A/N: You are now breathing manually and have lost the game. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Ahem. In other news, I was planning to get this out before midnight, but I may or may not have been distracted by coloring a poster of Tinkerbell. With crayons, but that's up for discussion, too. Many, many thanks to all my reviewers. Your comments were much appreciated. Thank you to everyone who read and added me to their alerts/favorites, too. I hope you keep reading.
As a heads up: [This is a phone ringing, or something beeping.] With that said, enjoy!
Wave Goodbye:
September 13, 2004:
The next few weeks passed in relative peace. There were only a few instances of Tyrannodrones attacking the city, but nothing that even needed the Zords. Tommy was surprised, but grateful. Hayley and he had even found a way to program a teleportation sequence into the new morphers, though its range was small and imprecise. Modifying active morphers was difficult and painful, he knew that all too well. Before he knew it, the first month of school had passed.
He found that teaching came somewhat naturally to him. It didn't hurt that he got to teach the kids about dinosaurs - though he was disappointed that the unit was almost over. He hadn't had to give out very many detentions, and he'd even given a few pop quizzes. Principal Randall… was her usual eccentric self. Life was good.
Conner, Ethan, and Kira were slowly coming together as a team. It had taken a while before they actively chose to be with each other, but now the three of them formed a lab group in his class, and were occasionally seen in each other's company during passing periods. However, they still didn't interact much outside of battles, or outside the weekly meetings in his basement.
Conner had settled into the role of Red Ranger and leader, but Tommy could see the discontent brewing in his eyes whenever he got called away from practice. Conner was going to hit his breaking point soon.
Ethan, on the other hand, couldn't have been more thrilled being a Power Ranger. He was like a kid at a candy store, and why shouldn't he be? Almost every child dreamed of being a super hero at some point.
Kira, as well, had no problems being a Ranger. She was the balance between Conner and Ethan, though she sometimes got fed up with dealing with the boys, or getting called out in the middle of a rehearsal. She understood, though, that protecting the city came first. That's what a Power Ranger did.
Here's to hoping that nothing out of the ordinary happens today.
Dee-didididi-dee-didi-
"Hello."
"Hey, Tommy. I just saw your Rangers in the Café today. You have quite the interesting bunch."
"Hey, Hayley. So Ethan finally dragged them over to the Café?"
"Yeah. I gave a Kira a gig Friday night, so you'd better be there. I sent Conner off to the Wave's open tryouts. And he thought I wouldn't be able to help him! So how's your work going?"
Tommy chuckled. Information was Hayley's business, whether she knew it by gossip or by simply knowing the person. She had a scary knack for knowing who needed what and when they needed it.
"Things are pretty quiet. The energy signature I read earlier hasn't moved, so I might head over to Florida this weekend and check it out."
Some time after the first battle, Tommy had found an energy spike of another Dino Gem, this time in Florida. It had probably been carried over from the Yucatan by ocean currents. He hadn't visited Kim in a while, either, so he'd be killing two birds with one stone.
"Florida… that'd be nice. Seriously, Tommy, where do you get the money for all this?"
Tommy laughed. "Hayley, you know this. Mom and Dad may have disowned me, but they and Uncle John did leave me everything they owned in their wills. I just sold everything to the highest bidder and chucked all the money in a bank. Wait, hang on. I think I found something!"
"Alright, I'll let you get back to it. I think I see a spill waiting to happen by the computer."
Alright then. Let's see what and where you are… Not in Florida, but - Hey! The Raptor Riders! I'd almost forgotten about those! This is brilliant!
Tommy activated the signal for the Dino Thunder Rangers. Kira would be stressing out about playing on Friday, and Conner would be at the Wave tryouts, so that left Ethan.
"Yeah, Doc, you got Ethan."
"Ethan, can you meet me out at the end of Riverside Road in an hour?" That should give me plenty of time to set things on standby here and get gas for my jeep. And you have time to finish anything important you were doing.
"Yeah, sure what's up?"
Ethan, you're in a public place. I can hear the people talking in the background. Ranger business is distinctly private.
"Just be there, and I'll fill you in."
Tommy ended the call and resumed typing. He'd need to buy food at some point, too, if he really did find the Raptor Riders.
Raptor Riders… That brings back memories of grad school. All those nights in the lab with Anton. I wonder what's going on with him now. He still doesn't respond to my calls or e-mails.
Once he was satisfied that the scans he was running would be fine without him, Tommy grabbed a bag and left for his jeep. He met up with Ethan, who had ridden his bike over.
"So, Dr. O, what's the 4-1-1?"
Tommy bit down on an excited smile. "I need your help looking for some of my old experiments."
Ethan looked at him, curious. "Are we talking Tyrannodrone-experiments or BioZord-experiments?"
Tommy chuckled. "Something similar to the BioZords. After the island exploded, some of my experiments were scattered all throughout this area." The rest are either at the bottom of the ocean or in Mesogog's hands, unfortunately.
"There!"
They knelt down beside three glowing orbs. Tommy smiled. They were looking at some of his finest work.
"What are they?" Ethan asked.
"Eggs," Tommy replied. Probably my most successful combination of dinosaur DNA and technology. I remember Anton walked in on me dancing like a lunatic in the lab when I completed them. It took about ten minutes for me to calm down enough to form coherent sentences and tell him what I'd done.
"Oh, it's cool, Dr. O. I just had lunch a couple of hours ago," Ethan said.
What does lunch have to do with anything… Oh. No! You are most certainly NOT going to eat them. I spent far too much time and effort on them! Honestly, do they look like food?
"Heh, no. We're not going to eat them; we're going to hatch them. Then, you're going to ride them."
Tommy's smiled widened at the incredulousness on Ethan's face. Careful there, kid, your eyes might just fall out of your head.
Ethan stood up. "Maybe it's all this quiet out here that's got me hearing things, but I thought you said we're going to ride these!"
Yes, Ethan, you're going to ride an egg slightly larger than my fist. Just you wait, kid. When these things hatch, they'll be one of the coolest things in your arsenal. Of course, I created them, so I might be a little biased.
"I did. Trust me, Ethan, when these things are ready, they're going to be a big help to us."
"Alright, whatever you say," Ethan allowed, kneeling back down to help Tommy pack them away. The teen immediately picked up the blue one, and the egg glowed slightly.
See? It likes you already. Hey, hey! No manhandling a thousand dollars of work!
"Careful," Tommy warned.
There was a soft whoosh in front of them, and they both perked up. Tyrannodrones? Here? Oh come on!
"You saw that, right?" Ethan asked.
Tommy nodded, and shifted the bag onto his shoulder. "We have to protect the eggs no matter what." If Mesogog got his hands on them, we would have no chance of winning this battle.
"Who would want to hurt them?"
"I would," a woman declared as she stepped out from behind a tree.
Leather, tightly braided black hair, black lipstick – this must be Elsa.
"And I," the cyborg drawled, "I'm starting to have my doubts about your intelligence, Dr. Oliver."
Hey, I resent that, you cybernetic monstrosity! I worked my butt off to get my PhD!
Just then, he felt something yank on his backpack.
"Hey!" Then again, I see your point.
He twisted around and got free with Ethan's help.
"Attack!" the cyborg roared.
It is really weird to describe his voice. I'm not even sure it is a he. Unlike Elsa, I don't know his name. For all I know, he could really be a she, just with a very distorted voice. Tommy, you idiot, why are you thinking about this NOW? Fight!
Tommy beat back the Tyrannodrones to his right with one hand and a kick or two, while the other hand was playing tug-of-war with another Tyrannodrone over the bag.
"Hands off!"
Ethan came in from his fight at that time, jumping between the two of them, allowing Tommy to secure the bag.
Haven't fought with a handicap like this in a while. At least I can say I'm not lying when I say I can beat them with one hand. Take that! I've got more than two decades of martial arts under my belt, you don't have a chance.
However, upon seeing the large number of Tyrannodrones, Tommy called out, "Ethan! Call the others!"
I really hope the Wave tryouts are over, or Conner will be pretty unhappy. Although, right now, I'm inclined to tell him to get over it. Oh for the love of - Die already, you stupid Tyrannodrone!
A few minutes later, Conner and Kira showed up to fight.
"You guys couldn't have done this another day?" Conner complained. So he had been called away from practice after all.
Okay, Tyrannodrones are occupied with the Rangers, which means Elsa and the cyborg are… oh jeez, this is going to be tough.
Tommy dropped into a fighting stance, with one arm curled around his back.
"You're not getting these eggs, you know. Why don't you just go back to Mesogog now?"
Shut up and fight, Oliver!
He ducked and leaped and kicked, but fighting two skilled and sentient opponents was something he hadn't done in a long time. Add to that the fact that Elsa had a sharp sword and the cyborg had a battleaxe, both of which were aiming to sever his head from his neck, suffice to say the battle was one he wanted to end soon.
He leaped and spun away from the cyborg's attack, using his momentum to deliver a sharp kick to Elsa's wrist. The villainess gave a short, sharp, yell as she landed a few feet away from him, using her free hand to support her wrist.
"Elsa!"
The cyborg pushed Tommy away and moved to her side.
So someone has a crush, does he? This is equal parts hilarious and creepy. Kind of like Goldar and Scorpina, actually. At least now they're not trying to steal the eggs from me. Though two against one from the same direction would really stink.
The Rangers regrouped around him, with Conner between him and Mesogog's helpers.
"You really like these odds?" Ethan taunted, "'Cause you look pretty busted to me!"
Ethan, no taunting the people with far more battle experience and pointy weapons. It will come back to bite you. Oh, who am I kidding. I've done it enough times myself.
"We're not through with you, Power Rangers," Elsa snarled, spitting out the phrase with distaste.
Aw, Elsa, one would get the impression you don't like us.
"Nor you, Dr. Oliver," the cyborg added.
Okay, seriously, what do you have against me? I've never seen you before in my life and at every battle, you try to kill me. If you're going to hate me for something, at least let me know what it is! I'm not a mind reader!
They disappeared in a flash of green light, and Kira muttered, "They're a pleasant couple."
You didn't have to stay in the room right beside the one where Goldar and Scorpina went at it in the middle of the night. Thin walls, empty palace… That alone was enough to send me off the deep end.
"Yeah, we'd better get these back to my place."
"What are they?"
"We're going to ride them," Ethan replied sarcastically.
Tommy rolled his eyes at Ethan's tone. Just you wait, Blue. You will eat your words. Keep mocking my work, and you will end up on my black list.
"Huh?"
"Look," Conner interrupted, "I have to go back to tryouts. Can you guys handle this?"
Tommy clasped Conner's shoulder and replied, "Go ahead, Conner. They can fill you in later."
I really am sorry to pull you out of practice. I know how much soccer means to you, kid. I hope everything goes alright.
"Good luck!" Ethan called to his leader's retreating back.
"Come on, let's head back."
"So, are these like the BioZords, Dr. O?" Kira asked.
Tommy replied, "The Raptor Riders actually have the inverse dinosaur DNA-to-technology ratio as the BioZords."
Turning back to the teens, he continued, "They probably won't hatch for a while, so you can head back to whatever you were doing. I'm going back to the lab. I'll let you know if anything unusual happens, alright?"
The teens nodded and left and Tommy went back to his jeep. As he drove back, his thoughts drifted to the past, especially his past with Anton Mercer. He had been thrilled to get the chance to work with such a brilliant scientist while he was still an undergrad. Anton had been kind, if a little eccentric. The two of them had gotten along the best out of all the other workers, and Tommy had soon become Anton's right-hand man.
Anton had been there when Tommy found the Dino Gems, and that was when he found out Tommy was a Ranger. Anton understood how precious the information was, and promised to keep it a secret. Soon after, they moved out to the island and began working on the BioZords under Operation Lightspeed. Or rather, Lightspeed's new project: Space Patrol Delta.
Tommy pulled out of his musings as he parked his jeep in his driveway. He checked his sensors before venturing underground to his lab. He placed the eggs on a table and began booting up various sensors. As he worked, he found his thoughts drifting to Anton Mercer again.
Anton… Where are you? What's been going on in your life? We used to be so close. You were a mix of an older brother and father to me. You helped me through a lot in my life, but then you disappeared. Now your company's back and I, for the life of me, can't get a hold of you, though I've been trying to contact you at least twice a week.
It was with shadowed eyes that Tommy placed the eggs under his sensors, checking that the energy readings hadn't shifted since he'd last worked with them. It hit him once more that the Tyrannodrones that had been plaguing the city were his creation, and that he still didn't know the whereabouts of the rest of his experiments. If Mesogog got his hands on them…
BEEP-BEEP BEEP-BEEP BEEP-BEEP
Tommy was pulled out of his musing as the alert went up that the eggs were hatching, much sooner than he expected. Right before his eyes, cracks appeared in the shells of the eggs, running along dark grey webbing.
The Red Raptor Rider was the first to break out, sticking its head out, and kicking the rest of the shell away. It went over and head-butted the blue egg, rolling it around until the Blue Raptor Rider poked its head out as well. Then, the Red went over to the yellow egg and did the same.
Soon, all three Raptor Riders were shaking off eggshell crumbs and looking around the table curiously. Tommy picked them up, wincing as their claws dugs into his palms and placed them on the floor.
They're so cute when they're tiny.
"Activate resizing matrix," Tommy commanded.
The Raptors began to expand, growing until their heads came up to the middle of Tommy's chest. Tommy grinned. They were magnificent. He finally felt like he'd earned that PhD of his, instead of the University giving it to him because they couldn't figure what else to do with him after the explosion.
And then Tommy found himself flying backwards, a throbbing pain in his chest.
What the heck?!
Suddenly, Tommy was faced not with three of his past experiments, but three dangerous, angry dinosaurs.
This… is unexpected. Come on, Tommy, think. How to get them away from all the expensive equipment?
Tommy picked himself up and moved slowly, trying not to startle the Raptors. The Yellow Raptor's attention wasn't on him, anyway, it was on – oh no.
Tommy leaped forward as the Yellow Raptor attacked one of his energy scanners, causing sparks to fly.
"Shields activate!" Tommy ordered, grateful once more that Andros had provided him with so much technology. Now, all the electronics in his lab were protected by forcefields. However, there were still plenty of tables, chairs, crates, and odd knick-knacks lying around to damage.
Oh Hell, this is not going to be fun…
And how right he was.
The Red Raptor roared again as Tommy ducked under its tail, but this time there was another rumbling under it – on of the cave entrances was opening.
Oh, come on, guys, this is horrible timing. I'm sure Mesogog would love for you to be killed by rampaging Raptors.
"Don't come in, it's not safe!" he shouted out as ran to the other side of the lab, leaping over debris. "Whoa!"
He lurched sideways as several crates flew by, one clipping him on the shoulder. Well, at least those were just photos. He hoped. Before he could get his bearings, the Blue Raptor charged him, forcing him flail and move backwards. It didn't quite work.
"We kinda got that," Kira commented warily.
The Yellow Raptor's tail hit his torso, catapulting him over the Blue Raptor's tail and onto the floor in front of his students.
Oh, that's going to be a spectacular bruise.
Tommy pushed himself up, trying to wipe off whatever gunk was now on his hands.
"Is that what was in those eggs?" Ethan asked incredulously.
Tommy flinched as he heard the clang of metal against metal and hoped that nothing too valuable was broken.
"Yeah, I've been trying to train them," Tommy replied. Well, no, not really, but I would if I could get them to stop wrecking my lab and attacking me.
"How's it coming?" Ethan wondered slowly.
"Uh, slowly – Whoa!" Tommy ducked under the Red Raptor's tail as it lashed out and hit the doorframe. Maybe they should take this outside.
"Very slowly," Tommy corrected as he stood up, looking warily around his lab.
Once again, thank all the Powers That Be for all of Andros' tech. Without those shields, I would probably end up bankrupt.
"Look," Conner said, pulling Tommy's attention back to him, "I can see that you're… busy… with… well, whatever, but, I need to talk."
Tommy's attention shift as the hair of the back of his neck stood up and one of the Raptors screeched. An instant later, the Red Raptor's tail slammed into his middle, sending him flying forward.
Kira, watch out!
Tommy landed face-first in the dust several feet outside his basement. He was going to feel this so badly in the morning. As he pushed himself up, he heard Ethan's shout of surprise as the door slid down again, no doubt due to the Raptors.
"I guess I can take break," he said, accepting Ethan's hand.
Tommy brushed himself off a little and bit back a smile at the Blue Ranger's disgust at whatever he had picked up, saying, "Alright, what's up?"
Conner, I don't like that look in your eyes…
It took Conner a moment to gather his thoughts before he replied, "You gotta find someone to replace me."
Can't say I didn't see that one coming.
Ethan and Kira, on the other hand, could.
"What are you talking about?" Kira demanded.
"You're talking crazy!" Ethan added.
Tommy sighed at the flash of hurt in Conner's eyes before he closed his eyes, as if asking for patience, his jaw set with determination.
"Alright, settle down, you two," Tommy interrupted, "What's the problem?"
Conner replied, "Look… I'm a soccer player. That's all I've ever wanted to do… Y'know, every moment of my life has led up to playing for a pro team… and I get the greatest chance of my life, and I blow it."
Because you're a Ranger, right? I've been there, Conner. I know how much it hurts. And because I've been there, I won't stop you from leaving if you really want to. I can't do that to you.
"I understand," Tommy said sadly, noting with some satisfaction that at least Kira also understood, "And you're right."
"You're agreeing with him?" Ethan exclaimed.
Tommy ignored him, focusing on the Red Ranger. "Conner, I know how you feel, because I've felt that way before. But, I want you to think about this before you do anything."
I may not stop you from leaving, Conner, but the world needs a Red Ranger.
Conner lowered his gaze, but Tommy could tell Conner didn't fully believe him. Why should he? Tommy's hadn't told them about his Ranger past, not wanting the teens to use him as a crutch. The other generations of Rangers had agreed with him.
"Look," Kira said, trying to make Conner see the error of his ways, "I've got things I want to do, too, but I'm here. I'm dealing."
"Good for you," Conner replied, slightly bitterly, "I guess I'm just different."
This wasn't an easy decision for you, was it, Conner? You know how much you're needed as a Ranger.
Conner looked at the three of them, avoiding eye contact with Tommy, before walking past him and leaving.
"Whoa," Ethan muttered sourly, "And I thought the Red guy was supposed to be the leader."
Not always, Ethan. And Conner has the right to pursue his own dreams, no matter what. It's a basic human right, something that we as Rangers always fight to protect.
Ethan turned to him and demanded, "How can you just let him go, Dr. O?"
"It's Conner's choice, Ethan. I can't force him to do anything. Senior year is a big year, and he has the right to secure his future."
"But if he quits now, there may not be a future for him! I mean, he's the Red Ranger!"
Tommy turned and looked his student in the eye. "He is also Conner McKnight, a young man who is just as passionate about his soccer career as you are about gaming. Put yourself in his shoes: something he's spent his entire life working for is at stake. It's very hard to just let something like that go."
Ethan's shoulders slumped. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
No guessing about it, Ethan. Jason, Trini, and Zack left to pursue their dreams the Peace Conference, and now Jason works for the UN. Kimberly left for the Pan-Globals, went on to become an Olympic medalist, and is now the coach for the US Gymnastics Team. Aisha decided to stay in Africa and be a vet in the middle of her Zeo Quest, she only just came back to the US. On the other hand, Tanya put her singing dreams on hold, Carlos gave up soccer to leave the PLANET, and I gave up my hopes of becoming a famous martial artist or a racer, because I couldn't devote enough time to it.
"Do you need any help, Dr. O?" Kira asked.
Tommy glanced back uneasily at the door to his lab. The crashes and screeches had finally stopped.
"No, I can handle it. You guys head back to whatever is you were doing."
"I hear that," Ethan muttered, "I have so much homework left."
"Come on, Ethan. I want to talk to Conner," Kira said, pulling him away.
Tommy reentered his lab to see all three Raptors huddled around something small and shiny on the floor. As he got closer, the red one snarled at him to keep away, but he saw that they were examining his Dragon Dagger and Green Ranger Power Coin.
How did they find that?
"Hey, get away from those!" They're some of the most important things I own!
He dove down as the red and yellow Raptor Riders reared up to attack him and grabbed the coin and dagger. He felt a familiar flare of energy as the Power within him recognised the two devices. As he rolled away, he noted that the Raptors had stopped moving.
Well, this is new. Ever since they hatched, the only things they've done is run around and wreck things.
Slowly, he rose, one arm stretched out towards them. The red Raptor Rider approached him, as if curious, and gently head-butted his hand.
Dragonkin.
Tommy felt a connection form between him and the Raptor, similar to the connection he'd shared with some of his earlier Zords. Reaching out mentally, he asked, Will you listen?
He got a sense of confusion in response. Ah. Of course. He simplified his question to its basic emotions and sent it back. This time, he received a sense of repentance and acceptance in return. He then gathered every emotion and picture-thought associated with Conner and sent it out.
Did it work?
A few moments later, he got a rush of enthusiasm, eagerness, and happiness back. Tommy grinned. The Raptor had accepted its Rider.
For something I'm making up on the spot, I'm doing pretty well. I guess that's thanks to the Power. I never expected to be able to form a semi-telepathic connection with my experiments, never in my wildest dreams!
The Red Raptor Rider turned back and growled to its companions. The yellow one approached Tommy next. He repeated the same process, replacing Conner with Kira. With a growing sense of glee and accomplishment, he repeated the process once more with the blue Raptor, using Ethan this time.
A few minutes later, Tommy could have cried with relief as the Raptor Riders decided to quite sedately curl up and wait by the West Exit of his lab. He began righting some of the tables and starting the laborious process of cleaning his lab - he really needed to stop being such a packrat.
"Argh! I hate cleaning! Forget this. I'll do it later," he groused. As he sat down at his computer, he remembered how upset Conner had been.
Poor kid. I wonder if there's any way I can make it up to him… Of course, Coach Riley!
Tommy pulled out his cell phone and dialled a number.
"Marty Riley."
"Hey Marty! It's Tommy Oliver here. I'm not interrupting practice, am I?"
"No, no, we got done about an hour ago. What can I do for you, Oliver?"
An hour? Wow, how the time does fly.
"Oh, phew. Didn't want to interrupt practice again."
"Again? What are you talking about?"
Tommy grinned. Feigning surprise, he replied, "Conner didn't tell you? I had to pull the poor kid away in the middle of practice. We'd arranged a meeting for class today a while back, before he knew about tryouts. He was pretty unhappy to be here."
"So you're the reason one of my prospective players has a DNF. Jeez, Oliver, you couldn't have done this another day?"
Well, I wasn't planning on calling Conner at all, until Elsa and her cybernetic boyfriend showed up with a horde of Tyrannodrones.
"I wish. You know how life gets, with this that and the other going on all at the same time."
"Yeah, yeah, I now how it is. You think the kid'll still be at the fields? I might want to talk to him."
"Conner? Yeah, he practically lives on the soccer fields. It's getting late, though."
"Well then, I'd better head back. Later, Oliver."
"Goodbye, Marty."
Ending the call, Tommy smiled. Hopefully, this would help Conner out. He returned to scrolling through the various windows on his computer screen. He still had to finish editing that video of Power Ranger history, as well. He'd been working for a good fifteen minutes, when an alarm on his computer started blaring.
Great. Back to action it is.
He brought up a surveillance window showing downtown Reefside. A strange-looking monster was running through the streets destroying everything in sight. He caught sight of a young girl run to hide under a table amongst the hordes of people running away.
This is going to be messy. Is it just me, or is that a bird wearing a cape of leaves?
Opening up the communication link with his rangers, he alerted them, "Guys, we have a situation. There's a monster attacking the city. People are in danger."
Well, people are always in danger. Sorry I had to guilt trip you, Conner, but we need you on this one.
"Okay," he heard Conner's resigned voice, "but this is the last time."
I can live with that. Though, thirty bucks says you'll realise what you're fighting for in this battle.
He turned to the Raptor Riders, which were now standing alert. Bringing up another window, he resumed typing, and said to them, "I'm inputting the Rangers' coordinates."
The eyes of the Riders flashed once the data was received. The West Exit opened behind them.
"Go," Tommy urged, "They'll need you."
Back on the computer, he heard Kira say, "He's getting away!"
Conner stopped her. "We'll never catch him."
Opening up the communication channel again, he said, "You can. Meet the Raptor Riders."
Tommy toggled the joystick and made the camera zoom back to make sure the Raptors had reached their targets.
The teen exclaimed over their Raptors, and Tommy felt glad he had managed to get them to cooperate. He wondered about the floating thought of 'Dragonkin' he had received from the three of them. It was odd that the rest of their telepathic communications were emotions and the occasional picture, but 'Dragonkin' was a distinct word. And where had he heard that before…?
As they attacked, Tommy marvelled that the Raptors jumped on cars, but the Power never let them dent anything, or break any windows when Kira ran the length of a building – hm, that looked like the Dage Corporate IT building…
A soft smile worked its way across Tommy's face as he saw Conner fight to protect the little girl. He had a feeling he and Conner would have a heart to heart about dreams and priorities soon. Satisfied that they had everything under control, he switched screens to check the vitals of the Raptor Riders.
A few moments later, he got a message from Conner, saying, "Dr. O, we may have a problem on our hands."
"Let me guess," he said as he switched screens again, "A thirty-story version of that guy you were just fighting?" I hate it when I'm right.
"You've done this before, haven't you?" Ethan wondered.
"Once or twice." Or maybe five. Or a lot more, if you count my off-duty battles.
"I'm sending the DinoZords." Who doesn't love a MegaZord battle?
Tommy watched them fight, a sense of pride and wistfulness building in his chest. These are my Rangers… My students… It still feels like it should be me out there fighting to protect them. Though it's by no means easy sitting here, monitoring the battle with alternating bouts of pride and concern. Still, what I wouldn't give for my Zeo crystal to be recharged so I could fight again…
Another though struck him, and he laughed at himself.
Though I could probably do without my team trying to kill me for pulling such a stupid stunt.
"Good job guys," he told them after they'd won, "You can ride the Raptors back to the soccer field."
Tommy chuckled at the whoops and catcalls of his students as the Raptors sped off. He'd be willing to bet they'd never ridden anything quite so fast before. Interestingly, when they returned to the soccer field, Conner asked if he could ride back to Tommy's house. A few minutes later, the West Exit slid open and the Raptors rode in. Conner hopped off his Raptor and demorphed.
"Those are pretty sweet," he said as they all surrounded Tommy, flicking their tails at him and trying to head-butt him.
"Yes, yes, you guys did great, too! Hey, I don't have any food in there! Go hunt something in the forest!" Tommy laughed at the semi-mechanical dinosaurs.
After they had left, Tommy turned to his slightly uncomfortable red-clad student. He motioned for him to sit in the chair next to him, and asked, "So what can I help you with, Conner?"
Conner fidgeted. "Well… I just… I don't know what to do, Dr. O. I mean, soccer is my life, y'know? Well you probably don't, but on the other hand, being a Power Ranger is important. That battle we just fought showed me exactly what I'm fighting for, but…"
"It's hard to let go of something you've been working towards for as long as you can remember," Tommy finished for him.
Conner nodded sadly.
Tommy sighed. "I'm not going to force you to make a decision one way or another, Conner. I'm not going to ask you to be like the Red Rangers before you. You deserve to be your own person." I always hated being compared to others, though that may have stemmed from my parents constantly comparing me to their dead son.
Conner looked at him, surprised he had caught on to that. "You noticed? Sorry, it's just… they're some pretty big shoes to fill, and I don't know if I'm cut out for that."
Tommy placed his hand over Conner's bracelet. "Conner, you see this Gem? This gem came to Earth millennia ago. It's watched mankind evolve, watched civilisations rise and fall, waiting for the right person to come along to bear its gifts. That person is you. The Dino Gems contain a power as old as the Universe itself, the Power that fuels all the Power Rangers. Never doubt that it was meant for you. I've known you for what, over a month now, and I know it chose the right person."
Conner stared back at Tommy with wide eyes and then looked back at his gem. "I get it… it's just hard to let go of my dreams, y'know?"
"So don't," Tommy replied. "Dreams are vitally important, Conner. They're what makes us human, what defines us as a person. Maybe the Wave will work out for you, maybe it won't. If there's one thing I wholeheartedly believe, it's that everything happens for a reason."
Conner nodded. After a few moments of digesting Tommy's words, he got up and said, "Thanks, Dr. O. I needed this talk."
I wouldn't have given it to you if you didn't, kid.
Conner disappeared in a streak of red and paused for a moment by the stairs. He grinned mischievously and said, "I'll see you at school tomorrow, dude."
"Conner! Stop calling me 'dude'!" Tommy yelled at the disappearing red blur.
Kids these days. No respect for their elders.
"And now I have to clean…"
September 17, 2004:
It took Tommy two evenings to clean out his lab. The rest of the week passed uneventfully. Hayley had rescued three motorbikes from the junkyard and decided she wanted to soup them up for the Rangers. The new boy who had transferred into his class, Trent Fernandez, was finally caught up on his work, and his job busing tables for Hayley on the weekends was going well. He still thanked Tommy occasionally for telling him about the job, no matter how many times Tommy dismissed it. Apparently, he was using the extra money to get art supplies that his father wasn't too fond of buying for him.
The only thing out of the ordinary that happened to Tommy was the recurring dream he'd had. It always started out with him in a dark area, morphing into the Green Ranger. It seemed as if the morphing sequence was drawn out; his attention focused on the Power pounding through his veins. He dropped to the ground, ready for battle, when a blast came from behind him, knocking him into an abyss and out of morph. He flailed about, before his hands came together and he morphed into the White Ranger. Again, the morphing sequence seemed longer, his senses acutely attuned to Power again. Each set of powers he had been through was different; his Green Ranger Powers were wild and forceful while his White Ranger powers were still and calm, safe.
He dropped onto the ground again and started walking to a gate hidden in mist and fog. As he got closer, he realised it was the gate to Ninjor's abode. He reached out, wrapping his hand around one of the bars to push open the gate and his morph fell away. He pushed open the gate and entered. The chamber was deserted. He spun around at the sharp cry of a falcon, and then froze as his Ninjetti powers surged through him. These powers were sharp and free, much like his spirit animal.
Suddenly, the ground beneath him shook and he was falling again. His morph shattered and fell away. His heart rate picked up and he started flailing, fearing hitting the ground. He felt a weight on his wrists and brought them together, morphing into the Red Zeo Ranger. The Power from the Zeo crystal filled him up, but this set of powers was different from his other powers. It was impersonal, simply existing as power, nothing else. It was also the only set of powers that matched the sheer strength of his Green Ranger Powers.
This time he dropped to his knees atop a canyon. The wind howled around him and he looked around cautiously. A black blur raced past him – Tenga? Piranhatron? – and knocked him off his feet and out of morph. He landed flat on his back and rolled to the side, pulling himself back into a crouch. There was no one around him in any direction for as far as he could see.
He stood up and glanced at his wrist, noticing the Turbo morpher and Turbo Key in his hand. Suddenly, the hair on the back of neck stood up. Evil was approaching. He morphed into the Red Turbo Ranger immediately. The Turbo powers were light and fast, filling him with a need to move and move fast, but they also weren't his. They hadn't connected with him the way his previous powers had.
Several voices, perhaps his, Zordon's and Dimitria's echoed "Once a Ranger, always a Ranger," and he woke up, filled with a sense of loss and something else he couldn't explain… something like expectancy.
Before he knew it, though, Friday evening had arrived and he was due for Kira's gig in a few minutes. Hayley had called him earlier that day to remind him, and to let him know that Conner hadn't made it for the Wave. How Hayley knew that already was anyone's guess.
He turned to leave for the Café, when an alert popped up on his computer screen.
"What? Oh no! No, this is bad!"
Tommy rapidly typed commands and stared at the map with dread. The Dino Gem he had been tracking had been moved! There was a chance it moved via some natural source, like wind currents, or a building project, or something, but the scanner and several other programs he had just run would have picked that up. No, this alert would only have come up if the stone completely disappeared off the map and to a shielded location.
Like via an Invisiportal to Mesogog's lair. I'll have to let Conner, Ethan, and Kira know about this after her gig. Which I'm going to be late for!
Grabbing the morpher he and Hayley had created for the new Dino Gem, he bolted out of his house. As he approached the Cyberspace Café, he smiled as he listened to the chords of Kira's music streaming outside the Café. She really had quite a bit of talent. He nearly made it level with the door when four Tyrannodrones appeared in front of him.
Oh you have GOT to be kidding me!
Behind him, the cyborg appeared, The Tyrannodrones started to surround him. Two of them grabbed his arms while the other two approached him from the front. He wrestled one arm free and kicked the other two away, but suddenly, he felt a sharp sting above his elbow, and the Tyrannodrone seemed to weigh about three times what it did a second ago. It wasn't until all four of them got a hold of him and he could barely move his muscles that he realised with horror what had happened.
They drugged me! I can barely move! Think, Oliver, there has to be a way out of this!
He felt himself being sucked up into an Invisiportal before everything went black.
A/N: And there you have it. What going to happen with Tommy, I wonder? So what did you think? The fake science made me twitch a little (I'm a die-hard scientist), but the dream was really fun to write. What did you like best/least? Anyway, I still don't have that calendar drawn up yet, or the next chapter completed, so don't expect anything for a while, sorry. Please leave a review!