As far as Tommy could tell, the supply run to Stone Canyon went very smoothly. By the final day of the trip, Jason and Zack had secured most of the requested supplies and had found illicit means of obtaining the rest – filling the gaps, as Zack cheerfully put it. In the meantime, Kimberly had continued accumulating her usual stash of small, personalized gifts for the other residents of the Ranger Stronghold.
Tommy had tagged along with whoever he could, whenever he could, trying to learn as much about this world as he could. Adam, meanwhile, had disappeared and only returned after he had tracked down something Tommy never expected: a hefty, newly printed tome on the latest advances in engineering and physics.
"For Billy," he'd announced triumphantly as he presented the book to Tommy.
Tommy flipped absentmindedly through the crisp, white pages, but the words might as well have been written in Greek for all he understood the pages upon pages of numbers and increasingly arcane symbols. He had no doubt it would all make perfect sense to Billy.
As he handed it back to Adam, a part of him wondered if that book might hold his ticket home. But even if it did, it was so far beyond him that he probably couldn't understand it if he tried for a hundred years.
Feeling somewhat demoralized by this realization, he gathered his few belongings so they could vacate their tiny, cramped room on time. It was time to pack up the airship and head back to the 'Hold. The opportunity to stay here and search for answers in Stone Canyon was passing him by. And if Trini was right, he wouldn't get another chance for a long time, if ever.
He wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling his way home wasn't here in Stone Canyon, but somewhere out in the desert that the Rangers patrolled.
Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.
After all, he thought sheepishly, I didn't make much of an effort to look for a way home while I was here.
Kimberly, too, was somber as they gathered at the dock. Tommy kept an eye on her while they waited for their turn to board their ship and fly out, worried by how quiet and withdrawn she seemed. She had cheered up considerably since that first night at the midnight market, or so Tommy had thought, but now her dark mood had returned. Or resurfaced. Tommy watched her sympathetically, hoping she would be happier once they returned to the 'Hold, and wishing he could think of a way to cheer her up now.
It was hard to resist that instinct to cheer her up; whatever had happened between them in the end back home, she was still important to him and he hated seeing her so down. Back home he had often looked to Jason or Zack, or even Ernie, for advice on getting her to smile, but this didn't seem like a good time to bother them.
So he settled for sticking close to her as they finally got the go-ahead to board the airship. The supplies they had purchased outright had already been stowed on board, and Jason and Zack had made arrangements for the rest to be delivered to the 'Hold in the coming weeks. All they had to do now was sit tight while Jason and Zack got them out of Stone Canyon and set the course for home.
"Don't worry," Kimberly said, flopping down onto the bench Tommy was sitting on. "They'll give you a chance to practice flying a laden ship once we get out of town."
He hadn't been worried about that. But if that was what it took to get her talking again, then he figured he ought to go for it. "Is it much different?" he asked.
She shrugged. "In some ways. In others it's just the same. Just remember to be careful because the ship won't respond as quickly to changes in direction as you're used to, and you should be fine," she advised. "You're a natural. I'd be really surprised if you had any major problems."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," he said, and he meant it. He might not have a great idea of what was going on in this strange place, but he did know that Kimberly was probably his most valuable ally. She had always fought for him, even when she knew nothing about him.
She smiled. "No problem, hotshot."
The smile hadn't reached her eyes. Tommy glanced at Adam, who was sitting across the cargo hold from them and had his nose buried in Billy's book, and guessed it was now or never. Turning back to Kimberly, he asked, "Are you okay?"
She looked a little taken aback. "I'm fine," she assured him, but her voice sounded anything but reassuring.
"It doesn't sound like it," he told her, keeping his voice low so as not to attract attention from Adam.
"It's nothing," she retorted.
He inched closer to her. "Yeah," he said, "it doesn't sound like nothing, either."
She frowned, and then seemed to suddenly deflate. "I just wish none of this was necessary," she admitted. "Is it so bad to want peace?"
He had a feeling that wasn't all of it. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking, too. He knew that it would be completely stupid of him to get involved romantically with Kimberly all over again – even if it was a totally different Kimberly – but he couldn't help wanting her to be interested in him. It was selfish and egotistical, and it would throw a huge wrench into any plans he might make, but he still wanted her to feel that way about him again.
"No," he said, after taking a moment to sort out his thoughts. "It's not bad at all. Actually, I think it's important for the Rangers to envision a world after the fighting."
She laughed bitterly. "Do you really think that's possible?"
"I know it is."
When she turned to look up at him, hopeful consternation on her face, it took everything in him not to lean down and kiss her right there. "What makes you so sure?" she asked.
He opted for the much less dangerous option of slipping an arm around her shoulders and tugging her close so she could lean against him. "Just call it a gut feeling."
She all but melted against him and this time when she laughed there was no bitterness in it. "And I'm supposed to just trust you?"
"I was hoping you would, yes," he agreed.
"You're lucky I like you, then," she teased.
He grinned. "I guess I am."