Hunter prowled his way around the periphery of the lab. He felt like everyone except him had something useful to do. It was irritating. Kanoi had gathered Shane, Tori, Rocky, Adam and Aisha together in an attempt to contact Tommy or Dustin and determine more of Mesogog's plan. They were seated in a circle off to the side of the lab. Cam was geeking out with Billy and Haley, while Blake and Kim were off in the kitchen doing something.
Hunter watched in frustration as the Dino Rangers faced their third monster in less than three hours. He wanted desperately to help, but they had all agreed to follow Sensei's plan, and at the moment Hunter didn't have a part to play. Kanoi had outlined the strategy that Cam, Blake and Hunter would serve as sort of a "second string" – the Dino Rangers would handle any monsters Mesogog sent out, and the ninjas would handled the more general menaces of Tyranodrones. But so far, no Tyranodrones had surfaced, so all Hunter could do was pace.
At first Hunter couldn't figure out why he was so agitated watching the Dino Rangers fight. Was it just that he couldn't tolerate being on the sidelines? Was he regretting the loss of his Ranger power? It didn't make any sense until the Rangers were teleported in after dispatching the first monster of the day. For some reason, Conner was disoriented by the teleporter. When the Dino Rangers had teleported in and demorphed, Conner nearly fell over, and would have if Hunter hadn't happened to be standing nearby.
When he caught Conner by his elbow to steady him, that's when it hit him. Though all of the Rangers struck him as being young, it was particularly hard for Hunter to watch Conner fight. It wasn't that Hunter thought Conner was not capable because clearly he could more than hold his own; but when Hunter reached out to steady him, and Conner responded with a glance of gratitude, the whole situation screamed "little brother" to Hunter. And that's when everything changed.
What no one, not even Blake, knew about Hunter was how purposeless he had felt until his brother became part of his life. He had tried to explain how he felt to his father once, but his dad couldn't understand how anyone so young could have a feeling of purpose, let alone a lack of one. So Hunter deliberately began to keep his feelings to himself; he didn't allow himself to depend on others, only to be depended on, particularly by Blake.
After their parents were killed, Blake had become Hunter's total purpose. That was why he still had nightmares about their time on the island when he had single-mindedly pursued Blake with every intention of killing him. Strangely, the one person who seemed to know how deeply that event affected him was Cam. Hunter never talked about it, but Cam always seemed to be awake, making tea whenever the nightmares got really bad.
Eventually, as the Wind Rangers accepted the Bradelys as team members and friends, Hunter's sense of purpose had extended to being a Ranger, and then, teaching at the Thunder Academy. Cam and Tori's calls for help in Reefside ignited Hunter's feeling of purpose to a level he hadn't felt since losing his Ranger powers. It didn't make sense, until he caught Conner and stopped him from falling.
So he pondered his feelings as he paced around the lab. He was sure he looked like the thundercloud he drew his power from – it didn't matter, the look tended to keep people away. Hunter's attention was drawn to the view screen as the monster engaged the Dino Rangers again. All of his "big brother" instincts were screaming at him to help, but all he could do was stand with his fists clenched at his sides and watch.
Blake padded down the stairs from the kitchen to the basement - the lab was relatively quiet. A quick peek at the group off to the side established that nothing there had changed. Though it did give Blake a strange sense of repetition – it was very similar to the scene he and Hunter had walked in on earlier. Did that really happen just a few hours ago? It feels like ages.
Cam and Haley were conferencing at the bank of computer consoles, with Billy hovering close by – it looked like Cam had finally found someone other than Cyber Cam to relate to. Kim was wandering around the lab looking pensive and lost in her own thoughts; Blake didn't want to intrude, but he felt like he almost got her to open up in the kitchen. Then she'd gotten skittish and bolted. He'd give her a few minutes and try again. That left Hunter.
Blake watched Hunter stalk around the perimeter of the lab. Though they were able to watch the Dino Thunder Rangers on the monitors and see that they were holding their own, it was frustrating not to be able to do anything. So far the Dino Rangers had dispatched two monsters, and were working on the third with no foot soldiers in sight; leaving Hunter with nothing to do – Hunter bored and anxious was a bad combination.
Hunter's attention had been caught by the action on the screen as Conner stopped a particularly nasty blow from decapitating Ethan. Hunter sucked in his breath as Conner went flying and landed flat on his back in the gravel of the quarry. Kira and Ethan had been tossed in opposite directions and were not in Conner's immediate vicinity. Hunter tensed up as the monster loomed over Conner. But Conner got his wind back quickly and determinedly climbed to his feet. He shouted his defiance at the monster and nailed it with his blaster.
Hunter let out the breath he'd been holding as the monster staggered back, allowing Kira and Ethan time to regroup and rejoin forces with Conner.
"It ain't easy to watch, huh?" Blake asked quietly as he moved to stand next to Hunter. He watched the screen intently as the Dino Rangers combined their weapons and dispatched the monster. Everyone watching the battle knew the respite would be short-lived.
"It's a lot different when you're in it. Watching it…knowing them… knowing what could happen…not being able to help…" Hunter just shook his head. He didn't have to finish; Blake knew what he was thinking.
The brothers stood silently together and watched the second half of the battle unfold. The monster was regenerated at super size; the Rangers called their Zords; and the battle began again. Everyone in the lab could hear the Rangers call upon their different Zord attachments, as well as calling out encouragement to each other. After an intense skirmish, the Rangers soundly defeated their opponent.
"Alright Rangers," Haley called out, "we're bringing you back to the lab."
Kira and Ethan answered in the affirmative, but Conner groaned deeply. An instant later, three glowing pillars of light coalesced in the center of the lab – red, yellow and blue. A moment more and the three Dino Rangers were fully transported. Conner staggered and stumbled into Ethan. Hunter had been waiting, and was ready to steady Conner.
"I HATE that!" Conner cried vehemently, even before he took the time to power down. When he did power down, his knees buckled and he would have fallen if Hunter hadn't been holding him up. "It might take me longer, but riding my Raptor cycle's got to be better than that transporter thing!"
"Time's not something we have a lot of today, Conner." Haley explained for the third time, though she did look extremely concerned. "For you Rangers to be effective, you've got to attack as a team, and you can't do that if you're miles away."
Billy cleared his throat, and softly spoke up. "It appears that transporting Conner does have a negative effect on him. And if I am reading these displays correctly, it gets worse each time." Conner shot a triumphant, if somewhat nauseated, glance Haley's way before allowing Hunter to guide him over to a couch. "If you don't mind, Cam, I'd like to take a look at how you set up your transporter. Jason, Tommy and Rocky never had this sort of difficulty with teleportation. It just shouldn't affect Conner this way."
"Be my guest," answered Cam as he gestured toward the components he'd jerry rigged to Tommy's computer. He pushed his glasses down and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I've been staring at it and I still can't figure out why Conner is being affected like this." Billy immediately hunkered down at the configuration of computer parts with Haley settling nearby.
Continuing to rub at his eyes, Cam turned away from the computer area and looked toward the circle of Rangers. "Nothing yet?" he asked Blake.
"Not even a twitch. How long did it take them before?"
"A few hours…" he gave Blake a meaningful glance. They both knew that they might not have that kind of time.
Understanding there was nothing they could do at the moment, Cam decided to stretch his legs and get something to eat. "I'm going to grab a bite in the kitchen. Do you want anything?"
"No thanks, I was just up there." Blake responded. He reached over and grasped Cam's shoulder. "You look wiped. Take a break, dude. I'll let you know if anything changes down here."
Cam nodded, but Blake knew he wouldn't take the opportunity for some down time. Not with his dad out of touch the way he was. "I'll be back in a few minutes." Cam smiled one of his patented half-smiles, but there was not a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Thanks, Blake."
It was Blake's turn to nod. "No worries. Go eat before you pass out." Cam turned away muttering something about Blake being as much as a mother hen as Hunter. Both young men chuckled. Blake turned his attention back to the groups in the basement.
No change in the group attempting to contact the others. The Dino Rangers were conversing with Hunter, who was attempting to convince Conner to eat something. Considering Conner's green hue, Blake was pretty certain Hunter would not be successful. Billy was half hidden under the computer console, while Haley looked equally busy typing on her laptop.
Blake's attention was drawn again to the Pink Ranger; and it wasn't just because she was alone. He felt a kinship with Kimberly that he couldn't quite explain; but, Sensei probably could. And even though she was practically a total stranger, he felt compelled to try to connect with her - if for no other reason than to try to dispel some of the sadness that she carried around her like a cloak. With one last check to see that no one else needed him, Blake approached the lonely Ranger.
Billy was relieved when Cam agreed to let him tinker with the transporter. Not that he really though the former Samurai ranger would refuse to let him help; Cam didn't seem to be the type to be so obsessive about his own creations that he couldn't accept an outside offer of help. It wasn't that Billy thought Cam was inept – nothing could be further from the truth. Anyone who could outfit the Ninja Storm Rangers the way Cam had was a solid genius in Billy's book. Billy admired the fact that Cam knew enough to know that his transporter was flawed in some way, and that he was too close to it to see it.
Investigating the connections and wires of the makeshift transporter unit eased some of the anxiety Billy had been feeling since he'd arrived. Or more specifically, since he'd arrived with Kim. Wires and computers he could deal with – emotions and people were not so easy.
Even in the few hours they'd been planning and working in the lab, Kim had said barely two words to him. It was uncomfortable, and Billy just didn't know how to deal with it. Internally he berated himself because the situation was over a decade old, and both of them were well beyond acting like foolish teenagers. But knowing and doing were two different things. So Billy fell back into the oldest defense mechanism he had – fixing things.
Billy firmly pushed his discomfort about Kim to the back of his mind to fully focus on the problem at hand – dealing with Kim would just have to wait. It took a few moments for Billy to orient himself to Cam's technology. It occurred to him to revise his thinking – when he'd been creating morphers and communicators for the Rangers he'd had Zordon's technology to build from. Cam and Haley had been making everything they had from scratch. It was beyond impressive…it was awesome! When this was all over, Billy was going to seriously pick the brains of the other two.
So where's the problem? Is it in the technology or is it Conner? Kira and Ethan don't seem to have any difficulty. But Cam mentioned that neither Shane nor Hunter was comfortable with transporting…could it have something to do with their color? Or more specifically, their types?
Billy ran through in his head all of the information Cam had sketched out for him about Ranger types. But as far as Cam applied that information, it pertained to Ninja Rangers…unless the Ranger "type" is universal. That was certainly an idea worth exploring, but this was not the time to do it.
What does Cam's transporter do that is different from how Zordon's worked? He is clearly using the Newtonian theory of energy transfer…all matter can be changed to energy. But for Conner it appears that something is getting lost. What's he using as a conductor? I suppose it doesn't matter, it's not the components of the computer that are important, but the process.
Billy sat up quickly and rapped his head on the underside of the console. Haley peered over the top of her computer. "Revelation?" she asked.
Billy laughed slightly as he probed what was sure to be a nice sized bump on his head. It was so funny – Haley didn't waste time asking him if he was okay the way most people would. She clearly understood the way he thought, and that was a nice change of pace.
"Indeed. Do you have any idea what Cam uses as a buffer when he transports the Rangers?"
Haley looked speculative. "We didn't discuss it. Shall I go find him?"
"No need, I'm already back." Cam crouched between Billy and Haley, with a mug of tea held loosely in his hands.
Billy, caught up in the excitement of solving the problem asked, "When you transport the Rangers, you break down their composite molecules into the smallest atoms, and change those atoms into pure energy."
"Right," Cam nodded as he listened to Billy. "Just don't describe it like that around Hunter or Shane."
Billy was dismissive of the Red Ranger's discomfort and forged ahead. "But, when you transmit the energy, what do you use as the buffer? How do you channel where the energy goes?"
"I never used a buffer. I just encapsulate the Ranger energy in an energy field I create, and move it from one place to the other."
"I think that's it!" Billy cried decisively as he jumped to his feet. Fingers flying, Billy input numbers and codes into Tommy's computer. Cam and Haley hovered closely behind him. Billy spoke rapidly as he continued to make calculations. "The original Ranger technology was created by Zordon. His transporter used the Power Coins as a focus for transportation. The coins acted as a buffer for the energy that was transferred. I used Zordon's template to update and create transporter technology for later incarnation of Rangers."
"Now, when you developed your own transporter, you were working with no blueprints, no model to follow. What you've created is quite impressive." Billy turned to Cam with a grin only a fellow inventor could bestow. "But, your Ninja Ranger energy, particularly the "body" types, just can't handle being pulled apart and reconfigured the way you have it set up."
"I get it…" Haley interrupted. "In the transfer, with no buffer, the body types have to expend so much energy keeping themselves together, that when they land, there's a moment or two of disorientation while they pull themselves back together – literally."
"Right!" Billy exclaimed.
"Okay, " added Cam. "But Shane and Hunter didn't suffer the effects we're seeing with Conner. They were transported many times and didn't have this cumulative effect we're seeing with Conner."
"True, but that may have more to do with the power source than anything else."
"The transporter power source?" asked Haley.
"No, the source of their Ranger power." explained Billy. "The ninjas were more able to control or adapt to the teleporter Cam created because they have an internal source of power that has nothing to do being a Ranger. Conner's Dino gem is an outside source of power, or at least it started that way, and all of his Ranger power comes from there. I think…if we can use his Dino gem as a channel and a buffer…"
Now it was Haley's turn to get excited. "So if I just modulate the frequency of the transporter to resonate with Conner's Dino Gem…"
"I can't believe I didn't see it." Cam shook his head.
Billy smiled sympathetically. "It happens to all of us. Sometimes you just need a fresh pair of eyes." Cam nodded, but didn't seem prepared to relinquish responsibility. Instead he focused intently on the changes Haley was making, in case he needed to make further repairs in the future.
Billy thought to himself as he watched the other two, At least I can do this little bit. I hope it makes a difference.
Kim wandered around Tommy's basement laboratory lost in her own thoughts. She couldn't quite wrap her mind around the fact that Tommy had a Command Center located beneath his house - it was so Bruce Wayne. And, that he'd kept is a secret from all of them for all this time. Not that he'd have any trouble keeping things from Kim – they hadn't spoken in years…nothing past surface conversation anyway.
The Pink Ninjetti Ranger walked around the lab trying to reconcile the image of the boy she remembered with the man she barely knew. She couldn't do it, and was nearly overwhelmed by her inability. And what made the situation worse was knowing that the lack of connection was all her fault. Oh, she could lie awake at night listing all of the ways Tommy had damaged their relationship in an attempt to validate her own actions. But in the end, she'd been the one who'd broken away. She'd been caught up in the freedom of a new life.
Going away to Florida gave Kim a chance to try to recapture something she thought she'd lost – normality. She yearned for the chance to live an ordinary life, without the potential of having to save the world again and again. She wanted to have a boyfriend who was devoted to her and wasn't in constant mortal danger. She didn't want secrets or hiding things from her family. She wanted a real life, so when the opportunity arrived she grabbed it with both hands.
She'd been swept away by the charms of someone who understood the passion of her sport. But when the dust finally cleared, she was alone; abandoned by the charming seducer who'd moved on to greener pastures. What she was left with was a life thousands of miles away from the best friends she'd ever known. She couldn't bring herself to pursue reconciliation with Tommy because she was so lost in anger at him, and pity for herself. Because she couldn't deal with him, she focused her anger on Billy for encouraging Kat to help Tommy "get over" her. She regretted the damage she'd caused to that lifelong relationship almost as keenly as losing Tommy. She hadn't been able to make amends with Billy either; first he'd been off to Aquitar, and since his return he'd been working on top secret government projects. He was so uncomfortable around her that when they did happen to see one another, he was almost impossible to understand as he fell back into genius-speak.
So Kim did what both Tommy and Billy had done to ease the pain of the divide between them; she threw herself into school and work. After her success at the Pan Global games, Kim divided her attention between earning a degree in Health and Fitness, and developing her gymnastic skill. Eventually she'd become a coach and had assisted the U.S. Women's Gymnastic team. Both geography and time provided Kim with perspective – her anger had long since vanished, replaced by a keen discomfort and profound shyness when it came to her old friends. However, her discomfort and shyness battled fiercely with the desire to set things right, even if that simply meant being able to sit in a room with Billy or Tommy without feeling like they hated her.
Am I crazy to think this whole situation is a sign? That it's time to settle things, or at least clear the air so we can all breathe a little easier? Kim's eyes started to fill with tears as she recalled how she'd felt upon entering the dreamscape the night before. Seeing Tommy standing in the small circle suffused with power brought back so many memories. Joining with the other Ninjetti Rangers reminded Kim of her own power, and there was never any question of coming to help. The question is...can I be helpful? And what do we do when it's over?
"Kim?"
Kim started and whirled. Blake had an expression of apology on his face. "Hey, sorry…I didn't mean to startle you."
"Oh, hey…no. I was just lost in my own thoughts, you know?" Blake nodded, and gave Kim a moment to compose herself by changing the subject. He nodded with his chin toward where Hunter had settled with the Dino Rangers. The situation on the couch had changed.
In the short time it had taken Blake to walk across the lab Conner had fallen asleep. The toll that transporting had taken on him was obvious; even asleep he appeared exhausted. He didn't know if Conner had slid down, or if Hunter had pulled him closer, but Conner had ended up resting against Hunter's left side tucked in under his arm. Blake's heart swelled with pride in his brother.
"It's funny. Ten minutes ago he was pacing like a maniac. Now he's sitting still and looks like he's doing more than he's done all day."
Kim smiled a genuine smile. "He probably is."
In the time the Rangers had spent together throughout the day, Sensei's discussion of Ranger "types" had been the hot topic of conversation. Things that they'd attributed to personalities made so much sense when looked through the lens of color or type association. To an outsider, Hunter's desire for Conner to be close to him would just be weird; but the Rangers understood that Hunter and Conner's compatibility as similar color and type Rangers made it possible for Hunter to help Conner recover more quickly from the effects of the transporter. If Rocky or Shane had been available, there was no doubt they'd end up camped out on the couch too – to literally lend a hand for support.
It was the same for the mind types - gravitating toward each other and bending their considerable brain power to planning the assault on Mesogog's fortress as well as fixing the transporter glitch that continued to wipe Conner out. And, it was the same way Blake kept drifting back to Kimberly. She smiled a knowing smile because she understood what he was feeling, but this time she felt ready to talk.