A/N1 – The 2nd instalment in the Project Hexagon series and this takes the place of the Lightspeed Rescue episode "The Mighty Mega Battles". It started out as four separate chapters but I've spliced them together into a one shot.
Infinite Dreams
October 28 2000 – Aqua Base, Mariner Bay
The mess hall of the Aqua Base was buzzing as various members of staff caught up with each other over breakfast. Operation Lightspeed had been up and running for several months and every day was a constant struggle against Queen Banshera and her army of demons. The entire operation was run by Captain Mitchell, however, very few working in the Aqua Base were aware of his previous history with the Power Rangers.
Captain Mitchell was the former head of a government agency that specialised with the unusual and unexplained. He took over control of the Agency in January 1997 during the time of the Zeo Rangers. He replaced the corrupt leadership of Darius Harmon and spent the next few months clearing out supporters who were loyal to the former leader. A few months later Captain Mitchell initiated Project Turbo which in turn provided the powers and zords to the Turbo Rangers.
Behind the scenes it wasn't smooth running for the Captain. He was torn between the rangers and his usual duties as Agency head. Things came to a head early in 1998 when he was forced to step down as the leader of the ranger program. Just a few months later the Turbo Powers were destroyed and the Agency effectively collapsed. The actions of Doug Stewart, an employee of the Agency, allowed Divatox to destroy their headquarters in Angel Grove. It was the final straw for the government and they officially disbanded the Agency.
Free of his official duties, Mitchell was free to pursue the demons in Mariner Bay. He had big plans but he was limited by a lack of money to create a secure base, the Rescue Morphers and Zords. His saviours came in the shape of the INET Corporation and the substantial funding they gave his project. The McBride's offered their full support to Captain Mitchell and for a while things looked promising for Project Lightspeed.
Then Hexagon came onto the scene and everything had gone back to square one for Captain Mitchell as he was back under the influence of an outside body. He pushed back against Hexagon to try and keep his organisation autonomous but it was a battle he was always going to lose. The first decree of the new Hexagon Board of Directors was the creation of the Cyborg Rangers to replace the Lightspeed Rangers. Fortunately for Mitchell and his dream, the Cyborgs were a total failure which gave him back the advantage. He came to agreement with the Hexagon Directors, the terms of which were top secret even to the Rangers themselves.
The team in question were sitting around a table in the mess hall eating breakfast. There was Carter Grayson, a firefighter with FDMB and the red ranger, Chad Lee, blue ranger and an expert on marine wildlife, the yellow ranger Kelsey Winslow, a young extreme sport enthusiast and finally Joel Rawlings, an expert stunt pilot. The green ranger sat sullenly and poked at his breakfast, "Hey what's up with you?" Chad asked.
"I think I know", Kelsey smiled and glanced over to another table, "Miss Fairweather is having breakfast with a mystery man over there".
Chad and Carter looked behind the yellow ranger and saw Miss Fairweather talking with a sandy haired man in a blue shirt. The man was in his early twenties and looked to be in good shape, "He's certainly a handsome man", Carter teased the green ranger.
"Surely no one can compete with the charms of the Sky Cowboy", Chad chuckled.
"Knock it off guys", Joel groaned, "what does that guy have I don't?" he grumbled.
At that moment Miss Fairweather burst out laughing at a joke that her guest had told, "A good sense of humour to start off with", Kelsey snorted.
"Cute", Joel glared at the yellow ranger and stabbed his fork into his scrambled egg. "Hey Dana", Joel called out to the approaching pink ranger, "Any idea who that guy is with Miss Fairweather?"
Dana Mitchell placed her tray down on the table and took a seat next to Carter, "Never seen him before", the pink ranger shrugged. Dana was lying though, she knew exactly who was with Miss Fairweather. She was partially bound by various confidentially agreements but mostly she didn't want to open that can of worms with the others. She felt like she was working hard to prove that she wasn't on the team because of who her father was without having the extra burden of telling them she had worked with some former Power Rangers.
Over on the other side of the mess, Miss Fairweather's guest looked over to the ranger's table and shook his head, "Is that the one you told me about?" her guest asked.
"Sadly yes", Angela replied, "he can get a little jealous at time". The man looked over to the ranger's table and gave Joel a small wave, "Billy stop that, I do have to work with Joel still".
"Sorry Angela", Billy Cranston replied, "I couldn't resist". The original blue ranger had been chosen to closely monitor Lightspeed on behalf of Hexagon. It was Captain Mitchell who requested Billy's involvement and the original blue ranger didn't hesitate in accepting his offer. Captain Mitchell wanted someone who he trusted explicitly and Billy was his first choice.
Things had been steady for Billy since the establishment of Hexagon. Most of the projects the organisation was working on were based on his designs, in particular the morphers for the Wind Ninja Academy. He had a small hand in some of the designs for Lightspeed but purely as a consultant. Angela was good enough not to need a great deal of input from him, "I've completed the work on the Mega Battles like you asked", Billy continued, "you should be able to upload the new data to the Rescue Morphers in a matter of moments".
"You're a lifesaver Billy", Angela replied, "I just couldn't get the final phase to fully integrate with the morphing energy".
"You just needed to adjust the input", Billy said as he bit into a piece of toast, "the energy flow was too high so I adjusted it slightly".
"You make it sound so simple", Angela replied but Billy just nodded in response. Angela couldn't put her finger on it but something wasn't right with the original blue ranger. A couple of years ago Billy would've been much more excited about his work but the man in front of her looked worn out and jaded. "Alright Billy spill, what's going on?" she asked.
"Nothing", Billy responded rather nervously.
"You're a terrible liar William Cranston", Angela began, "now you've got five second to tell the truth".
Billy dropped his toast on a plate and sighed, "It's Trini", he said simply.
Angela could tell by the look in his eye that something bad had happened, "Say no more", she stood up and offered her hand to him, "you and me are going to talk about this. But first we need to get away from prying eyes". Billy reluctantly allowed himself to be hauled out of his chair and led out the mess, leaving behind a pouting green ranger and his unsympathic team-mates.
Mariner Bay Park
It didn't take Angela long to change into something that didn't scream secret research scientist. About ten minutes later she and Billy were in an unmarked jeep heading towards the center of Mariner Bay. Neither of them said a word throughout the journey but she could see that Billy was suffering. They arrived on the edge of the park and Angela shut down the car's engine, "I'm all ears", she said to the original blue ranger.
Billy didn't say anything for a few moments, "We broke up", he replied with a small voice.
"Oh Billy", Angela patted his knee in a comforting manner.
"It was earlier this year", Billy continued, "we should've been celebrating our five year anniversary but I kinda forget". He paused momentarily before adding, "She tried talking to me about some concerns but I didn't listen to her when it mattered".
Angela sighed, "I think I see where this is going", it wasn't the first time that Trini had been unhappy with the amount of work that Billy did. The couple often argued about it during the Turbo Ranger era. The last Angela heard Billy had been taking things a little easier but she hadn't really talked to Billy in over a year, other than technical emails.
"She warned me about this several times over the years but I just didn't listen", he sniffed, "and now it's too late".
"It's never too late", Angela began, "have you tried talking to her".
"She changed her cell number", Billy replied, "I even went to her parents place but they told me Trini moved away and they hadn't heard from her. I've tried everyone I can think of but she's just dropped off the grid completely".
Angela could only watch helplessly when Billy smacked his head against the headrest in frustration, "I'm sorry Billy, is there anything I can do to help?"
"I don't think so", Billy replied, "unless you have a worldwide search program to locate someone but then again that would be misappropriation of government property".
Looking back over the final few months of their relationship, it was obvious to Billy that Trini wasn't happy. She had never been fully sold on the idea of Hexagon, making her feelings known in dramatic fashion during the ill-fated meeting with the Space Rangers two years ago. She was trying to focus her attention on a business degree but Billy kept bringing his work home with him. Trini wanted a break from Ranger business but Billy wasn't giving her that opportunity.
Everything came to a head earlier in the year when Billy was working on some new designs. He had been at INET headquarters late into the night when he got a phone call from a frantic Jason. The original red ranger told him that Trini was going spare because Billy wasn't answering his phone. Billy immediately dropped what he was doing and rushed home but it was too late. The apartment was empty of everything that belonged to Trini and all that was left was a note telling him that it was over.
Since that day he had thrown himself even further into his work but nothing was helping. He had lost all motivation and now he was just working because he had no choice, "Perhaps you should take a break", Angela jolted Billy out of his thoughts, "recharge the batteries and maybe track down Trini".
"I've got so many projects on the go", Billy replied automatically.
"Do you even listen to yourself", Angela snapped, "this is exactly the reason that Trini left, you really need to work on your priorities". Billy stared at his fellow scientist with his mouth agape, "I'm sorry Billy, I shouldn't have snapped like that".
"No I think it's what I needed", Billy sighed, "you've given me a lot to think about". Angela smiled in response but the moment was ruined by the sound of explosions in the park. Angela looked in her mirror and saw Vypra and another of Banshera's demons.
"Billy get down", she cried and ducked down as low as she could. A large explosion rocked the jeep and smoke poured in through the open windows. Angela's head was pounding and she reached up and touched her forehead. She looked at her fingers and they were covered in blood was a cut to her head. She looked over and saw Billy slumped over in the passengers seat completely immobile. The fumes from the smoke were beginning to overwhelm her and she coughed desperately to clear her airways. She tried to reach her emergency communicator but the smoke soon overpowered her. The device fell into the footwell as Angela joined the original blue ranger in unconsciousness.
Billy wasn't sure how long he had been out but as he slowly regained consciousness, he felt the weight of someone leaning on his left shoulder. He briefly opened his eyes and saw a mass of black hair fanned out across his shoulder, chest and neck. He soon shut his eyes again when they were hit with thick black smoke that was pouring into the car. He quickly remembered that he was in Mariner Bay with Angela Fairweather for company. The original blue ranger briefly recalled getting hit with some kind of blast before blacking out.
The smoke in the cabin was making it difficult to breathe but Billy willed himself to stay awake this time. He moved his shoulder and gave Angela a nudge, "Angela, wake up", he said before breaking out into a coughing fit.
The scientist stirred slowly, "Billy", she asked in confusion, "what happened?"
"I'm not sure", he began, "I was hoping that you could tell me".
Angela coughed again and furrowed her eyebrows, "Bansherra", she choked, "or more accurately Infinitor". She explained that the team had faced a monster yesterday but they weren't able to finish him off, "That was the demon I must've seen in the rearview mirror", she finished her story.
Billy nodded, "You can fill me in more later but right now we need to get out of this car.
Angela agreed with the former blue ranger and grasped the door handle. She pushed hard against the door but try as she might, the driver's door refused to open, "It's no good, it's stuck".
"I'll try my side", Billy said and to his relief the door opened slightly but due to the warped frame, it wouldn't open all the way. "Hang on, I'm going to try and force it open", Billy freed his legs and leaned towards Angela. He gave the jammed door a couple of firm kicks and it flew open. He quickly scrambled out of the seat and into the open air.
The ground around the car was burning fiercely but it hadn't reached the car yet, "Give me your hand", he called out to Angela but before she could grasp it, Billy was knocked off his feet but another blast. He rolled away from the car as the explosion forced the passenger door closed again, "I really haven't missed this", he groaned before trying to open the door again but this time it wouldn't budge
"It's too late puny human", he heard a monsterous voice call out, "soon this world will belong to the demons".
Billy turned around and came face to face with a red bodied demon with blue shoulder pads and a couple of golden horns on his head. In his right arm was a large sword and in his left was a golden shield, "Infinitor I presume", Billy began, "trust me, I've faced more fearsome sights than you over the years".
"We'll see about that", the demon bellowed and charged towards the original blue ranger. Billy ducked underneath the sword and punched the demon in the stomach. A jolt of pain shot through his arm when it came in contact with the demons solid body, "What's the matter, too tough for you to handle?"
"Just a little out of practice", Billy grumbled and flipped out the way of another attack. He was trying to buy some time for the Lightspeed Rangers to arrive, surely they would've been alerted to the attack by now. He jabbed his foot into the knee of the demon, enabling him to put some distance between himself and his attacker. He looked over at the car and Angela was still inside, furiously banging her fists against the windows. Billy looked at the rear of the car and something was dripping out, "Gas?" he muttered to himself. The flames were getting closer to the growing damp patch on the ground.
Seeing there was no other choice, Billy reached behind his back and pulled something off his belt buckle. It was his Power Morpher but there was no coin sitting in the middle. He hadn't used his morpher since the final battle against Dark Specter. Initially it was in support of Trini, who had voluntarily given hers away to Hexagon. As the months drifted by he found that he didn't need to use it, there were no threats against the planet and even when the demons rose in Mariner Bay, Lightspeed Rescue were quickly on the case.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a solid gold coin, engraved with the image of a howling wolf, "Never thought I'd need this again", he sighed and slotted the coin into place. The best chance he had to rescue Angela was with his elemental ninja powers. A quick blast of water would give him just enough time to break into the car and save his friend.
He was just about to morph when a large yellow hummer screeched into the park with the Lightspeed Rangers on board. Immediately they crowded towards the burning vehicle, "I can handle this", Billy called out, his morpher still in hand, "you need to take care of that demon".
"You need to clear the area", Carter replied, "it's dangerous here".
"You don't say", Billy said sarcastically, "trust me, I know what I'm doing".
"That's our friend in there", Joel shouted, "we've got to help her".
Fully aware that he was running out of time, Billy's patience ran out, "Listen rookies, I've been doing this kind of thing for years", he snapped, "now if you'll excuse me", he thrust his morpher out in front of him, "It's morphin' time, Blue Ranger Power". In a flash of blue light Billy morphed for the first time in over two years, much to the surprise of the latest team.
"The original blue ranger", Chad gasped.
The only one not in a state of shock was Dana, "Come on, we need to stop that demon", the pink ranger called out to her team.
With the Lightspeed Rangers out of his way, Billy called on his mastery of water to douse some of the flames, "That should buy me a few seconds", he muttered before moving over to the driver's door. He pulled as hard as he could on the door but even with his ranger strength, the door still wouldn't budge, "Angela move away from the door", he bellowed and pulled his ninja sword off his back. With a couple of swift cuts, the door fell away and he reached inside. Angela wrapped an arm around Billy's neck as he slowly dragged her to safety.
"Wait a sec", she wheezed to Billy before turning to her rangers, "Chad, Joel, use code 861 on your morphers, it'll give you a power boost".
"You've already installed the Mega Battles?" Billy asked.
"You left some very detailed instructions", she gave the original blue ranger a weak smile. Suddenly her eyes widened as the fire finally reached the gas tank on the car and the park was rocked by an explosion. Instinctively Billy spun around and thrust both of his hands out in front of him. A torrent of water flew out of his hands and formed a protective wall around himself and Angela, preventing any of the flames and debris from hitting them.
When the worst of the blast had passed, Billy dropped to his knees and took a couple of deep breaths, "Man I'm out of shape", he wheezed and quickly powered down. The ninja powers were tied directly to his life force and generating a wall of water had taken a lot out of him. He crawled over to Angela and leaned against the side of the Rescue Rover.
"I can see what Trini sees in you", Angela smiled, her hair damp from the water, "if I wasn't already spoken for I might be interested".
Billy followed her gaze towards the Green Lightspeed Ranger, "I thought you said there was nothing going on between you two", he asked.
"There isn't", Angela chuckled, "yet".
Perhaps it was the adrenaline of his first ranger experience for a couple of years but Billy's only response was to burst out laughing. Angela looked at him in confusion before she too started laughing. There were missing the Lightspeed Rangers take care of Infinitor and the opportunity to see their creations working perfectly. With the new Mega Battles, the demon's alleged unbreakable shield was soon breached and he was defeated.
The Lightspeed Rangers looked around anxiously at the burning remains of the car. They had felt the explosion and the seen the wall of water but they didn't see what happened to Angela and the original blue ranger. They were slightly surprised to see the pair propped up against the Rescue Rover, laughing hysterically, "They look cosy", Kelsey said with a teasing tone.
"And he's also a Power Ranger", Chad added, leaving the insinuation hanging in the air.
Joel opened his mouth to retort but Dana beat him to the punch, "Knock it off guys", she began, "you don't know the whole story".
"And you do?" Carter asked and Dana shrugged in response, leaving four confused rangers in her wake.
"You two sound happy", the pink ranger called out to Billy and Angela.
"Near death experiences do that to you", Angela replied, "or maybe there were some toxic gases given off by the fire".
"Either way, we're really happy right now", Billy added.
"Well I'm pleased to hear that", Joel rolled his eyes, "perhaps you could explain how a government scientist and one of the original Power Rangers know each other so well".
Angela sighed, "That's a long and very complicated story, some of which I'm not even sure I'm allowed to share".
"Come on Miss F, if you're holding out on us then we'd like to know", Kelsey replied.
"It's not helpful to the team if you two are holding back something", Carter added.
"They're not the only one holding something back", Dana sighed and moved towards Billy and Angela.
"Dana?" Carter began, "don't tell me you're part of this as well".
"Sort of", she replied, "this isn't the place to have this discussion and I think my father will want to sit in on some of it". The others nodded and slowly bundled into the Rescue Rover before speeding away back to the Aqua Base. With the buzz of the battle behind them, Angela, Billy and Dana suddenly became extremely nervous as they had a long conversation ahead of them.
Aqua Base
The journey back to the Aqua Base had been extremely quiet. Joel kept glaring daggers in Billy's direction whilst at the same time trying to show concern for Miss Fairweather. Dana spent the ride staring idly out the window as the scenery flashed past. Carter, Chad and Kelsey didn't dare interrupt the silence, too fearful of the others reactions.
Upon arrival at the Aqua Base, Billy and Angela were checked out by the medical team. Other than some minor smoke inhalation they had a completely clean bill of health. They both quickly changed their clothes and met Captain Mitchell and the rangers in the Captain's office. It was a tight fit with seven of them, Captain Mitchell sat behind his desk and was flanked on either side by Carter, Chad, Joel and Kelsey. Billy, Angela and Dana leaned against the door and faced the others as the original blue ranger began to relay his ranger history.
He began with Zordon's call during his freshman year at High School and soon moved into the battles against Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa. He covered off his ninja powers which the Lightspeed Rangers had seen him use today and then the initial destruction of the Command Center and the power coins. After he lost his powers, he told them how he moved into the engineering side of the ranger business and the Zeo Powers. The final part of his solo narration was the attempts of Darius Harmon to usurp the rangers with his own designs, something which brought about the Colonel's downfall.
"I guess this is where I come in", Captain Mitchell began, "after Harmon was removed from office, I was chosen to take his place as head of the Agency. I guess the powers that be saw me as a relatively neutral figure without any major political ambitions".
"So you've work with other ranger teams before?" Carter asked.
"I have", Mitchell confirmed, "not really with the Zeo Rangers but the Agency wanted their own ranger team so I was charged with creating the Turbo Powers".
Angela picked up the story, "I had invented a program that could help out potential new rangers and that formed the basis of the Turbo Powers. Billy was my chief ranger consultant and helped me with the designs and final engineering".
"I remember that the Turbo Rangers disappeared one day", Kelsey clicked her fingers, "only for the Space Rangers to appeared shortly afterwards, so what happened there?"
Billy sighed, "The short answer is that the Power Chamber was destroyed by Astronema. The Megazords had already been destroyed during the final battle with Divatox". He paused briefly, "That was a tough learning experience".
"The Agency had invested a lot in the Turbo Rangers and with their powers gone, the government pulled the plug", Mitchell continued. "Without any obligations to anyone I decided to proceed with my lifelong ambition", he raised his hands to indicate the Aqua Base.
"That seems pretty clear", Carter said before looking over at Dana, "so what's your involvement in this?"
"Dad initiated a junior program at the Agency", the pink ranger began, "the goal was to secure the most promising assets from the new generation. I was only sixteen but I was comfortably the oldest one of the group so I was placed in charge". Dana wrung her hands together, "I got to know the Turbo Rangers through someone in the program. His name was Justin, he was the younger brother of the Blue Turbo Ranger and in short he was a genius".
"And had a major crush on you if I recall", Angela chuckled. Her comment brought a frown to Carter's face.
"He was only twelve at the time", Dana sighed, "plus he soon got over that and now I consider him one of my best friends. I would consider all of them friends if I'm honest, I worked on a part time basis at the local Youth Center and I got to know Cassie pretty well".
"Look at you on first name terms with celebrities", Kelsey smiled.
"I even helped them out one during Dark Specter's invasion", she winced as soon as the words came out and looked at her father, "I never told you that did I?"
"No you didn't", Captain Mitchell frowned, "I wondered where you went to that day", he took a deep breath, "but it's initiative like that that made me choose you as a ranger".
Dana breathed a sigh of relief, "I should try and contact them", she turned to Billy, "could you help me out there?"
"Unfortunately the Space Rangers aren't really on speaking terms with Hexagon", the original blue ranger sighed, "I'll see what I can do though".
"That's something else I don't understand", Joel begin, "that contract we had to sign when we first became rangers kept mentioning this Hexagon company".
"Hexagon is an organisation funded by private enterprises with the full backing of the US Government", Billy began, "it's aim is to provide support to any future ranger teams that may come into existence".
"Alright that's the corporate spiel", Joel replied, "but what does that all mean for us".
"I approached Hexagon to provide funding for the Rescue Morphers and Megazords", Captain Mitchell answered for Billy. "The contracts you signed gives you a lifelong stipend in the event of unemployment".
"A ranger bonus so to speak", Angela added.
"So what's the catch", Kelsey asked.
Captain Mitchell sighed, "They're lifelong contracts, essentially you're tied to Hexagon for as long as you have the morphers in your possession. After the conclusion of Lightspeed, they can use the contracts to bring you into missions as they see fit".
"Woah I'm not sure if I like the sound of this", Joel raised his hands, "I like being a ranger and all but I'd like to retire quietly after this is all over".
"And you should be able to", Captain Mitchell replied, "once more teams sign up to Hexagon, the chances of you getting a call up will reduce". The Lightspeed Rangers didn't look too convinced so Mitchell tried a different approach, "Look I know you're all young but how long do you think the career of an extreme sports competitor is?" he looked over at the yellow ranger, "or a stunt pilot and I know firsthand that you can't be a firefighter forever".
"So it's job security?" Carter tried to clarify.
Mitchell nodded, "You'll always be a ranger and the pay you receive from that should see you through any dark times that might occur". There was a quiet murmuring from the rangers, "Unless you've got any further questions, you're dismissed for the evening". As the group was shuffling towards the exit, Mitchell glanced at Billy, "Not you Billy, I'd like a private word please".
After the others had left Billy took a seat opposite Captain Mitchell, "I never properly thanked you for working on the Mega Battles", Captain Mitchell stated.
"Thank you", Billy replied, "but I'm sure you didn't ask me for a private word to say just that".
Mitchell smiled, "Still as sharp as ever", he paused before continuing, "I heard about Trini".
Billy sighed, "Jason you talk far too much", he shook his head, "yes we broke up".
"Actually I didn't know until you just told me", Mitchell leaned back in his chair, "ever since you arrived on the Aqua Base, you've had a haunted look on your face", he sighed, "it reminded me of someone".
Billy frowned, "Who?"
"Me", Captain Mitchell replied and pulled out a photo from his drawer, "this was taken not long after Dana was born". In the picture was a blonde haired woman with a young boy with dark blonde hair standing next to her. In the woman's arms was a baby, "That's my wife Alice and my son Ryan but do you notice something missing from the picture". Billy shook his head, "It's the picture of my family but I'm not in it".
"I just assumed you were taking the picture", Billy answered.
Captain Mitchell shook his head, "You remind me of a young version of me, you're focused so much on work that you forget about everything else". He stood up and began pacing around his desk, "Not long after that picture was taken, Alice was diagnosed with breast cancer. She hadn't been feeling well throughout her pregnancy but she was still young so no doctor even considered that she had cancer. By the time they found out it was too late and I was a widower before I reached thirty".
Billy was stunned for a moment before he was able to mutter, "I'm sorry".
"The service discharged me not long after that and pointed me in the direction of the Agency", Mitchell continued, "I was given a cover job as a fire fighter but working for them on the side. It was because of my connection to the Agency that I knew how to summon the demon that saved Ryan's life". Mitchell snorted, "The Agency was really interested in me after that and suddenly I was tied down for life".
"I don't know what to say", Billy replied after a few moments.
"Let me give you some advice", Captain Mitchell began, "you need to enjoy the little things in life. You had a good thing with Trini and you can get that back".
Billy shook his head, "I don't even know where to start looking, Trini's just completely dropped off the grid".
"That's because she's had some outside help", Mitchell smiled, "more like help from off world". Billy was about to say something, "No she hasn't left the planet but I do know that a lot of communication from Karovia has been received in the Great White North".
"Canada?" Billy asked, "but Trini doesn't know anyone in Canada".
"The perfect place to drop off the grid, completely out the reach of Hexagon", Mitchell answered.
Billy jumped out of his chair and shook the Captain's hand forcefully, "Thank you Bill", he smiled, "but why are you doing this?"
"Two reasons", Mitchell began, "I don't want you to repeat the same mistakes I did", he paused for a moment, "and I don't like the direction Hexagon is taking".
Billy frowned for a moment, "Then why didn't you share your concerns with the team".
"I could be wrong", Captain Mitchell replied, "and the team still need to stay united to defeat Bansheera". The Captain walked back around to his desk and sat down, "After this is all over I'm officially retiring to a nice warm Caribbean island". He paused for a moment, "I might be paranoid but something doesn't feel right about this new Board they've installed but I want the team to form their own opinion".
"The Board are still unhappy that the Galaxy Rangers have refused their offer", Billy sighed. "Thank you again for the information about Trini, you've given me a lot to think about", he crossed the floor towards the door.
As the door slid open Captain Mitchell called out, "Oh Billy", the original blue ranger turned around, "I hear that Toronto is nice this time of year", Billy smiled at the hidden message behind the Captain's words and smiled.
Billy raced as quickly as he could towards the garage when he bumped into Angela and the rangers, "Hey Angela, I need a favour", he began, "can you go to my hotel room and retrieve my suitcase. Keep it here at the Aqua Base until I ask for it and tell no one where you send it to".
"Yeah but why?" she asked.
"Personal reasons", he replied before turning towards the rangers, "sorry for running out like this but I've got a flight to catch. Oh and Joel", the green ranger looked in his direction, "don't give up". Before anyone could response he sprinted down the corridor. Fortunately everything that was important to him was on his laptop and that was in his hire car. His clothes and everything in his apartment could be replaced if he didn't come back. If he was quick then he could get a flight out of Mariner Bay airport to as close to Toronto as possible. He had to win his woman back and he wouldn't wait for one more day.
November 14 2000 – Toronto, Canada
Winter was beginning to bite in the city. Temperatures had dropped into the mid thirties and the heavy sky threatened area around Lake Ontario with snow. On the outskirts of the city center was an area known locally as the Artisan District. As the name implied many of the residents were artists or musicians but most just preferred to live an alternative lifestyle. The buildings in the district were run down and most were covered in graffiti, some of it was artistic the rest was vandalism.
It wasn't an area that tourists tended to visit, even most of the city's residents kept away. The unsavoury reputation didn't bother the young woman walking down the sidewalk. Her long black hair was mostly tucked inside a woollen hat but a few loose strains blew in the breeze. Her ears were littered with numerous piercing together with her heavy eye makeup usually kept people away. She was dressed in a long yellow coat which a pair of shiny leggings and warm winter boots.
The woman reached her front door and placed her shopping bag on the floor. She rummaged in her coat pocket and pulled out a set of keys. The dark haired woman pushed the door open and stepped inside. The apartment was tiny but surprisingly tidy. The front room and kitchen were combined into one room and there were a couple of doors that led to the bedroom and bathroom. The rest of the walls were filled with books and other assorted mementos.
Once the woman had finished putting her shopping away, she grabbed her laptop and collapsed onto her sofa. The computer looked a little more advanced than anything currently available. She loaded a program and waiting a few moments before her screen was filled with the image of two female brunettes, "Hey Trini", the one on the left side said.
"Hey Ash, Maya", Trini greeted the pair, "sorry I'm a little late but I nearly got into an argument with the cashier at the store".
"Did you solve it by growling at them", Maya began, "because you're looking very fierce today".
"Yeah I'm trying to blend in a little more", Trini fiddled with her ears and the majority of her jewellery came away, "most of these piercings are fakes", she placed them on table, "believe it or not most people in the Artisan District dress like this".
The trio began to catch up on the latest gossip since they had last spoken around three weeks ago. Trini had always had a good relationship with Ashley, even after the Yellow Space Ranger left the planet. Maya had joined their little group a few months ago, forming a yellow ranger support group. It was Ashley who had helped Trini start a new life in Toronto, offering her some money that she still had stored in an account on Earth.
"So how's the latest team getting on?" Maya asked the original yellow ranger.
Trini shrugged, "I'm not sure if I'm honest, I'm trying not to obsess over the rangers like I used to".
"Trini you can't run away forever", Ashley jumped in.
"I don't need to", she replied, "Hexagon has no influence north of the border. The Canadian Prime Minister even promised not to enter a treaty with the US".
"Don't you think you're being a little paranoid", Maya began, "I'm sure they weren't watching you all the time".
"Maybe not but it sure felt like it", Trini shook her head. After rejecting her power morpher she had tried to move away from the ranger business. She had enrolled in a law course but she always felt like someone was spying on her. She would often spot the same few people in the same spot every day. One more than one occasion she was sure that someone had followed her home.
She had voiced her concerns to Billy but he was too involved in his work to be useful. It all came to a head one day, her anniversary, when she confronted one of the mystery men a few blocks from her home. The man tried to grab her but obviously didn't realise that he was dealing with a former Power Ranger. One swift kick to the head later and he was down but Trini knew that it wouldn't end there.
The original yellow ranger had raced home and quickly gathered together as much stuff as she possibly could. In a panic she had contacted Ashley, even though she was millions of miles away. The Yellow Space Ranger directed her towards a storage locker in the city. Inside was an emergency teleporter and some spare money. Once Trini was out of Angel Grove she had bounced around a few cities, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Denver to name a few. She did this for a few weeks before deciding to leave the country and travelling to Canada.
"I just feel happier now that I'm out of America", Trini added before taking a deep breath, "So Maya, what's this I hear about you and a girl called Shula?"
"A girl?" Ashley asked, "I didn't know that you were that way inclined".
"You Terrans have such a hang up about sexuality", Maya sighed, "I just love people, gender doesn't come into it. That's how everyone on Mirinoi used to live". Before the conversation could continue, there was a knock at the door, "Were you expecting a visitor?" the Yellow Galaxy Ranger asked.
"No I wasn't", Trini frowned, "can you wait on the line, just in case".
"Not sure what we could do from the other side of the galaxy but sure", Ashley replied.
Cautiously Trini stood up from her sofa and grabbed a baseball bat that was propped up against her wall. She hid the object from view and slowly walked up to the door. She took a deep breath and grabbed the handle before pulling it wide open. She got the shock of her life and dropped the bat to the floor, "Billy, what are you doing here?"
"Just in the area", he smiled, "what's with the new look", he looked at the floor behind her, "and the bat".
Trini was lost for words that Billy was standing in her front room. She was pulled from her thoughts by Ashley's voice from her laptop, "Trini, you still there?"
"Is that Ashley?" Billy asked and leaned over the sofa, "is this a conference of yellow rangers?"
"Something like that", Maya smiled, "I can see that you've got everything in hand Trini so we're going to go", she paused before adding, "don't damage anything you two".
The former couple stood in silence for several moments, neither really sure what to say. Eventually Billy broke the uncomfortable silence, "I'm sorry", he said with a quiet voice.
Trini nodded in appreciation at the apology but she was going to make him work a little harder for forgiveness, "For what?"
"For not being an attentive boyfriend", he began, "I did some digging into Hexagon and I found out something". Trini hadn't registered that he was carrying his laptop bag until he began to unzip it. He pulled out a brown folder and handed it to Trini, "You were right, Hexagon were keeping tabs on you".
"Where did you get all of this?" she asked.
"It was my final act of defiance", he took a seat on the sofa, "Captain Mitchell told me roughly where to find you and that got me thinking so before I took a flight out here I searched through Hexagon's database and found this", he paused as Trini flicked through the information, "there was one on me as well, until I deleted everything including where you were". He saw Trini's eyes widen but he held up his hands, "They don't know exactly where you are, just that you're in the Toronto area".
"Have you read all of this", Trini pointed at a section in the notes, "target is to be reacquired at the earliest available opportunity. If target resists", she paused as she struggled to take in the next few words.
"What?" Bill asked.
"If target resists, you have the authority to terminate", she dropped the folder and collapsed onto the sofa next to Billy. She burst into tears and leaned her head against Billy's shoulder and he responded by gently placing an arm around her shoulder. She knew that someone was following her but Hexagon had effectively placed a hit out on her. "Why would Aimi and Xander do this?" she gasped between her sobs.
"I'm not sure they were even aware", Billy replied, "the memo only references the Board of Directors. They're completely separate from the CEO's office so I don't believe the McBride's knew about this".
Trini wiped her eyes, smudging her makeup, "Am I safe here?" she asked.
Billy nodded, "Unless the Canadian Government changes its stance towards Hexagon then we're safe".
"We?" Trini smiled.
"I'm a fugitive as well now", Billy sighed before looking her in the eyes, "and I was hoping we could try again". The original blue ranger awaited the response but to his surprise, Trini grabbed him by the back of the head and kissed him passionately, "So that's a yes then?"
"Of course it's a yes", she smiled, "but you can't become overly engrossed in your work".
"Don't worry Captain Mitchell gave me a stern talking to", he paused and wrung his hands together, "however I don't think I can let it all go just yet".
"Billy", Trini groaned.
"No wait here me out", Billy grabbed his laptop, "we can't allow Hexagon to get away with this, so I contacted an old friend and gave him this".
Trini's eyes scanned the images, "These look similar to.." she whispered, "and you gave them to him?"
"Hexagon are going to get the shock of their lives when they activate those morphers", Billy smiled.
"My devious genius", Trini kissed him again, "but why stop there".
"Hang on, a moment ago you asked me not to bury myself in the ranger business", Billy frowned.
"I'm a woman, I can change the rules as I go along", she smiled, "do you still have those other designs on your laptop?" Billy nodded, "Maybe it's time to start a little project of our own, one that can stand up to Hexagon if needed".
"Sounds like an excellent idea", he replied, "and I'll get on it once I've done this". He bent down and scooped Trini up off the sofa.
"Now this I could get use too", she ran her fingers through Billy's hair, "if you're going to stay with me in this area of Toronto, you're going to need to change your image".
"What did you have in mind?" Billy asked.
"I always thought you looked hot that time you were turned into a punk", she laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. Billy pushed the door to the bedroom open and kicked it shut. Hexagon would feel the wrath of the original blue and yellow rangers, even it took them years of their plans to become a reality.
A/N2 - So there we go, Billy and Trini are safely reunited in Canada and about to start a covert war against Hexagon. Despite it's short nature, I think it serves nicely as a recap of previous events as well as setting in motion the events of the rest of the series. It might turn into the most important story in the entire series...but time will tell.
Next up we move into Time Force and that story will be up in a couple of weeks. It's called "Futureal" and there a quick summary of event on my profile. As always keeps an eye out for it or set up an author alert.