What I've Done
There was complete silence for a moment as the five rangers tried to process exactly what the young doctor had just told them. Then two things happened simultaneously.
Dillon moved towards Dr. K, his expression one of absolute ferocity. He didn't care at the moment that he was more than a foot taller than she was, not to mention that he had at least fifty pounds on her. He could quite easily kill the petite teen girl and not be bothered.
The second thing that happened was that Ziggy darted forward and threw himself in front of Dr. K, his arms spread to shield her from Dillon's view. It was almost as if he knew Dillon would react in such a way, and he'd made his decision as soon as Dillon started to advance.
Ziggy had certainly never acted this way before. He had a look in his eyes that clearly said if any of them wanted to hurt Dr. K, they were going through him first.
Dillon scowled at the younger boy. "You better get out of my way, Ziggy. I don't want to fight with you, but I swear I will if you don't move."
At this point, Summer moved between Ziggy and Dillon. "No, Dillon. You can't do this. Ziggy, you should get Dr. K out of here while we try to calm Dillon down."
The green ranger nodded, his expression grateful. He turned to the doctor. "Come on, Dr. K," he said kindly. He put his arm over her shoulders and to his surprise, she did not demand that he let go of her.
He led her out through the main room of The Garage and out the door into the night. The city's streetlights were just turning on. Dr. K didn't protest at being outside, seeming content to follow him for the moment. Ziggy allowed himself a small smile as they continued to walk in silence.
Finally, the teenage genius twisted to look up at her companion. "I suppose you want to know why I did it, Ranger Green." Even in the dim light offered by the streetlights, Ziggy could see just how sad and ashamed the young doctor was.
"You don't have to talk about it," Ziggy said in that same kind voice. "It doesn't matter."
Dr. K shook her head. "It does matter, Ranger Green…I mean, Ziggy. I need to talk about it. Will you just listen to what I have to say?"
He nodded. "Of course I will," he promised with a smile. Further along down the street was a little bench. "Let's sit down," Ziggy suggested.
Dr. K allowed the shark ranger to continue to lead her. She folded herself onto the bench and Ziggy followed, the look on his face conveying that no matter what, he wouldn't judge her.
She let out a small, wistful sigh before beginning her story. "I was four years old –"
Ranger Green's warm brown eyes widened with shock. "You created Venjix as a four–year–old?" he asked in wonder. "If Venjix hadn't destroyed the world, that would be impressive."
Dr. K flinched for a split second, but then she looked annoyed. "I was not four when I created Venjix. Now be quiet, Ranger Green."
Ziggy went through the childish motion of zipping his lips and tossing an invisible key over his shoulder. He looked at her expectantly.
"I was four years old," Dr. K began once more. "I was out riding my bike when another little girl offered a piece of sidewalk chalk to me. We were having a nice time…just drawing." She made a facial expression that almost looked like a smile.
Ziggy guessed that this was where the story got sad. He moved his arm from her shoulders and held her hands instead in a supportive gesture.
"There were two government agents, a man and a woman. They called my by name and said that I was to go with them. I had been taught about strangers, but how could they be strangers if they knew my name? I was only a child…"
The grip Ziggy had on Dr. K's hands became a little tighter, and Dr. K went on. "They took me to a place that had been given the code name 'Alphabet Soup.'" She paused, expecting the childish green ranger to giggle, but he did not. "It was a place for special children. I remember knowing at a very young age that I was gifted; I remember my parents were very proud…I remember it clearly. The agents had me solve mathematical equations and compose music and a number of things you wouldn't begin to understand. But I was lonely. I wanted to go home; I remember I had a baby sister and a mother and father…"
Ziggy didn't know how much more of this he could take. This story was just…horrifying.
"I do not remember my real name. I was simply called 'K' from the moment I was taken. They made me a very obedient child. I was told I was not allowed to go outside; that I was allergic to the sun. I focused on my work."
Ziggy let go of the small hands he was holding. He pulled her into his arms, cradling the girl who had had so much stolen from her. "You don't have to tell me the rest. It's alright."
"I need this, Ziggy," Dr. K whispered. "I've never told anyone this story."
He knew what she really meant. She trusted him to hear this heart wrenching tale. "OK. I'm here."
"I think I was sixteen when I was told about a new project, Project RANGER. I was to be helped by two other prisoners of the Soup, Gem and Gemma. They were…different. Content, cheerful even." Dr. K looked at him with fondness in her blue–green eyes. "You remind me of them."
He smiled proudly. "So you do like me. I am your friend."
"I never said that," Dr. K told him sharply. "Let me continue. We created the ranger exoskeletons that you and the others operate. In addition to the red, blue, yellow, green and black suits, there were two more, gold and silver. Gem and Gemma were becoming almost bearable at that point. They liked me, they really did. The twins were very kind."
Ziggy held her a little tighter. "Sounds familiar."
The young doctor frowned slightly. "Ranger Green, please. No more interruptions. So the twins were becoming my friends, but I still didn't tell anyone about the virus I had been working on in secret. And then, one day…
"At first when I looked back on that disastrous day, I could hardly believe something so small could set off a catastrophic chain of events. A butterfly had found its way into my lab. I was curious as to how it had entered the building; the Soup had tight security and never opened the doors. I followed the butterfly."
This Ziggy could relate to. He probably would have followed it as well. Ziggy smiled down at the small girl he held.
"It flew out of a window. Sunlight was streaming in…and nothing happened when I put my hand in the light. It had all been a lie. Twelve years of my life, my family and my freedom…all gone. Then I knew what I had to do. I rushed to find the twins…"
She was crying now. Very gently, Ziggy brushed the tears away. Dr. K's voice shook very slightly as she spoke again. "I uploaded the Venjix virus to the computer system at the Soup. I only wanted to temporarily shut down the security. I was caught before I could install the firewall. Gem and Gemma went back to get the technology for Series Gold and Series Silver. I never saw them again."
"I'm so sad for you."
Dr. K frowned slightly as she pulled herself out of Ziggy's embrace. "Well, Ranger Green, that's the whole sad story. We should go back now. I daresay Ranger Yellow has managed to talk sense into Ranger Black by now." Dr. K stood up and started down then street. The green ranger didn't follow her.
"Is that why you won't let me be your friend?" Ziggy called after her retreating figure.
He hadn't really expected her to stop dead in her tracks. He scrambled to his feet and ran to join her. Ziggy gently cupped the smaller girl's chin, forcing her to look at him. "Is it?" His voice was still gentle.
Dr. K didn't really know how to feel. Normally she was not one for physical contact with anyone. But the way Ranger Green – Ziggy – had been touching her all night felt nice. It felt right. And just as he'd promised, he hadn't judged her. He made her feel accepted, like he could put himself in her shoes.
He was still waiting for his answer. "Yes, Ranger Green," she said finally. "That is why you can't be my friend. The last ones I had died because of my mistakes."
Ziggy let go of her and started hitting the air with his fist. "It's not me! It's just you!" He stopped jumping around and hugged her very suddenly. "You don't hate me."
This was nice, she realized. She liked the feeling of being slightly crushed by someone who cared about her. "Cliché as that is, Ranger Green, it's not you, it's me. Now kindly let go of me."
He did as she'd asked, still beaming. He was practically skipping as they made their way home together. She shook her head, wondering how he could be so happy over such a simple thing.
But he didn't hate her for causing the end of the world. He didn't hate her for what she'd done.
She'd take it.