Disclaimer:The usual: the are not mine, they are Saban's, I don't have permission to do this, I don't get paid.
Notes and Timeline:Zeo period, after Inescapable Destiny. This story refers to characters and situations from my stories 24 Hours and 48 Days, familiarity with those stories is helpful, but, of course, not required. By this point in this series, any resemblance to Saban's timeline is purely coincidental, and continuity is pretty much ignored.
Friends in Faraway Places
By Mele
Kimberly Hart waited impatiently at the airport, scanning the crowd of passengers making their way toward the luggage carousels to claim their bags. To compensate for her short stature, she was ducking and weaving among the departing people, determined to keep her gaze on the influx of new arrivals. Finally she saw what she had been waiting for.
"Trini! Zack! Welcome home, guys!" she cried out, rushing up to the other two teens with a squeal of happiness.
"Yo, Kim! You're looking good, girl!" Zack laughed giving her a quick hug.
"Kimberly! I wasn't expecting to see you here," Trini smiled, giving her petite friend a warm hug of her own.
"Yeah, I didn't even know you were going to be back in good old A.G.," Zack pointed out.
"Kind of a last minute thing. I suffered a severe muscle pull a couple of days ago. The doctor said if I wanted to make a full recovery I'd have to not practice for four to six weeks. No way was I going to stay that long in Florida not practicing. So I came home to recover here. How long are you two home for?"
"At least a month. There's a break in the meetings and seminars, and we wanted to spend it at home. We've really missed you guys," Trini explained.
"So, where's everyone else?" Zack cut in, looking around.
"Would you believe they were all here with me, but there was an attack? I don't know if it's over or not. Guess we should go check it out," Kim replied, leading her two friends out to the parking lot.
Quickly stowing their luggage in the trunk of Kim's car, the three friends drove toward Angel Grove Park. They were still a couple of blocks away when they saw the huge, humanoid shaped monster that appeared to be made out of chain link and hubcaps. The Megazord was going head to head with it, with Pyramidus quickly approaching.
"Looks like it should be over soon," Zack pointed out with a grin. "That's the new Megazord? Awesome."
"Billy told me all about their capabilities. They can do more than ours ever did," Trini added. "He's probably in the Power Chamber, right?"
"Yeah. Every battle he's there. Come on, let's get a little closer so we can surprise them when they're finished," Kim suggested, driving closer to the park before parking the car.
They stayed a prudent distance away as the Rangers finished off the monster in a brief but intense explosion. The Zords began to separate as they headed back at an incredible speed to the holding bay where they were stored between battles. The six Rangers landed on the ground close to the three former Rangers, then with a cautious look around, demorphed.
"Whoa, man, awesome zords you have now," Zack exclaimed, greeting Jason and Tommy with high fives.
"You better believe it. You gotta come check them out," Tommy agreed.
"And it's great to see you," Trini added, giving both boys a warm hug.
"Great to see you two, too," Tommy grinned. "Remember Rocky and Adam?" he asked, indicating the current Blue and Green Rangers.
"Of course, good to see you guys," Zack replied as he shook hands with the two teens.
"And this is Katherine and Tanya. Kat, Tanya, this is Zack, and Trini," said Tommy, smiling as the two newest members of the team finally met the last two of the original team.
"I've heard so much about you," Katherine murmured as she greeted them.
"Yeah, it's great to finally get to meet you," Tanya added.
Introductions out of the way, Tommy stepped back and surveyed the group. "We need to check in with Zordon, make sure Mondo is through for the moment. Once we do that we should be free to spend some time with you guys. I'll even drag Billy back with me," he grinned.
"I got a better idea. Can we go with you to the Power Chamber and surprise them? I'd like to at least say 'Hi' to Zordon, you know?" Zack asked with a sparkle in his eyes.
Tommy shrugged. "Don't see why not. Let's go."
Quickly making their way to a secluded area, they teleported to the Power Chamber.
"Oh my God," Kimberly muttered looking around. The look on her face mirrored the shocked expressions on all nine teens' faces.
The Power Chamber was dimly lighted, but there was enough to see the damage that had been done. Consoles smoked and sparked from the damaged wiring and Zordon's tube was destroyed and empty.
For Tommy, Adam and Rocky the scene took them back in their memories to two other times they had found the center of their Power Ranger existence in ruins. Once because of Ivan Ooze, the other because of Rita and Zedd. Kimberly shared their memory of the first destruction, Katherine and Tanya memories of the second.
"Zordon," Tanya whispered, her voice sounding shocked and numb as she gazed at the ruined tube.
Rocky and Adam spied what remained of Alpha Five at the same time. The little 'droid had apparently been hit with some sort of blast. In the center of his chest was a blackened hole which exposed his damaged internal wiring, his left arm was lying three feet away, his right one was only attached to his body by a thin strip of metal.
"Oh, jeez, what a mess," Rocky uttered, his face pale and stunned.
Katherine looked down in dismay from the sight of Zordon's empty tube, then gave a startled gasp, stepping backwards with an utterance of horror.
The others looked at where she had been standing and understood her reaction. There was a fairly large puddle of blood, now smeared from Katherine's feet. Tommy felt his heart clench painfully at the sight.
"Oh,no," Kim whispered, her hands over her mouth, her doe eyes wide with horror.
"Billy," Jason said softly, looking around in dismay. He noticed something on the consoles and reached forward to touch it. His finger came away red with slightly tacky blood.
"I though this place was supposed to be safe. I thought this couldn't happen," Kat cried out suddenly. "Zordon said this couldn't happen."
"Well, looks like he was wrong about that," Rocky said with a suddenly hard expression.
"Okay, guys, we have to keep ourselves together," Tommy said firmly. "Adam, I want you to check over the consoles, see what's working and what isn't. Rocky, you and Tanya see if you can do anything for Alpha. At least get all the parts together. Jason, you and Kat search the chambers, make sure we're secure. I think we should be, but let's be sure. Take your blasters and be very careful. Keep your communicators open. I'll help Adam."
"What about us?" Kim asked.
"I'd probably be better able to help Adam than you would be," Trini pointed out in her quiet way.
"You're probably right about that," Tommy agreed. "Okay, you help Adam, and the rest of us will help Kat and Jason search. Maybe Billy made it out of here and is hiding somewhere."
No one looked like they thought that was the case, but they didn't argue. Feeling a slight comfort in having something to do, they all set to work on their assigned tasks.
PRPRPR
Two hours after they found the Power Chamber destroyed, Trini and Adam called everyone into the main chamber. Rocky and Tanya had tried to run diagnostics on Alpha, but found the little 'droid too damaged to even do that. They had ended up just setting him in a corner to wait until one of the more technical Rangers had a chance to work on him. Tommy, Katherine, Jason and Kimberly had searched the maze of corridors and rooms that comprised the Power Chamber complex and had found no trace of anyone. They did find where the Chamber's security was breached-a small entrance leading in from the desert. The security device had been disabled and the door forced. Zack had taken it upon himself to perform the duty none of them wanted to even think about, let alone do. He found some rags and an old bucket and cleaned the floor and consoles of blood, trying valiantly not to think about what he was doing.
"Hey, guys, did you find something?" Tommy asked as he entered the main chamber.
Seeing they were all there, Adam spoke quietly.
"You know Zordon records our battles, right? Well, there are also surveillance cameras set up throughout the Power Chamber, including in here. If an emergency occurs, these cameras activate, recording all activity until manually deactivated. We've managed to get the system working so we can see what happened in here." He reached out and flicked some switches. "Observe the Viewing Globe…."
Billy and Alpha were moving quickly between the consoles, obviously upset, the flashing red lights from the alarms adding to the sense of urgency.
"It looks like someone breached security at entrance Delta seven. I just checked that yesterday and it was working fine! They must have figured out a way to circumvent the security lock. They're approaching the main chamber, I'm shutting the security doors," Billy reported, still working frantically.
"The Rangers can't seem to find a weak spot in the monster," Alpha added worriedly.
"Damn! Someone got past the security doors before I got them closed. Zordon, I'm relaying the images from the security cameras to you. Do you recognize them?" Billy asked as he reached under the farthest console and removed a hand held blaster.
"She is Kyn'raem, a bounty hunter from the planet Gymaral. Her reputation is that she is one of the most vicious, successful bounty hunters in the known universe."
"Well, why would she be here? Who is she after?"
"I believe she may be after me. Eltar has been under attack, I suspect rewards have been offered for any Eltarans who are not on the home world at this time."
"Who is attacking Eltar?" Billy asked tersely, still working frantically at the consoles.
"Old enemies of yours, actually. The Briardians."
Billy winced. He had helped the Aquitians against the Briardians, and months later had been kidnapped in retaliation. Unfortunately, Jason had gotten dragged along on what had turned out to be a forty eight-day adventure that had included their being enslaved and tortured. They had managed to fake their deaths to escape the Briardians, which had been fortunate in the long run as Billy would not have to worry about them trying to get revenge against him again. Still, he had a deep fear and hatred for the Briardians for what they had already cost him.
Suddenly Tommy's voice was heard over the speakers.
"Zordon, Billy! Have you found a weakness in this monster yet? Nothing we've tried has made any difference."
"Still working on it Tommy. I'll contact you as soon as we know anything. In the meantime keep trying different tactics. You may find one that works," Billy replied, keeping his voice controlled so Tommy wouldn't suspect anything was amiss. The team had enough to deal with without worrying about what was happening in the Power Chamber.
Billy turned at the sound of an explosion at the door leading into the other chambers. He turned with the blaster in hand as a tall being walked through the ruined door and raised a weapon pointing it at Billy. The two fired simultaneously. The intruder was blown against the wall where he crumpled into an unmoving heap, and Billy was thrown back against the console behind him, shot in the side with some sort of projectile.
"Billy! Teleport out of here immediately!" Zordon ordered as Alpha hurried over to the injured teen.
"I'm okay, Alpha. Keep trying to find the weakness in that monster. They have to defeat that first, before they can help us. I'm putting up a force field over that doorway, hopefully that will keep out any other visitors. Zordon, I think it might be a good idea if you weren't here if she makes it through the security doors," Billy stated, moving quickly from console to console, one hand pressed against his side when not working the controls.
"Billy, you must leave here," Zordon insisted.
"I can't do that Zordon. The team still needs help, and we can't afford to lose you. I'm going to send you to a safe place until this is over," Billy said firmly. He looked thoughtfully at the console for a moment then started speaking again.
"This is like child's play, secret spy stuff. Plus five Henry, Charlie, Thomas, Zebra, Elephant, Yellow. Sorry, Zordon, but you will be safe there." As he spoke he entered information into the console and Zordon disappeared. Hitting more buttons he created a holographic image of Zordon inside the tube.
"Billy, I have the weak spot for the monster," Alpha declared happily.
"Great! Contact Tommy and let him know. I'm going to try to divert more power to them, if they can defeat the monster maybe they can get here in time to help us."
While Alpha relayed the necessary information to Alpha, Billy was tracking the progress of their intruders.
"Where are they Billy?" Alpha asked after closing communications with the Rangers.
"Just outside the door. Damn, this isn't good."
Another explosion rocked the Power Chamber, then a tall, regal looking woman in full quasi military uniform entered the main chamber. Billy leveled his weapon at her, but before he could pull the trigger he was hit in the shoulder by a shot from one of her companions, causing him to drop the blaster and collapse onto the floor.
She ignored the injured Human for a moment, instead she aimed her weapon at Zordon's tube and fired. The tube exploded. She hurried forward, looking for Zordon's body, and turned around, enraged, when she couldn't find it.
Alpha had hurried toward Billy when he saw the former Ranger collapse. Without hesitation, one of Kyn'raem's companions blasted the little 'droid, sending him flying across the chamber to crash into the wall with tremendous force. Another of her companions began blasting the various consoles.
Kyn'raem stalked over to where Billy was lying on his side on the floor, moaning.
"Where is Zordon of Eltar? Where is he?" she demanded, kicking the helpless teenager repeatedly when he didn't answer her.
She reached down and grabbed the shoulder and collar of Billy's shirt, dragging him roughly to his feet. She shook him like a rag doll, her features twisted with anger and disappointment.
"Where did he get to? If you don't give him to me I'll make you pay for my not getting him."
"Go to hell," Billy spat out, his voice weak but his resolve strong.
"Oh, you are the one who will end up in hell, just you wait and see. Let's get out of here before those idiotic Power Rangers return and try to do something heroic," she said as she and her companions, along with Billy plus Kyn'raem's injured flunky, teleported out…..
"I think that's it until we got here," Adam said softly, turning off the Viewing Globe.
The nine teenagers all wore nearly identical expressions of horror and distress. Trini was the first to speak.
"He hid Zordon somewhere," she said softly.
"Yeah, but where? The console is angled so we can't see what coordinates he punched in," Adam noted.
"How many numbers constitute a coordinate where he might have sent Zordon?" Zack asked suddenly.
"Um, six, usually," Adam replied.
"Numbers?"
"Yeah, numbers."
"Can you rewind the tape, or whatever, to where Billy was getting rid of Zordon?" Zack inquired.
"Sure. Just a second." Adam started punching buttons, then the viewing globe came back to life.
Billy's voice issued forth. "This is like child's play, secret spy stuff. Plus five Henry, Charlie, Thomas, Zebra, Elephant, Yellow. Sorry, Zordon, but you will be safe there."
Zack muttered to himself. "H-C-T-Z-E-Y. Okay, now if I can remember the code correctly…"
Tommy looked puzzled. "What are you talking about?"
"Jason and the girls should remember. We used to play a spy game when we were kids," Zack started as Kimberly gave a gasp of recognition. Trini and Jason both sported expressions that showed they had already realized what their old friend had been referring to. "The game was kind of complex, considering our ages. Complete with secret code. That is what Billy was talking about."
"What? The letters correspond to numbers? Not really very complex," Rocky noted.
"Ah, but those letters he gave us may not be the right ones. All I have to do is remember the right vegetables and fruits."
"What?" Tanya asked, amazed.
"It was Billy's brainstorm, as usual. We used the names of some fruits and vegetables to hide the letters. See, I do remember zucchini was one of the ones we used. So, z is really i, and i would be z, except he didn't use i. Come on guys, help me remember the rest of the darn things."
Working together in a huddle the four childhood friends struggled to remember the rest of the code words. The others found a replacement tube and installed it to prepare for Zordon's return.
"Okay, so the letters needed are W-S-A-I-N-B. That would correspond to 23-19-1-9-14-2. Try those coordinates," Zack said.
Trini and Adam entered the numbers and the entire team waited anxiously, watching Zordon's tube.
"Nothing," Adam announced at last, discouraged.
"I don't get it. It should have worked. That had to be what he was referring to," Zack muttered. "Can I see that part of the tape again?"
Adam wordlessly played the portion again.
"This is like child's play, secret spy stuff. Plus five Henry, Charlie, Thomas, Zebra, Elephant, Yellow. Sorry, Zordon, but you will be safe there."
"What did he say just before he said 'Charlie'?" Zack asked anxiously.
"He said 'plus five'," Katherine replied.
"Damn. I'm an idiot. Of course. Plus five." Zack scribbled furiously, then looked at Adam again. "Try these coordinates. 27-23-5-13-18-6."
Again they waited for something to happen, and again were disappointed.
"What now?" Zack cried out, frustrated. "I did the plus five thing." He stared at his cheat sheet for a long moment. "Oh. I forgot."
"Forgot what?" Rocky asked.
"Forgot that it never goes above 26."
"Huh?"
"Okay, plus five meant that a equals 5, b equals 6, and so on. But when I got to v, which equals 26, I needed to make w equal 1, but instead I made it equal 27. That was my mistake. Okay, Adam third time should be the charm: 1-23-5-13-18-6."
Adam entered the new numbers and immediately Zordon's tube filled with light. Within moments their mentor's benevolent countenance once again filled the transparent cylinder.
"Zordon, am I glad to see you!" Tommy exclaimed.
"Rangers! You are unharmed. I am so relieved," the ancient being said.
"Well, mostly," Tommy muttered.
"Where is Billy? He was injured when I last saw him. Is he alright?" the interdimensional being asked gravely.
"He was taken by the woman who broke into here," Tommy told him quietly. "He'd been shot twice, and she kicked him severely." The Ranger leader hated having to upset their mentor, but he needed to know just what had happened.
Zordon's expression grew ever more serious. "I tried to get him to leave, but he disobeyed my order."
"Yeah, we saw that," Jason replied. "He's not as easy to boss around as he used to be."
"You have a recording of his abduction?"
"Yeah. Not real pleasant," Tommy replied quietly. "But it had the clues we needed to get you back."
"I see Alpha has been damaged. How bad is it?" Zordon asked.
"Pretty bad, near as we could tell. Not even enough working to run a diagnostic. His internal wiring is badly fried, both arms are unattached from the torso," Tanya reported, her voice subdued.
"I will work on his repair as soon as possible. First I wish to see the tape of what happened after I was sent away, then please feed the results of the diagnostic tests on the Power Chamber systems through to me so I can ascertain our status. Once I have had a chance to review the situation, we can determine how to best correct the problems," Zordon's voice was firm.
A half-hour later Zordon knew everything there was to know about what had happened when Kyn'raem stormed the Power Chamber, and the status of the equipment after her actions.
"What's our status Zordon?" Tommy asked tersely. "How long until we are up and running at full power?"
"The most critical repairs will take only a couple of hours with all of us working. That will get us to the point where we can defend Angel Grove against an attack by Mondo. Repairs to get the Power Chamber back to full capabilities will take almost a week, including repairing Alpha."
"What about going after Billy?" Jason asked.
Zordon looked gravely at the teens facing him. "I do not know if that will be feasible."
"What?! You want to just leave him out there? Alone and hurt? Zordon, we have to go after him, before it's too late!" Tommy cried out, shocked by Zordon's reply.
"It may already be too late," Zordon replied solemnly.
"But we don't know that for sure! We have to give him his chance," Jason started, his voice merging with the voices of the other Rangers and ex-Rangers, all of them expressing their desire to go after their friend.
"Rangers!" Zordon's voice was uncharacteristically harsh. The teens fell silent.
"Rangers," he said again, much more gently. "I will contact my sources to try and determine if Kyn'raem still has a Human prisoner. If she does, I will arrange for some of you to be sent on a rescue mission. But we cannot simply race off into space and leave Earth defenseless. I understand your concerns. Believe me when I say I share them. But we must proceed in a logical and sensible manner."
At his words the teens seemed to deflate some. Each understood that what Zordon was telling them was nothing but the truth. But it didn't make it any easier to bear.
PRPRPR
Billy moaned as he became aware of the world around him. His shoulder and side both sent screaming messages of pain to his mind, almost overwhelming him. He finally forced his eyes open, and found himself looking up at a blurry face that was completely unfamiliar to him. He saw riotous red hair and eyes that were an almost startling shade of blue.
"Easy, laddie. Ye shouldna be moving around much yet. Ye're still bleedin', movin' around will only make it worse. 'Twould be best if ye went back to sleep for a while. Ye'll not much like what I'm needing to do now."
"What are you planning to do to me? Who are you?"
"The name's Edinburgh, but most everyone calls me Ed. And I need to cauterize yer wounds to stop the bleedin'. I'll be using this, I thought 'twould work the best." He removed a slender rod from an odd holder and showed it to the teen. The tip of the rod glowed red hot.
"Please, I don't know where he is. I don't know…please." Despite the pain and his weakness Billy tried to move away from the red-haired man, making a low sound of fear.
"No, no. Easy laddie. I'm not doing this to be hurting ye. Ye're still bleedin' badly, if I don't stop it ye won't survive. No, I'm not tryin' to cause ye more pain, lad, that's not my way, not my way atall." He continued to speak gently, breaking through the teenager's haze of fear and pain.
Billy gradually relaxed, looking deeply into the bright blue eyes of this strange man. He saw compassion and worry there, but no anger, no hint of a desire to hurt him. He lay back down cautiously.
"I'm sorry, lad. I wish ye'd not awakened until I'd done this, but there's naught to be done aboot it now. I would suggest ye bite doon on this piece o' wood, 'twill keep ye from screamin'. 'Twould be best to avoid gettin' her attention, if ye know what I mean." He held out a flat, smooth piece of wood, perhaps a half-inch thick and three inches wide and long. He held it to Billy's lips until the dazed teen took it between his teeth.
"Hold on tight, laddie. 'Twill be over in a minute or two. Try not to move too much, if ye can. I'll hold ye down, but it'd help if ye did yer bit to stay still."
He had already removed Billy's shirt, now the larger man straddled the teen's waist and used his free hand to pin his uninjured shoulder before pressing the heated rod against the shoulder wound. Billy screamed around the chunk of wood as his body arched against the pain. Shifting his position, Ed quickly kept Billy as immobilized as he could and treated the wound in the teen's side in the same manner. Placing the rod back into the odd holder, Ed spoke soothingly to the former Ranger.
"Ye did good, lad. Halfway there now," he began to gently shift Billy onto his stomach so he could have access to the exit wounds. Billy moaned and whimpered a bit, his pale face streaked with sweat and tears.
"I know it hurt, lad. I wish I could have found some other way to stop the bleedin', but there wasn't one to be had. Keep bitin' on that chunk of wood, now. We've almost got it done," he murmured as he took the reheated rod and applied it to Billy's shoulder. The sickeningly sweet smell of charred flesh began to fill the room they were in as Ed quickly pressed into the last spot. Billy's body tensed then relaxed completely as he finally gave in to unconsciousness.
"There ye go, laddie. 'Tis much better ye be asleep for a wee bit. Ye'll feel better when ye awaken," he said gently as he applied a thick, pungent salve to the two wounds on the teen's back. Rolling the youth over, he treated the two entrance wounds with the healing salve and loosely bandaged them.
"There. 'Tis the best I can do for ye. 'Tis up to ye now, whether yer brave enough to live, or weak enough to die." He carefully covered the injured teen, trying to make him as comfortable as possible.
Then Edinburgh settled back to wait and wonder about this new companion his captor had provided for him.
PRPRPR
Two days had passed since the destruction of the Power Chamber, two days during which the past and present Rangers had labored ceaselessly to try to repair all the damage that had been done in less than ten minutes. Even the least technically inclined Rangers had been pressed into service rewiring, soldering, or programming.
"Well, looks like we are a bit ahead of schedule," Tommy commented as they carefully reattached the top of the middle console. They still had one more to do, but the Power Chamber was completely functional. The operations performed by the still damaged console were being handled by backup systems at the moment. Adam was handling the repairs on Alpha, under Zordon's tutelage, but was only partially done.
"Yeah. It's good to know we have almost everything available to us if we are attacked. At least Mondo didn't try anything while we were down. Lucky thing he didn't know about Kyn'raem's attack," Jason noted.
"Yeah, we got lucky, all right," Tommy replied in a disheartened tone of voice.
"Worrying about Billy?" Jason asked quietly.
"Yeah. Aren't you?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm about ready to blast Zordon's tube myself. We've got to do something. Every hour that passes he's getting further and further away from us. I don't care if Zordon doesn't hear that he's alive. That doesn't mean he isn't. I mean, you guys all thought we were dead when the Briardians had us. And we weren't. Billy's the most resourceful guy I know. If there is a way to get out of where he is, he'll find it. I refuse to believe he would die without giving one heck of a fight." Jason's voice rang with his conviction.
"I agree. But it isn't like we have a spaceship at our beck and call right now."
"Actually, we do. Pyramidus."
"But that can only take one person, right?"
"Possibly as many as five or six, if they are friendly. I found Billy's notes on Pyramidus yesterday, and they indicated that when originally built it was intended as a space ship, kind of a giant, roving weapon, taking a small crew to wherever their help was needed. There are some areas inside it where we could remove some extra equipment and stuff and make it comfortable enough for an extended space flight. However, when carrying a crew she can't go at that extremely high velocity she was using when she appeared here. She can go quite fast, but not that fast. Probably as fast as any other space ship out there, plus she has the awesome weaponry," Jason's eyes sparkled at the thought of all his zord could do.
"Then there is no reason some of us can't go with you in Pyramidus, find Billy, and get him away from Kyn'raem."
"None I can see. Let's get the group together and talk to Zordon."
Zordon listened to Jason and Tommy's plan patiently, a worried expression on his face.
"I understand your concerns, Rangers. But the fact remains we cannot leave Earth undefended for any length of time."
"So, we'll go instead," Kimberly said, indicating herself, Trini, and Zack. "That'll leave the full Zeo team here, and take only Jason and Pyramidus. Zordon, I know we're not allowed to use the powers for personal gain, but Billy's part of the team. He got captured protecting you and the Rangers, and it isn't right that we let that happen and not try to rescue him!" Her voice cracked slightly at the end, her large eyes bright with tears.
Jason, Trini, and Zack stood closely around Kimberly, all of them looking beseechingly at their ancient mentor.
"We don't even know if he is alive or not," Zordon started sorrowfully.
"Hey, this is Billy we're talking about! The guy has ways of getting out of stuff the rest of us would never dream of," Zack interrupted with a knowing grin.
"You know that's true, Zordon. Of all of us he's the best equipped to try to find ways out of alien situations. He's done it before," Jason added. "And, like I told Tommy a while ago, you all thought we were dead after the Briardians took us, and look how that one turned out."
Zordon looked again at the solemn, determined faces of his past and present Rangers, all of them focused on finding their lost friend. His heart swelled with pride, compassion, and love at the sight. He had indeed chosen well.
"Jason, you take Pyramidus and Kimberly, Zack, and Trini, and search for Billy. We will modify your communications systems so you can keep in contact with us. May the power protect you all."
PRPRPR
Billy was riding in the backseat of the family car, tired and happy after a long day in the city shopping, visiting a museum, and seeing a movie. His parents spoke quietly in the front seat while he started to doze in the backseat. At nine he was small enough to curl into a fairly comfortable position to nap while still wearing his seatbelt. He heard his father's gasp and mother's small scream just before his world exploded in pain and the horrible sounds of tearing metal. Moments later he awakened as someone gently picked him up and pulled him out of the car. He looked over to see his mother's blood-streaked visage and staring eyes before the man who held him twisted away, blocking the sight.
"Mom!" he cried out in despair, struggling against the strong arms holding him. He looked up to see Zedd's metal face.
"Looks like we got her first," the harsh voice rasped out dropping the stunned teenager on the floor of the lunar palace.
"Let me go, Zedd, you have no right to do this to me."
"No right? Who are you to tell me I have no right, I have the right to do whatever I want, geek," Bulk's voice boomed in his ear as the two larger teens literally threw him into a dumpster behind a busy restaurant. The trash stank of spoiled food and grease, and Billy climbed out painfully, fighting nausea.
"Oh, good, you're here. Now, Billy, all you have to do is go over and ask Kelly to dance. She's sure to say yes," Trini prodded him gently toward the far side of the dance floor where a pretty, smooth-haired girl stood alone, watching the dancers dreamily.
Billy looked down at his befouled clothing and up at Trini in dismay.
"Trini, I can't go over to her looking like this. I can't!"
"That's right, powerless twerp, you can't. Can't even fight my cogs, can you? Good thing you gave the powers to someone else, rather than a loser like you. Someone deserving, someone who matters, not a geek. Oh, sure you clean up well, but under it all you are still nothing. Nothing but a brain to be used then set aside when not needed anymore." Mondo's voice grated on his nerves.
"That's not true, it can't be. I am someone, I deserved the powers, I know I did."
"Yeah, right. A guy whose own mother deserted him years ago, whose dad barely realizes he's alive," came Rita's screeching voice.
"No! That's not true. My dad cares, and my mom didn't desert me, she died."
"Are you so sure, son?" the gentle voice that had been stilled so many years ago startled the teen. "Perhaps I simply knew what was to come and decided to take the easy way out, rather than find out what a loser I'd given birth to."
"Mom! Noooo…"
And far away from Earth's blue swirled beauty a lonely man named Edinburgh watched his young patient moan and mutter, caught in the depths of delirium, crying out for a mother long since gone.
PRPRPR
They were finally ready to leave.
It had taken a day to get Pyramidus ready, and to set up their cover stories so their families would not be worried. The intricate web of deceptions would allow them to be gone for up to three weeks without any of their parents becoming too concerned. Wallace Cranston included.
They had loaded the huge zord with supplies enough to feed five for twenty-one days, and all other necessities they could think of. Adam and Zordon had worked on the communications system, upgrading it to the point that intergalactic communications was possible.
After much discussion and debate, they had decided to set a course for Eltar, since that was Kyn'raem's last known destination. They had not received any word yet on the location of her ship, let alone if she was still carrying a Human prisoner.
Last good-byes had been said, and the three former Rangers were already boarding Pyramidus when Tommy turned to Jason with a hint of humor in his dark eyes.
"You know, I think we saw more of you before you became the Gold Ranger," he said, trying to lighten the mood a bit.
"I know what you mean. I never would have believed I would spend this much time in space or in other dimensions. The only thing I don't like about this plan is leaving you guys with only five Rangers again."
"We'll be okay. We have to be. And you'll be back soon."
"You know it, Bro."
Tommy's expression sobered.
"You be careful, Bro. I want to see you all come back. All of you."
"You know I'll do my best, Tommy."
"I know. Bring him back. Then we'll find a way to keep him safe, we can't keep losing him."
"You got it. Take care of our home, okay? After all, we need somewhere to come back to."
"We will."
They looked solemnly at each other; two teenagers with responsibilities few adults could handle.
"May the power protect you," they said simultaneously.
To be continued...