"His hair's long," I said suddenly.
"Yeah, so?" Conner asked.
"Last time we saw Dr. O., his hair was short. It hasn't been that long."
Greg gave an amused smile. "He cut his hair? Who got him to do that?"
"We're still not sure," Jason admitted. "Shouldn't you know?"
Greg shook his head. "I haven't seen or heard from him in years. I've only heard news through…through my friends."
"How come?" Billy asked. "I mean, why all the secrecy?"
Greg looked at him and we all waited for the answer. It was a good question.
Jason's POVI wanted to know this, more than anything. Why had Tommy not told anyone, including me?
"It's kind of a long story," Greg said slowly. "The basic gist of it is there's been prophecies surrounding Dad since he was born. He was supposed to be the one here, now, uniting you all. He's the one who was supposed to stop this invasion, start the chain of events that'll lead to the end. Then that whole fiasco that ended in his suicide happened. That was why no one was ever told of my existence. I was the fail safe. If he ever died, I, one in whose veins his blood flowed strongly, would have to step up. And that's why I'm here now."
"You're not depressed are you?" I asked.
He laughed. "No, anything but! The people who raised me were dear friends of mine. They brought me up right."
"How did you know what to do, where to go?" Adam asked.
"Through my friends, Dad trained me. He started it himself, but…circumstances required exile for me. He had to do it through another. I learned all about Ranger history, past and present. It's why I know you all so well. I heard all kinds of stories about you."
"So what exactly do we need to do?" Rocky asked.
Greg hesitated. "I don't know."
I smiled. That was so Tommy. He was as likely to make things up as he went along as he was to have an actual plan.
"Well, how are we supposed to do anything if we don't know what to do?" Conner demanded.
Greg was about to answer when the Dino Thunder team's communicators went off.
"Guys," came Hayley's voice, "we have a slight problem. Mesagog has sent Elsa into the city with a nasty looking monster. Get there, fast!"
Conner looked at Greg. "This is your chance to prove you're really related to Dr. Oliver. Ready?"
He nodded.
Together, the four teens and Tommy's son shouted, "Dino Thunder, Power Up!" It was their catch phrase; every team owned one. Of course, the original team had come up with the first one. Never let anyone tell you different.
The Black Dino Thunder Ranger stood before us. Conner, the Red Ranger, nodded. "All right, let's go."
"We'll continue this discussion later," I said gently, seeing Greg's hesitation. "Go on. I know they've been having a hard time by themselves. Plus, we want to know how well you've been trained to fight."
Greg nodded, and went. I couldn't see his face, but I could imagine the smile. He was just like Tommy.
Who had his mother been?
Conner's POVOkay, I'll admit it. I was a little hesitant about bringing this guy along. He was untested and unknown. However, we did need the help.
As Ethan would say, he acquitted himself admirably. He did good. He wasn't quite at Dr. O's level, but he was still very, very good.
We met up with the other Rangers, meaning the originals, not long after. We brought Hayley along, having sent Greg ahead to give us time to explain things to her.
We entered and everyone turned to see us. Hayley didn't see them. She only had eyes for Greg.
"Oh, my God," she whispered. I swear, I thought she was going to cry. "You look just like him."
"So I'm told," he replied. "You must be Hayley. He always spoke very highly of you."
She could say nothing. She was in complete shock.
There was silence for a moment until Hayley mustered up everything she had and said, "We just need to get you to cut your hair."
Everyone laughed. "No way," Greg stated firmly.
"That's what Tommy said," she insisted.
The mood was lightened. Everyone was laughing and seemed to have accepted Greg for what he was.
Still, one question remained for me. Or, at least, one big question.
What did we do next?
