Searching For The Truth

by Inactive Writer-Not Using FFN

Kimberly 'Kara' Hart ends up mentoring a new team of rangers, while searching for her father and completing his unfinished research with Andrew Hartford. Part 4 of The Lost Child of Zordon Universe. DISCONTINUED

6. Myths and Runaway Jewel

I am so, so sorry for the two month hiatus. Writer's Block hit me really bad and I couldn't write anything! All I could do to try and relieve it was read other stories or not write at all and mental plan ahead. However, I thank you for your patience and once again, I am sorry. Writer's Block is a pain.

Next, I may have gotten carried away with It's Hammer Time, which takes up a considerable chunk. I decided to go more in depth, put more lore in and little more actual mythology than what the TV show did. Also, some of the little things I took from the game: God of War (2018) and I made a slight alteration that the Bifrost is not required, in actual mythology it is. You might have noticed too that I have cut some of the previous artefacts out, particularly the canon. It was a little dumb on Disney's part.

Regarding to the langauge that Hela and literally everyone speaks, it is really Old Norse, but the langauge is dead, bar the run

es and the closest to that langauge is Icelandic. So… yeah.

Lastly, one of my reviewers asked why I made Kim a ranger again. This is an alternate universe, so in a technical sense, I am free to do what I wish. Also, I was aiming to have that Dino Thunder feel again, since Kim is mentor of the Overdrive Rangers, like how Tommy was with Dino Thunder; I felt it was right to have some parallels. I apologise if it doesn't suit your taste.

Well, enough of my ranting. I hope the wait was worth it. Enjoy the chapter!

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"A myth... is a metaphor for a mystery beyond human comprehension.

It is a comparison that helps us understand, by analogy, some aspect of our mysterious selves.

A myth, in this way of thinking, is not an untruth but a way of reaching a profound truth."

- Christopher Volger

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Chapter 6: Myths and Runaway Jewel (The Blue Corona Jewel)

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One Week Later…

13:00…

Monday…

23rd July 2006…

Canon: Post-Behind The Scenes

(Scene: Shopping Mall, City Centre, San Angeles, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)

I can count my lucky stars again that our enemies have been quiet. While Andrew is searching for the next clue of the Blue Corona Jewel's location, he insisted I treat myself by shopping for some new clothes. It also seems my return to the battlefield has put all our opponents, who fight themselves as much as they fight us, on the defence. No doubt after dispatching Moltor, Kamdor and Miratrix with ease, with my new Green Overdrive Ranger Powers, they're having second thoughts about attacking so hastily. Not to mention, instead of fighting six rangers, seven really pushes the boat. For some reason, perhaps Spencer and Andrew are right, my place is in the thick of the fight; no doubt it is due to my time being a soldier. It's still difficult for me to get to grips with, me… the thought of leading all those I saw as friends into battle and then… being unable to bring them home… it's hard. The world, the universe is cruel, as it was cruel to me. Perhaps life is more like the philosophy of Yin and Yang - within light, there is darkness and within darkness, there is light. If I am honest, it is weird, having to think all about this, I was just so busy, carrying out my duties; everything was just all go-go! Once the war ended, when Aegis and I left Eltar for Earth, everything slowed down and it all hit me. I found myself more time to reflect on the past events and realising… how traumatising it all is and I buried it.

I strolled through another aisle, going through the clothes that were on the rails, primarily going for green now. Rhea kept pestering me that I'm going to be in for a lot of teasing and jokes, like I don't know that already! God and the Power give me strength. Wearing Tommy's first ranger colour is quite… nice, in a strange way, green isn't a bad colour. I pulled out a plain green t-shirt that would go with my jeans, so I took it. Hopefully, it'll be enough for a while, at the time being, Andrew is getting my Overdrive uniform sorted, so… it won't be long. However, I did notice Mack was a little on edge and I understood why; he felt his position as leader was threatened because I'm the mentor and now, I am suddenly on the team. Therefore, I took him to the side and told him that he is still leader, I will still be a mentor, but I will follow his orders. The situation was bit like Conor and Tommy. The parallels are such coincidences. Although… I hope this is my last service, I am getting tired of the ranger business and at this stage; all I want to do is settle down and have a normal life. No, not tired of it, I love being a ranger, I need down time, even if it means balancing help, if my assistance on my home planet is required and being with Tommy and my friends on Earth. I pray this is the last time that the Morphing Grid will ever need me. I just want it to give me a break, please? I am overdue one. Feeling I have enough clothes, I decided to make my way to the checkout to pay for the clothes. Walking there, I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard someone call out my name.

"Kimberly!?" I turned around to see Tanya. I cracked a smile. What is she doing here in San Angeles!? Tanya jogged over to me, locking me in a tight hug, which I returned.

"Tanya! What are you doing here?" I asked her,

"Adam has the weekend off. So we decided to take Jade out of Angel Grove." I raised an eyebrow at her answer.

"And you picked San Angeles because?" The Yellow Zeo Ranger's straight face fell, knowing I read right through her.

"He… also wanted to make sure you weren't doing anything stupid." She said. Stupid? Seriously Froggy Boy? Tanya wasn't finished. "Like puting yourself in a coma or getting frozen in amber!" I cringed, looks like Adam filled her in on that event. Oh right! She couldn't help because none of the other rangers wanted to risk the baby getting hurt or worse. Tanya was pregnant at the time.

"Here, Tanya. Let me buy my stuff and we'll have coffee." I suggested, "Sound good?",

"Sure." She agreed, nodding her head. Walking off, I noticed Jade wasn't with her, so she must be with Adam. Poor guy, not like I feel sorry for him and that thought made Rhea chuckle.

Fifteen Minutes Later…

13:15…

(Scene: Starbucks, City Centre, San Angeles, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)

After purchasing my clothes, I brought Tanya over to Starbucks. I asked her about Adam, she said that he's at the park with Jade, that's adorable. There's nothing better than a father having time with his daughter. Meanwhile, myself and the Yellow Ranger argued about paying for the tea, staff nearly kicked us out if we didn't stop or come to a resolution. I caved, Tanya won the argument, paying for not just my tea, her's too. Next time Tanya, I'm paying. Shortly, the two of us began catching up, I told her to message Tommy on my behalf, apologising that I didn't contact him; I was just really busy. At this stage, I'm sure all the rangers that I am close to, are aware of my excursion and my involvement with the Overdrive Rangers. Though… they don't know I'm back in the spandex again and that's the last thing they need to know. Good thing Tanya didn't see all the green clothes I got. The two of us actually found a quiet spot in the café, so that we can talk about ranger business without raising suspicions. I filled her in about the kids, yeah… I know they're not kids, but I can't help calling them that. After everything that occurred, our bonds are stronger than ever. Tyzon and I are getting on like a house on fire, he constantly asks me about Eltar, while I do the same. I really like know what Mercuria is. The others think it's really cute that two aliens from different planets are learning about each other. Also… we discuss about foreign affairs and maybe get our planets to form a mutual relationship like Eltar has with KO-35, Triforia, Aquitar, Inquirius, Mirinoi and others. Too many for me to mentally and verbally list. Isn't politics fun?

Meanwhile, Tanya filled me in on the others. She's still waiting for my cousin to pop the question, while they maybe married, they're married on the basis of Eltar's laws, not Earth's. When myself, Tommy and the others came with us to Eltar, not only the two of us married under Eltar's ceremony; Aegis and Cassie did too. Neither couldn't wait, I don't blame them. Tanya spoke to Ashely and even she is getting frustrated with Aegis. I won't be surprised if those two are plotting, with help from some of the other rangers. Aegis will be in for a world of annoyance and pain. I am not sorry for him. I have been waiting for him to get down on one knee and ask her. Tommy ended up proposing to me twice, once while stuck on Earth-X; he wanted to me to answer, so we would know if neither of us made it out alive, we died knowing we loved each other. It's kind of poetic, huh? The second proposal was the day after we returned and recovered from Earth-X, Handsome went to get the ring he bought and asked me again, in front of everyone. Trini almost fainted at the sight, but everyone was glad we both finally tied the knot. Everyone expected Tommy and I to be the first married couple, either at the end of high school or in the middle of college, unfortunately fate had other plans, I sent the letter; you get the idea. Anyways, I filled Tanya in on everything, from recovering the Corona Aurora, lost it to one of our enemies, recruiting the rangers all the way up to adding our sixth member and having two jewels in our possession already. This is still leaving out the fact I'm the new Overdrive Green Ranger. I wonder how long I can keep this quiet until the press run their headlines? Then I'll be in for the bombardment.

"So, Kim," Said Tanya, breaking me out of my long running thoughts. "How's… is your… I mean… is your PTSD not hindering you in any way?",

"Well… it did come back for a while. The nightmares, flashbacks. Because of it, I nearly hurt the kids and on top of that… Firebird fights me for control." That was when she gave me a look of worry. Damn it! I shouldn't have mentioned Firebird.

"And you didn't tell Tommy!?" Tanya hissed,

"I may have had a few close calls, but I managed to push her down thanks to Rhea.",

"That's a relief, but please Kim, don't hide something like that." She comforted, "We barely survived the attack when she was released second time round." And she will bring Hell if given the chance to take over me again. Without giving her any warning, I stood up quickly, my chair falling and I slammed my fist.

"And you don't think it's any easier on me!?" I snarled, glaring at Tanya, as she watched my eyes flash. She stayed quiet, unable to reply to my response. With no more to say, I grabbed my belongings and stormed out of the café, ignoring the people who were staring at the commotion.

13:40…

(Scene: Park, City Centre, San Angeles, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)

I found a free bench in the more quieter parts of the park. I won't be surprised if Tanya contacted Adam to look for me if he's still around. What's going on with me? A part of me felt I should not have snapped at her, it was out of character for me. I feel though… Tanya shouldn't have said that stuff. I think she forgot that the attack on Reefside was hard on me too, Firebird made me watch the destruction she caused, the innocents she killed. I watched as she seriously injured the kids, dislocating Conor's shoulder, broke and cracked Kira's ribs, Ethan's leg was broken in two places and Trent was unconscious for three days. Reefside is still recovering, it was a vicious attack, Angel Grove got it slightly easier with Tommy as the Green Ranger and when he used his Dragonzord. It's all Maligore's fault, maybe none of this would have happened if I did not run into Jason. It's tiring to keep an alter ego in check, Firebird wants nothing but to end the entire world or rule it; referring to Earth-X. Maybe Firebird of that Earth was correct, we aren't so different, perhaps the scenario will happen, only at a later point in the timeline and we are just delaying the inevitable. Maligore could be right as well, Firebird is who I really am, my name is just a shell.

I looked at my new morpher, that sat on my wrist. It's exactly like Tyzon's and has the same features as the Overdrive Trackers. If Firebird took over me, it would be disastrous. She would not only have her Crimson Powers, but the Overdrive Powers too. Would she be capable of merging them? I should contact my aunt to see if she can purify my Thunderzord Spirit, if she refuses to literally remove Firebird. Also, add apologising to Tanya for snapping at her to my list. For some reason, my temper flares a lot more easily than usual, it not like me and when I come back for more sessions with Dana, I'll tell her that too. Seven years since the war and it's still fresh in my mind. It might be a long time before I get over Countdown To Destruction. Getting up from my seat, surely a walk around the park will help clear my mind and is not going to kill me. Unfortunately, I hardly made one step, before hearing an explosion, causing me to twirl around and seeing the smoke. People around the public park weren't sure how to react. So much for peace and quiet. Damn it! Tanya, Adam, Jade! I sensed my eyes were flashing again and I ran full speed, towards the area that is being attacked. May the Power protect me.

Same Time…

(Scene: Battlefield, City Centre, San Angeles, California, Earth/Tanya's POV)

By the time Adam found me, strolling our one and a half year old Jade in her buggy, I didn't even get to tell him what happened when an explosion suddenly went off! Some debris flew around, making Adam shield both myself and our child, but the debris didn't hit him. I saw a faint black shield and Kek, Adam's Animal Spirit, floating in front of us. Once the debris stopped raining on us, Kek lowered the shield, with my husband thanking him. That was when we saw the attackers, a bunch of… what looks like ice foot soldiers, along with some guy; dressed like a wanna-be Ice King, with a matching staff. People were running at the sight, Adam had a look on him, I knew he wanted to morph, I have my Zeoioniser on me just in case too. Adam grabbed my arm, saying:

"Honey, take Jade and go! I'll hold them off!",

"Alone!? Don't be playing fucking hero on me Froggy Boy!" I hissed. Luck seems to be on our side, as six coloured rangers appeared before us! All the five primary ranger colours of the originals and then you have a… Silver Ranger? Kim, you are mentoring an interesting team. The Pink Ranger looked at us both.

"Are two alright? What about your child?" That definitely does not sound like Kim, so she's not back in pink. Kim did tell me she's mentoring.

"We're all fine." I said. The Red Ranger ordered us to run and hide, so we had to do what he said. Adam, Jade and I took cover, but somewhere we could see the fight unfurl. The new rangers are holding themselves well, looks like Kim kicked their asses into gear in their early days. I'd shiver at the thought of her training methods, heard from her cousin that she was much more stricter than her own mom! And that was her time as a Lieutenant on Eltar! What a scary thought. Adam and I watched as the new rangers unsheathed their primary weapons; a double-bladed lance, a hammer, a pair of… shovel claws? A metal detector with a blade, then the Blue and Pink Rangers are using some sort of long-range weapons. Most of these almost resemble… excavation tools, very unique. I watched as the Red Ranger went for Ice King, while the others dealt with the foot soldiers. I have to say, Ice King is a proficient fighter, that was when the most unexpected thing happened! Mine and Adam's jaw dropped when a seventh ranger appeared! Specifically, a Green Ranger! This ranger was wielding a side arm and the outfit was similar to the Silver Ranger, only with the extra armour. Much to my dismay, I couldn't hear their voices over the fighting and the lasers being fired.

The Green Ranger aided the red with Ice King, that fighting style though… is that Tommy!? I swear to god! Six times a ranger now? That boy can't take a break, no doubt Kim already had a few words with him, as she's the mentor of this team. I thought Tommy was in Reefside, did he leave with Kim? For this? Anyways, I highly doubt Kim is here on the battlefield. Tuning back, the battle went on, Ice King's foot soldiers were decimated and it was now seven to one. I saw the Green Ranger unsheathe a weapon, almost similar to Andros' Spiral Blaster. He took aim, charging up the weapon and fired, the shot staying true to its target. Ice King flew back, landing on the ground hard, now injured, he retreated. Ouch, I almost felt that; that blaster has a kick, a lot of power and recoil. I glared at the Green Ranger, still firmly believing it's Tommy underneath the helmet. Who else would wear green!? Leaving my hiding spot, with Adam, carrying our daughter Jade behind me; I stormed towards the Green Ranger. The Silver Ranger pointed to the 'civilans' approaching them, he stepped in front of me, but I simply pushed him away, causing him to stumble into the Black Ranger. The Green Ranger raised his hands, trying to keep away, the other rangers did not dare to come close. Before Tommy could count to five, I reached for the helmet, unclasping it and ripped it off saying to him:

"Tommy Oliver! You are in so much…" I stopped mid-sentence and looked. It wasn't Tommy under the helmet, he's not the Green Ranger, that means he is still in Reefside. In front of me, was Kimberly 'Kara' Hart, giving me her signature 'please don't be mad at me' smile. Kim sort of developed that after all the excursions she's been through and uses it to lessen our worry. Sadly for her, it hardly works. Next, she and all the other rangers powered down, her helmet vanishing from my grasp. I stared at the other rangers, before turning back to Miss I-Promise-To-Only-Be-A-Mentor. I was pretty pissed since that promise went down the swanny. "KIMBERLY HART! You are in so much trouble!",

"Says the one who called me Tommy." She quipped and with that, I growled and smacked her upside the head; the same way Aisha did when they got sent to Earth-X. Kim flinched at that sudden attack, as the other rangers, she's supposed to mentor, cringe.

"Green Kim! Of all colours, green!?" I shrieked,

"Looks like our Little Crane grew out of pink." Adam chuckled. His face quickly dropped when both myself and Kim shot a look at him. Adam, you better hold your tongue if you don't want to end up on the couch tonight, with the black frog plushy you bought for Jade! That was when Kim nervously raised her voice, which is unusual for a strong and high spoken Lieutenant.

"Let's take this back to Andrew's mansion. What do you think kids?" She turned back to them, trying to give her best not-so scared smile. Sometimes, Kim shows a little fear towards Yellow Rangers; particularly towards Trini and Aisha. Apart from Tommy, they can actually keep her in check, like Jason keeps Tommy in check. Who knew Tommy and Kim could make a crazy, but dangerous couple, being soulmates, both having alter egos! I'm amazed that the world hasn't exploded, after the whole incident with Earth-X, there could be an Earth where both Kim and Tommy are ruling dictators. That thought is even scarier. Snapping out my thoughts, I saw the other rangers shake their heads in agreement, therefore, they lead us to the jeeps they used. Kids, huh? So Kim sees them the same way she saw the former Dino Thunder Rangers, that is actually adorable. However, I'm still mad at you Kim, just wait till the others find out!

Thirty Minutes Later…

14:10…

(Scene: Living Room, Hartford's Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)

Spencer entered with a tray of lemonade for myself, Tanya and Adam. Andrew decided it was best he stayed out of the conversation with my two friends and then the kids moved to the other room to play and dote on little Jade. The main reason I can see, is they don't want to be there when a Yellow Ranger explodes. Rhea appeared, taking her place next to Kek, those two were having their own private conversation. Spencer set the drinks on the table, ignoring my pleading looks to not leave me alone in the room; instead, he gives me a playful grin and exited the room, closing the door behind him. Traitors, the whole lot of them. Hopefully, I will leave this room alive, along with the fact the former Black/Green and Yellow Rangers will keep my 'back in spandex' quiet. I do know the others will find out eventually in their own way. God help me when the teasing comes, so I'll be getting an earful of Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider jokes, on top of the ranger colour jokes. My poor husband will be teased too and I won't be sorry for him. I can imagine my brother Jason saying that I'm rubbing off Tommy too much. I kind of wish I was on Eltar instead, breaking in the 'fresh meat' - AKA: new recruits, maybe starting brawls at the inn, along with getting slightly drunk on Eltarian mead. Before I can explain my position to the couple, Tanya went off, Yellow Ranger style.

"What happened to just being a mentor, Kim!?" She half shouted, really, she raised her voice at me. "You even told your husband that you will not touch the Power again!",

"It went down the drain, like Tommy." I said meekly, "And as for that… blame the Morphing Grid. It wasn't finished with me."

"Now, you're wearing his first ranger colour." Adam laughed, "First pink and now green. All we need to tick off is white, red and black.",

"ADAM!" I growled, eyes flashing and all. Both Tanya and I watched with satisfaction as Adam sank into his seat. "Ironically, I… kind of enjoy being in the thick of the fight." I heard Tanya sigh.

"You're a soldier through and through." She stayed quiet for a moment, before speaking again. "Don't worry Kim, we'll keep your active duty secret, but the others will find out.",

"Thank you." I said gratefully, "Relax, I'll deal with the onslaught when it comes.",

"That, I can't wait for." Tanya said gleefully. We all stopped to take a sip of our lemonade Spencer, the former Commander during the Vietnam War, left us. "I certainly won't be able to help you when your dearly beloved, brother and the Devil's Trio come at you." I sat back into my seat, huffing in annoyance, making Adam chuckle.

"I hate you sometimes. If I die by those girls, know that I'll be haunting your ass, Sloan." I joked, in a playfully serious manner.

"Touché, Hart." Chuckled Tanya, as she took another sip of her drink. Thank the Lord, since Fluious got his ass kicked, he won't be attacking again until he recovered. Also, Moltor, Kamdor and Miratrix won't jump the gun either and we like to keep it that as well. "Oh! Can I please see your morpher?" Lightly laughing, I unclasped my a Overdrive Morpher and handed it to Tanya, which she took and gently, not wanting to damage it. Adam leaned over to get a better look as she examined it.

"Morphinominal!" Adam said in awe, as the Yellow Zeo Ranger admired it, clearly loving the design. I have to say, wrist worn morphers are much better than the Power Coins. It was… kind of a pain to keep them stuffed in your pockets or hidden in your bag, where there could be a chance that they will be stolen, take me for example. Tommy never wants to go through another scenario like that again and neither do I. Aegis even feels my pain about having powers attached to your life force, it really isn't fun. Tanya handed back my morpher and as I strapped it back to my wrist, I hear a muffled voice behind the door, before either of us counted to three; I see Andrew barging in with a smile on his face. What's he… or what's made him so happy?

"Kimberly! I finally found the next clue to find the Blue Corona Jewel!" He exclaimed and that made me jump.

"Really!? What is it?" Tanya and Adam stayed quiet, silently enjoying watching a historian and an archaeologist interact with excited grandeur. Adam was actually trying to muffle his laugh, knowing well in advance that the two of us are going to go on a history rant.

"Somehow and some time, the jewel has made a place in Norse Mythology and it's pointing to the fact, we need to recover Thor's hammer." He explained, which caused me to give him a confused look. How has that jewel become intwined in a time and rule of the Norse Gods? Oh man! I sense a headache coming, history and mythology are more connected than I thought.

"We… and the rangers… we have to find Mjölnir. It was wielded by Thor, the Nordic God of Thunder, one of the sons of the Allfather - Odin. How do we find this hammer? There's no way it can be here." I said. Then, I saw Adam and Tanya get up from their seats, they knew it was time for me to get back to work. The two former rangers gave me a hug, the other Overdrive Rangers entered with their daughter and said their goodbyes to them. Adam, Tanya and Jade left, telling me to stay out of trouble and that my secret is safe with them. Hopefully. With those them three gone, I gave everyone the gesture to head down to the base, so Andrew and I could fill everyone in what is going on and how we are going to locate the the third jewel of the Corona Aurora.

14:50…

(Scene: Underground Base, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)

Once we got everyone gathered around our headquarters, Andrew explained everything about the clue, how Norse Mythology is linked to all this and how the jewel entangled with all of this. Rose was fascinated, because she didn't think that even Norse mythology is real too, we already experienced Roman Mythology with Atlantis; although… there are Greek texts mentioning Atlantis too, so… it is complicated. Rose began to ramble about Thor's hammer.

"So we're going to find Mjölnir!? The weapon Thor himself wielded!?" Or wields, if he actually exists. Her friends were trying to hide their chuckles, while Tyzon was just downright lost or confused. Looks like I'll have to teach him a thing or two about history and mythology. I decided to give them a short lecture on Mjölnir's creation.

"For those who are unfamiliar with the mythology of Mjölnir, this is how it was created. I should warn you: it's not exactly pretty. I'm putting it bluntly, the Gods were assholes to each other as much as any other God in numerous mythologies. You guys might as well get comfortable." With that, Andrew, Will and Mack helped Spencer get some fold-up chairs for everyone, along with myself. Thank god the base is large enough, we were able to make a small circle and the kids got comfortable, actually looking forward to a bit of storytelling. "Alright… so… this is how the creation of Mjölnir began. The Norse God of Mischief: Loki, he's also a bit of an asshole; was in a mood to play a few games. The unfortunate target of this mischievousness was Sif, Thor's wife; he cut off her hair. As soon as Thor found out, he was obviously pissed and threatened to break every bone in Loki's body.",

"You weren't kidding the Gods fight among themselves, when they're not doing useful things." Voiced Tyzon and the others hummed in agreement. I really wasn't joking with my words, if they are real, I'm probably insulting them. I got back to the myth.

"That was when Loki pleaded to Thor to let him go down to Nidavellir, or better known as Svartalfheim; one of the Nine Realms that is connected as a branch to the World Tree: Yggdrasil. It was the home of the Dwarven race, living underground. He convinced the Thunder God that he could get the craftspeople to forge a head of hair more beautiful than Sif's original. Thor let him go. Loki's services was accepted by Ivaldi's sons, whose names are unknown, unless you read the Old Norse myths, which I will not go into. Being master craftsman and the forge, they created more than just a new lock of hair for Thor's wife; they also forged Skidbladnir, one of the best ships in all of the realms, it was able to capture the most favourable winds and seemingly can be folded up." Then Dax interrupted me.

"What a load of bullshit! A ship that can be folded up? That is bonkers.",

"That's why it is a myth, Dax." Rose reasoned, "Carry on, Dr. Hart." I smiled a little, thanking Rose to keep Dax quiet. I continued the story again.

"The second creation was Gungnir, the deadliest spear known in Nordic mythology. Once the tasks were completed, Loki wanted to remain a little longer and decided to be a little shit again. He approached the brothers: Brokkr and Sindri, not the sons of Invaldi and challenged they would not be able to best the three creations; however, if they succeeded, they could have his head.",

"Oh Lord!" Ronny gagged, "That was the not-so pretty part, was it?",

"Wait till the end." I laughed nervously. Back again once more. "With the bet made, the brothers got to work and unknowingly, Loki decided to cheat by disguising himself as a fly. He first went to Sindri and stung his hand, it caused the Dwarf to pull his hand from the fire and along with it, was a boar, alive with golden hair. It was said the boar could give off light in the dark and run better than any horse, be it land, sea and air. Sindri's first creation was named Gullinbursti.",

"Wow, Loki really was an asshole." Said Mack,

"With all due respect, Dr. Hart." Tyzon said to me, "But what has all this got to do with Mjölnir's creation?",

"I'm getting there Ty, please bear with him." I answered. I returned to the story once again. "Sindri prepared another piece of gold as Brokkr worked the bellows. Loki came around again, as the fly and stung the Dwarf's neck, which made Sindri pull out a golden ring called Draupnir. According to the myth, it is believed on every ninth night, eight more gold rings of equal weight fell. Now, we finally come to the creation of Mjölnir. Sindri was adamant to his brother to be extra meticulous because the final error could be more fatal than the last two. With that, they got to work once more, but Loki intervened and stung Brokkr again, this time in the eyelid. The blood in the Dwarf's eye prevented him from seeing his craft, he still managed to pull through with Sindri and together, they created the hammer: Mjölnir which means lightening in Norse. To cut the story short, the Dwarven brothers traveled to Asgard, another realm where the Gods and Valkyries lived and presented them their craft; because Loki lost the bet, the brothers could have his head. To their dismay, there was a loophole; you know how in Shakespeare's comedy: The Mechant of Venice, the antagonist wanted to cut a pound of the protagonist's flesh from his breast, if he could not pay off his debt? But was prevented from doing so, because he did not mention anything about blood and it had to be exactly a pound, no more or less?" The kids nodded their heads, most likely vaguely remembering the play from their English classes as teenagers. "Well, that was a similar case. Loki told the brothers they could have his head, but that didn't include his neck and you know how improbable it is, to cut someone's head off without taking a part of their neck too.",

"I have to give credit to Loki, Kim, an asshole he was, but he's got smarts. I give a point to him." Andrew pointed.

"That's not the best of it." I smirked, "The brothers knew Loki was right, so instead of taking his head, the were content in sewing his mouth shut." I finished and all I could see was the mortified faces of the kids and were still frozen. I quickly whipped out my phone and snapped the picture, sending it to my husband with the caption: 'Story Time With The Kids'. By the time they processed what I have done, the picture was already sent, much to their mortification and dignity. Tommy was quick to get back to me, saying he was laughing his head, off along with my brother Jason and his wife Trini, who were keeping him company. They were asking what story I told them, that had them react like that. I texted back saying it was 'not a child-friendly fairytale' and that I'll 'get back' to Tommy later. I looked back as the kids glared at me for taking the photo. Well, I told them it wasn't pleasant, I guess they're thinking they would rather have Loki's head severed than his mouth sewed shut. Without warning, another voice was heard.

"My my, aren't you a proficient storyteller." I turned three-sixty to see an unexpected sight. It was a head, a floating head. I looked back at the others, Dax ran off to the corner, finding a randomly placed bucket and retched into it. Everyone was trying to comprehend what they were seeing. I think the story got to him. "While I maybe The Rememberer, you certainly know our history, young scholar." The Rememberer, the name rings a bell. Where did I come across it? Wait a minute… it all came to me. Is that who I think it is!?

"You're Mímir! Odin's advisor. Hold on, you're usually attached to Odin at the hip, how are you here?" I asked the… floating head. I thought seeing my father as a floating head in an energy tube was enough for me. The others, Spencer and Andrew included, were still trying to process this, even I was too, but someone needed to talk.

"Why yes, lass. I usually am, but thanks to some Vanir magic, Freya was being somewhat courteous, despite the events of the Aesir-Vanir War; with Odin's permission, she casted a spell that allowed me to float and move around. Honestly, I hated being carried around like a decoration on Odin's hip. The Allfather hardly showers and reeks. As for why I'm here? I came seeking you guys out, I know you seek Mjölnir." My eyes lit up, this is going to make our job so much easier!

"You know where the hammer is?" I questioned,

"Of course I do! You have to ask Thor for it." Our face fell. Ask Thor? How? "And how I got here, it's what you call inter dimensional travel. Though I had to hop from Asgard to Midgard and got here." Well… that's understandable, Midgard is technically Earth, but not in the way we know it. "You see, we live side by side, but we are not interfered by each other. Midgard is actually Earth and with the existence of the Multiverse, it is called Earth-10 and rests as a part of the World Tree Yggradsil. I can take you guys there, but I can only take three, the rest must stay behind." Mímir unfortunately revealed. I sighed, looking at the others, who will go and who is willing to stay? Andrew stepped forward.

"Kim, you go with Mímir, take Mack and Rose with you. Will, Ronny, Dax and Tyzon will remain here. I'll be backup mentor until you return.",

"But you'll be outnumbered!" I argued,

"We'll be fine, Dr. Hart." Tyzon smiled, "Just ask Thor nicely if we could borrow his hammer.",

"If you have to, go all Kratos on him!" Dax joked. We all groaned, I knew he was referring to Santa Monica Studio's two-thousand-and-five hack and slash, Greek Mythology game.

"No Dax! I will not go around slaying Gods!",

"I must agree with your teacher." Said Mímir, "I ill advise the idea of killing Thor. You do not want to upset the Allfather. You could have… Dr. Hart sent to Helheim for such a crime!",

"It was a joke." The Blue Ranger muttered and I patted his back, telling him to keep the jokes to himself. I quickly left the gang for a moment to change into my official Overdrive uniform that Andrew got made for me. I actually love it, it fitted well, did not feel tight in any shape or form and he picked a nice shade of green; it is the same shade of green like Tommy's original ranger suit. Myself, Mack and Will checked our morphers were in working condition, but I warned them we might not be able to morph in the Nine Realms. Andrew decided to give us some backup gear, handing us spare side-arms: the Overdrive Defenders and the three of us accepted them, holstering them to our hips. Mack and Rose took heed to my warning, I gave Mímir the nod to transport us.

"Oh this is exciting! I've never taken humans of this world to Midgard and that is where we will be going. Don't worry about Ragnarök, that won't happen for another ten thousand Winters." Said Mímir and with pure excitement. I felt my stomach churn, I would not want to be thrown into that. The time when Jörmungandr, one of three siblings and is son of Loki, stirs from its slumber, setting of the event Ragnarök - the end times, the twilight of the Gods. We stood around Mímir and he began to cite a spell? I think in what sounds like Norse or Old Norse. Suddenly, our vision was blinded by white light and I felt us transporting.

Morning (Midgard/Earth-10 Time)…

Afternoon… (Earth-1 Time)…

Canon: It's Hammer Time

(Scene: Outside Village, Midgard, Fourth Realm of Yggradsil, Earth-10/Kimberly's POV)

In a flash of light, Mack and Rose landed on their feet, while Mímir… well… Mímir remained floating, he has no body. As for me, I landed face first into the ground, making me groan. This is exactly how my own friends and I landed when we got sent to Earth-X! That was last freaking year! I don't think I'll ever get used to travelling between two Earths. I felt Mack and Rose help me onto my feet, while laughing lightly, I then brushed the dirt off my suit. I don't know if it was a good idea to wear these clothes, we all look out of place, especially with the technology we are carrying. I hope the other rangers are alright. I did tell Andrew if he has to, call the previous rangers as reinforcements, but that's a last resort. Mímir broke my train of thought.

"Come now, humans. We need to make our way to the Lake of Nine." He said. The Lake of Nine? Why is it called that? "There's a fishing village not far from here and they so happen to face the lake. We just need a boat.",

"If you say so." I replied. With that, we began to make the trek to the village. As we walked, I took in the breathtaking sight of the woods, so beautiful and yet untouched. A part of me wishes to stay in Midgard a little longer and explore, but we can't, we are here to see Thor and ask if we could use his hammer. Hopefully, he might be a little hospitable. I hope I don't mean what I said about the Gods being assholes. After another hour of walking, the village finally came into view, but Mímir stopped and so did we, seeing plumes of smoke coming from the village we were going to. Something is wrong and Rhea didn't like it either. The smoke meant one thing from my experience: the village is under attack. Mack and Rose ran down to the village without a second thought, I followed suit, with Mímir yelling:

"WAIT! It's too dangerous! Oh bollocks!" We reached the village, our jaws just dropped. It certainly was attacked, attacked by… walking corpses? Mack and Rose did not know how to comprehend this either. This is no George R. Romero's Living Dead Trilogy, this is worse. It's a massacre. "Draugr." Mímir told us, "Poor souls denied entry into Helheim, because they have unfinished business or some idiot families did not bury them properly.",

"They're slaughtering the village." I muttered. Unsheathing my Overdrive Defender in blade mode, I picked up a fallen shield and charged towards a Draugr about to kill a mother and her baby. I slammed the shield into the rotting corpse, sending it tumbling away. Mímir came to my side. "Tell the mother to take her child and get out of here!" I don't know if the people of Midgard speak English, The Rememberer spoke to her in a language I don't understand. It is Norse alright. Shortly, the mother sounded like she was thanking me, stood up and ran. The Draugr I rammed stood back up, wielding its own sword and charged at me. It smacked the sword against my shield, which I countered, getting a clean slash onto the creature, making it bleed. With it weakened, I stabbed my weapon into the torn tissue, making the undead cry out in pain. I drove my sword deeper, assuming I hit its heart, which I think it did; the Draugr screamed one last time, before flaring up and turning into… ash? I turned my attention back to Mack and Rose and they seem to be holding themselves well. Soon enough, the Draugr began making a retreat, a portal opened and the remaining corpses ran back into it.

"They're getting away!" Mack cried, about to run after them. I grabbed Mack by the collar and shook my head, he got the message. We watched as the portal closed. I then dumped the shield, not needing it. Mack looked at Mímir. "Where does that portal go to?",

"It's not just a portal, it's a Realm Gate. An area of realms between realms. While I have seen it used for Midgard, but never between… the actual realms. That could only be done in the Realm Travel Room!" Explained Mímir,

"But where does it go?" Rose asked for clarification,

"Forgive me. The portal goes to Helheim, the Realm of the Dead.",

"I thought Valhalla was the Realm of the Dead." Mack mused,

"Oh no, boy! Valhalla is in Asgard and for those who died in honourable combat. Helheim is for the worst of the worst. Enough talk, we must make haste." Just as we were heading to the docks, there was suddenly a clap of thunder and the blue skies darkened, so much even the sun became blocked out. We all looked up, the clouds forming an indistinguishable face, but the eyes were glowing. What the hell!? Is that some kind of spirit? I felt Rhea was beginning to get uncomfortable, the aura was dark, it felt like… death? Then, an incomprehensible voice boomed and in Norse, Mímir will have to translate.

"Þú gerðir alvarleg mistök að trufla menn! (You made a grave mistake interfering, humans!)" With those words, the voice was gone and the sky cleared. Myself, Mack and Rose looked back at Mímir for a translation.

"Um… the Goddess of the Dead just threatened you three.",

"Hela threatened us!?" I exclaimed, not liking the idea of being directly threatened by a Goddess and who is daughter of Loki himself. His other two children are the World Serpent and Fenrir. I'm beginning suspicious about all this. "Mímir! Is there another reason, to why you brought us here?",

"Well… I… uh…" He stuttered. Rose was losing her patience.

"Spit it out, Mímir!",

"Alright, alright! A few sunrises ago, Thor vanished, along with his hammer. Sif, his wife grew worried since he did not return to Asgard. She went to her father-in-law, Odin for counsel. He told her to wait, but Thor had not returned, he confronted Loki, but he refused to speak." Mímir told us all. This is bad, really bad, if Thor is missing; who knows where the freaking hammer is! "Odin knew he needed extra help, he went through all of the existing Earths, bar Earth-X, Earth-X2 and well… all of the bad, terrible Earths that would make Helheim a luxury!" Mack crossed his arms and he filled in the gaps.

"So, he found our Earth and sent you to us.",

"The Allfather specifically wanted to meet you as well, daughter of Grand Sage Zordon of Eltar." I went completely stiff… Odin knows my father!? How? When? Since when did father travel between Earths and when in God's name, did he travel to Midgard? "Hurry now, to the Lake of Nine. I hope you are a strong rower."

Next Day…

10:35…

Tuesday…

24th July 2006…

(Scene: Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth-1/No POV)

Andrew was pacing in his office with the four remaining rangers, their mentor, his son and Rose have already been gone for a full day and it doesn't look like there's a sign of them. It appears time here moves differently compared to Midgard and that doesn't really help his nerves, the last thing he needs is Tommy Oliver knocking on his door, demanding where his wife is. What's he going to tell him? A floating head appeared out of nowhere and brought Kim and two of the rangers with him to Midgard; also known as Earth-10? He thinks Tommy will assume he lost his mind and the quest for the jewels of the Corona Aurora is already heading into crazy territory. Well knowing Kim and the other Ninjetti are connected via mystical tethers, that's already a pain in the ass, unless Kim silently cut her connection to them during this trip. Andrew somewhat wishes he could go to Midgard with them and see the Gods, along with the fabled Asgard. Will and Tyzon were in his office trying to help him find links to the hammer with the jewel, while Ronny and Dax were outside sparring with each other to pass the time. The archaeologist really hopes the kids and Kim are safe and that they won't do anything stupid or Red Ranger stupid, looking at the now Green Overdrive Ranger and his son.

Suddenly, the doorbell went off and Andrew wondered who might it be. Spencer was already present at the door, opening it just as he stepped out of his office. The butler opened the door, revealing three particular females, Andrew hoped not to meet in this situation. It is the very three female rangers that Kim somewhat fears. He felt the colour drain from his face, Kimberly has the best sense of timing! Just leaving when The Devil's Trio appear on his doorstep! With whatever courage and bravery Andrew had, he welcomed the former rangers into his home and let them take their seat in the living room. Spencer went off to get drinks for the guests, as Andrew took his seat across from them, he was then joined by the other four rangers.

"Trini, Aisha, Kat, how nice of you to join us. What brings you here?" He smiled,

"We came to ask about a certain… Green Ranger on your team." Answered Trini and his face fell. Shit. Then Dax ran his mouth, which brings Andrew closer to his untimely grave.

"Oh! You mean Dr. Hart? She, Mack and Rose are not here at the moment." He told them, causing everyone else to cringe, which he didn't notice. Ronny was ready to punch him, because Rose relayed a few stories to her, from Dr. Hart about these three particular rangers. Aisha looked ready crush someone, Trini is looking for murder and Kat appeared as if a vein in her head was preparing to pop. Dax still continued. "The lucky three are gone off to Midgard with Mímir to recover Thor's hammer." It seems the other Overdrive Rangers will have to teach Dax how to keep his mouth shut.

"So that explains why Artemis told me, Rhea was silently cutting the tethers." Aisha revealed,

"And Adam told us she's back in the spandex as a Green Ranger." Kat clipped. Well, so much for Adam and Tanya keeping it secret. It seems like dear old Adam was put in a corner and forced to tell them. For all Andrew cared, Kim is going to be sent to an early grave when she comes back. Andrew slyly cringed, he's definitely going to be dead by the time Kim and the kids return. If that is not the case, both he and Kim will be buried six feet under.

"Lord have mercy on my soul." He thought worryingly.

Meanwhile…

Evening (Midgard/Earth-10 Time)…

Morning (Earth-1 Time)…

(Scene: The Realm Bridge, Midgard, Fourth Realm of Yggradsil, Earth-10/Kimberly's POV)

I finally docked the boat so that we can step foot onto the Realm Bridge. I stretched my arms to loosen the tension, well, not bad for a first time rower; but it's not as easy as it looks. We followed Mímir up the steps, then turning left towards a large door. There was a lever to pull, which Mack did, allowing the doors to open and leading us into another room. The doors closed and we made way to the next room, which was connected by a… what looks like a light bridge. Myself and the kids were hesitant to walk across it, as Mímir floated towards the door that led to the Travel Room. He turned back to us.

"What are you three standing there for? It's solid light and created by Elven magic! It's completely safe." Mack braved the first, putting his foot down and to our shock, his foot landed as if it was normal, solid ground! That's impossible! He smiled, looking like he was having fun. Knowing the light is solid, somehow, even Rose thought this was illogical; we walked across it and Mack, once again pulled another lever. The doors opened, revealing a large room, at the centre was some kind of tree. We were all amazed at the structure, the engineering that went into this! "Rangers," Mímir said, "Welcome to the Travel Room. Now, how it works, head to the centre." We did what he said, making our way to the centre. We all stood around what looks like a tree, which housed nine different towers and the bridge that was outside. This controls the bridge in real time!? Impossible! "Long ago, this mechanism was once controlled by the Bifrost, powered by the pure light of Alfheim. Thankfully, the Dwarves decided to change that, so we can travel to Asgard without the said power of the Biforst.",

"And figure out what pissed Hela off." I added, "Plus, how she's connected to Thor's disappearance.",

"Aye lass. That is most disturbing. Alright, turn the bridge once, clockwise. That's the tower leading to Asgard." I did was Mímir instructed, turning the dial, to make the bridge towards Asgard. I assume the bridge outside also turning. "OK, push the dial down." Pushing the dial, there was bright light dancing around the room, as it moved! Incredible! The room didn't turn much, on the other side, we see what looks like a crystal, levitating and absorbing the light. The process was quickly done and the roots extended to form a small bridge.

(Scene: Castle of the Aesir Gods, Asgard, First Realm of Yggradsil, Earth-10/Kimberly's POV)

Weird, we're still here. Is the mechanism broken? Mímir gestured to follow him and that we did, going out the same way we came in. I pulled the lever to open the final door. The kids and I were expecting to see the landscape of Midgard again, but instead, we were met by a heavenly light that left us dumbfounded. The… the Nine Realms… they exist in the same space! How?

"Rangers, may I humbly welcome you to Asgard - home of the Aesir Gods. Please tarry to the throne room, Odin is expecting you." Nodding, we made our way to the doors of what appears to be a large castle. I can't believe we're in Asgard, it feels like a dream, but I'm awake! Tommy is going to be so jealous of my adventure, this is so much better than with the Dino Thunder Rangers; no offence to them.

We met a pair of guards outside, protecting the gate. They stood to attention, allowing us entry, Mímir led us to the throne room; which honestly was not far. Stepping into the room, at the very centre waiting for us was Odin - the Allfather, the King of the Gods in Norse Mythology; like how Zeus is in Greek Mythology. None of us were sure whether to bow before a god or not for respect and courtesy. Instead, Odin himself stood up, walking towards us! I gulped slightly out of nervousness and he looked at me with an analytical eye. Help me? Rose and Mack were a little scared too. He then smiled and lightly patted my back, to our surprise.

"I can definitely see Zordon in you, child." He said to me, in English! Thank god and the Great Power it wasn't Norse or Old Norse for that matter. Poor Mímir would have to constantly translate for us. "Tell me Kara, how is my good old friend?" I swallowed a lump in my throat, clutching my mother's necklace. I answered the god's question.

"My father is dead, Odin." The Allfather's own face changed to surprise and sadness. "He's been dead for seven years. Sacrificed himself in battle, to rid our world of evil.",

"I'm sorry for your loss, Lieutenant. Give your mother my condolences." Odin replied. "You three must be hungry." He stretched out his hand, pointing to the right. I assume that leads to a dining hall? "I had dinner prepared for you all. We can discuss the situation over food." Following Odin, he led us to the dining hall. I took my seat, sitting diagonally from Odin, while Mack and Rose sat beside each other across from me. We looked at the food, expecting something foreign, but the food seemed pretty normal; except for the fact we don't really consume wild boar meat. There was also a pitcher of wine, but none of us cannot afford to drink alcohol. The kids were eating away, as I picked here and there at my food. I decided to speak about the current affairs with Odin.

"Odin, we heard your son Thor is missing.",

"He is indeed. Sif grows restless and worried. Without Thor to control thunder storms, the storms are out of control, putting Midgard at risk. My people also noticed, ever since he vanished, agriculture has been in decline." He explained,

"When we arrived," Mack voiced, "Draugrs were attacking the village. What's going on in Helheim?" Odin sighed at the question.

"I wish I knew, boy. Hela, Loki's daughter keeps her affairs to herself. The gods, such as me are forbidden to enter her lands." I leaned back into my seat, trying to put the dots together. Thor's vanishing, dangerous thunder storms, Dragur attacking villages, Hela not keeping Odin up to date… is she responsible for all this? Why has Hela suddenly gone rogue? This would put all the Nine Realms at an imbalance.

"You're in deep thought, Kara." Voiced Mímir, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Like to share something with us?",

"I shouldn't be pointing fingers, but it can't be a coincidence. Could Hela be responsible for all this?" We watched as Odin scratched his chin, thinking about my words.

"It's plausible. Loki won't say anything and he hardly interacts with his daughter, let alone his own two sons. If she kidnapped Thor, she is asking for war.",

"Or she could try to speed up Ragnarök." I thought, which caused him and Mímir to gasp in shock of such an idea. Supposedly Ragnarök is not meant to happen for another ten thousand Winters, guess Hela can't wait ten thousand years. "Think about it, come Ragnarök Thor is supposed to face and slay Jörmungandr. If Thor isn't present, the serpent is free to cause havoc!",

"Allfather, I must agree with the young lass' assumption. Thor's absence come Ragnarök will be disastrous!" Mímir reasoned, "If Thor really is held captive in Helheim, we need to rescue him.",

"It's too risky." Odin shaking his head. "Hel is not a place for the living to wander.",

"With all due respect Odin, if your son is down there, we can't abandon him. What kind of father are you, if you abandon your own son?" I asked him. Don't go down the same path as my dad did, abandoning me for his research. It seems like… not all gods are assholes.

"You are correct, daughter of Zordon. I cannot leave my son to Hela's hands." He then signalled the guards, saying to call Freya, his wife, whoever she is. We didn't have to wait long for her, as she stepped into the room. She greeted myself, Mack and Rose and Odin explained to her that we need to travel to Helheim. Freya was shocked at this statement and somewhat horrified too, however, she casted something onto the three of us, explaining it is a protection spell and gave us the travel rune for the realm. Something tells me I'm going to regret this and Rhea does not like the idea of heading into a land of the dead. I wonder which is worse? Helheim or the Underworld? I told the kids to try morphing and I'll do it with them. We stood in a line and did our morphing sequence.

"Overdrive Accelerate!" Nothing happened, not even a flash of light. This is bad, we are completely disconnected from the Morphing Grid. Of course, I feared this in advance, so the kids weren't completely shocked by my warning. Great, it'll be old school combat if we have to fight. Mack then noticed Freya, looking thoughtful. What is she thinking about?

"Raise those… contraptions to me please." She ordered. I simply raised my wrist, as the kids raised their Overdrive Trackers. The three of noticed she is citing a spell and our morphers began to glow all of a sudden! The gold light quickly died and Freya began to explain what she did. "I have given your power devices enough energy to transform, with a limit of only once." One time to morph, we have to use this wisely and only when we have to. Hopefully, we can free Thor before Hela finds out, none of us would want to fight a god. "Be careful rangers and bring Thor back to Odin and I." Nodding, we all began to make leave and Mímir decided to tag along with us. He might be able to navigate us around Helheim.

We made our back to the Travel Room, not wasting any time. I turned the dial until Mímir told me to stop, seeing the connecting to the Helheim Tower. I pushed the dial and the room did the works. I can't believe it! We're actually travelling to Hel! This is probably the craziest shit I have done, even the kids think so. Rose and Mack were beginning to get nervous jitters. Then, the room stopped moving, we're here.

Nightfall (Earth-10 Time)…

Afternoon (Earth-1 Time)…

(Scene: Helheim, Ninth Realm of Yggradsil, Earth-10/Kimberly's POV)

Mack, Rose, Mímir and myself stepped out onto the Realm Bridge, suddenly clutching ourselves. Shit, it's cold! The temperature would give Antartica and the Arctic a run for its money, I'm surprised we're not freezing to death. Our Overdrive Defenders were ready to be unsheathed at a moment's notice, if enemies appear. Fighting the undead, it makes me appreciate we are fighting foot soldiers back home. Mímir told us we better make haste if we want to get out of here as quickly as possible. I couldn't agree more with him, even Mack and Rose. We walked across the bridge, seeing the souls of the undead make their way across, this is so terrifying. We were off the bridge and in the distance, was Hela's castle. How are we going to get there? Alright, take one problem at a time, just take each problem as it comes and don't panic. Mímir told us of a shortcut that would cut walking time, but it meant going through dungeons under her castle. Fuck me.

We continued walking, following Mímir as he guided us, he seemed unbothered by the cold, but it was slowly getting to us, as small icicles formed on our uniforms. By the time this is over, I'll be sleeping with three hot water bottles and I won't be leaving my bed. Jumping down a small cliff, a strange occurrence happened, a dark cloud formed a few meters from us, becoming shapes; people. I saw a familiar figure, it was me… no… Firebird, she was fighting against the three remaining Dino Thunder Rangers. Oh no! This was the attack on Reefside two years ago. I watched helplessly as Firebird caught Conor and brought his shoulder at an awkward angle, all of us hearing the sickening crack of his shoulder blade. Conor cried out in pain, demorphing. Next, it was Ethan, using his Tricera Shield, but it did little good, as she tossed it aside and punched her fist twice into his leg, breaking it in two places. Last was Kira, she was caught by the neck, attempting to stab her Ptera Grips into the back from the air. Firebird then punched her hard in the ribs, I heard the crunching break, and threw her towards Conor and Ethan, who passed out from the pain. I covered my ears, to stop listening to the sound of the kids' pain, closing my eyes to avoid seeing the damage I have done.

"Listen to me Dr. Hart," Mímir's voice was sort of distant, but my mind was sort of processing it. "It's Helheim playing mind games on you, psychologically torturing you by using your past against you." The illusion of Firebird turned towards me, looking at me mockingly.

"Doesn't matter how many times your friends tell you it is not your fault, you will always be a monster. You can never get rid of me." I snapped, lunging for the illusion. I ran straight through it, making it vanished and almost ran into the wall. Sweat ran down my forehead, my mind racing. A monster, worst than the creations that our enemies created to kill us. A literal devil inside my mind, perhaps I should stay in Hel to be tortured and just die here. Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I looked to see Mack, he then helped me up.

"Ignore it, Dr. Hart." He said to me, "You're better than her." What if I'm not though? Still, I nodded as an acceptance of his words and we all doubled the pace to get to the dungeons before any more illusions haunt us.

(Scene: Dungeons, Under Hela's Castle, Helheim, Ninth Realm of Yggradsil, Earth-10/Kimberly's POV)

OK, we finally made it to the dungeons. We stuck our heads out from our cover to examine the situation. By the entrance of the dungeons, Draugrs were guarding the door. Obviously it wasn't going to be easy. We need to be stealthy and thankfully, Rose can utilise her invisibility powers, or we can distract the Draugr and lead them off. How are we going to do this without setting off the alarm and getting Hela's attention on us? Then without warning, I felt something hard smack against my head and I collapsed, losing consciousness.

A While Later…

(Scene: Throne Room, Hela's Castle, Helheim, Ninth Realm of Yggradsil, Earth-10/Kimberly's POV)

I found myself slowly regaining consciousness. What happened? We were just outside the dungeons, figuring out the best way to dispatch the Draugr guards. Great, it looks like they got the upper hand. I looked at my surroundings, a throne room, beside me was Rose and Mack, all held down by some sort of brambles giving off a bluish hue. Mímir was locked inside a cage and to our surprise, across from us was Thor! His hammer Mjölnir was locked inside a reinforced container. I began struggle against the bonds, but to my dismay, the brambles began to move and get tighter. I felt my ribs getting crushed, in the instant I stopped struggling, the brambles loosened its grip on me. That was when Rose and Mack began talking to me.

"The Draugr got the jump on us." Rose started, "Snuck up behind us. Also, don't struggle against the brambles. They'll choke you.",

"Yeah, no shit." I quipped. I turned to Thor. "Thor! You alright?",

"I'm hanging. Your rescue mission back fired, huh?" Thor's statement made us all chuckle, despite the situation. Well then, that confirms my theory that Hela is involved in Thor's capture, surely though, there must be someone else involved unless she is smart and cunning enough to pull this off on her own. We heard the doors open and walking in was Hela, the ruler of Helheim. I wouldn't call her a walking corpse, but she is certainly not easy on the eyes. Half her body was human and the other was practically rotting flesh. The smell of death coming off her was unbearable. She then spoke to us, surprisingly in English, last time she was speaking Old Norse.

"Feeling comfortable?" She said smoothly,

"Depends on your definition of comfortable." I grumbled. Hela approached me first, looking at me dead in the eye, ignoring Mack and Rose's cry to stay away. They couldn't afford to struggle against the enchanted brambles. "Zordon's daughter, hm? You have Aria's eyes, you even look like her. I recall them visiting the fool, Odin when they were still seeing each other.",

"You're responsible for Thor's capture!" I growled, my eyes flashing red. Hela's lips formed a small curl, predatory almost.

"Highly observant, are you not, Eltarian?" She then raised her hand, glowing with some kind of energy. "Let's see what is in that mind of yours." Unable to move, she placed her hand on my forehead and I felt the pain of her entering my mind, making me yell out.

(Scene: Kimberly's Conscience, Indescribable Location/Kimberly's POV)

I opened my eyes, finding myself in pitch black surroundings. Where is Hela? She's invading my mind, my conscience! I need to kick her out. That was when a voice called out, a voice I did not want to hear, especially after going through the illusion of her… or me severely injuring the kids; not the Overdrive kids, the Dino Thunder kids.

"I can help you, Kara." I twirled around, seeing Firebird in front of me, wearing her Crimson Ninjetti outfit. I went on the defence. How can I trust her after what she did to Reefside? How she influenced me in almost hurting the kids when I went after Kamdor and Miratrix? "It is understandable that you do not trust me, but I have the power to help you.",

"Can I truly trust you, Firebird?" I questioned,

"Let's compromise. You and myself, both in control and I give you a portion of my power to defeat Hela. How about that?" I frowned, trying to comprehend this and answered back.

"I get to use your power, but not only I'll be in control, you will be as well.",

"Exactly. You work with me, I work with you. Two halves of a brain, controlling the same power.",

"Therefore, I will partially be myself and you." I glared at her. What choice do I have? Will this power be enough to burn the brambles holding me and free Mack, Rose and Thor without cooking them alive? As much as I can't forgive Firebird for what she has done in the past, two years ago; I have to put some form of trust into her. At least I'll be in control too. I scowled a small bit, really not seeing any other options. "Fine, I hate you, but you better hold onto your word.",

"I promise you, for now, I will behave." Firebird smirked and our surroundings lit up in a blaze, I caught Firebird's hand and our bodies merged together. Hela is going to regret this.

(Scene: Reality, Throne Room, Hela's Castle, Helheim, Ninth Realm of Yggradsil, Earth-10/No POV)

Kimberly opened her eyes all of sudden. To Hela's shock, her gaze was met by glaring, burning red eyes that glowed like fire. Fire, Hela hated that in her realm. Kimberly's body lit up in a blaze, appearing as if she the daughter of Surtr of Muspelheim; burning Hela's hand off, literally and completely surprising Rose, Mack, Thor and even Mímir. Looking at the brunette, they all figured this is someone else and not Kimberly Hart, but the monster locked deep inside her. That monster has now been released thanks to Hela's meddling. Surprising her even further, the brambles that held Kimberly or whoever she is now, burned them to a pile of cinders. The intense heat was enough to burn through the brambles, Hela was too shocked to move, as she watched her prisoner walk to towards the other humans and Thor. By simply stretching out her hand, this… fire monster… fire demon burned away the brambles freeing the three. She then turned to the Red and Pink Overdrive Rangers, as Hela called for the Draugrs.

"Morph and free Mímir. Hela is mine." Her voice wasn't completely evil, it sounded like their mentor, but her alter ego is also having control.

"D-D-Dr. Hart?" Mack stuttered, knowing his mentor's alter ego. He wasn't sure whether it was their mentor or Firebird.

"Yes and no." She simply replied, somewhat indicating Dr. Hart is still there, but Firebird at the same time. Well knowing Kim is not going to let her use the new Overdrive Powers, Firebird used her standard ranger powers. No offence to Andrew, Firebird simply did not like green, compared to Kimberly. Firebird got into her morphing stance, the one the Original Rangers use. "It's Morphin' Time! Crimson Ranger Power!" Fire surrounded her body, moulding around it to form her suit and chest armour. The fire died down and Firebird was revealed in her true ranger form, she stretched out her muscles to loosen any cricks and then glared at Hela, unsheathing her short sword. Everyone was dumbfounded, the Overdrive Rangers in particular. The suit and the armour matched the picture they saw on the article Ronny showed them. The armour was gold, the chest plate protecting her shoulders, intimidatingly sharp with crimson accents outlining it, there were bracers on her arms for further protection and on the centre of the armour was the insignia of the Firebird. Then there's the helmet, sharper and more threatening, it looked almost like their mentor's original Pink Ranger helmet. Mack and Rose, once they collected themselves, quickly morphed.

"Overdrive Accelerate!" And chaos ensued inside the throne room. Firebird leaped for Hela, whose hand quickly regenerated, grabbed a sword and managed to block the attack. The two were soon engaged in swordplay combat, while Thor was freeing his weapon Mjölnir. Firebird meanwhile, ducked a swing and stabbed her blade into Hela's leg, it must be Kimberly's influence, because they want to avoid killing Hela, only weaken her. Hela pushed Firebird off her, using dark magic and sending Firebird skidding across the floor, her armour scratching, causing sparks to rise from it.

"DR. HART!" Cried Rose, as she kicked away a Draugr before stabbing it.

"Stay back, girl!" Firebird growled. At that same time, Thor came to her aid, slamming Mjölnir into the ground. Hela was stunned for a few seconds and a few seconds was all Firebird needed. Dismissing her sword, Firebird charged at the Ruler of the Undead, picking her up and used her like a battering ram. The Crimson Ranger slammed Hela's back into the wall and while she was motionless, she let out a flurry of punches, pushing her deeper into the wall and sending cracks creeping up. By then, Rose and Mack managed to dispatch the Draugrs with Thor's help, turning their attention to aid their mentor, but Mímir stopped them. Firebird let out one more punch, sending the crack further up along the wall, completely weakening it and it gave way. The debris fell upon Hela, trapping her, not killing her, to the relief of The Rememberer. Firebird kneeled down towards the now trapped Hela. "I'm giving you two simple options: let us go and you will live. Come after us, I will finish what I started and I will not hesitate to end a god's life." Hela simply laughed.

"You and I, we're not so different. If it weren't for your original form holding you back, I would gladly accept you as my warrior slave for Ragnarök." Firebird cocked her head to the side, her helmet vanishing in a crimson haze.

"Tempting Hela, but I work alone. The gods neither interest me.",

"Firebird, enough. Let's go." Kimberly said in her mind. Firebird sighed outwardly, relinquishing control, allowing Kimberly to come back as promised, now her eyes were back to their normal doe-brown colour, not burning red. Leaving Hela in her current state, the group made their way to the exit, before Hela called out.

"You are going to die, child of Eltar! I saw it." Kimberly stopped in her tracks, turning to the Goddess of the Dead.

"Dr. Hart," Thor said, "Do not listen to her. She speaks lies." Kim didn't listen.

"What do you mean?",

"I could not see exactly and when, but I know what will happen to you. You cannot stop it, it is written in stone. Kara of Eltar, you. Will. Die!" She laughed psychotically, trapped within the debris. In that split second, Thor grabbed Kimberly by the arm, pulling her towards him and in a flash of lightening, they all seemingly teleported Thunder God style.

(Kimberly's POV)

We found ourselves back in the Realm Travel Room. Mack was quick to work the dial, bringing it back to Asgard and pushed it down, wanting to get away from Helheim as quickly as possible. I sat on the floor as the room moved, contemplating what Hela said. I will die, it's written in stone, nothing can change that. I'm destined to die? Like my father Zordon? How and when will I die? Rhea told me to forget about it, she might have said that to scare me. The room stopped moving, signalling we have made it back to Asgard. How can I leave with the knowledge Hela just told me? That the life I'm living is destined to end. For some reason, a part of me thinks she's right, this is a destiny I might not be able to change and I can't tell Tommy that. I'll have to hide this from him. What if she's wrong? Maybe Rhea is right, Hela is just messing with me. Standing up, we made our way to the castle.

Next Day…

17:50…

Wednesday…

25th July 2006…

(Scene: Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth-1/Andrew's POV)

After getting lectured for the past two days by The Devil's Trio, with their help, we managed to make a breakthrough in our research. There seems to be a temple in out the countryside of Iceland, which makes sense. We're dealing with Norse Mythology, the language of the Old Norse is somewhat alive through the modern day language of Icelandic. Perhaps we might find a hidden temple dedicated to Thor. I wish Kim and the kids were here now, I'm getting a headache from the trio's rant at me. I can't exactly promise them that Kim would be safe! Well… she promises to be safe, but that doesn't danger from coming after her. What do they expect me to do? Babysit her? She's a fully grown adult, a full grown Eltarian! Kim is fine… I actually hope. Kim recently has been having a knack for doing stupid things and some of which border lines Red Ranger stupidity. Without warning, I was blinded by a flash of light and stepping out, was Kim, Rose and Mack. They're OK! I gave them a happy, welcoming smile, locking all three into a tight hug. In Kim's hand, was Mjölnir, Thor's hammer; the actual, genuine hammer! My god! It's a work of art! No wonder Brokkr and Sindri loved it too.

"You guys did it!" I said to them. "How was the journey? You've been gone for two days!" That was when they all gave me a confused look.

"Two days?" Kim said, "We were only gone for several hours." Well, that busts my theory that time moves differently in Midgard to here. Before I could fill them in about going to Iceland, the door behind them slammed open, making me wince. Entering was The Devil's Trio and boy were they pissed. Kimberly was once more, giving her 'please don't be mad at me' smile. "Kat, Trini, Aisha! What brings you here?" Without a word, Aisha stomped over to Kim and slapped her hard upside the head. Kim flinched, almost dropping Mjölnir on her foot. She quickly out the hammer down, before the Yellow Bear Ninjetti Ranger went full throttle on her. Kat and Trini soon joined in, screeching at Kim, as she struggled to block their blows. Three on one is kind of unfair. Mack and Rose were unsure what to do, while the other rangers came down, happy to see them safe and sound. Tyzon, on the other hand was asking if they should save their mentor, but I told him it is best, for their own safety, to not get throw into the mix. Ah sure, she'll be fine. I gestured to the kids to follow me into the office to bring them up to speed and how the hammer, the next clue to the Blue Jewel and Iceland are all connected.

With Kimberly and the Girls…

(Scene: Outside Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)

I blocked a punch from Kat, then back flipped to avoid a strike from Aisha, only to get knocked off my feet by Trini. Seriously! This is how I'm welcomed after being away for several hours on Earth-10, which was the equivalent of three days here! The three of them were livid with me, yelling at me about being back in the spandex. Adam! Next time I see him, I am going to kill him! He and Tanya promised to keep my back into action secret. So much for that, I won't be surprised if Artemis threatened Kek. They all yelled me, calling me another Tommy as I managed to pull myself up before they launched into another tirade and bringing up the fact I never told them the truth when I left Earth ten years ago. I was promised a verbal assault, but since they never got to do it when the whole drama of me being trapped in amber, stuck in my ranger suit, my PTSD and so on; it has now been combined as a physical and verbal assault. They've been waiting to do this. I think I should stayed in Midgard. I think I also hear my father laughing, he's watching me as my friends beat me up. It wasn't long until Kat got in the final blow, which I didn't have time to block or dodge. She lashed out with a punch to my stomach, causing me to double over and finished me an axe kick, her heel slamming into my back, added with ranger enhanced strength. I felt my ribs hit the ground and I groaned. Please, time out. I think I'm done.

Suddenly, Aisha pulled me onto my feet by the collar of my new Overdrive uniform, still glaring at me. I could sense Artemis chasing and berating Rhea too, nothing is worse than pissing off the Bear Spirit. Really though, three on one was not really fair and I was surprised to see my friends. Suddenly, they all locked me in a hug, which I to groan over the pain they inflicted onto me. They then released me and the verbal assault started again, only much gentler after they vented.

"You are so stupid, Hart!" Trini gritted, "I swear you should be a Red.",

"I'll take that as a compliment. I guess I deserved the beat down from you all." I said, rubbing the back of my head.

"So Kimberly, green I see." Kat looked at me teasingly. "Does Tommy know?",

"No, I've been too busy to call him, which he understands; don't get me wrong." I told her, "But thanks for reminding me.",

"You are taking care of yourself, Kim?" Aisha added, joining in. "You're not spending overtime researching, locked in the office and forgetting to eat?",

"One or two occasions?" I slowly said. Wait for it.

"KIMBERLY!" They all exclaimed. Go figure.

"Look girls, I'll be free to talk to you all for the rest of the evening after I get debriefed by Andrew. Just wait for me, OK?" The three of them nodded and we all walked back inside. I'm sure Spencer will cater for them for a while.

Three Hours Later…

20:50…

(Scene: Living Room, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)

Finally! The kids and I got the next clue to help us find the third Corona Jewel. After we went to the countryside of Iceland, of all places to have connections to Norse Mythology. It was surprising to hear that the language Icelandic is not so different to Old Norse and a lot of English words are derived from Old Norse too. Anyways, we managed to locate the hidden temple within the mountain, it was dedicated to Thor, really not a surprise. Inside we found a chest, protected by a bunch of stone statues that resembled Draugrs and it clearly sent chills up mine, Rose's and Mack's spines. We promised to tell the others about it over food. Anyhow, they didn't remain statues for long after I used Mjölnir to break the reinforced stone chest, which revealed a talisman. We don't know what it is for or its origins, but for now, it was safely stored away in the vault down in the base. Back to the not-statues, they came to life, in an attempt to stop us leaving or… make sure we died retrieving it. We were able to make quick work of the Draugrs and we all agreed no horror movies for a while.

On the other hand, I wanted to start studying the talisman, but the kids insisted on keeping me away and have pizza with them. They even threatened to get the former rangers to drag me away and I conceded. Plus, we promised to tell them our time in Midgard. Rose and Mack were telling the story as I sat next to my friends, also enjoying the pizza we ordered. They then got to the part we had to travel to Helheim to rescue Thor. Dax interrupted them.

"Wait! Your guys went to the land of the dead!?",

"This is why myself, Rose and Dr. Hart went full on against the Draugr in Iceland." Mack shivered, "I never want to fight the undead again!" I looked over to see Mjölnir that was placed on the side table. How are we going to get it back to Thor? He must want it back now. We listened to the Red and Pink Rangers again, as they went into the battle that happened in Hela's throne room. "Then Dr. Hart burst into flames! Her eyes were like fire and the flames burned the brambles that held us!",

"Before we knew it, she morphed into her Crimson Ranger form, her armour was so cool and she fought Hela!" Dax was geeking out again, as Will, Ronny and Tyzon's face fell, hearing I went toe to toe with a Goddess.

"I wish I was there now. You went all Rage of Sparta on Hela!?" Please stop using God of War references, Dax. Hela is still alive and hopefully won't cause any more trouble. Unfortunately, the story was met in the opposite reaction by my friends.

"You let Firebird take over you!?" They all hissed, which caused the others to cringe.

"It was a yes and no thing. I was somewhat in control, but Firebird pulled the reins. We made a temporary compromise for the situation we were in." I explained to the trio. "It worked out in the end guys and Firebird relinquished control afterwards." They all just sighed, but it was a sigh of relief.

"Nice to know I still send fear into every single ranger." Firebird smirked in my conscience. I internally growled and told her to shut up. Rhea gave Firebird a warning as well, with that, she retreated. Rose then, wrapped up the story.

"Before Thor transported us all back to the Realm Travel Room, Hela… Hela said Dr. Hart will die." She gulped, which made everyone drop their jaws with fear and worry. It was evident in their eyes. "She said to her that she didn't know when or how, but it was set in stone.",

"K-Kim…" Kat stuttered, hating to know this, as if it was destiny.

"I'm sure it was a lie. Hela just said that to scare me and you heard Thor, don't trust a word that comes out of her mouth." Everyone sighed in relief hearing that. The hate the thought of knowing that I would die. All of a sudden, our little celebration was interrupted when a flash of light lit the room. It was a portal! Trini, Aisha and Kat were ready to morph, but I told them not to and that it was fine. Stepping out, was Thor accompanied by Mímir.

"Thor! Mímir!" Rose and Mack exclaimed, happy to see them again.

"Aye, how I missed you lassies." Mímir chuckled. Dax was a little better at coping with the floating head, but it was the opposite for my friends. Trini and Aisha were better at holding their stomachs, trying to understand what they are seeing, but Kat… well… with a burst ranger enhanced speed, and a swinging door, Kat was gone to the nearest bathroom. I looked at Mímir apologetically.

"Sorry about my friend, but I think you top her 'I've Seen Enough Shit' list.",

"The last person we saw as a floating head was…" The Remember finished Aisha's sentence.

"Zordon of Eltar? Yes, I see. I am sorry for your loss, Kara here told us at Asgard." I saw the pained looks on Aisha's and Trini's face, but they were somewhat taken aback that the Norse Gods and Goddesses know my father, our mentor. Remembering the hammer, I turned to pick it up and handed it back to Thor. He smiled graciously as he accepted it, hooking it to his belt on his waist.

"I want to thank you again, for rescuing me from Hela's clutches." Thor said with genuine gratefulness. "I am forever in your debt, rangers, my wife too. Oh yes, Odin has a gift for you all.",

"Me!" Mímir said happily, "Odin was kind enough to relinquish his only advisor and he figured you would all love to hear the stories of the Norse Gods. Oh! I have plenty tales to tell about the Primordials." I looked back at Thor.

"Are you sure? Is Odin sure? To let Mímir stay with us?",

"My father has never been so sure in his life, Kara Frelsari Guðs." I frowned, unsure what Thor meant. Mímir jumped in to translate, by then, Kat was back after sadly throwing up her pizza.

"It means God Saviour or Saviour of God. Odin bestowed it on you, for rescuing his son." I laughed nervously, brushing back a piece of my hair.

"With all due respect, it was not just me. I couldn't do it alone, Rose and Mack who accompanied us helped too." Beside me, we noticed the two rangers blush with embarrassment. My three friends were quietly snickering, I was just about able to hear them say the 'Hart Humbleness' is kicking in again. Thor laughed.

"Their services are not forgotten either, for my father has given them the title Guð Riddarar.",

"God Knights. The Allfather forever has your gratitude." Mímir finished. So, we have a new friend to the team: Mímir. I wonder if his knowledge extends further than Norse Mythology, if it does, he will be extremely helpful. If not, it doesn't matter, I can't wait to hear the stories he has. Thor opened the portal once more to return to Midgard, told us to take care of Mímir and wishes us the best on our journey and protecting our home from evil. He also said goodbye to Mímir, which our floating friend returned the gesture and the portal closed. "So, you were all having a celebration I take it? How do your people celebrate?" This is going to be a long night.

Four Days Later…

5:25…

Sunday…

30th July 2006…

Canon: Post-It's Hammer Time

(Nightmare/Scene: Battefield, Unknown Location, Eltar/No POV)

Kimberly ducked the swing of a sword belonging to an enemy that was attacking her home. This enemy and his army has ravaged her home, overpowered her army and left her little choice but to order the Eltarian army to retreat back to the escape pods. The enemy has done it, they brought Eltar to its knees, after it stood strong for so long after Countdown To Destruction. She then blocked a vertical sword slash, feeling the metal vibrate down the sword to her arms. The army was desperate for her arrival before all this broke out and before Kim could to five, the Elders promoted her to General. For the time being, she was fighting for survival, as the only fighter because the rest have escaped, ensuring that not all the Eltarian race are dead and have gone into extinction. Her cousin Aegis and best friend Alura have been forced away in the last escape pod, leaving her stranded. It's practically fifty-fifty now, her opponent will either kill her or in good old Power Rangers fashion, capture her, then brainwash her into his personal warrior. Kim would honestly prefer that latter because the others could then find a way to free her.

After a long fight, Kimberly finally got a clean slash across her opponent's chest, bringing him to his knees. Instead, she was brought to her knees after being shot in the back, making her drop her weapon. The enemy stood up, looking down on her triumphantly.

"This is it." She thought, "This is where it all ends." Kimberly heard her enemy pick up her sword and pointed it at her neck.

"You fought well, General Kara of Eltar, but your home still fell." He chuckled, "Earth will meet the same circumstance, the same way I conquered Andresia." Kimberly just laughed at him.

"Earth will be your downfall… Verak. It is more heavily defended than you think." Kimberly bravely back answered.

"It is time for you to meet your end and join your people." Verak growled and with his final words, Verak stabbed the sword into Kimberly's chest, causing her to inhale sharply. The sword ripped through her tactical vest and right into her lungs, she couldn't comprehend the pain, she felt her body shutting down as her life slowly drained away. To her left, unsure whether she was hallucinating due to the pain or not, she saw Firebird, not the Firebird of this world, but of Earth-X.

"I told you, Kara: your friends would not be here, when you need them the most." And the apparition vanished. Verak pulled the sword out, making Kim clutch her chest, feeling the blood come out through her vest, she then whispered her final words.

"Tommy… Amelia… I'm sorry." And then her world went black, as she collapsed to the floor.

(Nightmare Ends/Scene: Bedroom, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)

I shot up in instant after the nightmare finished. Cold sweat ran down my back, forehead, my breathing was erratic. I focused to get my breathing to slow and calm my heart rate. Inhale, count to three. Exhale, count to three. I repeated the coping mechanism until I felt my heartbeat go back to normal. What the hell was that? It felt like a nightmare, but a nightmare does not feel real. It really felt like… a premonition. I was on… Eltar, my birth home. I die on my home planet, alone? Who is Verak? I am to die by his hand? Who were his army? They looked like foot soldiers. Lastly, who is Amelia? What or who is she to myself and Tommy? I got off my bed, rubbing my forehead. Perhaps Hela is right, I am destined to die. It seems as if I can't escape or change my destiny. Is my death a catalyst for something? I don't know and I can't tell Tommy or my friends this, they would do everything in their power to stop this. My three friends left just thinking it was a scare tactic. I need to take my mind off it, I need to stop thinking about it.

I stood up, changing into my clothes to head downstairs. I need to continue examining the talisman we recovered from Thor's shrine in Iceland.

Three Hours Later…

8:25…

(No POV)

The rest of the occupants inside Hartford Mansion woke up for breakfast. The rangers who were dressed in their civilian clothes, walked down the stairs to head for the kitchen so they can 'raid' the fridge. As they walked down, Mímir was happily talking to Mack and Rose, promising a story they would love to hear as they ate; because of the Vanir magical enchantments, Mímir does not need to eat and is more than glad to be an advisor of sort for Dr. Hart and Andrew, like he was for Odin. The kids have warned that the two have their moments in arguing with each other, thankfully the chances of war with words have significantly lessened, but there is a chance it can happen; and he his happy to take that role. In a way it is similar to Spencer's role, they both act like a voice of reason and are elegant with their words; but unlike Spencer, Mímir will resort to using words only a sailor would know. The group entered the kitchen, surprised to see Dr. Hart already up and about, making tea for herself. She turned around, greeting the Rangers and told them raid whatever they wish. Dr. Hart explained she was already studying the talisman and will tell them what she learned after they eat. Andrew wasn't long in either, but he will be out as there is something he needs to attend to.

The rangers sat around the table as Ronny, Rose and Tyzon got down to making a fry. Tyzon told them thanks to his fiancée, she taught him a thing or two about cooking. The Yellow and Pink Rangers were grateful for the extra hand as the other boys are useless. That resulted in playful argument amongst each other and Mímir floated at the side, watching the interactions with interest. He was amazed at how close they were, the people of this Earth behave so much differently compared to Midgard. He suddenly found himself worried about their mentor, the kids say she is usually up around the same time as them, never earlier. As the rangers fooled around, Mímir silently floated away from them and made way to Andrew's office, figuring that is where she will be. When Mímir reached the office, far out of earshot from the rangers, he called out to Dr. Hart; however, he prefers calling her by her birth name.

"Kara! Would you mind letting me inside?" Without a reply, the door opened.

"Mímir! Come on in." She said. The Remember entered the office as Kim close the door. Kim wasn't in her Overdrive uniform, instead she was casually wearing a pair of jeans, a plain green shirt with a green-checkered shirt, unbuttoned over it. To Mímir, it was strange to see that his new friends have clothes for casual and working days. On the desk was the talisman they recovered, beside it was several books, some opened, the others piled on one another. It appeared Dr. Hart was researching fairly early.

"You were up early." Spoke Mímir, to break the silence.

"Well, I needed extra time to get more research in." Kim replied, hoping Mímir will buy the half truth, half lie statement. "I think I'm getting close to something though." Her new friend shook his head. He has seen this tactic one, too many times and it is not going to fool him, compare to those who outright accept her words without questioning.

"I know Hela's words are bothering you, lass. Please do not lie." Kimberly sighed, knowing there was no way to outsmart him. "You have been suffering nightmares, that feel like premonitions of your future, as well.",

"I can't leave this world, Mímir. I… I have so much to live for. I can't leave my husband and my friends.",

"Sadly, there is nothing we can do about it." Mímir said sadly, "The Fates have set your destiny and for their reason why, I do not know.",

"For all I know, it could be the work of the Morphin' Masters." She grumbled angrily, "Father told me a few things about them. How they created the Morphing Grid, in essence they are the Gods of this world and overseeing every Earth, bar Earth-10; are the Emissaries. They reside inside the Morphing Grid, yet overlook the entire cosmos and the Multiverse, but the Masters themselves live in the heart of the Grid." Kimberly set her tea on the desk and leaned against it. "If I can't change my destiny, then I will accept it, let life play out as normal coming up to it. If the Mophin' Masters have foreseen this, I hope they know what they are doing.",

"You are wise for your age Kara of Eltar." Smiled Mímir. Kimberly then looked over at a book she left open and saw a picture that matched the talisman. She picked it up and she broke out into a smile. Mímir on the other hand was sort of confused.

"That's the artefact!" She said excitingly, "It's not just a talisman! It's a compass. It is called the Aztec Compass or Piedra Aztec del Comps." Kimberly was then in a state of thought, as Mímir hovered over her. "How did the Aztecs get wrapped up in this too?",

"Well… if my memory serves me right, Tyr loved to travel, but in this case, the Blue Corona Jewel did get sent to Midgard. Odin knew the jewel wielded a lot power, but figured it would reignite war with the Giants. He ordered Tyr to find a place to hide the stone." Explained Mímir, "Travelling to the safest Earth he could think of, which so happened to be your Earth, he encountered the Aztecs.",

"And they helped him hide it." Kimberly concluded. "I'm glad you are here, Mímir." She turned her attention back to the compass. "Let's see if we can translate those Aztec symbols."

One Week Later…

14:00…

Sunday…

6th August 2006…

Canon: One Gets Away

(Scene: Office, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/No POV)

"YOU LET THEM STEAL THE JEWEL!?" Kim screamed at Will, her eyes flashing red. William actually flinched, as the others cringed at their mentor's and Green Ranger's temper. "WHAT POINT OF 'RETURN IMMEDIATELY', DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND!?" Will felt like he was put on trial, which was an understatement as his mentor was no doubt going all judge, jury and soon to be executioner on him. Andrew and Spencer were even keeping quiet, to avoid being yelled at. Kim wished she could have being with the kids when they retrieved the third jewel: the Blue Sapphire, but she was in the throes of aiding Andrew in planning ahead, by seeking the next clue to the fourth jewel of the Corona Aurora; the Red Corona Jewel. Everyone looked as William hung his head in shame, he let Kamdor and Miratrix double team him and get away with the jewel, it was his fault. He should have listened to his friends, to get the sapphire to Hartford Mansion as soon as possible. Mímir braved Dr. Hart's temper and tried to reason with her in Will's defence.

"Kara, I beg of you, calm down. Yelling at his error is not going to fix things.",

"You're right, Mímir." She replied, "Because you made the mistake, Will. You can fix it! Get out of my sight. You are a disgrace of a Black Ranger." With those final words, Will felt pride being broken down to the point of non-existence and he snapped.

"If I am such a disgrace for the legacy of Black Rangers, then I quit!" Will took out his Overdrive Tracker and slammed it on the table in front of Dr. Hart and Andrew. Will challenged his mentor with a hard glare of his own. "You know what, Dr. Hart? You're no so perfect yourself either. Tell that to the people who died under your command." The temperature in the room suddenly dropped, Will just stepped into territory that was sensitive to her. Spencer well knows that Countdown is still a sore point and mentioning those that died under her service is a no-no, especially saying it directly to a soldier's face.

"Do not push me, boy." She growled, appearing as if she was undeterred by William's harsh words. "Leave." With that, Will stormed out of the office, with his friends following him, leaving only Andrew, Spencer and Mímir with Dr. Hart. The only sound the four of them could hear was the door slamming.

"You could have handled that a little more graciously, Kara." Mímir chastised. "You let your temper get the better of you.",

"Save the lecture, Mímir." Kimberly snarled, "I need to fix William's fuck up." Spencer stepped in, picking up Will's tracker.

"You will remain here, Mrs. Oliver. You caused enough damage already.",

"Pulling rank on me, Spencer?" The Green Ranger argued,

"Yes." Spencer replied boldly, "And don't make me call your husband or The Devil's Trio. Let me handle William." Kimberly silently scowled at the butler's words, which was all he needed to signal that he can carry out what he wishes. Hopefully by the end of the day or tomorrow, Kimberly and Will can sort out their issues. They are all human, everyone makes errors and from errors they learn lessons.

Several Hours Later…

20:40…

(Scene: Gardens, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth/Kimberly's POV)

I was sitting on the bench, staring at the water fountain, listening to the sound of the water. The kids pulled through once more, despite losing the Blue Sapphire to Kamdor and Miratrix, we retrieved the Super Amour that the Fear Cats were using to empower their own Zord. They made some kind of deal with Moltor who gave them the map to the location. Spencer and Mímir were right, I shouldn't have been so hard on Will and he had the right to say the things he said. It sort of did hurt me when he mentioned the soldiers who died when I led them up to and during Countdown. I sometimes see the soldiers who died in my dreams, but they aren't angry at me and still ask me to make peace with the past. As I said a while back, when you lead a group of soldiers you become close to, to the point they are more than comrades, it is a lot to burden on your mind. All I wanted is to keep the kids from making mistakes, but I guess making mistakes is what makes us human and they are life long lessons.

At the side, when I watched the rangers hug Will, they were happy to see him and that he came when they needed it the most. He did admit his failings, but it doesn't mean his failings should affect the others when they faced the Fear Cats. It's probably the one lesson I haven't fully learned and there were times I felt I have failed as a Lieutenant or even a ranger. I'm glad that Spencer and Mímir made me see reason, they're both keeping grounded and in check. I admit I should have been more worried for Will's safety than the recovering the jewel, I guess I let them get to my head, because I saw how close we were to retrieving them all. I felt we were coming close to a journey's end, but I forget not everything is plain sailing and losing the jewel to our one of our enemies is only a snag in the road, it means we have to be more vigilant in locating the Red and Pink Corona Jewels.

In the midst of all the craziness, I sort of forgot about looking into my dad. I was just too busy and… I ran out of leads. My dad really did vanish, maybe at this stage he is dead and I never got say goodbye. I pray he died a peaceful death and is probably happy that I'm with his old co-researcher Andrew, finishing his work. If we can complete that, I'm sure my dad's spirit will move on and he is with me, just like my real father Zordon. I took out the arrowhead necklace from behind my shirt and clutched it, I am still connected to dad through it and he would want me to carry on with my life.

"Mímir… told me you were out here." A voice said behind me. I turned to see Will, shuffling on his feet, slightly nervous. I gestured to him that he could take a seat, which he did.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you, Will. I was out of order." I admitted,

"You don't need to apologise to me, Dr. Hart. I deserved it." He answered, "And I shouldn't have said the things about… the soldiers who died. It was harsh.",

"I don't hate you for it. I had that coming, there might be one or two things from my past, I haven't come to terms with." Said I, "Anyway, I got my own lecture from both Spencer and Mímir. Plus, you us the armour and that is good enough. We'll have another chance to take back the jewel.",

"I'm sure you want a rematch with Kamdor and Miratrix, right?" He smirked,

"It's been a while since I last fought them." I said thoughtfully. We both turned back hearing laughter from the sitting room and I stood up. "Let's put what happened us and move on. Deal?" I reached out with my hand and William smiled.

"Deal." The two of us shook on it. "Now, let's head back inside before our human garbage disposal eats all the pizza." I laughed at him, patting his back.

"Yeah, let's head." And we both turned back, returning to the others inside the mansion.

---

Next Time:

"We lost our powers. They're disconnected from the Morphing Grid." Kim revealed,

"What are going to do?" Mack asked, panicking. They have a new enemy related to their mentor's old enemies, then another who is a sibling and they are powerless. The others turned to Kim.

"I need to make a few phone calls."…

"Rangers, meet the backup team, until we get our powers restored." Kimberly introduced…

"Aye yi yi!" Cried Alpha 5, "Reconnecting your morphers is going to be more difficult than I thought!"…

"It's Morphin' Time!",

"Dino Power! Power up!",

"Ninja Storm, ranger form!",

"Wild access!",

"Let's Rocket!"…

---

Now we have gotten to the chapter you guys are most anticipating: Once a Ranger. This part of the story is divided into three parts and I sort of deviated from canon, by picking my own team. I wasn't exactly thrilled seeing Bridge and in my universe, SPD have not made contact with any ranger team before 2021 as you noticed, with Time Force being the exception. On top of that, I found Xander kind of annoying. You have the morphing calls, so while you wait for Part I of Chapter 7, have a guess.

Also, apologies about the description-dialogue ratio. This kinda happens after going through a bout of Writer's Block.

Until next time!