Jason paced back and forth behind Alpha and Billy as they continued to press buttons and turn dials, none of which he quite understood what their function was. He felt a hand slip into his and he stopped to see Kim looking worriedly up at him. She gently pulled at him to follow her across the room and he did so.
"Give them some space huh?" Kim asked, noting the glances Billy was giving to indicate Jason's posture was making him nervous and being a distraction.
"Yeah..." Jason glanced back at the console and back to Kim. He then nodded. "I guess I just really want this to work."
"I get it," Kim replied with an assuring smile as she led him through the doorway and down the hall. "We all want this to work."
They continued to walk hand-in-hand in silence until they reached the door leading to the outside of the building. It automatically opened for them and they walked outside into the light of dusk surrounding the desert around them.
"Kim..." Jason stopped them and turned to her. She waited expectantly for him to continue, noting the troubled expression on his face.
"What is it?" Kim asked taking his other hand in hers as well.
"If this doesn't work..." Jason hesitated. He shook his head. "I don't know if we can stop them from destroying it all."
"I think it will work," Kim shook her head. "They got here somehow, so there has to be a way to where they are from."
"Yeah... I just hope we can find it and in time," Jason responded as the two continued to walk and came to rest up against the side of the large structure they had just exited.
"My worry..." Kim stepped around to face him again. "Is that even if we find her... what makes you think she can do anything?"
Jason gave her a look as if he wanted to explain but couldn't vocalize his thoughts. He took a deep breath and then offered her a smile.
"He is me..." Jason began.
"He is not you," Kim cut him off gently but sternly to make her point.
"Under all that dark magic... he is me..." Jason defended his statement. "So... I know him... and I know what he feels."
There was silence before Kim moved in to embrace Jason.
"He spared her because no amount of dark magic could make me..." Jason paused and Kim squeezed him tighter as he rested his chin on top of her head. Jason's eyes moved nearby to a set of rocks and he saw a figure sitting on top of them. He immediately knew who it was and he gently untangled himself from Kim and pointed in the direction he was looking. "Give me a minute?"
"Yeah... I'm gonna head back in to see if there has been any progress," Kim replied as she followed the point to see Tommy sitting with his arms crossed on his knees in the distance. She turned back to Jason and leaned up to give him a kiss before making her way back inside. Jason watched her until the door closed and then he began the short trek over to his friend.
Tommy must have sensed his approach because he cocked his head slightly to put eyes on him and nodded.
"Jase," Tommy spoke first as his friend settled down next to him on the rock.
"What's on your mind?" Jason asked turning to him and giving him that look that told him there would be no use in trying to lie. Tommy shrugged and turned back to look out over the desert with the faintest of light still painting strokes along the sand.
"Where do I begin?" Tommy responded. "I mean everything that has happened, this is all crazy enough but..."
Jason waited for him to continue noting how his tone changed with the last word.
"Something... something is happening Jase," Tommy turned to him with a pained look on his face. "I... I... don't know what it is what is going on with me... but I've felt it twice now..."
"What is it?" Jason inquired.
"I haven't felt it in years," Tommy continued. "But I can never forget it..."
Jason watched as Tommy held out the palm of his hand and opened it to reveal the Dragon power coin in his palm with crackling green energy all around it.
"What..." Jason didn't know what to make of it.
"I just appeared to me earlier as I walked out here," Tommy explained, filling in the blanks he knew Jason had. "I felt the energy and felt this in my hand."
"Did you tell Zordon?" Jason asked to which Tommy immediately shook his head.
"I'm scared, Jase," Tommy replied. "I haven't moved from this spot since because I don't know what it means and with everything else going on."
"You got to tell him, maybe it has something to with him restoring our powers," Jason surmised.
"I thought that but..." Tommy hesitated again searching his former leader's face for a reaction before he even finished his sentence. "The way it makes me feel... it's not right... it's evil, Jase."
"Evil?" Jason wasn't sure how to process this news.
"Like before... like the beginning," Tommy elaborated with a remorseful expression.
"You have to tell Zordon," Jason said as he stood up. Tommy followed his lead and stood up as well. He considered the coin in his hand for a few seconds before looking back up at Jason and nodding.
(****)
"I got it!" Billy proclaimed excitedly, turning to the large group of his fellow Rangers gathered behind him.
"Awesome!" Zack returned his jubilee just as Jason and Tommy entered the room.
"We got a lock on his dimension," Billy repeated the news to the two.
"Can we get there?" Jason inquired, hurriedly making his way up to Billy.
"I think so, we just need a lot of power to make it through, it will take a very large energy source," Billy answered.
"Here," Trey handed his staff to Billy. "Will it work?"
"I think it will do just fine," Billy replied with a nod as he moved around to the end of the console and placed the staff down, and begin to press some more buttons. Tommy used this moment to step up to the front of the group and face Zordon.
"Zordon, there is something I need to talk to you about," Tommy said as he opened his hand to reveal the Dragon coin. There was a silence as Alpha walked over to him.
"This is great, we had hoped we could restore the energy to the coin but wasn't sure it had worked," Alpha said.
"I wouldn't be too happy just yet," Tommy said with a shrug. "There is more..."
"What is it, Tommy?" Kat asked walking up to his side for support.
"I have been feeling some uh... negative energy from it... like from before," Tommy explained. Kim shot Jason a look at these words.
"This is very unfortunate," Zordon replied. "Alpha run a scan on the coin."
"Right," Alpha replied as he retrieved a wand from the base of the control panel behind him and waved it over the coin. He let out his familiar cry as the wand began to loudly screech. He moved it back and turned to Zordon.
"How... how can this be happening?" Tommy asked.
"I suspect it has something to do with the energy from the Jason from this other dimension," Zordon surmised.
"He is that powerful?" Adam shook his head.
"The dark energy he is filled with is interacting with the Green powers," Zordon continued. "The powers are susceptible to contamination from dark energy... it is why we created the White Ranger powers."
"Hey... do you have those back?" Trini asked as she stepped forward. Tommy turned to her and then opened his other hand.
"I don't know..." Tommy replied before white energy crackled in his palm replaced by the Tiger coin. He smiled and held it up for the group.
"Finally some good news," Rocky said with a grin.
"Yeah... but what can I do about the green powers?" Tommy turned back to Zordon.
"I suspect there is nothing that can be done, short of you staying away from the other Jason," Zordon answered.
"I can't stay out of the fight," Tommy stated emphatically with a shake of his head.
"Very well," Zordon agreed. "Just make sure you are aware of what you are feeling and react accordingly."
"I will," Tommy said.
"Hopefully the White Ranger powers will keep it in check," Jason suggested and Tommy agreed with a nod and a smile.
"It is done," Billy chimed in walking to the center of the group with the golden staff in his hand. "We can use this to open a portal to and from the other timeline."
"Great," Trey explained as Billy handed him the staff. Trey weighed it in his hands for a moment and then glanced down at his bandaged chest. He turned his eyes up to Jason and stepped forward. "I think you may have to take this one."
Jason didn't verbally respond. He could tell by the look in Trey's eyes that he knew that he would have to do it.
Jason took the staff and stepped back, he looked around the group just as a thought hit him. His eyes widened.
"He is coming here," Jason stated. His words causing some panic in the room.
"What?" Kim was the first to collect herself. "How do you know?"
"Remember what I said earlier?" Jason asked in return. "I know what he feels and what he thinks."
"Jason I suspect you are right," Zordon agreed.
"Yeah... the whole reason he and Zedd are here is for more power... they are going to come straight to the source... they know they can overpower us," Jason replied.
"We need to set up a parameter around this place and head them off," Tommy spoke to the group.
"Right," Jason agreed.
"We will buy as much time as we can for you to get her back here," Tommy said to Jason.
"Maybe I shouldn't leave..." Jason began.
"She may be our only hope, remember?" Kim stepped up and put her hand on his chest. Jason nodded, remembering very well.
"I will be as quick as I can," Jason stated placing his hand over Kim's.
"Alright, everyone let's get morphed and get outside," Tommy instructed.
"Hey..." Jason said. "Remember we got the Dinozords back... use them to establish the perimeter."
"Right," Tommy agreed. "What about the T-Rex?"
"He will follow your lead," Jason responded with a smile. Tommy returned it and then the group collectively morphed and all teleported outside sans Kimberly and Jason.
"You be careful and come back to me, you hear me?" Kim stated before moving in for a kiss.
"I promise you... nothing could keep me from returning," Jason replied as they broke apart and he placed a kiss on her forehead. Kim lingered with her hand on his chest for several moments before finally morphing and teleporting out.
"Welp..." Jason turned to Alpha and Zordon. "Here goes nothing."
Jason held up the staff and it crackled with energy before the Gold Ranger armor materialized all over his body and Jason disappeared into a black hole that swallowed him up.
