might have rolled over onto his communicator and accidentally teleported himself outside.
Of course the likelihood of revealing the actual reason of his state of being might reveal something extraordinary, and he was ready for that too. He decided the best thing now was to get back to his house. So he set at doing just that at jogging pace.
* * *
Alpha’s computer console suddenly lit up with multiple lights. He jumped back and set about turning them all down a bit. Zordon focused his gaze down upon Alpha. The small droid jittered around a bit.
"Zordon! I just located Billy! He seems to have teleported himself out of his house! What do I do?" He cried turning the lights down and fixing a hold on Billy. Zordon nodded.
"Teleport him to the Command Center immediately." Zordon ordered. The small droid nodded.
"I’ve already fixed on his location…teleporting now!" Alpha said happily. A beam of maroon teleported into the Command Center. Billy stopped running and looked around. Zordon accessed the control panel himself and put a restraining field around the teen. Billy looked around, bewildered.
"What’s this for?" He questioned, trying to pass through the field restrainer. Alpha seemed to cluck and he looked up to Zordon.
"You disobeyed me, Billy. That I take great offense too. I now see that I was foolish to have ever granted you powers of any sort. I will remedy the err of my ways by completely stripping you of all your powers. I wish it had not come to this, but I see no other way to keep you from farther damaging your friends and pledging alliance with the Machine Empire or other forces of Darkness." Zordon solemnly spoke to Billy. The teen stared wide-eyed at his mentor, who seemed to be stripping him of powers he hadn’t even used yet, and others that meant the world to him.
"Zordon…I…I don’t understand!" Billy cried as Alpha lowered the containment field to allow Zordon to strip Billy of his powers. Zordon remained silent, and even Alpha seemed irate. Billy struggled to hold back surging emotions of all kinds. Zordon closed his eyes and sent a surging pulse from his chamber to the medallion Billy wore around his neck. The teens back arched as all his powers were drained, almost to the point of physical pain, far beyond emotional anguish. He cried out mercifully, but Zordon did not falter until the boy was drained of even his will to stand. He collapsed to the floor in a pathetic weeping huddle. His entire body raked with each breath he took, pain arching along, etching the whole of his frame. He used his arms to hold his upper torso up, his head bowed in pity and remorse.
Slowly he lifted his weary head and looked miserably up at Zordon. His vibrant blue eyes seemed dull and glazed, tortured. The giant floating face simply frowned down at him, and Billy hung his head again.
Alpha scurried over and removed the medallion from around Billy’s neck. That seemed to drain the life from him. His arms buckled and he fell to his stomach, weeping on the floor.
"Billy, rise and meet your fate." Zordon’s voice seemed to boom through the room. Billy raised his head, his wry hair falling into his face. The giant interdimentional being once again closed his eyes and Billy was teleported out in a distorted array of color. Alpha sighed and looked up at Zordon who gravely shook his head.
* * *
Billy teleported onto his bed, his face already buried in the massive pillow. He tried not to cry loudly, but he could hardly help it. It wasn’t as if anyone would care anyhow. His father never seemed to hear him, although sometimes he wished that he would, and that he’d just come in and talk to Billy about what was troubling him. But tonight he didn’t want anyone. No one would understand. He knew that eventually he might be stripped of his powers, but why so soon he knew not. And he never intended to be stripped like that. He expected Tommy to recover, and have the power transferred…but now…even his old Blue Ranger power was extinguished. He felt the emptiness and sobbed again. And suddenly he had remorse for hurting Tommy. Had he not done anything, he would still be friends with the rest of the rangers. And he might have eventually gained powers at a future date. He would have at least be allowed to help the rangers in the Command Center.
Now though, he couldn’t bring himself to even look upon the Power Rangers. He closed his weary eyes and softly cried himself to sleep.
* * *
Two hours and three minutes after William teleported down to Earth he was almost ready to return to return to the Machine Empire Space station. Well, ready was not the word. Prepared was more accurate. He did not want to ever return to the machine infested station, unless it was to over throw King Mondo and gain ultimate control over the entire place.
Equipment in hand William left his lab and went back inside. He was compelled to go upstairs and climb into his own comfortable bed and fall asleep, but he figured that his clone would have returned from wherever he’d been sent by now. So he quietly walked past the staircase, grabbing a few snacks to eat before returning to the Machine Empire, remembering the rancid food they tried to serve him. Stepping into the night, he began walking down the street, thinking to himself.
He’d always liked droids. Star Wars, Star Trek, and the other good movies with androids had always intrigued him. As did Alpha 5, but these Machine people were awful. He wondered who constructed them in the first place. It would have had to have been a very demented person indeed. Soon he found himself in a small cluster of trees. He sat down and leaned against one of the trunks, and began to fiddle with the equipment and tools he took from his lab. He’d need more time to finish the entire object, but he would work on it as much as he could for as long as he could. He thanked himself for having such good stamina. He shouldn’t be too terribly tired getting less than four hours of sleep. He adjusted the stuff he had, and made sure there was a place he could hide it come time to leave it. He bit into the apple in his hand and munches away as he worked. Humming to himself.
--Life is pretty good.-- He thought. --Well, it will be once Mondo is out of the picture.-- He took another bite of the apple and hummed a bit louder. In time he would finish this project, and then he could finally take care of Mondo and his kin. And then perhaps he would take Tommy into outer space with him. He smiled. And shut him in a magnetic hold, and then release the air lock, and watch his pathetic body fly out into the reaches of space before combusting painfully, violent. He grinned to himself.
Yes, life was good.
To be continued…
