Chapter 15: Mind's Journey
Billy rubbed his eyes from having been staring at the results on the screen for the past few hours. While he wasn't any closer, part of him felt that staring at it was helping in some way, even if it was just to keep everyone else calm. He glanced over at Hayley to see that she wasn't doing much better though, like him, she seemed determined to try and wasn't taking her eyes off the screen. He couldn't blame her since like him, part of her felt like this was her fault for letting him. Even Billy's words "Sometimes, he is right" didn't help as Tommy hadn't had a good idea this time. Jason and Trini had both shown up a while before and were sitting near the others around Tommy's bed, just waiting. None of them really knew what to do in this situation and other than glancing at Billy, their eyes tended to be on their fallen companion. The raptors had been sent out of the Lair to ensure that they didn't accidentally hit the bed while they were wrestling around though they had been oddly calm as if they understood the seriousness of the situation.
Kim was holding Tommy's hand and trying to keep from crying with all three of the Dino Thunder Rangers surrounding her. Kira on her right, Ethan on her left, and Conner right behind her with his hands on her shoulders. All of them looked almost defeated by the entire mess. Kira wasn't much better than her female mentor and would go from being quiet to crying and back to being quiet again. Conner and Ethan were just as pessimistic, but would reach over and just lay a hand on their female companion's hands every once in a while. Neither had said a word. Trini and Jason had been trying to keep them optimistic on the other side of the bed, but they weren't in much of an optimistic mood either and no one answered when they tried to get them talking.
Billy tried not to sigh as the results once again didn't change. He was running out of ideas using conventional ideas and, while he wasn't sure how well it would turn out, he was just about ready to move on to something different. He walked over and they all looked up at him. No one talked for a moment until Jason looked Billy straight in the eye. "Tell us."
"None of the medicine and treatments we have been trying has worked," he explained, trying to sound calm.
"You have a plan, though, right?" Kim pleaded. All of her hope was in the former blue Ranger. Billy looked at her and sighed. It was now or never.
"Yes, but it's not the best plan," he said. "And I don't know if it will work."
"What is it? What's your plan?" Kim asked him.
"We're going to help him," he answered. "Just not from out here."
"In his mind?" Kim asked and Billy nodded.
"Unfortunately, yes. Trini, Jason, you and me. We need Zack to take over if… if something goes wrong," he told them. "One, two or even three of us cannot do this alone. We all have to agree to do this."
"I'm in," Kim said quickly and looked at Jason.
"Of course," Jason agreed, glancing at Trini.
"You know we will," she answered, taking Jason's hand. "What do we have to do?"
"Jason stand on right, Kim on the left, near his head and heart. Trini, on his right, and I'll take the left at his legs. Here," he told them handing each of them a disk. "Place it on your temple. Either one. Kira, Conner, Ethan, Hayley… while we are doing this, we're defenseless. We'll be dependent on all of you to protect us from everything. If something goes wrong, call Zack. Do you understand?"
They nodded and Kim gave them a smile. "We'll be back soon."
Billy placed two of the squares on Tommy's head and looked at the others. "I don't know what will happen next. Let your spirit animal guide you."
"But we don't know ours," Jason said and Billy shrugged.
"You will. You'll meet it," he answered. "Take my hands. Take each others hands."
Conner, Kira, Ethan, and Hayley watched as they obeyed. There was a flash of various colors of light and a falcon's cry which led to the four former Ranger's throwing their heads back as if they'd been electrocuted and slumping over onto Tommy. Hayley checked them over, relieved they were breathing.
"Hayley?" She glanced over at them, surprised that they were talking. Conner was the one looking at her, his arms around the other two. "Should we call Zack anyway?"
Hayley paused and looked at them. She didn't know how this worked and Billy hadn't had time to explain it to her. Besides, he'd never forgive them. "We'll wait an hour," she decided. "If they're not up by then, we'll do it."
Conner just nodded and they all fell quiet once more. Now all they could do was the arduous task of waiting.
Jason groaned as he tried to stand up, but he felt sore. He tried again, but like the first time, he fell back to his knees. After a minute, he was able to sit up and look around. He recognized it quickly enough: The Command Center in its full glory only without Alpha running around or Zordon in his tube. The lights were on and ready and even with the severity of the situation, Jason couldn't help but to smile. "And they say you can't go home."
"You do," a voice called out from behind him. Jason, painfully, managed to scramble to his feet and turned to look at the speaker. "This is where you always end up, Jason."
The man speaking was older, bald, and wearing long robes. One of his hands was at his side and he stood in a non threatening manner. Beside him stood a proud, red bull who waited patiently, not moving or making any sort of noise. The man had the other hand on the creature's back which didn't seem to bother the bull in the slightest. Jason blinked a couple of times. "Zordon?"
"Hello, Jason," his old mentor said gently.
"How… why…?" Jason asked.
"Your journey is first," Zordon said. "While you will be there to help the others, I thought that you could use my guidance… one last time."
"Are you real?" Jason asked. Zordon gave him a patient look.
"Does it matter?" He asked. Jason opened his mouth, but thought about it. It didn't really matter whether or not it was his mentor or his mind using the figure to help him. What mattered was that image or reality, the words would be the same.
"So, what do I do?" Jason asked. Zordon patted the bull who took a few steps forward.
"Follow him. You know he'll lead you the right way. Don't distrust him and wander away from him. Learn. When your journey is over, you will understand and be able to help the others with theirs," Zordon instructed. Jason nodded.
"Will I see you then? When we're all finished?" He asked eagerly, but his hope died as Zordon shook his head.
"No, Jason. This is the last time you will see me," he told him. At the younger man's disappointment, Zordon smiled a bit. "You'll understand when it's over."
Jason nodded. "Alright," he agreed, feeling like he had when he first became the red Ranger to begin with. "You've always been right before."
Zordon nodded. "Jason, be careful. May the Power protect you."
Jason, for the first time, answered to the well-wished. "And you."
With that, he turned turned to the bull, letting it lead him out of the ruins. He glanced back to say his farewells to his old mentor, but he was already gone. A little disappointed, but understanding why, he continued out of the building. The bull moved at a good pace so that Jason didn't have to run to keep up, but he did have to move quicker than a lumber. Jason followed beside it, neither of them talking. He couldn't help but to wonder about that. Was it quiet because he was normally quiet or was it because it was a bull? Was it the same thing since after all he and it were sort of the same?
None of his questions were answered as they traveled. The bull kept an eye on Jason as they walked and it didn't leave him. The only time it made a noise was if Jason wandered a bit and it was a call back. Proud, strong, willing to take care of his herd, alert, and even loving to an extent, the bull did seem to compliment Jason. The silent journey caused Jason to think about everything that was going on, but especially on his conversation with their former mentor. He nearly ran into the bull when it stopped.
Jason moved around it to have a look and saw that he was looking into a dark room. It felt familiar in some way, but he couldn't put his finger on it at first. Finally, he recognized the only light in the room and realized that it was where he had fought Goldar for Tommy's green powers, the place that he had tried to stop the burning of the green candle. Horror overtook him and he turned to leave, only to see that the bull was gone, having done its job, and there wasn't an exit any longer. He prepared to fight Goldar as he had had to before, but there was no fight. The only other things in the room, he noticed after a moment, was the former green candle which was burnt out and the powerless green coin next to it.
Guilt overcame him and he felt the full force of how he had carried it with him. He wanted to leave, to forget, and he didn't want to face this. He sank to his knees and put his head in his hands. Alone with his worst failure, he allowed himself to feel the pain of failing his best friend.
"He never blamed you."
Jason, recognizing the voice, was to his feet in seconds as Rita Repulsa came toward him. That said, he recognized the voice, but not the woman. He'd heard that some of the old villains they'd faced in the past had turned good, but this was the first time he'd seen it. "Rita?"
"Hello, Jason," she answered as she slowly came for him, though not threateningly. She wore a sympathetic smile on her face that wasn't false and she was careful not to scare him. "You need to let this go."
"I can't." He wished he didn't sound so weak, but Rita didn't mention it.
"You must," she answered a little forcefully, but still trying to be gentle. "Jason, it was never your fault. You did what you had to do. And by losing the green, white was able to have a chance. Yes, the green power was lost, but in its place, white was created and Tommy took both. He was still a Ranger when all was said and done."
Jason shook his head. "Everything would have been fine if I would have gotten the green coin. It's no wonder Zordon didn't want me to lead afterward."
Rita was at his side by this time and she formed two chairs for them, sitting him down and motioning for her to join him. Once he did, though reluctantly, she continued. "Jason, he never meant for you to doubt yourself. You were leaving, Tommy wasn't. He felt like then was a good time. You know that. He explained it to you."
"So, how do you know?" Jason asked her and she laughed.
"Dead Eltadorians have too much time on their hands," she answered. Jason half-way smiled at that. "The point is you're feeling guilty for Tommy losing his powers and Tommy feels guilty because he put you in that situation to begin with. It happened over ten years ago. You both need to move on."
"It's not that easy," he answered. She smiled at him.
"It's a lot easier than it feels. He can't let it go until you do, Jason," she whispered. "It was never your fault."
"If I…"
"Then many more people would be dead, including Tommy himself. Would it have made more sense to save the coin and lose the bearer of it?" She demanded. "You're in your late twenties, Jason. It's time to leave that part of the past behind you."
Jason looked a little unconvinced. "But I…"
Rita smiled at him and motioned to herself. "If I get a second chance, after everything I did, don't you think that after all the good you did, you should have a reprieve?"
Jason opened his mouth to protest, but all of it sounded weak to even him. He felt some of the guilt start to fade and knew now, that with time, it would be gone. Rita motioned for her to follow him and they headed over to the candle and coin. She picked the coin up in her hand and closed her fist around it. When she opened it again, there was a crystal in it, a green one with a red border. He looked up at her. "Thank you."
She gave a quick nod and a door opened for him. "Trini is waiting for you. Good luck, Jason. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry for everything."
She disappeared as he raced out the door and nearly collided into Trini who was right on the other side. She glanced up at him and looked a little relieved. He smiled back. "How long have you been standing here?"
"Maybe a little less than a minute," she answered, struggling as he had to get up. "Why?"
"I've been here longer than that. Well, that means that we're supposed to do this in a specific order," he answered. She just nodded.
"Do you know what we're supposed to do next?" She asked and Jason looked around to see a yellow fox getting up and starting to stretch.
"Yes," he answered. "We're supposed to follow her."
"So, that is my spirit animal," Trini said and nodded to the fox. "Please lead the way."
The fox calmly nodded once and trotted off with Jason and Trini following behind. Like Jason's, it seemed to go off into nowhere as if they were merely walking in circles. If he hadn't already gone through it and if he hadn't talked to Zordon, he would have been a lot more frustrated. Yet, Trini didn't seem frustrated at all. She seemed like her normal, calm, and patient self.
Like her, the fox was patient, making sure not to go too far and not getting too upset if they got off course. Even when it looked into Jason's eyes, he felt calmer just as he did when he was upset and Trini was calming him down. The fox also looked around for anything that might hurt them, making sure they went around them. Observant and clever, it led them. The fox was quicker than the bull and they got to where they were going quickly enough. Both Jason and Trini felt the area around them change and it became a room with no doorways once more. They recognized it, though it was just as shattered as it was last time, as the Power Chamber. Trini's demeanor immediately changed and she looked around for a door, just to notice that it had none and that the fox was gone.
Jason reached for her, but for once she pulled away, tears coming to her eyes, she headed over to the tube and sat down beside it. Putting her head against her legs, she began to cry. Jason stood there, unsure what to do, when he felt a hand placed on his shoulder and looked up to see a man giving him a sympathetic smile. He then walked past him and to the woman crying on the floor.
"Trini," the man called gently. "Trini, you need to get up."
She looked up at him, but didn't get up and didn't answer. He sighed and bent down until he was eye level with her. She looked at him and shook her head a couple of times before answering. "I…"
"Did nothing wrong, Trini," the man told her. "You didn't kill him. Technically, the red Ranger at the time did and we forced his hand."
"I know I didn't cause it to happen," she whispered. "But… I'd been wishing we could all be together again and…"
"He died," he finished. "Trini, I knew Zordon for years. Both before and after he was in that tube. I fought against him physically before he was trapped and with both of us as leaders after. He was a good man and his wisdom was achieved through years of experience. That said, he wasn't perfect. He knew what his death would do for the universe, but not how much pain and guilt it would bring to you and your friends.
"You know as well as I do that he wouldn't want you to feels so much pain over his death. Especially because of why he died. And he would have been happy that more good came of his death than he could have imagined. All of you, together again, past grievances forgotten."
Trini looked at him and nodded. "But… it should have been something else."
"But it wasn't. You have to accept that and move on. Move from your past pain. All of you are connected. You know it on some level. It's how you won so many times. You hid your pain well, but the others hid theirs too. Just as Jason needs to rid himself of his guilt, you need to rid yourself of causing yourself so much pain over something you can't help," he told her and offered her a sad smile. "None of you ever deserved this. You should have had normal lives to just be teenagers."
"Maybe," Trini said. "But we never would have come back together and we might not be as close. And Zordon didn't just give us a chance to fix things, he gave you a second chance, Zedd. That may not have happened if we had been normal teenagers."
Zedd smiled at her and nodded. "Probably not. Do you feel a bit better?"
She nodded. "I just…" she started, but wasn't sure how to finish. Jason helped her.
"Never thought you'd get help from your former archnemesis?" He asked and she glanced over at him surprised that he knew what she was thinking. He smiled back at her. "I got Rita."
Trini nodded and Zedd smiled, reaching up and wiping away a tear. He reached over with his other hand and picked up a piece of glass from the tube and closed his hands together. "Here," he said, handing her the formed, white gem with a yellow border.
Trini smiled and took it. "Thank you, Zedd. Can I ask a one last question?" He nodded and she continued. "Are you and Rita happy?"
He smiled at that as he pointed to a door which had appeared. "Very. Rita's expecting," he answered. "Good luck, Trini. You as well, Jason."
With that, just as his wife did, he disappeared leaving the engaged couple alone. Jason looked at Trini. "Feeling a little better?" He asked.
"Yes. I'm sorry. I never knew that it was affecting the rest of you," she said and he thought for a moment.
"I think we spent so much time trying not to hurt each other, that we ended up making it worse. These aren't just our emotions. They're Tommy's too," he said. Trini nodded.
"You received the green gem, didn't you?" She asked and he nodded.
He nodded. "Yeah," he answered. "Mixed with red. Come on. We still have to find Kim and Billy," he reminded her and they headed toward the door. Once opened, they found Billy outside of it, looking similar to how Trini had. Unlike Trini, his spirit animal was sitting next to him and the blue wolf looked ready to go.
Billy glanced up at his friends. "Did your quests go well?" He asked. Jason shrugged.
"About as well as can be expected. You ready?" He asked.
"Yes," came the answer as he pulled himself painfully up. Like before, the wolf was quicker than the bull was and was more attentive. Yet, unlike the fox, it didn't go ahead but stayed at Billy's side as if encouraging him to go quicker instead of forcing him to keep up. The world changed and it took a minute before Billy realized where he was. He looked around the room and started to feel frantic. He glanced around, but Jason put a hand on his shoulder.
"There are no doors yet," he told him. Billy pulled away and tried to pull himself back together, but considering how real it looked and felt, it wasn't easy. Trini moved toward her old friend, but Jason gently held her back.
"He has to do this. We can be here, but it's like how it was with you…" he began and she nodded.
"We can't help him yet," she said. Billy felt frantic. He knew that his friends didn't recognize the place since they had moved on before he'd left, but he recognized Aquitar, the room, everything about it. He'd lived in it for two years. Two wonderful years, but that was over now. It was in the past, somewhere he couldn't get to no matter how brilliant he was. Worse, he had kept it from them for so long he wasn't sure how to handle them finding out this way. He realized that he'd never come up with a way to tell them, keeping it secret instead which was easier to do when you lived on a different planet.
"Tell them," a voice called to him. He glanced up and it took him a minute to recognize Divatox from what little he'd seen of her. "You need to tell them."
"Go to hell," he answered, surprising both of his friends. She sighed, but didn't come close to him. He shook his head. "We have an infinite amount of acquaintances in the galaxy, yet you are supposed to guide me?"
"I'm directly connected to your pain, aren't I?" She asked. His eyes narrowed and she shrugged. "That's why, Billy."
"It happened because of you," he whispered, forgetting that Jason and Trini were in the room by this point. "She perished because of you!"
"I know," Divatox answered sympathetically. "I can't change that. I can only help you from this point on."
"You had to conquer Aquitar, didn't you? It was brief, but the amount of vessels disembarking at the same time …" he started. "The earthquakes…"
"They were my fault, Billy, yes. Just as there was damage done on earth, there was damage done on Aquitar. I'm sorry you lost her, but I can't change it," she told him. "And that's not why we're here. I don't need your forgiveness and I don't want it. What I did was horrible, but you've been keeping it to yourself for nearly six years."
"How would I officially state the occurrence?" Billy snapped. "Salutations! I realize that I didn't inform you that Cestria and I had a child, but she gave birth six years ago and perished soon after during the final battle. I apologize for not informing you earlier, but the death of our mentor did not seem like a good time?!"
"It make be short, but I think it got the point across," Divatox answered, motioning to Jason and Trini. Billy's face turned from anger to horror as he turned to his friends, only to see the same horror in their own eyes. It was quiet for a minute and Billy prepared himself for the accusations and fury that would come, but Trini moved across the room and pulled him into a hug.
"Billy," she said sympathetically as she held him. He felt a bit shocked and was even more so when he felt Jason's hand on his shoulder, not saying a word. Trini looked at him. "Please, tell us what happened?"
The simple request pushed him and he finally answered with what had happened. "It was during the final attack, shortly before Zordon died. You know how bad it was on Earth. It affected Aquitar as well. The vast amount of ships caused our cities to shake. We did not think anything of it since the architecture was built differently and we believed it to be a minor annoyance, but we were wrong. It happened expediently. The planet does not have many large earthquakes and the buildings, while sound in the water, were still connected to the surface. They were not built to withstand the pressure. Cestria and I were inside of it with our baby daughter when the architecture began to fail us, falling apart from beneath rather than caving in. I managed to save our daughter, but Cestria was injured. With the Aquitian Rangers fighting and other failures to our city occurring, help was not able to arrive. For all my intelligence, I could not… she…"
He tried to force back all of the emotions that were coming through again, yet was unable to continue. Trini and Jason both embraced him again. "We're so sorry, Billy," Trini whispered. He looked at her.
"I wanted to tell you but after I did not tell you for so long, I could not," he admitted, feeling more and more like a coward by the minute. Jason quickly decided to move the question away from Cestria's death.
"You have a daughter?" He asked, trying to help lighten the mood, but it only made Billy feel worse.
"Affirmative. A six-year-old daughter named Trinine," he answered. Jason chuckled.
"I wonder who she was named after," he teased looking at Trini who smiled a bit. Billy nodded.
"We named her after Delphine and Trini. It felt like the right choice of action," he answered. "I fear she know more about you than you do about her."
"Good stuff, I hope," Jason joked and then looked serious again. "Is it dangerous for her to come here? I mean, besides for the fact that the Earth is the primary target for everything. What I mean is, can she actually stay on it or…"
Trini gently put her finger on her fiance's lips and turned to Billy. "Can she handle the Earth, like you, or is she like her mother and needs to be in water more often than not?"
Billy smiled a bit. "Both. She is amphibious. She will dehydrate a little quicker, but she will be fine as long as she drinks plenty of water," he answered. "I am sorry for not letting you know."
"We know," Trini said softly. "As long as you tell Zack, Kim, and Tommy, we can handle letting the rest of the Ranger family know. I think they might be hurt at first, but I'm sure they'll forgive you. It was a hard time for all of us."
"Trini's right. Honestly, I'm just glad you told us. This way, we can meet Trinine," Jason agreed.
Billy nodded, not looking forward to telling the others, but still a little relieved to get it off his chest. He had the feeling he'd feel even better once everyone else knew. "Billy." He glanced up and saw Divatox hold up an item of Cestria's. She closed it in her hands and tossed him the red and blue gem. "No more secrets."
He nodded once to her. "No more secrets," he agreed and she smiled.
"Good. Now that you've agreed to it, maybe other Rangers will start being more straightforward," she said happily before looking serious. "Good luck and I am sorry."
"I know," he answered. She disappeared and the door reappeared and Billy turned to the others. "We should go. This place… I do not belong here anymore."
They nodded and headed out the door, but Kim wasn't there. Her spirit animal was, however, and it was making quiet noises. The pink crane was resting below a tree waiting for them. Trini turned to Billy. "Why isn't she here?"
"I am unsure," he answered. "The rest of us began in the same place."
Jason thought for a minute and turned to the crane. "Lead the way," he said quickly. The other two looked a little confused but followed. "Kim's quest is different."
"Are you sure?" Trini asked as they hurried along and Jason nodded.
"Yeah. The gem broke into three pieces: Green, white, and red. There isn't another piece. Just the broke pieces," he reminded them. "We had to face things that happened in the past that are affecting our present, right? What if Kim isn't doing that? What if she's facing something in the present or future? We've had to deal with things that affect us from the past: guilt, pain, and secrets. What do Kim and Tommy both share? What emotion, other than love, are they constantly dealing with?"
Trini looked at Billy who looked back at her. Both had figured out what he meant and they both looked pale. Finally, Trini answered the question. "Fear."
When the crane finally stopped, they realized that they were in the Lab, though it was in poor shape. It had been torn away, pieces of computer and raptor everywhere. There were three solitary blankets on the ground and minimal light. The three friends headed into the room and looked around. They found Kimberly in part of the wreckage, as if trying to put it back together. She wasn't making much noise, but when they did, stepping on some of the fallen parts and glass, making a little sound, her head whipped around and her eyes grew large. "You're dead," she whispered. "Dead."
Jason looked at Billy who took a moment to process the situation as Kim moved away from them. "It would appear she is confined in her own fear," he answered. "I am not precisely sure how to bring her out of it."
Kimberly fell into some of the other fallen pieces to try to get away, making a far louder noise than her former teammates. The door opened and quietly shut behind before a young man hurried downstairs. "Kim!" He hissed. "Quiet!"
"I saw them, Conner. I saw them," she whispered and he sighed as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Kim, they're dead. You've just been working on trying to repair things too long again," he told her, holding her to him. Like her, he looked terrified, though his was more hidden. "Come on, calm down. Hayley will have out necks if we start making too much noise again."
"She sent you down to shut me up again, huh?" Kim asked and Conner looked a little sheepish. "I'm not crazy, you know. I saw them."
"Yeah, I know," he offered, trying not to fight with her. "But they're really dead, Kim, and rebuilding the Lab isn't going to bring them back. Did you manage to send a message to the Aquitian Rangers?"
She nodded, accepting his change in subject. "I'm hoping they get here soon. The only reason Mesagog hasn't succeeded is because of your gem."
"Which is why we have to keep quiet," Conner insisted. "They already have three out of four. Four out of five if you count Trent's."
She nodded. "Did you find anything from the crash?"
He looked a little uneasy, but nodded. "Yeah. Let's just say there weren't any survivors, 'kay?"
Kim closed her eyes. "I was hoping one of them would have made it," she whispered. "I don't know where Trini and Billy put the extra power."
"Not your fault," he assured her and he heard the door open again before shutting. Conner rolled his eyes and shook his head at Kim before turning to the stairs. "Hayley, after all of the flack you've been giving us about being quiet and you can't even shut a door quie…"
Kim looked over as Mesagog came down the stairs. Conner backed up to her as the dinosaur tossed him a bracelet. Conner handed it to Kim, closing his eyes for a minute from the blow. Kim looked at it and even stained with a little blood she was able to see it was Hayley's communicator which she pocketed, not wanting to look at it. Not wanting there to be even more casualties, Conner didn't wait any longer. He picked her up and raced out of the lab into the forest using his own power.
For the three watchers, the world just moved with Kim and Conner. Everything changed as it would have had they had to keep moving. Right now, they were unable to be involved. Conner finally stopped and let Kim down relaxing a bit. "That was…" He was unable to finish as a blast of arrows shot him down. Kim caught him as he began to fall and he accepted it, one hand on her shoulder and the other fell to her waist. He smiled a bit at her. "Close?"
He convulsed for a minute and then stopped. She held onto him even after. "Conner?" She asked, but he didn't answer. She set him down just in time to be torn away from the body as Trent ripped off Conner's bracelet and headed away.
"Aren't you going to kill me?" She growled and he shrugged.
"Why bother? Dr. Oliver created everything, Hayley built everything, and the Rangers fought," he answered and turned to leave again. "What good were you?"
They left and Kim cried, hard. The three watched in silence for a minute or two before Trini spoke up. "Where's hers?" She asked. The other two looked around, realizing what Trini meant. There wasn't a former villain there to comfort her and convince her to get past the fear that there had been for their quests. They were oddly alone.
Jason thought for a moment and Zordon's words stuck out in his head. No, Jason. This is the last time you will see me. You'll understand when it's over. Jason muddled through it a few times before walking away from the other and over to Kim. He stood above her, not liking what he was about to do, but knowing he had to do it.
"Get up, Kim," he told her. She ignored him. "Kim, get up."
"Don't have to listen to ghosts," she muttered, nearly making him laugh. Considering he was the one to tell her that so long ago when they were children, it was rather ironic that she was using it against him now.
"You have to listen to this one. Now get up so we can talk about this," he ordered. Even though he'd been leading them since they before they had become Rangers, he couldn't remember actually ordering them around unless there was a battle, but even he heard the lack of request in his voice. Kim picked herself up and looked at him, still crying. He took that as a time to continue. "We're not dead. You know that. Remember, Tommy isn't dead, he's in a coma."
She backed away from him a bit and he sighed. She shook her head. "No…"
"Yes. Kim, I have never tried to make you do anything, but I am now. You need to know I'm right and you need to believe it. Kim, it's not going to end up like this. This stupid place is making you think it will, but it's just fear. You're better than this! Crying around, weak, that's not you! When they attacked the lab the first time, who defended it? You. When Conner wanted to leave, who convinced him to stay? You. When Trent attacked you in the lab, who cut off part of his ear? Who kept Conner calm when you guys were trapped? Who tamed the raptors? Who knows when it's a good idea to bring in reinforcements? Who was the god damned first pink Ranger?"
"Me," she whispered and he smiled at her.
"Damn straight, Little Sister," he answered. "You're an important member on this team, active Ranger or not. You're worried that you'll let them down from not having the Power and Tommy's worried he'll let you down by not using it well enough. You're both worried about you becoming single again because he gets killed. You worry about the kids. You both worry that you're not enough. Hell, we're all worried we're not enough!"
The other two came over by this point and looked just as guilty about it as Kim who looked at the ground. "We're just…"
"We're not what? Zordon? Trini, what did Zedd tell you?" He asked and she ran through her thoughts quickly.
"That Zordon was a good man and his wisdom was achieved through years of experience, but he wasn't perfect?" She asked and then let it sink it, nodding. Jason smiled.
"Billy, how much more time did Zordon have than us to get it better. Only including years in the tube.
"We had point zero one percent of the experience he did," Billy answered.
Jason looked at Kim and gave her a small smile. "And when you admitted to cutting off part of Trent's ear, what did Conner do?"
She blushed. "Managed to find every Ranger and tell them about it."
"Followed by saying that he had the best mentor ever," Jason answered. "We're not perfect, but neither was Zordon. Think about what we've managed to get done already just today. We've all been feeling inadequate, but how do you think Zordon felt? At some point, he had to have had a mentor as well."
"True," Kim answered. "Alright, so this was just a little test, huh?"
Jason nodded. "And test or not, I think that someone else believes in us too."
Kim looked questioningly and Jason pointed to her pocket. Inside, was a single red gem. "What?"
"Dream Conner dropped it in your pocket. Even in fear, you knew you were better than that. That others believe in you. The kids, Hayley, the Rangers who followed us," he whispered. Kim nodded and smiled. He looked at all of them. "Zordon's a part of us. His knowledge and experience were something that he gave to us time and time again, but we learned from our own mistakes too. Kim, what was something important that you taught the new Rangers out of your own experience?"
"To dodge," she answered with a laugh. "It's something we never learned."
"Trini, what about you?" He asked and she thought for a moment.
"A different sort of honor," she answered. "And I helped teach them how to mediate."
"Billy?"
"How to improvise," he answered. "Yourself?"
"Most of mine are similar to Tommy's: active leadership, the importance of training…"
"What about Zack?" Kim asked and Jason laughed.
"The importance of family," he answered. He smiled at all of them. "We might not be perfect, but I think we've got it down. We need to stop comparing ourselves to him."
"Alright," Kim said and pointed to the gems. "Since we have this down and we passed, let's go save Tommy."
Jason shook his head vigorously. "Oh no. We just went through Hell getting those pieces and you want to just hand them over? No, he needs to work for them."
The other three looked at each other, grinned, and looked back at him. Kim was the first to answer. "What did you have in mind?"
Jason felt the shard and concentrated on it. He wasn't too surprised when he managed to become the green Ranger. He nodded to Trini and Billy who followed becoming the white and red Rangers respectively. Jason looked at Kim who was just laughing. He shrugged. "I'm thinking a little test…"
Tommy was definitely getting tired. It was one thing to have to fight himself, but to fight three versions was becoming extremely painful. Still the only one left he had to fight was green, at least he hoped so. He grimaced as he thought about the possibility of having to fight a black Ranger version of himself last, but they had seemed to go backward. Thus far it had gone red, then white, then green. He dodged as the green Ranger headed toward him again. He felt the final blow and went flying to the ground as he lost. "Why don't you just give up the fight?"
"That's one thing I'll never do," Tommy answered determinedly.
"Then I guess this is over," the green Ranger answered and held out his hand. "You passed the test."
The other two joined him with the green Ranger in the middle. The white Ranger glanced over at the green one. "I told you this would have been too easy for him."
The red one laughed. "We should have made him do something more difficult. Like remember where he left his car keys."
"Or get him to be on time somewhere," the white one joked. Tommy looked more than a little confused. They all had his voice, but not his personality. The green one turned to them.
"Guys…" he chided and took off his helmet. "Good job, Bro."
"Jason?" Tommy asked, more than a little surprised. He glanced at the other two and the white one removed her helmet. "Trini?"
"Hello, Tommy," she said politely and turned to the red Ranger who shrugged and took off his own helmet.
"Billy? What…?" He asked and they all turned around as Kim walked up to them.
"You're in a coma, Handsome," she told him. "We came to help you."
"By beating the crap out of me?" He asked incredulously. Jason shrugged.
"We had to go through our own challenges," he answered. "It wouldn't have made sense to leave you out of it and it seemed fitting. Fighting us while you're fighting for your life. There's a parallel there. Besides, I had to talk to Rita."
"Zedd," Trini answered with a shrugged.
"Divatox," Billy muttered. Tommy turned to Kim who pretended to pout and pointed directly at Jason.
"He yelled at me!" She mock-whined. All of them laughed at that and Jason nodded to the others as Kim opened up her hand as she stood next to Tommy. Jason and her had figured this part out: how to fix the gem.
"Guilt can tear you and your team apart. It can eat at your soul until there is nothing left. Let it go," Jason told him and placed the green and red gem into Kim's hand. Trini went next.
"There is pain in the past and it's usually followed or proceeded by guilt. Don't face it alone. Often others are in just as much pain and it helps to share it," she told him, giving the former pink Ranger the white and yellow gem. Billy finished.
"We all have secrets. Sometimes, they're hard to share, but you have to. They cause pain and guilt and eventually it will come out which will make things worse. It's better to let others know before that happens," he told him and handed her the blue and red gem. Kim took them as the red gem that the fake Conner had given her turned pink and then blended into her other hand which she closed over the shards. She looked at Tommy.
"No matter what happens, no matter what we face, we are strong enough and good enough to handle it," she assured him. "We can handle anything."
The gem glowed and the pieces blended together, turning back into the black gem. Kim smiled at him. "It's time to wake up."
Hayley had hoped that it wouldn't take too long for them to be gone, but as she laid a blanket on the final teenager, she realized just how late it was. All four of the other adults were still lying in the place that they'd fallen at on Tommy who didn't look any different than he had before. Each of the teens had fallen asleep in turn and nearly one right after the other. She was just glad that they'd had the foresight to call their parents and make up something to let them stay. She wasn't sure if she would have remembered to.
She sighed as she looked at all of them, nearly jumping when her cell-phone went off. "Hello?"
"Hey, Hayley. Any change?" She sighed.
"Sorry, Zack," she told him. "Not yet. They're still all out."
"And the kids?" He asked.
"They're asleep, but fine," she answered. There was silence on the other end and she knew that Zack believed her, but this was just as hard on him. He had wanted to come the minute he'd heard, but the only plane available was for the next morning and only Billy knew how to use the transporter. "Do you want to talk to one of them?"
"Yes, no, I don't want to wake them but…" he started.
"Don't worry. He'll fall right back asleep," she answered, gently shaking Conner who immediately woke up.
"Are they up yet?" He asked eagerly and she shook her head. "Oh."
"Zack's on the phone. Here, talk to him so he doesn't panic," Hayley instructed. Conner laughed a bit at that and took the phone.
"Hey Zack," Conner started.
"Hey Conner. How are things going?" Zack asked, trying to sound casual. Conner didn't buy that for a minute.
"They're still under," he answered. "You going to be here soon?"
"Stupid plane doesn't leave until tomorrow," he answered. "I have a lot of money, but I don't have a jet."
"What about Andros?" Conner asked and there was a long sigh.
"Too suspicious. We're trying not to be linked with them. Plus, in the time it took them to get here, the plane would probably be quicker," he answered. "But I'll be there soon."
"Uh, Zack? How are you explaining this again?" He asked and Zack snickered.
"My cousin, Tommy, is in the hospital and my family needs him to come make sure he's okay," he answered. " Considering that I didn't have to actually take the time off too much for you and Kim, they're not pressing it."
"Cool," Conner answered. "Hey Zack? Hayley's giving me the 'You're spending my minutes' look. I gotta go."
"I'll be there as soon as I can, Conner. Let me know if there's any change," he requested.
"I will. It might be a little after because, you know, distracted, but I will," he promised. With that, they hung up and Hayley took her phone back as Conner headed back to sleep. Hayley was about ready to join him when she heard moaning coming from the bed. She glanced over and saw the adults begin to move as they awoke.
"Conner! Ethan! Kira! Wake up!" Hayley called out. Conner groaned.
"How many times is he going to call?" The red Ranger whined. Hayley tried to shoot him a look, but she couldn't. She was too happy about this.
"They're awake!" She called out. Kira was to her feet as she pulled herself up to look.
"All of them?" She asked anyway. Hayley smiled at her and pointed to where Tommy's eyes were blinking awake.
"All of them," she answered. She quickly realized that while exciting, it probably hadn't been the best thing to do as she had to hold back three overeager teenagers from mobbing the newly awoken adults. Jason was the first one up, stretching and smiling at Trini who was dragging herself up. Billy dragged himself off the bed and nearly fell backwards onto the floor to the amusement of his former teammates. They were trying not to snicker.
"It's easier if you don't get up," Kim muttered as she began to awake. Jason laughed.
"Maybe, but I'm pretty sure Tommy will want to get up eventually, Kim," he teased. Kim clung to where she was.
"He can deal," she answered. "He didn't get yelled at."
"Would it help if I said I was sorry?" Jason asked exasperatedly and Kim pretended to think about it.
"No. I want to keep using that one as long as… Jason! Put me down!" She squealed as he picked her up off of Tommy and threw her over his shoulder. "Put me down! Okay! Okay! You win, I'll drop it!"
Jason laughed and set her down, grinning at her. "You shouldn't mess with me. I'm a bull, you know."
"Yours was a bull?" Kim asked. "What was yours, Trini?"
"A fox," she answered. "Not one word, Jason."
Jason quickly shut his mouth. Tommy was up by this point, though he wasn't getting up. He glanced at all of them. "Thanks, guys."
"Anytime," Kim answered with a slight grin. "And by anytime, I mean never again."
Tommy laughed and nodded. "Fair enough."
"So, was it real?" Kim asked. "I don't mean mine, but did you guys really see Rita, Zedd, and Divatox?"
"To be fair," Trini answered quickly seeing the horror on Tommy's face. "They weren't bad. We were dealing with the purified versions that Zordon left behind."
Kim nodded. "So, were they the real versions or just our collective imagination?"
Jason thought for a moment and shrugged saying the only thing he could think of to say at that moment. "Does it really matter? I mean, no matter what they helped us through it, right? And what matters is that Tommy's back."
They nodded for a moment and then heard Conner whine. "They're up. Now can we?"
They didn't see Hayley nod. All the five of them saw were three blurs: one red, one yellow, and one blue diving at them. They winced as the Dino Thunder Rangers knocked them backward.
"Ethan, your knee is in my stomach. Would you mind moving it?"
"Oh, yeah. Sorry, Kim."
"Kira, I'm not sure how you managed to knock both Trini and I over but…"
"I'm just that good, Jason?"
"Conner! Move!"
"Not on your life, Doctor O."
Though Hayley had heard Conner promise to call Zack, she figured that she could handle that. After all, he was busy. She picked up the phone and waited until she heard Zack's voice on the other line. Then, as loud as she could to overcome the noise, she saw two words:
"They're back!"
Author's Notes: I had fun with this chapter. For all of the angst in it, I still had fun with it. Couple of notes: I am in no way an expert on science or alien cultures. Therefore, if you are a science wiz and the who Aquitar bit wasn't as realistic to you, I'm sorry. I also know that we saw very little of that fight, so I improvised a bit.
Jason and Trini's animals were chosen for various reasons. Jason's were the bull's traits of: standing your ground, looking for trouble, and love toward his 'herd'. Trini's was a fox for: cleverness, stealth, gentleness, and persistence. Just in case you were wondering.
Billy's quest has been slightly hinted at and Jason's was there canonically. Trini's personality is that of a mediator and I could see her wanting her friends to all be friends again. Kim's was a bit more difficult because it had to be a "what if" instead of a past experience. While this isn't the last chapter, I wanted them on the road to recovery from losing Zordon in the beginning of the story to becoming confident mentors by the time the last chapter came.
And that's the second to last thing: There will be five more chapters following this one. I thought about just making it into one long story, but I thought it would be easier for all of you and me if I split them into two long stories. So, I'll be keeping the same schedule and it will be a very direct sequel after the five chapters have been put up. I have also decided to do that prequel I was talking about with Hayley and all of that though I'm not sure on a time table for that one.
I apologize for the massive amount of notes for this chapter. And, as always, I would like to thank you all so much for your reviews. I love reading them.