Disclaimer:They belong to Saban, more's the pity. I don't have permission to write about these characters, and I don't get paid for it.
Notes and Timeline:Early Morphin' period, just after Tommy's arrival. Although in the strictest technical sense this story takes place 'during', it is at heart part of the 'Before and After' series, a companion piece to "Forged in Flames".
Elemental Bonds
By Mele
Tommy Oliver sat alone at a table in the Juice Bar and considered the changes that had taken place in his life in the last couple of weeks. He'd moved to Angel Grove, enrolled in High School, met a cute girl he very much wanted to date, met a guy he knew would turn out to be a great friend and sparring partner, got possessed by an evil empress, tried to kill the Power Rangers, then became a Power Ranger himself. He couldn't resist a mental chuckle as he reviewed all these events. Well, at least he couldn't say his life was boring.
He thought about Kimberly. Tommy was normally a little shy when it came to girls, but something in the petite, chestnut-haired girl had reached straight into his heart. He sometimes found himself simply watching her from afar, feeling a warmth inside he had never experienced before. He was slowly but surely gathering his courage to ask her on a date.
If he had felt an immediate attraction to Kimberly, he had also experienced an instant feeling of kinship with Jason. The burly leader of the Power Rangers was a brother in spirit, if not in fact. Tommy still felt an almost overwhelming sense of awe when he thought about how Jason had simply accepted him as a Power Ranger; that gesture wiping away the guilt the teen had been overcome with when he realized what he had almost done. He found it almost inconceivable that a month ago he hadn't even known Jason existed.
It was Jason who had taken Tommy aside and told him some of the ins and outs of Rangerhood, and about some of the idiosyncrasies of his teammates. Among the things Jason had mentioned was the fact that the five of them had been friends for years, since they were all ten years old. That was the only problem Tommy had really encountered: that feeling that he was an outsider in a well-established circle of friends. And, while he had enjoyed almost instantaneous closeness with Jason and Kimberly, that had not been the case with the other three.
Of his other teammates, Zack was proving to be the easiest to get to know. While not as dedicated to martial arts as Jason was, Zack was a serious and talented student of karate, moving through the belts at a steady pace. He and Tommy had talked about the art several times, especially the integration of personal interpretations into katas. Tommy realized that the Black Ranger's first love was dancing, something Tommy knew absolutely nothing about. Impressed with Zack's incredible grace and innate sense of rhythm, he had already privately asked his teammate for dance lessons, his mind already planning ahead for a date with Kimberly. Pleased and flattered by the request, Zack had agreed, allowing them an opportunity to spend time together and further cement their growing friendship.
Tommy sensed that Trini was naturally reserved, holding back not out of suspicion or dislike, but because it was her nature to analyze a situation before taking any action. Jason had told him that she was a student of Kung Fu, and Tommy had seen her work out a few times. Impressed with her skill, he was just waiting until he felt a little more comfortable around her before he asked her to show him some moves and katas from her chosen martial art.
But Billy presented a dual difficulty for Tommy; the Blue Ranger was quite shy, plus he and Tommy had virtually nothing in common. The Green Ranger knew Billy was studying karate only because he was tired of being picked on by bullies, and because he needed to be able to defend himself against Rita's putties. Other than for defensive purposes, Billy had no interest in martial arts, while Tommy had no particular interest in science, the subject closest to Billy's heart. However, Tommy had come to suspect there was a lot more to the light-haired teen than just his incredible intelligence, and the Green Ranger was determined to get to know his reticent teammate better.
He was so lost in thought that Jason's arrival at his table startled him, causing Tommy to almost knock over his smoothie.
"Whoa, sorry Bro, didn't mean to startle you," Jason laughed as Tommy grabbed his glass, narrowly averting disaster.
"No problem, I was just lost in thought," Tommy replied with a sheepish grin.
"About what?"
"What we could do this weekend. I was thinking ... you know how Miss Appleby is doing this section on geology? What if we rented a boat and went to some of the islands a few miles off the coast? We could take some pictures, collect some samples, you know, do that as our required special report. She did say we could do a project as a group if it was big enough," the Green Ranger suggested.
"Yeah, she did. Sounds good to me. You know anything about boating?"
"A little. Do you?"
"Yeah. My uncle used to be a commercial fisherman when he was younger, and he taught me all about boating a couple of summers ago. I think I still remember the important things," Jason said.
"Good. Think the others will go for it?" Tommy asked.
"Probably. Even though Billy isn't that fond of the ocean, he'll go along if the rest of us will. As long as we don't pull a 'Gilligan's Island' kind of thing."
Tommy snickered at that comment. "Never happen."
PR*PR
They had all agreed to the plan, and pooling their resources had found they had enough money to rent a boat for the day. Jason had demonstrated sufficient skills to the owner of the rental, so they were able to take the vessel out alone after filing an itinerary.
The day was California perfect: cloudless blue skies, temperatures in the mid 80's, enough breeze to allow the boat to utilize its sail for the trip. The teens had packed a large lunch, scuba gear, and assorted testing equipment, planning to get the most out of the day.
"I just hope Rita takes the day off, too," Kimberly sighed as she stretched out on the deck to catch some sun.
"That would be a fortunate turn of events," Billy agreed from where he stood near Jason, who was piloting the boat toward the open sea and the islands just beyond their sight.
"Well, we have our communicators, so Zordon can reach us if needed. But she just attacked yesterday, so it should be a day or two. Maybe," Jason put in.
"Is there a pattern to her attacks?" Tommy asked the Red Ranger.
"No way. We never know what she's going to do. She's been known to attack for four days straight, then nothing for three days, then every other day for a week, and you get the picture," Jason grinned.
"However, she did seem to have invested a lot of effort into her 'evil Ranger' scheme, so she is due to take some additional time to regroup and plan a new strategy," Billy put in quietly.
"I sure hope so. I'm just glad you guys were able to stop me," Tommy commented, his expression solemn.
"Guys! Guys, we are not going to spend the day 'talking shop', you hear? So, let's drop the Rita subject and concentrate more on which islands we want to explore," Kimberly interrupted with a warm smile for Tommy and a quick glare at Billy, who flushed as he realized his blunder. Tommy was still sensitive about the things he'd done under Rita's influence.
"Speaking of which, I see 'land, ho' as they say in all the good pirate movies," Zack cut in with a wide grin.
"Where?" Trini asked, squinting in the direction Zack had pointed to. "Oh, I see."
The tiny speck on the horizon rapidly grew, and others became visible as Jason headed toward the clump of islands, anxious to get there and start the day's planned activities.
PR*PR
Four hours later the six teens lounged around on what they had dubbed the 'main' island, the largest of the six land masses they were exploring. Jason, Trini and Zack had gone scuba diving earlier, while Tommy, Kimberly and Billy collected samples from the first half of the islands, and did some exploring. They intended to check the remaining three places together that afternoon.
Billy had intentionally kept his distance from Kimberly and Tommy all morning, knowing that Kim would appreciate some time alone with the Green Ranger. Like the rest of the team, Billy knew that Kimberly had more than a 'professional' interest in their newest teammate, and having Billy hanging around them would not do much to help her get to know Tommy better.
"We found some awesome volcanic rock on the second place we explored," Tommy enthused.
"Yes, it's quite interesting that, even though the islands were all probably formed due to volcanic activity, they are each quite different," Billy agreed.
"That would be the perfect approach for our report," Trini added. "We found some interesting differences in the underwater landscape as well."
"Really? That will add an extra dimension to our report then," Billy commented.
"Yeah. You guys hear the rumor about this spot here? Or, well, at least one of these islands?" Zack asked suddenly.
"I haven't," Tommy replied, looking at Zack curiously.
"The word is that a few years back an transport ship bringing over exotic animals went down not far from here and a lot of the animals made it to shore. The shipment was illegal, so they didn't report it. Or so the rumor goes."
"So one of these islands is overrun by wild big game animals?" Kimberly asked in a disbelieving tone of voice.
"That's the story."
"That's almost as lame as the monster you heard about in Angel Grove Forest when we were kids," Kim scoffed.
"Wouldn't somebody have found them by now?" Billy pointed out.
"I don't think that many people come to these islands. They are pretty boring on the whole. The state owns them, protecting some sort of bug or bird that lives here. You know how that goes. But basically very few folks come over here."
"Weird. I'd have thought they'd be a popular 'get away' spot for day trips," Kimberly commented.
"Guess not. So, we'll all work together above water for the last three?" Zack asked, returning the conversation to the matter at hand and stretching out in the warm sunshine.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Jason agreed, looking around at his teammates.
They had just finished their lunch and none of them were in much of a hurry to get moving again. It just felt too good to lounge around in the sunshine.
"Are you sure it's a good plan if it requires moving?" Kim asked with a sigh.
"Come on, Kim, the day's just getting started," Zack retorted, but the Pink Ranger noticed he made no effort to rise.
Trini and Billy had already gotten up and started to put the leftovers and débris back into the huge picnic basket when Kimberly reluctantly joined them. Giving Tommy a meaningful wink, Jason stood and motioned the other two to join him, leaving Zack alone on the blanket. The Black Ranger had his eyes closed and a peaceful expression on his face. Silently, Jason indicated a corner of the blanket, grinning with mischief at Tommy. The other teen caught on quickly and grabbed onto the corner Jason had pointed to, while the muscular Red Ranger took hold of the other corner.
At Jason's nod, both teens pulled up and out with all their might, sending Zack flying into the sand.
"Hey!" the outraged Black Ranger cried out, jumping to his feet in mock fury. "I'm gonna get you two for that!" He immediately lunged at his two laughing teammates who turned and fled, heading down the beach.
"I guess this means we're stuck with cleanup," Kim noted drily as they finished packing up.
"So it would seem," Trini agreed, helping Billy fold the oversized blanket.
"Hardly seems fair. But, I don't believe in getting mad. I do believe in getting even, though," the petite teen mused, watching the three boys racing down the sandy beach.
"Uh-oh. Judging by the look on your face, I almost feel sorry for them," Trini giggled, while Billy looked on with a grin of his own.
"Oh, you know I won't do anything too terrible," Kim smiled with a gleam in her eyes. She found an empty container and filled it with sand before putting it in the basket.
"Just something to express my displeasure with their behavior."
PR*PR
The six islands were scattered over an area of approximately eighteen square miles. The largest was about ten square miles of total surface area, the smallest less than one square mile. Three of them were clumped together, with less than a mile between them, while the remaining ones were much further apart. The teens decided to explore the furthest island first, and then start working backwards toward the other two they had not yet explored. Then they would head home past the ones they'd visited that morning.
Jason, Zack, and Tommy were still full of mischief from their prank after lunch. They were laughing, joking, exchanging insults and threats in typical teenage fashion. The other three traded amused glances as Zack again threatened to get even with the Red and Green Rangers.
"Big talk, Zack, but they don't look real worried," Kim teased him.
"They should be. It may take a while, but I'll find a way to get even," Zack declared.
"Worried ... not," Jason mimicked Kimberly as he taunted the easy-going Black Ranger.
"I thought you guys were sooo sleepy," Kim commented. "Now you're running all over the place. Go lie down and rest, then maybe you can see fit to help us later," she suggested.
"Good idea, I think I'll just do that," Zack shot back at her, lying down on the forward part of the boat and closing his eyes.
"That does sound like a good idea, doesn't it?" Jason agreed, joining Zack, with Tommy right behind him. Soon the three boys were happily dozing in the sun, wearing nothing but their swim trunks.
They awoke to feel something being dripped on their backs and spread around.
"Just something to help you out," Kim murmured, quickly applying the substance to each of their backs and retreating hastily.
"Hey, this doesn't feel like suntan lotion," Zack muttered, a bit dozy from his nap and the warm sunshine.
"What the heck?" Jason groused, twisting his arm around to reach his back. He looked at the stuff that came off on his hand curiously. After a sniff and cautious taste he turned incredulously to his Pink teammate.
"Honey? And sand? Kim! Why?"
"Because you stuck us with cleaning up the picnic while you went off playing," she sniffed, her expression of haughty displeasure spoiled by the giggles bubbling just under the surface.
"Yeah, but honey and sand? Unkind, Kim," Zack echoed.
"It won't hurt you. And you can take a nice dip and clean it off. In forty minutes or so," Kimberly mock-consoled them, knowing the sticky mess would drive them nuts.
"Ah, man, I see what you mean about not getting her riled up," Tommy said quietly to Jason, flashing their smallest teammate a respectful look.
"You know, Billy, you could have warned us," Zack complained.
"Uh, she threatened me with bodily harm if I interfered," Billy confessed.
"Threatening your teammates now, Kim? Tsk, tsk, tsk," Zack joked, jumping out of Kim's range as she swung at him.
"You can just sit out here and stew," she declared, joining the other two teens, who had watched with considerable amusement.
"You know we'll get even with you," Zack mock-growled.
"Worried ... not!"
PR*PR
The afternoon's explorations went well, and by the time their deadline to head home arrived, they had collected an impressive array of samples and information, despite the fact that all afternoon Kim had kept up a running battle of pranks with Jason, Zack and Tommy. Once the three boys had managed to clean the honey- and-sand mixture off their backs, Zack found a particularly slimy clump of seaweed which he put down the back of Kim's shirt, sending her into wild gyrations as she fought to remove the disgusting mess. She retaliated by filling the boys' shoes with wet sand when they had taken them off to wade into the ocean.
The three boys were still trying to come up with a way to get back at Kim while they explored the last island. However, in the face of the fascinating rock formations they found, the competition was forgotten, and they all worked together to gather the samples they would need, along with photographs to use in their report.
"I suspect we will find some excellent samples of local flora just over that ridge," Billy said.
"Great! These are gorgeous. I'd love to see if I could get some to grow in Angel Grove," Kimberly enthused, having carefully dug up and potted some of the more attractive plants. She and her three erstwhile antagonists headed over the ridge, only to reemerge a few minutes later, their hands over their lower faces, expressions of disgust still evident.
"Oh, man, that stunk!" Jason gasped, taking a deep breath, trying to erase the memory of the stench they had encountered. His three companions were all doing the same thing.
"Hmm. Must have been one of those sink holes sometimes found on volcanic islands. Some chemical reaction causes the offensive odor," Billy noted calmly.
Jason was the first to suspect that the bland, innocent expressions on Billy and Trini's faces were not quite as genuine as they looked.
"You guys knew what we'd find, didn't you?" he accused.
"We've never been here before, how could we possibly know what you'd find?" Trini asked reasonably.
"You two know way too much about volcanoes and islands and such. You set us up," Kimberly cried in a tone of outrage. "Why would you do that?" she asked as the three boys stared in surprise.
The two quietest Rangers exchanged amused looks.
"We wanted to play?" Billy ventured, the gleam in his eyes not obscured in the least by his glasses.
"Oh, you want to play, do you? Well, then let's play get the Blue and Yellow Rangers," Zack declared as the four of them went after the other two teens. A wild chase along the short shoreline ensued, until Trini suddenly stopped, a worried frown on her face.
"Ha! Gotcha!" Zack exclaimed, grabbing her shoulders. He stopped when he saw her expression. "What's wrong?"
"That's wrong. There isn't supposed to be any storm activity today," she said, pointing further out to sea. They all looked a bit alarmed to see storm clouds gathering quickly; dark and threatening.
"Guys, I think we better head on home," Jason said firmly, clearly reverting to leader mode in the face of potential danger.
"Let's get our stuff back on the boat and get moving."
PR*PR
"Zordon! There is a severe atmospheric disturbance a few miles off the shore near Angel Grove," Alpha called out, scuttling quickly among the consoles in the Command Center.
"I have noted its appearance," Zordon informed the little 'droid. "I believe it is an aftereffect of the Rainmaker Monster Rita sent down a couple of days ago. It did discharge its weapons a few times, and I believe this storm could be the result. There should be nothing to worry about, but we will monitor it closely."
"Should we inform the Rangers?"
"No, Alpha, let them enjoy some time off."
PR*PR
The six teens had hardly cast off from the island when they were hit by increasingly violent waves and suddenly fierce winds. Their boat was beginning to be tossed about like a toy in a bathtub.
"I can't believe this!" Jason growled, fighting to control the boat's course. "We need to switch to engine power, which means we'll have to lower the sail."
Tommy, Zack, and Billy moved quickly toward the bow to comply, just as a particularly large wave hit the small craft. The violent movement of the small vessel knocked everyone down but Jason, who was holding desperately on to the wheel.
"Ow!" Zack cried out, cradling his left arm tightly to his body.
"Here, let me see," Kimberly told him as Trini carefully helped the injured teen to his feet. She made quick work of her examination of the Black Ranger's arm, and then turned to Trini, her demeanor totally businesslike. "Can you get me the first aid box, please, we need to splint this." She turned her attention back to Zack. "I don't think it's broken, but we should immobilize it just to be safe."
"Everyone, get lifejackets on, now!" Jason called out to them.
Billy and Tommy quickly located the lifejackets, and distributed them, helping Jason hold the helm steady while he put on his own. Then the two teens went forward to lower the sail as Jason had asked.
They had just started to loosen the rigging, when the rope holding the lower boom of the sail snapped, and it swung around wildly. Billy and Tommy were on opposite sides of the boat, and the boom swung first toward the Blue Ranger, catching him viciously in the chest and knocking him cleanly overboard.
"Billy!" Tommy cried out, aghast. He ducked as the boom swung his way, then scrambled to grasp the rope that had broken. The sail had only dropped halfway and Tommy could see where the lines had tangled, preventing it from collapsing completely. With a choice of either trying to anchor the boom or cut the lines to finish dropping the sail, Tommy chose the one he felt would do the most good. He released the boom and crawled toward the tangled lines, pulling his pocketknife out as he went. In moments he had cut the snarled ropes, and the sail fell to the deck in an untidy heap. Tommy staggered to his feet and stumbled toward the side of the boat over which his teammate had disappeared.
"Do you see him?" Jason called out, his voice sounding strained.
"No. Can we turn back once we are running on engines?" Tommy called back.
"I don't know. We can try. Keep looking," Jason replied.
Tommy felt the vibrations from the engines a few moments later. He continued to scan the turbulent ocean, seeking a flash of the orange life vest his teammate was wearing. If he could just spot Billy before they got too far away, they stood a good chance of rescuing him.
Jason had just started to turn the boat when another huge wave crashed over them, nearly capsizing the small vessel. He was barely able to hold on to the wheel, while Kimberly and Trini struggled to maintain their hold on Zack and the edge of the boat. When they were fully righted again, Jason saw that Tommy was gone.
The Red Ranger felt a jolt of terror as he realized there was nothing he could do for his two friends in the water. He suspected the hull had been breached, and knew he had to try to get to land, and safety, for the three who were still on the boat with him. He hated having to abandon Tommy and Billy, but there was little he could do for them, and much he could do for the others still with him.
With a silent prayer, and an apology to his two friends, Jason set their course for the nearest island, the largest of the six.
PR*PR
Jack Scott was at a crime scene on the outskirts of Angel Grove when he became aware of the odd change in the weather. The abrupt wind and drop in temperature startled him, and he looked toward the ocean with a concerned expression, worry for his son suddenly foremost in his mind.
"Would you mind finishing this for me, Harry. I want to check on something," he asked a fellow officer quietly.
"No problem, Lieutenant," was the calm reply as Jack walked hastily to his squad car.
He picked up the radio and placed his call to the station. "Betty Jean, can you tell me what the weather service is saying about this storm? I didn't think there was any bad weather predicted."
"Jack? Yeah, weather service is going nuts over this one. Totally unexpected, they can't explain it, but indications are that it will be a howler. They have put out ship advisories, I guess it's going nuts around the docks getting boats back in before it hits full blast. We got a bit lucky in that there really wasn't much traffic out there right now. But still, there are some craft that are going to have to ride it out. Are you concerned for any particular reason?"
"Yeah, my son and his friends rented a boat today to explore some islands. I'm going to head on to the docks and see if they made it in. Log me as off, would you please?"
"Sure thing, Jack. Let me know if Jason's okay, please?"
"Will do."
PR*PR
Billy had thought he knew what it meant to be afraid, but he quickly found an entirely new perspective on that. 'Afraid' was going up against one of Rita's monsters. 'Terrified' was finding himself in the churning ocean with no idea of which way to go to find land. He had lost his glasses in his tumble out of the boat, and that, combined with the high waves and a light mist rising off the ocean's surface, had rendered his already compromised vision much worse. His visual range had been reduced to a few hundred feet, and with nothing to use as a reference point he had no idea which way to go.
He realized he had been extremely fortunate to be wearing his life vest. First it had cushioned the blow from the boom, probably saving him from several broken ribs. Then it had brought him relentlessly back to the surface, and was now providing much-needed support, allowing him to tread water easily while contemplating his next move.
He was trying to determine if it would be better to try to maintain his position, or to start swimming and hope for the best, when he felt the brush of something against his leg. His fear of fish, which he had believed ... hoped ... he was over, came back with a vengeance. He nearly screamed, his heart stopping momentarily before taking off at twice its normal rate. He gasped for breath, all semblance of rationality gone. In a nearly mindless panic he began to swim, heedless of which direction he headed, his only intention to get away from whatever it was that had skimmed his leg.
An unknown time later he finally stopped, his panic at last decreasing to the point that coherent thought was again possible. He looked around desperately; he was still unable to see anything that would indicate land nearby. Billy knew he could try to simply swim ahead, hoping he'd get lucky and hit one of the islands. The thought chilled him, though; he knew the odds of his being successful were minuscule at best. The more he considered it, the more panic began to overwhelm him again.
"Help! Please, is someone there? Help!" he called out as loudly as he could, hoping perhaps Jason had managed to turn the boat around.
"HELP!"
PR*PR
"Jason! We have to go back for them!" Kimberly shouted, her face pale and shocked.
"Kim, we can't. We're taking on water, we don't have much time to get to shore. It won't do them any good if we all get killed," Jason spoke in a harsh tone, trying to disguise his anguish at what he was being forced to do.
"Even so, we can't just leave them! Jason, they won't have a chance. They might be hurt! Jason," Kimberly flinched back when she saw his expression. That, more than anything else, told her just how Jason felt about leaving Tommy and Billy out there.
"I'm sorry," she murmured, reaching out to put her hand on his forearm. "I guess I'm just scared," she confessed.
"I know, Kimberly. Why don't you and Trini see about gathering together some supplies like matches, and some containers of water, the first aid kit, stuff like that? You know, just in case."
"Okay. Do you think we can make it to shore?"
"We're going to try. Now, hurry it up and get that stuff, alright? And Trini, try the radio, see if you can call the Coast Guard with our position. They could come and look for the others." Jason wanted to slap himself for not thinking of that sooner.
Kimberly didn't reply, but turned with Trini to duck below-decks and start gathering what they might need. She found some waterproof matches, and put one packet in her pocket, and the rest inside the picnic basket, which she'd emptied of non-essentials to make room for the things Jason had requested.
"Mayday! Mayday! Can anyone hear me?" Trini's voice filled the small compartment as she attempted to reach help on the radio. Shrill whistling static was the only reply to her calls. "There must be something in this storm that's blocking our transmissions," she told Kim anxiously.
"Great," Kim muttered disgustedly. "So we can't send anyone back for Tommy and Billy," she muttered.
"Kim, they'll be okay ..." Trini started to say, then a shocked expression crossed her features.
"I can't believe I didn't think of this! Zordon! We can call Zordon and ask him to scan for them. It may be sort of outside the rules, but Tommy and Billy's lives depend on it!" Trini reached for her communicator. "Zordon, Alpha, can you read me?" There was no answer, not even the soft sound of static.
"Zordon, can you hear me?" Kimberly tried her communicator with a similar lack of success.
"They must have been damaged by the water," Trini sighed.
"Well, then maybe we can morph and teleport back? Then have Zordon look for them?" Kim suggested.
"That may work," Trini said thoughtfully.
"Come on, girls, we're getting closer. Are you ready?" Zack's voice interrupted their discussion.
"Coming," Kimberly replied, tossing the bag containing their morphers into the basket. They had all removed the devices early in the day so they wouldn't be lost.
The two girls climbed quickly back onto the deck, and immediately saw that they were close to an island, the biggest one it appeared. The ocean had become even rougher, and their boat was being buffeted by the high waves.
"Did you get everything? Were you able to reach anyone?" Jason asked urgently as he fought the wheel for control of the boat.
"Yes, and no," Trini replied. "We got all the supplies we could, but the radio couldn't cut through some interference. And our communicators are fried by the water."
"Oh, man, that's bad. You got our morphers?"
"Safe in the basket," Kim told him.
"Well, at least there's that. Make sure it's secure, and find a safe place to sit where you can hang on. This is going to be rough."
PR*PR
Jack Scott stood on the dock staring out at the rapidly approaching storm clouds. The ocean was already more turbulent than normal, and boats were obviously hurrying back trying to beat the storm. He strode quickly over to the small building that housed "Captain John's Boat Rentals".
"Excuse me, but are you John?" he asked the overweight man behind the counter.
"Nah, I'm Jonah. There isn't any 'John'. But I figured no one would really want to rent from 'Captain Jonah', given the Biblical connection and all," he said, bursting into infectious laughter at his joke. Jack couldn't help but grin; it really was kind of funny. "What can I do for you, Lieutenant?"
"You rented a boat to a group of teenagers earlier today?"
"Yep. Nice group of kids, too. Very polite. They should be getting back soon. I told them to skedaddle back here if the weather turned. One of 'em yours?"
"Yes. Have they radioed in perhaps?"
"No, not a peep. I'm not real worried yet. I mean, this storm wasn't even predicted, you know? But, let me see if I can raise 'em. Hold on." The big man lumbered back toward the radio setup and threw a few switches.
"Base to Mermaid Four, come in, Mermaid Four. Mermaid Four, do you read?" The strident whine of static was easily heard outside the small structure. Jonah hurried back to the front window, scratching his head.
"I couldn't reach 'em. Sounds like the radio's dead. I'm gonna put in a call to the Coast Guard, tell 'em to be on the lookout. The kids, they were heading toward the islands, right? Well, if they get into too much trouble they can always go ashore there. I can't imagine there's too much to worry about."
PR*PR
Tommy fought the high waves, riding them out as best he could, trying to get his bearings. He knew that they had been somewhat close to one of the islands, so he figured it would be easy enough to swim ashore once he sighted it. After what seemed an age, he finally located land, and with a sigh of relief he started swimming.
He had stopped again to check his direction when he thought he heard a strange sound. He stayed as still as he could, concentrating on listening, but it wasn't repeated, so he reluctantly started swimming again. Only moments later he thought he heard it again.
Once more he stopped, listening, waiting to see if the sound repeated. He was about to give up when the faint noise reached him again.
"... help ..."
It sounded so far, so faint, he wasn't even sure where exactly it came from. But his suspicion that it was Billy he was hearing made him determined to try.
.
"Hello! Billy? Is that you?" he shouted as loudly as he could.
"hello? help!"
Tommy finally got a fix on the direction. "Hang on, Buddy! I'm coming!" he yelled, swimming with strong strokes toward where he'd heard the voice. A few minutes later he stopped again.
"Billy! Are you there?" he called out.
"Yes! Tommy, I'm here!" Billy's voice was much nearer, telling Tommy that his teammate was swimming toward him.
"Okay, keep shouting, we're getting close!"
The two teens kept calling out to each other regularly, until finally Tommy could see the Blue Ranger bobbing in the water a few feet ahead. He stalled, studying the smaller teen, trying to determine if it was safe to approach him. Tommy knew it could be dangerous to come within reach of a panicked person in the water, and the Green Ranger had heard the fear in his Blue teammate's tone of voice, could see the other teen's ragged respiration - much harsher than could be explained by hard swimming.
"Billy, it's okay, man. Are you hurt?"
"N-No. I'm o-okay."
"What's wrong? You seem kind of shook up," Tommy asked calmly, still staying out of Billy's reach, though he could see his teammate was starting to settle down. Given the fact they were both being constantly doused by the waves it was hard to be certain, but he suspected the other teen had been crying.
"I didn't know which way to go," the light-haired teen confessed, his terror suddenly very evident in his voice.
"You didn't ... oh, your glasses are gone," Tommy said, feeling a little foolish for not having noticed sooner.
"Yeah. And with the mist ... and no light ..."
"You are effectively blind," Tommy concluded. "Okay. Well, I can see the island, so just stick with me, all right?" He spoke soothingly; doing everything he could to reassure his teammate.
"O-okay." Billy reached out and managed to grab Tommy's shoulder, surprising the other teen with the strength of his grip. It was obvious the Blue Ranger wasn't over his fright yet.
"You're okay, Billy. I won't wander off and forget you, man. I promise. But you can't hold on to me. Just swim beside me. We are quite a ways off shore, so we need to get moving while we're still strong enough to swim. Okay?"
"Okay."
PR*PR
Jason honestly thought they were going to make it ashore, right up until the time they hit the reef and tore a gaping hole in the bottom of the boat. The sudden influx of water threw the craft off balance, and it tipped to its side, spilling almost everything on deck into the water, Trini and Zack included. Jason and Kimberly kept their grip, but just barely.
"Kim, grab the stuff you gathered, and let's go. This boat's had it!"
"Jason! The basket's gone!" Kim was looking frantically over the side.
"Then forget it! We have to get off of here," Jason grabbed her arm to get her attention. "We need to be away from the boat before it goes down, so it doesn't suck us down with it. Now come on. Let's try to stay together, and we'll find Zack and Trini. Come on!"
The two teens leapt from the damaged vessel just moments before it began its inexorable descent to the depths. They swam as quickly as they could away from its battered hulk, scanning the turbulent waters for their two friends.
"Jason, the boat was moving forward before we jumped, right?" At his nod she continued. "So they should be behind us, right?"
"Yeah. Come on, let's backtrack." He stopped and took in a deep breath. "Zack! Trini! Are you there?" His voice rang out strongly over the water.
"Jason? Where are you?" It was Trini's usually soft voice, raised in a shout, and fairly close from the sound.
"Trini? Stay where you are, we're coming. Is Zack with you?"
"Yes. But he's hurt. Hurry, please!"
"We're coming. Just hang on!"
Jason and Kimberly struck out toward the sound of Trini's voice, swimming powerfully against the waves. It wasn't long before they saw their two friends bobbing in the water, the Asian obviously holding on to Zack.
"Oh, thank God you're here. I couldn't swim and hold him above water, the waves are too high," Trini explained as Kimberly took a quick look at the unconscious boy.
"He hit his head somehow. See, here," she reported, indicating a slightly discolored bump high on his forehead.
"Okay, well, we can't do anything for him here. Let's start to shore. Put him on his back, and I'll grab under one arm, one of you take the other, and we'll get him to land. Okay?" Jason steadied the limp body with a sure grip, treading water while the girls swam to Zack's other side.
"Got it," Trini said, feeling steadier now that her teammates were there.
They quickly positioned Zack and started toward land. They traded positions periodically to let each of them rest a bit from the strain of dragging Zack along. Though their unconscious friend hampered their progress, the shore was thankfully getting closer. Still, it took far longer than they would have expected it to; they hadn't been that far offshore when the boat went under.
"Just a little further, guys," Jason gasped out encouragingly.
"Thank goodness, I'm worn out. Jason, we're going to have to find somewhere dry, and try to start a fire. Even though it's not very cold, Zack could be developing hypothermia. We'll be okay since we're moving, but he isn't," Kimberly told him.
"Well, finding somewhere dry could be a problem," Jason noted. The rain the clouds had foretold had arrived full force a half hour before.
"There should be a cave, or even an overhang, to protect us a little. I hope so, for Zack's sake."
Fifteen minutes later they were finally close enough to touch bottom, and they hurried onto the sandy beach, just grateful to be out of the water.
The beach was quite wide, sloping upward to a high, steep bluff that extended in both directions as far as the Rangers could see. Roots and shrubs protruded from the sheer surface, which was about 50 feet high at its lowest point.
"Let's get to the bluff, start looking for a cave or something. Jason, can you carry Zack okay?" Kim asked.
"No problem," Jason said gamely, shrugging off his own exhaustion and carefully picking up the Black Ranger in a fireman's carry. "Lead on."
The two girls applied themselves to exploring the base of the rise, seeking any spot that would provide some protection from the driving rain.
"Here! Guys, this should do," Kim called out from her position kneeling below some bushes growing out of the bluff's face. "It'll be a squeeze getting in, but it looks like it's big enough for all four of us, and dry, too."
It took all three of them working together to get Zack's limp form through the small opening, but once inside they did have plenty of room, even if they couldn't stand upright. It was dry, and oddly warm inside.
"Good find, Kim. I wonder if we could risk a fire, just to give us more light? If we could find something to burn, and some way to start it, that is," Jason trailed off, a bit embarrassed.
"If you can find some twigs and stuff like that to start it which isn't wet, we can have a fire. I put a packet of the waterproof matches in my pocket. They're still with me," Kim said from where she was trying to make Zack comfortable.
"Great! Come on, Trini, let's see if we can find something."
The two teens searched the dark cave thoroughly, going mostly by feel in the nearly complete darkness. Slowly they gathered enough dry fuel to start a fire, and keep it going at least long enough to allow them to find more things to burn. Kimberly pulled out the matches, and shook one out of the special holder. It took a couple of tries, but finally she managed to get one lit, and the fire started. After a tense couple of minutes, during which it looked like the flame wouldn't take, they had a cheerful blaze.
Trini and Jason took advantage of the light provided by the glow to stockpile broken roots and dead brush, while Kimberly more thoroughly examined Zack. She found his skin was cold to the touch, and his breathing shallow.
"Jason, help me move him closer to the fire, okay? He's too cold."
The two of them shifted Zack as close as possible to the blaze, and Kim started removing his soaked clothing. Leaving only his briefs on, she then directed Jason to help her in massaging the unconscious teen to try to stimulate the blood flow and warm him.
"Trini, could you wring out his clothes, and maybe find a way to drape them near the fire? We can't put him back in cold, wet things. Stop for a minute, Jase, and let's see how he's doing without our massaging him."
They sat back and watched Zack closely to see if he showed any signs of waking up. He remained unconscious, but his skin was warmer to the touch, and his respiration seemed normal. Meanwhile Trini uprooted a couple of large bushes and set them near the fire, draping the Black Ranger's clothes over them.
"Looks like we're in as good a shape as possible under the circumstances. I think before it gets completely dark outside I'm going to see if I can find some more dry wood. Other than that, all we can do is wait out the storm," Jason said at last.
"Yeah, I guess we're pretty much okay, for now," Kim agreed, turning suddenly tearful eyes toward the entrance to their shelter. "But what about Billy and Tommy? I wonder how they're doing?"
Her only answer was the muted roar of the surf as it pounded the beach below.
PR*PR
Jonah, proprietor of "Captain John's Boat Rentals" was getting concerned about the kids in Mermaid Four. The Coast Guard had headed out toward the islands, but had been turned back by the sheer ferocity of the storm. And they had not spotted the missing boat. Jonah had put out a general call to any and all boats still out to look for his rental, but no one had seen it, and by all accounts the tempest was vicious.
"Well, Lieutenant, if you are of a mind to start worrying, I guess now would be a good time. There's no sign of the kids, and things are bad out there. The Coast Guard can't get through. But, like I said, if they saw the storm they may have headed to shore rather than try to make it back."
"Did you get personal information on all of them? I'm looking for the phone numbers if you have them."
"Right here. Come on around and use my phone," the big man offered, indicating his back door.
"Thanks," Jack muttered, picking up the receiver. He started dialing, with a feeling of déjà vu.
"Here we go again," he murmured.
PR*PR
They'd been swimming for quite a while when Tommy declared a rest break. While he treaded water gently to keep afloat, he considered Billy's condition. The blond teen was much calmer, both in appearance and in behavior. Though winded by his exertions, as Tommy was, he seemed to be holding up very well.
"You okay?" the Green Ranger asked.
"Yeah. As long as you know where we're going, I'm fine," Billy replied with a slight smile.
"Let's catch our breath, and we can start out again."
"Yeah, we need to be careful about not stopping too long, Tommy. Even though the water is not terribly cold, we're still at risk for hypothermia."
"I didn't even consider that. Thanks, man. Then I guess we should get going again, huh?"
Soon they had established a rhythm. They'd swim until they were breathing heavily, then would rest until their respiration had settled down. The storm had intensified to the point that the two were fighting harder to keep moving in the direction Tommy wanted to go, and their rest breaks were coming more and more quickly. As the rain pelted down ferociously, and the wind whipped over the ocean's surface, the light mist thickened. This, combined with the fact it was now just past sunset, made it impossible to see more than a few feet ahead. Tommy however kept them unerringly on track.
"How do you know where we're going?" Billy asked breathlessly as they stopped yet again.
"I have an excellent sense of direction. Rain, snow, sleet, dark of night ... doesn't matter, I can find my way no matter what."
"I've heard of people having that sort of ability. I have to admit I'm glad you're one of them, since I've almost no sense of direction at all. You're quite certain we're heading the right way?"
"Yeah. A couple of years ago I had a science teacher who had his classes do all sorts of tests on themselves to see if any of us had perfect pitch, ESP, that sort of thing. I totally aced the directions tests. I could correctly identify which way I was going, no matter what the circumstances were. I'm very certain we're going in the right direction, Billy."
"Well, then, lead on."
Tommy smiled and struck out again, trying gamely to ignore his increasing exhaustion and fear. If they didn't reach land soon he knew there was a good chance they would die, possibly only a few hundred feet from land. He was determined that would not happen. The tall boy knew Billy was depending on him, and that thought fueled his determination. Keeping a weather eye on his companion, he continued to lead them toward the island he had spotted earlier.
Night had long since fallen, and visibility had decreased to mere inches, so Tommy was startled when his feet struck something solid. Scarcely daring to hope he stretched his legs downward and felt solid ground beneath is feet.
"Billy! We made it! I can touch bottom!" Excitement temporarily chased his fatigue away.
"I can't feel it," Billy complained, sounding on the raw edge of collapse.
"Here, come on, you'll be able to in a minute," Tommy encouraged him, grabbing Billy's arm and pulling him forward.
"Oh, thank God," the Blue Ranger moaned as his own feet made contact with the land.
Able to stand at long last, they staggered toward the beach, their weary bodies feeling leaden. Once clear of the water they collapsed, lying face down beside each other, breathing raggedly.
They might have spent the entire night right there if Billy hadn't roused them from their near-stupor.
"Tommy, we need to get up and off the beach," the blond's voice was hoarse with weariness.
"Why?" the Green Ranger moaned, not enthusiastic about the idea of having to move.
"We need to find some sort of shelter and get out of this rain. Come on." With that Billy struggled to his feet, staggering wildly until he ultimately fell. He forced himself to his feet again, this time managing to remain upright until he was again in control.
Tommy knew his teammate was right, and with another moan of displeasure he forced his reluctant body to stand up. The two teenagers made their unsteady way to the trees beyond the beach, holding on to each other for support. In the near perfect darkness they stumbled often, eliciting soft curses.
Once under the trees, they found they were marginally protected from the rain. Standing quietly, trying to get their bearings, they looked around, doing their best to discern what the dark shapes they could barely see were.
"What do you have in mind?" Tommy asked finally. He figured Billy had an idea of what kind of shelter they might find on this island.
"We need to find a thicker stand of trees, or bushes, which would provide more protection from the rain. Like maybe that," the Blue Ranger replied, leading his companion toward a dark shape on their left that was visible even to his bad eyes. Going by touch alone, Billy found a place where they could crawl underneath the thick clump of brush. To his hands the ground felt quite dry, and that was all they needed at the moment.
"We can crawl under there. Hopefully we'll be protected from the rain and won't encounter any unfriendly arachnids or other insects," he explained.
"Okay. I guess that's cool," Tommy agreed, not really enthused by the idea, but grateful for anything that would prevent them getting any more soaked.
"We should go ahead and take off our clothes and at least wring them out," Billy suggested quietly. "That would hasten their drying and decrease our loss of body heat."
Without comment Tommy stripped and wrung out all his clothing. Using his hands, he tried to dry his body as much as possible. Putting back on the damp clothing wasn't particularly pleasant, but at least it felt much better than it had when they were soaked. Billy had followed suit, grimacing as he pulled his shirt back over his head.
Dressed again, they two crawled under the bushes and lay down side by side, shifting a little to find a somewhat comfortable position in the cramped area.
Within minutes both boys were fast asleep.
PR*PR
Marjorie Scott looked around the now crowded office of "Captain John's Boat Rentals", doing a quick head count. All the kids' parents were here. The Taylors, the Kwans, Eileen Hart, and Eileen's boyfriend, Ronald Lawrence, were all talking quietly amongst themselves. Her husband, Jack, was having a quiet discussion with Wallace Cranston. Marjorie couldn't help the smile the sight of the two men together evoked. They were so utterly different in appearance! Wallace was slender to the point of outright skinniness, his thick glasses and conservative haircut making him look like the archetypical 1950's dad of numerous television sitcoms. Jack had the burly, solid build of a boxer, combined with the broad pleasant features that one associated with storybook illustrations of a turn-of-the-century country priest.
She turned her attention to the couple sitting alone, holding hands and looking out the window at the rain pelting down violently. They had briefly introduced themselves as James and Hannah Oliver.
Marjorie had met Tommy a few times, and from what she'd seen, liked the boy. He always greeted her politely, and the one time he had stayed for dinner he'd helped clear the table and load the dishwasher. To Marjorie's way of thinking, that told her that he'd been raised by parents who cared a great deal about him. Looking at the Olivers sitting alone, she was reminded of the time when the kids were all ten and had gotten trapped in a forest fire. That was the first time all the parents had met, and at first they had all isolated themselves, like the Olivers were now. That had gradually changed as the seemingly endless night wore on, and fear and worry had rendered them all absolutely equal. By the time the children had been rescued, the nine adults had become friends themselves.
Marjorie stood and approached the Olivers. "Hi, I'm Marjorie Scott, Jason's mom. I'm sorry to be meeting you under such circumstances, but I wanted to tell you how impressed I've been by Tommy's good manners," she said.
"Thank you." James' response was automatic.
"You just moved to Angel Grove, didn't you?" Marjorie asked, trying to draw them out a bit.
"A month ago. It seemed a good place to set up my practice," James replied woodenly, not really interested in making conversation. Marjorie was not deterred.
"You're an attorney, right?"
"Yes. And Hannah's a therapist." He squeezed his wife's hand as she finally turned her attention to the other woman.
"You all seem so calm. Like you've done this before," Hannah observed. Anything to get her mind off her son's whereabouts, and this stranger seemed nice and genuinely interested.
Marjorie sighed. "We have." She told the Olivers the story of the fire, and how the parents had all met for the first time.
"And you've all remained friends ever since?" Hannah asked, looking a little surprised.
"Well, the kids have all remained friends, too. That's probably helped a lot," Marjorie admitted with a smile.
"Who is everyone again?"
"The couple sitting in the corner, that's Clayton and Sheryl Taylor, Zack's parents. Beside them, under the window, that's Russell and Michelle Kwan, Trini's folks. Beside them is Ron Lawrence, Eileen Hart's boyfriend. That's her sitting beside him. She's Kim's mother. Kim's dad is in Arizona on business, but I think Eileen called him. That's my husband, Jack, in the dark T-shirt, talking to Wallace Cranston, Billy's dad."
"We've seen Jason several times, he and Tommy seem to get along great. He's a nice kid, too. Zack came over once, if I recall. And we met Kimberly and Trini last week when they came by to drop off Tommy's homework the day he stayed home sick. I don't believe we've ever met Billy. What's he look like?" James asked.
"Quiet kid with light hair and glasses. Like his dad, he's kind of easy to miss," Marjorie smiled.
"Don't think we've seen him. His dad is here alone?"
"Wallace's wife, Billy's mom, died seven years ago in a car accident."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," James said. He paused for a moment, considering. "All these kids have been friends since they were ten?"
"Mm-hmm. Well, actually, Jason and Zack have been friends since they were nine, I think. The girls met when Trini moved here when she was ten, then Jason met Billy, and somehow the whole group of them became fast friends."
"You realize that's pretty unusual for children that age to form close friendships that last that long? Frequently friendships wax and wane during those years, but you're telling me that the five kids have remained fast friends? That says a lot about them." Hannah Oliver looked impressed. "They share a lot of common interests?"
"Hmmm. Not really. Jason and Zack both do karate, and I think Trini does Kung Fu. Kim and Billy don't do any martial arts that I know of. Kim loves to shop, that girl can out-shop me any day. And she's seriously into gymnastics, competes regularly. Billy's a genius. I mean that quite literally. He has a lab in their garage where he spends a lot of time doing experiments."
Hannah looked thoughtful. "They must share some interests. A club or hobby?"
"Not that I'm aware of. They just like each other," Marjorie shrugged. She'd long since gotten used to the fact the five kids shared a close friendship that nothing could shake. It was a bit of a surprise to see how someone else reacted to it.
"Very unusual. I have to admit I was surprised when Tommy made friends so quickly. He's usually slow to get to know people. He's always been that way, ever since we adopted him," her expression was mildly challenging, as if daring the other woman to say anything about Tommy being adopted.
"I sensed he was a bit reserved, when I first met him. But he thawed quickly. Of course, around Jason and Zack very few kids can hold onto their shyness," Marjorie grinned.
Hannah and James couldn't help but smile back. "They are rather exuberant," Hannah agreed.
Jack and Wallace had wandered over to hear the last couple of comments.
"Around those two even Billy gets wound up," Wallace said with a quiet smile.
Jack snickered at that. "Somehow I think our boy has been a bad influence on yours," he laughed.
"Jason has been a wonderful influence on Billy," Wallace commented sincerely, with a smile for his friends.
"They've all been good for each other," Marjorie corrected. She made the introductions between her husband and Wallace and the Olivers. By the time she'd finished, the other couples had drifted over. Soon the whole group was talking together, effectively absorbing the Olivers into their circle of friendship.
PR*PR
Jason sat near the entrance to their small cavern, listening to the storm outside. The weather had not abated a bit, in fact it sounded worse than ever.
Zack had regained consciousness a couple of hours after they'd taken refuge. Though he complained of a pounding headache, he was coherent and responsive. Kim decided it would be okay to let him sleep, but that they needed to wake him up periodically to check for signs of problems. Hence the night watch. Kim and Trini were both sleeping the unmoving sleep of the utterly exhausted.
Essentially alone, the Red Ranger found his mind wandering back over the events of the day. Especially his actions since they first spotted the approaching storm front. He knew now that they should have stayed where they were and not tried to head home. But the storm had approached so fast! He had never seen a weather front move like that. If he'd only taken the time to observe it, he would have seen that there was no way they could make it back to the mainland in time. His impetuous decision had possibly cost two of his friends their lives.
Or so his mind kept insisting.
He buried his face in his hands, giving in to his feelings for a time. He had no idea how long he had been sitting that way when he was startled by a gentle touch on his shoulder. He looked up into the sympathetic eyes of Trini.
"Hey," he said in a rough whisper, "What're you doing up?"
"I got the feeling someone needed a friend." She sat down across from Jason and took one of his hands in hers.
"Oh, Trini, I blew it. We should never have left that island we were on when we saw the storm. If we'd stayed there we'd all be safe now. Instead, Billy and Tommy .." his voice trailed off, unable to finish the thought.
"Billy and Tommy may very well be okay. As for staying on the island, well, Jason, there were six of us looking at that storm, and not one of us disagreed with your decision. And you know full well all of us will voice our opinions if we think something is a bad idea. Yes, you're our leader, but you're not autocratic. We're not afraid to disagree with you. So in effect it was a group decision. As it turned out, not a great group decision, but a group one nonetheless. None of us had any idea the storm would, or could, hit that fast. Jason, you're not the only one to blame for this."
"Trini, I should've stopped to think it through. I'm the one who was supposed to know what he was doing."
"Jason, no. You may know how to operate the boat, but Billy and I have done research into weather conditions. We're the ones who should've realized the storm was moving extremely fast. Besides, guilt doesn't do us any good at this point. Applying that mental energy to figuring out how to get home again would be more productive." She leavened her comments with a gentle squeeze of his hand and a warm smile.
"Thanks Trini. But it's hard to think of anything else when Billy and Tommy may be dead because of my stupid decision," he said as his gaze once again returned to the small entrance to their cave.
"Jason, Billy is like a brother to you. And you told me you had an instant affinity for Tommy. Don't you think you'd sense it if they were dead? That you'd feel the emptiness where their friendship is supposed to be? Look inside yourself, Jason. Does it feel like they died? Does it?" Trini looked intently at her friend, willing him to feel what she felt.
Jason did as she requested. "No, it doesn't. It doesn't," he said at last, the despair in his eyes finally fading.
"I think somehow they made it. I don't know how, but I think they're still alive. And I'm going to hold onto that until it's proven otherwise. You should do the same," the Yellow Ranger said.
"Good advice," Jason replied absently, obviously still deep in thought. He focused finally on the serene countenance across from him. "Thank you, Trini. I feel better now."
"Better enough to sleep? I think it's my shift now."
Jason gave her a slightly sheepish look. "Not quite that much better. If you don't mind, I'd like to keep watch a while longer."
"We'll watch together."
PR*PR
Sheryl Taylor stared out the window at the rain-soaked darkness beyond. Somewhere out there her son and his friends were possibly struggling to survive against the raging storm, while she sat warm and comfortably dry in this small building. Her husband, Clayton, had run home to check on their two younger boys, who were staying with a neighbor.
She couldn't believe that they were all gathered together again to stand watch, waiting for word on their missing children. She remembered all too clearly the long hours of fear they had all endured when the kids were all ten. She wondered what the odds were they would have as successful an outcome as they had the last time. Earlier that evening they had all gathered around Jonah's small television to watch the news. They didn't have to wait for weather reports; this strange storm was the top story on all local stations. According to what the news reported, and what Jonah had heard over the radio, there were almost two dozen boats unaccounted for when the storm's fury hit the docks. The Coast Guard had done what they could, but sending out their own boats to search would only put more people at risk. Much to everyone's dismay, there was nothing that could be done for any of the missing except to watch and pray.
Sheryl had been doing that nonstop since Jack had called them to tell them what was happening.
PR*PR
Awareness seeped slowly into Tommy's mind, bringing considerable confusion. He couldn't figure out where he was, or why he felt so stiff, or where the lumpy pillow he was hugging came from. Gradually he began to shift around a little and was startled when the 'pillow' groaned at him.
"Wha..." he muttered, dragging his eyes open reluctantly. When he took his first look around, memory came back with a rush. The storm, being swept overboard, finding Billy, their long, arduous swim to shore, taking shelter beneath these thick bushes. That was no pillow in his arms, but his teammate, who was in the process of waking up, too. Tommy glanced down just as Billy glanced up. Without a word they quickly disentangled themselves and crawled out of their lair.
"I apologize profusely," Billy started, obviously embarrassed.
"I'm sorry," Tommy said simultaneously.
Both teens stopped and looked at each other uncomfortably.
"Look, we were both probably cold in our sleep and simply unconsciously sought out the nearest source of warmth," Tommy said at last.
"A valid hypothesis," Billy agreed, looking shyly at the taller teen.
"So," Tommy started, breaking the slightly uncomfortable silence. "Are you feeling okay? Up to exploring this island? Maybe we can find the others."
"I'm fine. I agree that would be a sensible course of action," the lighter- haired teen replied, still not looking directly at his teammate. "Do you have any ideas as to where we should start looking?"
"I was thinking we should go back to the shore and start working our way around the perimeter of the island. If they landed here, they are likely to stay close to the shore," Tommy said.
"Agreed."
The two of them backtracked to the shore, and stepped away from the marginal protection of the trees. It was still raining heavily, the slate gray clouds low and oppressive overhead, and within minutes the two teenagers were soaked to the skin again. They headed out, walking along the edge of the tree line so they could observe both the shore and the forest.
"Tommy, over there," Billy said, pointing to something inside the forest. "That lighter green blur. I can't tell from here, but they might be a species of bush that usually grows along lakes or streams. Perhaps there is a fresh water source."
"Let's go check it out."
The two teens quickly made their way to the stand of bushes Billy had pointed out, and were delighted to find a small stream of crystal clear water. Both dropped to their knees on the bank and began scooping the ice-cold water up in their hands and drinking eagerly.
Their thirst slaked for the moment, they decided to rest there for a while as the thick trees offered some protection from the rain.
"I don't understand how I could've been so thirsty when I've been thoroughly soaked almost all the time since yesterday afternoon," Tommy observed.
Billy shrugged. "One of the quirks of our bodies, always needing water. Or perhaps we both ingested a bit of salt water, which would aggravate the problem." It was obvious the Blue Ranger's thoughts were elsewhere.
"Something wrong, Billy?"
"No. I ... I just wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday. I really lost it out there," Billy said.
"You couldn't see, Billy. Anyone would be upset under the circumstances," Tommy said reassuringly.
"It wasn't just the not being able to see, though that was bad. It was also because I'm ichthyophobic."
"You're what-a-phobic?" Tommy asked neutrally.
"Ichthyophobic."
"Okay, I know that means you're afraid of something. Water?" Tommy guessed.
"Fear of water is aquaphobic. Ichthyophobia is the fear of ... fish," Billy's voice became almost inaudible, and he looked away from his companion in obvious embarrassment.
Tommy contemplated his teammate for a moment, then spoke softly.
"Cats."
"Pardon?" The blond teen looked at Tommy in confusion.
"I'm afraid of cats. Have been ever since I was a little kid. I was about six when a neighbor's cat went psycho on me when I was playing with it. It latched onto my arm and bit my hand. By the time I got it off of me my arm was a mass of scratches, and I had deep puncture wounds on my hand. It started swelling that afternoon, and I ended up going to the emergency room for treatment, including a tetanus shot. Man, I freaked whenever I saw a cat for months. My mom's a therapist, and she worked with me for a long time, until I was over most of my fear. But between you and me, I still avoid cats whenever I can. Let me tell you something, if we'd been trapped in a room full of cats, instead of an ocean full of fish, I would've been freaking completely. So, I understand how you must've felt," Tommy concluded, looking at the other boy sympathetically.
"I was bitten by a fish when I was very young, but since I wasn't really injured, no one knew about it. I finally got over the worst of it not too long ago," Billy paused, looking out over the ocean with a slightly bemused expression.
"What is it? How'd you get over it?" Tommy prompted him.
"It's kind of funny, really. You got over your fear with help from your mom. Me, I got over it thanks to one of Rita's monsters," he chuckled slightly.
Tommy looked at his teammate with a puzzled air, thinking over what he'd just said. His first reaction was that it wasn't funny in the least, but very sad. Then, considering further, he saw the irony in what had happened, how his quiet companion might have found it humorous in a strange sort of way.
"Think Rita should go into business as a therapist?" he asked with a laugh.
"Sure. Shock therapy," Billy joked back.
Tommy chuckled. "Oh, man, you know I wanted to go on this boat trip to get a little closer to you guys, you know, get to know you better. Somehow this is not quite what I had in mind."
"You don't feel like it's working?" Billy asked ironically.
"We spent the night in each other's arms. I really don't think we can get much closer," Tommy quipped back.
Billy's expression froze for a moment, and Tommy felt a sinking fear he'd offended his teammate. Then the smaller teen burst out in a hearty laugh.
"Good point. Though I hope you won't mind if we keep that our little secret?"
Tommy had to grin at that. "No problem, Bro. Come on, let's see if we can find the others."
The two friends headed back toward the shore, more at ease with each other than they'd ever been before.
PR*PR
Despite the persistent pain in his head, Zack insisted on getting up and going with the others to look for supplies outside. They had decided that they needed to gather as much wood as possible, even if it was wet. They could 'dry' it by the fire before burning it. The second consideration was locating a source of fresh water, and some way to carry or store it. He was currently searching the waterline with Trini in hopes that some of the supplies from the boat had washed ashore, like a pot or other type container.
"Whoa, check this out Trini! This'll help," he called out to his companion, as he picked up a slightly battered aluminum pot.
"Great. We can use it for cooking, too. How're you feeling, Zack?" she asked in concern as the Black Ranger leaned against a nearby log.
"I'm okay, just a killer headache. Have you found anything yet?"
"Not yet, but I think I'm about to," she replied, going past Zack and pulling a half buried plastic container out of the sand. "This'll help, too."
"Now if some food would only wash ashore," Zack said wistfully.
"I think that'd be too much to ask for, I'm afraid. But maybe we can find some plants that are edible. I could make a soup in your pot, even," she smiled at the injured boy, trying to cheer him up.
"Right. 'Strange, Possibly Edible, Plant Soup'. Could win a prize in the next county fair," Zack grinned. Trini smiled back, pleased to have caused the lighter mood.
There really was very little for the teens to be happy about. It was still raining, though not quite as hard as the night before, and the wind was still unusually strong. The cloud cover was low, visibility was virtually nil, and the heavy surf pounded the beach violently. Within minutes of leaving the cave both teens had been soaked to the skin, and the wind against their wet clothing was unpleasantly cold.
"Come on, let's go share our finds with the others. Hopefully they had some luck locating fresh water. And we need to make sure the fire is still going."
Zack sighed and pushed off the log he'd been leaning on. "Do you really think Billy and Tommy are okay?"
Trini had suspected that was part of what was troubling the Black Ranger.
"I don't know how 'okay' they might be, but I don't believe they're dead. Somehow, I think they survived. And that if they can, they'll be looking for us, as we're looking for them. Or will be once the other concerns are addressed."
"Minor concerns like fire, food, and water?" Zack asked with a grin.
"Yes. It seems Jason thinks those things are important," Trini smiled back.
"Leave it to our fearless leader to be concerned with our survival," Zack said with mock irritation. "When he could be worrying about something useful, like how I'm ever going to explain it to Angela if I'm not there to help her with her science project tomorrow. I promised her I'd give her a hand after school."
"Gee, Zack, I don't know about that. I mean, the old 'got shipwrecked on a deserted island in a storm' excuse is so overused."
"Have I ever told you that you have a truly wicked sense of humor?"
PR*PR
Daybreak in Angel Grove had brought no relief to the ten worried parents seated in the office of "Captain John's Boat Rentals." It was quite obvious that there could be no search and rescue operation sent out in these conditions. The howling wind and driving rain had created zero visibility conditions.
"Can't they even launch a boat to go directly to the islands?" Eileen Hart asked, her pale face drawn by the strain of the night of worry.
"It would be putting the rescuers in more danger than is acceptable. If they knew for certain where the kids are, it would be one thing. But they don't know. That's the problem with all the boats that are missing. There is no way to know for sure where they may be. And there's something downright strange about this storm," Jonah said wearily. He'd stayed up all night monitoring the radio and the lack of sleep was catching up with him.
"There must be something we can do," Sheryl Taylor said with a note of desperation in her voice.
"Until the weather breaks, all we can do is sit and wait and pray."
To Be Continued...
