Title: Old Friends
Rating: PG-13, mention of underage drinking
Pairing: mention of past Hayley/Tommy.
Summary: The show says that Smithy was an old friend of Tommy's from college, but how did Hayley feel about him?
--
You'd think, after saving the world, you'd get a break. Hayley had just helped storm an island fortress, destroy a mutant dinosaur, and save the world from transfiguration. Dealing with a post-prom celebration seemed a little much.
But the parents of Reefside were relying on her. Only yesterday, Mr James had stopped her in the supermarket and said he was so grateful that she offered such an establishment.
"…such wonderful thing you're doing, We can count on you to make sure our kids are safe…"
And that was Hayley. Always able to be counted on. Reliable to a fault.
Cyberspace's computers had been packed up and were safely stored in the back room. A stereo system was set up, and balloons and streamers festooned the room, with a big banner saying 'Congratulations Class of 2004!' It was a hectic night, serving drinks, and making sure that no one sneaked in anything stronger than coke. It was good to see the rangers relax, though. Good to see them acting like ordinary teenagers. Even Trent seemed happier, as he should be. He had his father back, and the creature that had tormented them was dead.
It had been one of Hayley's deepest fears this year, that they'd lose Trent. He was the most fragile, the most disconnected from the group. When he was evil, she'd been terrified that they'd have to kill him. When he'd returned, more subdued, with shadows in his eyes, she was afraid that his guilt would destroy him. And long afterwards, he'd kept a wall between him and the others, refusing to let them get closer. Even Hayley had been unable to breach that invisible barrier.
He was better now. The secrets that had been slowly poisoning him were out in the open. He had forgiven, and been forgiven in return. He had finally been welcomed fully and without reservation into the team.
Him, at least, they had been able to save.
Without warning, tears filled Hayley's eyes. She stood in the middle of a floor of dancing, laughing teenagers, a tray of glasses in her hands, feeling the grief, so ruthlessly repressed this last week, open up inside her like a black hole, threatening to swallow her. Oh god, not now. She turned, and went out back into the kitchen. She dumped the tray down beside the sink and began washing glasses frantically. Music throbbed in the background, she allowed the tears to come. They'd been building all week, and she supposed now was as good a time as ever. She sobbed, elbow deep in suds, as she cleaned glasses and stacked them on the rack.
A pair of warm arms wrapped about her waist.
"Hey, there," a familiar voice said, as the arms rocked her gently, soothingly. "Hey, there…"
She crumpled into Tommy's embrace. Her fingers curled into the soft material of his shirt as she sobbed against his chest. There was no need to ask what was wrong. They both knew all too well. Tommy held her as she wept, until she ran out of tears.
"Are you feeling better now?" He asked softly, his voice rumbling in his chest.
She nodded, cheek pressed against his chest.
"It was just… seeing Trent… knowing what could have happened to him…knowing what did happen to Smithy…"
The name tripped over her tongue. She hadn't said that name in months. It was too close, too personal, too hurtful. Zeltrax had been easier.
"Remember college?" She said softly.
The words were magic, transporting them back to a more innocent time. Innocent for her, at least. She suspected that Tommy had lost his innocence before he turned sixteen. There had been the three of them. All undergrads, all alone and a little intimidated by this new world. She and Smithy had drifted natrually into Tommy's orbit. There had just been something about him, something warm and solid and reassuring.
And so it became the three of them. By second year, they were all living in the same house, despite Hayley's mother's dire warnings about men who would expect her to do all the housework. She hadn't been drafted into cleaning, but she had somehow become the mother of the group. She was the one who reminded the others when assessment was due and hinted that one muesli bar didn't constitute a healthy breakfast. Smithy had become the little brother: a little scatter-brained, a little shy, but possessing a sweet smile that could make you forgive him anything.
Tommy had been the leader that held them together, the benevolant protector that watched over them. She suspected now that he had been doing what rangers were programmed to do from the moment the Power touched them: forming a team, making a family. Except there had been no other rangers nearby to bond with, so he'd made do with humans. Hayley hadn't understood that – none of them had, not even Tommy himself – and wouldn't for many more years. All she'd known was that Tommy would be the most supportive friend in the world, then leave at the drop of a hat to meet up with friends from Angel Grove. He wouldn't invite Hayley or Smithy along.
"Oh… you know… we'll talk about stuff you wouldn't get… you'd be really bored…"
And the one time he had invited them, it had been wierd. The friend in question was Jason Scott, and it was clear from the get-go that Tommy considered him nothing less than a brother. The two men had talked for ages. Hayley and Smithy had sat in awkward silence, as names and places and events passed over their uncomprehending heads. It was as if there was a whole world that Tommy had never told them about.
That was when Hayley had begun to understand the hurtful truth. Tommy had held a wall between himself and her and Smithy. Maybe he didn't even realize he was doing it. It didn't matter; the results were the same. He pushed them away.
Sitting there, she had seen the friendly interest in Smithy's eyes turn cold and resentful. He'd barely spoken a word to Jason all during lunch, and was silent all the drive home. Hayley suspected that was the begginning of Smithy's downslide into evil. She would never tell Tommy that, though. There were some truths that you never told friends.
Fortunately, Smithy hadn't turned his attention on Jason. Instead, he'd focused all his considerable talent and energy on seeking Tommy's approval. More, seeking the type of friendship he'd seen that day with Jason. Tommy just hadn't understood. He'd pat Smithy on the back and say "well done, man" but he hadn't understood. There was always that slight, irrecoverable distance: old scars he never explained, letters from friends he rarely talked about, nightmares that made him cry out in the middle of the night.
Hayley had let her resentment go. She wondered what horrors were in Tommy's past, and was there for him when the nightmares got so bad he couldn't sleep. Maybe someday he'd let her in, but until then, she was content to accept what he could give her. Smithy hadn't reacted nearly as well. Gradually, his hero-worship had turned to resentment. He and Tommy had talked less and less. Tommy had been baffled by the withdrawal and by the banter which now had a cruel double-edge. Slowly the little brother was whittled away to leave this hard-eyed stranger.
After graduation, Smithy left for a job on the West Coast, with some intrigueing new research. He and Hayley had kept in touch a little longer, exchanging emails and a couple of post-cards until he finally dropped off the map altogether. She hadn't seen him again until she saw Zeltrax driving a sword at Tommy's gut.
"I wanted to believe that he could be saved." Tommy said quietly, drawing Hayley back to the present.
His arms were comfortable, wrapped around Hayley's waist. She rested her head on his chest. She was small enough that he could tuck his chin on top of her head. They'd been lovers once, and were comfortable about one another's body in a way that only those who had been intimate could be.
"Me too." She felt acutely her uselessness. All she could do was build more weapons. She couldn't even try to reason with Smithy as Tommy had. If he'd realized it was Hayley repairing Tommy's equipment, she would have become a target too.
She and Tommy stood in silence for a moment longer, then Hayley sighed and gently detached herself from him, stepping back.
"I'd better get out there before they start wondering what we're up to."
She needn't have bothered. The rangers knew something had occurred, if not what. Kira studied her and Dr Oliver with thoughtful eyes, while Conner and Ethan exchanged knowing looks. Trent offered to stay and help clean up, but Hayley ordered him and the others to go have fun.
"This is your prom night," she said. "You only get one. Enjoy it."
She watched the students slowly leave for other parties. Tommy, after only two lectures on responsible drinking (at least he wasn't foolish enough to think he could stop teenagers drinking if they were determined to do it), let the rangers go. When the last students trickled out the door, Hayley began locking up. It took the two of them the better part of two hours to clean Cyberspace. They swept up the streamers scattered across the floor, and the broken balloons. They collected the glasses and stacked them in the dishwasher, unable to be bothered washing them by hand. They mopped up spilt soft drink and vacuumed mushed chips off the couches.
Finally, rolling her neck to ease stiff muscles, Hayley regarded the bare room with satisfaction. She'd get the rangers – she supposed that was former rangers now – to help her set up the computers tomorrow.
"That was a good night," Tommy said, barely containing a yawn. It made her remember that he'd lost his powers recently too.
"It was," she agreed. "You can head home now if you want."
"You sure?"
"Of course. All I have to do is take out the trash and lock up. You get some sleep."
He smiled.
"Thanks, Hayley." He stopped her with two fingers on her elbow. "And Hayley? There really wasn't anything you could have done."
Her smile felt like glass.
"I guess." She patted his arm. "Go on now. Let me close."
She locked the door behind him, and gathered up the garbage bags. She carried them out back. The alley was dimly lit behind Cyberspace. She left the door open as she chucked the plastic bags into the dumpster. She turned around and –
–came face to face with Zeltrax.
She started to scream and the cyborg slapped a hand across her mouth, shoving her up against the side of the dumpster.
"Don't scream!" The warning was delivered in a deep, inhuman tone.
Her heart was pounding in her ears. Despite her tears earlier, Zeltrax being alive was a nightmare. The kind that made you wake up screaming. This wasn't her little brother anymore. This was an insane cyborg with a vendetta that was going to kill her, then go after the rangers. And since they had no powers, he would slaughter them. Even in the midset of her terror, she had time to wonder how he'd discovered her connection to the rangers. She and Tommy had been very careful to conceal it. Rangers – as much as it pained Tommy to say it, and her to hear it – were expendable. Her expertise was not.
Unable to call for help, she kept struggling. She might not be a ranger, but she'd be damned if she'd go out without a fight. He didn't even flinch, just tightened his hold on her.
"Hayley, stop! Hayley, I'm not going to hurt you!"
When he made no move to hit or otherwise harm her, she finally dared to entertain the idea that he might be telling the truth. She slowly stopped struggling. When he saw that she wasn't going to scream, he cautiously took his hand away from her mouth.
"Look."
He unclipped his helmet.
Hayley stood frozen as he pulled his helmet off, revealing his face. She and Tommy had known for months that Zeltrax was Smithy. But somehow the reality didn't set in until she saw the shadow of her old friend amidst the mess of scar tissue. Something about tilt of the lips, the clear blue eyes…
Tears filled her eyes. Her voice was thick when she spoke;
"Smithy."
--
Ten minutes later, Smithy sitting in her kitchen. His cyborg body dwarfed the chair it sat on. His helmet sat on the table next to the fruit bowl.
Hayley put the kettle on, thoughts rattling through her brain. Smithy appeared to be fully fit, while the rangers didn't have any powers. He could be a problem if he decided to make himself one. But so far nothing had gone as Hayley had expected. Was he good? Evil? Still deciding? Why had he come to her? And what the hell was she supposed to do now?
"Would you like a biscuit?" She found herself asking.
Smithy blinked. He seemed to be trying to dig up the correct response.
"Um… yes. Yes, please."
His voice was raspy, but otherwise just how she remembered it. She supposed it must have been a filter built into the helmet that made him sound like Darth Vader.
Smithy carefully picked a biscuit out of the open tin she offered. He stared at it for a moment, turning it over between his shining metal fingers. Then he sank his teeth into it, carefully chewing and swallowing. For no reason at all, Hayley thought of a posh dinner they'd attended at uni with one of their lecturers. Smithy had been so nervous about spilling soup down his front. Tommy had had to knot the tie for him back at the flat.
Without warning, tears flooded her eyes. She blinked rapidly as she put the tin away. The kettle boiled and she got mugs down out of the cupboard.
"Do you still take milk?" She asked over her shoulder. Her voice was thick. "Because we're all out, and I've only got green tea."
"Green tea is fine."
She filled the mugs and carried them over to the table. Smithy was watching her, a slightly anxious expression on his face. It was almost comical to see that earnestness atop six feet of armored steel.
"Are you alright?" He asked. "Did I say something wrong?"
"No, no," she assured him. "It's just…this whole thing…it takes a little getting used to."
She sat down and stirred sugar into her tea. The sound of metal on china was very loud. Smithy was looking down at his cup.
"The tea," he said.
"What?"
"Back in college… when one of us was hurt or upset, you'd make us a cup of tea."
Hayley found herself smiling for real. She'd forgotten about that small ritual, even as she was doing it sub-consciously.
"Now it's mostly smoothies for teenagers," she said. "Feel lucky that you're not a teenager anymore."
He stared at her for long enough to make her wonder if she'd made an error. Then he abruptly chuckled. She relaxed at the sound.
"So how did…" She hesitated, trying to form the question. "How did you…how did this happen?"
She waved her hand, indicating the armor, the scarred face: everything. She'd already heard the story from Tommy and Anton both, but was curious to see how much Smithy would tell her.
"There was an accident," he said. "I was hurt. A man helped me. It turned out he didn't have the best of intentions at heart. And that's all you need to know."
Zeltrax crept into his voice for a moment; an unspoken warning not to push it.
"Okay," she said quickly, soothingly. "Okay."
She watched him try and work his cyborg fingers about the mug without breaking it. She had no illusions. Telling him she'd been helping his sworn enemy the past year would shatter his trust in her. She wished now she hadn't left her communicator at Tommy's house. But on the other hand, having five powerless rangers charge in probably wouldn't help the situation any.
"Why have you come here?" She asked, deciding that the direct approach would be best.
Those hauntingly familiar – and yet completely unfamiliar – eyes gazed steadily at her.
"This is why."
He flipped a panel open on his left arm. Hayley suppressed the urge to gag at the smell of something rotting. Where there should have been a smooth transition from flesh to metal, the flesh was curled about the edges of the metal, clearly infected. Smithy held out his arm for inspection as he spoke.
"I took a serum. It was the essence of…I guess you might call it a fountain of youth. It made me incredibly powerful for a while. Then it just seemed to fade. I thought it's effects were over. But then my body started rejecting my cyborg components."
Hayley examined his arm, squeamishness taking a back seat to scientific interest. The 'fountain of youth' he was talking about must be the Tree of Life that Randall had cut down. It had given him a substantial upgrade, at least temporarily, then it had just seemed to go away. At the time, Hayley had wondered if that was all there was to it. The rangers had just been glad they didn't have to go up against Super-Zeltrax every time.
"Is it the same on the rest of your body?" She asked. Smithy nodded. "Hmm."
She could only imagine how painful it must be. If most of his major organs were in the same condition, he must be in agony. In fact, it was a wonder he was still functioning. But the Tree of Life was meant to be beneficial. Why would it suddenly be killing him?
"I'd have to take an x-ray to be sure of what's going on inside…" she said. "But you won't be able to take x-rays with all that metal in the way. Maybe an ultrasound…"
She was absorbed in the fascinating new puzzle that Zeltrax presented. It was perhaps her greatest weakness: being side-tracked by interesting problems. It was how Tommy had lured her to Reefside, with the promise of real live rangers to study and work on. She'd never be able to publish any of the papers she'd written, but it made for fascinating insight.
"My body is healing itself," Zeltrax said. "I figured it out. The serum was never meant for use on cyborgs. It's trying to regrow my missing organs…"
"And in doing so, rejecting the artificial ones keeping you alive," Hayley finished, seeing the direction of his thoughts instantly. "That makes sense. If it was only intended for living tissue, it probably registered the cyborg components as a threat."
"I knew I couldn't face my enemies like this," Zeltrax said. "So I faked my death, and set out to find the one person I could trust. You."
Hayley had a sinking sensation in the bottom of her stomach. Smithy's trusting gaze reminded her of a working dog her father had once owned. It had eaten poison, and was dying. There had been nothing to do except end it's misery. But those big brown eyes, completely trusting right up to the end, had haunted her.
"What do you want me to do?" She asked, filled with dread.
"I want you to remove the cyborg components. You have the expertise. You can do it."
Hayley stared at him, shocked.
"Smithy, it will kill you."
"No, it won't. My body will heal itself. It's already doing it. If we do it gradually, one section at a time, my body will adjust."
His eyes bored into hers.
"I'm dying anyway, Hayley. My body is beginning to fail. I'm in pain, constantly. I need painkillers just to get through the day. This is my only chance."
His conviction reminded her vividly of the rangers. Taking the huge risks, while she watched, heart in mouth. Sometimes forcing her to act against her better judgement, all in the name of the greater good.
And there was that too to consider… Was this the greater good?
Zeltrax was unstable. Even if she could revert him to his human state, he could be as dangerous as any other human being that walked the streets. Only this time, his monstrousity would be concealed behind a handsome face. Perhaps it would be best just to put him out of his misery. It would be easy. He appeared to trust her. All she'd have to do was give him a shot and tell him it was painkiller. It would be peaceful and painless, like falling asleep.
But… but…
The memory of half-knotted ties and cups of tea and shy grins stopped her. Smithy had been her friend once. Tommy hadn't been able to bring him back, but maybe – just maybe – she could. Didn't she at least owe it to that sweet boy she remembered to try?
Smithy was still watching her, waiting for her answer.
"I'll say one thing," she said at last. "Don't think I'm an idiot. I watch the news. I know you've been playing supervillain for the past year."
An ugly expression crossed his face. She forged on determinedly. She was taking a gamble, but it had to be said.
"If I help you, you have to promise me that won't happen anymore."
"You mean you won't help me if I say no?" There was a forebidding undertone to Smithy's voice, and a frightening blankness in his blue eyes.
"For god's sake." For a moment it was like college, being exhasperated at one of his black moods. "Of course I'm going to help you, Smithy. You're my friend. But you owe me this much."
He relaxed, and his lips stretched in an approximation of the old grin she remembered.
"I promise," he said.
She felt the weight of obligation settle about her shoulders again, just hours after it had been lifted. She wondered why she'd ever thought she could escape it. Smithy laid a metallic hand atop hers.
"I knew I could count on you, Hayley."
--