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~3 WEEKS LATER~ "Aha! Gotcha" Kaia said as she worked underneath the computer adjusting the plugs and wires. With a smile on her face she slid out from their when a foot tapped hers.

"What are you doing you have to go to school in ten-." Naomi was cut off.

"So do you."

"Not until later, you know I have senior privileges. Come on!" Pulling Kaia up and dragging her out the door with one hand and holding her back pack with the other.

"You have to go before the bus." She stopped short as she heard the bus leaving."

"WAIT!" Naomi yelled trying to get the driver's attention. The bus, however, just kept going. Cursing her luck she looked at Kaia who just smiled.

"Guess I'll just have to-"

"Oh no you don't you're catching that bus on the way back." Naomi concluded ending the argument.

"Okay Mom and I promise I'll eat all my veggies and drink my juice." Kaia chided.

"Hush up. You're ridiculous! I don't know how Sensei ever dealt with your stupidity." She stomped off expressing with her movements how annoyed she was.

The words had come out before the thoughts and once realized both looked at each other in silence. Kaia thought, ' did she have to mention him?'

A jeep then pulled up to both of them. A blond-streaked hair teen with blue eyes popped his head over the passenger seat.

"Hey, Namz did Kaia miss the bus again?" His eyes brimmed with mirth.

"Gabe!" Kaia was happy to see him she didn't want to take the bus.

"Gabe do you mind taking Kaia to school? I would but I don't go in til late and I have a test that I really need to study for."

Unlocking the door he opened it and motioned for Kaia to get in. She jumped in and threw her bag on the backseat floor.

"Thank you." Naomi replied as she waved them off and walked back to go study.

___________________________________________ In the car Kaia put the radio on to 95.7 and cranked it up. They turned off the dirt road and headed back towards civilization. The trees were green and the sky was clear blue. After a few minutes Gabe took his hand off the wheel to turn down the music creating a frown from his passenger.

"So what were you doing that was so important you missed the bus, again?"

"I fixed the computer I think now we are back online with all the other communities." She bubbled up at the thought of finding the survivors of any of the others.

"Did you? Hmm.does it really matter? I mean its history in our past. Don't you think it's time to start a new chapter." He looked at her briefly and the pain on her face was so strong that he quickly ducked his head.

"How could you say that!" Frustrated Kaia just shook her head.

"Well, look it's been what four and a-"

"Three and a half since we burried the poor people who-"

"They chose to run and hide."

"So it's all their fault." Kaia 'humphed' and folded her arms over her chest refusing to continue to talk to him. Looking out the car door she had never felt more alone.

Gabe felt guilty. He did, really.for about 2.5 seconds. Not about those cowards: 'they had their chance to defend the honor of themselves and the academy and they screwed it up.' However knowing that Kaia would have to leave soon he did feel guilty about having their last few days together spent furious with one another. As it is it was hard enough to explain where her guardian went to the police. Not that she knew she'd be leaving soon. I am sure she figured everything would be peachy for another couple months, maybe more. Truth was they were running out of time.

The fact that she was hanging around that underground place disturbed him. He knew she could never get over it until she stopped going. 'Now if she only had listened she'd be better by now but of course she had to be the rebelistic one.'

"I really think you need to stop going there." He said to the back of her head.

Silence.

He went on.

"Time is the only cure for pain and you're running out." Then he said as more of an after thought. "Don't let it consume you." She shifted, her eyes narrowed to meet his the briefest flicker of flame could almost be seen.

"They didn't have to die. If I can get to the servers that were taping it all I could make a video that could show what happened so they would know our side of the story. So that they wouldn't be forgotten."

"Show it to whom? No one knows that our academy exists-"

"The others."

"-And even if they did then there would have been more needless deaths. If a ninja trainee couldn't handle kelzaks than a police officer wouldn't have stood a chance."

He was furious that she would even consider the idea of making a tape. He took a hard left, which threw her to the side of the car and put on the brake. She hadn't realized it but they were right in front of the school.

"I am getting your bus stop changed." He said to her as she jumped out of the jeep and stomped off never looking back.

Kaia knew he'd change her bus stop but she wouldn't let him change her mind. She had to hold on to the past and make room for the future. Walking up the steps and into the building she knew she had a tough day ahead of her.

______________________________________________

Gabe parked at the first lot he could find at his job. He opened the door with the sign MechaAngel written on it.

"Hey Mel sorry I was late I had to drive her to school, again." The look he gave was evident. He didn't want to talk about it. A cheerful woman with short black hair and an apron answered him.

"Don't worry so much, Gabe, I feel bad for her. Anyway the next appointment isn't for another half an hour. If you want you can help me go get the new supplies from out back."

Gabe followed her and helped to bring in all the equipment and then took on the next customer working the day away, he never gave another thought to his problems.

___________________________________________________________

The bus pulled up to the dirt path. Kaia quickly got off the bus and ran towards her sanctuary.

"I have to finish it before he stops me." She muttered breathlessly to the air.

Going into their underground HQ she saw Naomi reading, as usual. Naomi didn't look up as Kaia's pack hit the floor and she went into the refrigerator, they had found and hooked up, grabbed a soda and opened it up with a 'POP'. She took a sip. Then a clock struck three. The two looked at each other silently each understanding but not wanting to speak.

Unceremoniously switching to her outfit Kaia said:

"I am going to go practice. You know to stay in shape..." She let the thought drift in mid air.

"Wait. I am coming too!" Naomi hollered. Throwing her book down and jumping up to race after Kaia.

The two ran until neither could run no longer. Then they each practice what they normally would. Although both were in different branches they became comforted by each other's presence. When they were done they walked back; Naomi to finish her novel and Kaia to see if she had fixed the computer.

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Once she started typing codes on the keyboard she was in her own little corner of the universe. A smile creeped onto her face when all of Sensei's files started to upload to the computer.

"So I thought I would make dinner. Decide what we should do."

The smile left.

"Aww come on. You can't honestly expect me to leave this place. It's like a playground for me."

"I am not saying that." As she got out all the cooking untencils and started to boil water.

"Then what? Do you mean you want to talk about what we should do?"

"I want to have a back up plan for when Gabe kicks us out." They both smiled at that thought.

"We could just kick his a-"

"KAIA!" Her name was screamed but the only true reaction she got was a laugh from her friend.

"Maybe I could come up with a less violent way. Hmm."

"That would be wise. So when do you think the computer will be fixed?"

"Give or take," she looked at her watch, "thirty seconds."

In thirty seconds Oracle popped up.

"Hello Kaia, Naomi, I thought you'd want to know that everything is operational."

Applause and high fives were sent all around! That's when the map of the world popped up and a red light blinked.

"Kai what's wrong with it. There's only one place blinking." Running over she tapped on the screen and chose that. She started typing furiously on the computer.

"It's an academy but it's online which means that there is life there. I am going to try to narrow it down."

Naomi came over and put the macaroni bowl she had for Kaia down on the table and she walked over to stand behind her.

"They are in the United States.somewhere west.in California.a place named Blue Bay Harbor. Have you ever heard of it?" Asking as she looked back for any reaction from Naomi.

Trying not to freak out she put on her calm face and shook her head. In real life her head was buzzing ferociously with questions. 'Why there? She was getting an odd feeling but she just shook it off. Kaia's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hey I am on a chat line with them! I'll post and see if they talk back." She typed in a question:

Ireland: Who are you?

CA: Who are you?

"Oh my Goddess!" Kaia exclaime, "They wrote back."

CA: Who are you?

Ireland: We're friends. We want to talk to an authorative figure.

CA:: You're being impossible. Are you another academy?

Ireland: Yes, you don't have to be obnoxious. We got attacked. Were you the ones that sent that message?

CA: We sent it. How come it took you so long to get back online?

Ireland: We had some.problems but what's it to ya?

CA: To make sure you're not some imbecile.

Ireland: Look who's talking. We're just looking to help.

CA: Okay smart aleck why don't you put your money where your mouth is.

Ireland: Bring it on.

Ireland: Okay, folks bring out the white flag. Okay? Is there anyway we could meet you? We have the right equipment.

CA: Come to Blue Bay Harbor the coordinates are attached in an email. See you in 72 hrs.

Ireland: Okay, until then

"What the heck" Kaia said. "You're going to let them push us around!" She followed Naomi aggressively to the table to eat. When both were done Naomi stated.

"No. We need to meet up with them. Trust me. If the bad guy could defeat us before.they need all the back up they could get." She waited a moment still lost in thought.

" Just call Gabe and have him pack his bags. We are leaving at Ten o'clock tomorrow morning!"

"HELLO! I have school!" Kaia protested.

"Okay then we won't take a fieldtrip to the US we'll go to school instead." In a heart beat Kaia was picking up the phone.

"Well if you put it that way." She cried to Naomi as her friend was walking out the door.

_______________________________________________________________

"Dad are you sure this such a goo idea? I mean what if it's a trap?" Cam said to his father. Sensei just looked at them all and said,

"I fear there is more to this than meets the eye."

The six of them looked at each other and didn't know what to say except to divvy out the jobs needed to be done in prep in case this was one of Lothor's many tricks. _________________________________________________________________

Naomi walked back to where she had left the box right by the water. She sighed. Somehow this just seemed so much different than she expected. But if it was worth it than they had to try. A tear fell down her cheek and she started to hum and then sing softly a song she had heard when she was young.

As humans we do what we must for now and trust in their plan If I trust in mine, somehow, I might find who I am

In some new place On some new face I've never seen I might find where I belong someday And there may even be another dream for me Waiting there somewhere along the way

But where do I go from here So many voices ringing in my ear Which is the voice That I was meant to hear How will I know? Where do I go? From here

Drying her tears she picked herself and the box up and carried away from its resting-place and to their secret palce hoping against hope her friends will understand. She knew what they needed to do and she was ready but were they able to do it too? A stronger Naomi was showing up again and this time it was going to stay until her work was done.

__________________________________________________________ "You can't be serious. I am not going to go on some half baked mission because you want to believe in a miracle that doesn't exist!" Gabe roared.

"That's not true." Naomi protested. Kaia looked at them both trying to decide who was a saner choice to pick. Gabe looked at Kaia who had her bags all ready and at the door with Naomi's.

"Kaia go get ready for school." She didn't move.

"No. I believe that Naomi is right and we have to help them."

"B. S. you believe in anything getting you out of school. She wants you to believe that the Power Rangers exist." He shook his head.

"I do. I am in. Namz If he's not with us than let's just go." She grabbed Naomi's elbow in the direction of the door.

"Gabriel Patterson if you believe in justice then do me one favor, you too Kaia. Gabe, I want you open the box on the counter. On three.

He looked at her confused.

"Okay."

"Kaia open up your little backpack." She nodded totally connected with Naomi.

"One, two, three!" Both bolted their packs and looked inside to see what treasures or mockery they might find.