Her hair still dripping cold rain down her neck, Kimberly solemnly entered the dimly lit room. Glass crunched loudly under her boots in the empty space. It was odd to see the large breach in the formerly secure wall; her chest tightened in her grief.
It was chilly and she shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. Memories assailed her and she could still hear Red's venomous ranting and swearing as it spewed forth in his unhinged rages. He was a force of nature and every day, the Ranger Slayer waited for him to shatter the glass himself ready to attack.
Physically, it was easy now to simply walk into Red's former home. Mentally, it was a different story. Standing there for the first time without bracing for Red's violent rage, it didn't seem real. All that time, day after day, trying to approach him, trying different treatments, begging and pleading with him to wake up.
The Ranger Slayer had been optimistic at first. After Drakkon disappeared, she and the other Coinless had explored the remains of his palace, seeking supplies and weapons. They never expected to find someone still living in the monster's private chambers.
Kimberly jumped with a startled gasp when Trini placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You really should change before you catch a cold," she advised gently.
The former Yellow Ranger also gazed around the cold, silent room in sadness.
"I was just thinking of the day we found him still living in Drakkon's rooms. He scared the shit of the Sentries who decided to work with us. Screaming at them and charging out like a rabid animal," she whispered, moving away from the comforting hand to walk deeper into the room.
"Yeah, I don't know how we managed to back him into this room," Trini answered, lowering her arm slowly.
"I don't know how I let him slip my mind," Kimberly sniffed. "When he came barreling out of there, screaming and cursing us, I was shocked. I thought surely he had went with Drakkon. When I was under that asshole's control, I never gave a thought to who Red was before. The Sentries old enough to remember that old horror novel always referred to him as Cujo."
She laughed bitterly.
"With a name like Red, it shouldn't have been difficult. It shouldn't have taken unearthing Drakkon's journals to discover his identity. I really thought we'd gotten him back, that he would remember us and wake up and be Jason again."
Trini took a slow breath and swallowed painfully.
"I don't think there was ever any coming back from what Red went through, what Jason went through. Drakkon made sure of it, Kim. You read everything he did to Jase."
The Ranger Slayer turned to face her best friend; her hand wiped at her cheeks.
"I know Drakkon taunted him about why no one came but I can't help imagining Jason crying out for us, begging for us to save him, thinking we'd given up on him."
Zack and Skull slowly entered through the broken door seals, their boots echoing in the empty chamber.
"Jase knew better than that, Kim. He also knew Drakkon was cruel enough to do something so heinous," the former Black Ranger said firmly.
"You guys were best friends as long as I can remember," Skull added. "I don't think anyone knew your heart like he did."
The group moved to embrace each other tightly.
"I'm sorry guys. I know I need to stop living in the past when there's so much to do now," Kim sniffed, feeling the loving warmth of her closest friends.
The sound of running footsteps caught their attention as it approached the main hall entrance.
"Ranger Slayer! Come quickly! I've discovered important information about that rabid canine!" a prim, light voice called into the darkness.
Finster-5 felt frantic as he stared into the abandoned wing, his fingers nervously twisting with his discovery. He'd checked the results multiple times but each time it returned with the same grim answer. Even though there were minute differences, the implications were terrifying.
He jumped when the group swiftly emerged from the shadows; Kimberly's face still occasionally frightened the smaller creature. Between the Ranger Slayer and Red, Drakkon had a knack for creating ferocious, deadly beasts. Thank God, there would be no more.
Or would there?
"Finster, what is it? Where did that thing come from?" she frowned.
"Well, that's tricky," he stuttered, turning and motioning the group to follow him to his lab.
As he walked, he continued to fill them in on what he'd discovered.
"The energy signature is interdimensional. I can't pinpoint its origin. It has traveled through several other worlds and universes. This 'animal' isn't native to our timeline but that isn't the most pressing concern."
Entering his brightly lit laboratory, Finster gestured the others towards a large monitor with bright blue projections spiking its screen.
"You mean it gets worse?" Skull couldn't help but quip despite his nervousness.
"Most likely," Finster admitted, adjusting dials on the control pad. "Look at this comparison."
Another spiking line was then transposed on the blue one. It appeared to mimic the original; however, there were quite a few points of divergence.
"I've ran the analysis several times, Ranger Slayer. But this is always the end result. I don't see how, considering the circumstances," the robotic alien waved his hands helplessly.
Zack moved closer to scrutinize the read out. He frowned, pointing at the second line.
"Ok, what energy signature is this and what's the issue with it?" he asked, tapping the screen.
Kimberly's dark eyes widened as she began to understand the implication. Her head shook rapidly in disbelief.
"No, Finster. No way. It's not possible. The only thing left of the Spectrum was a debris field left as it broke apart. There's no chance anything survived. That other Jason said he was told there was only one working escape pod and if he was in it, then no one else would have been able to escape!"
Skull lifted a brow in confusion and Zack's mouth slowly opened in stunned wonderment.
"Nope. This isn't right. Something's not working right with this, Finster," he almost pleaded.
"I assure you, Zack. I calibrated this machine several times and reloaded the data numerous times. Every time this match returns. I can't explain it; only present the findings," he replied in frustration. "I'm just as mystified as the rest of you and no happier with the reading. But it is what it is!"
Skull cleared his throat, embarrassed at not catching on.
"Can someone explain this to the rest of the class?"
Finster wrung his hands anxiously before pointing at the screen.
"The blue line is the energy signature of the interdimensional canine. And this green line, well…" he tried to explain, shivering. "The green line is Lord Drakkon's."
"But Drakkon's dead, right? We all agreed there's no way he made it out of the Spectrum! He'd have come back by now, wouldn't he? Kim?" he sputtered, looking at the Ranger Slayer desperately.
Kimberly could only stare at the monitor in silence.
If that fucker had somehow survived, but Jason didn't…..
She grit her teeth in anger.
"Finster, this line isn't exactly like Drakkon's though? What does that mean?" she whispered.
The alien shook his head and spread his arms.
"I'm not sure. There's a connection somehow but its not Drakkon's original signature. I'd like to call in some outside assistance, if you allow it Ranger Slayer."
Skull's eyes brightened and he smiled a genuine smile; it seemed his whole face lit up despite the grim news.
"Billy! We can contact Billy and the other Rangers! They have more tech than us right now and I know Billy can.." he trailed off, trying to suppress his excitement.
Kimberly's face softened as she gazed into the other man's joyful eyes. Just as she'd grieved the loss of Jason, Skull had grieved deeply over Billy's death. When the two groups met up after Drakkon took off with the Red Omega, Skull and Billy had crossed paths. While waiting for Jason to recover enough to return home, the pair had been inseparable.
Occasionally, they had been able to communicate across their dimensions. But it wasn't the same as being together in person. As much as Skull was grateful that a version of Billy still existed, it was painful not to be able to see each other every day.
"We should give them a head's up about what's happening, Kim. What if their Jason is in danger again?" Zack agreed.
A look passed Kimberly's face at the mention of the Red Omega but it was brief. Slowly she nodded her head.
"I agree. We need to reach out and warn them. Perhaps Billy can glean more information about this new threat. Great idea, Skull!" she couldn't help but smile at him as she said this.
Finster nodded and sighed with relief. He knew the best person for this job was the Blue Ranger.
"I'll power up our communication device now. We can reach out to the Command Center and Zordon can summon the others," he announced.
Skull's bright, joyful eyes made the tension regarding this information almost worth it. However, Kimberly swallowed painfully as she considered that she could very well come face to face with the younger Jason again. Zack caught sight of her eyes dropping sadly.
"Hey, this is a lot to take in. A Drakkon level threat and…" he trailed off, alluding to the Red Omega. "Are you alright?"
"I will be, Zack. Figuring out what's going on and putting a stop to it is our main priority. My feelings have to take a backseat to protecting our world."
Skull gently put an arm around her as Finster manipulated the communication panel.
"You know, Kim, maybe talking to that Jason will help. It helped me with a lot of the unresolved issues I had with our Billy. There's no one better to answer your burning questions than an alternate version of your loved one. He'd be the best one to know our Jason's mindset and what he was thinking and what he would want now," he offered.
Kim considered what her friend was saying.
"Maybe. Afterwards."