Ninjetti Temple, Ancient City of Daresia, Phaedos

September 17, 1996 [Earth Calendar]

The vast library comprised an entire level of the temple, the ceilings double the normal height, stacks upon stacks of tomes and scrolls, meticulously organized by some long gone Master. There were no windows, the sun potentially much too damaging to paper, and the expanse of the space was lit by a complex configuration of crystals that turned on in human presence.

The environs program kept the library cool, much more so than the rest of the building, and they had diverted a lot of functionality to this system. If the living area got too hot or too cold, they'd cope, but unnecessary heat would damage the more fragile books.

Kim dragged a blanket tighter around herself, the full leathers she was wearing not providing enough insulation. Aisha would have laughed if she wasn't similarly cocooned.

"There is so much to learn," Kim muttered as she struggled to understand ancient Phaedosian, thankful that their powers provided insta-translation, much like they did when they spoke with Dulcea or persons from other planets. Idly, she wondered if it would work with other Earth languages, then realized it must as otherwise Aisha would have faced much more difficulty during the Zeo quest.

Aisha muttered in agreement, then set aside her book. "Hey, why do you think our spirit animals are Earth animals?"

"Because we're from Earth," Kim replied. "The quest showed us as who we are to Dulcea, showed her our strengths and weaknesses. The animals come from us too and their names were part of that revelation. For all she knew, she could have been saying," Kim paused, tilted her chin up, her face serious, "you, Aisha, brave and bold, are the refrigerator." She broke into giggles.

Aisha rolled her eyes. "You're a riot, Kimberly Hart."

"I know," the other girl replied and stuck out her tongue.

Picking a sturdy book, Aisha reached across the low table and lightly tapped it against Kim's arm, or at least what she thought was Kim's arm under the blankets.

"Hey," Kim protested. "No beating. I am totally the senior apprentice. You're supposed to respect me."

Aisha snorted, then shook her head, her expression wistful. "I'm glad it's you. I'm glad you were here when I got here and I didn't have to be the only one. Not that Dulcea isn't great but…"

Kim tipped her face down. "I know. I'm glad you're here too. And unless the others join us," she said, her eyes very far away, in another solar system, "it's just you and me for millennia."

Aisha pulled her knees up, rested her chin on them. "Do you think…" she swallowed, unable to finish.

"We could have families?" Kim finished for her, the question she had carried with her from the beginning, as soon as the numbness wore off and the rage subsided and the fear set in. "Maybe. If Dulcea takes on other apprentices, if we meet other Masters. At least if we want someone who won't age and die in the blink of our eyes. But you know we'll long outlive any children we may have unless they also become Masters."

Aisha wedged her hand behind her thighs, rested it on her belly. "I wanted to go to college, date, save the animals." She laughed but there was no joy in the sound. "It was going to be hard enough to find a guy who could measure up after everything we've done and seen but I thought I could and then marry him, have kids, two or maybe three, and grow old together as we changed the world."

Kim squeezed her eyes shut. "I imagined I'd win my medals and then come home." Her words were heavy, laden with memory. "And, you know."

Tommy stood invisible, unspoken, between the girls.

"I know," Aisha replied simply. "There's a chance, you know."

Kim shook her head, unsure if she disagreed or was just warding off Aisha's words, the place where hope once lived burned away with Dulcea's revelations, with Zordon's silence. "I guess we have millennia to see," she said wanly. She pressed her lips together, pulled up her cheek muscles to force a smile. "But we've definitely shaken things up here for Dulcea. Once we're able to do more training on our own, she's going to start rebuilding her network, reaching out to old connections. Recruiting new students."

"She's been alone here for thousands of years, huh," Aisha mused and gazed over the enormous library.

"Alone and mourning her people. And Zordon," Kim said softly. "But she has us now and we have each other."

Aisha's lips quirked a little, the tiniest smile perking up her face, and she wadded up the edges of her blanket and moved, plopping down next to Kim on the wide cushion before picking up another book. Kim shifted and raised her own blanket, merging their cocoon together.

It wasn't so chilly anymore.