It was late afternoon by the time Cam arrived in Reefside. The Ninja Ops tractor trailer was quite a spectacle parked in Tommy's driveway, but the lack of neighbors made hiding the vehicle unnecessary. Introductions were made all around – Haley and Cam were quite excited to meet each other. There was a sense of anticipation about the two of them, as if they each couldn't wait to test the mental boundaries of the other.

The Dino Rangers had called their respective parents and asked for permission to stay at each other's houses to "work on a project". It took some heavy questioning from the Fords and James before they were convinced that staying the night at a classmate's house would be necessary, but permission was finally granted. If the lack of grilling on behalf of the McKnight household about Conner's whereabouts bothered him, he didn't say anything. If the situation continued past the weekend, the Dino Rangers would have to deal with school, but for the moment they were focused on working on the plan at hand.

As the Rangers gathered around Cam, he looked to Kanoi to begin. Kanoi simply looked sedately back at his son.

"Father…" Cam rolled his eyes somewhat impatiently. "Didn't you tell them what you were planning to do? Or, why you were waiting for me?"

"No Cam," Kanoi replied patiently, "that's your job."

Cam sighed in exasperation. "Let me show you." He gestured to the assembled Rangers as he walked toward one of the crates he'd brought in, but it was Haley and Ethan who followed hot on his heels. "While the Wind and Thunder Rangers held their power, I developed a method of transporting them instantaneously."

"Teleportation…cool!" Ethan interrupted.

"Yes, teleportation. But as any of the Wind Rangers will tell you, it wasn't their favorite form of travel."

Shane shook his head vehemently. "Almost anything was better than that! Give me a good ol' ninja streak any day!"

Tori looked at Shane speculatively, as if seeing him in a new light. "You and Hunter were always the ones who complained the most about teleporting. I guess you "body" types don't like being broken down molecule by molecule and reconstructed in a new spot, huh?" At Tori's description Shane face actually drained of color and he looked like he might be ill. Conner looked uncomfortable as well. Tori dropped the subject.

Cam looked over at Shane knowingly, and continued "Well, even after the Rangers lost their powers to Lothor, I continued to work on the various technologies that I'd developed. Why let all that knowledge go to waste? But it seems that the teleportation works best with strong or unusual energy signatures – not with your run-of-the-mill citizen. It doesn't even work with most of the ninjas at the Academy."

"So that won't be a money maker for you." Conner smirked.

Cam didn't even acknowledge him with a response. "But it will work with former Rangers. And it will probably work the best with the Rangers who currently hold power."

"It'll work with former Rangers?" pressed Ethan. "Would they be Dr. O's "unknown resources", Sensei?"

Kanoi smiled slightly and bowed in Ethan's direction. "They would be, Ethan. I believe even they do not know of the power still in their possession. However, I will need Doctor Oliver's help contacting them."

Conner raised his hand as if asking permission to speak. "I though we needed them to get him out. But if we can't contact them beforewe get Dr. O…" Conner looked confused. "How does that work?"

"I will show you, Rangers. Come with me," he gestured over toward the couches where they'd been eating. "Let Cam and Haley do their work while we do ours." Ethan looked a little disappointed that he would be unable to watch Cam at work, but he was also intrigued about how Sensei Kanoi meant to "contact" Dr. Oliver.

Cam held up a string of devices hooked together with wire and turned toward Haley. "If you show me an outlet with enough power to set this up, we can get ready. We'll start with Blake and Hunter while Father contacts Dr. Oliver and the others."

Ethan tried to keep half an ear on the conversation Cam and Haley were having, but he was unsuccessful; so he turned his full attention to Sensei Kanoi, who started their discussion with a question that seemed totally out of left-field. "What do you know of the power behind the Power Rangers?"

Not surprisingly, the Dino Rangers looked to Ethan for an answer. He'd become somewhat obsessive about Ranger history after viewing Dr. O's tape, so he was the most qualified person in their group to answer. The Wind Rangers looked to him as well; in other circumstances Dustin would've jumped in, and the reminder of his absence caused them both to ache terribly.

"Well, " Ethan began, "some of my facts may be a little murky…Dr. O hasn't been totally forthcoming on some of the teams. I think that's just because he didn't know himself…" he said as an aside to Kira who was seated between him and Tori. "The first team got their power from Zordon, an intergalactic being who recruited a team of teenagers with attitude…"

"I guess that tradition has continued…" added Kira in her own aside. Conner choked on a laugh. Ethan mock scowled at the interruption, then continued.

"The original team went through a bunch of incarnations. Mighty Morphin'… Ninjetti…Zeo…Turbo…Then after they turned the Turbo power over to the new team, those guys became the Power Rangers in Space." Ethan looked thoughtful. "The first Rangers got their power from Power Coins; then the Rangers got new powers from…well, it gets a little confusing there, but they became Ninjetti Rangers. Then they had Zeo crystals, but when those weren't strong enough they upgraded to Turbo Ranger power."

"Where does the power go when it's gone?" inquired Kanoi.

Ethan's brows creased in concentration. "Well sometimes the power is passed to the next generation of Rangers, and sometimes it's destroyed or used up fighting the enemy." It was a sobering thought for the three Dino Rangers. Holding and using the power gave the Rangers a sense of invincibility, but sitting beside them were two living examples of Rangers who'd lost their powers. It was not something they wanted to think about for long.

"Ethan, you are correct about the power being lost or passed on. But there has been one exception. One team who's beginning and end has always been "murky"."

"It's the Ninjetti Rangers, isn't it?" asked Tori thoughtfully. "They're kind of like us." She gestured to herself and Shane. "We don't hold the Power anymore, but our ninja power never left us."

"And it can never be taken from you." answered Kanoi even as he nodded in agreement of Tori's assessment. Or at least, that was what I always believed before Mesogog attacked Dustin, he thought to himself. He continued aloud, "Dr. Oliver was a Ninjetti Ranger – the white falcon. I believe that because he had, and still has, ninja powers, and because he was once a Red Ranger as well as being a "body" type, I should be able to reach him in much the same way I reached Dustin. I will need all of you to assist."

As one the Rangers, new and old, nodded their assent. It felt good to be doing something. And they were all ready to help in any way possible. Kanoi smiled at their eagerness. "We will sit here, on the floor. Conner and Shane, come on either side of me; Tori next to Shane; Ethan next to Conner; and Kira across from me." In a moment the Rangers had assembled themselves into a circle on the floor.

Kira looked around the circle. The discussion they had had earlier resonated in her head. This circle certainly didn't look balanced. There was a heavy red/body concentration at Sensei's end; but she supposed that Kanoi would need Shane and Conner to support him the most during whatever it was they were about to do.

"Rangers, I need you to relax. Center yourselves. Concentrate on your breathing." Kira could see Shane and Tori easily slip into a meditative state, the way their sensei had earlier. She exchanged wary looks with Ethan and Conner. Meditation was not one of the areas of training Dr. O had insisted on. Kira took the plunge first and hoped her teammates would follow her example. She closed her eyes, and tried to relax while remaining alert.

Kira wasn't sure when it happened, but at some point both Tori and Ethan had taken her hands in theirs. Kira felt safe and warm, buoyed by the strength of the friends around her. And she knew, she knew, they were all feeling the same. Kira wanted to test this new awareness, but understood that forcing what she was feeling would be contradictory to what Sensei needed; instead she relaxed further into the feeling of friendship and safety and let herself float away.

Kanoi could immediately sense when Tori and Shane reached the level of meditation he needed from them. They waited in patient silence for him to begin. Kira was surprisingly able to find her center as well; Kanoi could sense her openness to the experience and was grateful that she had such a giving heart. Ethan and Conner, on the other hand, were struggling.

Kanoi could almost hear every thought and question racing through Ethan's head. He was trying to analyze the experience, predict what might happen next, and connect this new experience to past ones. He was simply thinking too much. Ethan, reach out to Kira. Let her help you. Reach out to Tori through Kira, she can guide you and help you still your thoughts.

Kanoi stifled a mental chuckle at Ethan's Huh…wha? response to the voice in his head. But he did as he was asked, and in a short time Tori's calm and Kira's balance got through to him and he was centered as well.

Getting Conner to a centered state was much more difficult. It was contradictory that the Rangers strongest in body would also have the strongest mental voices. Very often, "body" type Rangers focused solely on the desire to strengthen the body and ignored exercising their minds. Meditating and achieving perfect stillness of the body was contrary to their nature and impeded the ability to practice this talent. It had taken many long hours of arduous practice to teach Shane how to reach a centered state, but Kanoi didn't have that kind of time with Conner. He would have to go a different route.

Conner…

I can't do it! I'll wreck everything!

His thinking was so similar to Shane's – it was scary. Conner, relax. I can help if you let me.

Conner stopped berating himself and realized that Kanoi was speaking to him in his head, like he had done earlier. What do I have to do?

Just relax and let me take control. Kanoi was about to explain further, but Conner interrupted with his reply.

Okay.

And just like that, all that was Conner was open to Kanoi. He gave himself over completely to Kanoi's control – not even Shane had been able to do that initially. The level of trust Conner was displaying was both humbling and frightening. Kanoi literally held Conner's life in his hands…and Conner was okay with that.

Kanoi took a moment to re-center himself. What Conner offered to him was staggering – not only was Kanoi able to manipulate his thoughts to a centered state, but the power behind the young Dino Ranger was his for the taking.

Once Kanoi had Conner settled, he kept a mental hand on him and addressed the others. We must seek Dr. Oliver. If he is resting or asleep it will be easier to contact him. If he is otherwise engaged he may just ignore us, but we must keep trying. Once he understands what we are trying to do we can make further plans. Follow my lead, Rangers. May the Power protect us.