Kanoi floated, resting momentarily from the fruitless search for Tommy's mind-touch. The energy and focus of those around him was steady and strong. Though Shane and Tori were most familiar to him, he was also able to draw strength easily from the others, particularly Adam. The five young people had centered themselves to deep meditative states, allowing Kanoi to draw on their energy to aide his search.
Kanoi concentrated his efforts on reaching Tommy for a number of reasons. The circumstances were different than they had been earlier – Dustin was in no immediate danger so his mind and soul were not screaming with the need for Shane and Tori. He couldn't draw them to him as he had earlier; even when he had, it was pure instinct and it was unlikely he'd be able to duplicate that achievement. Dustin was much stronger reaching others with emotion, and without an overwhelming or life-threatening situation he was simply unable to do it.
Now that Tommy's mind was familiar to Kanoi, he sought him out in the same way he had before – he was the red banded hawk circling and hunting for the white falcon. It shouldn't have taken this long, or have been this difficult. Kanoi was becoming concerned, but he kept his concern shielded from the others, not wanting to upset their balance.
The one obvious asset that Kanoi did not have at his disposal this time around was Conner's strength. Kanoi hadn't realized at the time just how deep the boy's power went. Shane and Rocky combined didn't even hold a candle to the power Conner had provided. Whether it was the fact that he was an active Ranger, or that he had opened his mind up to a degree Kanoi had never felt before, Conner was a key piece of the equation that Kanoi hadn't counted on having such an impact on the attempt to reach Tommy.
But there was something else that was different in the search this time. There was definitely an active impediment denying Kanoi access to the captured Rangers that hadn't been there before. Or if it had been present before, Conner's sheer power was able to overwhelm it. As Kanoi gathered himself to search once again, he drew himself into the form of the red-banded hawk. His wings caught the eddies of energy created by the ninjas around him and he turned his thoughts toward those on Mesogog's island.
In this mind state, physical structures were not necessary, but Kanoi found it easier to focus on this particular task with visual references. His visualizations were mere sketches compared to the dreamscape he had been able to create with Conner's help, but a vast landscape was not necessary. As he narrowed his focus, the visualization of Mesogog's fortress appeared in his mind's eye. He didn't bother to fly directly toward it – experience had taught him that tactic was useless.
He circled the fortress, seeking changes in energy fields or fluctuations in the light around the island, anything that might indicate a crack in the shielding around it. It was this shield that was preventing him from making contact with the others. It was as if their activities earlier had alerted someone to this avenue of communication. And now, the shield prevented Kanoi from getting through at all – everything he tried simply rolled off. He'd tried "sneaking" under the shield to no avail; he pulled deeply on Shane and Rocky to try to pound his way through; he positioned Adam and Tori a variety of positions to try to "confuse" the shield holder, but nothing worked.
A flicker of movement caught Kanoi's attention. Something white was moving within the shield around the island fortress; not just moving, but flying! Kanoi dove toward the white blur, toward the place where it seemed to be trying to break through the shield. He hoped he could intercept the falcon before he gave up.
Tommy! Kanoi called out with his mind, using as much force as he could muster.
The falcon continued to batter itself against the shield, showing no indication that he had heard Kanoi's call.
Kanoi stopped his forward motion, and took a moment to deliberately change his shape. He concentrated on his human form; without looking, he knew his aspect had changed. He moved forward and placed his hand on the barrier separating him from Tommy. The shield was cool and pliant as long as he wasn't trying to force his way through.
The falcon drew back and Kanoi felt a surge of disappointment. Then Tommy's aspect changed as well and Kanoi could see his human form behind the shield. Looking at Tommy through the barrier was like seeing him through an aquarium. The power fluctuations in the shield distorted Tommy's image, but Kanoi could make out that he was trying to speak. In an imitation of Kanoi, Tommy reached out to touch the shield as well, but it did not allow him to make contact.
Before Kanoi could formulate a plan the situation changed drastically. From within the shield came a powerful surge of energy, strong enough to push Tommy forward. Startled, Tommy crashed through the shield and into Kanoi. For a moment, neither registered what it was that gave Tommy the power to break through, and then the feeling of Dustin's panic overwhelmed them both.
Tommy's immediate instinct was to draw away and return to Dustin, but Kanoi held him fast. Kanoi knew that this was likely the only time they'd be able to make contact and he didn't want to waste the opportunity. He compelled Tommy to share whatever information he had, and tried to give Tommy all that he knew about what was going on at the same time. He didn't know if Tommy would be able to assimilate the information once he regained consciousness because he was untrained in mind-speech and might simply be overwhelmed by the method of presentation.
In a moment, Kanoi released Tommy. Tommy's natural inclination was to return to his body and a waking state. Unfortunately, whatever agent was maintaining the shield was aware of the breech and was trying to prevent Tommy from returning to his body back on the island. But, though the entity had tried to close the gap that Dustin's power had created, it couldn't stand against Shane's reaction to Dustin's panic. The red ninja had reacted immediately and intensely to Dustin's pain. Just as Tommy had been pushed out, Shane had been pulled in. His presence was pulled far enough to hold the gap, but Kanoi and the others acted as an anchor preventing Shane from going all the way through. Though Dustin's panic, indeed his very presence had faded, Shane's initial anger and growing rage kept the gap open. The fact that once more Dustin had been assaulted, and once more Shane was unable to help fueled the power Shane tapped to stand against the shield.
Kanoi reached out to the others in the circle. They all felt what had happened and were ready to assist at Kanoi's direction. They had to work together to time it so that Tommy could return to his side of the shield while they pulled Shane out. The difficulty was that Shane had no intention to returning to their side. He was beyond rational thought; the only thing in his mind was getting to Dustin. He didn't understand that without his body to return to, if he was drifting on the inside of the shield, he would very well be lost to them.
Quickly Kanoi drew mental images of all of the others and pulled their awareness forward. Giving them a mental picture of Shane would make it easier for them to grab hold and yank him out. The former Red Ranger stood spread-eagle in the gap straining mightily against the shield. Against all odds, he was actually making forward progress; they had to work quickly before his momentum got him through.
Together Rangers…GO!
Tommy darted through the closing gap as the others worked to tear Shane away from the shield. Kanoi and Rocky each grabbed an arm; Tori lay against his back with her arms wrapped around his torso. Aisha aided Rocky and Adam helped Kanoi. It took a moment before Shane realized he was now not only fighting against the shield, but also against the others.
NO! I can't leave him again!
The anguish and anger that surged through Shane gave him additional momentum; but it lasted only a moment. He could not fight them all. With a wrench, Shane flew free and all of the assembled ninjas crashed back into consciousness. The explosion of energy created by the backlash resulted in an equal physical reaction when the Rangers rejoined their bodies.
All of the ninjas were flung away from the epicenter of the circle, but no one was tossed as far by the power as Shane. He was actually flung out of the circle, though Tori tried to catch a hold of him. Shane was rocked by so much power he was literally bowled over until he crashed into the wall. For a moment no one moved – no one was able. In the next instant Cam rushed to his father's side. The other occupants of the lab were not far behind.
"Father!" Cam's voice was full of concern.
"I am alright, Cam." Kanoi fought to sound composed though he had been shaken by the backlash of power. He hoped to fool the others, but he knew he would never fool Cam. He allowed Cam to help him sit up, and soaked in the steady calm and strength that was his son. Cam settled on one knee by Kanoi's side, allowing his father to draw on his strength while he assessed the situation. Kanoi scanned the circle to his left first; this was where the Ninjetti Rangers had been seated.
Of the ninjas who had been part of the circle, Adam seemed to be the least affected physically. Of the three former Ninjetti Rangers, he was the one most used to dealing with spiritual energy, and dealing with its fluctuations came naturally to him. He was able to shield Aisha greatly from the backlash, but was not so successful with Rocky who was tied more closely to Shane than she was. When the explosion had happened in the circle, Aisha crashed into Adam who was ready to catch her; Rocky who was sitting closer to Kanoi and Shane was tossed away from the other two. He had landed flat on his back with his arms flung out to the side.
As Kanoi watched, both Aisha and Adam made their way over to their unconscious teammate. Aisha flung herself across Rocky's chest to reassure herself that he was breathing, and then remained there lending him her presence and strength. Adam took up a position near Rocky's right shoulder and laid his hand on Rocky's head. Though unconscious, Rocky seemed to be responding to them. Billy joined the group and stationed himself on Rocky's left side.
Kanoi scanned the remainder of the circle, assessing how his ninja students had fared. Tori was trembling in reaction, much like she had earlier. This time it was the emotional pain of both her teammates that had her unbalanced. Kanoi was grateful to see that Kim had stepped in to help her. She took a seat on the floor beside Tori, effortlessly caught the younger woman up in her arms, and rocked her gently, helping to ease her pain. The source of that pain wasn't far away.
Shane hadn't moved from the position he'd crashed in against the wall. He lay with his right leg bent and leaning against the wall. Both of his hands covered his face. Every muscle in his body was rigid with tension. He looked like that devastated player you see at the end of a football game who has just missed catching the winning touchdown in the final seconds of the game that would've taken the team to the playoffs. But it was so much worse than that. A choked sob confirmed just how devastated Shane was feeling.
Ignoring every pain in his body, Kanoi attempted to move; he just couldn't leave Shane to suffer that way. But his body would not respond; he simply was not able to get any closer to Shane than he already was, and Cam was not going to help him extend his taxed abilities any further. But Kanoi needn't have worried. One of the Bradley's approached Shane, it just wasn't the one Kanoi expected.
Surprised to see Blake approaching Shane, Kanoi looked to see what had become of Hunter. He had to smile at the position Hunter was in. In the time they had been meditating, Hunter had become ensconced on a couch with the Dino Rangers. Conner was laid out across his lap – Hunter had maneuvered a pillow under Conner's head, but Conner was a messy sleeper and had Hunter pinned neatly on the couch. Kira had wormed herself around from her end of the couch and was lying against Conner's legs. She was much more compact and had pulled herself into a tiny ball curled against the small of Conner's back. Ethan had crashed seated on the floor, leaning against both Hunter and Conner. If Hunter had attempted to dislodge himself he would have awoken at least two, if not all of the Dino Rangers. It was clear from the expression on his face that he wanted to aide the situation; every time Shane emitted another sound Hunter flinched. But seeing Blake taking the situation in hand seemed to ease his stress a little bit.
Kanoi could sense that all of the Rangers who were conscious were torn between wanting to be present to help Shane, and wanting to give him a little privacy. Blake didn't seem to be aware of anyone in the room other than Shane. He didn't reach out to embrace Shane the way Kim had done for Tori. Instead he knelt by his tormented teammate; he reached out his left hand to rest on Shane's chest and reached out with his right to lie on his head. Blake's position blocked Shane from the view of most of the others in the room. Kanoi couldn't make out what Blake was saying, but a sudden increase of broken sobs from Shane was an indication that whatever Blake had said had gotten through.
It was as if that release from Shane allowed everyone else to move. Between them, Adam and Billy levered Rocky off the floor to an empty couch. Kim guided Tori off to the side, so she could have a little privacy for herself, yet be close enough to assist Blake if necessary. Kanoi let Cam guide him to yet another chair, and allowed himself to close his eyes for a moment while Cam ran to make him some tea.
And what have we accomplished? We know little more than we did before. Our enemy has the means to block our communication. And, Shane was nearly torn in two. Kanoi sighed, feeling very old. Yet, he could not help but see the good that had come from the situation. Kim had stepped in to help with no urging, and Blake had moved to help Shane when no one else could. I should not be surprised – since it is Shane's heart that is troubled, it was a whole heart he needed to soothe him.
Kanoi tried to gather his thoughts while Cam was preparing his tea. He had received a vital piece of information from Tommy in their brief communication. The time they had was short; and Dustin's time was even shorter. Mesogog planned to drain him of energy in the morning. It gave them only a few hours to plan. They would have to pull together quickly if they were going to have a chance of success. Kanoi prayed that Shane, Rocky and even he himself would be up to the challenge. The stakes were even greater than Dustin's life – the fate of the world was in their hands.