From The Ashes
by Cheryl Roberts

Chapter 2

Tommy awoke, unable to sleep, the remnants of his strange dream still lingering.

Danger... he's back...must warn....

It was a voice, nothing more, calling as if from a great distance. The warning, if that's what it truly was, seemed urgent, but what sort of danger? Who was back? Who was being warned? Whose voice was it? Tommy had no answers, but he knew the vision had to be important because it had been reoccurring for the past several nights. The problem was, Tommy had no one to turn to in order to discuss it.

His Ranger days were over, and the Rangers who had followed him had retired following Zordon's death. He supposed he could try contacting his friends, but in the years following their retirement, they had all gone their separate ways—college, careers, families—sadly, even he and Katherine.

It had been time and distance and the need to follow their hearts that had split them apart. Tommy couldn't deny that he had enjoyed his time with the lovely blonde. She had healed the hole in his soul that Kimberly's death had created. Buoyed by the fact that Kim had given him her blessing, he had been thinking of a life together with Kat, but that was not to be. Her dreams had taken her from the ballet academy in London back to Australia and a ballet company there. He knew how much she'd always missed her homeland and couldn't begrudge her her happiness to go back.

His thoughts drifted to Jason next. His best friend still longed to open his own martial arts school, but there was college; then, when Mr. Scott had his heart attack, Jason had to help out with the family business. He still taught part time, though, at Rocky's dojo. They made time for each other whenever Tommy was in town, but these days, that wasn't very often.

Adam and Tanya had married and moved east to follow the former Yellow Ranger's promising singing career. Zack and Trini had followed their various careers, and Aisha was still working with the animals in Africa. However, even if he talked to any of his "earthbound" friends, he knew they could do nothing but listen.

If he could get a hold of Billy... but last he'd heard, the original Blue Ranger was still on Aquitar. They had learned that, in an odd twist of fate, the scientific genius had become Earth's unofficial ambassador to the intergalactic community. Tommy just bet Billy loved being a politician.

Perhaps he could contact the Aquitian Rangers....

All of which left Tommy in his motel room, unable to sleep, with practice laps at the speedway to run for his uncle. He'd been driving for John ever since graduation and enjoyed it immensely, but he was beginning to feel the pangs of discontent. Maybe it was time for him to consider returning to his first love: martial arts. But that decision would keep for another day; he had a race to qualify for, and being bleary-eyed wouldn't do.

He reached for the ebony box sitting on the night stand. The chest went everywhere with him; it was the gift Kimberly had so wanted to give him and his son had crossed a dimension to deliver to him. Looking over the treasures Kim had bequeathed to him never failed to bring him a sense of peace. Things she had always wanted him to have, Jamie had said.... There were items from her life on earth—her diary, her class ring, pictures and other keepsakes from their relationship—and mementos from her life on Threa.

First, to his great relief, was an amulet duplicating the crest inlaid on the box lid. (He hated the thought of ruining the precious container in any way, even to remove the talisman.) He had taken to wearing the medallion as a good luck charm. The design of the circular piece was that of an intertwined falcon and crane in flight—images identical to the ones emblazoned on their old Ninja Power Coins. On the rim of the disk were tiny engravings of their other Ranger totems: Pterodactyl, Dragon, Firebird and Tiger. He recalled that this was the emblem he had seen on the breastplate of Kimberly's Imbera armor.

In addition to her signet, Kimberly had enclosed the Threan equivalent of photographs; although the framed images were three dimensional instead of two dimensional. Pictures of her and Jamie, her teammates and friends.... Tommy studied the group photo of the Threan Rangers. It reminded him of many of the group shots Kim had taken of their circle of friends over the years. Through reading Kimberly's journal and recalling what she had said during her brief return home, Tommy was quite familiar with the team. His gaze drifted over the assembled Rangers.

Sahr, the Blue Ranger, was a tall, slender, pale woman with fiery red hair and luminous blue eyes. Her lifebond Rhee, the Yellow Ranger, had her height and build but had a mane of curly blond hair and forest green eyes. These were the two Kim had been closest to, just as she'd been close to Billy and Trini. The Red Ranger, Dav, was a big, brawny fellow who reminded Tommy of Jason, though his features were much more rounded and his coloring not as dark. The Green Ranger was a petite (for a Threan) dark skinned beauty with snow white hair; J'Ust had her arm around Kim's successor as the Pink Ranger. Brek, with her straight, blue-black hair and golden complexion reminded Tommy of Trini. Kim was also in the picture. Next to the tall, willowy Threans, their White Ranger looked more like a child than a leader/mentor.

The first time he'd seen the photos, he'd been startled to discover that the Threans were what humans would call elves. Physically, they tended towards tall and slender, though the team represented a variety of body types, but they all possessed the wide, almond-shaped eyes and tapered, wing-like ears. And, just as in some of the fairy stories he'd heard of elves, Threans were extremely long lived. According to Kim's notes, the average life span was around six or seven hundred years old, but it was not unheard of for a Threan to live to be a thousand.

Kim had devoted quite a bit of space in her journal to the various aspects of Threan life and culture, and while he'd found her observations quite interesting, he'd been more intrigued by the memory crystal. Her notes explained that the multi-faceted stone contained a lifetime of memories; she had begun recording her thoughts and feelings shortly after her return from earth. It was through this crystal that he shared in her pregnancy, witnessed the birth of their son and watched him grow up. The recordings ceased with the birth of their first grandchild. It was a gift without price.

Along with Kimberly's gifts were a few of Jamie's. Of the items his son had included, one was a personal shield generator. According to the enclosed note, the quarter-sized chip would fasten onto his communicator and would draw power from the Morphin' Grid. Once activated, it would enable him to exist on Threa without the need for genetic restructuring. "If only our science could have created such a shield for mother when Atir first brought her to Threa, perhaps then you two would not have been separated forever."

While he doubted he'd ever have the opportunity to visit his son's homeworld, Tommy did affix the device to his wristband and then placed his retired communicator in the black box with the signet medallion.

But Jamie's greatest give to him was the item he now removed from the chest. It consisted of a wooden base with brass fittings and ornamentation; set in the cup of the metal prongs was a clear glass ball. However, at the slightest touch, a hologram flickered to life within the orb. The ever-changing image was that of Kimberly in all her various aspects from the bright-eyed young woman he had fallen in love with to the armored warrior/leader to mother and grandmother. Even more than seeing his beloved, anyone who touched the ball could feel the essence of Kimberly's spirit.

Tommy's hand rested on the fantastic, fragile globe, and he found himself awash in Kim's warmth and love once again. It made him feel close to her, bringing him the peace he had been hoping for.

But that peace was abruptly shattered as the voice from his dream intruded upon his consciousness.

"Tommy... warn Jamie...Narzod lives!"

He nearly dropped the precious orb. The voice sounded like Kim's!

~*~

How Tommy managed to compete in the race, let alone qualify for it, was beyond him. The days since he identified the voice in his dreams had passed in a blur. At the moment, though, the only thing that mattered was that he was back home in Angel Grove and on his way across the desert to the remains of the Power Chamber. If the answers to his troubled questions could be found, they would be found there.

How could his dream-voice possibly be Kim's? She'd been dead for a couple of years—on earth (a couple of centuries on Threa). Not only had she been dead for some time, she had died in another dimension. Jamie had held her as she died; he had felt her consciousness flicker out. Was it some kind of trick? Could it be some sort of mental echo? Admittedly, he didn't know a thing about the workings of telepathy, but the cry seemed fresh—recent, and the sense of urgency behind it was undeniable.

He found an alcove near the base of the rocky hill where the Power Chamber had once stood, and he parked his truck. He'd have to make the rest of his trek on foot. So it was that the better part of an hour later, Tommy found himself within the dark and blessedly cool confines of the Rangers' old headquarters.

This wasn't his first trip to the remains since the stronghold had fallen; it made his heart sick to see the devastation anew. He had forgotten how bad Divatox's final assault had been. As he picked his way through the debris, he realized that it was highly unlikely that any of the computers were still functional.

"Damn," he swore, pounding a fist down on a ruined console. What had he been thinking? Yet, the instinct to come here had been nigh irresistible. "Man, Zordon, I wish you were still here."

He hadn't come all this way for nothing, so he began his search to see if there was anything life that could help him.

~*~

Several hours later, Tommy sat down dejectedly, running a hand through his fly-away hair in frustration, surrendering to the obvious: the Power Chamber was truly dead. He'd even gone down to the lowest levels in search of something—anything—of value.

What did you expect? he berated himself. Even if you'd found a functioning computer, you wouldn't have known what to do with it. That was Billy's department, not yours.

He wasn't totally ignorant when it came to the computers in the Power Chamber. He'd been able to operate the monitors, defense systems, data banks and so forth, but it had been a functional knowledge, rudimentary at best. He could never coax the machines into doing the things Billy could.

As he sat there pondering his next step, he became aware of a low humming sound, reminiscent of the teleportation beam. He scrambled to his feet, old battle instincts kicking in, and prepared to meet his visitor. But when the bluish-gray light faded, a broad grin spread across his face.

"Billy!"

The former Blue Ranger blinked in surprise at the welcome.

"Tommy?"

"Man, it's good to see you," Tommy said and wrapped his old friend in an effusive hug. The blond, green-eyed Ranger looked much the same as he had before his bout with accelerated aging. "Looks like Aquitar agrees with you."

"Actually, I haven't been on Aquitar for some time," was his former teammate's response. "Of late, I've made my home on Eltar."

"Zordon's homeworld? Awesome! But what brings you back here?"

"I could ask the same of you," Billy replied. "When I learned that Zordon was dead and the Power Chamber was destroyed, I came back to see if anything was salvageable, and I set up a security system to keep tabs on all activity. You set off just about every alarm I installed. I take it this is more than just a walk down memory lane."

"To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what it is," Tommy sighed, and he proceeded to tell Billy about the voice.

Billy's brow furrowed with consternation. "Very odd that you should be receiving the call."

"Why do you say that?"

"I've heard from the Rangers of Aquitar about this cry, and they've heard similar reports from other telepathic species. Humans of the Sol III variety are notoriously unreceptive to telepathic communication. However, since the call does seem to be resonating through the Morphin' Grid, that could explain why it's reached you, but I've not heard it."

"Does anyone know what it means?" Tommy asked anxiously.

"No. No one knows who this Jamie is or has ever heard of Norzod."

"We've heard of Norzod, Billy," Tommy reminded him, and to his companion's perplexed expression, he added, "Do you remember the Imbera of Threa?"

It took him a moment, but the one-time Blue Ranger finally placed the name. "Zordon's equivalent from the other-dimensional earth."

"Uh huh. Norzod was Zordon's evil twin; he was sort of Zedd's counterpart."

"Then who is Jamie?"

"My and the Imbera's son." And he related in brief the history that had been imparted to him. Finally, he summarized, "Apparently, Norzod didn't stay dead, and we're being asked to get word to Jamie."

"It's plausible, but would Jamie still be alive? He's not a Threan, and genetic reconstruction can only do so much."

"Even if he's not, his children or grandchildren would be," Tommy insisted, shying away from the thought that the son he'd known for less than an hour was gone, too.

"You say the last call you received was addressed to you specifically? That would suggest that the sender knows of your relationship to Jamie. Have you any idea how many people would know?"

"On Earth, only you, the other Zeo Rangers and Jason knew that I'd agreed to help the Imbera. As far as on Threa goes, it's hard telling, but I had the impression that it wasn't exactly common knowledge." He felt a little pang at not telling Billy who the Imbera was; what could it hurt now that the clone was dead?

"Tommy, do you know who the Imbera really was?" Billy asked suddenly, if a trifle awkwardly.

Tommy gaped at him in disbelief. "You knew?"

"I saw the medical scans. I knew, but Zordon told me that if Kim wished the truth to be known, she would tell us. I take it she told you when she found out you were to be the donor."

Apparently, Billy had no idea he'd been more than just a donor, to Tommy's relief. What he and Kimberly has shared was something special, and he really didn't want to share with anyone else.

"Yes, she told me," Tommy confirmed. "Is there any way the cry could have come from Kim?"

"As Imbera, she wielded a vast amount of power; as I understood it, she was plugged directly into the Morphin's Grid, and all the power of the Morphin' Grid wasn't able to save Zordon. I imagine the same held true for Kimberly."

"You can't blame me for hoping against hope."

"No, I suppose I can't," Billy concurred with a rueful smile.

"Is there any way to get me to Threa?" the once-Red Ranger asked. "We can speculate all we want here, but whatever the danger is, it's headed for Threa—headed for whatever family I have there. Jamie gave me the means to survive on his homeworld; I just need a lift."

Billy glanced around, surveying the chamber doubtfully. "I won't know until I see what's left of the teleportation systems, but even if the system is functional, we have no coordinates to which to send you. A blind teleport across town is dangerous enough, but we're talking about breaching the fabric of our universe. Obviously it can be done since Kimberly and Jamie accomplished the feat, but you're not an Imbera."

Tommy pondered the matter for a moment; then a grin stole across his face as he reached for his backpack. "I think I have something where we can find an answer."

And he pulled out his black treasure chest.

~*~

It was nightfall by the time Billy was able to cobble together enough parts and charged power cells to jury rig the teleporters. While he'd been immersed in the inner workings of the hardware, Tommy had run out for dinner. While they ate their Chinese take-out, they poured over Kim's journal, the memory crystal, Jamie's notes... anything to give them a clue.

"I'm impressed with the details of Kim's notes," Billy murmured. "I'd have never attributed such meticulous record keeping to her; her high school habits were not indicative of such."

"But for all the detail, we still have no coordinates," Tommy said glumly. "We have no idea where their command center is—north, south, east west? Land or sea? Above or below ground? For all we know, it could be on the moon."

"However, there is enough power for me to attempt a visual scan; perhaps we can find something that way," Billy suggested, mindful of Tommy's mounting frustration and despair.

"I thought you'd once said visual scanning was all but impossible since earth and Threa occupy the same space but on different wavelengths."

"The quality of the scans will be poor at best, but it's better than nothing."

Tommy wasn't about to argue with that.

"May I see some of those photos again? If I can feed a specific image into the computer, give it a target to search for, it would increase our odds."

"The statue!" Tommy yelped excitedly. "Why didn't I think of it sooner!"

"What statue? I don't recall seeing any statue in the pictures."

"It won't be in any of the pictures because it wasn't built when Kim was still alive. Jamie wrote to me about it." He procured the message from his son, scanning the contents until he found the line he wanted. He read, " 'The image of mother in her armor used in the hologram is the one they are going to use for the statue they wish to erect of her. I know she requires no monuments, but it means so much to the people she protected. Never before had they had such a hero.'

"That's it, Billy! We can program the image of the statue into the computers and have them search for it."

Before the former Blue Ranger could ask his inevitable question, Tommy handed him the globe housing Kimberly's images. Billy's eyes went wide when he realized what he was holding.

"Do you know what this is? It's a holo-empathic crystal. You could almost buy an entire planet with this," he murmured in awe. "I say almost because the crystal has been impressed with Kim's personality, but still...!"

"You could offer me the universe and I still wouldn't part with it," Tommy said solemnly. Then he shook of his sober demeanor and returned to the matter at hand. Activating the orb, he let the images cycle through until.... "The last image... there."

The figure of Kim dressed in full armor, her cape trailing at her feet and her hand on her sheathed sword flickered in the crystalline ball.

"Hmm... is there any way to freeze the hologram so I can scan it in?" Billy question as the cycle continued unabated.

"If you take your hand off the globe but leave your thumb over this metal plate...." Tommy demonstrated.

"Perfect. Let's see if the computers will cooperate now."

Fortunately, they did, and with a concrete target to locate, it didn't take long. Though the picture flickered in and out and was blurred by static, they had their target destination.

"There it is!" Tommy exclaimed, "In the courtyard of that...." He let out a low whistle of appreciation for the collection of grand edifices looming in the background. "I wonder who lives there."

"In a way, the layout of the buildings reminds me of a college campus."

"Could that be the training facility that Kim said she started?"

"It's possible, but there's no guarantee that the Threans erected the statue at her academy. This may be a town square."

Tommy frowned as the picture winked in and out. "Is this good enough for a teleportation lock?"

"We're in luck; it is," Billy reported.

"Great!" With that enthusiastic exclamation, Tommy began collecting his gear for the journey. When everything was settled once again in his back pack, he fastened his old communicator about his wrist, experiencing the strangest sense that he'd come home after a long absence when he did so. He anxiously fingered the disk Jamie and left for him. "Do I activate my shield here or on Threa?"

"I'd activate it here; that way the generator will know which conditions it needs to sustain to support you."

Tommy flicked the dial, and for a moment, the world became a blurr. When his vision cleared, he looked down at himself. He didn't feel any different, nor could he detect any sign of the force field.

"Remarkable," Billy murmured in appreciation.

"Is it on?"

"Yes, but it lays so close to your skin as to appear invisible."

"I think it's under my clothes," Tommy marveled.

"When you get back, I would love the opportunity to examine this little generator. In my time off planet, I've never seen anything quite like it."

"As long as you can put it back together," Tommy agreed. "What will you be doing while I'm gone?"

"Calling in some favors to get some more reliable equipment in here with which to bring you back. I'll probably drain every power cell dry punching your signal through."

Tommy nodded, understanding the unspoken odds for his success. "Wish me luck."

Billy pressed the control, and in spite of the cracking and popping of shorting out wires and the smoke billowing from burning circuitry, Tommy vanished in a shower of red and green-streaked white light.

Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Epilogue