"What could possibly be taking them so long?" Conner asked, as he was growing impatient, waiting in the Command Center for Kimberly and Tommy. They did not seem to find it important to come down and actually talk to them about what was going on here.
"The two of them have a lot to talk about Conner," Andros said as Conner turned to him, in shock that Andros would say that sort of thing to him when it was obvious that that was the absolute least of their problems. They had a monster coming after them and they were concerned about how their relationship would turn out? That just didn't match up, at all.
"Yeah their relationship is a hell of a lot more important than what happened this morning," Conner smarted off as a door slammed and he jumped around to see Kim glaring at him and Tommy just smiled. He was not going to say a thing, Kim's fury would be more than enough to keep Conner quiet for the next few days, at the very least.
"Our relationship is what is causing a lot of this to happen. So we might need to figure out exactly what we're doing," Kim said as Andros gave her a concerned look, but she just shook her head. She would explain everything fully to him later, but right now she wanted to rip into Conner. "And there are things in our relationship that are more important than your little adventure this morning. See, we've done all of that before, so excuse me for not being extremely worried about your situation."
"They came to my soccer game, you aren't concerned about that?" Conner all but yelled as Kim turned on him and glared up at the boy.
"It's something that they would do, the more destruction that they can cause, the better. I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth and you are going to have to deal with a lot of harsh truths over the next few months if we are going to be able to get you into the shape that you need to be in," Kim said, almost too calmly, as Tommy took a step to catch her, in case she did snap. "Of course, if you think you can do our job better, we'll leave right now and you won't have to worry about us wasting anymore of your precious time."
"You did it alone, why can't we?" Conner asked, sticking his foot in his mouth as Andros and Tommy grabbed Kim to keep her from attacking the young, stupid ranger.
"Bull shit we did it alone! Haven't you listened to a damn thing that we said to you!" Kimberly yelled as Tommy wrapped his arms around her to further restrain her as she started glowing an eerie shade of red and Conner's eyes widened. "You are going to need us to survive or Mesogogg will hand you your own ass on a platter!"
"Calm down, Kim," Tommy whispered in her ear and she took a deep breath to attempt to do what he was asking, but it still didn't really make him feel better. He could feel the anger bubbling up inside of her.
"You don't act like you care," Conner said as Kim let out a frustrated groan and then walked away from all of them.
"Kim, where you going?" Tommy asked as he started to follow her, but stopped when she looked back at him.
"I am going to calm down, talk some sense into them, please," Kim said as she slammed the trap door closed and Andros and Tommy exchanged a glance. They both knew if Kim was walking away that she had been very close to losing all control that she had attained over the years as a ranger.
"Conner, how can you be such an asshole?" Kira asked, turning on him the second that Kimberly was gone from the room. "Do you not remember what they're giving up here?"
"We're giving up more," Conner said as Tommy just shook his head and took a step forward.
"I didn't know that I had a child because I was a ranger and it was too dangerous for her to tell me. I have missed six years of her life that I can't get back, so don't tell me that you've given up more than I have," Tommy said, dangerously, as Conner looked over at him, slightly scared of what Tommy might do to him at the moment. "Now, what do you want to know that is so important?"
"It doesn't really seem to matter now," Conner said as he was receiving a death glare from Kira right now.
"I do have one question, why is it that Mesogogg is so scared of you and we can't so much as get in a punch with him?" Ethan asked as Tommy smiled over at him. He had been waiting for one of them to bring up that, so that he could have the opportunity to explain what their true goals were with them.
"He respects what he knows that I can do. He doesn't want to try me too hard, but he believes that all of you are too weak and that he can just attack you at will," Tommy said as they looked at him in awe. "Our job right now is to get you up to the level where you can fight Mesogogg and his helpers by yourselves, because we have to go to Phaedos, to find the powers that will allow us to no longer be rangers."
"Phaedos? Where the hell is that?" Conner asked, as he was sure that he knew that nine planets that existed in his own solar system and that was not one of them.
"It's a planet in another galaxy that contains an unknown amount of powers that we could use for earth. I've been there before and so has Kim, so the two of us know what we might be up against if we go back," Tommy said as they looked over at him. They had not realized exactly what the three of them were going to be up against until now.
"How can you do that?" Kira asked as Tommy looked over at her and she could read from his expression what the answer must be.
"We have no choice. If we do not go, then no one will go and no one can be certain that even we will fully accomplish the task that is at hand, we're just the best chance that you are going to have," Tommy said as they stared at him in awe and Andros held in a smile, as he did not want for them to know that this was exactly what they wanted to have happen. Tommy was trying to shock them into silence so that he could go calm Kim down, because they both knew that things were not going to be good if one of them didn't go up there and attempt to get her calmed down very soon. "Now, if you have no more questions, I have to go take care of a pissed off red ranger."
"Kim will be fine," Conner said as Tommy just shook his head and continued up the stairs. "He just wants more time with her."
"Conner, will you just shut up!" Kira yelled at him as he looked over at her in surprise. "All you have done is gripe and complain that they aren't looking after us like you think that they should, but they've got a lot on them, cut them some slack."
"She's right Conner, you have to remember that although they are rangers, they have a life outside of it that means a lot more to them than everything that is happening in the ranger world. They have to figure out what they mean to each other and if they can put Jenny through everything that is going on right now," Andros said as Conner looked over at him, slightly surprised that he made any sense. "I may be from another planet, but I know the two of them better than you would imagine."
"You aren't from Earth?" Conner asked in shock as Andros laughed.
"Hardly," Andros said with a smile as he turned away from them. "I have to be getting back to the Space Station, if you need something, call me."
"I guess we'll let ourselves out," Ethan muttered as they were now left alone in the command center without any supervision and they all thought that they needed to leave. This place certainly did not feel comfortable to them at all.
-------------------
"Kim?" Tommy started hesitantly as he walked up the stairs and found her curled up on the couch. "Are you better?"
"Yeah, I am," Kim whispered as he sat down next to her. "I'm just worried about how things are going to go, considering everything that we're going to have to do."
"I know…but what choice do we have?" Tommy asked as Kim nodded in agreement, if they didn't do what they were being asked to do while they still could, they would be stuck as rangers forever.
"Have you even thought about what we are going to be facing?" Kim asked as Tommy nodded his head that he had.
"It's not going to be pretty, what we'll be facing is likely to be something that we haven't seen the likes of in years," Tommy said as Kim nodded in agreement, although she dreaded hearing those words come from Tommy's mouth. She had definitely thought it, but to hear it made it all the worse.
"Do you think that we'll be able to survive this?" Kim asked as Tommy nodded his head yes. He didn't think that he could not say yes.
"Kim, when do you think that we can go get Jenny?" Tommy asked as Kim just shook her head.
"It's not safe right now, we're going to have to wait a couple of weeks at the very least before it will be safe," Kim said as Tommy just stared at her. He could not believe that she was willing to do this when he was almost certain that she would be begging that they go back tonight. "We have to leave them in Andros's hands and hope that he will be able to keep them out of trouble. We have to get to Phaedos, now."
"Kim, I'm not sure that is the smart thing to do," Tommy said as Kim just stared at him. She was not thrilled to hear the doubt in his voice.
"It may not be the smart thing to do, but it's time that we get this over with. We are the only ones that can Tommy and we might as well do this now. I don't want to wait until we are sure that nothing will happen to Jenny, at least when she is with your parents, she'll be safe," Kim said as Tommy nodded as he reached and pulled her into a hug.
"Kimberly, let's talk to Andros and then get this over with, you're right that we can't keep waiting around," Tommy said as she gave him a kiss and he started walking them towards their room with a smile on his face. He was glad to know that he had her again and he would do anything to keep everything just as it was, but he knew that this too would pass and the day was nearing when they could no longer ignore everything that they were feeling. He just hoped that they would all be able to understand when that day came.