CHAPTER TWO
JUSTIN
He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. It was highly possible that Justin was having another "episode." He suffered from extreme PTSD, agoraphobia, anxiety, and paranoia. Until Tommy had gotten kidnapped, Justin had refused to leave his house unless absolutely required. He usually only did that when his son, Jared, needed to go to the doctor. Justin still didn't know where Jared had come from. Although he couldn't recall engaging in any act that could have produced a child, he tested Jared's DNA and the results had proven he was his kid. That had been twelve years ago. Now, Jared was the one part of Justin's life that didn't suck.
"Something's wrong..." Justin said aloud. He began thinking of a thousand worst case scenarios. Stop. Breathe, he told himself. He took a deep breath. A little voice in the back of his head was screaming at him, Check on your team!
That wasn't easy. Justin had once been part of the Turbo team. Carlos had died the year before. Around the same time, Ashley had suffered a major head trauma. She had amnesia and couldn't remember anything about her time as a Power Ranger, or anything else really. She remembered her daughter, by some miracle, but that was pretty much it. Cassie had gone back in time with Lucas from the Time Force team to stop the last of Divatox, who'd sent a small part of herself into the 1980s right before Tanya killed the rest of her. Justin missed Cassie fiercely, but he knew her mission was important.
Then, there was TJ. Justin tried not to think about him. TJ had given his life in battle so that Cassie, Justin, and Doctor K could stop Venjix and save Tommy. He'd been brutally ripped apart in front of them. Justin had somehow kept fighting after Cassie told him to do it for TJ, but every day was a struggle now. He had worse nightmares than ever and had needed to increase his anxiety medication.
"Everyone's accounted for," Justin told himself. Carlos and TJ were dead, Cassie was in the past, and Ashley... "Ash is isolated..." Justin mumbled. She didn't interact with anyone anymore. What if...?
"Alpha, stay with Jared," Justin said. He was talking to Alpha Prime, who he'd helped rebuild. The original Alpha lived with him and Jared now.
"Is everything well, Justin?" Alpha Prime asked.
"That's what I need to find out. Please teleport me to Ashley's."
"Alone?"
"I'm being paranoid, but I want to check on her. I don't want to bring a crowd and freak her out. Ash is fragile since the amnesia."
"Very well. See you soon, Justin." Alpha sent him on his way.
Justin arrived at the big suburban house. The lawn was perfect and had a pretty garden inside of a white picket fence. Ashley's place seemed to come right out of a 1950's sitcom. Justin approached it cautiously. He tried to knock on the door, but it swung open. Justin tensed, knowing something was very wrong. He almost ran away.
TJ would check on her, he told himself. You have to do this. He cautiously stepped inside of the house. There were signs of a struggle. A table had been knocked over, scattering mail everywhere.
"Ash?" Justin called. "Ashley!" He walked through the house, searching for any signs of life. When he reached the kitchen, however, he found something else.
"Ash..." Justin whispered in horror. Her body lay motionless on the floor. There was blood on her face and neck, but the wound wasn't actively bleeding. Her cold, dead eyes stared at Justin vacantly.
Justin sank to the floor, his back against the cabinets. Ashley was dead. He knew that, but he couldn't make sense of it. He whimpered slightly as he pressed the panic button on his communicator. This would alert Alpha Prime, Alpha Six, and Sage that he needed immediate help.
The Green Mighty Morphin Legacy Ranger arrived almost immediately, teleporting to Justin's side. Sage was the daughter of the second Green Ranger on the original team, Casey, and the second Black Ranger, Adam. Her parents had remained Rangers until the Turbo team had changed to newer, younger Rangers so the original ones could retire and live their lives. Only Justin had stayed behind, still fairly new as a Ranger and very young. That was how he'd met TJ, Cassie, Carlos, and Ashley.
"Justin, what's going o-?" Sage began. Then, she seemed to sense something. She turned around and stared at Ashley's corpse. "Oh Gods..." Sage knelt beside Ashley, gently closing her eyes. Then, she touched Ashley's arm and seemed to focus. "The Bitch Witch..." Sage mumbled.
Sage walked toward Justin. "Justin... I'm sorry. I know she was your friend," she said gently. "Come with me."
"No... No, I... I can't leave her..." Justin mumbled.
"Justin, there's nothing you can do for her now. She's gone."
"No... I have to... To stay. I have to protect her... I'm the only one left with Cassie in the past... She needs me..."
Sage sighed. She put a gentle hand on Justin's back, kneeling beside him. "I promise I'll take care of her, Justin. No one else will hurt her now."
Justin nodded slowly. Then, realization dawned on him. "Her daughter, Sage! Where's Jodi?"
Sage looked at him sadly. "Felina was here. Do you remember who she is? She's the Eltarian Rebel from Stone Hollow, the sorceress who sided with Zell against the Stone Warriors. Felina killed Ashley, Justin... And she took Jodi to Zell."
"Why would she take Jodi?" Justin asked in horror. "She's just a little girl!" He knew entirely too well what monsters did to kids her age.
"I need you to try to stay with me, Justin... This isn't going to be easy to hear."
Justin forced himself to take a deep breath. "Okay," he said.
"I saw the truth when I touched Ashley... Zell used Jodi for a ritual. She's gone, Justin. Zell killed her."
Justin couldn't breathe. He curled up in a fetal position, shaking his head in denial. "Why?" He whispered. He knew there was more.
"Zell resurrected Katherine, Justin. My aunt is back."
The panic attack was too strong now. Katherine, the girl who'd taken advantage of him as a scared, lonely little boy and done things with him no kid should be doing was back. Kat was probably the main reason Justin couldn't function like other people now. She was his biggest fear, the monster who hid behind an angelic face and accent.
"Breathe, Justin," Sage said patiently. She was trying to soothe him, and her voice guided him out of his thoughts. "You're safe. We're going to protect you." Sage was one of the few people who knew the truth about what Kat had done to him.
Justin nodded numbly. "Where is Jodi's...?" He couldn't say "body."
"The Alchemist has her. I'll do what I can to get her back," Sage promised.
Justin nodded again. "She should be with her mom..." Tears began to slide down his cheeks.
Sage pulled him into a tight hug. "We'll make them pay for this," she vowed. Justin allowed himself to cry until his body began to calm down. Only then did Sage manage to coax him to go with her and leave the house and the horror hidden inside behind.
MICKY
He had slept on the beach, which he found a lot more peaceful than sleeping in alleys. Micky Delaney figured life on the street was better than having to face foster care or possibly jail. After all, he had technically killed his parents.
It was an accident, Micky reminded himself. His mother and step-father had been trying to sacrifice his neighbor, a ten-year-old girl, to earn favor in their business endeavors. Micky had decided he couldn't let them hurt her. He'd given in to his rage and, as he liked to put it, Hulked Out. Micky's super strength was his most dominant super power, but he disliked using it. He worked very hard to keep his temper in check. That day, three months ago, he'd killed his step-father with one hard hit to the chest. His mother had tried to attack him, and Micky refused to hit her. He'd been horrified by the first death and didn't want another on his hands. The demon his parents had tried and now failed to appease demanded her life as payment and killed her himself. Micky had patched up his neighbor's injuries, taken her home, and then run. He had nothing but the clothes on his back and some serious survival skills.
He spotted something in the sand nearby. Curious, he investigated. "What the hell?" Micky asked aloud. "This thing again? How does it keep popping up on me?"
Micky liked the white saber. It had a head like a tiger, and he was unusually drawn to it, but it was probably valuable, so he'd left it where he'd found it the first time. Now, here it was again. He shrugged and picked it up.
"Hello, Micky," the saber said.
Micky let out an undignified cry of shock and dropped the saber. It let out a sound of protest. "Is that how you greet a new friend?" It demanded indignantly.
Can a saber be indignant? Micky wondered. "How are you talking ? Oh, man, I've officially lost it... " He mumbled.
"No, you haven't," the saber said. "My name is Saba, Micky... And I have been searching for you."
"No offense, but how does a saber search for someone?" Micky asked skeptically. "And why?"
"I am a sentient being, Micky. The one I belonged to before turned against all that I stand for, and I had to leave her..." Saba sounded sad. Micky felt bad for him, but shook his head. Sabers didn't have emotions... Did they?
"So you searched for a new owner. Okay, I'll bite. Why me?"
"Your heart is pure. You cannot be tainted... Just like your father."
"My father's evil... And dead."
"Your biological father, Micky... I am certain you belong to a very dear friend of mine. He does not know this yet, but you look so much like him... Either you belong to him or to his brother, but I sense the blood of a Power Ranger inside of you."
"A Power Ranger? Are you serious?"
"Yes... Please allow me to guide you to your family, Micky. Your destiny lies in Angel Grove."
Micky looked at his surroundings. He loved the beach, but maybe going somewhere and starting over wouldn't be such a bad idea. It might be nice not to have to look over his shoulder constantly. Angel Grove was only a couple of hours away by car, although walking would certainly take longer. As an athlete, Micky was in incredible shape physically. He could handle the journey, and it wasn't like he had anything better to do anyway. "Okay," he said with a shrug. "Why not?"
BILLY
It was certainly troubling and problematic that Katherine was back from the dead, but he was trying not to focus on that. Instead, Billy watched as Kimberly stood in the kitchen cooking. He had tried telling her to let him handle things like that while she carried their baby, but Kimberly insisted cooking made her happy. Billy knew that was true, so he'd eventually stopped protesting. He walked toward her now and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
Kimberly sighed peacefully as she shifted her neck so Billy could rest his head on her shoulders while he held her as she continued cooking.
"You two are the absolute cutest thing!" Ziggy proclaimed from the door that led to the kitchen. "K, will you hold me like that the next time I cook?"
Doctor K, also known as Kristina, shook her head. "That is highly unlikely," she replied. Ziggy and K were dating , although K usually refused to call it that. During the training leading up to the battle to save Tommy, Billy had realized that K was his daughter. She'd been conceived while Billy was being held hostage by her mother, the evil demigoddess Merkhet. Although Merkhet had told Billy she murdered their daughter, K had actually been sent to an alternative realm and ended up in a government think tank. Ultimately, K had grown up to mentor the RPM Rangers, all of whom were older than her. When Venjix had been brought into the realm Billy existed in, K and her Rangers had come to help. After it was revealed that Billy was K's father, she'd chosen to stay so they could get to know each other. That meant Ziggy had come along as part of the deal. So had everyone from the team who'd survived the battle except for Scott, who'd had to go back to Corinth.
Ziggy didn't let K's response dim his cheerful attitude. "I can make dinner tonight if you want, Kim," he offered. "I'm thinking we could all use a nice four-course meal."
"Are you trying to make me gain weight?" Kenny joked as he joined them. Kenny was an accomplished gymnast just like his mother had been. Although his creep of a father, Mark, and his former coach had often forced him to train around the clock, refusing to even let him eat half the time, Kenny had a decent appetite these days and did his best to remember to eat regularly. Kimberly had finally left Mark after finding out that, in addition to hitting her, he'd put his hands on Kenny. Merkhet had turned Mark into the minotaur monster Achilles. He'd nearly killed Kenny and Kimberly, but Billy had cut off his head. Not only had that solved the problem, but in finally being able to save Kimberly from Mark, Billy had somehow saved himself. That was when he'd finally begun to heal from everything Merkhet had done to him in the three years she'd had him. With one swift swing of a sword, Billy had broken the last of her mind control and programming.
"Hey, sweetheart!" Kimberly cheerfully greeted her son. She pulled him into a hug.
"Where's Josh today?" Billy asked, realizing his son was the only person missing.
"Tunnel visioning over some kind of science," Kenny said with a laugh. "I know better than to ask for details when he starts speaking Genius."
"Same here!" Ziggy said with a laugh of his own as he looked at K.
"I'll go check on him," Billy decided aloud. He gave Kimberly a quick kiss and headed upstairs. He knocked on Josh's door lightly.
"Come in," Josh called.
Billy walked into his son's room. Josh quickly shoved whatever he was looking at into his desk. "Hey, Dad," he said awkwardly.
"Josh... What's going on?" Billy asked.
"Nothing... Just research."
"Remember when we agreed to be completely open with each other? Try again, Josh. I know something's bothering you."
Josh sighed. "Dad... I can't this time."
Billy frowned. "Whatever's going on, it's obvious you need someone to talk to."
"I've been talking to K."
Billy was surprised by this. Sure, he'd been thrilled to see that Josh and K were getting along, but Josh treated her more like a fellow intellectual than a sister. At best, they were friends, and that was enough. Josh didn't handle change well, and considering how K had been conceived, Billy had been concerned his son would never let her in at all. "So, it's really a scientific issue then?" Billy asked.
"Technically."
"Okay. I just don't understand why you feel like you have to hide that from me."
Josh sighed. "It's complicated, Dad." His eyes shot to his bed and Billy followed them. That was when he saw something he recognized.
"Josh... Is that one of your mother's journals?" Billy asked in shock.
Josh nodded. "I found it in one of the boxes from when we moved out of Tommy's house."
"That's not possible... We lost all of her belongings when the house was destroyed."
"I know... But it's her handwriting, Dad." Josh showed him the book.
Billy examined it with slightly trembling hands. The handwriting did indeed belong to his deceased first wife, Marilyn. The journal matched the kind she loved to use. The words, however, were unfamiliar. "I've never seen this journal before, Josh... Which means it wasn't in my possession after we lost her."
"So how did it find its way into this house? I accidentally came across it last night."
"That is quite an appropriate question..." Billy frowned, flipping through the pages carefully, desperate to preserve this single relic of the wife he'd lost entirely too soon. He loved Kimberly with all of his heart, but Marilyn held a special piece of him no one else would ever touch. He still missed her terribly.
He came across a section of the notebook that was clearly written in code. Billy stared at the pages, wondering why she had felt the need to encode part of her journal. "I couldn't crack it," Josh said with a frown. "I tried, but it's not any code I know. I spent most of the night working on it."
"Your mother created codes as part of her job," Billy said. "I don't know this one, but if we take some time, I'm certain we can crack it and figure out what she wrote." He paused. "Wait... This part... I don't understand it, but I recognize that it's Eltarian."
Josh tensed. "Dad... I have to tell you something," he said softly. "And it's going to upset you." Josh stared at the floor looking guilty.
Billy braced himself. "You can tell me anything, Josh. What is it?"
"You weren't crazy, Dad... You were right. Someone murdered Mom."
Billy stared at his son in shock. "Josh..." He sighed. He'd become obsessed with solving the mystery of Marilyn's death after she was gone. Most of his friends had tried to steer him away from the subject, convinced he was simply going insane from his grief. Only Kimberly had listened to him ramble for years after the fact, staying by his side and helping him with Josh. It had taken a very long time for Billy to accept that they might be right. Sometimes, people simply died.
"I have proof, Dad... I found Mom's medical records in your safe, and I had K help me analyze them. The illness that killed Mom was Eltarian in origin. K even had Lady Eleanor verify it."
Billy took a deep breath. "Josh, your mother's records weren't in the safe. They were destroyed with the rest of the house."
"Like that journal was destroyed? Dad, something is obviously going on. Someone must have hidden this stuff."
"Then why give it back now?"
"I have no idea... But it's here. Look at the records, Dad." He pulled them out of the drawer he'd shoved closed earlier.
Billy looked at the records. He felt his grief all over again as he recognized the very papers he had obsessively gone over time and time again after Marilyn died. "This is the record," he confirmed. He shook off the grief the best he could and looked at Josh. "I agree that something strange is going on. I'll help you look into it. We need to be careful. Whoever is sending you these things may have ulterior motives."
Josh nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, Dad. K and I agreed it was best not to upset you until we knew for sure that something sinister was going on."
"I understand... Just don't keep me in the dark any longer. I can help you with this."
"Do you think Kimberly will be upset by this?"
"No. Kim always believed me, Josh. She'll want us to figure this out." Billy sighed. "Come downstairs. Kimberly made lunch."
Nothing else was said as Billy struggled with a thousand different thoughts racing through his head.
MORA
She had been drawing up a storm in preparation for war. Mora liked to draw monsters, and her powers brought them to life, but Zell could be a little demanding when it came to how many she was supposed to create at once. She'd told her last boss that art couldn't be rushed, but she was afraid to say that to Zell. He was more terrifying and a billion times more powerful than Emperor Gruumm had been. Mora preferred to stay on his good side.
"Shall we try a test run, Great Zell?" Mora asked nervously.
"If this first batch is ready, certainly," Zell replied. He looked at the army she'd assembled. "They are quite lovely, my dear! Shall we proceed?"
"Of course. You just want them to put the Rangers on edge, right?"
"Correct."
She nodded. "Take them away! Oh, this shall be great fun!" She clapped her hands in excitement.
Zell sent the monsters into Angel Grove and Mora watched the fight in the water of the Alchemist's solid gold divination bowl in excitement.
KENNY
The sound of his communicator going off surprised him. It hadn't happened much since they'd saved Tommy, seeing as how all of the monsters were gone. "Alpha, I read you," Kenny said.
"Ay-yi-yi, Kenny! Monsters are attacking in the park! The people are panicking, ay-yi-yi! There are so many monsters!" Alpha Twenty-Six, his team's official Alpha, told him in a panic.
"I'm on it," Kenny said. He ducked his head into Josh's rooms. "There's a monster attack in the park!"
"Monsters? Are we sure they're back?" Josh asked.
"Alpha seemed pretty panicked, but that's not exactly unusual." Kenny shrugged. "We'd better check it out."
Josh nodded. He grabbed his morpher and followed Kenny as they teleported to the park. They were the first to arrive.
A giant monster that looked like an oversized fish with huge fangs rushed toward them. Several other odd monsters were running around terrorizing random people in the park. "Yep, those are monsters alright," Kenny said. "Morphin time?"
"Why'd it have to be a fish? I hate fish," Josh mumbled. He shared that phobia in common with Billy.
The others arrived. Now, Kenny looked at his co-leader, Sage, and said, "It's Morphin' Time!"
"Dragonzord!" Sage cried out, morphing into the Green Ranger.
"Allosaurus!" Tommy shouted, morphing into the Gold Ranger, the team's newest addition.
"Mastodon!" Thorn cried. His black uniform came next.
"Pterodactyl!" Kenny joined in, turning pink.
"Triceratops!" Josh added, turning blue.
"Saber-toothed Tiger!" Liza shouted, making her yellow uniform appear.
"Tyrannosaurus!" Zeke added, completing the morphing sequence as he transformed into the Red Ranger.
It became obvious fairly early that they were in trouble. More monsters kept coming, and they were growing to impossible heights rapidly. "We need Dinozord power! Now!" Sage shouted. The team called in their Zords. Quickly, they assembled the Megazord, leaving the Dragonzord on its own. The Allosaurus had a feature that connected it to the original Megazord, attaching to the back of the Tyrannosaurus, which formed the torso, and functioning as a tail that whipped around at enemies. It had taken the team a lot of practice to figure out how to make that transition smoothly. Luckily, Sage and Josh were brilliant with working with the Zords and had worked out the technical details until it all came together.
Everything was going well until another monster showed up. This one was by far the largest, and it had a brute strength unlike any they'd seen before. The Zords broke apart into their individual forms again, and Kenny was just grateful they hadn't lost them entirely. Then, the monsters ganged up on them, attacking each Zord one at a time.
Tommy lost the Allosaurus first. He fell to the ground entirely too hard and his morph dropped. "Tommy!" Kenny shouted. He flew the Pterodactyl closer to Tommy to try to cover him, but he took a hit and got knocked out of his Zord, too. Kenny's reflexes kicked in and he landed safely in a tree, still morphed.
"You good, Kenny?" Sage called.
"I'm fine. Cover Tommy," Kenny replied.
"I'm okay," Tommy tried to argue.
"You're hurt," Kenny said firmly. "Stop being so stubborn. Someone cover him."
"On it!" Zeke said, bringing the T-Rex closer.
"Shit!" Liza cried out. Kenny saw the Saber-toothed Tiger take a serious hit. It flew through the air, knocked back with too much force, and Liza was ejected.
"Liza!" Kenny shouted.
That was when something unexpected happened. Something jumped through the air, catching Liza before she could hit the ground. As it landed on the ground, Kenny stared at it in shock and confusion. The White Tigerzord... Katie's Zord... Had come to the rescue.
SAGE
She was just as confused as everyone else. "Uncle Tommy? Did you...?" She asked.
"No..." Tommy said very softly. "No, I didn't... Saba took off on me a couple of days ago saying there was something he needed to do... I couldn't call the White Tigerzord right now, even if I wanted to."
"What the hell is going on?" Sage wondered aloud. Katie was dead and she couldn't come back. Sage knew that for certain. The ritual on the Reservation to trap her spirit so she could never harm anyone again had gone perfectly. Her cousin was never coming back... So who the hell was piloting the Zord?
The Zord set Liza down gently, another indication that Katie wasn't back considering Katie had tried to murder Liza. "You okay, Liza?" Sage called, forcing herself to focus. Liza's morph had failed as she went flying.
"Yeah, I think so," Liza said.
"Thorn, look out!" Josh cried out.
Sage turned her attention to the Mastodon. It stood unmoving and staring at the White Tigerzord. Sage understood immediately what had happened... Thorn had gone into shock at the sight of the Zord. They hadn't used it even in their training sessions since Thorn had to kill Katie.
Josh put the Triceratops between the Mastodon and the especially brutal monster, bravely willing to sacrifice his own safety to protect Thorn. Considering they'd all had to do the same for Josh when he flew into PTSD episodes in battle over the years, Sage understood why he did it. That didn't mean she could allow it to happen. She took the Dragonzord to them, protecting them both. To her surprise, the White Tigerzord came at the monster from behind while Sage had it distracted and knocked it down. Together, Sage and the mystery pilot defeated the monster. The other monsters who had survived panicked and fled.
Sage got out of her Zord and immediately got into the Mastodon. Thorn was trembling violently and staring at the White Tigerzord. Sage wrapped her arms around her twin.
"It's okay, Thorn," she said soothingly. "I promise, it's not Katie. I'd know if it was."
Thorn shook his head. "I... I'm sorry," he said. She knew what he was apologizing for.
Sage held him closer. "It wasn't your fault, Thorn. You did what you had to do. I am so sorry... It should have been me. You're too gentle..." Thorn had only had to kill Katie because Sage was unconscious at the time after resurrecting Zordon with Troy. She knew she'd have handled the burden of killing their cousin a lot better than Thorn could because she'd already accepted by then that something might have to be done to stop her if she followed in her mother's footsteps instead of Tommy's.
"I didn't mean to freeze..." Thorn whispered.
"Most people in your situation would have," Sage replied, relieved that he seemed to be snapping out of the shock.
"You wouldn't have."
"Because I'm more screwed up in the head than you are," Sage said with a slight laugh. "It's okay, Thorn. Everyone's fine."
Thorn nodded and followed Sage out of the Zord. Everyone else had gathered in front of the White Tigerzord. Tommy and Liza were the only ones who weren't morphed. They watched as the White Tigerzord opened up to release its pilot.
Sage stared at the mysterious boy in confusion. He was definitely a teenager, but she had no idea who he was. She exchanged a glance with Thorn.
"Wait... Micky?" Liza asked.
"Yeah, it's me, Liza... And it's damn good to see you," Micky said.
Liza flung her arms around him and refused to let him go. "Nice catch," she said. "Thanks for that."
Micky shrugged. "It's been a while since I got to save your ass," he said casually.
"Okay, Liza, you clearly know this kid," Kenny said. "Do you want to fill us in on who he is?"
"Guys, this is Micky Delaney. He's a friend from back home... His parents were basically besties with mine," Liza explained. "They were equally psychotic and evil. Micky's a great guy, though. You can trust him."
Sage frowned. "That doesn't explain why he's here, or how he piloted that Zord," she said.
Saba appeared in Micky's hand. "He's here because I brought him home," Saba said. "Tommy... Meet your son."
Tommy stared at Saba and Micky in disbelief as everyone else stared at Tommy. "I don't have a son, Saba..." He said.
"Correction. You did not know you had a son."
"I've only ever been with one woman, and we didn't have a son," Tommy said stubbornly.
"Katherine is not the boy's mother, Tommy. His mother was a woman named Karla Delaney. She and her husband Burt raised the boy in this time, but just as with Aisha when she conceived Liza, time travel was used to target you before you ever met the Power Rangers. Your memories were taken so you would never find out about the boy."
"That's not possible, okay?" Tommy shook his head. "This is some sort of trick... Zell's playing mind games."
"I get it if you don't want me around," Micky said with a shrug. "It was good to see you, Liza. Take care of yourself." He started to try to walk away.
"Stop," Sage said firmly. "Whatever this is, we need to get to the bottom of it. If Saba trusts Micky, there's a reason."
"Sage... Saba's been fooled before," Josh said softly.
"Saba wasn't fooled. He stayed with Katie until she could no longer be saved. When it counted, he left her so she couldn't use him for evil. Saba and the White Power Coin can't be corrupted. If he says Micky is Uncle Tommy's, we should at least look into it. I'll have Alpha run a full DNA test," Sage said practically. In her heart, she knew it wasn't necessary. Micky's energy was nearly identical to Tommy's. There was no denying who his father was. He also didn't radiate any hint of evil, although Katie hadn't either. If Micky really was her cousin, would history repeat itself? Could he be trusted?
"Sage is right," Tommy said with a sigh. "I'm sorry, Micky... I was just sort of in shock. We need to get to the bottom of this. Come with us."
"Where?" Micky asked cautiously.
"To the Command Center," Sage said. She took a deep breath and touched his hand. To her shock, it felt warm and powerful. The energy was oddly soothing, like something that had been missing had been restored.
Micky seemed surprised by the connection, too. He looked at her. "Did you feel that?" He asked.
Sage nodded. Somehow, she knew she could trust him. She held his hand a little tighter and teleported to the Command Center.
Micky looked around in shock as the others arrived behind them. "That... Was incredible!" He declared with a grin. "Can we do it again?"
"Later," Sage said. She looked at Alpha and Zordon. "This is Micky. He came to us in the White Tigerzord... We need you to run a DNA test, Alpha."
Alpha Twenty-Six immediately began running a thorough exam. Micky looked uncomfortable as Alpha scanned him. "I feel vaguely violated..." He mumbled.
"It's okay, Micky," Liza said sweetly, in the same tone she used when Imani or Tessa got scared. "You're safe here. I promise."
Sage knew then that this boy had been through a special brand of Hell, just like Liza. "I'm okay," Micky tried to reassure Liza, but it was obvious how nervous he actually was.
"Rangers, I have the test results," Alpha said.
"And...?" Sage asked.
"Micky is Tommy's son. There is no doubt."
Sage saw the way Thorn tensed. She knew her brother was afraid to get attached to this new cousin when things had gone so poorly with Katie. Sage knew she needed to be a proper leader, so she walked over to Micky. "Then welcome to the family, Micky. I'm Sage. I'm your cousin," she said. She finally demorphed, so the rest of the team did, too. "This is Thorn, my twin brother. And that's Kenny, Josh, and Zeke. You already know Liza."
"I guess it's nice to meet you guys..." Micky said awkwardly.
Saba cleared his throat. "Tommy... It is time," he said.
"Time for what?" Micky asked.
Tommy sighed. The grief he always tried to hide showed itself now as he reached into his pocket. "Time for this," he said. He pulled out the White Power Coin... The coin that had been Katie's. Right before Katie killed Mike, he'd stolen her Power Coin to protect it. Apparently, seeing Saba leave Katie in battle had told Mike there was no saving her, so he'd saved the power from remaining in her hands. That decision had cost him his life and proved that goofy, sweet Mike was actually one of the bravest Power Rangers Sage had ever met. Liza and Zedd had gotten the Power Coin to Zordon, and Liza had ultimately had him give it back to Tommy in an effort to comfort him. Tommy had carried it with him everywhere ever since.
"What's that?" Micky asked.
"Your legacy," Sage said after taking a deep breath. "This is the White Power Coin. We've been down a Power Ranger since Katie had to be killed."
"Wait, what? That's insane! I'm not a Power Ranger," Micky protested.
"Our team is made up entirely of Legacies, Micky, with one exception. We are the children of the first Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Your father, Tommy Oliver, has been on more teams of Rangers than anyone else. He was the first Green Ranger on the Mighty Morphin team. When he lost those powers, my mother saved them by taking them into herself. Uncle Tommy became the White Ranger next. When the team became the Zeo Rangers, he became the Red Ranger, and he kept that color when they moved from Zeo to Turbo. After a while, he ended up as the Black Dino Thunder Ranger. He was that team's mentor first. And finally, he became our mentor... But after he was kidnapped by nearly every bad guy ever, he found a Power Coin we hadn't known existed in this realm... The Gold Mighty Morphin Power Coin. So now, Tommy's on our team, even though he's not technically a legacy."
Micky stared at Tommy. "Dude... Have you ever considered finding a hobby?"
Sage started laughing. So did Kenny, and soon everyone else, including Thorn, joined in. The tension that had been hanging in the air finally broke.
Tommy shook his head. "I just can't seem to walk away," he said with a smile. It very nearly touched his eyes, but it didn't chase away the sorrow that was always there now.
"Are you sure you guys want me here? Saba told me what happened with the last White Ranger," Micky said cautiously.
"Katie turned evil, " Sage confirmed. "But I don't believe that you will."
"You don 't know me. How can you tell?"
"I'm a Shaman. I'm very good at reading people."
Micky's eyes lit up. "You have magic? Me, too!"
Tommy looked like he might have heart failure. Liza laughed at that. "Micky's parents raised him doing evil rituals, like mine raised me... But both of us rebelled and learned to use our powers for other things, too."
"My mom always told me the blood of the Shamans ran through my veins, but she wouldn't let me learn to use most of the powers. I trained myself the best I could," Micky said.
"Another Shaman on the team? Awesome," Zeke said. "Now Sage doesn't have to be the only one healing our asses."
"I can't heal people... Yet. But I could probably learn." The others began talking to Micky, slowly trying to let him in. Sage knew how hard this must be for everyone, but there was something else she needed to worry about currently.
Sage looked at Zordon. "I need to talk to you," she said.
"Of course," Zordon said. He led her to a quieter area, where no one could hear them.
"Zordon... I know how your father brought my aunt back," Sage said.
Zordon took a deep breath, clearly bracing himself for the worst. "Go on," he said.
"He sacrificed a twelve-year-old girl... But thanks to that bitch Felina being the one to find the sacrifice... It wasn't a random person, Zordon."
He looked appropriately horrified. "A child... Of course he did..." Zordon shook his head. "Who was she, Sage?"
"Ashley's daughter, Jodi... And there's more."
Zordon looked crushed as he asked, "Ashley?"
"Felina killed her before she took her daughter. Unfortunately, Justin is the one who found her."
"Oh no... How is he?"
"He went into shock, but I got him back to Alpha Prime. He's safe for now, and hopefully he'll find a way to cope with this... Justin's made so much progress. I'd hate to see him slip away and shut down again."
"Thank you for telling me, Sage... This explains the sense of loss I felt when Katherine was resurrected. I must inform Andros."
"I'll have Kira do it. I'd have asked Uncle Tommy, but he's too freaked out right now. I mean, first Aunt Kat comes back, now he finds out he has a son. I can't put this on him, too. I'll tell my team, and the original generation... Tanya and Dad will probably take it the hardest, since Tanya chose her to replace her, and Dad just takes every loss personally."
"If you need help, please tell me," Zordon said.
"I'm good. Delivering bad news is something I'm unfortunately getting used to... But I am worried about telling the Samurai team about Micky... Jayden especially. After everything Katie put him through, to have someone pick up her legacy might be hard on him."
"Jayden is wise beyond his years. He will find a way to cope with this."
"I know how strong Jayden is, but everyone has a breaking point." Sage sighed. "I guess we're about to find out."
They walked back to the others. "Okay, let's see what you've got, Micky," Sage said. "This is a major moment. Let's do this. Follow my lead, Micky... It's Morphin' Time! Dragonzord!" She morphed and looked to Micky.
Micky looked a bit shocked, but he held his morpher in the right position and cried out, "White Tigerzord!" He morphed as everyone watched him.
"As a team," Sage said to Tommy. "We need to make this official."
Tommy understood. "Allosaurus," he said, morphing. Everyone else followed suit, until Zeke finished it up.
The team stood together, all of the colors united for the very first time. The sense of being fractured was no longer there. Having the White Ranger back on the team felt right, and Micky fit in better than Katie had in the end. His energy was exactly what it should be. This was the right path.
"Welcome to the Power Rangers, Micky," Kenny said, showing why he was Sage's co-leader. She knew how hard it was for everyone to see that Ranger Suit actively being used again, but it was especially hard for Kenny. The fact that he could put that aside said a lot about him.
"You belong here, Micky," Zordon said. "Simply follow these three rules... Never escalate a fight unless you are forced to. Never use your powers for personal gain. Most of all, never reveal your identity to the outside world. The secret of the Power Rangers must be protected. Do you accept this new destiny?"
Micky nodded. "I do," he said.
"Then we are happy to have you. May the Power protect you!"
"Come on, Guys... It's time for training," Kenny said.
"I'll meet you all there. I have to talk to a few people first," Sage said. She decided to wait to talk to Tommy. He needed time to process having a kid again before she threw Ashley's death at him. Sage headed home, hoping this wouldn't be too much for the people who'd once viewed Ashley as a friend.
JAYDEN
He was standing in the training center with Dustin and Kira. Dustin had already set up everyone's favorite training station, the Food Station. Kira was nibbling on some french fries as they waited for the Rangers and the Chosen to show up. Training sessions could consist of a lot of different people, but the Legacy team and the Chosen were always there. So were Jayden's Samurai team and the Megaforce team. The RPM team showed up most of the time, as did Koda, Chase, and the newest Dino Charge Ranger, AJ, although those three were skipping training today to have a meeting with their team back in Amber Beach. Other Rangers showed up at random.
Troy walked in first. "The Mimic Force is here!" Kira said cheerfully. She never missed an opportunity to call them that, although Kira had actually come to respect what Troy's team could do. Gia, Jake, and Noah came in behind Troy.
One of the newest additions to training, Nessa, came in after Troy. Mena was with her. Nessa and Mena were Eltarians. Mena was Zordon's cousin and lived with him at the Command Center. She was the youngest member of the Ranger Guard, a team Zordon had recently put together after they'd gotten involved in a battle with the Stone Warriors against Zell. Nessa was the team's leader. After the attack on the Eltarian Government, Nessa had lost her mother, aunt, and little brother. Her father had been a traitor, helping the Rebellion pull off the attack. Nessa had been the only survivor pulled from the carnage. Troy had saved her life, but she'd also saved his. After Emma and Orion had been killed in the battle for Tommy, Troy had sunk into a deep depression. Jayden had feared they were going to lose him, but Nessa refused to coddle him and had instead given him a reason to fight. They were currently a couple.
The Samurai Rangers came in and stood at attention. Spike Skullovitch was with them. Spike often came to training sessions now. He might not be a Samurai, but he had the heart of a warrior, and after losing his father in the big battle, he'd stayed very close to Mia. Jayden wasn't entirely sure if they'd labeled their relationship yet, but it seemed like Mia was starting to fall for Spike, who'd been head over heels for her since the day they'd met.
The Legacy team teleported in. Sage was missing, but a boy Jayden didn't recognize was with them. "Guys... We have news," Kenny said.
"What's up?" Jayden asked.
"First of all, monsters are officially back in Angel Grove," Kenny began.
"Yes!" Gia cheered. She'd been waiting for that news for months. Ever since Emma and Orion had died, Gia had become a force to be reckoned with, ready to fight at all times. Jayden deeply respected her chosen method of coping with her grief, although there hadn't been many opportunities for battle since that day. Gia had gone with Troy to Eltar after the Counsel building was attacked, but the Rebels had already fled. She'd also participated in a couple of battles involving the Stone Warriors, but that had pretty much been it.
"Gia-" Troy began.
"What? I'm bored. I need an outlet," Gia said with a shrug. "Sorry, Kenny. What happened? Are you guys alright?"
"We're fine, but only because we had help," Kenny said.
"Help?" Kira asked. Her eyes fell to the unknown teenager standing with them. "Hey... He looks freakishly like Doc O..."
"Kira, this is Micky," Tommy said. "He arrived with Saba in the White Tigerzord and helped us... And he is, apparently, my son."
Kira stared at him. "Your son? Doc O, he looks the same age as the Legacy kids... Which means you were with Kat when he was born... So you've got some explaining to do here."
"Micky comes from the same town as Liza. The same time travel used in that case was used here, too. I don't have any memory of it, but the DNA confirms he's my son."
"So does his face," Kira said with a smirk. "And that classic brown ponytail he's got going on."
"It seems Micky is the new White Ranger," Kenny said.
Jayden felt his heart drop into his stomach. This kid was Katie's brother? And he was replacing her? He hadn't expected that news to ever come. Jayden had honestly figured Tommy would never be willing to pass his daughter's Power Coin along to anyone else.
Emily tensed beside him. That snapped him out of his shock, and Jayden automatically touched her arm, trying to soothe her.
"Welcome!" Dustin said cheerfully, breaking the awkward silence. "This is our training center. Jayden and I run it together. Fell free to check out the Food Station. It's important to eat, drink, and take care of yourself while training... Plus, I made brownies!"
Micky finally smiled. Dustin had that effect on people. "Thanks," he said. He made no attempt to move, almost like he was too embarrassed to go get something to eat. Jayden wondered what that was about.
"Come on, I'm starving," Zeke said, leading Micky away like they were old friends.
As everyone else began getting ready, Antonio put his hand on Jayden's back. "Are you okay, Buddy?" He asked softly.
"I'm fine," Jayden said quickly, flipping the switch and burying his emotions. There was a new Ranger to train. He needed to focus on that, regardless of who that Ranger was. He couldn't leave the kid to fend for himself, especially now.
MICKY
His stomach growled at all of the food in front of him. Micky hadn't eaten a decent meal since he'd been on the street, and he hadn't eaten at all in two days. He wolfed down a sandwich and reached for another before looking at Zeke in embarrassment. Micky pulled his hand away from the food.
Zeke surprised him by handing him another sandwich. "How long has it been?" He asked softly.
"What?"
"Since the last time you ate? It's okay, Dude. No one's going to judge you if you eat a lot... But I can tell by the look in your eyes that it's been a while. Your eyes really lit up when Dustin mentioned food, but I saw you hesitate, so I brought you over myself. You've been on your own for a while, haven't you?"
"Yeah..." Micky took a bite out of his second sandwich. "Thanks, Man... Food's not always easy to come by on the street, and I refuse to steal."
"You don't have to worry about that anymore... We're Power Rangers. We take care of each other."
"I don't think my father's too thrilled about me being here."
"Tommy's in shock... He's still not over everything that happened with Katie. He'll warm up to you. Trust me, in a few days, you'll be begging him to go away." Zeke smirked at him as he reached for a slice of pizza.
More people came into the huge training space. One boy went straight for Thorn, taking him aside, hugging him, and speaking to him in hushed tones. Micky wondered what that was about, but he could tell by the boy's body language that he was Thorn's boyfriend... Thorn, his cousin... He'd need to get used to that.
A girl bounced in swinging a sword around. "Who's ready?" She asked eagerly.
"Can we eat first, Tammy? I'm starving," an Asian boy said.
"You're always starving," a boy with a sarcastic smile said.
"Eat fast. We have work to do, and there's no time to waste," the obvious leader of the group said. "Actually, I could go for a burger," he added quickly, sounding much more like a teenager.
The Asian kid stopped just short of the food. He looked at Liza. "Rama lama lama," he said.
Liza grinned. "Ka dinga da dinga dong," she replied.
"Shoo-bop sha wadda wadda yippity boom de boom."
"Chang chang changity chang sha-bop!" They sang in unison. "Dip da-dip da-dip doo-wop da doo-bee doo... Boogedy boogedy boogedy boogedy shoo-be doo-wop she-bop... Sha-na-na-na-na-na yippity dip de doom..."
"Wop ba-ba lu-mop!" The boy sang.
"And wop bam boom!" They finished in unison before bursting out laughing.
"Wow, he speaks fluent Liza," Micky said with a laugh of his own. He'd missed seeing Liza smile and get excited.
A very intense girl who looked a bit like Liza was glaring at the two future Broadway stars. "What was all of that?" She asked.
"It's from Grease," the boy said smoothly, flashing her a huge grin.
"I do not understand... Grease?" The girl asked.
"The musical? You know, John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John... The Queen, Stockard Channing? Honestly, Tia, I really need to sit you down with a television sometime," Liza said.
"I have better things to do with my time," Tia said a bit harshly.
"It's fun, Tia," the boy said cheerfully. "You should watch a musical with me sometime!"
"I think it is more important to focus on the coming battle, Brian," Tia said. She walked away from them, clearly pissed off. Brian shrugged and began gathering food.
"Okay... Is Elsa over there always such an ice queen?" Micky asked.
"My sister's been through a lot," Liza said with a shrug.
"Your sister?" Micky asked in confusion.
"Oh yeah. That girl is all Campbell. When I ended up here, I went from being an only child to having, like, a million siblings. Tia's the oldest. Then it's me, followed by Taylor, Tye, Tessa, and Imani. That's Taylor over there." Liza pointed to the boy with the sarcastic smile.
"And your sister and brother are Power Rangers, too?"
"No, they're Chosen. It's a little bit different. Anyway, Tia and Mani were raised in Africa by our mother. When the bitch got kidnapped, she ended up having kids with Zedd. He was still evil... That's complicated... But Tanner, the oldest, was all of his evil and darkness incarnated. He's dead now, thankfully. Taylor was literally Zedd's light. Tye and Tessa are both pure light, too. Anyway, Zedd's fixed now, and he's my boyfriend, so-"
"Of course you're dating a bad guy."
"Hey, Zedd's good now, like I said. He started changing back when Taylor was born, and then he met Tammy over there and he started to almost feel again..." She pointed to the bouncy girl with the sword. "And then, he started being kind of nice to Taylor and protecting him, and he kept protecting Tammy, and he even helped rescue Katie from Zell... Although I think he might regret that one now. Anyway, Sage realized he was changing, and my girl did the impossible and saved Zedd, giving him back his light. And as I got to know him... Well, I understand why Galaxia loved him so much."
"Do your siblings mind you dating their father?"
"Well, Tessa likes how happy I make Zedd, and Tye's got a lot of issues and probably hasn't put it together. As for Taylor... Well, we have an unspoken agreement not to discuss the very weird dynamic going on there." Liza laughed.
They joked around for a bit longer until Micky was finally full for the first time in too long. "Now what?" He asked.
"Now you show everyone what you can do," Liza said. "Make me proud." She kissed his cheek.
Micky walked over to Jayden. "Do you have any training?" Jayden asked. He kept his tone flat and Micky wondered what he'd done to make the guy dislike him already.
"A bit," Micky said casually.
Jayden nodded. He got into a fighting stance. "Show me what you've got," he said.
Micky took a deep breath. Here goes nothing, he thought. He immediately flew at Jayden with a series of well-practiced kicks. It felt good to slip back into the familiar routine of Martial Arts. His body knew what to do, and his mind was sharp and clear.
Jayden was clearly surprised, but his reflexes were incredibly strong and he avoided the attack. Micky kept going, and Jayden continued to narrowly avoid the kicks. Finally, Jayden tried fighting back and Micky understood why he was the trainer. This guy was amazing. Micky could barely keep up with him. Finally, without warning, Jayden hit a move that actually connected and Micky landed hard on his back.
"Micky!" Liza shouted, hurrying toward him.
Micky sat up. "I'm good," he promised her.
"Good? You're fucking epic, man! Jayden wasn't holding back!" Zeke said.
Jayden extended his hand to Micky and helped him back onto his feet. "A bit of training?" Jayden asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I started doing Martial Arts at the community center when I was four. I didn't stop training until recently... I'm a little out of practice," Micky said.
"You fought well, and are clearly disciplined. I'm Kevin. It is an honor to meet you," Kevin said. He reached out like he might shake his hand.
"Kevin, go check on Noah. He's all over the place tonight," Jayden said suddenly.
"Of course, Jayden!" Kevin said, snapping to attention. He ran off to go do as he was told, which Micky found kind of impressive, like anytime Jayden said to jump Kevin must listen.
"So who's next?" Micky asked.
"Me," an Asian girl said.
"I don't usually hit girls," Micky said cautiously.
"Trust me, I can take it."
"Mia-" Jayden objected.
"He's good, Jayden... So let me help him get even better," Mia said, cutting him off.
"The monsters are back. You should focus on Spike. He's not a Ranger. He needs all the help he can get," Jayden protested.
"I can help Spike," a guy offered cheerfully.
Micky swore Jayden glared for a second, but then he smiled at the guy. "Great, Antonio. Thanks," he said, keeping emotion out of his voice. Micky was positive he was frustrated.
Mia grinned at Micky. "Hit me with your best shot," she said.
"Fire away!" Brian sang loudly, making several of the others laugh. Apparently, they weren't all born with sticks up their asses.
Micky and Mia sparred for a bit. He held back, not wanting to hurt her, but Mia didn't go easy on him. She hit him with everything she had until he finally decided it was stupid to hold back. Things got interesting after that. Mia could definitely hold her own. After he missed a kick slightly, she finally got him on his back.
"Great job!" Mia said, immediately helping him back up. "Here's how you can do even better." She began coaching him, something that actually made Micky feel welcome.
After a while, Micky took a break. Taylor stood by him, apparently taking a food break. "So, you're Liza's kid brother? I'm her best friend," Micky said.
"I'm Taylor," he replied. "I didn't know Liza had a best friend."
"I didn't know she had siblings, so I guess we're even," Micky said with a grin. "Liza and I both grew up pretty fucked up, so neither of us let a lot of people in..."
"Welcome to the club. We should make t-shirts."
"You're sarcastic."
"No, really? Did you just catch on to that?" Taylor shook his head.
"Sarcasm is my native language. We'll get along fine." Micky saw Jayden standing in a corner with a cute blonde girl who was obviously trying to comfort him. "Is that his girlfriend?" Micky asked.
"Who, Emily? No," Taylor said. "She's the Yellow Samurai."
"Does he have a girlfriend? Because he's way too serious. The guy needs to get some action."
"His girlfriend was Katie, who tried to kill him while she was possessed by her evil mother. She woke up from that, broke his heart by breaking up with him, then turned evil and murdered Mike, the Green Samurai, and Mentor Ji, who basically raised Jayden and who took an attack Katie had meant for Jayden. And did I forget to mention that Mike was Emily's boyfriend? You're lucky they didn't fucking try to kill you on sight, Dude... Maybe get the whole story before you make asshole comments so freely, or you might end up on the wrong side of a Samurai sword. Just saying... Don't be a dick." Taylor paused, then shrugged. "Sorry. I don't have a filter."
Micky was stunned. "I appreciate the honesty, actually... Man, no wonder he was acting like he didn't want his team around me," he mumbled.
"Don't take it personally," Taylor said, gentler. "Jayden trusted Katie. Not only did he love her, but he let her into every aspect of his life , and he treated her like part of his team... And it got two people he really cared about killed. It's not his fault, but Jayden blames himself. Just give him some time to get used to you."
Micky nodded. "Sorry for my dick response... I just didn't get why he was so pissed at me... This is a major change for me, too, you know? I'm still trying to figure everything out."
"Look, it took Liza some time to adjust, too... And me. I'm only a little over a year old. The entire world is confusing to me... So I just take it a day at a time and try to figure out which way is up."
Micky nodded at him. "Thanks, Taylor. I appreciate the pep talk."
Taylor shrugged. "No problem," he said. Then, he hurried over to Josh.
Micky decided to try to give everyone time to get used to him. He hoped he'd be able to get used to them, too, but he knew this was going to be a tough road for a while.
THORN
He was definitely having some mixed emotions. Thorn stayed close to Caleb during training, but eventually, he calmed down. Thanks to a vision, Caleb had already known about Micky showing up.
Sage arrived very late. She took Thorn and Caleb aside. "Ashley from Turbo is dead," Sage said softly.
"What happened?" Thorn asked in shock.
"The Eltarian Sorceress from Stone Hollow," Caleb said with sudden realization. "I heard her say something in my vision, but the shock of seeing Kat pushed it out of my head. She mentioned killing someone's mother to get her hands on the girl Zell sacrificed... "
"So her daughter's dead, too?" Thorn asked in horror. "Oh Gods... She was just a kid!"
"I know... I told Dad and Tanya. Dad took it hard, but I think he'll be okay. Tanya kind of freaked out, and you know Dad puts his emotions aside for others when they need him. That's part of why I told them together... I was hoping they could help each other," Sage said. "I still haven't told Andros... I was thinking of asking Kira to do it, but maybe I should do it myself."
"Don't overwhelm yourself, Sage," Thorn said. "It's okay to delegate."
Sage nodded. "You're right, but Andros is like family... I'll think about it. Anyway, how is Micky doing?"
"He's... I don't know," Thorn admitted. "He's got the skill. He held his own against Jayden, and against Mia... But Jayden freaked out when the Samurai team got too close to him."
Sage nodded. "I'll talk to Jayden later. I'm sure he's having some PTKD."
"PTKD?" Caleb asked.
Thorn knew what his twin meant. "Post Traumatic Katie Disorder," he said softly.
"Ah... Yeah, I've seen several cases of that," Caleb replied.
"Thorn... I know this is asking way too much... But can you work with Micky? It's not his fault his sister was evil... And I think the two of us can help him better than anyone else can," Sage said.
Thorn took a deep breath. "He's family," he said with a nod. "Of course I'll help him."
"Are you sure you can handle it?"
"You don't sense any evil hiding inside of him, do you?"
"No. Micky's heart is pure."
"Then I'll help him. I have PTKD, too, but Micky isn't her. And the only way to make sure he never becomes like her is to be here for him now. If he feels like no one wants him around, he'll be easy prey for Zell. I refuse to let another cousin go down that path."
Sage hugged him. "I'm proud of you."
Thorn walked over to Micky. "So… Hi," he said awkwardly. "I know this is probably nearly as weird for you as it is for us… But I'd like to try and work with you, seeing as how we're family." He paused.
Micky eyed him with surprise. "Okay… Sure," he replied after a minute.
"Sage and I have been training in Martial Arts since we could stand. Our dad runs a Dojo. His name is Adam Park. We're related to you through… Through our mom." It was still hard for Thorn to talk about her sometimes. He missed her so much. "Her name was Casey, and she was one of triplets with your dad and our Uncle David. He lives with his family on the Reservation. We'll introduce you to him when you're ready."
"That would be cool… I've always wanted to get more in touch with my Native American side." Micky paused. "So… If this isn't too awkward… What happened to your mom?"
Thorn cringed. "She… She died a little over a year ago. Most of our Power Coins had been stolen. I sort of had a meltdown, and the others weren't doing much better. Mom decided to go get them back. She took on Lord Zedd by herself, and she should have survived… Even Zedd said she shouldn't have died from what he did to her… But there was an Underworld God who really hated my family… A long time ago, our ancestor Rose stole a soul from him. She gave her life for the man she loved, Caius. He was part of the original Chosen. Caius is still alive because he was cursed with immortality, and he's Caleb's father. Caleb is my boyfriend…"
"I thought I got that vibe from you and that guy," Micky said.
Thorn raised an eyebrow at that. "What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing bad, I swear. I'm not homophobic," Micky said quickly. Thorn sensed something coming off of him and wondered if his cousin wasn't exactly straight either, but Micky didn't elaborate. "I just… I could tell you guys were in love. It's the way you move together."
Thorn relaxed a bit. "Yeah… Anyway, it's complicated, but Aunt Kat killed Caleb… He died in my arms. Sage brought him and Rocky back. Rocky is Zeke's dad, and Aunt Kat killed him, too. She was okay when she saved Rocky, but saving Caleb, too, was way too much and she got trapped in the Underworld. Unlike Rose, Sage actually escaped, after about two weeks of being in a coma. It was awful, but she survived. The Underworld God was furious. Not only had she saved a son of Caius, after he'd claimed every single one would be damned to belong to him, but Caleb and I were in love. See, when Rose saved Caius, the God vowed that no son of Caius would ever love a daughter of Rose. At the time, Rose laughed in his face… Because she knew that the very first son of Caius would fall in love with one of her male descendants."
"Dude… That's amazing," Micky said with a hearty laugh. Thorn couldn't help but relax more as Micky started warming up to him and dropping his guard. The laugh was genuine, and it reminded him vaguely of when Tommy had been much happier.
Thorn smiled before turning serious again. "When Mom left her body, the Underworld God severed her connection to it… And she died." He took a deep breath, wiping away a tear that had managed to escape.
"I'm so sorry, Thorn… Really. That's horrible. If I had a decent parent in my life, I don't know what I'd have done in your situation."
"Thanks… Anyway, there was more… Rose had promised that God that a descendant of hers would be the end of him one day… And my mom was. She runs the Underworld now… And even though I miss her more than I can ever put into words, I know she's doing important things, and helping people like she always did… During our battle, she sent Zeke back to us… And she helps Caleb when he gets trapped… Because his destiny is to die and come back, unfortunately, and there have been a few times since that first one… Mom even saved Rita when she got her light back."
"It sounds like a lot has happened in this town of yours…"
"You have no idea. Don't worry. We'll help you catch up… But first… I want to train with you, Micky. Show me what you've got." Thorn didn't wait for Micky to attack him, and instead made the first move. Micky took a minute to adjust, but pretty soon, he was holding his own. Thorn was impressed. Apparently, Micky had been trained well. No matter what he threw his way, his cousin adapted.
Look after him, my Little Tadpole, his mother said softly in his head.
Thorn didn't hear his mother very often. Sage was much more in touch with the Shaman side of their heritage than he was, although she tried not to contact their mother much because it hurt too much. Thorn tensed slightly at the sound of her voice, but it was extremely comforting.
Mom… I miss you, he thought. I love you.
I love you, too, my Little Tadpole. I am with you, your sister, and your father always.
Can we trust him, Mom? Is Sage right? Or will he turn out like… Like she did?
I promise you Micky is different than Katie, my sweet boy… He has a much gentler soul, even if he is rough around the edges. He needs you to look after him. Please, Thorn… My brother is not ready to be the guide Micky needs on this journey. He needs time. Take him under your wing and you will all go far. This is meant to be, just as it was meant to be when Liza joined the team.
I understand, Mom… I'll protect him.
I am so proud of you, my Tadpole. I love you.
Just like that, she was gone. Thorn realized Micky was staring at him. "Are you okay?" Micky asked cautiously.
"Yeah…" Thorn said. He shook off his grief and focused, knowing now more than ever that he had to help his cousin. He couldn't save Katie… He'd had to kill her, and that had destroyed something in him that could never be repaired… But maybe helping Micky could give him back a small piece of himself. "Come on… Let's go again."
ANDROS
He was smiling as he watched the scene in front of him. Zhane sat with Karone making goofy faces at baby Leo. Karone's son had been an unexpected miracle, a tiny piece of her husband Leo that had survived beyond the battle that had taken his life. She'd found out she was pregnant right after they lost him, and she'd decided to name their son for his father.
"You're such a dork, Dad," Zoey, Zhane's daughter, said with a laugh.
"Seriously," Gabriella, Karone and Leo's teenaged daughter who was just barely younger than Zoey said with a roll of her eyes. She went by Ella, and she had absolutely nailed the role of angsty teenager, but the girl had lost her father. Andros couldn't blame her.
"Come on, Ella. Let's get out of here," Zoey said, dragging Ella away.
"The girls certainly describe you well," V said with a laugh. V was the love of Andros' life. They'd been married fairly recently, but she'd been his first love. She was also Zhane's younger sister.
Andros happily watched Karone and V laugh as Zhane made a fool out of himself for the sake of amusing the infant Leo. He was in a pretty good mood for once when D.E.C.A. announced an incoming call from Kira. Andros immediately tensed and excused himself to take the phone call.
"Has something happened? Did Zell make a move? Is everything alright?" Andros asked.
"Okay, first of all, breathe Andros," Kira said. "Second… Yes, Zell made a move, but we're not calling everyone back in just yet. Andros… You should sit down."
"What's going on, Kira?" Andros asked, not sitting.
"Zell brought Katherine back. She's, like, a thousand times scarier apparently, and we should all probably be very nervous."
"Katherine's back? How? Is Tommy alright?"
"Doc O is pretty freaked out, especially since a long-lost son he never knew he had just resurfaced Liza-style, and took Katie's spot on the team."
Andros was stunned. He hadn't expected anyone to ever replace Katie, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. He'd been very attached to Katie for her entire life. He'd taken it hard when she turned evil, especially since her choices had resulted in her death. "I see… That sounds complicated," he said with no emotion in his voice.
"It is… But it's not why I called. Andros… You really need to sit down."
"Kira, I'm fine-"
"Andros. Please."
Now, he was terrified. What could possibly be worse than what she'd already told him? Andros cautiously sat down. "Okay," he said. "Tell me what's going on, Kira. Please."
Kira sighed. "Zell's bitch of a sorceress brought him a sacrifice to bring Katherine back… It was a kid, Andros… And not a random one."
"Who did he kill, Kira?"
"Jodi… Ashley's daughter… And there's more."
Andros was already shaking at that news, but he forced himself to ask, "What else?"
"Felina took Jodi from her home, Andros… And she killed Ashley to get to her."
Andros felt everything start to spin. His heart was racing. This couldn't be true. "She's… Ashley's dead?" He asked in shock.
"I'm so sorry, Andros… I know you cared about her."
Andros forced himself to take several deep breaths. "Thank you for telling me, Kira. Please contact me again when you know the funeral details… I should be there, especially since Cassie can't be."
"Of course. Call me if you need anything, okay? Even just a friend to talk to."
"Thank you." Andros disconnected the call. He stood up and found that was a bad idea as he immediately fell to his knees.
"Andros?" V called from the door to the room. "What's wrong?" She rushed to his side, helping him get back to his feet.
"I… That was Kira," he said numbly.
"What happened?" V coaxed him.
"Zell sacrificed Jodi… Ashley's daughter… To bring Katherine Hillard back from the dead. She was twelve."
"He murdered an innocent child?" V looked both horrified and furious.
"Yes… And to get to the girl, the sorceress, Felina… She…" He shook his head and tried again. "She killed Ashley. Ashley is dead." Maybe if he kept saying it, it would start to make sense to him.
"Oh, Andros…" V softened. "I may not have liked her, but amnesia was a fair enough consequence for being such a shallow, reckless person… She certainly didn't deserve to die like that… I will not claim to feel grief at her loss, but I know you do… And that pain, I do feel… More than that, I mourn the loss of her daughter. The child was innocent and pure of heart. What happened to her is tragic, and I am terribly sorry to hear it." V wrapped him in her arms. "Tell me what you need, my love."
"I need to go to Earth… When they have the funeral. Someone should be there… TJ and Carlos are dead, and Cassie's in the past… I need to be there, V… Please don't be angry with me."
"Andros… I could never be angry with you for caring as deeply as you do. You have a good heart. I didn't like her, but the two of you dated, however briefly… I know you care. And she was a Power Ranger, for better or worse. That alone is enough to make you go."
Andros kissed his wife. "Thank you for understanding," he said. He walked back to the room everyone else had been in. "Zhane… Karone… Something's happened," he said awkwardly.
"What's wrong?" Zhane asked. Karone immediately stiffened, like she knew this was going to be bad.
Andros took a deep breath. "There is no easy way to say this. Ashley's dead… Felina killed her, and Zell used her daughter to resurrect Katherine."
"Oh God… Ash is dead?" Zhane asked in shock.
Karone was less in shock and more angry. "We'll make them pay," she vowed.
"I need to return to Earth for the funeral, once the plans are set," Andros said. "I don't know if you guys want to come with me…"
"Of course we'll be with you," Zhane said firmly. Karone nodded in agreement.
"Thanks, guys. I'll let you know when we need to leave. Excuse me… I'd like to lay down now," Andros said. He walked away. V gave him his space, clearly realizing how badly he needed it. Only when Andros reached his room did he allow himself to cry softly.
I'm sorry, Ashley, he thought.
TAYLOR
Things kept getting worse. Taylor sighed as he stared at the knife in the sink. He tried not to hurt himself anymore, but sometimes he still slipped up. For a while, cutting had been his only coping mechanism, and it still appealed to him when he was at his most depressed. He was dangerously close to doing it again.
Stop it, he scolded himself. Things might not be perfect, but his life had gotten significantly better lately. He had friends. He had a family. He had people who genuinely loved him. He had Josh. That alone was enough to keep him going most of the time.
Taylor finished washing the dishes, putting the knife away, and walked upstairs to his room. He found Tye sitting on his bed. "Hey," he said. "Are you okay?"
Tye looked at him. "Are you?" She asked. For a long time, Tye hadn't really spoken. Their father had horribly disfigured her because she'd disobeyed his order to attack Zeke and steal his Power Coin. She'd been so severely traumatized by the attack, she'd barely spoken, and even when she had, she either stuttered or only said one or two words at a time. Once he'd turned good again, their father had healed her face, but it had taken months for Tye to begin to trust people in general, and she still refused to be around Zedd without Taylor or Sage by her side. Slowly but surely, she'd started speaking normally again, and although she wasn't quite the same way she'd been before, she was doing much better now.
"I'm fine," Taylor replied.
"Liar."
"Why ask if you don't want to accept my answer?"
"Taylor… I know you. Tell me what's wrong."
Taylor sighed. "This week is Thanksgiving, Tye… And I don't want it to be."
Tye nodded. She pulled Taylor down beside her and hugged him. "It'll be okay, Taylor. It's different now."
"I know… But it's hard, Sis. It's like… It's like I keep waiting for it to happen again, you know?"
"I do… But it won't. She can't hurt you anymore, Taylor." She hugged him tighter. Taylor felt safer and calmer. Tye wasn't his twin, but they were born one day apart and their father had aged them to the same age. Taylor and Tye could feel each other, and they were extremely close. Feeling her energy wrapped so tightly around his was comforting. "I love you," she said softly.
"I love you, too," Taylor replied even softer. He allowed her to continue to hold him as they both drifted off to sleep, and for once, the nightmares stayed away.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just a quick reminder that the characters of Casey, Zoey, V, and Lucy were introduced to me by Aura MacKenzie. I'm giving credit where it is due! Also, I've started working on Go, Go, Wildcats again and am writing it at the same time as I write this fic, so maybe Cassie and Lucas will make appearances here later on after all. We'll see! Thanks for reading this chapter, and I'll see you with the next one soon.
