Never before had Dustin experienced the depth of power that now coursed through every fiber of his being. As a Ranger, even as a ninja, there was power at his disposal, but he believed it was in his control. Now he understood that the idea was laughable. The Earth power he was linked to wasn't fully open to him until he released control - allowing himself to be open to the power instead of trying to seize it. It was overwhelming and exhilarating. It would be so easy to get lost if it were not for the twin beacons of red and blue light keeping him anchored. Though their light seemed small compared to the light now surrounding him, it was steady and strong.
Dustin instinctively realized that the power that was being fed back to him from the energy chamber was too much for him to hold, but without guidance the unchanneled power would be devastatingly destructive to everything around him. Even as he tried to think of what to do, more and more power was being returned to him, and he was simply unable to take it all in. He shunted some of the power away from himself toward Tori and Shane, but the lion's share he kept for himself.
"Keep" was hardly the right word for what he was doing. He didn't want to hold the power; at this point it was too much for him to do anything with. The only thing that much power would be good for was destruction and chaos – if he released it now all at once, Mesogog would get exactly what he'd been aiming for, and Dustin was determined not to let that happen.
The maelstrom of power increased exponentially each second. Dustin could feel himself losing the fight to contain the Earth energy within him. Terror began to darken his senses, and he feared not only losing his life, but taking those he loved most with him. Within his heart he cried out in desperation.
Help me!
Dustin wasn't sure just who he was asking for help, but in this newly opened state, he strongly felt he wasn't alone. And it wasn't Tori or Shane he was looking for; they were there like they'd always been, though he could feel them struggling to contain the power he'd thrust upon them. The response came, not in words, but in feelings. And for the first time, Dustin was truly able to understand the words in his heart.
Courage, young cub. I will help you.
Relief surged through Dustin as he was embraced by his animal spirit. Come, cub. Follow me.
Dustin spiraled down into his mind, deeper than he'd ever dared to go. No longer frightened, he followed the lion spirit, dragging the power of Earth like a comet's tail behind him. Now that he was moving, the power was not as intense, and seemed content to be led to another place.
How can energy feel content?
It just needs to know where to go, cub. You must find the path of least resistance, and release the power there.
Dustin realized that they had stopped moving, or maybe his awareness was just different – how could one move in a spirit space? The power was still with him, and growing in intensity again. This was not where he'd been with Tori and Shane. It was new, yet totally familiar. The darkness surrounding him was not frightening, rather he felt welcome. Intuitively Dustin understood why. He was not in the vast reach of space, or the depths of the ocean; he was surrounded by the blackness of earth. Again, relief surged through him. This he could understand.
Within his heart, Dustin acknowledged the earth and asked for permission to make some changes. Earth was always slower to respond than Air or Water, so Dustin bided his time reaching out with his awareness to locate the best place to release his energy. Dustin was no student of physics, but Sensei had been diligent pounding into his head a few basic facts. Any change in one element, will affect all of the others. Earth ninjas need to be particularly careful not to disrupt slumbering giants. Just as a rock tossed into a pond creates patterns of change so to does a shift in the Earth have far reaching consequences. Translated, (and Cam had translated it for him) it simply meant "Don't be stupid and cause a volcano to erupt or start an earthquake." It was the one lesson that Dustin took very seriously.
A rumbling, bass tremor vibrated through Dustin as the Earth itself acknowledged him and gave permission. Dustin was awed by the massive presence and was humbled to be an instrument of its power. Slowly, in spite of the build-up of energy that begged to be released, Dustin channeled the energy that had been stolen back into the earth. The majority of the energy was poured directly to the molten core of the earth where it was absorbed within the inferno with little outward effect. But he couldn't dump it all at once, and even as he let loose some of the energy, more power demanded to be released.
Dustin sought out the smallest faults and cracks within the earth's crust. As carefully as a surgeon he applied the energy to these small craters, all the while encouraging the earth to accept the energy without disruption. That was the hardest part – harnessing the power and directing the flow, allowing it to return to the earth without causing a large disturbance. Dustin's ability was strained to the limit; even with the support of the lion spirit, he could feel more and more energy slipping out of his grasp unchecked. Those small slips caused minor shifts he then had to encourage not to avalanche into greater movement. But the movements themselves released energy of their own; that energy then had to be channeled somewhere.
Dustin came to an awareness of rising to the surface – not the surface of the exposed earth, but where the earth met the deepest channels of the ocean. While part of him was still deeply entrenched dispersing energy deep within the center of the earth, this was the place where those minor shifts could be dealt with. The energy didn't have to stay in the earth, and the most natural place for it to be transferred was to the water. It was as effortless as breathing and Dustin knew immediately what to do.
From the moment Dustin had grasped her hand in his, Tori felt connected to him in a way she had only glimpsed before. The three of them had always been tight – but this was something else, something deeper. Tori felt changed in a way she couldn't put into words; something had happened this weekend, and she understood that they would never be the same. Tori could feel her anticipation rising, but she tried to remain centered and ready – she had to be prepared to sustain Dustin in the battle that was surely to come.
When it happened, Tori was unprepared. Dustin called upon his earth energy and Tori was astonished at the power which engulfed him. They had all tapped into their elemental powers before, but he was working on a totally different level. Almost instantly, the power was being drawn away from Dustin and she struggled to maintain a hold on him. She could feel Shane anchoring him on the other side, and drew some stability from the Air ninja as well.
Tori was staggered by the force of the power and part of her mind wondered just how Dustin was able to contain it all. She realized he couldn't when he started passing some of it off to her and Shane. Again, Tori's mind was staggered by the volume of power, even as she realized that Dustin was struggling with most of it himself and had only passed off a fraction of it to her and Shane. Tori wasn't sure exactly what she was supposed to do with the power so she took her cue from Dustin. As long as he maintained a hold on the energy, she would do the same.
Then something changed – Dustin was still with them in spirit, but he seemed much farther away. The power still surrounded them all, but Tori could see that the power around Dustin was moving. That was unusual; power always moved around her and Shane because their elements were more fluid than his, but Dustin always presented as a solid, stable light. Now he was streaking like a comet. Tori realized that Dustin was moving internally and intuitively understood how he did it.
Joyfully, she followed his example. Dolphin! Help me!
The chittering squeaks and whistles of the dolphin's call filled Tori's mind and lightened her heart. Of the three ninjas, she had always had the strongest connection to her spirit animal. Who knew why – maybe it was a girl thing – it didn't really matter.
Little calf, follow me!
In her mind, Tori gladly joined with her dolphin spirit. Together they plunged deep into the ocean, much deeper than any human or dolphin could naturally go. Tori understood what she needed to do – the power that had been harnessed had to be released carefully to avoid creating a natural catastrophe. In this, she would be of great assistance to the Earth ninja. Any changes Dustin made in the earth below would have an effect in the water above. Tori needed to make sure that the energy was widely dispersed – they had to avoid creating a situation that might cause a tidal wave that could cause devastation not just in North America, but on a global scale.
Tori began by dispersing the energy that Dustin had passed off to her originally. The dolphin spirit helped her find deep, swift ocean currents that would easily encompass the incoming energy without creating disruptions above. The water moved all around her restlessly; it was tricky keeping track of where the energy had been dumped because of constantly moving water and currents and she had to be sure not to add too much energy to any one place. Too much in one current could cause ocean warming; too much in another could cause an increase in fresh water that would be devastating to marine life.
Tori was so caught up in her work that she was surprised to sense Dustin's presence nearby. As soon as she felt Dustin's presence, she knew what he needed her to do. She began to catch the excess energy from the tiny shifts in the earth below and shifted to the water all around her. It soon became clear that what she was doing would not be enough. Tori expanded her awareness beyond the Pacific Ocean to the global ocean network. Even that was not enough – the energy that had been stolen from the Earth itself wanted to get back where it belonged - it wanted to get back in a rush, the same way it was taken out and fought against the control that Dustin and Tori were trying to exert. Unless something interfered quickly with the energy drain on the other end, this was not a battle they were going to win.
When Dustin opened himself up to the earth energy, Shane was surprised at the level of power he tapped into. None of the three of them had ever been that open before; to see Dustin like that was a little scary. As soon as the power began to be ripped from him, Shane anchored himself deeply, trying to give Dustin something to hold on to. Shane could feel Tori anchoring herself to him as well. It made him proud to be part of such a solid team, and determined to be the anchor they needed in any storm.
The influx of power from Dustin took Shane by surprise. It wasn't that earth energy was harder to handle than air…it was just that there was so much of it. And if the little he had was hard to handle, how much harder was it for Dustin who was channeling most of it? Shane sensed when both Tori and Dustin contacted their spirit animals and followed their example.
Brother Hawk! I need help!
Deep within the recesses of his mind, Shane could feel Sensei respond to the call – it was the first time he'd been aware of their mentor since this spirit journey began. Then the presence of Sensei was overshadowed by the spirit of the hawk.
Brother, follow me!
Shane leapt in his mind to join his spirit brother. It was difficult for him to stay connected to his body when following the hawk; but he maintained the connection knowing it was vitally important for him to maintain a physical presence for Dustin and Tori. Shane's relationship with his animal spirit had always been different than the others with theirs. The Hawk wasn't nurturing in the way the Dolphin or Lion were; they were more solicitous of their human ninjas. The relationship could be summed up in the way Shane addressed the Hawk. They were brothers, equals. And the Hawk treated him just like an older brother would – he would help in any way, but Shane would have to keep up.
The hawk led Shane higher and higher. The exhilaration of flight made Shane's spirit soar. Never before had he felt so free or flown so high – for the first time he was able to do more than keep up with the Hawk. He could sense the spirit's approval, and it spurred him on to even more acrobatic feats.
Being so caught up in the feeling of flight, it took a moment for Shane to realize that the Hawk had stopped moving. Suddenly realizing where they were, Shane gasped. Poised on the very edge of the Earth's atmosphere, the black depths of space had never been more close or clear.
Shane turned to the Hawk in astonishment. You've never taken me this far before.
You never let me, was the sardonic reply.
What are we doing here? Shane asked, still awed by the view.
The energy you need to release will do the least damage here. You can take all that you hold and jettison it into space. It will do no damage to the Earth's atmosphere, and gravity will eventually bring it back where it belongs.
Even as the Hawk was speaking, Shane released the energy that had been passed to him by Dustin. But he didn't feel empty; he was opened to his own Air energy to a level he'd never tried before. Thrilled with his success, Shane quickly formulated a plan. Using his physical self as an anchor, Shane swiftly drew himself back to the spirit plane where he had started with Dustin and Tori. He didn't want to disturb whatever precarious balance Dustin had established as a conduit for the power he controlled, so he focused on finding Tori. He was surprised to find her working in concert with Dustin, but he could see that they both were struggling.
Tori! Give me whatever energy you can. I can release it above the atmosphere where it can't cause any damage.
Tori immediately understood what Shane wanted and began to shift the energy that the minor tremors on the ocean floor had created over to him. This allowed her to relieve Dustin of some of his burden, allowing him to wield more control returning what was still in his possession back into the Earth. The three of them working together – Dustin within the Earth; Tori within the Water; Shane within the Air – created a harmonious balance. The energy was no longer overwhelming, and they had a chance of being successful, if the energy transfer was stopped on the other end. They could keep up this "bucket brigade" of energy transfer for a time, but their time was limited.
And, as hard as they tried to limit the impact they were having on the environment, the ninjas couldn't help having an effect. Shifts in the earth stirred up the water in the ocean and currents moving more swiftly than usual increased wave heights. The energy passing through the atmosphere created unusual wind currents. The repeated shift of energy between earth, water and air was the perfect recipe for a storm. It would be like no storm Reefside had ever seen.
TBC