Chapter Five

"Empathy and Sympathy"

After breakfast was done Zack limped off to the shower, following Kimberly's insistent (but playful) complaints about his odor.

Meanwhile, Kimberly scurried around the kitchen, wiping the counters down, emptying and loading the dishwasher, and packing the leftovers.

Sean opened his eyes, steeling them with determination. Breathing in, he turned toward the guest bedroom. "Kimberly, are there any pancakes left?" he asked, still gazing off.

"Of course," she said. "Zack and I figured Trini might want some later."

"I'm going to see her now."

Kimberly paused, concern mopping her eyebrows. Shaking it off, she slid open the half sealed Ziploc bag she had just filled. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked, stacking two pancakes onto a clean plate. "She might be asleep still."

"Kimberly," Sean sighed, kindness flowing underneath his voice. "Did you go back to sleep last night?"

She shook her head. "No," she answered humbly, scooping up a spoonful of eggs and potatoes.

"I slept while the rest of you stood watch so that I could help her through this," Sean said.

Kimberly willed courage into herself. "Would you like me to be with you?" she asked. It was the first time she had thought of seeing Trini after Jason's assault. Each time she had crossed the hallway, she had averted her eyes from the open guest bedroom. No one had repaired the door yet. Anxiety wobbled in her calves as shame squeezed her heart.

Sean smiled. "No, thank you. If she asks for you or Zack, I'll call you."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." Sean said, now looking at her. He rose. "May I have another plate?" he asked.

Smiling, she handed him the one she had fixed on a tray. "Here you are, compete with silverware," she said in a quivering voice. Tears gathered beneath her eyes.

Sean nodded in acknowledgement.

"I guess I wouldn't know what to do if I saw her anyway," she said, steadying her voice.

"You have done much already by defending her well-being," Sean said, "And providing this meal for her." He turned to leave.

"Wait," Kimberly interjected. Scurrying over to the sink, she grabbed a dry glass and filled it with water, and handed it to Sean. "She might be thirsty."

Sean gleamed at her through his eyes. Cracking half a smile, he took the glass and headed toward the exit.

"Sean," Kimberly called out.

Sean immediately wheeled around on the spot, answering her with a sweeping glance before peering into her eyes.

Kimberly gaped, recoiling under Sean's cool confidence.

"Be careful," she said. "You don't know how she'll react."

"That's how it usually is," Sean remarked. He smiled. "I will be careful and thank you." With that he turned, strolling to the hallway.

Kimberly watched him leave, awe cementing her feet to the ceramic tiled floor. What is it about this guy? she pondered. He gets knocked down, loses his energy, and still he keeps helping us. Either he is crazy, or he's a better ranger than Tommy is.

The 7:05am sunlight wafted underneath the window blinds, piercing the gloom of the guest bedroom. Trini sat slouching with her arm draped over her knee, staring off into space and paying no heed to the sunlight. Her clothes merely hung off of her. Her eyes had stopped focusing on anything since before 5:30am. She was not even aware of the bruises now darkening along her ribs and pelvis. She did not feel their pain. Beyond that, Trini did not even realize that her skin was a few shades paler. She did not care.

She had long since drifted within the black void of her mind amongst the various remnants that faded in and out of sight. Trini did not linger on any memory, apathetic to feel any pain but unable to outrun the edges of the folding tides. The titanium cage that had held her mind together had shattered hours ago, twisting, imploding, and warping into an asteroid field of multi-dimensional intricate maze pieces, held together by a constricting web of jagged, sharp, and dead vines laced with thorns.

Yet despite her infinite enclosure, she had still felt her friends and Sean throughout the night—not in the sense of imagining their presences or knowing that they had been in that room. No. She felt them in a different way—one that she couldn't quite describe. It was like touching but not being in physical contact with them, like feeling gusts from far off that had lost their power a mile away. What had puzzled her further was that she could feel how far away her friends were. And she crawled further from the shore of reality, unable to fully escape the "touch" of her friend's presences or her memories. Yet she kept crawling away from it.

The very presence of human contact, whether near or far, churned her stomach. Yet now so distant was her awareness that she had forgotten about the puddle of sick saturating the carpet beside her bed, even though its stench had permeated the room.

Escapism, revulsion, and terror infected every cell in her body, leaking toxin into her blood. She wanted nothing to do with them. Numbness wrapped around and within her flesh, secreting tranquilizers into her heart and lungs. Fatigue was irrelevant. Life was irrelevant. She did not have the will power or desire to care.

There was a soft knock at the doorway.

She did not hear it.

The knocker knocked again.

For the first time in over an hour and a half, Trini moved, tilting her head toward the battered doorway. Faint curiosity pulled her attention back to the present. The presence felt familiar to her.

"Trini, may I come in?" Sean asked.

That voice…. She thought. Where…?

Her eyes scaled up to meet his, barely studying his features. A pause froze them… neither long nor short but deep.

"Yes," she finally answered, hardly moving her mouth.

Sean stepped into the room. "How are you?" he asked, ignoring the smell. "I brought some food for you."

"…not hungry," she uttered.

Nodding, Sean sat the tray on the floor.

Trini continued starring at him, her eyes slowly regaining focus. "I know you," she said.

"Yes, you do," Sean said, meeting her gaze. "We have a long history together."

"But not continuous," Trini supplied almost instantly, recalling echoes of lost memories.

"That is correct," Sean agreed, standing at least two feet from the bed. "We haven't spoken with each other in almost seven years. Do you remember what happened back then?"

"Years?" Trini asked.

"Hmm-mm," Sean supplied.

She looked at the window. "Fragments, sounds, voices… from another life…" she looked at him with wide eyes. "And battles. Screaming."

"Yes," Sean agreed. "There were many."

"Why didn't I remember them for seven years?" she asked with a hint of demand stabbing through her voice. "It's all jumbled and confusing. I know you know why."

"I do know, but I feel you must make sense of your past before I tell you that," Sean said, taking a step forward. He sat on the very edge of the bed.

Trini recoiled a foot backwards.

"You have nothing to fear from me, Trini," Sean advised, keeping still but relaxed.

"I don't know who you are!" Trini gasped, shaking her head slightly from side to side.

"Yes, you do, Trini," Sean emphasized softly, his compassion flowing through his voice. "You simply won't remember."

Trini squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face into her left shoulder. "I don't know what's real anymore," she said, grinding her teeth.

"Last night was real, Trini," Sean said.

She looked up at him with wide eyes; her mouth hanging open. "It wasn't!" Trini argued. "It was a dream!" She added adamantly.

"A dream that kept you up for the last couple of hours of the night?" Sean asked simply. "No, Trini. It did happen."

"Nothing happened," she added vehemently. "I was asleep."

"Yes, Trini. But you were awake for the later part of the night; and are in pain because of it."

"I feel nothing," she countered. "I don't believe you!" she spat in a choked voice.

"You do not have to. Just trust your body. Listen to it. What does it feel like?"

"I… what?" Trini asked, baffled.

"What do you feel?" Sean asked.

She gaped at him.

"Close your eyes," Sean encouraged.

She drifted her head from side to side, glaring into his eyes. "No," she admitted.

"Trust yourself," Sean said, honesty glimmering through his face but brightest through his eyes.

Leaning forward, she narrowed her eyes, peering into Sean's face. Somehow she felt sincerity radiating from him. How…? Yet even in her confusion, she found refuge in Sean's honesty and benevolence. Still confused and wary, Trini bent her head forward, and closed her eyes, trying to listen to what her body was saying. After several seconds, she slammed her hands on the mattress in fury and screamed, "I hear nothing!"

"Only because you don't want to hear it; it wants to be heard," Sean countered, matching her volume while keeping the serenity in his voice.

She gaped again.

Inhaling, Sean added in a softer voice, "Empty your mind of questions and desires; merely focus on your breathing. Draw strength from it."

She curled her lips.

"Sean… I am a mess!" Trini beseeched, staring into his face with moist eyes.

Sean lifted his eyebrows. "You remember my name?" he asked.

"You—Jason—myself… are all I see in my mind!" Trini cried, clutching her head. "My mind… it's agony!"

"Then let me help you," Sean suggested, opening his hand toward her.

Trini gazed at Sean's hand. "Help with what?"

"Restoring your body's physiology by directly sharing my energy with you," Sean explained.

Trini scanned Sean's hand with curiosity, distrust clawing up her spine. "I don't… understand…"

"Trini, I have never hurt you out of malevolence," Sean said. "Somewhere inside you know that."

"I want to die," she responded automatically almost nonchalant.

Inside, Sean's heart bled tears while he merely nodded in understanding. "Then you do remember this morning?" he asked in an even voice.

She did not answer. Not even an eyebrow twitched.

"Trini, there is no honor in that wish," Sean said. "Can you not see that?"

"What life should I live? The wife of a monster? A demon?"

"You are a power ranger. Do you remember what that is?"

Trini paused. "Power Ranger?" she asked. Broken and sluggish though her brain was, she struggled to hold on to something concrete. The term tingled with … significance, but she could not remember why.

"You used to be one many years ago," Sean continued.

"I…" No matter how much she tried, the term signified nothing to her.

"Do you remember what I did yesterday before dusk for you and your friends?" Sean asked. "With your old power coins?"

"Power coins…?" she whispered. The term rippled within her mind, bouncing amongst her memories. Yet whenever she focused on one it faded into mist before she could see it.

"That is correct," Sean said encouragingly.

Trini mused for a moment, her eyes staring at the comforter she had wrapped around her legs. For several seconds, she did not speak, but kept her mouth open as she searched for something to say. Sean waited patiently for her answer, as if she was solving a quadratic equation for a high school homework assignment.

"You… " Trini began. Shadows, echoes, and flashes sparked and spun in her mind. She snatched at snippets of images, sensations, and dialogue, attempting to piece together the event Sean was referencing. Power coins, she mused. The exterior of the Command Center flashed before her mental eye along with Zordon's enormous green head, Tommy giving Jason his power coin, and the Power Transfer involving Rocky, Adam, and Aisha. Yet a snippet of intuition told her that those memories were not what Sean was referring to. She saw others but not herself.

"I—I don't…" she stuttered.

"What do you see?" Sean asked, tilting his head. Instead of using his telepathy to watch her thought process, he held himself back. My telepathy could overwhelm her mind, he though. She has not eaten and is emotionally drained. All I can do is lend her strength like I did to Zack. But first, I need to refocus her mind—guide it towards clarity.

She met him with a vacant stare. However she stretched her cheek muscles in an attempt to speak, hindered only by the vacancy of permanent thought. They had slipped through her hands like water, leaving only traces that soon evaporated.

Sean saw this in her face. Interesting, he thought to himself. "Try closing your eyes; it may help."

She did.

"Good," Sean said. "Now focus on the phrase 'power coins'."

Trini sighed. Power coins… power coins…

Sean leaned forward. "What do you see?" he asked.

Miles away from Earth, Lord Zedd curled his fingers in midair as if closing around a shrunken foe. He snickered.

Following Jason's orders, Zedd had kept a partial mental lock on Kimberly, having not learned anything during the rangers' summit meeting. At long last, he sensed she was alone.

"Where is she?" he asked, darting his gaze at Earth. Pinpointing on her mind, he activated his supervision.

Kimberly sat cross legged on the floor of her wooden patio beside a flowerbed of lilies. Closing her eyes, she breathed in their heavenly aroma. "Ahh, this is just what I need," she sighed, grinning at the beauty around her.

"Excellent! The time is right," he announced, his voice hissing with glee. "Putties, pay a visit to the struggling Pink Ranger. Give her some practice!"

Seven Z putties nodded and vanished with imploding white light.

Warmth ignited within Kimberly at the sight and smell of her flowers, their aromas surrounding her in an aura of semi-peace, but unable to banish the shards of shame carving within her. She caressed a nearby lily.

Although she was a dedicated gymnast, gardening had always been a fun side hobby. It brought Kimberly a joy she relished in, stroking and molding the soil around seeds and new plants. The soil on her property was perfect for it, and she had spent countless hours over the years cultivating it with compassion, honesty, and diligence. Whenever she was too busy to work on it, Jake stepped in to help out, neither a curse nor growl stirring from his throat or even the thought of one.

Though both of them were childless, they viewed the garden as their child. While the desire lingered in them to have a baby, they wanted to enjoy their lives together before introducing another into their lives. They had married each other to enrich both their lives, not to start a family. And they were more than satiated with each other.

Their garden was a sight to behold now. Stone urns stood along the edges of the patio, each holding a different type of rose in a batch of fresh earth. An arch of grass stretched thirty feet in all directions from the patio. Beyond that, bushes, shrubs, and trees chorused in an ensemble of mingled tranquility and diversity. This was her sanctuary. Someday soon, perhaps, her future child would find solace here. It was ready for it. However, it did not pierce her current agitation.

Kimberly drew in a breath filling her body with rejuvenating air. Though her shame was bitter inside her mouth, the breeze gliding along her skin soothed the top layers of tension, unable to quell the deeper ones. She sighed, feeling the knots stretch as she did so. I might ask Zack for a massage if he has time later…

All of a sudden, seven putties materialized in a ring around her. Before she thought of hitting one, all of them seized her and threw her into the grass. Stomping to her feet, she shook her hair out of her face.

"I guess I'm glad I didn't shower after all," she grunted. Stomping to her feet, she opened herself in a fighting stance while the putties bounced around her. "Come on, clay-brains," she challenged. "I could use some exercise."

The nearest one in front of her inched toward her, his hands wobbling at his side.

These guys, haven't changed a bit, Kimberly smirked. Too bad I have. And with that she slid her back leg to her front leg, pivoted, and raised her front leg in standard sliding sidekick prep. But just as the advancing putty cowered behind its arms, waving them frantically in front of his Z, Kimberly rotated her hips over, swinging her standing leg around, stepped into a reverse lunge with her lifted leg and punched the putty behind her in the center of his Z. Its body crumbled apart in vanishing gray and white energy.

The rest of the putties scurried away from her.

"What's the matter, putties? Scared?" Kimberly taunted. "We memorized that in high school for crying out loud!"

Three putties moved in, but Kimberly was too fast for them. Grabbing hold of the middle one's shoulders, she slammed her left knee into its Z and then snapped her foot into the adjacent putty's Z, immediately followed by ramming her right elbow into the remaining one.

The remaining three putties danced behind her, unsure of what to do.

I gotta end this quickly, Kimberly reminded herself. If I let these guys touch me again, they could finish me. The memories of how much stronger Zedd's putties were compared to Rita's came flooding back to her. She then cart wheeled out to the side, and without stopping, shifted into a twist flip, kicking the nearest one to the ground. Rising to her feet, she side kicked the closest putty's Z with her right foot and then front kicked the remaining one without waiting for the previous one to disassemble. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the putty she had kicked to the ground squirming away. Oh, shoot, I missed! Frantic, she slammed her elbow into the putty's Z. Falling through it, she hit the ground with an "Oaf!"

Gratified that it came apart, she sighed, "That was close."

Inside the Chamber of Command, Zedd tapped his fingers along his throne's armrest.

"Well, I guess I should have expected that, but don't get too cocky, Kimberly," he began, "I have big plans for you!" A bolt of lightning slithered up his staff. "Be ready, ranger."

Kimberly scurried down the hall, halting just behind the guest bedroom doorway. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she scanned the room. Trini was still sitting on the bed, her eyes closed in deep meditation. At the sight of her, Kimberly's stomach clenched, unable to hold back her guilt. Not wanting to distract herself, she darted her eyes away and then noticed Sean.

Unaware of Kimberly's presence, Sean sat before Trini in Indian Style.

"Good… Focus your breath; let it fill you with clarity," Sean instructed in a gentle voice, "all the way down to your core. Breathe in… out."

Amazing, Kimberly thought. Trini's actually calm.

Indeed, she was. The rage and hysteria that had deranged Trini's face had slid away. While her hair was still messy, she held herself up from her core, no longer sinking. To Kimberly, Trini almost looked like herself again after a bad battle with the flu.

Registering this and reminding herself of why she had come here, she approached Sean.

"Excuse me, Sean?" Kimberly whispered.

"Hmm?" Sean asked. He turned around. "Oh, hello, Kimberly."

"I don't mean to interrupt—is this a bad time?"

"No. What can I do for you?"

"Can I talk to you?"

"Of course," he replied, getting up. Turning back to Trini, he added, "Continue focusing on the cycle of air." He followed Trini outside the shattered doorframe. "What's wrong?" His voice was patient and calm yet inviting while his body did not tense as he saw the apprehension returning in her face.

"I was just attacked by Zedd's putties," she uttered in a whispered.

"Really? I did not notice." Sean had been focusing all of his attention on Trini. It was becoming more and more difficult to split his attention. A thought leapt to his mind. "Tell me, did they look any different from how you remember them?"

"No," Kimberly answered, shaking her head. "Wait; has Zedd improved them?"

"Yes, by removing their weak spot and fusing them with Rita's super putties."

"He made them stronger!" she sighed, laying her head against the wall.

"I would bet he used his regular ones to test you."

"Test me? What do you mean?"

"He's interested in you because of last night," Sean said, stretching his senses out. "If only Zack or I had seen you."

"Seen me? What are you talking about?" Irritation crackled within Kimberly.

Sean stared at her, studying her face. "Last night, when you smashed through this door. How you survived your encounter with Jason."

"I was morphed," Kimberly said.

"But your helmet had been punctured; I saw it," Sean elaborated. "Something else occurred but I've been uncertain as to what."

"She doesn't even know?" Zedd exclaimed, watching from his throne. "Curious, Pink Ranger. She must have shut her eyes when Jason blasted her through the door last night. Come on, Sean; tell me what I want to know. There's only one thing that could have protected her last night without her knowledge. And you and I know what that is. Now say it!" He added in a whispered snarl, squeezing his free hand into a clutching fist.

Kimberly threw her head back in a double take. "I'm alive because Billy, Tommy, Rocky, and Adam came to our rescue," she said, peering at Sean. "They teleported in right after I smashed through that door." She indicated the ruined doorway.

"Yes, but something else surprised Jason," Sean said, stretching his senses to encompass the room, tracing the ripples of energy within it back to last night. "Something he had not expected so soon. He could have easily neutralized all of you and fled, but I do not believe that was his plan." He shut his eyes, redirecting his senses. "Zedd is watching us."

"What?" Alarm shrieked within Kimberly, louder than her voice could portray.

"It cannot be helped. He suspects what I do. Kimberly, what happened after Jason blasted you through the door? What did Jason do?" Urgency surged through Sean's voice now.

Kimberly racked her brains. "I—I was… on the floor—still in pain," she stammered. "But I did catch a glimpse of him studying me. His eyebrows were raised and his face had loosened."

"What did he hit you with?"

"An enormous fireball." She held up her hands, showing the approximate size of it. "This big. He hurled it at my chest."

Sean took a step back, musing. "He wanted you unconscious, I bet—or at least incapacitated. But instead you were still morphed when Zack and I arrived." He snapped his fingers. "That's what happened!" He smiled, joyous at the epiphany in his mind.

"What?" she snapped out of impatience.

"You protected yourself… or rather your sacred animal did," Sean surmised, grinning from ear to ear. "Ahh, the annoyances of the fatigued mind. Kimberly, you can shield yourself. That's your power!

"Ahh! Of course!" Zedd seethed with glee. "It makes perfect sense!" He directed his thoughts toward Jason. My Lord, I have your answer!

Kimberly stood there in awe. "You're kidding," she jested. "I have a power?"

"You saw that Tommy and Billy have one. My telepathy is no exception. Why should yours not be accepted?"

Kimberly turned her head away. "'Cause it could've come from something else," she admitted, dropping her gaze to the floor.

Sean peered into her face, not reading her mind. "Muiranthius still haunts you?" he asked. She looked at him, blushed, and turned her gaze away. "I had a feeling. There is no shame in fearing that." He added, grasping her shoulder gently. "You may indeed have some powers from Maligore but now is not the time to discuss that. Until we know for certain, let us be glad that you and Trini are alive. However, I have a feeling your protection came from your sacred animal instead of from Maligore."

Kimberly stared into his eyes with her now moist ones. "How can you be sure?" she asked, almost demanding, her voice cracking slightly.

Sean relaxed his face into compassion. "Because I do not sense any other evil in that room except for Jason's presence," he answered.

Kimberly blinked in confusion, darting her eyes to the room and back at Sean.

"Last night, he stained the room with his aura," Sean clarified.

"Oh! I didn't know you could do that," Kimberly said. "Wait! Isn't that harmful to Trini—to us?" she exclaimed, surprising herself by remembering to whisper.

"Not necessarily," Sean said. "On the contrary, it is helpful for her."

Kimberly reminded herself to be patient. "Sean…" she began, pushing her bubbling impulsivity down through gritted teeth. "With all due respect, I don't want her near any of him."

"That cannot be avoided," Sean reminded her calmly. "Sooner or later, she will have to face him again. But I understand your objections."

"This is all because of Jason?" Trini uttered, cutting Kimberly's retort of before she could express it.

Steered out of her train of thought, Kimberly faced her again, as did Sean. "Not all of it," Sean admitted, stepping toward her. Kimberly followed. "Everyone is responsible for their own actions. Some of it is mine. However, please know that it was never my intention for you to experience this. I am sorry for your suffering," he added, staring into her eyes, sincerity pouring out of his face.

Kimberly regarded Sean, but he did not elaborate.

"I remember… I think…" Trini said, squishing her eyelids together in concentration. "But it's hard to hold onto anything. I can still feel him… in this room… on my skin… inside me." She whimpered, emotion finally rising to the surface. "This… pain… is unbearable," Trini stammered, clutching her shoulders. She quivered. "Wh—what… has he become? It's… foreign—alien. What have… I… become?"

"You are recovering parts of yourself that were sealed away years ago," Sean said.

Trini glued her gaze onto Sean's face, her jaw still trembling. "What else was taken from me?"

"You're ESP," Sean admitted.

Kimberly bit back from gawking, forcing herself to keep a straight face for Trini or at least for herself.

"That's why you never suspected afterward," Sean said.

"After what?" Kimberly asked.

"When Jason accepted his path and committed this sin," Sean said, relieved that he was finally divulging this to Trini and Kimberly.

"Show me what… happened, Sean," Trini beseeched. "Take me home."

Sean remained composed while washing his anxiety away. His mind had to remain clear, especially now. "You must eat something before we go there," he said. "Your body will fail itself if you went there now."

"How could I possibly feel worse than I do now?" Trini asked, almost whining. "I feel like my body's being ripped in two!" she added in almost a scream.

"But your soul is intact!" Sean emphasized. "That; and your mind is now healing itself. If you went home now I fear it would shatter in its current condition."

"IT'S ALREADY SHATTERED!" Trini spat, agony fuming from her pours. The edges of her mouth drooped into a wail.

"No, it has not," Sean replied. "It is close, however. With the right amount of pressure, it could snap."

"I want to know!" Trini snarled through gritted teeth.

Sean studied her and considered for several seconds.

"Trini, please eat something," Kimberly urged, holding up the tray. Due to the restless energy dancing throughout her muscles, she had scooped it up so as to do something with her hands. Though by now the food was at room temperature, she could still smell a hint of the aroma. "I can warm it up for you if you want. Did you want something else?" Annoyed that she was reduced to the role of 1950s housewife, Kimberly held her position, desperate to do something.

"It's fine," Trini said, not looking at Kimberly. "I'll eat it."

Smiling, Kimberly sighed. Walking forward, she sat the tray down. Trini picked up the fork and stabbed at an egg covered potato and stuck it in her mouth.

"She'll need more than food," Sean said after she had swallowed. "As will Zack and I."

"Like what?" Kimberly asked.

"A sharing of energy," he answered. "We must equalize the flow of energy streaming from me, or I will die, thus neutralizing their powers."

"We can't let that happen," Kimberly said.

"We will need Zack for it to be affective," he said.

"For what?" the Silver Ranger asked from the doorway.

Kimberly spun around, eyes open in surprise. "I thought you were on your way to work?" she gasped.

"I wanted to check in before I left," Zack replied, glancing at her and then at Sean. "Sean, what do you need?"

"Ideally both of you," he said, now crossing to the bed and sitting opposite of Trini, slightly off from her center. "I do not know how long this will take."

"I'm here for the team," Zack responded.

"Then would you please sit beside Trini to form a triangle?" Sean asked, smiling in relief.

Nodding, Zack did so.

"Kimberly, please stand watch," Sean asked in an empowered voice, his inner strength now surfacing. He stared at Trini and Zack, focusing on the separate waterfalls of energy pouring out of him into them. He was connected to them in this fashion but they were unable to manipulate the connection. It was time for the waterfalls to become a river—and then perhaps into a pool. I must live until their trials are completed, Sean had decided earlier in the night. Zack's hasn't even begun yet. Fueled by his goals, he turned his attention back to the present. "I suspect we won't have much time before Jason attacks again," he added to Kimberly.

"I'll hold off whatever comes for as long as I can," Kimberly affirmed, moving toward the window.

"Thank you," Sean said.

Kimberly had just lifted her hand to the glass when she noticed she was still in her robe. "If we're expecting company, I think I'll change for a first impression," she announced.

Smiles erupted on Zack and Sean's faces. Trini did not hear her.

"Go ahead, Kimberly," Sean said. "And while you're at it, see if you can contact the others. Zedd will most likely take advantage of this news."

"No problem," Kimberly called over her shoulder, already scurrying down the hallway, her robe half off.

Excellent, Sean thought, turning back to Trini and Zack. Trini had set her fork down, waiting. At least she ate something, Sean consoled himself. That helps. Closing his eyes and lifting his chin, he relaxed his focus. The energy tendrils surfaced once more, slithering over his skin. He opened his eyes. "Please take my hands," he added to Trini and Zack, extending both of his. Zack grasped Sean's right while Trini grasped Sean's left. The tendrils remained on Sean even though they brushed along the others' hands. He felt Zack's uncertainty. "In the long run, this will help us, Zack, until your trials are completed. Rest assured, I will not put myself or either of you in peril with this."

Zack nodded, returning to his original resolve.

"Open yourselves up to the energy streaks," Sean instructed. "Reach out for that power that should be yours: The power of the Universe. The power within you."

Trini and Zack shut their eyes in silent meditation. Sean opened himself up to them, feeling them stretch out toward him.