Hymn to Fayth

Chapter 4

It was only for a brief moment. For one brief, terrifying moment, he blacked out. Everything went dark and a wave of cold swept over him, the warmth falling faster and faster away from him. Then just as he neared that strange realm between life and death, he pushed himself back. Suddenly he could feel the sun- albeit fake- washing across his face, the heavy weight of the bag over his shoulder, and the crushing feel of Tenaya's hands around his throat. But he still couldn't muster the strength to shove her off, couldn't focus long enough to gather his power as he slowly suffocated.

Dillon wouldn't make it.

The thought washed across his mind and he tried to beat it back but he couldn't. Because it was true. He hadn't told them quick enough and The Garage was too far away. Dillon wouldn't make it, not before he had already slipped away, too close to that sphere of life for them to pull him back. He'd die.

There had to be something he could do. There had to be.

There was one thing. His 'project', as Scott called it. It wasn't ready, he wasn't ready, no where near ready, but he was so close to that realm that maybe... just maybe he could make it work. But he had to focus. He took as deep a breath as he could manage then closed his eyes, trying to block out the world around him. It worked for a brief second before the burning of his lungs grew to great to ignore. But a second was all he needed.

His power flared, bright and alive, around them. He tried to focus, to shape it, and after a moment, it shifted and formed a summoning circle on the ground beneath him. All through it, the power ran like a wild fire through his veins, with all the same power and intensity and pure heat. He never heard Tenaya's surprised gasp beneath the blood pounding in his ears. He gathered the energy around him even as he tried to maintain the shape of the spell circle and threw all his energy into the summoning, quickly and hastily connecting to the death realm.

The air around them started to drop sharply in temperature despite the warmth of the magic and slow curls of light blue mists puffed out. Even Tenaya's breath frosted as she breathed out, her skin gaining goosebumps, and still the temperature dropped. Ice bloomed across the ground and the walls, making things slippery. Despite the power burning through his blood, Ziggy felt the bite of winter as it slid down his throat and cooled his lungs, barely numbing their ache. He could feel his lips drying and cracking as frost started to dust across his eyelashes and hair. A faint sheen of crystallized snow slipped across his skin. He let out one last shaky breath, throwing all his energy and hope into his single whisper. This had to work.

"Shiva."

The power flared greater, creating a light almost to bright to look at. For one brief moment, the connection held strong and the summoning seemed to work. Then it collapsed beneath the pressure of his body's physical demands.

He lost his grip on the energy and braced himself as well as he could against the backlash. Still, within seconds, the magic of the failed spell whipped around them without restraint, and the horrid taste of acid power pushed at his throat, and the backlash burned a fever through his body, and it was all too much. He blacked out again; he never witnessed the damage left behind or how the failure sealed his fate.

The power raced up Tenaya's arms, raced towards her. She let out a startled, angry curse and dropped the boy she'd been holding captive. But it didn't matter. The energy exploded outwards in one last, defiant act, then settled to low, sweeping tendrils. She was thrown back for the second time, hitting the ground and rolling. She looked angrily up at him, shaking off the residual energy that burned through her circuits and stood.

At the same time, the energy spun around Ziggy, healing the small cuts caused by his fall and the bruise that would have formed on his neck. It ghosted though his hair in a movement that could almost be called loving, then slipped past him and through the folds of his bag. It circled briefly around the morpher, as if in contemplation, then sunk into it. There was a flare of bright gold-white energy, followed immediately by a flash of emerald green. The two colors flared again, together this time, once, twice, then disappeared.

The morpher appeared wrapped securely around his wrist.

Tenaya approached him slowly, a scowl appearing on her face as she eyed the morpher. Before she could do anything, the roar of an engine pierced the relative quiet, making her turn her head. A black car was racing down the street towards her and she had to jump back or be run over. Her eyes narrowed on the figure that stepped out.

Dillon glared at the woman in front of him even though everything in him was telling him to find and protect Ziggy. Against his better survival instincts, he turned his head to gaze behind him. He caught sight of Ziggy laying unconscious on the ground and felt a wave of anger flowing through him. Ziggy's lips were turning blue despite the unnatural fever flush darkening his cheeks and something that looked like snow was dusted across his clothes. He could tell from the jagged rise and fall of his chest that Ziggy's breathing was too harsh. He snapped his eyes, bright with fury, back to the human-guised attack-bot. "What did you do to him?" he demanded heatedly.

She didn't answer immediately, staring over his shoulder at Ziggy then smirked at him, the only part of her expression he could see from beneath her visor. Then she attacked. He countered, surprised by the strength in her hits and the speed with which she danced around his own attacks. They traded blows, Tenaya's smirk growing. She caught his fist and pulled him closer to her. "You've had upgrades." she muttered.

Dillon glared at her. "Just who the hell are you supposed to be?" he growled. Her smirk widened, "Tenaya, Generation 7, Venjix human infiltration attack-bot. I am your thoughts and minds. I am mankind's unconscious being. I am the final evolution..."

He cut her off, twisting his grip on her arm and throwing her over his shoulder. "You talk too much." He snapped. She shrugged, pulling out a gun. "Doesn't matter. My mission is over."

He couldn't dodge the blast and winced as he fell to the ground. When he looked up, she was gone. He didn't hesitate to think about it, pushing himself to his feet and running over to check on Ziggy. He knelt down next to him, gently shaking his shoulders. "Ziggy? Ziggy, come on bud. Wake up." he muttered. He paused and placed the back of his hand against Ziggy's cheek. The temperature seemed to be in reverse of last night. His skin was burning up but the power flowing beneath it was freezing.

Ziggy still hadn't responded and he could feel the heat growing beneath his fingers but as it did so the blue tint to his lips started to vanish. He didn't know if that was a good thing or not. He shook him rougher. "Ziggy wake up!" he ordered sharply. Ziggy moaned softly, his eyelids fluttering. "Dil...lon?" The unsteady hold on wakefulness ended almost immediately but it was enough to reassure him. Feeling immensely more relieved, he leaned down and pulled Ziggy up into his arms, preceding to carry him to his car.

As gently as he could, he placed Ziggy in his car and secured him. As he did so, he noticed for the first time the morpher wrapped around his wrist. A steep sense of dread started to fill him and he clicked his own morpher on. "Hey, Doc. We might have a problem."

"I see it Series Black." She told him. "About 1.34 minutes before you arrived, Ziggy appears to have either lost control of his powers or been knocked unconscious during the shaping of a very strong spell. This caused a backlash of energy which seems to have bonded to the Series Green morpher, and in turn bonded with Ziggy. Ziggy Grover is now, unfortunately, our Ranger Series Green."

He dropped his head, groaning softly. "Shit."

"I agree."

He cut off the connection abruptly, looking back up at Ziggy. His color was returning to normal as his power settled and his breathing was even. That was good, he guessed. He straightened, walking around to get in. He glanced over at Ziggy. "Damn." he muttered as he started the engine.

He was halfway to the Garage where Ziggy woke up. "Dillon?"

Dillon glanced over at Ziggy. "You okay?" he asked.

The haziness was clearing from Ziggy's eyes as he slowly blinked. Then his eyes widened and he sat up straight. "The others are in trouble." he said urgently. Dillon gave him a strange look but before he could say anything, Doctor K's worried voice rang out from his morpher. "Series Black, the other Rangers need help battling Venjix's new attack bot."

He paused, glancing between Ziggy and his morpher. Ziggy turned his head and met his gaze calmly. "Drive Dillon." He ordered. One of his hands was running carefully, timidly, over the surface of the morpher.

"Ziggy..."

"Go. They need our help." Ziggy snapped. The two stared at each other for a long moment, Ziggy determined and unwavering, Dillon conflicted and apologetic. Finally, Dillon turned his gaze back to the road and spun them around towards the fight.

Ziggy had made his choice and he'd been working with the Rangers long enough to know what it meant. He wasn't going to run away and Dillon couldn't ask him too.

----

The fight was short. Ziggy knew it was short but it had felt so long. Too, too long. The power he was used to, his power, was warm and gentle but mostly uncontrolled and unknown. But it was strong and bright and alive. The power of Series Green was... nice, comfortable, but it felt almost too much, like it was pressing against him and suffocating him. And he'd had enough of that feeling. It was too much, too fast, too.... enthusiastic, he guessed. It felt like the biggest caffeine rush he'd ever had and there was no way to make it end.

He collapsed to his hands and knees as the other Rangers defeated the giant monster, feeling Dillon right next to him. He couldn't hold the morph any more so he let it go, feeling the suit disappear around him. Most of the energy rush was gone but it wasn't enough because he could still feel it buzzing beneath his skin, just begging to be used again.

He was shaking. He couldn't make himself stop any better than he could stop himself from taking in the large gasping breathes that were making Dillon worry so much. He felt exhausted. Too many things had happened; the day had been too long. First the mediation to obtain the ability to summon, then the chase and subsequent strangling and failed summoning, followed by the morpher bonding and the battle. He just wanted to sleep.

"Ziggy?" Dillon asked softly as he kneeled down next to him. Ziggy was surprised to feel the older man's hand running softly over his back in comforting circles. "Just breathe, Zig. Breathe."

Ziggy obeyed, happily continuing to gulp in air. God, how had it gotten so out of control so quickly? He hadn't wanted to be a Ranger. He had been very happy playing the part he had in the team. He hadn't wanted it to change. He hadn't wanted this.

His breath caught briefly but his body's demand for air forced its way past his raising emotions. Ziggy tried to ignore the fact that the resulting sound was too close to a sob. He let himself to tumble to the side, into the safety of Dillon's strong, stable presence. Dillon started slightly in surprise but immediately supported him, holding him close. "Are you okay?" he asked. Ziggy didn't answer immediately trying to decide what to say. How did he explain how overwhelming the Ranger energy felt to someone who had only felt that energy? How did he explain how it felt like he'd just lost what little control of his life he had?

In the end, he didn't have to. The other Rangers arrived and he shut his eyes against their exclamations of surprise and disbelief as they realized the truth. He let himself just drift off......

---

Dillon realized Ziggy was too light as he slowly carried him up the stairs to the young man's room. Ziggy was cradled to his chest, his head resting against his shoulder. He looked too small in his arm and it felt like it would be so easy to snap him in half. He didn't like that feeling.

He carefully shifted his grip on the young man so he could free the hand tucked under his knees to open the door to his room. Ziggy mumbled something but didn't wake. Searching blindly, Dillon found the light-switch and flicked it on. Immediately, the room was washed completely in light and Dillon had to close his eyes against it. Ziggy's room was simple, almost Spartan-like, but it was done in warm colors and soothing patterns. It looked... peaceful.

Dillon moved forward into the room. The first thing he noticed upon crossing the doorway was the immense power gathered there. It felt like the entire room was buzzing with it. It was everywhere, in the air and walls and weaved into the carpet and fabrics. It was impossible not to notice it. If Ziggy's project could create this much power and still allow him to run around all day, just how much power did the young man have?

He shook his head slightly in an effort to ignore it, even though that felt practically impossible, and kept moving. Gently, he laid Ziggy out on the bed and pulled the blanket resting at the bottom of the bed over him. Ziggy mumbled to himself again, and turned on to his side. Dillon smiled slightly at him and moved to turn away. He paused when he felt something tug on his shirt and looked back at Ziggy. One of Ziggy's pale hands had somehow grabbed the tail end of his shirt and didn't seem to be willing to let go.

Another smile twitched at his lips and he gently pulled Ziggy's hand off of his shirt. He held it for a moment then tucked it under the blanket. "Good night Ziggy." he whispered before turning and walking out, shutting off the lights and softly closing the door.

He turned and jogged down the stairs, heading towards the lab. Almost immediately, he was met with yelling. Scott was pacing angrily, Flynn looked very confused, and Summer was standing next to Doctor K as the young woman typed quickly away at her computer. And Scott was yelling. "He can't be a Ranger!" he snapped in response to something Dillon hadn't heard. Dillon felt a wave of protective anger wash through him at the Red Ranger's harsh words.

But no one seemed to have realized he was there. "I have no problem with him being out there with us. You guys know that!" Scott continued. "But Ziggy can't be a Ranger. His powers are purely defensive and probably for a reason! He isn't meant to be a front-line fighter. He never was!" Scott trailed off then finally just sank to the ground, covering his face in his hands. "What do we do?"

"Nothing." Dillon told him, making the others look at him. "Ziggy is a Ranger now. Rather we like it or not. There is nothing we can do to change that." He glared at all of them, daring them silently to argue with him. "Ziggy is trying to be brave but he is scared. I know he is. So why don't you all show a little faith?" He requested. "You've trusted him this far. Trust him now."

There was a long, silent moment then Scott stood up and sighed. "Come on. Let's go to bed. Right now, we aren't going to be able to do anything right now." He muttered, walking out. The other two slowly shuffled out after him, tiredness and weariness in every line of their bodies. Dillon turned to follow them out when Doctor K called him back. "Series Black."

He turned back to her slowly, wanting nothing more than to just go to bed. It had been a long day and too much had happened. There had been too many up and downs, mostly downs, and he felt both mentally and physically exhausted. He was starting to think that this must be what it was like for Ziggy, wanting to just drop to the ground and go to sleep. He was gaining a new respect for the boy's strength of will. "What?"

"The power of the morpher will affect Ziggy's...." she trailed off briefly, a strange expression on her face. "Series Green's already unstable physical state. The energy of the Ranger suits is constant, even when you are not morphed. He will not have as many bad days as he did before. But when he does, they will be much worse than before."

He frowned, a feeling of unease settling in him. He had never seen one of Ziggy's low energy days but he heard about them. Days when Ziggy was so tired he could barely get up in the morning. How could that get worse? "Why tell me? Why not Scott?"

"It is true that Series Red is team leader and he should know. But..." she glanced at him. "As illogical as it is, it is you Zig- Series Green trusts." She stopped and gave him a stern look. "He does not believe that trust to be misplaced. As much as I do not like you, I do not wish him to be proven wrong. Series Green will have a much harder time adjusting to the power of the morpher than any of you due to his already present, naturally-generated, energy. The two energies will have to combine in order to be used effectively and until then, Series Green will not be in perfect form. He will need someone to protect him while his powers settle."

Dillon closed his eyes and nodded, not sure he fully understood what he was agreeing to when he said, "I'll protect him."