As she walked, Kimberly Hart couldn't understand why Tommy had sent her to the strange elderly, Mr. Phillip Pal.

Kim touched a button on her communicator and softly said, "Zordon, can you hear me?"

"Yes Kimberly." The strong voice of Power Rangers sage replied.

Billy, promptly, informed Kim that he had the teleportation system locked on her, just case!

Even without her power coin, which she had given to Katherine several weeks ago, Kim knew that her friends would be able to pull her out of this strange, yet mysterious man's home.

As she opened the latch on the gate, a calming feeling swept over her. Her fears were gone, and she now understood why Tommy liked the fragile gentleman.

After ringing the door bell, she turned around looking toward the street.

"My, my, my, what is such a very young lady doing on my door steps this early in the morning?"

Kim hadn't heard the door open, and it caught her off guard.

Startled, she replied "Tommy sent me!"

The man's cheerful expression turned to a more serious expression of concern.

"Come in!" Even his voice had changed tone. After closing the door he pointed to a Colonial style chair, and replied "Tell me what happened?"

After sitting down, Kim began to tell him what happened.

She tried to keep her voice under control as she related the events of the last two days.

"After we left you on Sunday, we walked Billy and Kat to their respective homes. Then Tommy walked Aisha & myself home."

"I expected to see him in school the next day but he didn't show up!"

Her voice began to crack as she continued.

"When I stopped by his house that afternoon to take him his homework, and there were several police cards in front of the house."

"The officer, who answered the door, asked me . . . if Tommy and I had a fight or something."

"Apparently, Tommy never came home Sunday evening. His backpack had been found just a half a block away."

Her voice became laced with fear.

"They suspected foul play . . . or maybe, he'd run away!"

Kim cleared her throat trying to disguise the panic she felt inside.

Mr. Pal sat on the coffee table acrossed from her. His expression never changed, almost as if he was reading her mind.

"That night I had a dream . . . only it wasn't a dream. I could feel the cold, damp and dark place he was at or in . . . !"

She cleared her throat again.

"I heard Tommy in my head!" Her voice rose several octaves, fear now controlled her.

She had to wipe several tears from her eyes before she could continue.

"What did Tommy say to you?"

"He said, not to trust him . . . if he showed up because it wasn't him."

"Did he show up?"

"No."

"Then, what happened?"

"Last night, I had another dream . . . only it wasn't a dream . . . I could feel it again, the cold, damp, and dark place he was . . . "

Kim's voice rose again, and this time panic was very evident.

"This time what did he say?"

"He told me to come here to you!"

"Darn!"

"What happened to him?"

"Was Zordon able to locate him?"

"Who?"

"Don't play that game with me . . . Tommy's life depends on the truth," his voice was gruff and to the point.

It caught Kim off guard, but before she could answer he asked the question again.

"Was Zordon able to locate him?"

"No!" Kim's voice faded.

Silence filled the room, as Kim sat and watched the mysterious man.

His face had lost all color, and his eyes took on a worried look.

"Where is he?" Kim's voice became shrill with fear, and her face echoed her emotions.

The mysterious man took both her hands in his, and once again that calming feeling came over her.

"You must listen, and do what I ask . . . Tommy's life depends on it!"

Tears of sheer panic began to fill her eyes.

From deep inside, Kim knew that this mysterious, yet fatherly man was indeed their only hope of finding Tommy.

As the others watched via the viewing globe, they too felt as Kim did! This strange man was someone that they could trust.

"What do you want me to do?" Kim asked in a voice which bearly rose above a whisper.

"Clear your mind of all thoughts!"

Kim closed her eyes, after putting her purse on the floor next to her.

"Good, very good . . . now remember that cold, damp, and dark place you felt in the head."

"Excellent, now call Tommy!"

In her minds eye, Kim could see and feel how she had the last two nights.

"Tommy!"

Nothing was heard!

"Make him answer you . . . threaten him in some way!"

"Tommy, if you don't answer me, I'll give you a hair cut!" Her words were laced with anger.

"Kim!" A voice full of pain and fear, just could bearly be heard.

"Tommy!" Kim answered in a frightened voice.

"Tommy, can you hear me?" The elderly gentleman said.

"She found you!"

"Yes . . . do you remember what I told you to practice on Sunday?"

"Yes. I've tried it . . . The pain it hurts too much!"

"Tommy, if you don't . . . you will die!" The man's voice had an icy cold tone to it. "You must go inside yourself to survive!"

There was no sound, just a stillness that sent chills down Kim's whole body.

After what seemed like forever to Kim, the man broke the silence.

"Good, very good!" His voice lacked the sharpness, yet still echoing with concern.

In her mind's eye, Tommy was fading, and she called out to him . . . "Tommy!"

"No, child . . . don't, if he hears your voice he will die!" The tone of his voice startled Kim back to reality.

"Don't try to do what we just did . . . " his voice faded as he tried to think of what to do.

"Where is he?" Kim asked in a small frightened voice.

"Venus Island!"

"We can track Venus Island," a spark of hope entered her voice.

"No, this time you can't . . . It is in another dimension. A dimension reachable only by a time-dimensional being!"

Kim sat there staring straight ahead.

The man returned his thoughts to the young lady sitting on a chair in his living room.

"My dear . . . " He gathered Kim's hands into his hands . . . "Rejoin your friends, and the stay away from people, school, jobs, anywhere there are people."

"Go to a secluded spot, and when he will come as the White Ranger. You and your friends must morph . . . don't fight him, he's very weak."

Kim shook her head in agreement, and then she realized she couldn't!

"I can't morph . . . I gave my power coin to Katherine."

"Oh yes, I forgot about that." He released Kim's hands, stood up and walked over to a cabinet. After opening a drawer, he withdrew a small ruby velvet box.

Walking back to where Kim sat, he opened the box, removed a gold medallion, and handed it to Kim. "With this medallion, you will be able to! Just say what you normally would say. This medallion will transform you, once again, into the Pink Ranger."

"All of you including Katherine must be together, because this involves all of you!"

"Now go rejoin your friends, and remember to stay away from people . . . and don't fight him when he comes!"

Kim was ushered out the door, pushed really!

Shortly after which she was teleported back to the command center.

Via the viewing globe, the Rangers continued to watch the mysterious man.

"So Omar, the time has come!" His voice had become different, with a sound unlike anything they had ever encountered before.

A flash of light blinded the Rangers, and when they looked back, the man was gone!

Adam was the first to speak, "I don't trust him . . . " he paused . . . "this could be a trap." He shook his head as he turned and walked toward the middle of platform.

Aisha hugged Kim, "At least we know he's alive!" Her voice trying to comfort herself as well as her friend.

Billy had after the flash of light turned, and went to the command console, "He's right . . . I've located Venus Island!"

The others hurried to join him at the console.

"Can we teleport to this Island," Rocky asked, already knowing what the Blue Ranger was going to say!

"No!"

"Well then let's get moving, and do what he said to do," Rocky replied.

Zordon and Alpha could only watch as the six Rangers teleported from the Command Center to a secluded area near the lake and wait!

***********

Venus Island hasn't changed much Phil thought as he materialized near his destination. He looked around surprised that Omar's security team hadn't come to drive him away.

He made his way slowly, cautiously to the entrance of the building.

The Rangers had only seen one half of Venus Island. The entire Island was the size of two football fields in length, and if it had not been used for evil all these years it would make a safe home for various life forms.

The entrance to the building which was built into the side of the mountain opened as he approached.

"Things were different . . . Strangely different!" Phil thought. "No guards, no sounds . . . nothing . . . almost as if Omar knew he would come!"

Phil made his way down the hill-like ramp. The building was a series of caves joined together by a common tunnel. As he walked, his appearance began to change from an elderly gentleman into his true form, large round brown eyes, a flat nose and mouth surrounded by wrinkles of age were visible under the hood of the brown cloak he now wore.

He entered a room-like cave, and seated at a table that resembled a lab table was another similarly dressed life form.

"Hello, Omar," his greeting was direct.

"Paladar`," Omar replied as he turned around on the chair to face his younger brother.

Omar was several generations older then Paladar`, and both were trained in the warriors' ways.

"Let me see if I can guess why you have come," Omar asked sarcastically already knowing his younger brothers' reason for being there.

"The boy," Paladar` answered.

"Figured as much," Omar laughed slightly. "You and I both know that bridge can never be rebuilt." Something caught his eye, "Oh good, he has returned with his friends!"

Paladar` could see the image screen behind Omar, and the six other morphed figures in front of the White Ranger.

Goldar was following behind the seven Rangers taunting them "I finally have all of you!"

"Omar, I feel sorry for you . . . not believing in the prophecy."

"There will come one, whose courage, strength, and honor will form the base for the others, who will form the bridge itself!"

"Many will try, but only one will succeed. He alone, holds key to unlock the secret."

*******

"No Goldar . . . I won't . . . do it yourself . . . you have all of us . . . " The voice was cold.

Omar slowly turned in his chair as he heard the words that centuries ago were predicted by those who had gone before them.

"I'm sorry Omar . . . but I have no choice in this matter for in order to secure the future, the past must be protected."

A sword ended Omar's life which had also been predicted centuries ago.

Goldar had murdered the White Ranger before their eyes; however, the familiar colors' of his uniform lay in a heap on the ground at Goldar's feet.

Enraged, Goldar began swinging his sword against the rock walls of the cave.

The sound of glass shattering, exposed a hidden alcove, and there in the middle lying a rock slab was Tommy. Covering him was a light orange and white web very similar to one that almost covered Trini's young friend, not so long ago!

Goldar hit the web several times with his sword, but the web didn't break. When he hit an area of white, Goldar vanished from sight.

"Did you see that?" Rocky yelled as he struggled to break free from the glowing ring around him.

"Yeah . . . it was almost as if the white area was protecting itself . . . Kim, what are you trying to do?" Billy answered and asked all in the same fearful voice.

"If I can reach my morpher, I might just be able to deactivate it!" Seconds after answering, she returned to wearing her street clothes.

"She's free," Rocky yelled . . . "Let's all do it, now!"

Billy yelled, "Don't touch the web, Kim!"

Soon six of seven young people who served as Rangers were all dressed in their street clothes.

"How do we get him out of there?" Katherine asked in a panic filled voice.

"I can think of only one way," Rocky stated "But since the destruction of the other Zords I don't know if it is still operational."

"The Power Blaster," Aisha and Adam answered together.

"Yes!"

"There's only one way to find out," Adam said as he pulled his morpher out. "Black Ranger Power!" He transformed back into the Black Ranger, and remained free from the strange bindings that several minutes before had held them tight.

Soon the others except for Kim, also returned to their morphed states. All of their old weapons were still available to them, except one, the Power Bow!

"Kim, see if the bow will respond to you," Billy said already knowing it would!

Sure enough the Bow did respond to her call, and Billy was at loss as to explain it. Once the Power Blaster was assembled, the decision as to where to aim it became the topic of discussion.

"We can't aim it anywhere else," Rocky stated his voice cut through the argument between the others.

"When Goldar hit the white area, he vanished . . . I basing my decision on something Phil said . . . That Tommy had to go inside himself to survive."

"Tommy's controlling the web from inside?" Adam said, almost as a question.

"Yes, I think he is . . . so if we aim the Power Blaster at the orange area at his feet it should be enough to overload the web."

"Rocky's right . . . Let's do it!" Adam replied matter-of-factly.

With Rocky in control of the Power Blaster, and the other's in their positions including Kat beside Kim, he aimed and fired.

"It's working," Aisha yelled.

"Increasing power," Rocky yelled.

The orange and white glowed brightly, blinding them for a second and then vanished.

"Yes, we did it!" All of their voices rang together, joyfully!

Watching from Omar's room, Paladar` closed his eyes, realizing that he had to find them!

"Let's get out of here as fast as possible," Aisha stated fearing that Goldar would return.

"We can't leave until Phil comes for us!" Kim replied hoping the elderly gentleman had made it here!

"Oh dear . . . can't let them leave until Tommy regains consciousness . . . " pausing as he glanced around the room . . . "The weather control system will work! Some rain and hail should keep them inside until I can find them . . . Omar never did know how to map anything."

Soon the sounds of a thunderstorm echoed inside the cave.

"Great, now it's raining and hailing outside," Adam groaned after looking outside and returning with a hail stone the size of a baseball.

"Billy, he's burning up," Aisha replied after taking her hand away from Tommy's forehead.

Looking around, Billy realized that Adam was holding the hail stone in his bare hand.

"Hail is nothing more then frozen water . . . ice!"

After gathering up the hail stones, they used them in an effort to bring Tommy's fever down.

As they waited, Rocky and Adam, concerned that this thing might not be Tommy went and sat down next to Billy. Quietly, the three discussed the possible of Tommy already being dead!

"Billy, how are we going to know if this is Tommy or not?"

"Tommy and I worked something out, Rocky . . . I'll know!"

"What if Tommy is . . . ," Adam voices faded.

"I don't think he's dead!"

A that very moment, Kim yelled. "Billy!"

"He's coming around," Aisha added.

"The fever has broken finally!" Kat commented after checking Tommy's forehead.

Tommy took a deep breath, almost gasping for air!

"Tommy, it's Billy, we've got you --- it's all over."

Tommy tried to focus his eyes on the direction in which Billy's voice was coming from!

After reassuring Tommy, they gather together.

Kim was the first to speak, and with tears rolled from her eyes, "That's not Tommy, Goldar killed him already!"

Billy grabbed Kim by the shoulders, and shook her . . . "Kim, it is Tommy . . . He and I came up with a way to signal each other. By him looking toward me, he told me that it was him!"

"That was what you meant, before!"

"Yes Rocky . . . It's him . . . "

The minutes felt like hours as they waited for the rain to stop.

"Finally . . . located them!"

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