Hymn to Fayth

Chapter 3

Dillon sat in the kitchen two days later, contemplating his decision. It was late, everyone was asleep, and it seemed to be the perfect time to think. He'd admit, it was... nice to not be moving all the time. And it was nice to not have to worry about Grinders- much- or if anything was going to attack him in his sleep. But it was still weird, taking orders from someone else, trusting other people for the most part. The Rangers and their Doctor K were strange people that somehow managed to work and live together on a daily basis.

Scott Truman was the Red Ranger. He was strict and took his position as team leader maybe to seriously but he to generally cared about his teammates. He had a few problems with his father and the two didn't always seem to see eye-to-eye.

Flynn McAllistair, the Blue Ranger and the team's mechanic. He was a nice, rather laid-back guy who spent his time fixing the cars and making smoothies. He had a strange accent and maybe tried to help too much but was mostly a good guy who had accepted him easily enough.

Summer Landsdown was the Yellow Ranger. She was kind and a surprisingly good fighter who didn't seem to have any problems trusting him. Dillon sometimes got the feeling that she wasn't always like this and, like he did with Flynn, he wondered how much of her acceptance of him was because of Ziggy.

Doctor K was a different story. She was too young and too smart and too impersonal for him to truly trust. She referred to the Rangers by their colors, not their names, and the only one she ever seemed to favor was Ziggy. If that was because she truly liked him or if she just truly liked his powers, he couldn't say.

And then there was Ziggy Grover. He was, despite his generally open, honest disposition, an enigma. Dillon had realized he didn't actually know much about Ziggy's time in Corinth or anything about his life before Venjix. And he had no idea what went on in his mind. But Ziggy was sweet and gentle and he had a beautiful smile. He was powerful, Dillon knew. He had yet to see a true demonstration of Ziggy's powers but all of the team, even the Doc praised his gifts. Yet they were not without their price. Ziggy was sick, often frail, and sometimes ready to drop at any given second; at the same time, he was bright and energetic and seemly determined to not let his powers affect the way he lived.

He was the heart of the team. He kept the mood light and the Rangers happy. He made sure everyone got along and he and Scott had some form of shared leadership going on that neither seemed to mind.

He was also the sole reason Dillon had agreed to be a Ranger. Dillon wasn't sure if Ziggy actually needed the protection of his presence but the younger man never complained, in fact he seemed to enjoy it. And making sure Ziggy was content seemed to be one of the Rangers' missions so he didn't say anything about it either.

He stood up, deciding for the moment that he had made the right choice and moved to go to his room. Half way up the stairs he paused, a nagging sense of wrongness building in the back of his mind. He turned, examining the Garage carefully. It only took him a once over to notice something amiss. The Garage's large double doors, normally closed during the night, were open and there was a figure, silhouetted by the moonlight, resting against one of the open doors and gazing out into the city. He jogged calmly back down the stairs and approached, unsurprised when Ziggy's wild brown hair and pure white jacket came into focus.

"Ziggy?" He asked, watching as the young man jumped slightly and spun around to look at him with wide eyes. Dillon frowned at him. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

A warm smile crossed Ziggy's face as he once again settled down against the door, a look of intense peace sweeping over his eyes. He hummed softly, tilting his head in order to look him in the eyes. "Couldn't sleep. What about you?"

"I don't sleep." He answered. Ziggy's smile widened slightly in his amusement and he turned around to gaze at the city again. The lunar light weaved itself through the younger man's hair like it was a physical thing and bleached what little tan his skin had, leaving his eyes looking like mere passing shadows across his face. "You should be in bed." Dillon continued. "I've been getting the impression that you need all the sleep you can get."

His efforts rewarded him with one of Ziggy's brilliant laughs, light and airy and free. Ziggy turned back to him, his eyes amused. "If I can't sleep, I can't sleep." He whispered, before patting the ground next to him in a welcome. Dillon paused for a moment then obediently sank down next to him.

There was a long moment of silence that Dillon actually enjoyed. Ziggy looked content and vaguely peaceful, humming a soft tune under his breath that Dillon didn't recognize. He leaned his head back against the door, breathing deeply. The air was cleaner than the Wastelands' and slightly chilled as it slipped into his lungs. He hadn't noticed before how cold it was due to the standard Ranger issue black leather jacket he'd taken to wearing like the others but his first thought was for Ziggy, relatively unprotected besides from his rather thin jacket.

He frowned slightly and placed his hand over the curve of Ziggy's fingers in concern. He ignored the startled look Ziggy gave him, concentrating on the strange mix of coolness and warmth that drifted off of his skin. Ziggy was cool from the weather but his body was warm from the magic that ran rampant through him. But the chill was worrying. "You're cold." he muttered, meeting Ziggy's curious stare.

The younger man smiled. "Really? I hadn't noticed." he whispered. They stared at each other for a moment, then Dillon pulled his hand away and, not moving his gaze, asked him, "Why me Zig? Why choose me?"

Ziggy just smiled his soft, calming smile that easily set someone at ease. Dillon wondered if it was part of his powers that allowed him to do so. "I don't know Dillon. I don't know." Ziggy told him, not unkindly, then stood up, hugging his jacket to himself. "I'm going to bed." he announced, already walking away.

"How do you know you choose right?" Dillon asked. Ziggy stopped and looked back at him. There was a strange look in his eyes, a sharp sense of knowing that was unsettling at best and scary at worst. "I trust you." Ziggy told him. "Only time will tell me if I'm trusting the right person." That said, Ziggy turned and walked to his room, leaving Dillon to wonder at the blind faith Ziggy showed him.

----

Scott looked confused. Dillon didn't think he liked the idea of the team leader being confused. Especially not when that look was directed towards Ziggy's closed bedroom, where Ziggy had effectively locked himself in and everyone else out. "What?" He asked the Red Ranger.

"Ziggy's back to his project." Scott muttered. "He was working on it before you arrived, quit when you did, and is now, apparently, starting again. Wish I could say I know what's he's doing, but I don't. He never says."

Dillon arched an eyebrow, glancing up to gaze at Ziggy's door. There was no light shining from beneath the door and he couldn't hear any movement so he wondered if Ziggy was actually asleep. He wondered what Ziggy was doing up there.

Scott clapped him on the shoulder suddenly. "Well, you take care of him." Scott ordered before starting to walk away, the other two Rangers joining him. Dillon watched them go in confusion. "Where are you three going?" he demanded.

"We've got a Green Ranger to find." Scott told him with a smirk, turning to slip into his car. In a matter of seconds, all three were gone. Dillon scowled at the now empty Garage before turning to walk away, giving one last glance to Ziggy's door.

----

Soft gold-silver light spun around the room in quick waves, not even casting a shadow. It whispered across pale skin and ghosted through wild brown hair and over closed eyes. It grew slowly brighter and brighter, banishing what little shadow covered the walls. After a moment, dark brown eyes slid over, glazed over and unfocused. Ziggy breathed out slowly and the light flashed brighter then settled as Ziggy toppled over.

----

Like always, the first thing he noticed was the dark. And then the cold. Then finally, he noticed the far away brilliance and just barely there heat, a beckoning warmth. He slid his eyes open slowly, gazing around. To his right, seeming almost to far away to bother, was a bright sphere of light and warmth. Everything else was black and cold and lifeless. He wasn't actually standing on anything, more or less just floating in the air. It was a scene he had grown used to and since his first time here, he had learned a lot.

He knew now that the darkness stretched forever, in every direction, the only source of light being from the sphere. He'd learned that it didn't matter how far he moved unless he was moving towards the sphere. And he knew to never to give into the pull of the warmth and light of the sphere.

He turned slowly and carefully guided his non-corporal but still very real body closer to the warmth, making sure to not get close enough that he'd get pulled in. The sphere was nothing more than an illusion, the warmth and light a lure, and the darkness the only safety in this strange whelm of reality. The darkness was a portal back to life and the sphere a portal to an eternal rest. Once he was as close as he was going to get, he closed his eyes and prayed.

----

Half an Hour Later

Ziggy slowly crept down the stairs, looking around the empty Garage in confusion. After a long moment, he turned and walked into Doctor K's lab. Sure enough, Dillon was standing there, listening as Doctor K explained the suit.

He smiled softly and leaned back against the doors that had closed behind him, watching the two interact. K was the one who distrusted Dillon the most. Doctor K unlike the Rangers, didn't have blind faith in his powers. Even after all this time, the Doc still couldn't figure out the source of his powers and because of that, she didn't trust them, despite the fact that she trusted him just fine. But there was nothing he could do about that except let her run her twice monthly tests and hope for the best.

He watched them for a few more moments before Dillon caught sight of him and waved briefly. The small action caught K's attention and she turned to look at him. "Ah, Ziggy. Good. I need you to deliver the Series Green morpher to the Rangers."

"They've found someone already?" he asked in surprise, straightening and walking over. She nodded, leaning down to pick up a small bag she'd placed next her desk. "A Miss Tenaya Sevenson has presented herself as a viable candidate to handle the power of Series Green. They merely need the morpher."

Ziggy smiled kindly, taking the bag from her and slinging it over his shoulder. "I'll be happy to." He told her. He turned around, nodded to Dillon, then cheerfully started to make his way out of the building. Dillon watched him go, then turned back to the Doc. "What were we doing?"he asked, making the young woman sigh in aggravation.

----

Ziggy calmly entered the building where the other Rangers were supposed to be, a soft smile on his face and a greeting on his lips. It died away when he rounded the corner, staring at the young woman standing alone in the building. Something... wasn't right. "Miss Tenaya?" He ventured. "Where are the Rangers?"

She smiled prettily at him, causing all of his danger senses to flare up in warning. Something was off, something about her was off. "They left. I don't know why." She told him. Ziggy tightened his hold on the bag, pulling it closer to his chest. Her eyes flickered down to the bag then back up to him, glinting with some unknown light. He caught a hint of red in her eyes.

Everything about her screamed wrong. He could feel the power in his body reacting, building until it buzzed under his skin, just waiting to be let out. It had only ever reacted like that in one other situation. When he was standing in front of a Venjix attack-bot.

"You're a robot." he muttered, his eyes widening in horror. Surprise flickered across her face and then she smiled nastily, the red of her dark brown shining through. "You're smart." she whispered. "I'll take the morpher."

He backed away from her slowly, shaking his head and maneuvering the bag behind him. It didn't matter though, because in seconds she was in front of him, reaching out to grab his arm. Even as her hand closed over his wrist, hard as steel, he brought his other hand up, power flying from his fingertips. A barrier formed in his palm and with a quick mental push it blasted outwards, slamming her away. The minute he was free, he turned and ran.

He ran out of the building, down the street, and through the city. He ran for a long time then stopped, leaning back against a wall and fumbling for his communicator with one hand. After nearly dropping it twice, he brought it up and clicked it on. "Problem." He whispered, all he could manage while trying to catch his breath. After a few seconds, Doctor K answered.

"Ziggy? What's happening?"

"She's a robot." he answered, leaning his head back against the wall and resisting the urge to just crumble to the ground. "Tenaya, she's a robot."

Dillon came on instead of K's, low and angry. "Ziggy, I'm on my way."

He had one brief moment for relief, one brief moment to think that he was going to be okay, then he heard it. A slow, haunting whistle drifted through the air, freezing his blood in his reins. "Dillon." he breathed, gulping tightly. "Hurry."

He dropped the communicator back into his pocket, turning to start running again. Before he could get very far, a hand clamped down on his shoulder, spun him around, and then another hand wrapped viciously around his throat. He choked, his hands dropping their things and coming up to grasp tightly at the hand slowly pulling him off the ground. He looked down to meet a darkened visor and noticed, in some distant, detached part of his mind, that Tenaya had changed clothes.

It was getting hard to breath. And he couldn't... really focus. He breathed out slowly, his lungs starting to burn. "Dillon...."