Quest Chapter 4: Lost and Found, a power rangers fanfic

A/N 1: Just a quick little side note here. For those of you interested in something a little more mature to read, I have posted a story called "When Worlds Collide," which unfortunately didn't show up in the New Stories section due to its Mature rating. Check it out, and if you do, please let me know what you think.

Title: Quest

Chapter 4 – Lost and Found

Original Posting Date: October 20, 2008

For nearly twenty minutes Kimberly had been laying atop her bed, hands folded behind her head as she stared up at the white ceiling in silence. She'd adjusted her body's position countless times in an attempt to fall asleep, but the nap she was in search of, it seemed, had no intentions of being found at this time.

Her mind was plagued with flashbacks of she and Tommy at the mall and the kiss they had almost shared. If she closed her eyes she could taste his lips on hers, fresh as though it had only been two minutes since their last kiss instead of two years. Thinking about the almost-kiss, she couldn't help but to wonder what Tommy was going through.

There had been no intentional seduction on her part, only the inexplicable draw of a chemistry she knew would never die. As long as she lived, Kimberly firmly believed that she would forever be attracted to Tommy, which made her question if that was the real reason why he had nearly kissed her earlier.

What if it had merely been physical attraction that had led to their interrupted moment in the mall's promenade? Had the kiss occurred to fruition, certain was she that her involvement would have been driven by more than just Tommy's good looks and boyish charm. If there was one thing in her life she was positive of it was that she loved Tommy, but as she had both seen and experienced, a kiss did not always equate to a mutual act of love.

She told herself that she was being stupid, that Tommy was too nice of a guy to ever do something like that, but a small part of her still questioned his motives. Call it women's intuition, but she was certain that Tommy was no longer the innocent boy she'd left behind back home in Angel Grove. She could only hope that the almost kiss had not been Tommy's attempt at a prelude to something more.

No matter how much she loved him, she would not and could not allow herself to become another notch on some guy's belt of conquests. It had happened once before, albeit not with Tommy of course, and she had staunchly refused to let it happen again ever since.

As she continued to try and suppress those feelings, it only made her wonder more as to what Tommy was actually looking for from her. Not six hours earlier she'd heard him say to Jason that he loved her but couldn't be with her. Certainly his feelings could not have changed so drastically over such a short period of time, could they have?

She had to know the truth, but at the same time she wasn't quite sure how one went about gathering such personal information. She couldn't just go hunt Tommy down and say, "Hey, do you actually care about me or were you just trying to get in my panties?" No, that she could definitely not do.

Surprising as it was, her sensible side was actually telling her emotions to sit down and shut the hell up for once. Whatever she decided to do, she knew that she couldn't be anywhere near the realm of accusative or distrusting towards Tommy. If anyone deserved the right to be that way, it was he towards her.

Finally deciding that sleep would not be coming any time soon, she let out a sigh and rose from her bed. She crossed the room and came to a stop in front of her closet; sliding the door open, she pushed around through her clothes until she found her old acoustic guitar leaning up against the wall.

"Gotcha," she said with a triumphant smile, extracting the stringed instrument from her closet.

Carrying her guitar back towards her bed, she grabbed her journal and a pen from her night stand before climbing onto the bed. She used pillows to rest her back on as she sat against the wall and started to pick at the guitar, listening closely as she tuned the instrument she had not touched in over a month.

For the first few weeks on the Shadow Rider, her guitar had been her greatest release. Between her many long interplanetary journeys, she'd penned numerous songs, but music had long ago ceased to be the calming reprieve it had once been. She'd always enjoyed playing guitar and writing songs because she'd always had someone to share them with, but alone aside from Alpha, it had lost its luster.

Having not touched the guitar in so long, it took her quite awhile to get it tuned properly. When she'd been playing regularly, tuning her guitar was something that she could do in no time whatsoever; now she was just thankful that she remembered how to do it at all.

She began to play a few practice chords, surprised at how easily it all seemed to come right back to her. It didn't take long for Kimberly to really get into it, pouring her heart and soul into the instrument she'd loved for as long as she could remember, smiling brightly as she closed her eyes and looked back to the day she'd gotten her first guitar.

It was Christmas morning in 1985 and she'd been begging her parents for a guitar for nearly five months, ever since the first time she'd seen the music video for the Joan Jett song, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," on MTV. And while she hadn't exactly turned out like the woman who had first inspired her to pick up a guitar, the instrument was still a big part of Kimberly's life both then and now.

Time was lost as she reintroduced herself to the long lost friend that was her guitar, picking at the strings as she wrote potential lyrics in her journal. It could have been just minutes or it could have been hours; she didn't know and she honestly didn't care. Just picking up the guitar and playing a few chords had been more than enough to completely take her mind off of Tommy, and their kiss that never was.

Unbeknownst to either of them until minutes earlier, though, was that Tommy had chosen the bedroom right next to Kimberly's. In fact, their beds rested on opposite sides of the same shared wall, so as Tommy flopped on his bed after a light sparring session with Jason he could vividly hear the sounds of Kimberly strumming her guitar, singing with a voice so beautiful that it was simply impossible to ignore.

For as long as Tommy had known Kimberly, he'd always loved it when he could just sit back and listen to his heart's content as she played song after song for him; and though much had changed between them since those days, he was glad to discover that some thing's really never changed at all.

Sitting with his back to the wall, Tommy leaned his head against the barrier, closed his eyes, and listened to her play. Tumultuous as his emotions were at the moment there was a certain sense of serenity, a calming of his heart that came with listening to Kimberly sing with every ounce of energy her petite frame could muster.

Oh, life…is bigger
It's bigger than you
And you are not me
The lengths that I will go to
The distance in your eyes
Oh no I've said too much
I set it up

That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don't know if I can do it
Oh no I've said too much
I haven't said enough
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try…

Tommy listened intently, absorbing each and every flowing word as they reached his ears. He closed his eyes and fell in love with the melody, subconsciously tapping his fingers on the side of his leg to the rhythm Kimberly had created.

Every whisper
Of every waking hour, I'm
Choosing my confessions
Trying to keep an eye on you
Like a hurt lost and blinded fool; fool
Oh no I've said too much
I set it up

It didn't take long for Kimberly's lyrics to have an effect on Tommy far more profound then just casual enjoyment. With each word that escaped her lips he became more and more certain that it was himself she sang about.

Consider this, consider this
The hint of the century
Consider this
The slip that brought me
To my knees failed
What if all these fantasies
Come flailing around
Now I've said too much
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

"The hint of the century," Tommy murmured to himself, shaking his head as piece by piece it all started to make sense.

But that was just a dream
That was just a dream…

But that was just a dream
Try, cry, why, try
That was just a dream, just a dream
Just a dream, a dream

Kimberly jumped in surprise when she heard a knock at her door. Furrowing her brow, she set the guitar down next to her bed and hopped up to answer it. She opened the door to find Tommy staring right at her, intent evident in his eyes.

"Hey, Tommy, what's—"

Her mouth was covered by Tommy's before she could get another word out. As he kissed her he slinked his arm around her waist and lifted her off of her feet, moving her forward so he could kick the door closed behind him.

She melted into his arms, eagerly returning the kiss even though her head was telling her to stop before things got out of hand. She wanted to stop; she really, truly wanted to stop, but she just couldn't do it. This moment had been a mere dream for the longest time, and now that it was happening she didn't want it to end.

But it did.

Tommy broke the kiss and let Kimberly go, smiling as she raised her fingers to her lips and touched them. "What was that for?" she asked, unable to meet his eyes.

He didn't immediately answer, though. Instead, Tommy took her hand and gently placed it over his heart. Biting down on her lip, Kimberly forced herself to look up at him as he gazed into her doe brown eyes.

"Do you want it?" Tommy questioned.

Kimberly's eyes went wide in shock. "Tommy, I—"

"Do you want it?" he repeated, staring at her intently.

Swallowing hard, Kimberly nodded. "Yes, Tommy, I do," she answered honestly, "But that's never been a question. The question is whether or not you trust me with it. Do you trust me with your heart, Tommy?"

"I'm not going to lie to you, Kim, because the truth is that trying this again scares the living daylights out of me," said Tommy, touching the side of her face gently. "But it's been just over twenty-four hours since you came back into my life and I haven't once stopped thinking about you. I'm tired of fighting my heart."

Kimberly felt her face get warm and knew that she was blushing. "That doesn't really answer my question, does it?"

"I wouldn't have asked you if you wanted it if I didn't trust you with it," Tommy replied with a serious expression upon his face. "It's yours if you want it, Kim; on one condition, that is."

"And what would that be?" asked Kimberly, arms folded across her chest.

Tommy grinned. "You have to promise me that you will never write me another letter again as long we're together."

Rolling her eyes playfully, Kimberly nodded and found herself being pulled into Tommy's arms. She rested the side of her head against his chest, letting out a content sigh as she felt a sudden pressure on her shoulder. It didn't hurt, it was just annoying.

"Kim," said Tommy, pushing her shoulder. "Kim, come on, wake up. The sun's starting to come up outside. We have to get moving."

Lying on her side Kimberly let out a groan, rolled onto her back, and opened her eyes to find Tommy standing over the top of her. She almost started to cry when she realized that it had all been a dream, that they hadn't kissed and Tommy still didn't trust her with his heart.

Not wanting Tommy to see her upset, she nodded and got up from her bed, immediately turning her back to him. "How did you get in here?" she asked, rummaging through her closet for some clean clothes.

"I asked Alpha to let me in," said Tommy, moving for the door when he saw that Kimberly was going to change. "I'm gonna go now. The others are waiting in the control room for you whenever you're ready."

Her understanding was nodded, and with that Tommy left her alone in her bedroom. She turned and stared at the closed door in partial shock, unable to believe how something that had seemed so real could have only been a dream.

Tears filled her eyes as she started to change, pulling on a pair of denim short-shorts and a pink tee shirt baring her toned stomach. She stared at herself in the mirror on her wall, wiping the tears from her eyes and breathing deeply as she struggled to regain her composure.

Once she'd gathered up enough of herself to face her teammates, she exited from her bedroom and methodically navigated the long hallway until finally she arrived outside the control room. She entered the room just as Alpha-5 had begun explaining all that he knew about Onyx to the other Rangers.

"Ay-yi-yi, Onyx is such an evil planet. There are no natives, just vile creatures who have come here to escape the justice of more established worlds," said Alpha, shaking his saucer shaped head. "As long as the sun shines you will be safe, but you have to return to the ship before it gets dark again. All kinds of bounty hunters and assassins come out when the sun sets and you can't take the risk of staying out in the dark just in case someone in the Alliance of Evil has put prices on your heads."

As Kimberly approached the group, Zack laughed in an attempt to deflect the seriousness of Alpha's statement. "Yo, Alpha, you think you could lighten up a little, man?" he asked. "The more you talk about it, the less I want to go out there."

"It's really not that bad, Zack," Kimberly interjected, standing next to Trini with as much space between she and Tommy as was possible. "Yes, there are bounty hunters and assassins, but they're really just a bunch of misfits who aren't good enough at what they do to do it somewhere bigger than Onyx. The good ones are all on planets like Kalderon and Alandria."

Zack didn't seem too convinced and opened his mouth to speak further, but Tommy jumped in before the Blue Ranger could say any more. "If the sun's only out for a few hours then we're already running short on time as it is. We need to get going and worry about the other stuff when and if it even happens. Kim, do you know where we need to start looking?"

Everyone looked at Kimberly for an answer, but she did not reply. With her eyes closed in deep concentration, it was as if she hadn't heard Tommy's question at all. She was reaching out to Zordon, searching for even the faintest hint of where he might be.

This lasted only a few silent seconds before Kimberly opened her eyes and nodded her head. "He's near the capital city, Dunkel," she answered. "It's about three hundred miles from here, but we can make it with plenty of time to get back before dark if we leave now."

Trini furrowed her brow in confusion. "Kim, I don't know about you, but my legs don't move that fast."

Kimberly just smiled. "Neither do mine, Tri, but our gliders do."

Clearing his throat, Jason raised his hand which earned him an eye roll from Kimberly. "Hey, uh, is it just me or am I the only one who thinks flying around a planet of bounty hunters on multi-colored gliders would be like putting giant targets on our backs?"

"Jason, do you seriously think I would put us in that position?" asked Kimberly incredulously while catching out of the corner of her eye the amused smirk that Tommy was sending Jason's way. "The tallest building on this planet is eighteen stories; we fly above that, and we're safe."

"That's an awful long way to fall," said Trini, swallowing hard.

Kimberly did not immediately reply. Instead she turned around and lifted up her shirt, in the process revealing a vertical scar that stretched from the small of her back to the center of her shoulder blades.

"You all can fly as low as you want to, but I made that mistake once and I won't be making it again," said Kimberly. When Tommy winced visibly, forced to turn his head away, it became Jason's turn to grin at his friend in amusement. Pulling her shirt back down, Kimberly returned her attention to the group. "Does anyone have any more questions? If not, we're burning precious daylight here."

Tommy grinned. "Lead the way," he said with a playful bow, Kimberly sticking her tongue out at him just as playfully.

As she turned away, the Rangers started to follow and Tommy found himself staring at the petite figure walking in front of him. His eyes remained locked on her until Jason stepped up next to him and gave Tommy a nudge with his elbow. Tommy just looked at the Black Ranger and rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"I don't wanna hear it, bro," Tommy muttered warningly.

Jason chuckled. "Don't worry, T, I'm not going to mention it anymore," he replied, nodding towards Zack and Trini. Tommy looked over his shoulder to find Zack kissing his hand and Trini winking at him. "It all just kind of speaks for itself now."

Tommy closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to put up with everyone acting like they had a say in what happened between he and Kimberly. He knew it was meant to be harmless, but that didn't make it any easier to withstand.

Luckily, Tommy didn't have to deal with the teasing from his friends for much longer. They arrived in front of a sealed door which slid open with a hiss after Kimberly had input the proper code on the panel next to it.

The now opened door revealed a twenty-five foot drop to the ground below, but that was quickly erased as a ramp slid down from the ship until it rested in the sand. As they walked down the ramp, Tommy immediately understood why they called this place the Sea of Shadows. Even with a moderate amount of sunlight, the sea's waters were still as black as oil.

"You might want to get a running start before you call your gliders," said Kimberly, shooting her teammates a quick smile before she took off sprinting up the beach. "Galaxy Glider, hang ten!"

Her glider seemingly appeared out of nowhere, rocketing through the air as it headed straight for her feet. Timing the move perfectly, she launched into a front flip and Morphed in mid-air, giving the glider plenty of time to settle in under her feet before she landed atop it and shot up high into the sky.

The other Rangers followed suit and tore after Kimberly as soon as they had landed on top of their boards. They didn't know how she had ended up with that scar on her back, but no one really wanted any firsthand experiences so it wasn't until Kimberly's ascent leveled off at nearly twenty stories that they did the same. Even Trini, who had never been a great fan of heights, stayed well above the rooftops of the approaching buildings.

"Jason, Zack, Trini, flank the left and right sides. Keep an eye on all the roofs and make sure there's no one up there we need to worry about," Kimberly ordered through their helmets. "If you see anything suspicious, don't hesitate to blast it."

The three Ranges nodded and withdrew their blasters from their holsters. They immediately moved into their positions on either side of Kimberly, spreading out quite a ways to cover as much distance as possible.

"What about me?" Tommy asked.

Instead of answering, Kimberly pushed the nose of her glider towards the sky and flipped backwards over his head, her feet never leaving the board. Tommy looked back to find that she was now nearly two hundred feet behind him.

"You're taking the lead," Kimberly told him.

"What are you gonna do, then?" questioned Tommy.

"I'm watching your back," Kimberly answered, turning around on her glider.

The last thing she wanted was for one of her teammates to be on the receiving end of a hidden assassin's sniper blaster. Subconsciously, her fingertips drifted to the scar on her back, making her wince at the memory of that awful day.

Knowing that she needed to focus her full attention on the task at hand, though, she pushed those thoughts aside for the time being and started to scan in every direction with her blaster ready to fire at any would be assailants.

This high up the cities of Onyx all seemed to be similar, only distance separating them from being the exact same place. From their vantage points, the Rangers could not see the turmoil on the streets below them. Prostitution, robbery, rape, murder; they occurred at all hours of the day, in every corner of this wretched planet.

With no government or police force on the planet, these heinous crimes were committed constantly without even the slightest hint of repercussion. As he looked out on the shadowed streets below, Tommy could almost feel the anguish and despair of the people down there.

"This place is pure evil," Tommy murmured to himself, shaking his head as they started over a stretch of building-less land. The hills that were long ago covered in luscious green grass were now brown and dead as they had been for many centuries.

Unknown to the Rangers was that this planet had once been peaceful, ruled by a just democracy while thriving on the off-world exportation of its natural minerals. But no one who lived on Onyx now could remember when the place had been anything more than the most wretched hive of scum and villainy in the known universe.

"Give me updates, guys," said Kimberly, communicating with all four teammates. "What are you seeing out there?"

Zack gave a quick look to his left and right, "Nothing over here, Kim."

"It's all clear on my end, too," said Trini.

"Same here," Jason replied, but something on a nearby rooftop made him do a double take. "Wait, I've got movement to the southwest; about six buildings back from the really tall one in the middle of that cluster over there."

Banking her glider hard to the left, Kimberly centered her focus on the building that Jason had pointed out. She saw a flash of silver in the shadows and pulled the trigger on her blaster without a second thought about it, sending multiple shots of pink energy at the building's roof. Not seconds later a Quantron stumbled into sight and went toppling over the edge, plummeting towards the chaos below.

"Damn," muttered Jason, shaking his head. "Nice shooting, Kim."

"Thanks," Kimberly replied as she returned to scouting the rest of the rooftops.

Even as they traveled through the air at speeds in excess of one hundred and fifty miles per hour, the ride to Dunkel seemed to take forever. Halfway to the capital city, Kimberly closed her eyes for a moment to see if she could sense Zordon.

"He's getting weaker, guys," muttered Kimberly sadly, "and being on this planet is only making the process move faster."

"We'll get him, Kim," Tommy replied with a confident nod.

"I know we will," said Kimberly, smiling beneath her helmet.

By the time they had finally reached the outskirts of Dunkel there was not a single Ranger in the group not aching to move their legs more than a few inches. They could tell it was the capital city for its architectural design was far different than that of the many other cities they had already flown over.

Kimberly turned back around on her glider and took it higher and higher into the air, flying over Tommy's head before descending at the forefront of the group. "Let's bring it back in, guys; we're almost there."

The Rangers all converged around Kimberly who flew in the middle, Jason on her left and Tommy on her right, Trini and Zack on either side of the two former leaders. Scouting the area, she pointed to a tall building towards the back end of the city's edge.

"Is that where Zordon is?" asked Tommy.

"I think so, but I'm not a hundred percent sure," answered Kimberly. "His presence is so weak that it makes it almost impossible to pinpoint one location. All I know is that it's definitely coming from somewhere in that area and the taller a building is, the more places there are for someone to hide something."

Tommy could tell from the apologetic tone in her voice that she was disappointed in herself for not being able to produce a more definite location. "We'll make due with what we have, Kim. That's all we can really do."

She nodded in agreement, smiling thankfully beneath her helmet. "We're going to land on the roof and enter the building from there. Every single building on this planet is used for something unsavory, so don't be surprised if we find more than just the Alliance's goons inside. Just remember that our mission is to save Zordon, nothing else."

Jason turned his head, staring at Kimberly through his visor. "You're making it sound like we might be running into some people besides Zordon that need saving. You can't just expect us to turn our backs on them if that's the case, Kim."

"I expect you to follow my orders, Jason," Kimberly said firmly. "We only have a couple more hours' worth of daylight, and we're going to need each and every minute of it. I hate to say it, but what few innocents actually remain on this planet are already beyond saving."

"You can tell us not to help because we don't have time, but no one is ever beyond saving, Kim," Tommy replied, almost disappointed in what he was hearing from her. "You of all people should know that."

Narrowing her eyes at the Red Ranger, Kimberly found his words to ring with an undeniable sense of truth. When she'd been turned evil, sacrificed to Maligore's Pit at the hands of Divatox, none of the Rangers—especially not Tommy—had ever considered her to be beyond saving, not even for a moment.

She sighed, knowing that telling them not to help someone in need went against their very nature as Power Rangers. It took a certain breed to put a stranger's life in front of one's own, and the four who surrounded her now knew that better than most.

"Do what you have to do," Kimberly conceded. "Just make sure that finding and saving Zordon is your number one priority at all times."

"What do we do if we find him?" asked Zack, looking across Tommy to Kimberly. "I don't think his tube is going to fit on any of our gliders."

Kimberly already had that one under control. "Alpha's already been instructed to move the Shadow Rider based on where our energy signals resonate from. In an hour or so, he'll leave the Sea of Shadows and be here by nightfall."

"So then why didn't he just drop us off here in the first place?" asked Trini, confused. "Wouldn't it have saved us more daylight?"

Kimberly nodded. "Absolutely, but it also would have drawn a lot more attention than what we're doing now. A ship that big flying that low in such a major city would have set off even the weakest of radar systems, but the Galaxy Gliders are equipped with stealth technology that makes them virtually undetectable."

"Impressive," muttered Tommy.

"Yep," said Kimberly as they quickly narrowed the distance between themselves and the rooftop they would be landing on. In a matter of seconds they were just feet away from being directly over the top of it. "Well, this is where we get off."

Effortlessly, she flipped from her glider and landed safely on the roof while the other Rangers quickly followed her. She pointed towards the only door and motioned for her teammates to keep up with her as she approached it with blaster drawn. Jiggling the handle, she found that it was locked and took a step back, pointing her blaster at it.

A thin beam of pink energy shot from the blaster's barrel, smoke and sparks pouring from the door handle until it popped off and fell to the ground harmlessly. It was an easy entrance from there, the door creaking open unmolested once the lock had been done away with.

"Stay quiet," Kimberly muttered, pushing her way into the building where she found a single staircase leading to the top floor. The noise was kept to a minimum as the Rangers tiptoed down the stairs, passing by hallways filled with doors, each of which Kimberly ignored. They descended three more flights of steps before she stopped and slowly turned around. "I can feel him; he's close."

The other Rangers nodded as Kimberly started towards the next set of stairs, taking them down six more levels before she stopped again. "This is it," she whispered, pushing open the nearest door. They followed her into a hallway with four doors all in a row and immediately went for the one furthest from them.

She practically yanked the door away from the frame and opened it with such conviction that severe emotional distress began to set in as soon as she discovered that the spacious room was completely void of life. The only piece of furniture was a simple wooden table upon which a clear jar rested, filled with what appeared to be a swirling cloud of blue-green smoke. Next to the jar was a single sheet of black parchment paper.

"He's not here," murmured Kimberly, shaking her head. "I can't believe he's not here. He still feels so close."

"Maybe that's why," said Tommy, pointing to the jar as he moved passed her to inspect it. He picked up the sheet of paper and started to read out loud the scratchy scribe colored a fiery shade of orange.

Dear Rangers,

So sorry to disappoint you, but Zordon is long gone. Actually, he was never even here in the first place. See, as soon as Dark Specter found out that you were coming to Onyx he had me take Zordon as far away from this planet as possible. I did leave you a little gift for your efforts, though. I like to call it Eau de Zordon, a little piece of your beloved mentor left especially for you. This way you will all have something to remember him by when the last of his essence has been drained and sacrificed to restore Dark Specter to his full power. Although, once that happens you really won't have much time to remember him at all before Dark Specter destroys you, too. Anyway, gotta run. It's been fun as always.

Love ya,

The Toxic Diva

"Why do I think the Alliance of Evil would be pissed off if they read this letter?" asked Jason, shaking his head.

"Divatox has a big mouth, bro," Tommy replied, smirking knowingly. "I'd go ten-to-one that she said way more than she was supposed to."

Ignoring her friend's laughter, Kimberly's eyes burned with anger, as they had been doing almost as soon as Tommy had begun reading Divatox's letter. That the Rangers had actually been tricked by someone as utterly moronic as Divatox made her seethe even more. And if that wasn't enough, just the simple mention of Dark Specter was enough to make her blood boil.

"I'm gonna kill her," Kimberly muttered angrily. "So help me God, if I ever get my hands on her I'm going to rip that bitch limb from limb."

"Damn, Kim, that's pretty harsh," said Zack, whose words echoed the looks of surprise on the other Ranger's faces. Truth told, none of them could ever recall a time where they'd seen Kimberly as visibly angry as she was right now, and that was saying a lot considering three of them had known her since kindergarten.

Clenching her fists tightly, Kimberly shook her head. "First she turned me evil, then she tried to kill my friends countless times, and now she's playing games with the man who was more of a father to me than my own dad. Whatever she gets, she deserves a hundred times more."

"Who's Dark Specter?" asked Jason.

"Think Maligore times a thousand," Kimberly answered simply, the eyes of the other Rangers growing wide.

Tommy opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when he saw something stirring in one of the room's shadowy corners. Withdrawing his blaster from its holster, he aimed it at the corner and motioned for the other Rangers to do the same. They followed without question, all five blasters pointing in the same direction.

"I'm going to count to three and if you don't come out from there we're gonna fry you," said Tommy, giving whoever it was a few moments to show himself before he began his count. "Three…two…one."

All at once, five continuous beams of multi-colored energy were fired towards the corner. Oddly enough, though, they all seemed to stop in midair at the exact same point, simply disappearing as the beams continued this repeating cycle.

"Put down your weapons for I am no foe to you," said a deep voice, coming from place where their blaster fire ceased.

"Show yourself!" Kimberly shouted back, keeping the trigger on her blaster pulled back.

"Put down your weapons and I shall!" the voice replied.

She did not want to do so, but Kimberly lowered her blaster and instructed the other Rangers to do the same. As soon as their firing had ceased, a figure covered in black and silver armor slowly emerged from the shadows.

"Who are you?" Tommy demanded, positioning himself in a defensive stance.

"I am called Phantom Ranger, son of Eltar and ally to the second generation of Turbo Power Rangers," he replied, approaching the Rangers without fear of attack. "Like you, I search for the one known as Zordon, and I, too, was tricked by the United Alliance of Evil into coming to this terrible place."

Jason glared at the Phantom Ranger. "How do you know Zordon?"

"My relationship to your mentor is not important to the success of your mission. All that you need to know is that my reasons for searching him out are as just and noble as yours," Phantom Ranger answered. "As you have already discovered, he is clearly not here. There is, however, somewhere you can go that may provide you with the answers you are looking for."

"Why should we trust you?" asked Trini. "How do we know you're not just another one of Divatox's lackeys here to send us on another wild goose chase?"

"I am disappointed in your lack of faith, she who roars with the power of the mighty Sabertooth Tiger," Phantom Ranger replied, Trini's eyes widening in shock. "Unfortunately, I have no means to prove to you that I am trustworthy. I can only provide you with the information I believe will help you find Zordon, but I cannot force you to use it."

Kimberly's eyes narrowed as she tried to get a read on the Phantom Ranger. She wasn't sure what it was, but there was just something about him that made her immediately think of Zordon. She didn't trust the Phantom Ranger, but she didn't necessarily distrust him either.

"Tell us what you know," said Kimberly.

The Phantom Ranger nodded. "Five will travel to the edge of the mystical plateau, but two will journey through the enchanted jungle and on to the place protected by the most noble of beasts. Only there can they discover the truth about their destinies, only there can they find their guiding light, and only there will they find that which they have always searched for."

Before the Rangers could question the Phantom Ranger any further, he disappeared into absolute nothingness, gone from the room completely. While Jason, Zack, and Trini shared similar looks of confusion, Tommy and Kimberly looked at one another as though everything the Phantom Ranger had said made perfect sense.

"You know where we have to go, don't you?" asked Tommy softly.

Kimberly nodded. "I'm scared of what we'll find there. It's been so long."

"Whatever it is, Kim, we'll get through it," said Tommy, touching her arm reassuringly. "We did it once, and we can do it again."

Sighing, Kimberly raised her wrist to her lips, her eyes never wavering from Tommy. "Alpha, how far out from our location are you?"

"Only ten minutes or so, but an army of Quantrons just appeared on the roof. Ay-yi-yi, you will have to eliminate them or I won't be able to land the ship."

"Don't worry, Alpha," Kimberly replied, silently cursing their bad luck. "We'll make sure you have plenty of room to land; Kim out."

Standing behind Tommy, in Kimberly's line of vision, Jason raised his hand. "Umm, since you both seemed to understand what the hell that guy was saying, do either one of you want to fill the rest of us in, 'cause I think I speak for both Zack and Trini when I say that we are all completely and totally confused right now."

Kimberly shook her head. "We'll explain once we're back on the ship, but right now we need to get that roof clear before Alpha shows up so let's get moving."

Forced to wait, Jason rolled his eyes and followed Kimberly back towards the stairwell. The five Rangers sprinted up the nine flights of stairs, bursting out onto the rooftop to find at least two dozen Quantrons just waiting for them to show up.

Immediately a fight was instigated, each Ranger individually taking on anywhere from five to seven of Astronema's silver and black foots soldiers. For nearly ten minutes the rooftop was absolute chaos with Quantrons flying in every direction imaginable. They were hardly a challenge for the Rangers who'd done battle with much worse and dispatched the Quantrons with relative ease.

By the time the Shadow Rider came into view, Tommy was in the process of delivering a tornado kick to the final Quantron. His foot connected expertly with the side of the Quantron's head, knocking it over the building's edge en route to imminent and instant death some two hundred feet below.

The door opened with a loud hiss as soon as the ship had made its landing, the boarding ramp descending shortly thereafter. "Come on, we need to move before someone notices us," said Kimberly, running towards the ramp with the remaining Rangers in close pursuit.

Once they had safely entered the ship, the ramp quickly recoiled and the door slid shut once more. The now demorphed Rangers all grabbed hold of something as the ship's engines started to rumble from their impending takeoff before shooting into the sky at a rate that far exceeded the speed of light.

Safe for the time being, Tommy and Kimberly shared a look for they knew the time had come for them to explain to the others that which the Phantom Ranger had spoken of.

"Let's go to the control room. We can talk there" said Kimberly, Tommy nodding his agreement. Upon entering the room, Kimberly stopped and raised her eyes to the ceiling. "DECA; set a course for Phaedos right away."

"But Kimberly, Phaedos has been unpopulated for nearly three centuries."

"No it hasn't," Kimberly replied. "That's just what people think because most everyone who has gone there never returned."

"If you say so; course now set for the planet Phaedos, in the galaxy Tiergeist. Approximate arrival time to Phaedos is sixteen standard hours."

With that taken care of, Kimberly finally turned around to find Tommy standing by her side while Jason, Zack, and Trini all stared at them expectantly. "Do you want to tell them, or should I?" she asked.

Tommy shrugged. "You can tell them and I'll fill in if I need to."

Kimberly nodded and returned her attention to the other Rangers. "About six months after you guys left the team we were forced to go to Phaedos in search of the Great Power; Zordon was dying and we needed the Power to save him. We met Dulcea, Master Warrior and keeper of the Ninjetti, and she helped us to unlock our sacred animal spirits. The enchanted jungle that the Phantom Ranger mentioned is actually the Neola Jungle, and the place protected by the most noble of beasts is the Ninjetti Temple, which is where Tommy and I have to go."

If the trio of Rangers had not been confused enough, they now looked at Kimberly with the blankest of expressions imaginable. "What do you mean, you and Tommy? What about the rest of us?" Zack asked.

"You guys are going to have to sit this one out, unfortunately," Tommy answered to his teammate's incredulous disbelief. "The Phantom Ranger said that five would travel to the edge of the jungle, but only two would continue on to the temple. Seeing as how Kim and I are the only ones here with a connection to the Ninjetti, I think it's safe to assume that we're the two people the Phantom Ranger was talking about."

Jason shook his head. "I don't like this, bro. We don't even know if this Phantom Ranger guy is really on our side or not. How do we know he's not just trying to separate us, divide and conquer or something?"

Tommy shrugged. "We don't, but it's not like Divatox left us any clues as to where she's taking Zordon. Right now all we have to go on is what the Phantom Ranger told us. Look, I've had to sit out my fair share of fights so I really do know how bad this sucks for you guys, but this one just isn't your battle to worry about."

"I still don't like this," said Jason adamantly.

"I know you don't, buddy, trust me I do," Tommy replied, clasping his friend's shoulder, "but this is something that Kim and I have to do alone. If the Phantom Ranger was right, there's a reason it's supposed to be just me and Kim. And since we don't know anything else, we can't run the risk of taking all five of us into the jungle."

Jason's eyes burned and Tommy knew that he was mad. Like Tommy, Jason hated it with a passion when his friends went into harm's way without him. Neither man would ever be able to live with themselves if something happened to one of the Rangers on a mission and they weren't there to help.

Still, Jason also understood that this was one fight he could not win. "Just…be safe out there, okay."

"We will, Jase," said Kimberly, smiling reassuringly.

Sighing in defeat, Jason forced himself to nod just once and left the control room with not another word. "Where are you going?" Tommy called out after him.

"The gym," Jason answered without turning around. "I need to hit something."

Tommy started to follow him, but Zack reached out and stopped him. "You know better than to go after him when he's like this, man," said Zack with a smile. "Give him a couple of hours to cool down and he'll forget all about it."

"He acts like I want it to be this way," Tommy seethed through gritted teeth. "How can he honestly think that I don't want you guys there when Kim and I go into the Neola Jungle? It took six of us to make it through it the last time, and even though we know what to expect now that doesn't make it very much easier."

"That bad, huh?" asked Trini, Tommy and Kimberly both nodding. "Do you really think that you can make it by yourselves?"

Looking at Kimberly and smiling, Tommy couldn't help but to feel absolute confidence in their ability to navigate the dangerous jungle. "Trini," he answered softly, "if I've learned anything in my years as a Ranger it's that, to those who possess the Great Power—"

"All things are possible," said Tommy and Kimberly in unison.

Kimberly's finished statement had everyone in the room grinning from ear to ear. To Zack and Trini it had just been a cute little exchange, but for Tommy and Kimberly it meant so much more than that as was evident by the look they shared with each other.

"The Great Power helped us save Zordon once," said Tommy confidently. "If those who possess the Power really are capable of anything, then going to the place it was created could be exactly what we need to help us find him."

"I hope you're right, man," Zack replied skeptically, which did not surprise Tommy or Kimberly as he had not experienced what it meant to be Ninjetti. "Listen, I'm gonna go snag some food. Jason told me about that machine that makes anything you want to eat and I gotta check it out. Anyone want to come with?"

"I'll go," said Trini. "I haven't eaten since before we left Earth."

Zack nodded. "Tommy, Kim?" he asked. Having already eaten, either with Jason as was the case for Kimberly or a hamburger at the mall for Tommy, they both shook their heads. "Alright guys, we'll catch up with you later, then."

Alone once more, Tommy and Kimberly breathed sighs of relief when the room had finally been emptied. "So we're really going to Phaedos, huh?" asked Tommy.

"Yep, we really are," Kimberly answered, smiling. "What do you think we'll find there?"

Tommy shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. We haven't been there in almost four years. A lot can change in that time."

"Are you scared?" she asked, searching out the truth in his eyes.

"I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't," said Tommy. "The jungle is unpredictable, and I wouldn't be surprised if there was more to it than what we've already seen. That doesn't mean I don't think we can do it, though."

"I don't think we can, Tommy," Kimberly replied, Tommy's eyes growing wide with surprise. "I know we can."

Smiling, Tommy nodded and pulled Kimberly into a half hug against his side. "Tell me about what happened to your back?"

Wincing visibly, Kimberly freed herself from Tommy's embrace. With folded arms and her back turned, she took a few steps away from him. "Six weeks ago I went to Onyx for the first time. At first I was flying pretty high, but then this weird thing happened. It was like I could feel the people hurting on the ground. I started to fly lower, thinking that I could help them. I never saw who did it, but Alpha said the size and shape of the scar meant that it came from a Genevian sniper blaster."

Suddenly it all made sense. "That's why you didn't want us to worry about anything except finding Zordon, isn't it?" asked Tommy. Still with her back turned to him, Kimberly nodded silently. Stepping up next to her, he placed his hand on the small of her back and gave it a gentle rub. "Protecting your teammates, not making the same mistakes twice; you're catching on to this whole leader thing pretty fast."

"You think so?" Kimberly questioned, laying her head against his shoulder.

"I think you should know by now that I don't say things I don't mean," Tommy replied teasingly.

"I guess I should, huh?" she asked with a smirk.

Tommy rolled his eyes playfully before asking an all important question. "So what we do for the next fifteen and a half hours?"