Chapter 28- Ashes

There was silence in the warehouse for what seemed like an eternity. Tommy was so shocked nothing even registered- not the White Ranger's disaffected-if speedy- exit from the other end of the warehouse, not Zeltrax's cry of horror as the smoke cleared and all that was left of Elsa were pieces of still smouldering metal and twisted leather, not the gasps, mutterings or silences from the other Rangers as they stood at the charred entrance to the building. It was as if the world had been pulled out from under him and all that was left was an endless nothingness stretching out into the far distance. He was too shocked to cry, to scream, to fight or argue or stay standing or collapse. There was nothing.

Eventually he felt a weighty hand on his shoulder, it couldn't have felt heavier if it were made out of lead. He turned his head as if he were swimming through tar- slowly, laboriously, every movement was like pushing a boulder uphill- a struggle, a battle he didn't want to fight. His chocolate brown eyes met Jason's, the other Rangers were all demorphed and so was he, perhaps the impact of the Pink energy had done it for him- he didn't remember, he didn't care. There were tears in Jason's eyes, streaming down his cheeks in fact- but Tommy felt nothing, a hollow, empty nothingness, but the taste of bile was in his throat and he hoped it stayed there as it threatened to come up. His knees felt weak and he began to buckle, saved from crumpling to the ground by Jason, Billy, Zack, Trini…his original team, Kimberly's original team, before he even got there, aged a hundred years in that one moment, each facing their own private battle with the events that had just transpired and what they meant.

"We should go, Dr. Oliver?" Conner prompted hesitantly, his voice thick and dry.

He nodded numbly, dreading what would await him at the house should this nightmare be reality, that Kimberly's energy was destroyed once and for all, which meant that she could never wake up…

He had no recollection of how the ten Rangers arrived back at his house, a hysterical Aisha waiting for them at the door. He could not remember the words spoken or his actions to get down the stairs- all he remembered was falling at Kimberly's side- the monotone trill of the heart monitor sounding constantly both so distantly and so deafeningly in his ear- as his fingers found her cooling skin, her bloodless lips, still delicate as a blue rose. He clutched at her, a drowning man clutching a lifeline as the nightmare of losing her once resurged, but knowing this time no defibrillator could restart her heart, no fairytale kiss, no hospital magic, this was not like last time, the hope was gone, there was too much shock for his tears, too much lost, nothing left. His fingers trailed across her face, through the caramel hair he loved so to bury his nose in when he hugged her, the eyelids that protected the sparkling eyes he fell in love with from the moment his met hers across a crowded youth centre all those years ago. His frenzied pawing left bruises on the dead flesh- skill smooth as silk- beneath his callused fingers but he was too lost to notice. It was like he was dreaming, nothing felt real and everything was slow. He didn't know what to do, he didn't even recognise the thoughts in his head, it was as if everything was in some foreign language- all lost in the translation and he was watching some silent movie. He somehow pushed himself to his feet, forced himself to leave her side, blindly staggering like an infant with soap in his eyes, pushing his way past the group of team-mates and friends, more crawling than running up the stairs to his bedroom. None of them knew what was done or said up there in his private sanctuary, but the agonised sounds that emanated would haunt them for a long time after.

Aisha brought a shaking hand to her eyes as Rocky clutched her tightly, and Conner was holding on to Kira tightly enough to snap her in two while she sequeezed Ethan's hand in her spare one. Trini had collapsed sobbing to the ground and was being rocked backwards and forwards by Billy whose face was buried into her sheet of long ebony hair, obscured from view. Adam's head hung low and the tears trailing down his face were evident but silent. Zack's head was in his hands, fingers clutching at his forehead and Jason stood staring glassily into space, knowing if he broke down now there would be nothing for the others to hold on to. He was the first leader, he could not show weakness now, for the sake of the others, they looked to him for what to do. He would not bring himself to break now for he feared if he did he would never be able to stop.

"It's not too late." He croaked, "Billy. It's not too late, T-Tommy had a plan-" he swallowed, forcing the tremor out of his voice and cursing his own weakness. "Tommy had a plan, a contingency plan, that's why he needed us all here."

The genius looked up, taking a few rattling breaths to regain himself but did not loosen his hold on Trini who was clutching Kimberly's limp hand as if it were the last delicate fledgling bird in the nest undecided whether to fly freely or stay in the safety of its home.

"Jason, there is no guarantee it would work, in fact at this point I believe it would do more harm than good." He said quietly glancing up to the ceiling and everyone knew full well who he was referencing.

"Damnit Billy we can't just give up!" Jason snapped tersely and somewhat shrilly, caught somewhere between panic and utter helplessness, a feeling he did not relish.

The other Rangers all glanced up at him at this outburst and Jason reigned in his emotions swiftly, softening his tone. "I-I'm sorry man. We've just got to try something, this is Kimberly."

"But what about Tommy?" Rocky asked softly, still running his hands over Aisha's dark braided hair.

"We need him for this. But we need him to be coherent." Billy nodded.

"Easier said than done." Zack added, standing up somewhat shakily. It seemed to be the unspoken decision between the Rangers that pretending nothing was wrong and focusing on a task rather than accepting or even considering the truth was the best option for now, it might make things seem a little easier until they had exhausted every option and had no choice but to face facts.

Hayley-who couldn't help feeling like she was intruding upon this monumental Ranger tragedy just wished there was something she could do, though she didn't feel it was her place to go and talk to Tommy right now, these people had all known him far longer and been far closer to him than her, although a college friendship wasn't nothing, in comparison with these people it certainly felt that way. Perhaps it needed someone who wasn't a Ranger, who wasn't as close to Kim or any of them to speak to Tommy right now. She just had to get out of the basement, the air seemed crushing and oppressive and the sorrow was too much for her to handle.

She mumbled something about going to see Tommy and quickly rushed from the room. She leant on the wall and took a few deep calming breaths before knocking on Tommy's door. When she received no response she hesitantly and somewhat fearfully pushed the door open. He was sitting, quite serenely on his bed. He was staring into the far wall as if it held some great revelation. But his eyes looked lost and tumultuous, he was a small child again with no clue how to deal with the emotions that were clearly ravaging him internally. His eyes were the only things that showed any hint of emotion on his face, he might as well have been carved of stone.

"Tommy?" She approached the bed, fearing he might have gone catatonic from the shock and pain.

"Tommy!" She grasped his shoulder and shook him hard.

"You said I'd get her back. You all did. I did. I failed her." He said hollowly.

"Tommy, please. Don't do this. It won't help." Hayley pleaded, crouching down to be eye level with him. "It wasn't your fault. There still might be a chance to save her, you had a plan."

"She's not there any more, she's gone. It's just a shell, a body... a corpse." He spat, his voice thick but distant as if he were about to vomit or collapse, the muscles in his jaw bulging against his cheeks as he gritted his teeth. "She's dead. What's the point in trying? Mesogog's won. I've failed her, failed everyone. And I'll never see her again…never get to tell her…it's all for nothing!"

Smack!

The ringing slap echoed through the room, and Hayley felt the sting of her palm as it made contact with his stubbled cheek.

"You need to stop. You need to step back and control yourself. You have nine Power Rangers and friends down there who are just as lost and hurt as you are, and they're looking to you for an answer. They need you, Kimberly needs you. If you're willing to give up on her so easily then you obviously don't love her as much as you thought, because love never ends, and love can do anything, and so can the Power Rangers. You don't fail, you don't quit. Because if you do, the rest of the world is damned. If you're a Power Ranger, anything is possible, so goddamn go down there and prove why you're the best. Stop being so selfish!" She snapped angrily, her cheeks red and her heart hammering not knowing where half of that had come from but knowing it was what he needed to hear. Perhaps she had been channelling Zordon just then because she sure wasn't good with the inspirational speeches usually, one just had to ask her Communications professor.

Tommy nodded shakily and stood as if he were walking for the first time. He had to look deep inside himself for that inner power, strength and resolve that had caused Zordon to bring him on to the team in the first place when he should have cast him out. The inner power that caused Zordon to call Tommy back as the first ever White Ranger and new leader of the Power Rangers, with powers forged from good with the power of light that could never be dimmed by evil. The inner power that won him renown and respect among all the others as the longest serving Ranger. He couldn't fail them, or Kimberly now, even as he felt he was dying inside.

He descended the stairs on weak legs and into the silence of the basement to be greeted by the worn faces and tear-filled eyes of his closest friends and team-mates.

"It's a long shot, but we have to try it." He said simply, and they nodded in agreement. "Everyone needs to morph." He added and they all complied silently and without question.

"Even you three." He told Conner, Ethan and Kira who had stood by silently and rather fearfully as the others had broken down. They glanced at each other and Tommy hesitantly, but he nodded and smiled as reassuringly as he could muster.

Finally, Tommy closed his eyes and frowned deeply, concentrating on a part of himself he had thought he would never have to use again but had once more been reawakened with Kimberly's experience. He focused deeply on the spirit of the Falcon, the noble and powerful spirit animal that had served him so well before, though it always held a trace of bitterness for him as it had been tainted by Lord Zedd's possession and blackmail from it, and it had always reminded him of Kimberly as Kat's stealing it from him had been part of the chain of events that led to Kimberly's losing her powers and eventual departure from the team. Now, it was all that could be used to save her life, if it was possible.

With a flash and a surge of deep buried energy reawakened once more he stood in his White Falcon Ninja robes alongside Billy, Rocky, Adam and now Aisha also resplendent in her bright Yellow Bear robes. But the myriad rainbow colours the Rangers wore always seemed strangely unfinished and dull without the cheerful pink to complete the team. Hayley gently pulled Kimberly's bed into the centre of the room to allow them space to work around her, then sat back on the chair to observe.

Wordlessly, as if knowing instinctively what to do, the Rangers formed a circle around the lifeless Pink Ranger. Tommy stood by Kimberly's head with Trini on his right and Jason on his left, with Zack on Jason's left, Rocky beside him, Aisha next, with Adam beside her, followed by Ethan, Kira, Conner and finally Billy on Trini's right. They all raised their arms into wide V like shapes with their hands against each others forming an unbreakable circle, no beginning, no end, no-one higher than another, all strong in the power.

"Close your eyes, and look deep inside yourselves. Find the Power that makes you Rangers, but more than that, it makes you who you are. Focus your energy, your power, your strength and you love up through yourselves, and into Kimberly. Focus, and don't let go. For those who have the Power, all things are possible."

Each of the Rangers, past and present closed their eyes and searched themselves, moments of strength when they truly realised they were Power Rangers, moments when they proved their worth and value to themselves and the world and most of all the times they had spent with Kimberly, for some a kind gesture or reassuring word, for some a lifetime of memories. They focused their energy on those thoughts and pushed outward, using the Power in a way new but somehow familiar to them. Had they opened their eyes they would have seen what Hayley saw, a glowing translucent tendril of energy snaking from each of them, the colour of their power or spirit or gem, and they all joined together into a glowing ball of bright energy hovering over Kimberly's prone form and lighting her darkened face with the pure untainted energy.

So much of the energy was being expended it began to expand, filling the entire room with pulsating multicoloured light. Hayley gasped and squeezed her eyes shut against the blinding power that enveloped them all, feeling the warmth washing over her and filling her with a sense of strength and radiance. So much force, the convergence of so many Rangers in one place at one time channelling and focussing their power together for a common goal had not been seen before and could not be limited by the bounds of Tommy's home. The energy began to spread out as if it were dust caught on a breeze, stretching its long tendrils of power out over the city of Reefside, lighting the sky with a translucent glimmering sheet of pure untainted goodness and resembling what the inhabitants of the costal town could only compare to a rare case of California Aurora Borealis.

"Oh my god, Devin are you getting this?!" Cassidy Cornell screeched to a halt as she exited the Reefside Mall causing long suffering cameraman Devin DelValle- currently weighed down with about twenty of Cassidy's shopping bags- to crash into her back at her abrupt stop. She stared gleefully up to the sky where a multicoloured veil of light was approaching their direction, blanketing the sky with sparkling power.

"Uh, no Cass, I'm kinda tied up right now." He jiggled a bit to indicate the bags but Cassidy didn't bother turning round to accept his excuse.

"Well hurry up, would you look at that sky- I bet it has something to do with the Power Rangers- look at all the pretty colours!"

"You think everything is to do with the Power Rangers." Devin muttered shuffling about in one of the bags for his camera.

"Come on, I wonder where it's coming from- maybe we can find their base! Hurry up Devin this is the story of the century!"

"Right away milady!"

"Master- I am sorry- but Elsa she-" Zeltrax grovelled, in between bursts of mind-energy from a livid Mesogog who was not prepared to let the simpering cyborg get a word in.

"-Elsaaa paid the price for her incompetence- as will you- without that energy…my plans for this pitiful planet…are delayed once more…and that miserable Anton Mercer is not…helping matters." He ran a scaled claw over his head, the scientist had been asserting control more actively of late which was not helping his progress.

"You are lucky that I do not send you for scrap…this instant!" The reptilian overlord thundered, disbelieving that his generals could be so completely inept as to allow the energy to be destroyed out of their very grasp by the renegade Ranger. He spared a thought for Elsa who had been slightly less incompetent than Zeltrax- but only by means of his own chagrin for now being left with one henchman- the weaker minded of the pair- though at least Zeltrax made up for his idiocy in strength.

A flashing from the bank of monitors saved Zeltrax from another mental beating and Mesogog snapped round, scrutinizing the displays as the cyborg meekly crept up to glance over his shoulder.

"Energy readings in Reefside are off the charts my lord." Zeltrax commented and the villain hissed in irritation.

"I can see that… you fool! A blanket of multicoloured energy spreading through Reefside, now… I wonder what could be the cause… of that." He chuckled rhetorically. "Pinpoint the location where the concentration of energy is strongest…where this cloud is radiating from…and perhaps we will identify…the Power Rangers' secret base!"

Zeltrax instantly leapt to work at the command controls to locate the source of the power flux. "A location in the Reefside Forest my lord, our previous records indicate the location could be that of Dr. Oliver's home- according to the Reefside High School staff records provided by El…" He trailed off sorrowfully, he may have been made of metal- but Elsa was supposed to be his, and now he did not have a chance.

"Oh be quiet you… pathetic creature!" Mesogog snarled impatiently, turning to stare back at the rainbow cloud converging over Reefside's skyline and the indicator map of Reefside forest with renewed malicious interest. "Perhaps it is time for us to pay the good doctor…a house call. Sss…sss…sss…"

The strands of energy provided by each of the eleven Rangers to create the glowing white ball floating above Kimberly increased in intensity and began to 'flow' more rapidly into the orb of light, making it grow and shine as if it were a miniature star. Tommy- still pushing out with all his might- using the innate knowledge of the White Falcon and the brute strength of his Black Dino Gem together- dared to open his eyes and saw Kimberly's porcelain face lit up with a golden glow from the Power of her friends- the energy lifted up the honeyed wisps of her hair and fluttered her long eyelashes as if life itself were breathing into her. It was a beautiful and fascinating sight, but he knew they had to channel the energy properly and take control if this had any hope of succeeding.

"Alright guys- now push down- push!" He called over the deafening roar of the energy surging forth like the crashing waves of the sea- and frowns of deep concentration replaced the lines of focus on each of the Rangers' faces as they drove all their willpower into achieving this end- and sure enough the ball began to lower itself towards Kimberly's chest sinking into her body and disappearing into where her empty heart should beat. Once it had fully disappeared, to Tommy's eyes only a golden glow extended over the female Ranger's body- trickling from her chest up to head and down to toe, then the glow exploded into pink- and the other ten Rangers opened their eyes at the change, not lowering their outstretched arms but staring in wonderment at the emanating light from their comrade's body- before the rest of the energy seemed to come rushing back towards them like water from its most outstretched reaches of Reefside- and as each single coloured strand of energy separated from the mass to crash back into its owner the Ranger's suit exploded and they demorphed, one by one starting with Tommy and happening at random as the light and energy in the room began to disperse, before disappearing altogether with a final bang of light, then the room was silent and dully lit with it's florescent overhead strips once more.

There was a collective intake of breath as the Rangers tried to recover themselves from the massive mental, physical and energy expenditure.

"Did it work?" Aisha asked hopefully pressing her hands together to her lips as if in prayer or pleading.

Tommy lowered his arms last, still trying to get a reign on his emotions and body as he had given to Kimberly most of all. Hesitantly and with no small amount of dread he stepped forward, extending his index and middle fingers to Kim's slender throat to check for a pulse. He found none.

"Billy, check her wrist!" He commanded urgently and the Blue Ranger leapt forward to search for a sign of life from the graceful Pink Ranger. He found none.

"I-it didn't work?" Trini gasped, her voice trembling as much as her hands before Billy grabbed them and squeezed them.

"We knew it was a long shot." Adam said painfully.

"W-what are we going to do?" Kira asked faintly, the youngest in the line of strong female Rangers, and one of three Yellow ones present. Aisha and Trini instinctively drew closer to her, the two followed protectively by Billy and Rocky, Aisha put a hand on Kira's shoulder, none of them had any idea what they were to do. They looked to Tommy and Jason, though they knew it was unfair to do so- it was more out of habit than expectation.

Tommy's breathing was ragged and he shook his head, almost as if berating himself for daring to hope only to have it cruelly snatched away once more.

"We did all we could." He said in resigned detatchment, "I guess we'll have to make some calls, the arrangements." The only reply to this was a small choked sob from Trini and a muffled one from Aisha. Jason looked like he was biting the inside of his cheek so hard he was drawing blood, and Zack was examining his knuckles as if they were the most fascinating things in the world, though it was probably to hide the tears.

"I hate to have to say this now but, we have a monster and a bunch of Tyrannodrones in Reefside memorial park." Hayley said in a small voice, thinking perhaps this would be good for them to all leave the place for a while, although it probably wasn't healthy in their grieving process.

"Can't he give us anything?" Conner asked tightly, balling his fist and gritting his teeth, was it too much to ask for Mesogog to let up on them enough to grieve, to miss their friend and team-mate or collect themselves?

"We're Power Rangers, we have a job to do." Tommy said, and wordlessly the entire eleven ascended the stairs to take on Mesogog's troops. They each had to get out of there, not one of them could face looking at Kim in such a state, or wanted to be stuck in the suffocating basement with their grief- it would delay the inevitable for a little longer, and that was all they could hope for.

Hayley sat in silence for what seemed like a lifetime staring into space, completely lost in her own head, a very alien feeling. She felt the need to vomit, she hadn't a clue what to do but as she was certainly the most composed of the company, she knew it fell to her to do something about the body, the arrangements, funerals, coffins, an ambulance to take it away? She knew Tommy would probably go into a state of total misery and despair as soon as he had an opportunity to, and the others didn't even live in Reefside so they had no idea what to do. Yes, it fell to her. She glanced back at Kimberly with tears in her hazel eyes, the petite woman still looked so beautiful and innocent in death. It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair! Not to Kim, not to Tommy, or any of the Rangers, how could Mesogog be so evil to rip a person who had only ever served for goodness away from the world? What right did he have to decide that what he wanted was the absolute, that he could just strip the energy- the life away from someone like it was nothing? It made her angry and sickened beyond all telling, and that sickened feeling didn't go away. She dry-retched, remembering she hadn't eaten for at least a day with the confusion and panic.

Then she realised it wasn't just the knowledge of being in the presence of a corpse that was her best friend's soul-mate that made her sick, but that there were plumes of dark acrid smoke pouring in from the stairwell above, and there was the crackling sound of fire- the room wasn't just stifling anymore, it was hot, burning hot. Fire- but how?

Then she was aware there was the sound of smashing from above, roars, growls, grunts, snickers of glee and calls of triumph as well as squalling alarms that accompanied the burning.

Tyrannodrones- but how did they find us- how did they know?!

The smoke stung her eyes as it started to fill the basement laboratory- then the sprinkler system went off, but it wasn't enough- it rained down through the pouring black smoke, drenching her to the bone and probably pattering down onto Kimberly's empty form- she couldn't tell anymore, the smoke was too thick- but it didn't do a thing to lessen the smoke or the heat. She saw sparks and heard the fizzles of electricity as the computers and equipment shorted out, and was aware of bright flashes of explosions as the state-of-the-art systems blew up or were destroyed. It was chaos, she couldn't make out anything but recognised the low guttural laugh of Zeltrax somewhere close by as he set about demolishing Tommy's home and possessions with a disturbing amount of pleasure.

The Rangers' equipment- their vehicles- weapons! Hayley quickly hit the emergency button on the sparking control panel in front of her to lock the underground compartments where many of the Dino Thunder Rangers' special equipment was stored in subterranean caverns- hopefully out of reach of the flames. She began to cough desperately as she was aware the air grew short in the self contained laboratory, and stood from the decimated command centre platform- trying to force her blurred and streaming eyes to see something- anything in front of her to help her get out of this underground tomb. She knew she couldn't go up- by the sounds of it Tyrannodrones had taken care of that- but with all of the controls shorted out she couldn't open the back doors that led out into the forest. She staggered, choking and wheezing as the cloying smoke filled her lungs- slowly suffocating her from within, as she tried to make for the emergency doors in case by some miracle the short circuiting had opened them not locked them. She dropped to the floor and crawled trying to avoid where it sounded like Zeltrax and the 'drones were, feeling so guilty for leaving Kimberly's body in here at the mercy of the flames and Zeltrax's twisted revenge, but knowing she was not going to escape this place herself- let alone save the remains of another.

As the light began to dim and the darkness and heat began to swallow her she fixed one last thought in her mind as years of her and Tommy's work went up in flames.

I'm sorry Tommy.

Oh it's all so dramatic isn't it? This thing is up and down like a yo-yo it's bloomin' exhausting! I know it's all corny and I went from angsty drama to lightness and back again but in my grander plan the plot bunnies have decided to take me along a less scenic route to get to the dramatic climax, so I beg your forgiveness there if this is starting to read like a daytime soap-opera. I think you might like next chapter though, or then again you might not! I am evil with the cliffhangers lately though so I'll try not to be so cruel, not long now- maybe about 5 more chapters or so and we'll be done- I have been making the chapters longer lately though, so who knows! (Sorry C2 for making the last one too long, I hope it wasn't too painful an experience for you- I will try to cut the length down after next chapter as I appriciate it can get tedious staring at the screen and trying to focus on the story if it takes ages to read and isn't very thrilling- but look, no dramatic Tommy scream at the beginning hehe!)

Just gotta say a big thanks to everyone who's sticking with me through this and my recent sporadic updates, college has been torture on my writing timetable, but thanks for continuing to read and review and a big thanks to new reader madan for staying up past 6am to read through this lil' old story of mine, I am very flattered and am glad you're enjoying it so far! That goes for everyone else and I hope to see you on the reviews page and next week!

xXx