*************************Desert***********************

"Look at all the cool things!" Skull smiled. "The rangers are gonna be so excited."

Bulk had to admit it. The junk they had found today while combing the desert was pretty neat looking stuff. Of course he had no clue what any of the tech looking stuff was. Clearly parts of the command center that had been scattered, but things like old tin cans, a broken cell phone, an old lighter he knew.

"I still say most of this is just trash." Bulk stated, pushing the box along the sand.

"Bulkie, you saw what Billy made from the other stuff we found. Like that Alpha guy."

"I know that Numbskull. It's just..." Bulk stopped talking. Just what? Billy should be fixing them. Bulk wanted to demand that but things were difficult right now. Fixing them seemed low on the list. After all they were alive but without needing food or water. They both still liked to sleep, though Bulk was unsure if they actually had to. He looked up, shielding his eyes from the sun. He didn't feel the heat from the sun or the cold at night, while the rangers shivered around the camp fire, sleeping close for warm. He didn't feel anything and it was starting to grate on him.

The others back at camp. They were good people but they... well ignored wasn't quite the right word but, sometimes Bulk was sure they forgot he and Skull were alive. That they were people too. Only Kimberly never saw them as toys or treated them as anything but people. Billy usually didn't either but he was so wrapped up in his work that he forgot to eat sometimes. So it was easy when Billy's mind was hype focused that he would forget about the former bullies.

Bulk tried not to frown at the thought of Billy. His crush had changed so much because Billy had changed so much. The ex blue ranger seemed like a shell of his former self ever since he had gone bad. Even returning to earth had not helped.

Of course Bulk could understand why, being evil, losing his powers but something felt different, wrong.

Maybe it was because of the magic still flowing in his wooden body but Billy didn't feel quite like Billy anymore.

Or maybe he was just imagining things. "Come on Skull, let's get this stuff back to the others."

********************** Juice bar********************************

"You know. I have a lot of questions." Ernie said, sitting down at his desk.

Tommy had removed his ninjetti hood. "I'm afraid there's a lot I can't tell you."

"I suspected as much." Ernie gave the teen an understanding smile. "How's Kimberly doing?"

Tommy tired not to flinch. "So you know about her too?"

Ernie gave a laugh, "Considering she was a regular here. Standing there while the original pink ranger talked. Yeah, I figured it out but what she said about the other original rangers being gone..." Ernie's voice grew sad. "I take it that means Jason and the others didn't make it?"

Tommy simply nodded.

"Poor kids." Ernie mumbled quietly. "Do you guys have some place to stay? The shelter for adults is up and running and the high school is being set up as an orphanage of sorts for those under 18, but most of the kids, were taken and..." Ernie shook that thought from his head. He had heard the rumors in the crystal mines. What Rita did to kids, how she killed them to make playthings to amuse her. "I could make sure you all had someplace to stay. I mean, Wolf is really young, isn't he?"

Tommy nodded again. "Yeah but, we're okay for now."

Ernie didn't say anything but from how greasy Tommy's hair looked. It had probably been awhile since he last had a shower. "Well I know there's nothing I can do for a power ranger but do you need anything Tommy?"

Tommy thought for a moment. "If... if my folks come in. Could you tell me? I don't know what happened to my parents."

Ernie nodded. "Of course."

Tommy stood. "Thanks Ernie. I should be getting back to the others. I'll be back in a day or two with more supplies." He summoned his face covering once more before going out the door.

Ernie sat back in his chair thinking. Tommy was a great kid but still he was just a teen. A teen that had been fighting monsters to protect the rest of angel grove. He thought about Kimberly, of Jason, Trini, Billy and Zack. They were all good kids. Whoever picked them to be rangers, had picked well.

Still it seemed cruel to use teenagers to fight evil. Ernie shook his head. He always has a soft spot for kids. It was one of the reasons he had opened the Juice Bar Community Center to begin with. Teens needed a safe place to go. And if they were playing video games, taking a class or working out, they weren't on the street getting into trouble.

******************Ninjor, Billy, Alpha and Kim************************

"I think we've already walked this way." Billy said, looking at the rocky cliffs around them. He was sure they had already walked this path.

"Nonsense, I have a wonderful sense of direction." Ninjor replied.

"Ai-Yi-Yi! We are never going to find that entrance. Oh Zordon, I'll never see you again." Alpha 5 worried.

"We'll find it Alpha." Kimberly said bringing up the rear but she was feeling rather hopeless and extremely tired. While the boys moved ahead, still arguing about directions, Kimberly took a moment to sit down on the nearest rock. She leaned back to rest when the stone wall behind her vanished. Kimberly fell backwards with a yelp into darkness.

********************Campsite****************************

Bulk and Skull finished dragging the box full of things they had scavenged into the campsite. "We're back!"

"Welcome back." Rocky said quietly to the duo. "Adam and Aisha are asleep." He warned softly.

"We found cool stuff." Skull said, waving some kind of circuit board in the air.

Rocky nodded. "Nice. I'm sure Billy will know what to do with that."

Bulk looked around. "Speaking of, shouldn't they be back by now?"

Rocky shielded his eyes and took in the position of the sun. It was starting to set. "Yeah, I'm sure they will be back soon. Don't worry. Ninjor is with them."

Bulk simply nodded and hoped the red ranger was right.

********************Dark Room*****************************

"Oww..." Kimberly mumbled, righting herself from the floor. That had hurt. She got to her feet. Where was she? It was so very dark in here. She tried to feel for the way she had come in but it felt like solid wall.

Kimberly sighed and turned on her heels, only one way to go now. Forward.

She moved slowly. Trying not to jump at every sound. Small amounts of light seemed to filter down from high in the rocks above her. Giving her just enough light to walk without stumbling. She gave a yelp of surprise as a desert lizard ran right over her shoes. "I hate this. I wish I was out of here." She mumbled to herself. There was a flashing red light in front of her on some kind of table. She reached out to press it, then hesitated and after a moment she sighed. "Here goes nothing." She pushed the button. There was a loud whirling sound as if all the computers in the school lab had been turned on at once. Light flooded the room showing a viewing globe, dozens of computer things and an empty Zordon tube.

Kimberly moved towards it and placed her hand gently on the tube. "I miss you Zordon." She turned away, going back to the computer. Hoping to find a way out when a voice spoke from behind her.

"Greetings Kimberly."

Kimberly spun around and broke out in a huge smile. "Zordon! I've missed you so much! So much has happened." She moved to be as close to his tube as possible.

He smiled down at her, yet his eyes seemed so sad. If she was here then there was a good chance Tommy had destroyed Billy. "Tell me everything Kimberly. Are you still the pink ranger?" This he needed to know right away for it would tailor whatever he told her next. If she was the crane, then all was well. He would not have to bring up the possibility of her no longer being fully human... but if she was the fire bird still... then he feared for her future.

"Soft of? It's complicated. Here's what happened."

*********************** Cliff side********************************

"Kim?" Billy called turning around at her strange yelp. He couldn't see her. "Kimberly?!" he called a bit louder hurrying back a few paces. If she was making her way back down the rocks towards camp, he would be able to see her but there was nothing. "KIMBERLY!" He shouted, his voice echoing off the silent stones. Ninjor and Alpha returned to his side as Billy worried. "She's gone. Just vanished."

"Firebird!" Ninjor called. "Where have you flown to?"

"Oh dear! Ai-Yi-Yi! Kimberly!"

Billy held a curse on his lips. Why hadn't he thought to make communicators yet? Its not like they were hard to make. That should have been number one priority after Alpha. "Damn it!" Billy moved to hit a rock.

And fell forward through it into darkness.