Part Six

Chapter Six

Once Springfield was back to whatever passed for normal in that town, the Rangers teleported to the Command Centre, where the rest of us had been anxiously watching the events of the day in the viewing screen. As they materialised before us, Ian stepped over to Tommy, while Scott rushed to Billy. Once the seniors had demorphed, I made my way to Jason's side.

"We saw everything that happened," I began. "You okay?"

Jason nodded wearily. "That was intense," he said, but caught the look in my eyes. "C'mere," and he pulled me into a hug.

"Intense is right," Tommy added. "That was a near thing."

"But you did well today Rangers," Zordon's voice boomed. "You should be proud of yourselves."

"We were lucky," Trini said. "That could've gone a thousand times worse. Their designs are growing increasingly devastating. And notice how he kept referring to some kind of father figure? Is he ultimately responsible for all of this?"

"You should've seen the look in the Dragon Lord's eyes when he came to his senses," Kim said. "What kind of monster can make other monsters that scared?"

"Whoever he is," Teresa began. "We've destroyed two of his sons and we just robbed him of an army of slaves. He can't be happy."

"And there's still another son out there," said Sarah. "We heard it on the viewing screen. He Who Devours Hope is already here. We just haven't met him yet."

"Still," Billy began thoughtfully. "We did gain some valuable insight today. With every victory, we're learning more about our foes. I don't believe we should undervalue that. We know more than we did yesterday. That's a good thing."

"There was something weird though," Kim began. "He knew who we were, but he didn't recognise the Genin at all, until he saw the swords and he had like a total freak-out moment."

"Maybe he could see the dragon spirit in the blades?" Scott asked.

"It wasn't like that," Kim continued. "It wasn't just that he could see them, it was more like…" and her voice trailed off. "It was like he remembered them. Guys. They've been here before! This isn't just some random invasion. Scott, remember what you said when you fought this guy's brother? You were right. These guys are old. Older than any of this. That's why we've got nothing on them."

"That's probably why our powers don't protect us from them," added Trini.

"That makes sense," Zordon said. "The magic they're using must be so old that Alpha and I have never encountered it before, which is why we don't have any safeguards against it."

"And here's a thought," Jason said. "If they've been here before, it means they were beaten before."

"Unfortunately there's nothing else we can do today," Zordon said. "Alpha and I will redouble our efforts to find some answers, and we will alert you if there's any new threats. Until then Rangers? Please return home and enjoy the rest of your day. You've earned it." Everyone reached for their communicators when Zordon continued. "Kimberly? If you could stay back?"

Kim wished us goodbye as we teleported away. Once the central chamber was quiet, Kim gazed up to Zordon's energy tube. "Did you need me?" she asked.

"Nothing dire," Zordon replied. "I just wanted to check you were all right, particularly after your confrontation with He Who Devours Will today."

"I'm fine," Kim replied. "Really. Whoever this guy is, he did the same thing to me that he did to Trini and Scott and Sarah earlier in the year. He took something awful in my mind and threw it back at me. C'mon, we're used to being tested. I just hope I passed."

"A thousand people today would say that you did," Zordon replied.

"Whoever this guy is, making people afraid is how he operates," Kim continued. "He's done a number on a few of us already. But knowledge is power, right?" She paused. "Can I ask you something? You're so guarded all the time, but it makes me wonder. What makes you afraid?"

Zordon blinked, taken aback by the question. "Alpha?" he began. "Can you leave us for a moment?"

"Uh, right away Zordon!" Alpha replied, and left the room.

Once they were alone, Zordon looked to Kimberly. "All of these years," he began, "we've been confronted by monsters, demons, aliens and angry gods. And we've dealt with most of them. These beings don't scare me anymore. They're just problems to solve. I suppose, if I'm being honest? I'm afraid that I'll never escape the time-warp, that I'll never again feel the sun on my face or the grass between my toes. I fear that one day, I'll lose all memory of my life on Eltar."

"I'm sorry," Kim said.

"It's not your fault," Zordon said, but his face fell. "That's not the entire truth, though. Right now, we're facing an enemy we know nothing about. His forces, his plan, even his name. He has shown no hesitation about targeting civilians, and we are incredibly lucky that things haven't gone worse. The worst part of it? Now he knows that the twelve of you are standing between him and his ultimate goal, a goal we still have no idea how to prevent."

"When you put it like, it sounds a lot scarier," Kim said.

Zordon shook his head. "That's not what I meant," he said. "I suppose I'm being selfish. It doesn't frighten me that the twelve of you are in constant danger. It frightens me that I'm the one who keeps putting you there."

There was a long silence, and Kimberly couldn't think of anything to say. Finally, she spoke up. "Zordon, we accepted those risks a long time ago," she began. "Jason was right, what he said before. He always is, but don't tell him I said that. If these things were beaten once before? That means we can beat them again."

"It's an encouraging thought," agreed Zordon.

"So whatever's on the horizon?" Kim continued. "We'll face it. All of us, together. We'll deal with it because we always have. Because that's when we're at our best. And there's something important I realised today. For everything these guys are throwing at the world, do you know the one thing they're not remotely prepared to deal with?"

"Us," Zordon replied.

And Kimberly grinned. "Exactly," she said. "We've got this."

The next morning, Kimberly was making breakfast when her mother stepped around the dining table and pulled out a seat at the bench.

"Morning," Kim smiled, then nodded to the frying pan. "Want some eggs?"

"They smell delicious," Ms Hart replied. "We missed each other completely last night. How was the obstacle course?"

Kimberly thought of the Genin, the possessed Dragon Lord and the cruel demigod. "Definitely challenging," she laughed. "But how was your night with your old school friend? You were so worried yesterday."

Ms Hart poured herself a glass of juice. "Honestly Kim?" she began. "I can't imagine why I was so nervous."

"Really?"

"With some friends, it doesn't matter how much time you spend apart, or how many kilometres are between you," her mother continued. "When you're back together, it's like you haven't missed a day. You can just pick up where you left off, and nothing's changed at all. You know what I mean?"

Kimberly grinned. "Yeah," she replied. "I really do. We're lucky to have people like that in our lives."

After breakfast, Ms Hart stepped outside to gossip with the neighbours while Kim cleaned up the breakfast plates. She'd just finished when her communicator beeped. Checking she was alone, she raised her wrist.

"Kim here."

"Hey it's me," came Trini's voice. "We need everyone to come in. Zordon says he has a lead on High Priestess Automica."

"I'll be right there," Kim replied, then paused. "I love you Trini."

On the other end of the line, Trini laughed. "I love you too. I'll see you at the Command Centre."

"On my way!"

To be continued.

Author's notes – the very final scene, there, leads directly into "The Impossible Boy". "The Impossible Boy" was one of my best stories, and that particular adventure was a big, defining moment in the lives of the characters. So it makes sense to reference "The Impossible Boy" a few times, here. In terms of chronology, the very next thing that happens to the Rangers is chapter 2 of "The Impossible Boy". And hold that thought, because I'm not done yet...