**************** Medical Lab*******************
They had all gathered around in medical after the fight. The air was so thick with emotions it felt hard to breathe. No one had been hurt except for Bulk and whatever was wrong with Kimberly. The rangers had made it in time to save all three of them but for a moment it had been dire. Skull stood over with Adam and Justin. Kat and Ninjor were mostly on the edges of the room. Rocky was basically center with Aisha and Bulk.
Tommy was worrying over his unmoving girlfriend laying on the medical table.
"Kim? Come on Kim. Open your eyes. Please? Please open your eyes." Tommy begged softly, holding Kimberly's hand but the girl on the medical bed did not stir. She seemed too pale and as still a death. Only the gentle, rhythmic rise and fall of her chest kept Tommy from panicking. When the call had come in that she had been attacked and was unconscious. When he had seen her on the viewing globe, something deep, an almost primal instinct to protect, had snapped inside Tommy Oliver. He had led the team to victory with pure ease. Practically ripping the wings off the tengu, forcing them to flee for there very lives.
Rocky had noticed the change. He thought perhaps all the rangers had. This was the leader they had been missing. The one who lead them to victory over impossible odds on the moon. The one who could bring the team together. Was Kimberly so important to Tommy that without her they would break apart? Shattering like glass?
Tommy turned sad hazel eyes towards his oldest friend. "Billy? What's wrong with her?"
"I'm working on finding that out Tommy." Billy replied from where he was hunched over staring at a computer a few feet away. Billy hadn't been sleeping and it was taking a toll, not that the others knew of his lack of sleep for the past few nights. The hat on his head was bothering him. Making his ears itch terribly but he didn't dare remove it. Not with everyone around. Why had this happened now? Kimberly had seemed fine a few days ago.
Then again so had he...
"Oh but I'm good. Thanks for asking Tommy." Bulk huffed as Aisha helped dress his wounds. It bothered him that Tommy hadn't even acknowledged the bravery of Skull and himself. Not that he was looking for praise... well maybe he was, just a little.
Tommy shook his head. "Sorry. Is it bad?" He asked in a way that didn't seem like he really cared.
Aisha touch was gentle on his wounds as she replied to the question instead of Bulk. "It's just some bad cuts and bruising. Nothing we can't heal." She assured the taller, rounder teen with a smile.
"Thank you Aisha." Bulk replied. "At least someone has manners."
Tommy stood at that remark and turned about to yell at Bulk when something in the ex bully's eyes stopped him. Bulk's jacket was torn, his hands cut and bandaged. If he hadn't been there. Kimberly would have been lost. Taken away to some place Tommy might never find her in. Locked away once more in the darkness. "I'm sorry Bulk. I owe you my thanks." Tommy held out his hand.
For a long moment Bulk debated not taking it. Hadn't Tommy seen just how much he had hurt Kimberly with his actions? He couldn't deny the tension still between them but Bulk shook Tommy hand. "You're welcome but I didn't do it for you." His gaze went to Kimberly still laying still as stone.
"Still... thank you."
There was a soft moan as Kimberly began to stir. "Ooh..." She put her hand on her face and tried to sit up.
Tommy rushed to her side. "Easy Kim." His hands were on her back and shoulder. Helping her to sit up.
"...Tommy...?" She mumbled unsure. Her eyes seemed slightly unfocused and blurry.
"I'm here. Just take it easy. I've got you. You'll be alright." Tommy promised.
Kim sighed, relying on Tommy to support her, as she spoke. "Mhm... what... happened?"
"We were attacked Kim. By those KFC rejects. Don't you remember?" Skull asked coming over into her line of sight. Tommy frowned at the lanky teen getting so close to Kim but Skull paid him no mind. After all, Kimberly was part of his family now.
"The tengus... right..."
"Move you two." Billy said coming to kneel next to Kim. He shined a light in her eyes, ignoring the noise of displeasure she made, before asking. "What do you remember exactly Kim?"
"Its like Skull said... we were attacked... I went to morph then... nothing till now." Kimberly yawned, her speech hesitant. Her eyelids drooping with fatigue. Her body seeming too weak to stay sitting up without help. She felt like her mind as floating. "Billy? Am I dying?" She asked, oddly sounding calm.
Billy put his hand gently on her shoulder. "No, I don't think so but your bio metric energy to the morphing grid is all over the place." Billy pulled up a graph. "Grid energy should stay constant and steady, melting with our own life force but the levels for Kim are drastically different." The image changed showing sharp increases and decreases. Like a child's drawing of mountains. "While not life threatening in and of itself... I... don't know what's wrong." Billy admitted softly, but loud enough for those in the room to hear.
"May I venture a guess?" Ninjor finally spoke from the dark corner where he had been watching the scene. "Kimberly, where is your power coin?"
Kimberly felt in her pockets, tired eyes going wide with fear, "It's not here!"
"Hold on." Skull dug in his pocket. "Here... You dropped it when you fell."
Ninjor took the coin. "Just as I thought." he ran his fingers over the filed smooth edge. "Your coin is damaged. I should have noticed that right away but when you received a touch of ninjetti power for your upgraded fire bird I thought nothing of it. Now I fear that this coin, and the combined powers, is all that's keeping you from starting to transform."
"Transform?" Rocky asked. "Into what?"
"Into what they once were." Ninjor replied.
"They?" Katherine asked, "Is someone else sick?
Ninjor turned towards Billy. "I know this is not the best timing, nor how you wanted to do things but it is time to tell your friends. They will understand Billy."
Billy balled his hands into fists and glared at Ninjor. "How could they? When I don't understand what's happening? Ninjor, this wasn't your secret to tell."
"I am sorry but it's for the best Billy. For the team."
"Billy?" Adam asked. "What's wrong?"
Billy sighed, barely holding back tears. The anger inside turning to pure sorrow. "Even the computer says I'm healthy, totally normal but does this look normal?" With that he removed the hat he had been wearing for the past few days and the bandaid on his forehead. He looked to the floor as his friends gasped in astonishment. Billy's ears were no longer rounded at the top like normal human ears. Instead they seemed to have grown over an inch longer and lead up into points. Like the ears of an elf.
"Your ears!" Katherine was shocked. Billy looked as though he came from a story book.
Rocky came closer. The zit was still there but no longer covered with skin. Instead it was hard and bumpy around the edges. "Is that bone?"
"It's a horn bud. My cousin raised goats. The babies all had horn buds just like this." Aisha said getting a closer look as well.
Billy had to fight back the urge to run away and hide. His friends were just curious. He should let them examine his changes without fear.
"You're growing a horn? Cool!" Justin said only to be hushed quickly by Adam.
Billy sighed. "I don't think its very cool. In fact. I don't like it at all. I believe it is linked to whatever Zedd did to make us immortal. Somehow combine our powers with legendary DNA or something. But all I have right now are theories and hypothesis." He said looking back at Kimberly who simply nodded understanding the seriousness.
"But unicorns and fire birds and stuff like that aren't real, are they?" Justin asked.
"Stories have to come from somewhere." Adam simply answered. "I mean we have stories in Korea about similar creatures to unicorns."
"Africa too." Aisha added.
Billy nodded. "Every culture seems to have a unicorn creature story and most have fire bird stories or something like it as well."
"How could Zedd do this Billy?" Tommy asked. "How is it possible?"
Billy went back to the computer. "I've been running a theoretical projection analysis since the horn started. Zedd would had to have the DNA of these animals to make these changes to our bodies. Or maybe its space unicorn DNA, I don't know." Billy sighed sadly. "There's so much I don't know but this is what the computer has projected as the most probable outcome of my completed transformation." He pushed a few buttons and stepped back. The human form of Billy on screen changed showing long pointed ears, a tail, hooves for feet and a single spiral horn from his forehead. "Zordon called us hybrids and that's exactly what we are."
"Unicorn." Kim spoke before scrunching up her face. "You're going to be a part unicorn. Wait! Does that mean I'm going to sprout feathers? And a beak? Or a tail?" her eyes took on a wild fear.
"Calm yourself Firebird... er Kimberly." Ninjor corrected, trying to soothe the frightened girl. "You are still connected to the morphing grid and the energy of the grid will keep your human form from changing but your body will find it's own energy draining more rapidly than ever before. You will be unable to morph right now, theoretically, as the energy will be used else wear in your body."
Kimberly's mind swirled again even as she took comfort in Ninjor's words. With a quiet sob, she fainted once more. Tommy caught her, holding her to his chest as he breathed in her scent once more. "Billy? Can I take her to her room to sleep?"
Billy pushed down the pain he was feeling. He thought for sure Tommy would have had some words of comfort for the fact he was turning into a mythical man unicorn hybrid, "Hang on. Here." With great care Billy put two small metal disks on Kimberly's forehead. "This will allow me to monitor her from anywhere in the command chamber."
With ease Tommy lifted Kimberly up into his arms, cradling her to his body as if she was a breakable doll. Without saying a word he walked past his friends. He never saw the strained look of pain on Katherine's face or the distrust on Adam's. All that mattered was the helpless bundle in his arms.
"Don't worry Kim." He whispered to the top of her head. "I'll look after you. I promise."