A\N: ...Andros, where the hell did you come from?
Andros
I fell asleep.
Stupid! I know better than that-I'm in hostile territory, a Red Ranger should never fall asleep on the job! What would Karone say? (Well, if she were still talking to me...) But I did, and when I woke up he was unlocking my hands.
So I punch him in the face.
Tommy grabs my wrist before it lands. Should I even call him Tommy anymore? The Tommy Oliver I know is a hero. He's the leader of the Earth Ranger Corps, worn more Colors than a rainbow, and he's the one who talked me off a ledge after killing Zordon. But this kal'knarval ambushed me while I was on my way back from a peacekeeping mission.
And his eyes are...
There's this monster Kerovians talk about. It's a living incarnation of evil. That's Tommy right now. That's his eyes.
He walks off but doesn't let go of my wrist. "Let go!" I snap, trying to twist free. Ow, that hurts. "Tommy, d****t, let-"
"Shut up."
...I'll shut up now.
Tommy drags me down to the engines. They've got a block in one of the fans, I can see the light dying from here. Is he going to throw me into the engines or...wait a minute. Slowly the lightbulb goes on.
He doesn't know what's wrong, does he?
"I ran a diagnostic and the computer won't tell me what's wrong." No kidding, Sherlock? You mean when you take over a ship the computer doesn't recognize you as an administrator for the system networks? I'm stunned. Really. "So I..." Tommy glares at the ground. "Needyourhelp."
Bingo.
I hesitate for a second. I mean, if anything falls into 'villain' territory, well, this kinda is extortion and lying and cheating and all of that. But on the other hand, I've heard about the Evil Green Ranger. If that sadist is still inside Tommy's head, he needs help and I need to get to a decent comlink to get him that help.
I can't do that if I'm marooned somewhere.
"I'll do it," I say slowly, "On one condition."
Tommy arches an eyebrow. He looks almost tired. Good. I hope you've spent whole nights sleepless over this, you jerk.
"And what would that be?"
"Take me with you."
Tommy stares.
"Whatever it is you're doing, take me with you." I repeat. "Or you and I get stuck out here forever." Well, or until the onboard computer realizes we've missed our window and sends out a call to the local Ranger Corps. But whatever, you don't need to know that detail.
His lips quirk up, like he's trying not to laugh. I wasn't actually expecting that. Then his features smooth out. "You sure? You won't like it."
"I'll live."
His lips quirk again, but this time it's smaller. "All right."
I turn and pop off the fan lid, yank out the rock that got stuck there, and pop the lid back on.
Tommy snorts. "Welcome aboard."
