Disclaimer: The song "Wide Open Spaces" was written by Susan Gibson and was performed by the Dixie Chicks. All rights to this song most likely belong to one of them. This fic is #4 in my Candle in the Wind saga. It is rated Rex for scenes of violence, sexual situations, and very mature themes. Worse than R but not quite X. If you are under the age of say… sixteen, I urge you to turn back now.
Wide
Open Spaces
By Jeremy Ray Logsdon
"She needs… wide, open spaces," the Dixie Chicks sang from the radio.
"That's interesting," Adam sighed. "Not bad, anyhow."
"The Dixie Chicks are a mix of bluegrass, country, and old rock," Dean Maxwell Watson said. Try as Adam might, the mysterious old black man just didn't seem to be the type to listen to a group called the Dixie Chicks.
"Country is what keeps it from being perfect," Adam grinned.
Tommy rolled his eyes as he walked by with The Chest in his arms. "Country is what keeps this country alive."
"Somehow, Washington doesn't strike me as a country kind of place," Adam returned.
"Helicopter's here," Trini announced as the far-off whine of the blades became audible.
"Get your stuff," Angela said, walking into the kitchen. "The plane to take us to D.C. is warmed up and waiting."
In a hotel room in Washington, D.C., country music and helicopters were the furthest thing from one man's mind. "Oh man, that was the most awesome thing I've ever done," the man chuckled.
"Mmm hmm," the attractive blond-haired beauty purred. Her hair was such a rich gold, it would have looked fake on anyone else. Her eyes were bright blue, her body was exquisite, and her skin was flawless. She was beautiful.
"I hate to say this," the man said, shaking his head, "but I just realized we never gave each other our names." He sat up in bed, loosely tucking the sheet around his waist. "My name is Jerry. Your's?"
"What a coincidence," she sighed. Suddenly, Jerry's eyes flashed red. His mouth gaped open, and he clutched at his stomach.
"What-?" he tried. Then, he gave a single, loud shout as he was overwhelmed with red light. Immediately following that, there was a gentle plink. The blonde woman looked down at her feet and saw a ruby glittering there.
"My name is Geri Lyn," she smiled to the empty room. A blue robe formed around her nude body as she bent down to pick up the ruby. She reached into a large pocket of her robe and pulled out a golden, ornate dagger. It had a simple enough golden blade, but the hilt was a true work of art. It was a dragon's tail with three dragon-like torsos sticking out of it. Each torso held a dragon head, and two arms stuck out of its side. Each arm had a claw at the end of it that was opened and facing upward. Four of the six upturned hands held gleaming stones : an onyx, a tourmaline stone, an emerald, and a topaz. Geri Lyn placed the ruby in one of the claws. "One more stone," she sighed. "Now where can I find a virgin warrior…"
"You mean, we're only staying at the Hilton?" Angela asked as they walked toward the hotel.
"Don't get smart, young lady," her grandfather chided from the cell phone in her hand.
"How many rooms between us?" Trini asked.
"Six," Kimberly answered. She suddenly paused and looked up. The sun was setting behind the hotel, but beyond that, nothing look out of the ordinary.
"Kimberly?" Adam asked.
"You don't understand!" Kimberly cried. "My friend is still in there!"
"Miss, you can't go in!" the man pleaded, holding her back.
"Let me go!" Kimberly screamed. With a forceful shove, she broke free from the man's grip and ran-
"What?" Kimberly asked, startled.
"Are you okay?" Trini asked, reaching out to touch her arm.
"Yeah," Kimberly said, furrowing her brow. She idly stroked her temples before repeating, "Yeah. I'm fine…"
Adam's five fellow teens listened intently as he read from the Book.
"The third demon often takes the form of a beautiful woman, for that is her true form. She exudes sexuality, and any man that should wind up in her arms will meet his end there. She goes by many names-"
"Geri Lyn," Kimberly announced as it came to her.
"She has but one purpose, and that is to escape the Chest permanently. She will do anything within her power to find some other poor soul to be subject to her eternal damnation. She has two abilities to assist her. She can make any man succumb to her sexual will, and she possesses pyrokinetic abilities." He flipped forward a few more pages, and after finding them blank, shut the book.
"A psychotic nymphomaniac," Zack mused.
"Sounds like fun," Tommy joked.
Kimberly's face blanched as a scenario played out in her mind. "She turned him into a stone," Kimberly realized.
"Hmm?" Trini asked, summing up the group's attitude.
"His name was Ralph Cassatt, and he was twenty-two years old. He was a homosexual man, who had slept with at least one man in his past," Kimberly started. Her eyes glazed over a bit as she let her body tell the story. "Geri Lyn didn't care how many men. It only mattered that he had had sex with at least one. He met her at a sports bar, and much to his surprise, he was absolutely awestruck by this woman. Even though he hadn't been unhappy being gay, he was pleased that he might be bisexual. 'I'll be able to tell my dad about this,' he said at some point during their conversation. She easily convinced him to go to her motel room, they had sex, and then, he turned into a topaz…"
"He turned into a topaz?" Angela asked.
"Sorry, that's all I've got," Kimberly muttered, apologetically.
"How did he turn into a topaz?" Adam asked.
"I don't know," Kimberly said a bit forcefully, shrugging. "It's over. Done. Finished. No more coming in."
Angela pondered that for a few moments before saying, "Grandfather has arranged for me to speak with a curator at the Museum of Art. He has reason to believe that this demon, Geri Lyn, apparently, has picked the Smithsonian for some reason."
"I'll go with you," Kimberly volunteered. "I might get 'told' something."
"We'll stay here and look around," Zack said. "Maybe we'll get lucky."
"Good deal," Angela agreed. "Come on, Kim. We'll take a cab."
"Dr. Vandalay," Angela greeted, extending her hand. "I'm Angela Watson."
"Maxwell's granddaughter," he realized, shaking her hand. "I didn't know when to expect you."
"I hope we haven't come at a bad time," Angela said automatically.
"Well, it's not the best," Dr. Vandalay admitted.
An artifact has been stolen, Kimberly realized.
"Oh?" Angela asked.
"We've… misplaced something," Dr. Vandalay told her.
"Maybe we could help you look," Kimberly tried.
Dr. Vandalay chuckled. "That, my dear, is completely out of the question." Kimberly immediately did not care for his tone.
"My grandfather is one of this Institute's biggest contributors," Angela reminded. "We-"
"The DragonClaw Dagger!" Kimberly suddenly shouted. "That's what was stolen."
Dr. Vandalay spun around frantically. "How did you know that?" he asked forcefully.
"Uh oh," Angela groaned.
"Uhm… Well," Kimberly stammered.
"Run!" Angela cried. Shrieking impulsively, the two girls turned tail and ran out of the room with Dr. Vandalay shouting behind them.
A distance from the Museum of Art, Angela and Kimberly had slowed to a walk. "I can't believe the best thing I could think of was run," Angela complained, covering her face with her hands. "We're going to have a report filed against us now, and he knows exactly who I am."
"Your grampa can get you out of it," Kimberly said. "Besides, in case you forgot, we DIDN'T steal anything."
"The DragonClaw Dagger," Angela started. "What is it?"
"I don't know at the moment," Kimberly said. "I saw it for a second, but… It was all gold, and it looked… it just looked wrong."
"What do you mean by that?"
Shrugging, Kimberly said, "Heck if I know. It just didn't look right. Evil, somehow, I guess." Kimberly's step slowed to a halt. "And it was directly tied in to us…"
"Pardon?" Angela asked.
"Maybe indirectly… But it had to do with us," Kimberly said. Her eyes went wide as she continued, "The third demon stole it…"
"Hey cutie-pie," the attractive blonde said.
Adam looked behind him and to each side before returning with a simple, "Are you talking to me?"
"Mmm hmm," she said. "My name is Ginger. What's yours?"
"Uhm, Adam," he answered. She extended her hand for a handshake.
"I don't bite," she promised. As he shook her hand, she said, "I nibble, but nothing more." Despite the red that immediately flushed to his cheeks, Adam couldn't keep from smiling.
"Here is your food, sir," the man behind the counter said. A tray was set before Adam, loaded with enough burgers, fries, onion rings, and drinks to feed an army of six teenagers.
"Charge it to the Watson account," Adam said. The man smiled his thanks and turned to leave.
"Whoops," Ginger apologized as she dropped her purse. The contents spilled out on the ground.
"I got it," Adam volunteered. As he crouched down to pick it up, Ginger picked out one of the drinks. She bit down on her finger and lifted the lid simultaneously. Clear liquid trickled from her self-inflicted wound and into the drink. By the time Adam stood back up with her purse and all of its belongings back inside, she had the lid back in place.
"Thank you, dear," Ginger said. Bending over to him, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek before walking away with a big grin.
"I've just discovered another of my abilities," Tommy said with a smile as he walked out of the bathroom. Zack and Trini were sitting on one of the bed's in Tommy's room, waiting for Adam to return with their supper. "Turn of the lamp." Tommy hurried over to the windows and pulled the curtain shut as Zack hit the lamp, plunging the room in darkness.
"So what's your deal?" Zack asked.
"I can't see," Trini complained.
In reply, Tommy began to glow a soft green color. In a matter of seconds, the entire room was lit up. "See," Tommy said, holding his arms out. The green glow seemed to be coming from deep within him. "What do you think?"
"So, you're The NightLight?" Zack asked, grinning sarcastically.
"I can do this," Trini grinned. The curtains were suddenly flung open, and as the light from the city streaked in, Tommy's glow disappeared to practically nothing.
"Well, my ability may come in handy if we're ever in a cave or something," Tommy said in mock hurt.
"Supper," Adam called as he opened the door. "Why's it so dark in here?"
"Tommy was glowing," Zack answered.
Adam paused at the door for a moment before shrugging and passing out the food.
Seconds later, Angela and Kimberly barged into the room. "We have to hurry," Angela panted. "Kimberly and I may end up being arrested."
"Or we could all end up filleted by this maniac demon with her stolen dagger," Kimberly said in the same physical state.
"Drink?" Adam asked, offering his coke. When Kimberly shook her head, he took a long draw from the straw.
"Kimberly knows that Geri Lyn, the third demon, has this artifact that was stolen from the Museum of Art," Angela said. "I don't know what it does, but it's bound to be important. Otherwise, she wouldn't have wasted any energy stealing it. We have to find Geri Lyn, get her back in the Chest, and find that dagger. And we have to do it quickly. Now, who is the Watcher?"
"The Watcher?" Trini asked.
"The Watcher can see the demons in any disguised form," Angela explained, "and we already know that she takes more than one form. She's not going to be some man made of fire or a giant snake."
"Zack is The Watcher," Kimberly said firmly.
"All right," Angela decided. "Zack and Tommy, come with me. We're gonna try to get this beast. The rest of you, just be on the lookout for anything strange. Is the in the hotel, Kim?"
After a moment's pause, Kimberly nodded and said, "I'm pretty sure."
"Can't we eat first?" Tommy asked, grabbing a cheeseburger from the pile.
"We can eat after you know that Kimberly and I aren't going to be arrested," Angela said. "Now let's go!"
"What are we supposed to be looking for?" Trini asked.
"Someone that looks demonical, I suppose," Kimberly frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Anything coming in?" Adam asked.
"Not a thing," Kimberly answered. However, she had no more than said it when she instantly recanted. "No… Sex."
"Sex?" Trini returned. "We already knew th-"
"No," Kimberly insisted. "It's different. That's what she's doing with the Dagger. It was made by Angela's ancestors, the same people who put these thirteen demons in the Chest. It doesn't really have a name anymore, but the people at the museum called it the DragonClaw Dagger. There are six dragon claws on the hilt, and each one is made to hold a certain type of stone. If there is a stone in each of the claws, then any of the demons could use it to make someone else take their place."
"Why would the Chest makers have made something like that?" Trini asked.
"They HAD to!" Kimberly cried. "Oh my God, it all makes sense now! When ordinary mortals trapped thirteen demons in the chest, they were taking on a right owned only by God! The only way they could keep from damning themselves was to give the demons one final out, one way to save themselves. And apparently, the DragonClaw Dagger was the only thing they could think of.
"There used to be a saying, but it's become lost in history. As best I can manage it in English, 'Destroy thee six, I'll give ye one.' But it wasn't just any six. The makers of the Dagger created what they thought would be an impossibility to find. For the power of the Dagger to be unleashed, a demon would have to find and use a stone created from a man who has had sex with another man, a man married three times, a man filled with anger, a man who has beat his wife, a man who has murdered someone, and a virgin warrior. And just this morning, Geri Lyn had sex with a man who killed his brother when they were both just teenagers."
"She had sex with him? I thought she had to kill him," Trini said.
"That's how she killed him!" Kimberly cried. The information was coming into her head so quickly she was desperate to say it all before it disappeared. "Each demon has a certain ability they can use! Tiger Eyes had shape shifting and fire, Brekketti had the control of snakes, and now Geri Lyn has fire and sex. She has ways to make people have sex with her, and after the deed is done, they die and turn into a jewel. After she had sex with the murderer, he turned into a ruby. There's only one claw left empty, and that claw is waiting for the sapphire that'll be made from a virgin warrior."
"What are the odds that she's going to find a virgin warrior?" Adam asked. "They kind of died out a few centuries ago."
"A warrior, Adam, not a knight," Kimberly snapped. "I'm a virgin warrior, and I'd wager you and Trini are, too. And I'd bet good money that Zack and Tommy are as well. She's got at least three men to choose from."
"She has sex with a guy and they automatically turn into a jewel?" Adam asked. "Kimberly, that's-"
"It's a formality," Kimberly insisted. "She has sex with them, and after that, it's like they've signed a contract. That gives her the right to turn them into a jewel. It's just how she has chosen to work. And- It's gone. It's over… Did you all get any of that?"
"So, what might happen if the power of the Dagger is unleashed?" Trini asked. "What then?"
Kimberly could do nothing more than shrug.
"Why don't we go tell the others what Kimberly just said," Adam suggested.
"You two go," Trini said. "She won't want me. I'm just a woman. I'll hang around down here and see what I can find out."
"Agreed," Kimberly decided. "Come on, Adam."
As soon Adam and Kimberly got off of the elevator, they ran for their series of rooms. "Do you see anyone?" Kimberly asked.
"No one yet," Adam said. He opened the door to Tommy's room, when a feather-soft hand lit on his shoulder.
"Hey, cutie-pie," a sultry voice purred. Turning around, Adam found himself staring at the gorgeous blonde from the restaurant. As soon as her eyes met his, the chemical in his veins fired to life.
"Ginger," Adam growled huskily.
"My friends call me Ginger," she said. "My lovers call me Geri Lyn… So…"
"Geri Lyn," Adam mumbled woodenly.
"Make an excuse to get away from your friend," Geri Lyn told him. "Then, come to me." She pressed her plastic room key into his palm. She bent closer to him, so close that her breath warmed his cheek. "Don't be long…"
In a hurry, Adam turned to find Kimberly. He called out, "Kimberly, something just came up. I'll be back in a minute."
"What do you mean something came up?" she asked as she stepped out of Angela's room. She furrowed her brow as she took in Adam's flushed face.
"Something came up," he repeated. "I'll be back soon." He started to leave, but Kimberly reached out and grabbed him by the arm.
"Wait," she said sternly.
As soon as she touched his skin, Kimberly realized everything. Adam was under Geri Lyn's influence, and his body was so saturated with testosterone, he would end up in her bed. As soon as he had made love to her, he would turn into the final stone for the Dagger.
"You don't have to sleep with her," Kimberly realized. Clenched in his hand, though, was a room key. He was desperate, and it was all she could do to keep him still. Her abilities told her everything she had to know. To be frank, Adam was going to have sex with something female. It was his current, and only, biological urge, barely below the act of breathing. And Geri Lyn had offered herself to him. Her chemical could wear off on its own, but that would take at least twenty-four hours, and Adam had no intention of waiting at all. There was no way Kimberly or anyone could keep him occupied long enough for the nectar to wear off.
Adam's lips delicately touched the skin on the slope of her neck. Kimberly felt fire surge through her, almost making her collapse in his arms. This wasn't supposed to feel so good…
"Let me go, Kimberly," he snarled.
With a gasp, Kimberly realized the only possible sequence of events that would keep Adam from becoming the final stone for the Dagger. She bit on her bottom lip as everything she could gather about the situation entered her mind. They were both clean. She wouldn't get pregnant. She would feel horrible, but at least Adam would be alive. And it's your fault Adam is in this mess. "You just have to sleep with something," she said calmly. Putting on a brave face and using her sexiest voice, she cooed, "Why don't you come back to my room?"
"Oh Adam," Kimberly moaned. A chortled cry escaped Adam as Kimberly ran her hands across his firm chest. She could sense his intense need and desperation.
"Kimberly?" he asked, his voice desperate.
She pressed herself against him, pushing Adam back into the wall. Placing her hand on his head, she gently stroked his hair. "You have a choice to make Adam," she said. Trailing her hand down his chest, she could feel his heart pounding. "Do you want to be with Geri Lyn, or little ole me?"
Kimberly had no more than closed the door when he threw himself at her. Adam's lips delicately touched the skin on the slope of her neck. Kimberly felt fire surge through her, almost making her collapse in his arms. His hands roughly traversed her body. Despite his urgency, Kimberly felt herself melting beneath him.
"Can we, uh, go to the bed?" she asked. Without saying a word, Adam scooped her up in his arms. After he gently laid her down on the bed, he stripped off his t-shirt and stretched out beside her. Adam leaned in for a kiss, and Kimberly submitted to his gentle will. As he began to gently make love to her, her first thought was a hope that he would be done quickly.
He wasn't.
"Where the hell am I going to find a virgin warrior now?" Geri Lyn griped to herself. Growling in frustration, she sat down on the edge of her bed with a thump. Time was limited. She had been found out, and it was just a matter of time before the ChestKeepers found her.
Just then, a commercial for a television show played. She slowly looked up at the t.v., smiling as she said, "NYPD Blue…" With a happy whoop, she ran over to her nightstand and dropped to her knees before it. She had scarcely pulled the phone book out when she was already flipping through the pages. Her fingers scanned name after name, until she finally stopped on Darrell Johnson.
Twenty-four years old, virgin, Maryland State Trooper. "Perfect," Geri Lyn said with a smile.
"We haven't found anybody," Angela said to Trini. "You?"
"Not a thing," Trini told her. "Kimberly and Adam were supposed to be looking for you. Did they find you?"
"No," Zack said, shaking his head. "I- The demon just left."
"Do you know where she went?" Angela asked.
"That's Kimberly's department," Zack told her. "I just know she ain't in the hotel anymore."
"Let's go find, Kimberly and Adam," Trini said. "They're supposed to be looking for you."
Kimberly lay next to Adam, her eyes resting shut. He had been gentle, and attentive to her own needs. She had suspected, and even hoped for, a sexual panic. Instead, Adam had been passionate, caring, gentle, and loving. It was everything she wanted for her first time, except it was the wrong man. "The others are coming to find us," Kimberly slowly realized.
"Huh?" Adam asked groggily from beside her. His system was cleansed of Geri Lyn's chemical, and he felt logy for having had it in him in the first place. "What?"
"The others will be up here in a minute," Kimberly said. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of bed. Frowning, she ran one hand through her disheveled hair. Frowning further, she added, "Would you please not watch as I get dressed?"
"Okay," Adam murmured. Turning on his side, he stared at the wall numbly as Kimberly got out of bed. Oh God…
A few moments later, Kimberly interrupted the awkward silence. "I'm dressed," she told him. Speaking in the same monotone, she continued, "I'll be in my room."
Adam pulled the sheets up closer to his body. They felt cool and delicious against his bare body, but he barely noticed the sensation. His mind was absolutely reeling. Part of his mind was still glowing in the aftermath of his first "real" sexual experience, but the biggest part of his conscience was grieving.
"Coming!" Darrell Johnson called. He hurried to the door and opened it to find a beautiful brunette standing before him.
"Hi," the woman said in a slightly cool voice. She extended her hand as she continued, "My name is Victoria Addams; perhaps you know me better as Posh Spice."
"I know who you are, Ms. Addams," Darrell stammered. This was just short of a dream come true for him. He seldom mentioned his love of the Spice Girls' music. It struck him as something a young girl should listen to instead of a grown man. However, standing here in front of him was Posh Spice, a woman who had entertained many of his fantasies.
"To make a long story short, would you make love to me?" she asked.
"Excuse me?" Darrell asked suddenly. Nervously, he continued, "I'm engaged…"
Victoria opened her right palm and roughly traced the nail of her left index finger across the flesh, cutting into it. A clear liquid bubbled out. Holding her hand up before her face, she blew across the liquid pooling in her palm. As it entered Darrell's nostrils, a slightly glazed expression crossed his eyes. "Yes or no…"
He gently took her by the wrist, his eyes filled with wonder, as he pulled her across the threshold. Victoria smiled and shut the door behind her.
Some time later, a blonde Geri Lyn walked out of Darrell Johnson's house. As she walked down the sidewalk, she removed a dagger from her coat pocket and inserted a gleaming, marble-sized sapphire into the final claw. A brief invisible wind swirled up around her and she drifted away as numerous pinpoints of glowing embers that quickly disappeared into the beautiful dusky twilight.
"You don't know where she's at?" Angela asked. Before Kimberly could answer, the door to Angela's suite opened. Adam sheepishly entered the room and sat down lightly on the edge of the bed.
"No," Kimberly answered quickly. Her voice was flat and wooden as she continued, "I'm not getting anything."
At that very moment, a series of hard knocks sounded from the door. "I'll get it," Trini volunteered. She opened the door and answered, "Hello?"
"Hi," the blonde woman standing before her said. "My name is Geri Lyn." Lightning fast, she plunged the DragonClaw Dagger into Trini's chest. Trini cried out as the golden blade was buried in her sternum. All six jewels on the dagger flashed brightly. "Thanks so much," Geri Lyn finished. She yanked the sapphire from the dagger before turning and running off.
"Trini!" Zack cried, hurrying over to her.
"Oh my God," Trini sighed. She placed her hand on the dagger and pulled it out of her chest. "There's no wound," she realized, patting her chest. Still holding the dagger in one hand, she touched where there should have been a wound, trying to ascertain what had happened.
Gasping, Kimberly whirled around on the edge of the bed. "Trini's a demon!" She looked at Angela and shouted, "We have to go stop Geri Lyn!"
"What do you mean I'm a demon?" Trini asked.
"Come on!" Angela cried. Grabbing Zack by the hand, she yanked him off of the bed. The two teens ran from the room. Adam was close behind. Before Tommy could run off, Kimberly stopped him.
"You can't go yet," she said.
"Kimberly, what's happening?" Trini asked, her eyes filled with fear. "What has just happened to me?"
"When she stabbed you, you took her place as a demon. Geri Lyn is just an ordinary human now," Kimberly began. "The only way to make her a demon again is for you to stab her with the Dagger. But, she took the sapphire…"
"And-?" Tommy asked.
"It won't work without the sapphire," Trini realized. "The sapphire is for the virgin warrior."
"Like Tommy," Kimberly said, gesturing at the former Red Ranger.
"I can't kill Tommy!" Trini cried.
"Darn right!" Tommy added.
"You wouldn't have to," Kimberly assured her. "Geri Lyn killed her men because she's evil. You could just make love to Tommy, but… forgive me for being explicit here but this is how it works, after he has had his orgasm and ejaculation within your body, the stone will be on its way to being created. Trini, you'll have to…"
"I'll have to what?" she asked.
Kimberly sighed as she began to blush. "This is like a badly made horror porno," Kimberly groaned, covering her face with her hands. "You'll have to supply your own energy to create the stone. Geri Lyn used her own orgasms. Because of her… demonical powers, she could make herself… come… instantly. God, this is embarrassing."
"Kimberly, Trini's soul is at stake," Tommy said sternly.
Kimberly nodded as she agreed with him. "Using what is now your own demonical powers, make yourself have an orgasm, and that combined with the natural energy that you will be able to pick up from Tommy will create a stone, a sapphire, from his semen. You'll…" Kimberly groaned again as the blood roared in her eyes. "You'll just have to be careful not to kill Tommy. If you concentrate really hard when you transform his semen into a sapphire, he won't die. Then, just extricate the stone from your vagina, put it in that dagger, stab Geri Lyn, and then she'll be a demon."
"Tommy and I have to have sex?" Trini asked nervously.
"Unless you know of another warrior willing to give you his virginity," Kimberly suggested.
"You could ask Adam," Tommy said warily. "I know you h-"
"Adam isn't a virgin anymore," Kimberly announced.
"I can't ask you to do something like that, Tommy," Trini sighed.
"You can't let your soul be captured!" Tommy insisted. "Look, if I'm the only virgin warrior around, then… I'm the only virgin warrior around. It's that simple."
"Thank you," Trini said, looking at him with a pained expression on her face. "I mean that. Thank you."
"Why don't you two go somewhere," Kimberly suggested, "and I'll go help the others find Geri Lyn."
"Sapphire Dragonfly Power!" Angela cried as she raced down the stairwell. Blue light trailed behind her as she morphed into her glittering Ninjetti suit. (Does anybody see her?!)
(I'm in the lobby!) Adam answered back. They barely acknowledged the fact that they were suddenly speaking telepathically. (She's not here.)
(I see her!) Zack cried. (She's going to get a cab! Hurry to the front of the hotel!)
As Adam raced across the lobby, green tendrils of light leapt out of his Ninjetti suit and covered his hands and face. Instantly, he was clad in a full hood that covered his identity and gloves for his hands. He paid no mind to those around him. His presence certainly created a wave of confusion in the lobby, but he took no time to explain himself.
He roared through the revolving door and found himself presented with three taxicabs. Blonde, blonde, blon- "YOU!" he yelled.
Black light leapt up out of the pavement as Zack teleported behind her. He grabbed the blonde by the arms and pulled her back. "No!" she shrieked.
(We've got her!) Adam sent to Angela.
"Let go of me!" Geri Lyn screeched. She drove both elbows back into Zack's stomach just before she flipped over him. He kept his arms around her shoulders, but her sudden assault took him so by surprise he let her go as she slid over his head. As soon as her feet touched the pavement, she was already running.
Suddenly, a snarling form leapt past Zack and Adam. The two former Black Rangers spun around to see a black panther land gracefully on the ground before them. (Come on!) Angela, in panther form, cried.
"You heard her!" Kimberly shouted as she raced past, clad in her glimmering pink Ninjetti outfit. Adam and Zack were quick to follow.
"Tommy, I am SO sorry about this," Trini apologized.
"Trini, I'm glad I can help," Tommy told her. "I mean, I would appreciate it if you was going to do the same for me, and I know you would." Tommy sat down on the edge of the bed and patted the spot beside him. "If we are going to have sex, you're gonna have to get closer than that."
Trini blushed for what was definitely the first time Tommy had ever seen. "You're right," she said, walking over to him. Discarding her shoes, she sat down beside him. "So…"
"So, how should we go about this?" Tommy asked. He had no more than said it when he blushed. "I mean, I know HOW we should go about it, but I don't know how WE should go about it, you know? I guess we should just… you know… do it and get it over with."
"Do it and get it over with?" Trini returned. "Tommy, I… No. Not like that. Come here." Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she pulled him close until their faces were just a few scant inches apart. She tilted her head and gently pressed her lips against his. Tommy's eyes fluttered shut as he pushed himself into the kiss.
Trini began to gently pull Tommy's red shirt free. Temporarily breaking their kiss, she pulled his shirt off, baring his chest to her. She straddled Tommy's hips and pushed him down onto the bed, letting her hands outline his muscles.
He placed his hands on her waist, sliding them up beneath her shirt to gentle light on her sensitive sides. She bent back down to him, her long, raven hair brushing his chest. As she leaned in to kiss him again, she whispered, "Like this…"
Geri Lyn yanked the back door of the cab open and threw herself inside. "Go, go, go!" she yelled at the driver.
Kimberly's fingertips only brushed the back of the cab as it drove away. (I'm on it!) Zack projected.
The former demon looked out her window nervously as they entered a heavier flow of traffic. Suddenly, black light flashed beside her. She yanked her gaze to the right to see Zack sitting beside her. "Where do you think you're going?" he snarled, grabbing her wrist.
Screaming, Geri Lyn wrenched away from him. She threw the door opened and tumbled out onto the road. She cried out as her knees hit the pavement; pain was not a concept she was familiar with. She suddenly felt lights on her face and a loud blaring horn. Looking up, she saw a large pickup truck barreling for her.
Just as suddenly, something black flashed in front of her and she felt a heavy body collide with her. Geri Lyn was knocked out of the path of the truck and landed in the currently unoccupied lane next over. Looking up, she saw a giant panther standing above her, one heavy paw on her shoulder. "Chest Keeper," Geri Lyn growled. Angela only roared in reply.
"Get her up," Kimberly ordered as she walked over to them. She grabbed Geri Lyn by her shoulder and pulled her to her feet as Angela returned to her human form. Zack appeared next to them in a flash of black and grabbed Geri Lyn's other shoulder.
"Please," Geri Lyn tried. "I don't want to go back in that chest!"
"Tough luck," Adam snarled. Traffic had temporarily come to a halt around the quintet; far too many people were too curious about the brightly colored "superheroes" to not stop and look.
"You know," Geri Lyn said as they marched her away, "I may be a mortal, but I've still got one thing you don't."
"Yeah, and what's that?" Angela asked.
"One hundred and fifty thousand years of fighting experience, for one thing," Geri Lyn said. She immediately threw her weight back on Zack and Adam and lashed out with both feet. Each of her sneakered feet struck Angela and Kimberly with surprising force, pitching them forward. As she landed back on her feet, she bent forward and easily flipped both Zack and Adam over her. They collided with Angela and Kimberly, knocking the startled ChestKeepers to the ground.
Geri Lyn instantly turned tail and ran. Placing her foot on the front bumper of the closest car, she catapulted herself onto the roof and jumped down the other side. In that manner, she quickly disappeared through the congested traffic jam.
"Zack?" Angela asked hopefully.
"She's a mortal," he was quick to answer. "I can only track demons. How about you, Kimberly?"
She paused for a few moments before shouting, "The reflecting pool! Come on!"
Angela transformed into a cheetah as she ran towards the reflecting pool. Using a quick burst of energy, she catapulted her speed to seventy miles an hour. However, like true cheetahs, she couldn't run at great speeds for very long distances. Angela, though, already had a plan in mind. As she reached the reflecting pool, she leapt into it. Before sliding beneath the surface, she shifted into a crocodile, gliding quickly and efficiently through the shallow water.
Zack jumped into the air and promptly disappeared in a glimmer of black. He reappeared several hundred feet away, just as a flying fish leapt out of the reflecting pool and promptly turned into an eagle.
"Where do you think you're going?" Zack asked, grabbing Geri Lyn by the shoulder. This time, both were prepared for the fight.
Geri Lyn tried to spin out of his arms, but Zack kept a tight grip on her arm. She kicked him in the stomach, but he blocked her with his free arm, grabbing her ankle.
Angela, as an eagle, swooped down at Geri Lyn and immediately changed into a gargantuan boa constrictor. As Angela landed on Geri Lyn's body, she was wrenched from Zack's grip and fell to the ground. Angela was quick to coil around her body, keeping her from moving.
"Uhm, Angela," Zack said quickly. "I think you're crushing her!"
"Don't kill her!" Kimberly shouted. She and Adam were running to catch up, one on each side of the reflecting pool.
Angela quickly backed off. Even though she still had her intelligence in animal form, the inherent animal nature of her various forms had a tendency to try and take over. Instead, Angela quickly turned into a giant gorilla, holding Geri Lyn in her massive, ape arms.
"Big mistake," Geri Lyn muttered just before she flipped Angela/gorilla over her head.
With his chest heaving, Tommy asked, "Did you-?"
"Uh huh," Trini answered.
"Do you know what to do?"
"Yeah," she answered. She pushed a strand of hair out of her face as she lingered above him.
"You aren't going to kill me, are you?"
Trini didn't say anything but she sat up, leaning back on his thighs. Reaching for his hands, she threaded her fingers through his, clenching his hands tightly. Suddenly, his eyes flashed blue. "Tommy!" Trini cried. A blue glow began to appear in the center of his chest. "No!" she shouted, more to herself than anyone. Closing her eyes tightly, she concentrated as hard as she could. Then, blue light flashed so brightly she saw it even through her clenched lids. She could feel the sapphire inside her body, but she was afraid she had killed Tommy in the process.
However, she suddenly realized something else. She could still feel him beneath her, and his hands were clutching hers tightly. "Tommy?" she asked hopefully as she threw her eyes open. She gave a happy sigh when she saw him. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," he said, returning her happy sigh. "Do you have the sapphire?"
"Uh huh," she answered, smiling gratefully. "I am so glad I didn't kill you!"
"Where is it?"
"It's kind of… still… inside me," she answered.
"Oh," Tommy realized. Without taking even a moment's thought, he asked, "Do you want me to get it out?" Trini's only answer was a bemused grin.
Angela lashed out with one of her huge arms. Geri Lyn, though, was quick to duck, and Angela instead knocked Zack back into the pool. In an attempt to call out his name, she let loose with a primal, primate scream. Geri Lyn cartwheeled away, spinning around in the process to gain a new placement.
With a deep grumble, Angela began to change form again. Her black fur disappeared, only to be replaced by greenish-brown, rough skin. A few moments later, a giant Brachiosaurus towered above them. She snaked her long neck down to Geri Lyn, staring at her with her Volkswagen sized face. "Can't kill me, remember?" Geri Lyn challenged. She darted her head to the right as she saw Kimberly run up to her.
Geri Lyn ran for the Pink ChestKeeper, grabbing her by the shoulders. Kimberly tried to invert her arms in an attempt to lock Geri Lyn into a hug. However, Geri Lyn merely dropped to the ground. A whoosh followed, and Kimberly looked up to see Angela's giant dinosaur tail swinging for her. Kimberly tried to leap over it, but she was too late. The tail collided with her abdomen and knocked her into the Reflecting Pool.
(Go back to the hotel!) Angela cried. (I've got an idea…) She turned into a grey pterodactyl and swooped down to pick Geri Lyn up by the shoulders. Before the ex-demon could weasel away, Angela flew up into the sky.
"Is this where she said to meet her?" Trini asked.
"That's what I heard," Tommy said. He was decked out in his glittering Red ChestKeeper suit, minus the gloves and hood. "I-"
"Look at that," Trini interrupted.
"Is that a pterodactyl?" Tommy asked.
"Let me go!" Geri Lyn cried. As soon as she flew over the roof of the hotel, Angela opened her talons and dropped Geri Lyn. Angela quickly drifted down to the surface, landing in her human form.
"Never stab me again!" Trini yelled. Geri Lyn slowly looked over at Trini, her eyes filled with the rare emotion of fear. Trini drew her hand back and then threw something, directly at Geri Lyn. She watched as the golden Dagger flew straight for her chest and penetrated her flesh. Screaming in rage, she felt the familiar demonic sensation flow through her.
Geri Lyn didn't say a word, but she thrust her hands at the sky. A booming explosion sounded beneath their feet, followed immediately by shattering glass. "The hotel is on fire!" Tommy cried. Geri Lyn, still clutching the dagger, ran to the edge of the roof and leapt off.
"The Chest!" Angela cried, racing for the door leading off of the roof.
"Topaz Dove Power!" Trini shouted. "Let's go, Tommy!" The two ChestKeepers ran to the edge of the roof and followed Geri Lyn's path to the ground.
"Zack, the hotel is on fire!" Kimberly realized. "Geri Lyn just got changed back, and Angela's going after the Chest!" Without saying a word, Zack disappeared.
"Come on, Kim," Adam said, pointing to a triage of firetrucks not too far off. "That must be where they're going."
"You're right," she agreed. The two ran up to the last firetruck and jumped into the back, demorphing as soon as they were temporarily hidden for their free ride back to the Hilton.
"Where do you think you're going?" Zack snarled as he up to Geri Lyn.
As she lashed around, he saw the twin fires burning behind her irises and realized she was a demon again. "You'll let me walk away if you know what's good for you," she threatened, pointing the dagger at his chest.
Several firetrucks could suddenly be heard in the distance. The Red and Yellow ChestKeepers landed on the pavement on each side of Geri Lyn and Zack. "You can't keep away from all of us," Trini said. Both she and Tommy were now wearing gloves and a full hood. Geri Lyn smirked and stood her ground, folding her arms across her chest.
The firetrucks pulled up to the hotel and parked in front of it. Kimberly was one of the first people out, and as she raced for the lobby, she was intercepted by one of the fireman.
"You can't go in there!" he insisted, pulling her back.
"You don't understand!" Kimberly cried. "My friend is still in there!"
"Miss, you can't go in!" the man pleaded, holding her back.
"Let me go!" Kimberly screamed. With a forceful shove, she broke free from the man's grip and ran for the lobby. She threw the doors open and bolted in amidst the stream of people going out. As soon as she was out of public sight, she cried, "Tourmaline Crane Power!" With her added energy, she ran up the stairs, headed for their suites. Unbeknownst to her, Adam was close behind.
Coughing, Angela bolted into her room. She grabbed the Book and the Chest and promptly ran for the window. Without stopping, she sailed through the glass.
As soon as the three ChestKeepers guarding Geri Lyn looked up into the air, she began to move. She leapt straight up, kicking Tommy and Trini simultaneously. As she landed, she brought both elbows back into Zack's stomach and took off running, sailing over Tommy's prone body. She had to find a mortal immediately.
Standing a short distance away was a young girl, standing with her parents after they had been evacuated from the hotel. Geri Lyn's eyes glowed like fire as she ran for the girl, the DragonClaw Dagger ready to transfer the power.
She just left, Kimberly realized. As she was about to go back down the stairs, she suddenly ran into Adam. Shouting in shock, she jumped back.
"Adam, the hotel is on fire," she snapped. "Come on."
"I've got an idea," Adam realized. Closing his eyes, he called on one of his abilities. It was the ability to create fire, but he had no other idea. Projecting all of the energy he could muster, he promptly found himself "linked" with the fire raging above their head. And then, as abruptly as it began, the fire was extinguished.
Angela landed in the middle of the street, tossing the book aside. "NOO!" she screamed, running closer to Geri Lyn. Geri Lyn didn't pay any attention to the actual Chest Keeper.
"Little girl!" Angela cried, running around one of the fire trucks. "Watch out!" As soon as Angela was in a clear position, she opened the Chest and pointed its open maw at Geri Lyn. White light burst from the Chest, streaming for Geri Lyn. Just as she was about to stab the girl, the Chest caught her and yanked her away. Geri Lyn's pained scream filled the air as she was pulled back into the Chest. She entered the Chest with such force that Angela was forced backwards and to the ground. She promptly shut the Chest, wrapping her arms around it tightly.
On the pavement, the only remains of Geri Lyn were the missing sapphire and the DragonClaw Dagger, spinning erratically on its point. It defied gravity for a few moments longer before it fell to its side, all six jewels falling from the tiny, dragon hands.
"Kimberly?" Adam asked. He stood at the door to the roof, nervously. Kimberly and Trini sat at on a bench at the edge of the roof, leaning against each other. "Can I come up?"
"Sure," Kimberly called down to him. Her voice sounded worn and ragged.
Like she's been crying…
"I'll leave you two alone," Trini offered. She left Kimberly alone on the stone bench. As she passed Adam, she patted his arm. Then, the roof door closed behind her, and Adam was left alone with Kimberly. When he looked back in her direction, she was still facing away.
"Do you mind if I join you?" he asked sheepishly.
"Yeah, that's okay," she answered. It felt like a death march, but he finally made his way over to her. He sat down beside her carefully, finding the spot still warm from Trini's presence.
For a horrendously, uncomfortable, long silence, neither of them said anything. Adam had no idea what he could possibly say. Finally, however, he just managed to say, "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Kimberly said immediately. "You're the victim in this, Adam. It's not your fault that the Chest was opened in the first place. I was the only person around when Geri Lyn attacked you." With a heavy sigh, she finished, "You'd have done the same for me."
"Kimberly, I know this bothers you," Adam said softly. "I can hear it in your voice." With a shudder, he wrapped his arms around himself. He suddenly felt very cold. "I feel like I raped you."
"Adam!" Kimberly snarled. Her angry tone really shocked him. "Don't you EVER say anything like that again, do you hear me? You did NOT rape me. Granted, I didn't want to do what I had to do, but it wasn't rape." She fumbled with her hands in her lap for a few moments more. Her eyes were stinging, and then she felt it. A hot, sticky tear rolled down her cheek. "Adam, I had always imagined my first time would be with someone that was as in love with me as I was with him. We would be just married, and it would be the most incredible thing either of us had ever felt or done. It wouldn't be something so desperate and needy just because I was afraid he was going to end up sleeping with some demon named Geri Lyn who wanted to turn him into a sapphire."
"You should have just let it happen," Adam sighed. "We'd all have been better off." Then, something happened that stunned him more than the fact that he had slept with Kimberly Hart.
She slapped him.
"Where the hell do you get off feeling miserable?!" Kimberly yelled. Her eyes flashed angrily. He had never seen Kimberly so angry. He had never seen anyone so angry. She stood up to yell at him some more, and he found himself rising with her, ready and quite willing to take her verbal blows.
Kimberly didn't even quite realize what she was doing. "You just got to enjoy yourself!" she yelled, hitting him on the chest with both fists. She didn't even recognize the horrified look that crossed his expression. "*You* didn't have to give up something that you've been saving for eighteen years! If people find out about this, they aren't going to think badly about you!" With each statement, she was hitting him. He stood there, letting her scream and beat him as tears flowed down her cheeks. "Because of YOU, I'm not going to be able to tell my husband someday that he was the only one!" With a final, angry punch, she turned around in a fury. All of her pent-up emotions exploded out, and she found herself literally bawling.
Adam had no idea what to do. Finally, though, he managed to walk up to her. He didn't know if it would help or send her into another fury, but he carefully wrapped one arm around her shoulders supportively. She shifted, and he expected to get attacked again. He wouldn't have minded in the least. It actually made him feel better. But instead, she turned full to him, crying into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her as the moon lifted higher over Washington, D.C.
"I've returned the Dagger to the museum," Angela told her friends. "The charges have been dropped." Clapping her hands together, she said, "So… Take us home, Zack."
"Where are Adam and Kimberly? And Trini?" Tommy asked.
"Trini is in her room," Zack said. "She said she wanted to be alone to think."
"I'll go talk to her," Tommy sighed, leaving the room.
"Do you get the distinct impression that we missed something really big around here?" Zack asked.
"Yep," Angela said, nodding. "So, since it looks like we're gonna be here all night…"
"Yeah?" Zack asked, quirking an eyebrow and looking genuinely befuddled.
"Hey, my grampa's paying for these rooms," Angela said. "Let's order room service!"
Damn you, Geri Lyn, Trini growled to herself. She sighed and wrapped her arms around her knees. What gave her the right to turn Trini into a demon? Trini had genuinely never felt more violated. Geri Lyn had done more than attempt to take her life. She had tried to take her soul.
"Trini?"
"Tommy?" she asked, looking away from the window. "Come on in."
"I thought you might like someone to talk to," Tommy offered.
Trini was about to send him away, but she quickly thought against it. She had just been trying to make Kimberly feel better, and all she had done was have sex with a guy she didn't love. Trini had to do that, too, and her soul was on the line the whole time. "I'd like that," she said, patting the spot on the window seat next to her.
"So," Tommy said. Pausing a bit longer, he finished, "You wanna talk about it?"
Adam sighed as he opened the door to his room. Tommy, he wondered. Maybe I can talk to Tommy. He crossed the hall to Tommy's room and knocked on the door, finding no answer. "Well where is he?" he asked himself. Shrugging, he turned to go back to his own room, not noticing the Do Not Disturb sign on Trini's doorknob.
He undressed and got beneath the covers, sighing heavily. So this is what will go down as the worst day of my life… After what felt like hours, he ended up drifting off into a fitful sleep that was interspersed with memories of the past twenty-four hours.
Who doesn't
know what I'm talking about
Who's never left home
Who's never struck out
To find a dream and a life of their own
A place in the clouds, a foundation of stone
Many precede and many will follow
A young girl's dream no longer hollow
It takes the shape of a place out West
But what it holds for her, she hasn't yet guessed
She needs
wide open spaces
Room to make her big mistakes
She needs new faces
She knows the high stakes
She traveled
this road as a child
Wide-eyed and grinning she never tired
But now she won't be coming back with the rest
If these are life's lessons, she'll take the test
She needs
wide open spaces
Room to make her big mistakes
She needs new faces
She knows the high stakes
As her folks
drive away, her dad yells, "Check the oil!"
Mom stares out the window and says
"I'm leaving my girl."
She says, "It didn't seem that long ago
When she stood there and let her own folks know."
She needs
wide open spaces
Room to make her big mistakes
She needs new faces
She knows the high stakes