Kira peeked into Tommy's living room from the opening in the floor to the lab. "Well?" Conner said, looking up at her, "What's going on?"
"They're talking." Kira told them.
"About what?" Ethan asked.
"I dunno, but it looks serious."
"Too bad none of us got super hearing for a Dino power." Conner said, smiling.
"Here, let me see." Ethan said and traded places with Kira.
"Fine," Kira said as he slowly climbed up to look, "see if you can do any better."
"Well, for one thing, Kira," said Ethan, "you forgot to mention that the woman he was talking to was pretty."
"Dude, your turn is up!" Conner said, practically pulling Ethan down.
"Whoa, okay, okay," Ethan said, half-laughing.
Conner climbed up, "Not just pretty, Ethan, she's a babe!"
Kira rolled her eyes, "Guys! Can we please just focus?"
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry Kira." Said Conner, slightly distracted.
"Ugh, just get down here!" She said, pulling him down. "You are impossible!"
"I'm impossible?" Conner retorted, and Kira nodded, "I'm impossible!" He said once again to verify, and again she nodded. "Look you-"
"Ahem!" All three of them looked up to see Tommy and Kat looking down at them. "Hello." Tommy said in mock-pleasant voice. Ethan smiled and resisted the urge to laugh at both Conner and Kira. "Kat," Tommy said, looking from the three un-morphed Rangers to Katherine, "these are Earth's newest protectors: Conner McKnight, Ethan James, and Kira Ford." He pointed to each of them respectively.
"Pleasure," Kat smiled at them.
Tommy now looked from Katherine to Conner, Kira, and Ethan, "Rangers," he said, "this is Katherine Hillard."
"Hey." They said in unison, some more enthusiastic than others.
"Okay guys, I guess you can go home now. We'll go over the footage some more another time." Tommy told them, entering the lab with Kat following closely behind him. "We've got some research, and some catching up, to do."
Conner, Ethan, and Kira looked at each other. "Um… Sure thing Dr. O." Kira said, "We'll see you tomorrow, then. C'mon, guys."
"It was very nice to meet you, Ms. Hillard." Ethan said, shaking Kat's hand.
"Well, thank you, Ethan. Just call me Kat." She told him.
He smiled and let her hand go. "Dude, I think I'm falling in love." Ethan whispered to Conner. Kira rolled her eyes.
After Tommy saw them out, he headed back to the lab where Kat was watching the computer screen. Tommy shut the secret entrance to the lab and walked over to her to see she was watching footage of their Ranger days. "It seems so long ago." She said barely above a whisper.
"Yeah," was Tommy's only reply, "So," he said a few moments later, clearing his throat, "let's get down to business."
"Right," Kat got to her feet and followed him to the other part of the lab.
"Just sit in there," Tommy told her, pointing to a pod-like structure, and Kat obeyed. "This will detect if there is anything unusual going on, all you have to do is relax." She nodded. Tommy prepared to shut the pod door on her, but stopped. "Kat, you realize that we probably won't find anything, right?"
She nodded slowly, "Yes."
"I mean, your Zeo powers diminished when they saved your life in Africa when you-"
"-fell from the cliff." She finished for him, "I know, I know, Tommy. I know that I probably have no power left and I know that it's a long shot, and I know that the only reason we're even doing this is because of my ridiculous dream, but Tommy," she looked at him, "I need to know. I need to know it's just a dream. And I need you to understand that, please."
Tommy looked at her and nodded. "All right, Kat." He said after a moment, "Here we go."
"Thank you," she said silently as he shut the pod door and went over to the controls.
"Just relax," he told her over the intercom and started up the machine. It made a loud humming noise and lit up like a Christmas tree.
Kat took a deep breath as a ring of light circled her and scanned her body slowly. 'I'd give anything for it to just be a weird dream.' She thought, closing her eyes and trying to relax, 'But at the same time, I want it to be something more.' After a couple minutes Tommy turned off the machine. He walked over and opened the door and helped her out."Wow," She said, blinking, "that's a really bright machine."
"And loud," He added, smiling at her.
"I'll say," She took a deep breath, "Well, Doc," Kat said, half-joking, "what's the prognosis?"
"Prognosis?" He looked at her, "What an interesting choice of words."
She hit him, laughing, "Shut up and tell me what's going on, please."
Tommy laughed back, "All right." He walked over to the controls and Kat followed him, standing beside him. "Kat?"
"What?"
"Could you please, um, give me some space?"
"Oh, right!" She said, backing away, "Sorry."
For the next few minutes or so Kat paced back and forth behind Tommy, occasionally glancing over at the screen, and biting her thumb nail. She felt like an impatient little girl, but she couldn't help it. She had traveled all the way from Australia for this; she couldn't help but feel anxious.
"That's odd." Tommy mumbled to himself. Kat was at his side in a heartbeat.
"What? What?" She asked.
"According to this," he turned his head to look at her, "it couldn't get a readout."
AN: Ick, I don't particularly like this chapter, but I hope you guys did. -sighs- I think I probably could have done better, but oh well. I don't know how I would go about telling it any other way. Anyhoo, I have some great stuff planned for later chapters, so please review and tell me what you thought of this one, and if you like it enough, review future chapters. (I love reviews!)
