Prism
Standard disclaimers apply…I don't own them.
Well, yet another long interval between updates…I swear I'm trying to get better about it, but real life keeps getting in the way. From here, though, I'm going to try to discipline myself to update once a week.
The trio plodded slowly along the bleak desert, devoid of its usual warm colors, away from the relative safety of the Power Chamber. Kim rubbed her eyes, which were stinging badly. Ostensibly, the dust kicking up from their feet and blowing into her eyes was causing the problem, but deep down, she knew this was not the case. Her emotional equilibrium had been doing roller-coasters for the last several days, and right now, she was in the middle of another downswing. This is worse than P.M.S. she thought, then feeling guilty for comparing such a life-altering event to a once a month nuisance. She slowly blew the air out of her lungs and drew a deep breath. Kim didn't know what to think any more. For once, she knew, she was glad that she could not see herself. It was bad enough seeing Billy and Jason in the terrible monochrome. The blonde boy's hair looked gray in the light, while Jason's pallor appeared distinctly unhealthy. Seeing herself, her hair artificially grayed, her skin pasty would have, she suspected, been the last straw that would sever her from sanity.
Kim felt lethargic, as though she had just finished a difficult practice or a Ranger battle. She wasn't sure where the physical exhaustion came from. Despite the situation, she slept well and rested. Even that hadn't helped. Kim wondered if the problem was simply her emotional state. Well, she encouraged herself, don't give up. Tommy - here she felt a pang stab her heart - needs you. Her heart grumbled softly when she refused to think further about her ex. She ignored it and shoved it to the back of her mind. The last thing she needed was to deal with her Tommy issues.
"Damn!" she heard Billy curse sharply as he stumbled over a rock. Kim turned, slightly surprised. Having known Billy for over ten years, she had seen him annoyed, frustrated, irate, and everything in between, but she had never heard him curse so much. In fact, she realized, up until the last couple of days, she had heard exactly two curse words out of him – one during the body-switching episode (she had never realized that her quiet friend was even capable of such a colorful oath) and one when he was working on a zord and cracked his head trying to stand up. Recently…well, it wasn't Billy, Kim mused. She made a mental note to keep an eye on him. Something was severely wrong there.
Thinking that, she nearly burst into hysterical giggles. Something wrong! Everything was wrong. She knew, however, that it would bother both boys and cost them time, thus, she forced the screeching laughter down, then noted Jason staring at her with a concerned look. "Is something wrong?" he asked.
Kim couldn't take it – the wording of Jason's question was so perfectly set to what she had been mulling over that the pent-up laughter burst out in a tide. Kim fell to her knees. Her stomach hurt from laughing so hard, but she couldn't stop. "I'm sorry, Jase," she gasped. "I swear, it's…" and she launched into another round.
Jason and Billy both simply stared. "Kim?" Billy said gingerly. Kimberly looked up, and seeing his face, one of the key ingredients to the whole mix, laughed even harder. The guys looked at each other uncomfortably. It was obvious that Kim was in trouble, and they began to wonder what they needed to do.
"Kim, we can send you back to the Power Chamber and go on alone," Jason offered solicitously. "Either that or we can go back together and start again tomorrow." Either option would cause costly delays, but Jason knew, as a leader, that having a weak link was dangerous as well. He had never expected this from Kimberly, strong as a rock and the emotional center of the first team.
"No, no, it's okay now." Kim got up, brushed off her backside, and exhaled. "Sorry. I really don't know what that was." All she knew was that she suddenly felt better, like a load had been lifted from her.
"Kim," said Jason seriously, hating his role as the leader now more than ever, but some things needed to be said. "Are you honestly certain that you are going to be all right? We need you, but we also can't afford to have this happening." He winced slightly at the harshness in his tone.
"I know," Kim murmured, calmer now. She noticed that Billy hadn't spoken, but rather, was leaning against a rock formation in a distinctly annoyed posture. "Billy?" His name like a jolt, Billy looked up, feeling a seething anger bubbling in himself, much to his mortification and surprise. What is WRONG with me? After all, it was Kimberly, one of his best friends. It wasn't as if he'd never done stupid things or been the weakest member of a team, he thought silently.
Kim recoiled, seeing the clouds in his pale eyes. Jason put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "What's going on, Bill?" he asked calmly, feeling Kim's surprise and hurt radiating from her. "I know the present situation, obviously, but you've been acting…different…since I came to see you on Aquitar."
"Nothing," Billy lied. There were too many emotions swirling in him. He did not want to deal with the issues. Yet, he felt them nudging him. Cestria …aging…the situation that had prompted him to leave Earth…all muddled together to create, simply, a mess. He was uncomfortably aware that he needed to talk to Kimberly and Jason, to be honest, but years of training subverted the impulse.
Jason snorted, a snort that sounded curiously like "bullshit", but Billy consciously chose to ignore it. Right now, they did not have time to deal with these things. "We need to get to that cave by tonight," Billy pointed out, changing the subject. "It's only about three more miles, but it's rough terrain and then a good climb up a small cliff to the entrance. That cave is our only chance for shelter, and I don't want to sleep out here on the sand tonight."
Kim and Jason heartily agreed. The desert got very cold at night, and the wind would make it unbearable. Even a cave seemed preferable to the elements, and perhaps, if it was safe, they might even have a small fire for cooking and warmth. Not so out on the open sand.
Jason looked closely at his two comrades. Kim's face was drawn and wind-burned. How do we stand a chance if this is the best we have? We haven't even really started and we're already exhausted and heartsick. How will we ever have the strength to defeat Rita?. For himself, he was already trying to force himself to ignore the physical and mental difficulties. It didn't help, he realized, that every time he began to think about those that would need to be rescued, a certain face popped into his mind. A very pretty, fair face that ordinarily would have held sparkling blue eyes and been surrounded by pale blonde hair. Shut up,he threatened his mutinous mind. I do NOT need to be thinking about her. His mind ignored him, and suddenly, Jason was conscious that his body had reacted in very…inappropriate…ways. Turning to cover his embarrassment and other…reactions, Jason sighed gruffly. "We need to get going, then." He hiked quickly, hoping to force himself to concentrate on other things.
Billy and Kim followed bemusedly, neither having noticed anything particularly amiss. Jason's thoughts turned in turmoil. Billy needed to talk, he realized, and he felt awful that he couldn't extend a more sincere invitation. He was honestly afraid that the stress they were under would crack Billy if Billy didn't vent, but at the same time, losing precious time to hash things through during this whole process wasn't an option. There were a very limited amount of supplies, and thus, a limited time they had to do…whatever it was they were going to do. The lack of a coherent plan also disturbed Jason. Talking it over during the last few days, they'd come up with some definites – they would hike to the mining settlements, staying hidden, and try to locate the others. However, there was little they could plan. They had no idea how the others might react, and no idea what kinds of delays or trouble they could run into. There was also the possibility of being captured, a thought which turned Jason's blood cold. There was no doubt that Rita was looking for them, after a hearing transmission Alpha had luckily intercepted.
After some hours and innumerable stumbles, cuts and bruises, the trio at last located the cliff and the tiny entrance to the cave peeping out of the rock face. It was only about a twenty-foot climb up, but at the instant, that seemed almost insurmountable to the exhausted young people. "I'll go first," Jason volunteered, "and check to make sure there's nothing in the cave."
"We checked it before we left," Billy asserted, "and according to scans, it's empty."
"Still," said Jason. "We left a significant time ago and if there's any kind of cloaking spell…" His words trailed off.
Billy conceded. Jason was right, of course, and he was acting slipshod. "Okay," he said aloud, "I'll spot you the best I can. Ready?"
Jason boosted himself using the hand and footholds in the side of the cliff. They were readily available, and it was a much easier climb than ones he'd done in the past. However, climbing with no ropes was unnerving and left no room for error. "Jase!" He heard Billy call. "Don't grab the handhold to your right, it's not steady. I saw it move when you grabbed close to it." Jason grunted with effort and changed his hold. He was glad that Billy was watching, helping him map the best route. Jason's entire focus was on his sore muscles and just pulling himself up.
At last, Jason reached the entrance and hoisted himself in. Protected from view by a sheer of rock, he stood up and looked around. It was a fairly small cave, but plenty large enough for three people. Checking it carefully, he evicted a small snake from hiding, but beyond that, there were no signs of life.
Billy and Kim had seated themselves on convenient boulders to wait for Jason's okay. Looking up, they saw the dark head sticking out of the rock face from the cave. "It's fine," called Jason as quietly as he could, so as not to attract attention.
"Go ahead," Billy motioned to Kimberly. Kim slowly began her ascent. However, it was uneventful and she quickly disappeared into the entrance. Billy stared up at the cliff. He took hold of a rock that protruded from the side, put his weight on it, and began to climb.
Billy was so concentrated on the strenuous task that he failed to notice the sudden silence that had fallen around him. Though the desert had comparatively few noises, all through their hike, the wind had been whipping around them, and there had been rustlings from animals and their footsteps. It was only when he felt a rock shift under his hand that he realized that something was incredibly wrong. By then, it was too late.
The rock before him opened, and he fell hard into the passage, tumbling down and down. At last, Billy landed hard on his face and arm and slowly, and he lay there for what seemed an eternity to him before he finally gasped, his lungs filling with air and he shifted to a slightly more comfortable position to figure out where he was. Taking stock of his injuries, he became aware that blood was trickling out of his nose where he had hit it, and that his lip was bleeding as well. His arm throbbed. Gingerly, he pressed it, carefully checking to see if there were any breaks. Though his wrist was already swelling badly, Billy didn't think that any of the bones had broken.
Checking his other arm and legs, he sighed with relief. Other than some massive lacerations and what he knew would soon turn to bruises, he appeared okay. His left arm was entirely intact, for which he was immensely grateful. Being left-handed, he knew that without his arm, he could not hope to climb out and find Kim and Jason. Doing it one handed would be tricky enough. He smiled slightly as he felt himself…feeling surprisingly pleasant and light. I must be concussed, Billy thought to himself. Billy sighed sleepily and yawned. Jason had…Billy struggled with random thoughts that floated through his mindI must not fall asleep, screamed a conscious part of his mind…he, Billy, had been concussed from a lucky shot from a putty once, and he recognized the feeling. Billy felt himself drifting hard, away from that random memory that had surfaced. His eyes began to close, and only by a sheer force of will did he keep them open.
I must…get out…warn the others… Billy's thoughts spurred him towards action, though his sluggish mind was loathe to push his body into motion. Billy crawled, his nose still dripping wet, salty blood onto the rock below him. Slowly, he made his way up the tunnel. He saw light ahead. I must not have tumbled as far as I thought he thought. It was the last conscious thing his brain eked out before he felt the light envelop him.
~*~
"Billy!"
"Owwww," Billy grunted, unable to process what was happening. A small hand was smacking him lightly on the cheek, forcing him to pay attention to the annoying, humming sound of the voice above.
"Stop ihhh," he slurred, thinking that if he could have gotten up right then, he would have put a stop to such treatment. All he wanted was to sleep.
Jason glanced at Kimberly nervously. All they knew was that they'd seen Billy begin climbing, then fall backwards onto the ground. Jason's mind did a double take suddenly. Wait. Billy fell BACKWARDS. How did he get cuts and a bloody nose on his FRONT? Something was screwy, thought Jason.
"Billy, you need to stay awake," Jason said, kneeling by his friend and repeating the obvious.
The pale eyes opened slowly, and began to register the surroundings. As Billy's throbbing head returned to full consciousness, he sighed. "Oh, man."
"What happened?" inquired Jason. "Did you slip?"
As the strange episode flashed back into Billy's mind, he stared at Jason and Kimberly, his brain suddenly working quickly and reasoning. "There's a dimensional gap or entrance or something there."
"What?" said Kimberly, disbelieving.
"I fell into a passage," said Billy, inwardly musing what this might mean for them. "I don't know where it led, I didn't check, I just tried to get back out." Gingerly, he cradled his arm. "I think I sprained my wrist in the fall."
"Let me see," demanded Kim, having taken several courses in medical training. In her mind, it was first things first. They could explore the meaning of a secret passage in a minute, but Billy needed taken care of. Carefully, she poked and prodded, ignoring Billy's winces. "Well," she announced, "you're right. I don't think it's broken unless it's a hairline fracture. You must have twisted it when you fell."
Meanwhile, Jason's mind was going at full tilt. A secret passage? He began weighing the options. They could go in it and check it out…or they could continue with their current plan to stay the night and keep heading towards the mines. Jason worried that the passage would be guarded or booby-trapped or a dead-end, any of which could endanger them. He looked at the other two. "What do you think?" he inquired of his companions finally. After all, it was their lives as well as his.
Kim caught his eye and saw the worry reflected in it. "I have mixed feelings," she said finally. "What if it's a trap, or guarded?" she echoed Jason's thoughts.
"Billy?" said Jason. "Did you see anything?"
Billy wanted to kick himself. He'd been so preoccupied with getting out and his injuries that he hadn't even checked for a possible lead or dangers. "No," he admitted shamefacedly, "I didn't even think about it."
"That's okay, bro," said Jason gently. "I'd have wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. But we are still left with a decision to be made."
"I vote we take it," Kimberly spoke up unexpectedly. "We have no better plan or option. If it's trapped or guarded, it can't be more so than the areas around the mines." She felt reinvigorated with this new discovery. Perhaps they would get somewhere after all.
Billy nodded, less resolutely than Kim, but still in concurrence. "I suppose," he said slowly, "Kim is right. I'm just not thrilled about going back in there."
"Understood," said Jason. "But I also think we had better explore this possibility. How did you find it?"
"I don't know," said Billy. "It was so strange. One moment I was climbing, the next, it was deadly still. Like, eerily so – kind of like the moment right before a huge thunderclap. Then I fell into the tunnel."
Jason looked up the cliff. "Okay," he said. "I'm going to try to find this entrance. Watch me carefully so we can figure out where it is and how one gets in. It's going to be a trial and error thing, I think." He climbed up the face of the rock, slowly pushing, pulling, and tapping parts. However, no door opened, nor did he fall into the cliff.
After several hours during which Billy and Kimberly each took a turn searching with no luck, the exhausted teens climbed into the original shelter of the cave.
"Well, that was fruitless," complained Billy. "But I swear it was there!"
"I know," said Jason, more musing out loud than responding to Billy's vehement statement. "You fell on your back when we saw you fall, but all your injuries were to your front. There was no way you could have gotten them unless you fell forward onto some rocks or other objects first."
Mollified, Billy rewarded Jason with a wry but genuine smile. "We'll look some more tomorrow," said Jason. "For now, we'd better eat and such."
"Shhh!" Kimberly's sharp whisper interrupted them. The petite girl was at the entrance of the cave lying on her stomach, looking down through the narrow, sheltered opening. There was something very urgent in the tone that alerted both young men, who slowly crept beside her to look.
Below them, out of the side of the cliff, emerged a woman with long, pale hair. The woman deftly climbed down and quickly began walking away, then disappeared behind a group of rocks at last. The three lay, staring, and transfixed. At last Kim found her voice. "Was that Kat?" she whispered just in case someone was still there.
"No," Jason whispered back. "Kat's taller. And that women didn't have the long-legged build that Katherine does."
To be continued…
