Neo-Ninjetti

Chapter 6: Pathways of Phaedos III

There standing before them was the base of the great monolith with the pyramid still out in front as it had been thirteen years previous. "Wow," Kim remarked as she walked away from Tommy. "It's so beautiful..."

"Yeah," Tommy murmured as he watched her go, his eyes on Kim and not the monolith nor the pyramid. "Sure is..."

"So what do we do now?" asked Adam as he walked up to the pyramid and touched the emblem not noticing how Kim looked over her shoulder to Tommy with a slight blush on her cheeks. "It's not glowing like it was before-"

"Adam's right," Billy agreed. "There doesn't seem to be any power here."

"But there has to be," stated Rocky. "Dulcea wouldn't have sent us here if we weren't supposed to find something...anything..."

"Well," Kim began as she walked around the monument, ignoring Tommy for the time being. "Maybe we're supposed to go inside the monolith. Maybe whatever we're searching for is inside..."

"I don't know Kim-" Aisha began. "-I mean it that hidden before."

"Yeah but before we had to fight those dinosaur bones and those metal dudes who were guarding this place." Kim pointed out. "Maybe we have to go deeper this time..." she paused and looked at the disbelieving faces of those around her. Finally she stared at Tommy and their eyes locked. "What do you think Tommy?"

Tommy paused and looked at Kim's face. She was looking towards him for strength and assurance like she once did- and while one part of him had gotten past wanting her to lean on him for support another part- a larger part of him wanted nothing more but to take her into his arms and tell her that she was right.

"Well?" Kim asked, looking very hurt. "Tommy?"

"I think you're right." Tommy said finally much to Kim's surprise. "We haven't had any obstacles to face this time- maybe we do have to go inside."

"You're our leader Tommy," Rocky stated. "If you think we should go in-"

"I do."

"Then we go in." Adam finished. "Are we agreed?"

"Well I can't see anything left for us out here." Billy stated.

Aisha nodded. "I'm all for going in."

"Alright then-" Tommy said with a nod of his head. "Let's go."

---

"Zack!" Jason called out as he reached his side. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah man," Zack agreed as he got to his feet. "Man that monster packs quite a punch."

"That's no monster," Jason began as he glanced over to the 'monster' that they were fighting. "That's someone that we know."

"Really?"

"Well, she's someone that I know." Jason corrected.

"Who is she Jase?" Zack asked. "Who is she?"

---

"It's so dark in here..." Aisha muttered as they made their way into the caverns underneath the monolith. "...I can't see a thing."

"You're not afraid of the dark Aisha," asked Kimberly. "-are you?"

"No." Aisha stated shaking her head. "It's just I don't like not knowing where I'm going."

"You and me both," agreed Rocky as he placed a hand on Aisha's shoulder.

"You guys," began Billy. "I think that we should hold hands or something so that we don't get separated."

"Good idea," Tommy agreed. "Everyone take hands."

And so the rangers did just that. Adam was connected to Billy, Billy was connected to Rocky, Rocky held hands with Aisha, Aisha held hands with Kim and Kim found herself holding hands with Tommy. 'This is so awkward...' she thought to herself as they continued to walk in silence. '...I haven't done this in so long...and it feel's so weird to be doing it again...'

And yet there was a part of Kim who was relishing the fact that they were close again- even if it was superficially. The simple hand to hand contact made her feel all warm and glowy inside- and it was like she was a teenager again.

Little did she know that Tommy was experiencing all the same emotions and thoughts. 'It's as though I'm a teenager again...' Tommy thought to himself as he led the way through the pitch black cavern. '...I mean I'm here with Kim and my old friends...and I'm holding her hand...I wonder what Haley would think- me acting like a love struck teenager again...'

---

"This place is really amazing," Haley stated as she Alpha and Trini walked back to the main section of the Command Centre. "I mean I've heard stories from Tommy but I never thought I'd ever get to see it with my own eyes-"

"It was destroyed Haley," Alpha reminded.

"I know," Haley said with a nod of her head. "Which is why I never thought-"

"Here's a question for you Haley," began Trini. "What do you know of us- exactly?"

"Quite a lot actually," Haley stated. "Tommy and I met in college where I always used to tease him about having only three colours in his wardrobe and convinced him to add a bit of black...after his research with Anton Mercer ended I came to his house one day and he explained that he needed my help," she paused and looked at Trini who seemed very interested and so, Haley continued on. "It was then that he told me everything- and I mean everything. I had already known about you guys on a personal level but when he told me about his adventures as a power ranger everything seemed to click. He had a feeling that the powers of the Dino Gems that he had found would have to be used one day and he wanted to be prepared. He couldn't get a hold of Billy so he figured that I'd be able to help him- and I did."

"So you created the morphers?"

Haley nodded. "Yeah, and I helped to built the Zords and a bunch of other gadgets that the Dino Rangers needed. I mean Tommy's smart and all but he needed my help."

Trini smiled. "Well, I'm glad that you were there for him Haley- but I was wondering what he's told you about his relationship with-uh-"

"Kimberly?" asked Haley smiling as Trini nodded. "Well her I had to find out about through bits and pieces. He rarely spoke about her when he was sober but when he was a little tipsy he would go on and on about her- the dates that they had gone on- how he was so nervous about asking her out... the way he felt during their last Christmas together...how it totally broke his heart when he received that letter-"

"Kim's heart was broken too." Trini defended as she thought back to that night. "She thought that she was doing Tommy a favour by breaking up with him. He had his life and she had to live hers..."

"Yeah," Haley agreed with a nod of her head. "I get that, but you know Tommy and I know Tommy and Kimberly should have known that Tommy's the sort of person who's loyal to a fault...he would have waited forever for her."

"I think in a way that he still has." Trini stated. "I mean he's still single."

"Yeah," Haley agreed. "But that's not for want of trying. All his relationships just have never worked out. Including the one with me."

"You dated him?"

"Yeah," Haley agreed. "In college. It didn't last very long and we just realized that we had no chemistry---actually he's noticed that with all the girls he's dated and-"

"Ai ai ai ai ai!" interrupted Alpha as they came to the main area of the Command Centre where the alarms were blazing. "The rangers are in trouble."

"What?" cried Trini as she ran in front of the viewing globe to see the red and black rangers being tossed around by a mysterious figure. "I have to help them..." she muttered as she pulled out her morpher. "Alpha, Haley- keep working without me..."

"Don't worry about us," Haley stated. "Help your friends."

Trini nodded, turned back to the viewing globe and cried out. "Sabertooth Tiger!"

---

"Leave my friends alone!" Trini cried out as she descended on the figure, sending her flying.

"Trini!" Zack called out.

"Thank god you're here." muttered Jason. "We're fighting against one of our own."

"What?" asked Trini as she turned her attention back to their enemy. "What are you talking about? Who is she?"

---

"How much longer is this going to take?" asked Adam.

"Not much longer," answered Tommy. "I can see light up ahead."

And sure enough, the rangers soon exited out of the caves and found themselves in a rather small but extraordinarily tall cavern. It seemed to reach the entire height of the monolith and light was streaming down, illuminating the crystal fragments on the walls giving the room an almost blinding light. "What is this place?" asked Billy who received his answer in the form of a young man

"Welcome Rangers..."

"Who are you?" asked Aisha as she gazed upon the young man. He was dressed simply in a white robe and his midnight black hair surrounded his head like a halo. He had piercing blue eyes and a a square cut jaw and he exuded a large amount of power.
"I am the Master Ninjetti..." he answered his voice echoing in the large cavern.

"Master Ninjetti?" asked Adam.

"Yes Adam," the Master Ninjetti answered. "It was I who first discovered that we each had an animal spirit within our selves...I developed the techniques to get in touch with them and it is I that you have been seeking."