Title: Quest
Chapter 7 – Warrior's Welcome
Original Posting Date: November 16, 2008
--
With a loud hiss the doors of the Shadow Rider slid open, revealing the rocky cliff sides of Phaedos to Tommy and Kimberly for the first time in nearly three years. A long silver ramp followed moments later, granting them access to the ground from their elevated position. Almost immediately Tommy started to walk forward but Kimberly stayed put, looking back over her shoulder with a visibly saddened expression.
"I can't believe they didn't even come to see us off," she murmured disappointedly, shaking her head as she returned her eyes to Tommy.
"It's only been like half an hour, Kim," he reminded her, smiling softly even as she glared at him with narrowed eyes. "Their feelings aren't going to change automatically like that no matter how bad you want them to."
Kimberly could do little more than sigh, her shoulders simultaneously sagging in defeat. "I know but still," she replied quietly, almost distantly as she paused for a few silent moments. "I just...I don't like it when my friends are mad at me."
"No one does," Tommy supplied, shrugging. "Besides, it's not like they're gonna be mad at us forever. At the end of the day, we're all still friends and eventually they'll get over it. Honestly, I know Jason's probably still pissed, but I bet Zack and Trini are already regretting walking out on us like they did."
"I doubt that," said Kimberly with an audible hint of bitterness, taking Tommy's hand as they started down the ramp.
Tommy chuckled. "You know, usually I'm the one with the glass-half-empty outlook, not you," he countered.
Kimberly rolled her eyes. "What makes you think they're regretting it?"
Tommy did not immediately reply. Instead, he took a few moments to look around, his breathing slow and deliberate. The cool, moist air of the Phadoesian seaside tickled his face, bringing a sensation of utter calmness to him. He remained in a constant silent turnabout even as the ship started to take off behind him, staying that way until shortly after the sound of rumbling engines had disappeared.
"It's just like I remember it," he murmured, smiling wistfully as he turned back to Kimberly who was still waiting for an answer. He gave it to her, albeit with clear exasperation in his voice. "Kim, I know this isn't what you want to hear, but the only reason they went with Jason in the first place was because you didn't even try to stop them."
Hands on her hips, Kimberly stared back at Tommy incredulously. "Oh, so now this whole thing is all my fault?"
"That's not what I meant and you know it," said Tommy. "I'm just saying that, as the leader it's your responsibility to keep this team united at all times; not physically united, but emotionally. They have to know that even though we're all friends, you're still the one in charge and what you say goes."
"So you're saying they don't respect me?" asked Kimberly, confused.
Tommy shrugged, his expression somewhere in between yes and no. "I don't think disrespect is what it is. I think it's a combination of Jason's stubbornness mixed with the fact that Zack and Trini aren't really the leader type," he answered, the look on Kimberly's face telling him to explain further. "Look, Jason's got a leader mentality and that's never going to go away. If he really thinks he's right about something, even if he's not it takes a lot to convince him."
"Just like you and me," Kimberly muttered, slowly starting to understand where Tommy's line of thinking was heading.
"Exactly," Tommy replied, nodding. "As far as Zack and Trini go it's not a slight against them, but when was the last time you remember them planning something we did as a group?" he continued, Kimberly shaking her head. "It's the same as I was in the beginning. Before I got comfortable around you guys, unless one of us had something really important going on that everyone was already going to, you and Jason were pretty much the ones who steered the group."
"For someone so youthful you have a strong understanding of the world around you, young Falcon," said a female voice from behind the pair.
It was a voice so familiar that it sent a series of chills running up and down the spines of both Tommy and Kimberly. Looking at each other, they shared a quick smile before slowly turning around to face a cloaked and hooded figure. They watched intently as the figure methodically reached up and removed the brown hood, revealing the smiling face of Phaedos' Master Warrior.
"Dulcea," Kimberly murmured, grinning as she moved to embrace the woman.
The two women shared a quick hug and as Dulcea released her hold on Kimberly she gazed down upon the much younger woman. "My graceful Crane," she replied, smiling proudly as Tommy stepped to Kimberly's side. "It warms my heart to see you both standing here again. Alas, it appears we are destined to only meet under the most unfortunate of circumstances."
"Then you already know about Zordon?" asked Tommy.
Dulcea nodded sadly. "I learned of his fate shortly before you did," she said to Kimberly.
"I don't understand," Kimberly replied, shaking her head. "Why weren't we told as soon as it happened? And what's more, why was I told before Tommy and the others? Wouldn't it have been easier to find Zordon with five of us out there looking for him from the get-go?"
"Kimberly, I assure you that you were contacted as soon as we had all—" Dulcea started only to be cut off by Tommy.
"Who's we?" he asked firmly.
Dulcea looked to Tommy and smiled. "The Order of Meledon; what remains of it, that is," she answered, uttering a phrase neither Tommy nor Kimberly had heard before. "Many millennia ago the Order of Meledon was a group of warriors responsible protecting the universe. The Order consisted of five members, all of whom you know, albeit two in much different states. Upon its' conception by Zordon, I was the first to join; Trey of Triforia, Ninjor, and the Phantom Ranger followed shortly thereafter."
"Zordon never mentioned this Order before," said Kimberly, furrowing her brow.
Nodding, Dulcea beckoned for them to walk with her. "Time is of the essence; I will explain everything as we walk," she replied, Tommy and Kimberly quick to follow. "I'm sure this will not come as a surprise to either of you when I say this, but Zordon was always incredibly secretive when it came to his various operations. That is why I still attacked on your first visit. Before that day I had not heard from Zordon in well over three millennia and I knew nothing of his movements on Earth."
"Okay," Tommy nodded, folding his arms across his chest. "Now back to Kim's question. Why weren't we all told at the same time?"
Sighing, Dulcea stopped short in front of a series of large boulders that formed something of an elongated staircase leading up towards the path that would eventually take them to the old, familiar plateau.
"Because we deemed it necessary it to be that way, Falcon," Dulcea answered, slowly turning her focus to Kimberly. "Because the Crane still needed to discover herself, to mend her broken wings before your team could truly soar. As it stands, it took the Order nearly two months to realize the error of our decision to send you out on your own."
Kimberly stared back at Dulcea in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"I mean that I take full responsibility for not standing up to the Order when they reached that decision," Dulcea replied, shaking her head sadly. "In my heart I knew that the Crane could not reach the heights necessary to find Zordon without the Falcon flying by her side; and though I knew that I still allowed them to keep you apart. For that, my young warriors, I am truly sorry."
Tommy and Kimberly smiled brightly at each other, their eyes lingering momentarily before they turned back to the Master Warrior. "I think I speak for both of us when I say apology accepted," said Kimberly, still smiling.
Dulcea nodded thankfully. "Then if there is nothing else," she spoke, turning around, "we have much to do and very little time to do it in."
And with that they started walking again, scaling the stone staircase that seemed much steeper now then it had three years ago. By the time they reached the top some twenty minutes later both Tommy and Kimberly were breathing heavier than was normal. With a slight tingling sensation in his calves Tommy bent down and stretched, rubbing the backs of his legs.
"Twenty starts to feel like forty when you've been out of the game this long," he laughed, shaking his head as Kimberly jumped up and down a few times, wiggling the kinks out of her own legs.
"We must continue, Rangers. The plateau awaits us," said Dulcea, already walking away. Tommy and Kimberly looked at each other, both of them rolling their eyes in unison as they moved to follow the Master Warrior.
Nudging Tommy as they walked, Kimberly looked up at him and smiled. "You hear that?" she asked in a whisper. "'The plateau awaits us.' You know what that means."
Grinning, Tommy nodded. "I always did look better in white," he replied with a quiet chuckle.
"Your reconnection to the Ninjetti will only be temporary," Dulcea interjected, catching Tommy and Kimberly off guard for they thought they'd been speaking quietly enough not to be overheard. "Upon leaving Phaedos and rejoining your teammates, your connection will rapidly begin to fade without Ninjor's Power Coins to support it."
The two Rangers were almost saddened to hear this news, but neither showed it. "What are we looking for at the temple, Dulcea?" asked Kimberly.
"Answers, Crane," Dulcea answered, leading them over a cliff roughly three hundred feet above the ground. "You seek answers."
"To where Zordon is?" questioned Tommy.
Dulcea shrugged. "Perhaps," she answered on the wingtips of a deep exhale. "There is no way of predicting what one will find upon returning to the ancient ruins for a second time. And while I cannot be certain, what I can say is that, in times of great strife the temple always seems to have a way of giving the Ninjetti exactly what they need."
"That's good enough for me," Tommy replied.
"Me too," added Kimberly, nodding her agreement.
For what seemed like hours they continued to maneuver their way across Phaedos en route to the plateau where the pair of Ninjetti would once again become one with their sacred animal spirits. So long was their journey that the sun was already nearing its final descent for the day upon their arrival at the plateau.
Looking out on the familiar place, Tommy couldn't help but smile as he became the victim to a wonderful lapse of déjà vu. He closed his eyes and saw himself standing in his white Ninjetti robes next to Adam, a fire burning brightly at the center of the plateau as Dulcea walked in front of each of the Rangers, addressing them individually.
"The winged lord of the skies," the Master Warrior had called him that day. Even if he was no longer the leader he had been back then, Tommy knew that the title Dulcea had once bestowed upon him would forever reign in the realm of the Ninjetti.
When he opened his eyes a few moments later Dulcea was now without her cloak, standing near the fire pit where a handful of logs lied dormant. With Kimberly standing next to him, they watched as Dulcea closed her eyes and extended her hands over the pit, the logs starting to crackle almost instantly. It took but mere seconds before the warmth of bright orange flames began to wash over them.
Once the flames had reached their necessary strength, Dulcea turned to Tommy and Kimberly. "Return to your rightful places, Ninjetti," she said softly. As she reached for the pouch on her hip the Rangers did as they'd been told, moving to the opposite side of the fire.
"I'm excited," Kimberly murmured from the corner of her mouth.
"Me too," Tommy admitted, fighting away the urge to smile.
With her back to them, Dulcea poured a sand-like substance into the palm of her hand. Setting the pouch down atop a small stone pillar she turned around and started towards the fire, connecting both hands as she slid the sand to the center of them.
"Buried deep within each of us is an animal spirit waiting to be unleashed. Close your eyes and look deep inside," Dulcea urged, Tommy and Kimberly quickly following her instructions.
With a smile, the Master Warrior blew the dust towards the fire, causing it to shoot up as a sparkling, swirling blue cloud started to form above the flames before surrounding the two Rangers entirely. When the fire died shortly thereafter, Tommy and Kimberly opened their eyes and smiled beneath their masks as they looked down on their Ninjetti robes.
"The agile Crane and the mighty Falcon," Dulcea continued, nodding approvingly. "Once again the strength of the Ninjetti lies at your disposal. Trust in it; let your sacred animals be your guide and all will be well."
Turning to each other, Tommy and Kimberly removed their hoods and then pulled away their masks, revealing their smiles as they looked back at Dulcea. Through the various powers they had held as Rangers, there was nothing that was even remotely comparable to the way being Ninjetti made them feel inside.
"Where do we go from here?" asked Tommy, unable to contain his childish grin.
Dulcea smiled as she waved her hand in front of them. In an instant the fire pit had disappeared, a large dark green tent taking its' place. "You will find the necessary provisions for the night inside," she answered, pointing to the tent. "I suggest a good night's sleep, for tomorrow at sunrise we begin your training."
Tommy furrowed his brow. "Training?" he asked incredulously, staring back at Dulcea who maintained her smile as she nodded. "We don't have time to train, Zordon's in danger. We need to get to the temple as soon as possible."
"And you will, Tommy," said Dulcea firmly. "But not before you have trained to my expectations. The rewards for reaching the temple a second time are great, but so are the risks in attempting to do so. Your journey will not be an easy one; to complete it you must both reach the full potential of what you can do as Ninjetti."
"And you're going to teach us that?" questioned Kimberly.
Dulcea shook her head. "All that I can do is to guide you on your journey. Only you are capable of discovering what you are capable of doing," she answered. "Now I must go and finish preparing for tomorrow. Sleep well, Rangers, and let the Power protect you."
Before either of them could reply Dulcea was already in the midst of transforming into an owl, accessing a level of Ninjetti that Tommy and Kimberly had not yet been able to reach. The small bird with bright yellow eyes looked at the pair, giving them a few soft hoots before flying off into the distance.
"Well," murmured Tommy, turning to Kimberly while motioning to the tent, "I guess we should probably go in."
Kimberly laughed. "One thing that I'll never get used to is the time difference going from planet to planet," she replied as they made their way towards their home for the night. "I'm not gonna be able to sleep for at least three or four more hours."
Standing in one of the tent's two rooms, the other being a small kitchen, Tommy smiled as he slowly turned away from the twin beds—one with a white comforter and one pink, set a good ten feet away from each other—and winked at Kimberly. "Then how about we find a way to occupy our time?"
Grinning wickedly, Kimberly took two fistfuls of Tommy's robes and pulled him in close. She moved in like she was going to kiss him hard only to leave him with the faintest brush of her lips across his. "What'd you have in mind?" she asked, looking up at him.
"More than that kiss," Tommy answered. "I mean, if you can even call that a kiss."
Kimberly rolled her eyes. "You would have been perfectly satisfied with that back when we were in high school."
Laughing, Tommy wrapped his arms around Kimberly, holding her close to him as he slowly started to backpedal towards the beds. "I wasn't satisfied," he replied, smiling. "I was just too scared to try anything more."
"Are you saying that I intimidated you?" Kimberly questioned teasingly.
Standing in front of the white bed, Tommy slowly sat down on the edge. "You were the most beautiful girl in school. I was more concerned with not making an ass of myself than I was with making moves on you," he answered, motioning for Kimberly to join him. As she moved to sit on his lap with a vibrant smile, Tommy held her around the waist and continued. "It took a long time for me to realize that I didn't have to try so hard to impress you."
"Even when you don't try you still impress me," said Kimberly, pecking a kiss to the tip of his nose. "Besides, who cares if we moved slower than most couples? I've never felt like we needed to have sex to be closer."
"Me neither," said Tommy. Smiling, he leaned back and pulled Kimberly down towards the bed with him until they lied face to face. Just inches of empty space remained on either side of the small mattress as he reached out and started to stroke the side of her face with lazy fingertips. "After we're done here and we've straightened everything out with the others, what do you say we go out?"
Kimberly furrowed her brow. "You mean like on a date?" she asked, Tommy nodding as she smiled. "As long as you remember to wind up your watch," she continued, winking at him, "I'd love to go out on a date with you."
Tommy rolled his eyes. "You just had to bring the watch up, didn't you?" he countered with a laugh, Kimberly shrugging helplessly. "It's kinda weird, isn't it?"
"What's that?" asked Kimberly, her fingers stroking up and down Tommy's chest.
"Usually the guy has to take the girl out before he gets laid," he answered.
For Tommy, unfortunately what had been intended to be a teasing reply was clearly not taken that way. The smile on Kimberly's face disappeared almost instantly, her body moving just as fast as she rolled away from Tommy and onto her feet, walking away. It took a few confused moments of watching her, wondering what he'd said wrong before he stood and gave chase, crossing the tent to where she now stood in the small kitchen.
"Kim, I didn't mean to—"
"I'm not just some slut, you know," she interrupted, keeping her back to him with arms folded across her chest.
Tommy sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I never said you were, Kim. I'm sorry if I made it seem that way, but I was just trying to make a joke."
"Well mission unaccomplished, Tommy," said Kimberly, turning around to face him with tear-filled eyes that made Tommy's heart break the second he saw them. What came next, however, hurt even worse. "You're just like every other guy."
Her venomous reply left Tommy standing there in pained shock long after she'd pushed passed him and exited the tent. With the way they'd behaved around each other the last few days...he couldn't understand why Kimberly had reacted like she had, especially after he'd both apologized and explained himself.
There was something else, something she hadn't told him about. What it was he did not know, but wearing pure determination upon his face he turned and left the tent with every intention of finding out.
Luckily, she hadn't gone very far. Underneath a star speckled sky she stood at the edge of the plateau, gazing out on the darkened treetops of the Neola Jungle and the giant monolith at the ceter that was home to the Ninjetti Temple. He approached her with caution, his footsteps slow and quiet.
She heard him, nonetheless, and turned around to face him. "What do you want?" she asked rather rudely.
Tommy raised an eyebrow, momentarily debating whether or not it was even worth it to put up with being verbally accosted. "I want to know why you flipped out over a little joke. I mean, I said I was sorry, didn't I?"
Kimberly scoffed, rolling her eyes. "A little joke?" she questioned, laughing bitterly. "Just like sex, right? Because that's clearly what you think of it as."
"You do realize who you're talking to, right?" asked Tommy, shaking his head in disbelief. "This is me, Kim, Tommy Oliver; the kid who was too afraid to do anything more than kiss you for almost three years. I'm also the guy who has always shown you nothing but the utmost respect even when I had every right not to. But more than that, other Rangers excluded I'm the one guy who you've always been able to trust. For some reason, though, there's something that you don't trust me with."
Frozen by his words Kimberly looked at Tommy, unsure of what to say. Backed into a corner, she threw out the first thing that came to her mind. "You don't know what you're talking about," was her reply, spoken as she tried to move passed him.
He wasn't going to let her go a second time, but as he reached out to stop her something strange happened. Some outside force, something he could not see had prevented him from touching her. It was only seconds later when he realized the reason that he couldn't see it was because his eyes were now squeezed shut.
When he tried to open them, though, he was halted as a piercing cry rang out inside his head. It was eerily familiar, accompanied by a voice he'd never heard before shortly after the cry had dissipated. "The falcon is a protector, Tommy. You alone have the power to protect everything that you hold dear."
Then the cry returned, just as loudly as the first time only now it faded away slowly instead of stopping suddenly as it had before. Tommy's eyes fluttered open shortly thereafter, settling on a confused Kimberly who was seemingly trapped inside a bubble of white energy emanating from his own two hands.
"What the hell did you do to me, Tommy?" shouted Kimberly, beating her fists against the bubble. "Let me out of here."
Blinking rapidly, Tommy started to laugh when he realized what he was doing. "Nope," he replied, shaking his head. "Not until you tell me what it is that made you react like that, and don't tell me it was just me because I know that's not true. There's something you're not telling me, so if you want out you better start talking."
Kimberly looked back at Tommy and sighed in defeat, her shoulders sagging because the truth was that she really didn't want to be mad at him. "Tommy, please let me out so we can talk like real people," she said softly.
Tommy narrowed his eyes, silently pondering her request. "Promise me you're not just going to go running off again if I do," he countered.
"I promise; besides, if I do you can just trap me in another one of these bubble things," Kimberly replied. Chuckling, Tommy focused on the Power and allowed the orb to disappear. "Thank you."
Nodding, Tommy gestured towards the tent. "You wanna go back inside?"
Kimberly smiled thankfully and nodded, a bit surprised when Tommy offered her his hand. She took it, nonetheless, stepping up next to him as they walked back to the tent. "I'm sorry I flipped out like that," she murmured.
"I know you are," said Tommy softly, smiling down at her. "I just want to know why you did it, that's all."
"Can't we just chalk it up to one of those crazy things Kim does and forget it never happened?" asked Kimberly hopefully.
Stopping just short of the tent's entrance, Tommy shook his head. "Kim, you promised me that you'd—"
"I know, I know," Kimberly interjected, pulling him inside the tent. She led him over to his bed, sat him down, and then started to pace nervously. Biting her nails, she caught sight of his eyes and sighed. "Remember when I told you why Blake and I broke up?"
"You said it was because he wasn't me," Tommy answered.
Kimberly nodded. "I didn't tell you what I meant by that, though. My relationship with Blake started a lot like ours did. We went on dates and I never did anything more than kiss him, and he never pressured me for anything more. But then one day he mentioned sex; I told him I didn't think I was ready for that and he dropped it. Eventually it came up again and I said the same thing. It seemed like once a week he was bringing it up. It made me think of you, how you'd never tried to pressure me for anything I hadn't already given you willingly."
Tommy smiled at that as Kimberly continued.
"Part of me really wanted to leave Florida and come home, to try and patch things up with you. Truthfully, I had every intention of doing just that when I got a letter from Jason. We'd been writing back and forth since they went to Switzerland; at first it was me keeping him up with the team, but then it flip-flopped. Anyway, I got a letter from Jason and he mentioned that you were dating Kat. When I realized you were happy with someone else, I knew I couldn't come home and try to interfere. I'd lost my place in your life, and I dealt with it even though it tore me up inside every single day. The next time Blake mentioned sex, I gave in."
"Why?" asked Tommy after a few silent moments, not really knowing what else to say.
Kimberly shrugged. "I think I held out for so long because, deep down, I'd always imagined that my first time would be with you. I guess a part of me held out hope that, even though we weren't together, that dream would someday become a reality. But then I found out you were with Kat and I knew it would never happen. Realizing that I'd lost you for good made me realize that I could lose Blake too. Back home, even if I didn't have you I still had the others. In Florida, I didn't have anyone. I was so afraid of being alone…"
Tears started to brim in her eyes, slowly slipping down her cheeks as Tommy stood and pulled her into his arms. "What happened?" he asked, her face buried against his chest.
"W-we had sex," Kimberly stammered, almost shaking in Tommy's embrace. "For a couple weeks everything was good. Then one night, not ten minutes after we'd had sex he broke up with me. He told me that he'd just wanted to test the newest ride on the lot before someone else got a hold of it."
Tommy grimaced, his eyes burning with anger as he pulled Kimberly in even closer. "And you thought I was going to do the same thing?"
Pushing back a bit, Kimberly wiped at her eyes as she shook her head. "I don't know what I was thinking, Tommy. I just…after Blake I promised myself I wasn't ever going to put myself in that position again. When you made your little joke, instead of taking it the way you meant it I immediately saw red. All I could think was that I was in the middle of making the same mistake all over again and I panicked."
"I would never do that to you," said Tommy firmly, looking right into her eyes to prove his point. "Any guy who would even think about doing something like that to you is an idiot who obviously didn't realize that he had the most amazing woman in the world."
"I'm not amazing, I'm an idiot," Kimberly replied, freeing herself from Tommy's arms as she turned her back to him. "All my life I've been afraid of men hurting me; not physically, but emotionally, like the way my dad did to my mom when he cheated on her. I find the one guy who I know is different and I let him go because I'm too scared to be alone. Then, by some miracle I get him back only to make a fool out of myself by saying a whole bunch of things that were stupid and completely unwarranted."
Tommy stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her closely with his chin resting on her shoulder. "Wanna chalk it up to one of those crazy things Kim does and forget it ever happened?"
Somewhere in between laughing and crying, Kimberly slowly turned around to face him. "I would love to do that," she answered, wiping at her eyes as she nodded her agreement. "You're really gonna forgive me just like that?"
Chuckling, Tommy shrugged. "You forgave me for trying to kill you on multiple occasions," he answered, smiling and winking at her. "I think I can forgive you for going a little off kilter this one time."
Kimberly smiled up at Tommy, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him. "Can you at least let me try and make it up to you?" she asked sweetly, innocently.
Half-smirking, Tommy just nodded.
--
In one of the many recreation rooms on board the Shadow Rider which floated lazily above Phaedos, Jason sat alone, stewing. Occupying a recliner chair in the corner of the room, he watched with narrowed eyes from afar as Zack and Trini played a game of billiards, trying desperately to keep their minds distracted from what had happened earlier.
Pushing some of his dreadlocks away from his face, Zack lined up a shot on the three-ball and sunk it in the far corner pocket, flashing a toothy grin to Trini who barely managed a small smile in return.
"Nice shot, Zack," Trini muttered distantly.
Zack nodded. "Thanks," he replied, watching Trini curiously as he moved around the table to take his next shot. The sadness in her eyes was too distracting, though; the ball he'd aimed at bounced off the rail, rolling around and hitting a few more balls before it reached a stop at the other end of the table. Looking up at her, he let out a sigh. "What's on your mind, Tri?"
"Nothing," said Trini, sliding into position behind the cue ball. She took aim only to be interrupted by Zack who reached out and took hold of her stick. "Come on, Zack, let go."
Zack shook his head. "Talk to me," he replied firmly, his voice low enough so as to not be overheard by Jason.
Staring across the table at her friend, Trini waged something of a momentary war with herself. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk to Zack; the truth was that even she didn't know what she was really thinking. Her thoughts were such a jumbled mess that nothing seemed to make any sense to her at all.
"You're gonna think I'm crazy," Trini started, shaking her head, "but something's going on. I don't know what it is and I can't explain it, but something big is about to happen; something that's going to change this team forever."
With a furrowed brow, Zack opened his mouth to reply only to be cut off by the alarm wailing throughout the room. Not really sure of what to do, he turned to Jason to find that the Black Ranger was already out of his seat and quickly moving towards them.
"Control room?" asked Zack.
Jason nodded. "Let's go," he answered, heading straight for the exit without bothering to stop.
Zack and Trini shared a quick look, the former of whom shrugged before they both turned to follow Jason. Running down the hallway, they remained a few feet behind him until they'd reached the control room where Jason was watching Alpha-5 with a big smile on his face, the first one they'd seen from him in quite some time.
"What's going on?" asked Trini, looking from the suspiciously-blank viewing globe to Alpha.
"Ay-yi-yi, the ship's sensors have gone into absolute overload!" Alpha exclaimed. Running around the control room frantically, he hit every button he could find in an attempt to make the alarm stop. "I feel like my ears are going to explode!"
Trini turned to Jason. "There's no danger?" she questioned, Jason shaking his head. Breathing a sigh of relief, she ran over to Alpha and held the automaton in place. "Alpha," she continued, stifling a laugh. "Alpha, just calm down and tell us what's going on before you fry your circuits."
"Ay-yi-yi, Trini, I just told you what's going on," Alpha replied. "Doesn't anyone listen to me?"
"Of course we listen to you, Alpha," said Trini, smiling softly. "But we can't listen to you when you're running around like a crazy person, saying your ears are going to explode when you don't even have any ears in the first place."
"What can we do to help?" Zack interjected, stepping up to Trini's side.
Across from the trio, Jason rested up against one of the many control panels that stood throughout the room. Looking down at the panel, specifically a large red button marked "Manual Alarm Deactivation," he shook his head and laughed, the alarm ceasing its' blaring shortly thereafter. Moments later, as he started to walk towards a confused Zack, Trini, and Alpha, something hit him.
"Tell us what's going on, Alpha," said Jason sternly.
"What are you talking about, Jase?" asked Zack, raising a curious eyebrow.
Looking at Zack, Jason nodded his head in Alpha's direction. "In all the years that I've been a Ranger, I can't remember a single time when the Command Center or Power Chamber alarm ever went off accidentally," he answered, slowly turning his eyes to Alpha. "And when something happened and the alarm did go off, you never once had any trouble making it stop. Something set off the alarm just now, and whatever it was, it was enough to freak you out."
"I-I don't know what you're talking about, Jason," Alpha replied, quickly turning his back to the Rangers. "Like I said, the sensors just went into overload. It could have just as easily been a passing ship."
"Yeah, come on, Jase; you can never be too careful," Zack interjected with a laugh, clasping Jason on the shoulder. "Word is that Compton's got nothing on the drive-by's they have out here in outer space."
Forcing himself not to laugh at his friend, Jason remained focused solely on Alpha as he stepped in front of the automaton and dropped to a knee. "No one is mad, Alpha," he said softly. "We just want to know what's going on, that's all."
At that moment, if Alpha's programming had allowed him to sigh he surely would have. "Ay-yi-yi, I hate lying to you, Rangers. The alarm was caused by a disturbance on the top floor, but it has already been taken care of."
"The top floor?" asked Trini, her voice both distant and thoughtful. When it finally hit her, she looked to Jason and Zack in shock to find that they each wore an expression similar to hers.
"The Silver Ranger," Jason murmured, shaking his head before returning his attention to Alpha. "What'd he do?"
"You mean you already know about him?" questioned Alpha, looking to the three Rangers who all nodded their confirmation. "Ay-yi-yi, if I tell you what happened you have to promise not to tell Kimberly or she'll think I'm a failure."
Standing next to the robot, Trini laid a hand on his shoulder and slowly shook her head. "Alpha, Kim loves you and would never think that way about you, so just tell us what happened. Is the Silver Ranger okay?"
Alpha nodded. "He is now. You see, when Kimberly brought him back to the ship we had to freeze him cryogenically to keep him alive."
"We already know that, Alpha," Jason interjected.
Again, Alpha nodded. "Then I'll skip the history lesson. Instead of setting the chamber to 'permanent,' I set it to 'temporary' by mistake. The Silver Ranger woke up and started banging against the chamber, trying to break free."
"And that's what caused the alarm to go off?" asked Zack.
"Affirmative, Zack," Alpha answered. "But as I said, everything has already been taken care of."
Standing with his arms folded across his chest, Jason looked down at Alpha. "What exactly does that mean?"
"See for yourselves," said Alpha.
Turning away from the Rangers, Alpha walked towards a nearby control panel and pressed a sequence of buttons. Almost immediately the Viewing Globe started to hum, a picture slowly coming into focus on the screen. The image showed the inside of the room where the Silver Ranger was being held, only now he was no longer locked inside his chamber. Instead, the glass chamber has been shattered and he was now standing in front of the door, to the casual eye appearing as though he was doing nothing more than looking at it.
"What's he doing?" asked Zack, watching the Silver Ranger intently.
"I remember seeing a panel next to that door when we were in there earlier," murmured Trini, her heart suddenly racing for reasons that she could not explain. "I think he's trying to get out."
The trio of Rangers all looked to Alpha for confirmation and it was given to them in the form of a single nod. "You are correct, Trini. Fortunately for us, I was able to activate the door's emergency lock in time. Even if he knew the proper code, the door can now only be unlocked from the outside until after the emergency lock has been disabled."
How disappointed Alpha was to find himself proven dead wrong when the door slid open not ten seconds later, the Silver Ranger disappearing from sight as he stepped out of the room and into the hallway.
"So much for that," muttered Zack.
Jason shook his head. "Come on; let's cut him off before he can do any damage."
As Jason started to move passed her, Trini reached out and grabbed his wrist. She'd already let him lead her to one bad decision earlier; she wasn't about to go diving headfirst into another just because he thought it was a good idea.
"How do you know he's an enemy?" questioned Trini, staring firmly at her lifelong friend.
"I don't," said Jason, pulling his arm free from her grasp. "But I don't know if he's a friend, either. That's why I said to cut him off instead of to attack him. If he fights, though, I'm gonna fight back."
That having been said Jason turned and started to run, exiting the control room with Zack following closely behind him. Momentarily debating whether or not she should go as well, Trini sighed and ran after them. In the sixteen years that she'd been friends with Jason, one thing that he had never done was lie to her; if he said that he wasn't going to attack the Silver Ranger unprovoked then she trusted him to keep his word.
Thirty or so feet ahead of her, Jason raised his eyes towards the ceiling as Zack ran by his side. "DECA, I want to know where the Silver Ranger is and what direction he's heading in."
"Of course, Jason," DECA replied. "The Silver Ranger is currently in the stairwell, in between the fourth and third floors."
Pumping his legs even harder, the Black Ranger looked back over his shoulder. "Elevator!" he yelled to Trini, "Third floor!"
Understanding Jason's instructions, Trini gave him a single nod and then veered off to the left at the next opening. Breathing heavily, Jason turned a corner and burst through the door that led to the stairwell, Zack hurrying to keep with him as they took the steps two and three at a time.
Not long after that, Jason came to a skidding stop when he looked up and saw the Silver Ranger standing one floor above him, just a single flight of stairs separating them from each other. Without a word he gave chase, hitting the steps hard as the Silver Ranger turned back around and pushed his way out through the stairwell door.
"Come on, Zack, hurry it up!" Jason yelled, following the Silver Ranger out into the hallway. "Stop running! We don't want to hurt you!"
As if on command the Silver Ranger came to a halt, albeit not because of what Jason had said to him. Trini had stepped into the hallway and cut him off, causing him to backpedal towards Jason and Zack as she approached. With nowhere to run, the Silver Ranger dropped to one knee and looked up at Trini.
"Do not follow," he said simply.
He became enveloped in a column of crackling silver energy, rocketing out of the ship mere moments before the other Rangers were able to close the gap. They looked in shock at where the Silver Ranger had just been, their eyes slowly raising to meet each others.
Staring at Zack, Trini shook her head. "I told you that something was gonna happen."
--
Naked as the day they were born, Tommy and Kimberly slept peacefully beneath the covers of the two beds which had been moved together to better accommodate their activities from the night before. Their legs were intertwined, Tommy with his arm draped over her side and his face buried in her soft auburn tresses.
In the midst of a rather pleasant dream the smile that he wore upon his face soon disappeared, replaced by a look of defensive shock when an ear-splitting whistle suddenly filled the tent. Both he and Kimberly immediately shot up, pushing themselves into sitting positions as they pulled the covers up for more protection and looked around the tent for the source of the noise.
They breathed sighs of relief when they saw Dulcea, a piece of her staff in each hand as she stood at the tent's entrance with her back to them. "The time to train has come," she told them. "Summon your animal spirits and join me outside."
After the Master Warrior had left, Tommy turned to Kimberly and smiled. "Some wakeup call, huh?" he asked rhetorically, sharing a laugh with his bedded companion. Raising his arms high above his head, he let go a loud yawn. "Well, I guess it's time to rise and shine."
"Yep," said Kimberly with a yawn of her own. "Let's go get our asses kicked by Dulcea."
Tommy laughed as he flopped onto his side and rolled out of bed, Kimberly doing the same thing across from him. On their feet they met at the foot of the two beds, looked at each other, and smiled brightly.
"You ready for this?" asked Tommy, winking.
"Oh yeah," Kimberly answered, cracking her neck to both sides. "Let's do it."
Tommy nodded as they fell into position. "Ninjetti!" they called out in unison.
"The Falcon!" shouted Tommy.
"The Crane!" yelled Kimberly.
Once more, with a rush of power their Ninjetti robes settled over them in vibrant, simultaneous flashes of white and pink light. There was just something about being Ninjetti, some underlying hint of something unexplainable that made it unlike any other power they'd held before. It was, in a word, incredible.
"Come on," said Kimberly softly, nodding towards the opening in the tent.
Side by side they exited the tent which disappeared into thin air almost as soon as they'd stepped out onto the plateau. Even in their robes the chill from the Phadoesian morning needled against their skin. Dulcea was standing there waiting for them, leaning slightly against the reconnected pieces of her staff. When two loud cries echoed across the sky, Tommy and Kimberly turned to the Master Warrior.
"What is that?" asked Tommy.
Dulcea smiled as she turned her back to them and looked towards the sky. "It appears we have visitors who wish to view your training," she answered, returning her focus to the Rangers who were still looking up at the clouds expectantly. "You need not wait for their arrival; they are already here."
Wearing matching expressions of confusion, Tommy and Kimberly looked beyond Dulcea to the edge of the plateau where two glowing, semi-translucent birds were now perched atop the stone ledge. Tommy's eyes instinctively settled on the white falcon, while Kimberly's naturally made their way to the pink crane.
When the falcon let out another cry moments later it sounded like nothing but a high-pitched scream to Dulcea and Kimberly, but for Tommy he heard so much more; he heard the voice that had spoken to him the night before.
"Embrace my spirit, Tommy. Become one with the falcon and all that you desire will be yours. As well, you must be the one to guide the crane on this impending journey for her spirit has been injured for some time. Only when you have both attained the highest form of Ninjetti will your mission truly be complete. But fear not, young warrior, for your spirit animal will watch over you always."
Standing next to him, Kimberly was experiencing something similar with her own animal spirit.
"Kimberly, you are the shining star who has claimed my spirit as her guiding light, and though I protected another when you were no longer in need the crane has always been yours and only yours. With the help of our companion in spirit we will mend our broken wings and learn to fly once more. The power to do the unimaginable is at your fingertips, Kimberly; trust yourself as you once did and you will find that power. I'll be watching you."
"Did you hear that?" Tommy and Kimberly asked each other in unison, laughing as Dulcea started towards them.
"Show me what you have learned since we last spoke, young falcon," the Master Warrior commanded to Tommy.
Knowing what to do, Tommy nodded. "White Falcon Energy Shield!" he shouted, throwing his arms towards Dulcea as a blast of white energy exploded from his hands. He was left staring at the Master Warrior with his mouth agape when she effortlessly deflected the orb with a single swing from her staff.
"It's not so easy when your opponent is prepared, is it?" asked Dulcea, Tommy shaking his head in disbelief. "When one of your abilities fails you, you must then find another to rely on. So, now what will you do?"
Narrowing his eyes, Tommy rushed towards the Master Warrior; stopping just feet in front of her, he launched himself into a front flip over her head. Dulcea immediately spun around in anticipation of an attack, but Tommy was no longer there. When she felt a tap on her shoulder, she whirled around to find him sitting on the plateau's stone ledge some twenty feet away.
"How was that?" he asked, smiling beneath his mask as he rose to his feet. Dulcea did not answer, instead opting to break her staff apart and throw the pieces at Tommy who twisted his body through the air to avoid them, smirking triumphantly when he landed unscathed. "I'm not a kid anymore, Dulcea. You're gonna have to do better than that to take me do—"
Tommy let out an audible oomph when something slammed hard into the back of his head, immediately dropping to the ground as the pieces of Dulcea's staff fell beside him having acted as something of a boomerang. By the time he had regained enough of himself to start a slow crawl back to his feet Dulcea and Kimberly were already standing on either side of him.
"Impressive, Tommy," murmured Kimberly sarcastically, giving the white ninja a hand as he grunted his incoherent reply.
"Never give your opponent the chance to strike when you have been given the opportunity to take them out," said the Master Warrior, pulling Tommy up. "Confidence is good, my young falcon, but cockiness will cripple you in the worst of ways."
Now standing, Tommy nursed the back of his head as he looked to Kimberly with eyes that were clearly embarrassed. The petite woman just smiled back at him, her lips veiled as she pushed him out of the way without warning. In one swift motion she dropped low and took a distracted Dulcea down with a strong leg sweep.
Unlike Tommy, though, Kimberly did not give Dulcea a chance to react. The pink ninja was on top of the Master Warrior in an instant, preparing to deliver a thunderous punch with a fist that was now cocked back and glowing pink. For her part, Dulcea was all smiles as she looked up at Kimberly whose eyes narrowed in confusion.
"Good, Kimberly," Dulcea murmured encouragingly. "Open your heart to your animal spirit; find the strength you have always possessed buried inside of you. Let go your inhibitions and use it. Use it!"
Closing her eyes, Kimberly used one hand to keep Dulcea held to the ground as she looked deep within herself. "Swift…agile…graceful…she is me and I am her," she muttered softly. Slowly, she returned to her feet and looked towards the sky, her arms raising high above her head. "I am the Crane!"
Dulcea watched on proudly, Tommy in shock as a constant beam of pink energy erupted from each of Kimberly's hands and shot into the air. For quite some time she remained like this, relishing in the surge of pure, unadulterated power coursing throughout her entire being.
"Wow," Kimberly whispered nearly two minutes later as she turned to Tommy and Dulcea, the latter of whom was now back on her feet. "How did I do that?"
"You are becoming one with your animal spirit once more, my dear," Dulcea answered, smiling. "Now," she continued, stepping away from Tommy, "let's see what you can do against more than one adversary."
Creeping towards Kimberly, Tommy watched intently as the Master Warrior retrieved the pieces of her staff, reconnected them, and pointed the weapon to the sky. She muttered something incoherent and then there were multiple flashes of lightning that struck down upon the plateau. The two Ninjetti raised their arms to shield their eyes until after the blinding light had dissipated, at which time they found a dozen or so creatures the likes of which neither had ever seen before.
They were lizard-like in nature; bi-pedal, black, and armored with handheld weapons that looked something like small scythes. Beneath his mask, for reasons he did not know Tommy smiled for just a moment and then the creatures were attacking.
"Is it just me or do the new ones always seem to get uglier and uglier?" asked Kimberly rhetorically.
Tommy chuckled as they went back to back, the creatures forming a makeshift circle around the Ninjetti. "Time to fly," he said, launching himself over the circle. At the peak of his jump he tucked his body into a somersault, landing effortlessly behind the creatures that were now looking around in confusion. "Hey, back here, guys!"
The three closest creatures turned around to find Tommy standing behind them, already in the midst of a spinning roundhouse kick that connected viciously and dropped all three to the ground in the process. Looking down at the creatures, Tommy shook his head and laughed. "The hand is quicker than the eye, my friends."
Across the plateau, Kimberly was currently doing battle with her half of their enemies. "Let's play CatchtheCrane," she said with a laugh. Moving gracefully she dodged their attacks with the greatest of ease; flipping, cartwheeling, hand-springing, and somersaulting in every direction. She felt alive beneath the comfort of her pink robes, stronger now than she'd ever been before. With some distance between herself and the creatures, she looked at them disappointedly. "You guys aren't very good at this game."
Angrily, the creatures charged at her, Kimberly smiling brighter and brighter with each step they came closer. Once the distance had been shortened to just a few feet, she threw her arms forward and let loose with two bursts of pink energy. The first blast connected with one of the creatures, sending it flying off the plateau and over the sea of green that was the top of the Neola Jungle. The follow-up shot, however, did exponentially more.
Upon crashing into the chest of another one of the creatures, said creature was then thrown backwards, taking out three of his companions in the process. Grinning victoriously, Kimberly turned to the last remaining assailant who was now frozen in place with the realization that he was all alone.
"One-on-one?" asked Kimberly, dusting off her hands tauntingly before dropping into a crouched fighting stance. "I don't really like your chances."
The creature let out a fierce battle cry and then started running towards Kimberly with its' scythe drawn back in preparation for its last stand. Kimberly just smiled, everything seemingly slowing down around her as the creature grew closer.
"Now you see me," she continued, turning into a pink blur as she ran under the creature's outstretched arm. Whipping back, she waited until the creature had turned around before launching into a backflip kick that slammed into its' chin. Standing tall over the creature, she looked down and laughed. "Now you're unconscious."
Not seconds later Tommy reappeared at her side, his half of the creatures now eliminated as well. "Nice job, Kim," he smiled, the pair exchanging high-fives.
"Thanks," Kimberly replied, beaming. "You too."
"Yes, good work indeed," Dulcea interjected walking towards them. "You are learning quicker than I anticipated, but there is still much left for you to do before you can start your journey to the monolith."
"What next?" Tommy asked, rolling his neck in small circles.
Dulcea smiled. "You have proven that you are both superior students in the realm of hand-to-hand combat, but the Neola Jungle will require more than strength of body. Strength of mind will be just as important," she answered, speaking in a near whisper. "Close your eyes, my young warriors, and tell me; how strong are your minds?"
--