Author's Notes: OK, I lied. I said this would be the last chapter before the epilogue, but actually, there's one more to go. The next chapter will DEFINATELY be the last, and will be posted along with the epilogue at the same time. I just found myself awash in deatail, and this chapter would have been ten thousand words long. So here's an intermediate chapter, Enjoy. My life has taken a radical turn, so I've been in a vastly different place mentally. It's a happy thing, though. The finalchapter will be ASAP, so stick with me! Thanks again, readers.

Chapter 27: Hypothesis

Upon hearing his name, Zeltrax spun around, clearly stunned at seeing his 'drunken' prisoners standing right behind him. The momentary lapse was short, however, and seconds later, the cyborg charged at the pair. Billy's relatively small stature allowed him to dodge the blow and duck into the cockpit easily. Jason took up a defensive posture. Just like Tommy, his years of martial arts training had kept his reflexes effortlessly sharp. Without the protection of a Ranger suit or a decent weapon, he knew better than to try any kind of major offensive. Keeping Zeltrax occupied so he didn't notice what Billy was doing was the main idea, and if he just came out of this fight alive, that would be more than he ever hoped for.

Billy knew he had to work fast to permanently disable the ship. Jason couldn't hold Zeltrax for very long alone, and then there was still the issue of how they were going to get out. Generally speaking, making a run for it was usually the best plan. The cyborg would follow, and if all went well, they'd run right into the Rangers. That is, if they had survived their battle outside with the Tyrannodrones. "Ok, Billy, think positive…" he murmured to himself while trying to figure out the controls. He had decided that the quickest and easiest thing to do would be to destroy the main computer's processor. That way, all the ship's systems would be down…weapons, engines, navigation…everything. The trick was to do it without it being obvious what he'd done or making it easy to repair. At times like these, there was nothing like a nice, self-replicating computer virus. If he placed the right bug in just the right place, it should spread to every system on the ship and effectively overload its processors. By the time Zeltrax figured out what was wrong, if he ever did, it would be cheaper to buy a whole new ship.

The virus he chose was an exceptionally nasty one. A colleague of his at NASA had devised it for the Air Force as a sort of technological warfare, and for all the damage it could do, it was a relatively simple installation. Finding the main processor had taken a few minutes, but once Billy pried open the panel, he was able to plant the bug in mere seconds. "There, that should do it," he said to no one in particular as he input the last of the commands into the console. Jason was getting beat up pretty bad, but was holding his own considering the circumstances. The former Blue Ranger stood back for a moment and waited for just the right opportunity to dash from the cockpit. When Zeltrax raised his sword up to deliver what may have been a devastating blow to Jason's head, something on the back of his armor caught Billy's eye and another brilliant idea suddenly materialized. They were fighting a cyborg, which was by definition half human and half computer. There was probably a fairly complicated life support system in that suit, and it was likely controlled by some sort of microprocessor. After a few last minute adjustments and connections just before the weapon took its downward slash, Zeltrax found he could not move, breathe, or even see. Billy swung under the weapon and pushed a battered and exhausted Jason out the hatch. They fell to the ground outside in the hallway, but picked themselves up just in time to watch the cyborg's circuits fry to a crisp. The cable Billy had connected to the port he discovered in the back of Zeltrax's suit hung loosely as the remnants of the virus circulated through both the ship and its owner, annihilating them from the inside out. All that was left was a pile of charred armor on the cockpit floor.

It took a few minutes for the victory to sink in for Billy and Jason. Sweaty and dog-tired, they laid still while trying to catch their breath until they were able to organize their thoughts enough to realize that the battle might not be over yet. They didn't know if the Rangers were OK, and they also had to find a way to free Kim of the amber.

Once they were able to move again, Billy stood up and helped the bloody and bruised Jason off the floor. He threw his friend's arm over his shoulder to hold him upright, trying to be as gentle as possible since it looked like every move caused him severe agony. The hallway of the ship seemed to have grown a mile long, but eventually, they reached the ramp. After pausing for a moment to allow Jason to recover a little more, Billy started to brace the injured man for the trip down the incline when he heard familiar voices. Relief washed over him at the sound, and a quick glance at Jason told him that he heard it too.

"Guys, give me a hand," Billy called to the Rangers. Because of their helmets, he was denied the pleasure of their relieved and ecstatic expressions when they saw the two of the standing in the doorway of the ship. Tommy and Rocky immediately raced up the ramp to support Jason, and despite his battered condition, they were just happy to see both him and Billy alive. They laid him down on the concrete floor, and Elise took off her cardigan sweater to fold up under his head.

"Wait a minute! Where's Kim? What about Zeltrax?" Tommy asked once his endorphin rush died down and he could focus again.

"He's dead," Jason murmured, and then groaned with the painful effort.

"Kim's still in the cargo hold where we were being held. We broke out and ambushed Zeltrax. Jason kept him busy while I planted a computer virus in the ship that destroyed all the systems. At the last minute, it occurred to me that it would probably work on his life-support suit, too. We got lucky," Billy offered by way of a more detailed explanation, but Tommy had already taken off up the ramp. Everyone else stood in awe of the two courageous men who, without Ranger powers, still managed to overpower the cyborg using bravery, ingenuity, and belief in themselves.

"Power down!" they all heard Tommy shout from up on the ship, but then it was silent.

The Rangers returned to civilian form as well, and everyone hesitantly glanced around at each other, the question of whether or not to follow Tommy on all of their minds. This would be the first time he would see Kim encased in the amber, and the group was naturally hesitant about disturbing him during such an emotional moment.

"I'll go," Billy said simply and started after the Black Ranger.

"Wait, I'll go with you," Rocky added in. Billy might need a hand if Tommy were to lose control. They both knew that Jason was probably the best one to handle Tommy at a time like this, but he was in no condition to be moved. The two old friends slowly approached the opening to the cargo hold, trying to remain as quiet as possible. Billy glanced through the door, not really knowing what to expect. Tommy stood silently in front of the rigid statue containing the woman he loved and his unborn child. His face exhibited no expression whatsoever, and that was what was so disturbing. It was if he was as lifeless as Kim appeared to be.

Rocky, afraid to say anything due to his penchant for putting his foot in his mouth, gingerly placed a hand on Tommy's shoulder, but there was still no reaction to their presence. Billy and Rocky exchanged worried looks, neither sure what the next step should be. Finally, Billy gathered the courage to speak up. "Tommy, why don't we get back to the command center and start working on getting her out of there?"

Nothing. He might as well been frozen solid. His unflinching eyes just stared catatonically at the amber stone.

Billy realized that there was no use talking or trying to reason with him right now. Gently, he put his arm around Tommy and started to lead him away, aware all the while that he may be taking his life in his hands. Much to Billy and Rocky's surprise, Tommy allowed himself to be guided off the ship. In fact, they were fairly certain that they could have led him just about anywhere, but they would have to worry about his mental state later. For the time being, freeing Kim was priority number one. They deposited their anguished, unresponsive friend with Elise and Jason before heading back up the ramp with the Rangers, who were happy to be anywhere else but near Dr. Oliver when he was in this condition. They were not comfortable seeing their normally emotionally rock-solid mentor on the verge of an apparent nervous break-down.

Kira and the five guys gathered around the rigid figure of Kimberly Hart. The Rangers were experienced moving the giant, heavy statues since they also had to transport Dr. O to the command center when it was him who was entombed in the amber. It had taken all of their power, and even then, it was still a struggle.

"Think we should morph?" Ethan asked, knowing their strength was augmented in Ranger form.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Conner answered before stepping forward into the usual formation.

"Dino Thunder, power up!" the four teens shouted in unison, and they were instantly transformed into Rangers once again.

"Wait a minute, guys. We're not thinking. Someone should go get the van and park it at the bottom of the ramp," Trent suggested.

"Good idea, Trent," Billy agreed. "I'll be right back."

On his way out to where they parked, it had occurred to him that this used to be a furniture warehouse in its day. There should be something around here that could be used to lift bulky objects. As soon as the thought struck him, he found his answer. Against the wall near the door, he noticed a dolly. It wasn't too big, but the wheels looked sturdy, and would most definitely hold the weight of the amber. He grabbed it and pulled it out to the van and threw it in. A long piece of rope discovered in a trash can rounded out his treasure hunt.

Five minutes later, the gang heard the rented moving van pull up to the ship. Billy hopped out and opened the doors in the back, ready to receive the precious cargo, then rejoined the group. "Look what I found," he announced, holding up the dolly and the rope. "This should make things easier."

"Sweet!" Ethan exclaimed in the typical language of a high school kid. "Last time, we all got hernias moving Dr. O."

"Yeah, my back has never been right since," Kira added. "Let's get her on there."

The slab of amber was much taller than the dolly, but they managed to get it tied on. Conner and Rocky grabbed the handle in preparation to back it down the ramp, while Trent and Ethan braced the front and steered. Kira and Billy went down to the van and made sure there was plenty of room to load Kim inside. On the way, they passed Jason, still lying on the ground with Elise tending his injuries. Tommy remained standing with his back to everyone, stoic and unmoving.

The van itself didn't have a ramp, so they would have to lift the amber into the back themselves, but that shouldn't be a problem if everyone worked together. There could be no mistakes or accidents or Tommy would kill them all. He made no move to help, nor did it even look like he was aware of what they were doing. Once Kim was safely loaded, Conner and Billy lifted Jason into the front seat. Then there was just the task of rounding up the Black Ranger. No one really felt brave enough to approach him, but somebody had to, so Billy stepped up to the plate again when no one else came forward.

"Tommy, we'd better get going. Rocky went to get your SUV; you can ride with him and the Rangers. We'll find…"

Before he had a chance to continue, Tommy cut him off. "No. I'm staying with Kim."

If Billy was expecting any sort of elaboration, he was to be disappointed. Tommy didn't say another word. He just slowly climbed into the back of the van and shut himself inside, all alone with Kim and his baby. The rest of them looked around solemnly, and with a collective shrug, they split up and got in their respective rides home.

An hour later in the command center, the slab of amber lay on a table in the center of the room. It was perfectly capable of standing upright, but Tommy insisted that Kim be 'comfortable'. That had been the only thing he said since they got back from the warehouse. When Billy had opened the rear doors of the van, he found Tommy sitting deathly still next to the figure. He didn't make any attempt to move until Billy finally had to gently take him by the arm and help him out. Like a zombie, he walked slowly towards the house and let himself in, leaving the others to tend to the arduous task of getting Kim unloaded. He didn't appear again until almost a half an hour had passed. Tommy went down through the house stairs and took his usual seat at the command module, turning his back to the others. His hands moved over the controls as his eyes darted from monitor to monitor. None of them knew what he was doing, but no one asked. Obviously, he needed this time to get his thoughts together before diving head-first into finding a way to free his girlfriend.

Rocky had contacted Haley and Trini on their way home to let them know everyone was fine. He also wanted to give a subtle warning about Tommy's condition so that they were prepared to just leave him alone for awhile. For the first time, Billy had a chance to inspect the amber slab in a decent light. He, Haley, and Trini stood around the table quietly discussing ideas and possibilities for getting her out safely. Haley had used an enormous amount of powerful energy to free Tommy, but since he had been morphed at the time, other than jolting his Ranger invisibility power into overdrive, he came through it with no ill effects other than not being able to see him.

None of them had to admit that they didn't have a clue in the world about how any kind of attempt at breaking open or melting the substance would affect a civilian, never mind a pregnant one. They didn't have to voice it out loud since the hopelessness of the dilemma was written all over their faces. No matter what they tried, they would be taking a huge risk. At the same time, they weren't even really sure if Kim was actually alive in there anyway. The thought of uncovering a corpse was more than any of them could handle, and for Tommy, the devastation would likely reduce him to a mere shell of a man.

The silence in the cavernous command center was deafening. Elise sat in the corner with Rocky, the pair seeming to have become closer since spending time hiding out together in the storeroom during the rescue. Trini and Billy, a brand new couple themselves, stood with their arms around each other, although the nearness was of little comfort under the current circumstances. The Ranger teens huddled in another corner feeling helpless. They had succeeded in their part of the operation. Everyone was rescued safely and Zeltrax was dead, but this part was not their area of expertise. The best thing they could do was stay out of the way for the time being and let the geniuses do their job.

After almost a half an hour of no signs of progress, Tommy surprised them all when he stood up and moved to the center of the room where Kim lay imprisoned. Immediately, everyone noticed the radical change in his demeanor. Gone was the grief-stricken man who appeared just on the edge of insanity. The determined, self-confident air that they all were used to was back, and the despondence of a few minutes earlier had been replaced with a resolute aura that refused accept failure.

"Tommy?" Rocky questioned when the man still didn't say anything.

"I think I may have found a way," he answered simply. He paused to allow his friends to gather around him and Kim. They looked on in anticipation, eagerly waiting for him to continue. "Breaking into the amber is too risky for Kim for obvious reasons. So is melting it, because both of those things entail attacking the substance from the outside. They key to this might just be to free her from the inside out."

"What do you mean?" Trini voiced for all of them.

"If we can transfer energy to Kimberly, she may be able to use it to break out of it on her own," Tommy explained as if it were obvious. After a few seconds to let the idea sink in, he realized that they didn't understand what on Earth he was talking about. "The amber is an organic substance, so it's not impenetrable. Our Dino Gem energy can only bond to a living being's DNA. If we could transfer some of our energy through the amber and into Kim's body, she might become powerful enough to break the bonds between the amber molecules themselves."

"Theoretically, I suppose that's possible, but what kind of effect would that amount of energy have on her?" Billy asked.

"Yeah, Dr. O, and shouldn't you have been able to free yourself when you were in there then?" Ethan added.

"You're right, Ethan. That's the catch, and I know I'm asking a lot of all of you, but it's going to take more than just my gem to do it. It will probably take all five of ours, but those gems are yours. I can't make you give them up, especially since I don't know if there will be any energy left in them when we're done. If you don't want to, I'll understand." That last statement was an outright lie, and they all knew it. In fact, he didn't even know himself how he'd react if any of them said no, but hopefully he wouldn't have to find out.

"We'll do it," Trent immediately chimed in, not for a second feeling like he was overstepping his boundaries by speaking for all of them.

Conner nodded his agreement, already removing the silver bracelet from his left wrist. "When do we begin?"

The others followed suit, but Kira had a question. "Dr. O, we want to help, but didn't you say when we got the gems that once we were bonded to them, if we got separated, we'd all be destroyed?"

All four pairs of eyes darted to fixate on their mentor. "That would be true, Kira, if the gems were taken from you. If you give them up willingly, you'll be fine. You may feel some strange symptoms, like weakness or dizziness, right at first, but then again maybe not. I just know I always did on the several occasions I lost my powers," Tommy explained to their obvious relief.

"But Tommy, how will we transfer the energy?" Elise questioned, wondering if she was missing something obvious.

"Uh…that's the dilemma. While this is hypothetically possible, I'm not exactly sure how. Billy, Haley…you're much better at these kinds of things than I am. I was hoping you had some ideas."

"Well, we're going to have to find a way to diffuse the energy so it can slip between the amber molecules, but we can't create ions that will bond to them and form something else altogether. Maybe a filter or even a prism," Haley began thinking out loud.

"Or both. First we have to concentrate the energy from all five gems onto one beam. A prism should be able to do that. Once the energy is combined, we can split it through a super-fine micron light filter. That should diffuse it enough to get through to Kim. It should also help the energy enter her body more smoothly if it's all split up rather than in a narrow shaft of light. Still, there are no guarantees that she'll be able to absorb it, or even if she does, that she'll survive it." Billy didn't really want to add that last part, but he respected Tommy too much to not tell the whole truth.

Tommy decided not to address that last comment, but he did make sure to flash Billy a death glare to make his point. "So what do you need to get it done?" he asked with as much civility as he could manage.

"I think I have a prism around here somewhere that should work. The filter we'll have to get from the Reefside College physics lab. I can go over there now and talk to Dr. Tanner. I know he'll help me with no questions asked," Haley offered.

"Good. You probably should get going then. Billy can work on the prism while you're gone," Tommy reasoned. He was trying with all his might to not get all drill sergeant-like by shooting orders at everyone. While he realized they knew him and understood his duress, that didn't mean he should disrespect them. He softened his expression with a slight smile before taking a seat at the command desk again.

"Dr. O? Is there anything we can do right now?" Kira asked, tired of feeling useless. The mood in the room was becoming oppressive, and the sooner they could get started, the sooner everything would be back to normal…hopefully.

"Uh, you know what guys? Why don't you relax for a little while. It was a long battle, you must be tired. I'll call you when we're ready." What Tommy didn't tell them was that he could use some time without the kids hanging around. There was a certain behavior he was expected to maintain in their presence, and he just wasn't feeling like minding his p's and q's right now.

"Sure Dr. O. Call us as soon as you're ready," Kira responded for all of them before herding the boys out the cave door.

"We'll go check on the Cyberspace for you Haley," Trent offered. It would be a good place to hang out while they wait, and he could help the other employees keep an eye on things while their boss was occupied.

"Thanks, guys," Haley said gratefully. Being a small business owner was more than a full-time job, but so was being the Ranger's technical expert. Both required her to be on-call almost all the time, and naturally, one often suffered while she tended to the other.

Once the kids were out of ear-shot, Tommy felt he was finally free to express his frustration. The unfortunate recipient just happened to be the chair next to his, which was sent sailing into the wall with a powerful kick. His rage was short-lived, however, and soon after, he slumped in his seat with his head in his hands. The weight of the situation was becoming oppressive; the risk, too much to handle. Then of course there was the possibility that they'd already lost Kim which was more than he was emotionally prepared to deal with, possibly ever.

The rest of them could only watch their friend, their own despair clearly evident. They allowed themselves this moment to indulge their desolation, but Haley, who was distressed for Tommy eventhough she hadn't even met Kim yet, got their attention by standing up and grabbing her purse. "OK. I'm going to get over to the College and find Dr. Tanner. I should be back in no more then an hour." She was glad to slip out quietly and let Tommy have some time alone with his oldest friends, who also shared his love for Kim.

A few seconds passed after she left, but they all knew time was wasting. Billy walked over to Haley's work area near the back of the command center and began rummaging through the various tools and gadgets. "So Tommy, do you have any idea where she keeps those prisms?"

No answer.

"Tommy?" Billy called again.

"Huh?...oh, I honestly have no idea, sorry," he managed to reply. It just took him a some time to process the question.

"Well, then we have some work to do," Billy deduced. There was a ton of junk there, and it might take all of them to search through all the boxes and drawers until they found what they were looking for. "Let's get to work."