Katherine, Tanya, Rocky, and Adam materialized in the Command Center and were surprised to see Jason and Alpha standing next to the med-bed where a form lay very still. Zordon's attention was also focused on them.

"…How are you feeling, Billy?" Jason asked in a concerned voice. "Are you feeling better with some fluid shots?"

Tanya's eyes widened as Billy coughed, "I'm feeling better, but I can't get that vision out of my head," he replied in an unusually faint voice. "I don't know why I was able to see that even though the spell's off me."

"Billy, is it really you?" Tanya asked as she walked over to the bed and saw Billy lying there looking very somber.

Billy sighed as Katherine, Adam, and Rocky came over to the bed, "Rita's got both Malcolm and Mark in some cave in the canyons outside of Angel Grove," Billy explained in a faint voice. "Mark has been reverted to Zedison, but he doesn't have the same power as he did before and his last memory was being attacked by Ivan Ooze."

"Billy, save your strength," Jason commented, seeing that talking was beginning to tire his friend out. "Rest."

Billy nodded and then cringed, "I should join Trini for what I've done!" he moaned. "I just want to die!"

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi!" Alpha exclaimed as he quickly pressed a button that caused restraints to lift from small slots among the bedsides and wrap around Billy's ankles and wrists to hold him down. "The memories are causing Billy pain."

Jason sighed, "While Alpha was scanning him, Billy already told me everything he saw in his vision," he stated.

"Rita was talking to Zedison and Zedison was still blind and very weak," Billy interrupted in an anxious voice as he struggled to stay calm. "Rita then went to talk to Zedd and Zedd was watching Goldar beat Malcolm up."

Before anyone could reply, Billy shuddered and closed his eyes, "Zordon, is there anything that can be done to help Mark come out of whatever Rita's done?" Katherine asked in a nervous voice. "Why did Rita take Malcolm?"

"Malcolm has very special inner characteristics that many do not and Rita kidnapped him to be an energy source to bring Zedison back to his former state," Zordon explained in a solemn voice. "Although Rita has succeeded in capturing Malcolm and draining him of his energy, Zedison does not seem to be receiving the energy well."

Rocky suddenly swallowed hard and took a step back, "Because it was taken by force," he whispered in an almost unrecognizable voice, suddenly realizing why the stripes on his back continually bothered him. "Anything given or taken forcibly to someone who's unwilling will make the magic either very ineffective or incredibly crippling."

"How do you know that?" Jason asked in a shocked voice, concerned when Rocky suddenly started to tremble.

Adam frowned as Rocky mumbled something under his breath and took off out of the Power Chamber at a very fast walk, "Rocky!" Adam yelled in a concerned voice, wondering why Rocky suddenly looked so heartsick.

The Youth Center was quiet and Dr. Oliver sat quietly at a table reading a book while he watched Detective Stone talk to Skull over by the counter. Ashley was on the mats doing some stretches that closely resembled katas.

For a moment, Bulk lingered in the doorway for a moment clutching his backpack before he wandered over to the table where Dr. Oliver was sitting.

Dr. Oliver had fully intended on going with Laura to David's house, but exhaustion had overwhelmed him and he had decided to relax at the Youth Center until Ashley was ready to go home for the day since Adam, Tanya, Katherine, Jason, and Rocky had all been called to the Power Chamber.

"Hey Doctor Oliver, can I talk to you?" Bulk asked in a quiet voice. "I know you're probably busy, but…"

Dr. Oliver let out a patient sigh as he closed his book, "What can I do for you, Mister Bulkmeier?" he asked in a gentle voice even though he wanted to do nothing more than rest. "Is it about that lab accident that happened?"

"Uh no, Mister Wilton forgave me for that," Bulk replied nervously. "I was just wondering about some books."

Before Dr. Oliver could reply, Ms. Appleby came into the Youth Center and, not noticing Dr. Oliver, she went over to the counter and began talking to Ernie. The sound of Ms. Appleby's voice caused Dr. Oliver to blush deeply.

"How long have you liked Ms. Appleby for, Doctor Oliver?" Bulk whispered in an intrigued voice.

Dr. Oliver sighed and rolled his eyes, "You may be working on becoming a member of the Junior Police Force, Bulk, but stick to solving real crime," he replied in an amused voice. "I don't even talk of my personal life to Tommy…"

The smile on Dr. Oliver's face suddenly faded and he picked up his book, "Mister Bulkmeier, would you mind going and asking Ernie if he can whip up a small poutine for me, please?" he asked in a dead voice. "I'm feeling hungry."

Bulk nodded, made his way over to the counter, and silently waited for Ernie and Ms. Appleby to finish talking.

A faint groan could be heard, "No, NO!" Rocky's anxious voice suddenly yelled.

Jason, Katherine, Adam, Tanya, and Alpha hurried into the corridor and saw Rocky on his knees and keeled over, groaning in pain, "I can feel Rita whipping me again," he whimpered as Jason knelt down beside him.

"Do you mean when we were Dark Rangers?" Adam asked in a shocked voice. "Rita never whipped any of us."

Rocky took a deep breath and slowly stood up, "She whipped me," he replied softly. "I wasn't good enough."

Jason frowned, but Rocky immediately cleared his throat, "Look, we need to focus on helping Billy and figuring out how we're gonna rescue Malcolm and Mark from Rita," Rocky said in an anxious voice. "I'll be fine eventually."

"I need to talk to you all," Billy's faint voice suddenly filtered into the corridor. "While I still have strength."

Rocky swallowed hard and followed Jason, Katherine, Tanya, and Adam back into the Power Chamber and over to the med-bed, "If you let me go, I'll trade myself to Rita in exchange for Malcolm's return," Billy said in an anxious voice as he struggled to stay conscious. "Malcolm's only one, but he has the power to save Mark and Tommy."

"Unfortunately, Billy, your attempt would prove futile," Zordon replied. "Only Malcolm has the power to save himself and if any of the other Rangers were to try, the attempt would completely drain the Zeo Star's energy."

Adam raised an eyebrow, "I thought the Zeo Star had no limits to its power?" he asked in a confused voice.

"The Zeo Star's Power decreases just a little bit every time its more extraordinary powers are used to combat evil forces," Zordon explained in a somber voice. "The limits of the Star's Power are going to be tested during the rescues of Malcolm, Tommy, and Mark Hillard. I have no doubt that it is possible to find and help all of them."

Tanya sighed anxiously, "Why can't we just morph and go after Prince Gasket right now?" she asked impatiently.

"My scanners have not yet been able to locate Tommy," Zordon replied calmly. "This is a precarious situation."

Katherine bit her lip as she looked up at Zordon, "You said that Malcolm has the power to rescue himself from captivity, but how is he to know this?" she asked in a worried voice. "Does Mark possess that same power?"

"I believe that Zedison's memories of his life as Mark Hillard have buried themselves deep within his mind and it may not be possible to recover them," Zordon stated. "Billy said that he saw that Zedison was in great pain…"

As Katherine fought the urge to cry, Jason looked down at Billy, "Billy, is there any way you could use this connection to Rita to try and find out where Tommy is?" Jason asked in a soft voice. "I know it's a long shot…"

"I'll do whatever I can to help find Tommy," Billy promised in a faint voice as he struggled to stay awake.

Alpha cleared his throat, "You need to rest, Billy," he said in a concerned voice. "Please save your strength."

Billy nodded and closed his eyes, "Zordon, is there any way we could contact Malcolm and explain to him how he can escape from Rita's cave?" Katherine asked as she turned to face Zordon. "He needs to know there's a way."

"Could we use Malcolm's piece of the Zeo Star to communicate with him without Rita finding out?" Rocky cut in, deeply curious if the Zeo Star could also be used for communication as well as to bestow them all with powers.

Tanya scoffed, "Prince Gasket is dangerous!" she whined in an anxious voice. "Why can't we destroy him?"

"Tanya, Rita is providing Prince Gasket with magic in hopes of completely eradicating the Zeo Star's powers and rendering the Earth defenseless," Zordon stated. "Rocky, I believe it might be possible to contact Malcolm."

Alpha nodded, "If Zordon infuses Malcolm's piece of the Zeo Star with energy, it may be possible to send Malcolm a hologram that is visible only to him," he explained. "The hologram will gain strength from Malcolm's heart…"

"Alpha, lift the frame containing the Zeo Star and attach a charge to Malcolm's piece," Zordon firmly stated.

Alpha nodded, hurried over to the console, and carefully lifted the panel containing the assembled multi-colored Star up by the lid of its hidden panel. He then reached into his torso port, took out a charge, and set it in the center of the Zeo Star, which glowed a faint blue, "Who's going to be the hologram?" Jason suddenly asked. "I can do it."

"I will serve as the holographic messenger," Zordon replied. "If any of you were to attempt to enter Rita's temporary chamber even as a hologram, your powers would be damaged and you could suffer serious harm."

Alpha sighed, "Initiating power link now," he said as he pressed a button that caused Zordon to suddenly fade.

Cold pierced the hair on Malcolm's neck and he let out a faint moan; he couldn't take much more of the torture that Rita and Goldar had administered all because they wanted Mark Hillard to revert back to Prince Zedison.

"Malcolm."

Malcolm nearly cried as he forced his heavy eyelids to flutter open and was he surprised to see that he was alone.

"Malcolm, look with your heart instead of your eyes," a firm voice suddenly spoke. "Then you will be able to see."

As Malcolm blinked, light suddenly filled the chamber and he realized that he was chained to a stone wall and that his body had lost a lot of strength, "Who's there?" he whispered, partially blinded by the sudden bright light.

"Malcolm, I'm contacting you from the Command Center," the voice spoke in a firm tone. "Open your heart."

Malcolm winced as he blinked and suddenly caught sight of Zordon's head in front of him, "Zordon?" he whispered in as much a voice as he could muster with being so heavily restrained. "R-Rita will find you and she'll…"

"I'm only visible to you, Malcolm," Zordon replied softly. "The power to free yourself rests in your heart, Malcolm."

Malcolm inhaled sharply and promptly exploded in a coughing fit that caused his entire body to tremble, "R-Rita took my energy with her wand and gave it to Zedison," he whispered faintly. "I'm chained to this rock wall…"

"Just think of where you want to be and your heart will save you," Zordon replied. "You can still use your heart even if your body and mind have been tortured at Rita's request. You must put the hope of escaping above your pain."

Malcolm shivered, "I will," he whispered, forcing himself not to cry as Zordon's face faded, leaving him in the dark. "I...must...find...the...way...out..."

The shed in David's backyard was small, but it contained several floor pillows and benches that were built into the wall and lined them as decoration. Dreamcatchers and spirit symbols lined the walls and there was a large, bowl shaped firepit in the middle of the room that was held up by a small, uniquely constructed tower of cedar blocks.

"Sam Trueheart left this to me when he died in case I ever needed to do some soul searching," David explained as he led Laura into the shed and began putting logs into the small firepit. "It took a while for me to get it out here and set it up, but I managed to use my free time after school to do it. Anyway, this is where we'll do the quest."

Laura nodded and her gaze promptly drifted to the eagle symbol on the wall; she suddenly remembered when Dulcea had unveiled her spirit animal on Phaedos and the thought of bringing it out suddenly appealed to her.

"The fire's ready," David said as a brilliant flame suddenly rose from the metal pit. "Laura, are you okay?"

Laura turned towards the brilliant flame and saw that David was sitting cross-legged on one of the pillows looking up at her, "Yeah," she replied as she took a seat on the pillow next to him. "Okay, so how does this work?"

"Just close your eyes and open your mind," David replied softly. "Your desire will manifest itself before you."

Laura nodded and closed her eyes. Kimberly's animal is the Crane. I seek to speak to the Pink Crane!

Unaware where Tommy had been taken and not even caring what Prince Gasket might be doing to him, Kimberly stretched out on the bed that was in the room that she had been placed in by the Cogs after helping to capture Tommy on Valentine's Day. She was exhausted and still wanted revenge on Laura for stealing Tommy's affection.

A cry suddenly rang out and Kimberly was astonished when a yellow eagle suddenly appeared on the floor in front of her and spread its wings out wide. She sat up and stared at the eagle for a moment before scoffing at it.

"You are the Crane that I seek," the eagle suddenly said in a soothing voice. "You are the Pink Crane."

Kimberly's eyes narrowed and suddenly widened as the eagle faded and Laura stood before her completely clad in her Yellow Eagle Ninjetti suit with the Eagle Coin on her chest, "I thought your Ninjetti Coin was destroyed!" Kimberly snarled as she got off the bed and walked over to Laura. "You were foolish to come and find me."

"I am not really here," Laura replied calmly as Kimberly reached out and couldn't touch her. "I am a vision."

Kimberly's eyes widened and she took a step back, "What do you want?" she asked in a less hostile tone.

"I need you to help me find Tommy," Laura said in a tone that held no fear. "It's my fault he was taken."

Kimberly scoffed, "Prince Gasket hates Doctor Oliver and that is why Tommy was taken," she replied crisply.

"Why does Prince Gasket hate Doctor Oliver?" Laura asked curiously. "Doctor Oliver doesn't have powers."

For the first time in ages, Kimberly actually smiled, "You know, that attempt to heal me sort of worked for a while," she replied in an unusually soft voice. "A while back, I heard Goldar and Scorpina talking about Zordon's ancient warriors and how those warriors sacrificed their powers to stop the Machine Empire a long, long time ago."

"Goldar kissed my cheek a while back," Laura said uneasily, shuddering as the memory suddenly resurfaced.

Kimberly sighed sadly, but said nothing, "Anyway, why does the Machine Empire and Goldar think that Doctor Oliver is one of Zordon's ancient warriors?" Laura asked in a confused voice. "Doctor Oliver's very harmless."

"Before I was captured, I always wondered why Doctor Oliver never married and instead seemed very dedicated to raising Tommy and having a career as a counselor," Kimberly stated. "I asked Tommy once, but he said that his uncle never really expressed regret about not getting married; his uncle always seemed content with him."

Laura sighed, "If you truly care for Tommy, you'll tell me how I can find him," she said in a gentle, yet firm voice.

"I don't know," Kimberly replied in a sad voice as she reached into the pocket of her shorts and extended a fist out towards Laura. Laura said nothing about the condition of Kimberly's arms, but focused on what Kimberly offered.

Kimberly sighed and opened her fist, revealing her faded Pink Crane Ninja Coin, "I have no business having this power coin anymore," she said in a sad voice. "I need you to take me back to Earth and help me have a life that doesn't have Tommy or any of the other Rangers in it. That part of my life was good, but now it brings me pain."

"Running from your past brings only pain," Laura replied softly. "I can take you back if you're willing to face it."

Kimberly was silent as Laura held out her hands, "If you take my hands now, you'll be able to touch them," Laura said in a gentle voice. "I can't promise that coming back will be easy, but I promise that you won't be alone."

"Okay," Kimberly whispered as she reluctantly took Laura's hands. "I just can't deal with anything anymore."

There was a blinding flash of light and suddenly, both Kimberly and Laura vanished from the room.

The message had been sent and Zordon was now recharging while Alpha tended to Billy. There was nothing left for Jason, Katherine, Tanya, Rocky, and Adam to do but wait and see how Malcolm would interpret Zordon's message.

"...Doctor Oliver, why are you so quiet this evening?" they heard Ashley ask as they entered the Youth Center.

There was silence and Jason, Katherine, Tanya, Rocky, and Adam entered the Juice Bar just in time to see Ashley sit at a table where Dr. Oliver and Ms. Appleby were already sitting. Dr. Oliver was picking at a small plate of poutine with a fork and Ms. Appleby was eating a salad, "I'm just thinking about Tommy, Ashley," Dr. Oliver replied softly.

"Oh," Ashley replied softly as she set her backpack on the floor. "Eugene helped me with my homework."

Realizing that he had to be strong for Tommy's friends and for Ashley, Dr. Oliver nodded and smiled, "I saw that," he replied as Jason, Katherine, Tanya, Adam, and Rocky walked over to the table. "Oh, hello there kids…"

"Doctor Oliver and Ms. Appleby, how are you doing?" Katherine asked in a gentle voice. "It's been a long day."

Dr. Oliver nodded and sighed, "I'm all right, but I think that Frank's tired," Ms. Appleby replied in a gentle voice as she dropped her fork, reached across the table, and took Dr. Oliver's free hand in her own. "How are you, kids?"

"We went on a walk after school, so we're a little tired," Jason replied. "We're thinking of getting some food."

Dr. Oliver looked a little amused at that comment, "Adam, would you mind getting Ashley something to eat too, please?" he asked in a gentle voice. "Jason, Rocky, while your food's being made, remember to call your parents…"

"...To let them know where we're at," Jason and Rocky finished in unison, which caused Ashley to giggle.

Dr. Oliver nodded again and watched as Jason, Rocky, Adam, Tanya, and Katherine went to get their food. He could also see Bulk and Skull sitting at another end of the counter, quietly making short work of a small pepperoni pizza.

Laura opened her eyes and was surprised to see that she, David, and Kimberly were not in David's meditation shed, but in a large basement that had boxes scattered everywhere. There were large doors in front of them.

"Where are we?" Kimberly asked in a nervous voice as she held to Laura's arm fearfully. "I don't like this…"

David stepped out of the boxes and looked around before heading over to the door, "This metal door is really interesting," he said as he turned to face Laura and Kimberly. "Could you girls help me try and open it?"

Still holding tight to Kimberly, Laura moved over to the door and was very surprised when it automatically opened and she, Kimberly, and David were sucked into the portal on the other side without any chance to react.

A moment later, Laura led Kimberly and David into a room that closely resembled the Command Center, but looked as if it had been technologically upgraded. Kimberly suddenly gasped as she saw Billy laying on what appeared to be a med-bed with restraints around his wrists and ankles and a blanket over his clothed body.

"Oh, Billy," Kimberly whispered as she hurried over to the med-bed and gently stroked Billy's hand with her own.

Billy's eyes slowly opened and he looked shocked, "Kimberly?" he asked just as Alpha suddenly emerged from a chamber just beside Zordon's time-warp tube. "I thought you were with Prince Gasket? Did you ever find out what Rita and Gasket did with Tommy?"

"I came to make peace with the past," Kimberly replied in a sorrowful voice. "I don't want to talk about Tommy."

Alpha coughed, which caused David to jump, "Wow, what a cool robot!" David said as he backed away out of fear that Alpha might hurt him.

"Alpha, how did we get up here?" Laura asked as she looked around the Chamber. "We were in a basement…"

Alpha walked over to Laura and Kimberly, "Alpha, I want to give this back," Kimberly said as she held out the Pink Crane Ninjetti Power Coin to him. "I am no longer worthy of this and I want a life free from all of the pain I have. Let me forget the past…"

"Ai-yi-yi," Alpha replied anxiously. "Laura, how did you bring Kimberly and a powerless civilian in here? This Power Chamber is secret."

Laura sighed, "I was on this vision quest with Tommy's brother and I ended up in a room that I think was part of the Machine Empire's palace," she explained in a nervous voice. "I was in my Ninjetti form and that's how I brought Kimberly here. I thought that power had been destroyed?"

Zordon suddenly appeared in his time-warp tube, "Welcome to the Power Chamber, David," he said as he took notice of David. "First of all, you need not be afraid of me or of this place. Secondly, your desire to help a friend even without your powers enabled you to access your Ninjetti animal to get a great thing accomplished. Although there are bad after effects, Kimberly and Billy are no longer under Rita's control."

"Zordon, please take my Ninja coin back and help me have a life away from what I've been through," Kimberly said in a sorrowful voice as she looked up at the being that she had once regarded as a mentor. "I don't know what happened to Tommy after Prince Gasket locked me in that room, so I can't help the Zeo Rangers rescue him. I cared for Tommy very deeply once, but I've hurt so many since then and I can't love him."

Laura suddenly looked very afraid as Kimberly set her Ninjetti Coin on a console, "Laura, you and Tommy's brother have accomplished a great task today," Zordon said in a commanding voice. "I must now ask you both to return home and leave Kimberly and Billy in our care for now."

Before David and Laura could reply, they were teleported out of the Command Center, "Take a look in the Viewing Globe," Zordon said.

Nodding, Kimberly released Billy's hand and walked over to the Viewing Globe. She could see Laura and David enter the Youth Center and walk over to a table where Jason, Katherine, Tanya, Adam, Rocky, Ashley, Dr. Oliver, and Ms. Appleby were sitting. As David talked with everyone, Laura quietly slipped out into the hallway, sat down on a pile of mats in the corner, and started to cry. Laura's tears caused Kim to sigh sadly.

"I'll do what I can to help you even though I don't know where Tommy is," Kimberly whispered softly. "You cared enough to reach out to me."

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