It had been a week since Tommy had agreed to help and he was starting to doubt himself greatly. He would need Hayley, or someone comparably intelligent. There were too many workarounds, too many limited resources. Tommy would really only have a chance if everything went perfectly, and this was far from that.
In that time Tommy took every chance he had to talk to Kimberly. It provided his only relief from the stress of the Morphers and the anxiety of thinking about home.
It was clear to Tommy that this Kimberly shared the determination of her dimensional counterpart. This resulted in her mind being permanently locked on the completion of the Morphers.
Despite his frustration, he really couldn't blame her. She'd spent the last several years hiding in the shadows. This was her first chance at retaliation. The tables could finally be turned to her favor.
Tommy had also met the ones meant to inherit the technology. Surprisingly Kimberly had no intention of using the Morphers herself. She thought herself too old, ironic as that was.
The three chosen were all former citizens of Angel Grove. After they had been brought to the Aether Academy they were recruited by Ninjor and studied the art of ninjutsu.
The one that had most made the biggest impression on Tommy the was the eldest boy. He was a fiery youth named Fred. He was close to what would be a Highschool senior. Both of his parents died in the escape and Tommy could see the boy's pain convert to a determination.
Next was a younger girl named Maria. She had a very soft demeanor and her attitude was quite shy. Normally one wouldn't feel any sort of danger when in her presence but Tommy was savvy to her near unmatchable ninjutsu.
Lastly was a smart looking kid named Matthew. He seemed reserved, but unlike Maria, he wasn't as shy, he was just incredibly introverted.
The three wouldn't have been Tommy's first pick of the litter, but he trusted Kimberly nonetheless.
Tommy approached Kimberly at the dining hall. She was engrossed in her salad, looking so much like she did in Highschool that Tommy's hands were sweating.
"Hey!" She said smiling, "How are the Morphers?"
"Uh...yeah," Tommy said, "About that…"
"What is it?" She asked with a frown.
Shit shit shit… Tommy was actually starting to panic.
"Was the… y'know...Command Center destroyed?"
Kimberly's eyes widened. "It's only the most defended place in the whole world! Lord Drakkon knows how important that place is. Even though they can't enter it's under 24/7 surveillance."
"But theoretically could we still get in?" Tommy asked.
"Maybe," Kimberly admitted, "but it would be pointless. Before Zordon could permanently lock him out, Drakkon broke in and trashed the whole place. That was how he managed to damage Zordon enough to permanently shut him down."
"But it would be possible?"
"I don't know," Kimberly said, "Why are you stuck on it?"
"Because it's our only way of finishing the Thunder Morphers," Tommy admitted.
"Oh," Kimberly said as the realization dawned on her. "I'll talk to Scorpina. It won't be easy."
"I know," Tommy said, "But it's the only way."
Kimberly nodded. Tommy knew that she understood, but he could still tell she was hoping an easier solution would come out of the woodwork.
As Tommy expected Scorpina wasn't as thrilled about Tommy's idea.
"Are you stupid?" She hissed at the Black Ranger. "Because I didn't think your mission was to kill us off as quickly as you could."
"Do you trust me?" Tommy asked.
"I was trying to work on it," Scorpina mumbled, "Until you started with all of this."
"I'm sorry all of this happened," Tommy blurted. "I want to do everything I can to make it right."
Tommy saw something flare in Scorpina's eyes. "You make it sound like you're partially responsible."
Tommy took a step back. He hadn't realized his guilt was that obvious. "I'm a Ranger," he shot out in his best bullshit voice, "Stopping bad guys is kinda my job."
Scorpina shrugged but Tommy could clearly see she wasn't going to be swayed so easily.
"Look," Tommy began, "You know as well as I do that Zordon was the galaxy's biggest hoarder. He has to have the tech needed to fix those Morphers."
"I know," Scorpina hissed, "I know that you're right. I just wish you weren't such a pain in the ass."
***1
The six all stood around Ninjor. Kimberly, Scorpina, Tommy, and the three ninja protégées. The Ninja master had just enough energy to transport them outside of the former Command Center. Unfortunately, he didn't have enough energy to bring them back.
That would be all up to them.
"So how do you use the bathroom in that thing?" Fred asked.
Maria slapped him and shot a dirty expression.
"No, I'm serious!" Fred defended himself. "We're gonna be a Rangers too. Shouldn't we know this stuff."
"I don't need to," Tommy replied, "My entire body is stuck in a sort of stasis. I won't even age."
"Then why not stay in suit forever?" Fred asked, "I mean people who aren't already stuck."
"It's too straining on the spirit," Tommy replied. "In fact, I can feel myself getting sluggish as we speak."
In true that wasn't the whole truth. He had felt sluggish ages ago. By now it had progressed into an eternal fatigue. As much as he wanted to put it off he knew he needed to find a way out of the suit before his spirit burnt out completely.
"Ready?" Kimberly asked. The six of them stood in a circle around Ninjor. Everyone nodded and they connected hands.
"Good luck," Ninjor said. "And may the power protect you."
A blinding light surrounded the six warriors and they were all flung towards their destiny.