Remuré Memorium
Chapter 8
It took the alarms blaring to finally drag Ziggy from bed. He sat up, groaning softly, then quickly got dressed, running out of his room still tugging on his jacket. Scott looked up as he ran down the stairs and grinned. "Finally up?" he called as everyone raced to the cars.
"Since when does Venjix attack two days in a row? I was trying to relax." He called back, amazed at the easiness of all of this. They had been doing this way too long by now. He slid into Dillon's car, nodding to him with a small smile. In seconds, they were off. Ziggy watched the road fly past them for a minute before glancing at Dillon out of the corner of his eyes. "You could have stayed." He whispered quietly, referring to that morning. ;I wouldn't have minded.; Drifted down the link before he could stop it.
"You deserve better." Dillon told him, gripping the wheel tightly. "I know." He answered. "That's why I have you."
Dillon gave him a considering look but his emotions were a complete blank. After a moment, they arrived at the area of the attack and got in. Almost immediately, his eyes were drawn to Tenaya. There was a wealth of magic spinning inside her body, making him gulp. Had this been happening a few weeks ago, before Venjix had taken complete control of her, she would have been trapped in the throes of a vision. Now, with most of her brain being controlled by a machine, the magic couldn't overwhelm her and play out. So it was just building and building inside her with no outlet. It made her, to his dulled senses, a very bright beacon of magic.
;What is that?;
He blinked at the question and glanced over at Dillon. The man was looking at his sister with a frown, obviously not having intended to ask him. ;It's her magic. It's waking up again.; he told him. Dillon glanced at him briefly before the Grinders rushed them. Ziggy ducked around them, falling once again into the familiar patterns of fighting he had managed to learn somehow. He took a few out, more than he'd been able to manage in the beginning, before he glanced up and found Dillon trying to handle Tenaya. He was obviously holding back and the magic currently running rampant through her body was amplifying her abilities as it had no other outlet to burn itself out.
He ran towards them, knowing Dillon could use the help against her. He really didn't want to fight her, probably as little as Dillon did, but he wouldn't let Dillon be hurt. A quick thought to Dillon was all it took for the older man to adjust his fighting style just enough for him to slide right in next to him. They really did make the best team.
After a few minutes of fighting though, Scott called them, needing help against the attack-bot. Ziggy made the mistake of looking over at him in worry and immediately felt Tenaya's hand grabbing the material of his shirt and throwing him away. He gasped in surprise, one hand shooting out as he tumbled to the ground. Pain immediately flared around his wrist as he landed wrong, making him stifle a cry. "Ziggy!" He heard Dillon cry out. He moved quickly, trying to get away from the woman attacking him. Dillon ran to help him but Tenaya just threw him back, continuing to approach Ziggy.
Dillon's magic suddenly wrapped around her, throwing her away from him. Ziggy turned towards the man in time to see his eyes go wide and shoot to him. He smiled. ;Thanks.;
;Wait. That was me?;
"Guys! Some help?" Scott shouted. They turned towards him to see the core Rangers struggling with the attack-bot. They nodded to each other and morphed, going to help with the attack bot. Tenaya, unfortunately, would have to wait for another day.
-0-0-
The Garage was relatively quiet. Most of the Rangers were asleep. It had been a long day after all. Very rarely did Venjix attack one day after another. The battle earlier that day had been brutal. Dillon didn't like fighting his sister, no matter what she had become. But he had to regardless of what he wanted. If he didn't the others would and as much as they wanted to save her to, they wouldn't be as nice about it. The fact that he had had to be the one to fight her had kept him up most nights before the problems with Ziggy had begun and consumed his thoughts. For some reason though, there had been something about this battle that had unsettled more than the others since this whole thing had begun. Something that had kept him up long after the others had gone to sleep.
;Dillon?;
He jerked upright at the call, looking around his room before sighing. He still hadn't gotten used to Ziggy talking in his head when he was outside the room. The bond had only just solidified enough for them to talk when out of eyesight. It was almost creepy. He closed his eyes and focused, needing either eye contact or severe concentration to send thoughts consciously, although a few unwanted ones seemed to slip through a lot. ;Why aren't you sleeping?; he demanded.
;I could ask you the same question... I couldn't sleep.;
Dillon shook his head and stood, heading out of his room in only the sweats and thin shirt he usually wore to bed. Ziggy was sitting on the steps of the catwalk, staring almost absently out at the darkened Garage. Much like him, Ziggy was only wearing very loose, thin clothes that suggested he'd tried to sleep before giving up. Dillon sat down next to him, watching him out of the corner of his eye. Ziggy didn't focus on him, remaining distant and far away. "You okay?" he asked.
Ziggy jumped slightly, looking at him as if he hadn't noticed his appearance. Dillon wasn't all that surprised that he hadn't. "Where'd you go Zig?" he asked, watching him carefully. Ziggy blinked at him for a few as if he couldn't understand what he had been asked before he shrugged. "I was thinking." He whispered.
He nodded slightly before he noticed how Ziggy was cradling his wrist. "How's your hand?" he asked. Ziggy shrugged. "It's been bothering me off and on since the battle. It's not broken or anything."
"Let me see." He ordered, picking up Ziggy's hand. Really, what was the point of being able to heal each other if they didn't use the ability? Ziggy could be a real idiot sometimes. He rubbed his fingers carefully over his wrist, watching as Ziggy's expression became peaceful. He continued to slowly run his fingers over the smooth skin of Ziggy's wrist, feeling the bond growing stronger with every careful brush of his fingers. Healing each other, using the bond to communicate, only helped to strengthen the bond between them. "Everything okay?" he asked hesitantly. This seemed like it was one of their more peaceful moments and he didn't want to ruin it.
Ziggy didn't answer for a long moment. Dillon glanced up at him in time to see the peaceful expression on his face slowly disappear as he dragged himself out of the serenity the bond had a way of making. "Just… things." Ziggy muttered quietly. Dillon gave him a dark look. "Anything I need to worry about?" he asked.
The younger man shook his head and looked out at the rest of the room. "You've started using your magic again." Ziggy whispered. "If you say so." He replied. Ziggy nodded as if to say he said so and smiled at him briefly. After a moment, Ziggy slumped against him, sighing quietly. Dillon tensed briefly but allowed it, going back to rubbing his wrist. He wondered briefly where Ziggy's head had gone but he didn't want to push it. Not now, not after today. Not after yesterday.
"This has to be cheating somehow." Dillon whispered, motioning with his head to where he was using the bond to heal Ziggy's sprained wrist. Ziggy smiled slightly and made an amused sound but didn't say anything. "Where's your head Grover?" He asked finally in concern.
Ziggy paused and looked up at him. "It's everywhere." He said eventually. "Things are happening a bit fast is all." When he saw the look Dillon was giving him he sighed. "Well, the bond for one. Tenaya for another."
"What about Tenaya?" he demanded.
"You sensed it yourself Dillon. Her powers are coming back and right now, they have no outlet. I honestly don't know what's going to happen to her." Ziggy told him. "She'll survive, though. Don't worry about that." He sounded so sure that Dillon couldn't help but believe him, despite his worries. He looked back down to the hand in his own and asked, "How's that feel now?"
Ziggy pulled his hand away, twisting it in several directions before smiling and nodding. "Much better." He told him, his smile finally looking like it usually did.
"What did you mean about the bond?" he asked. Ziggy shrugged one shoulder. "It took us months to get the bond as strong as it is right now. It just surprised me is all." He paused then added. "It's going to want to be completed soon."
"How do we do that?" he asked. A teasing grin lit crossed his features. "Some sort of ceremony? Do we have to speak a bunch of magic words?"
Ziggy laughed softly and shook his head, his body shaking with little giggles. "No. Nothing like that. There actually very few things that require the kind of ceremony you're thinking of. And nearly no naturally occurring bonds require any formal words at all."
He gave the younger man a look. "Well aren't you just a fountain of information tonight." He watched as Ziggy shrugged, still giggling as if what he had said was really funny to him. "We should complete it though. The stronger it is the better we heal each other. It'll be better complete."
Ziggy immediately stopped laughing and turned to stare at him with wide eyes, a blush starting to creep up his neck and over his cheeks. After staring at him for a long, tense minute, Ziggy jerked his gaze away, covering his eyes with one hand and shaking his head as if in disbelief. Dillon frowned at the strange reaction and tried to use the bond to see what was going on in his head. A faint thought appeared, hard to make out because it wasn't being sent. '…know what he's asking. He doesn't know what he's asking. He doesn't know what he's asking.'
"What am I asking Zig?" he asked in confusion.
Ziggy looked at him through the slit between two of his fingers and gulped. Slowly, he lowered his hand, revealing the fact that his face flushed a very dark red. Dillon arched an eyebrow. Ziggy couldn't hold his gaze and dropped his eyes down to his hands. "Um… god how do I put this?" Ziggy whispered to himself. "Yeah, uh, the bond is… a connection on a deeper, more spiritual level… than most people could ever dream of."He whispered slowly, closing his eyes and wincing for some reason. "However, there is still… a, um… highly physical aspect to the completion."
Dillon stared at the younger man for a minute before his eyes widened. He did not mean what he thought he meant. "You mean I just…?"
"Propositioned me? Yes. Yes you did." Ziggy said, his face now a very bright red. Dillon felt his own face flush in embarrassment. So he had meant what he thought he'd meant. "I… um…"
Ziggy stood abruptly. "I'm going to bed now." He said quickly. He turned and walked away, almost running until he was in his room, slamming the shut. Dillon continued to sit on the stairs for a while, staring at Ziggy's closed doors. He couldn't believe he had done that. He should have gone with his first feeling. He shouldn't have pried.
;I have a way of screwing these conversations up, don't I?; He asked, with an ease he didn't have before.
;Dillon.; Ziggy sent, even his mental voice tense and embarrassed. ;Go to bed.; Then that all too familiar wall slammed down again, cutting him off. This conversation was over. He really had to learn how to do that. It wasn't fair that Ziggy could block him out but he couldn't do the same to Ziggy. He sighed and stood, heading to bed.
-0-0-
Dillon lay on the exam table in the lab, trying to stay as still as possible while the scans worked. Ziggy was standing next to him, watching him in concern. Ziggy was whispering reassurements down the bond but was tight-lipped to the Doc. Dillon was really glad that the awkwardness they'd suffered last night was gone. He didn't think he could do this without that wall there today. He needed the warmth of the bond to keep him together.
;You'll be alright.; Ziggy told him. But unlike with every other subject he did not sound sure. When it came to his memories, his sister, or the bond, Ziggy was so sure he couldn't bring himself to worry. The lack of surety about the virus was terrifying.
After a moment, the machines shut down and he slowly sat up, looking over at the Doc. "Well?" he asked, unable to keep a note of worry and desperation out of his voice. She gave him one of those Looks, the ones that were all at once guilty and terrified and as desperate as his own, before returning to the scans. Ziggy placed a careful hand on his shoulder and Dillon let himself lean into it just slightly. Normally, he wouldn't have but not right now. Now he needed it and Ziggy was one of the few he trusted not to take advantage of that dependency.
"It is… not very good." She whispered. "43%. If it reaches 50, it can take you over."
He closed his eyes, fighting against the rising panic in his chest. "Thanks Doc." He whispered carefully. Ziggy's hand dropped from his shoulder and he walked quickly out of the room, Ziggy trailing behind him. After walking a few feet, Summer appeared next to them. Ziggy tensed briefly before he relaxed, trying to smile at her. Dillon knew Ziggy was trying very hard not to let his and Summer's friendship fall apart from the tension. To his surprise, Summer returned the brief smile. "Everything okay?" she asked.
"Yeah." He said softly but they all knew he didn't mean it. He went to walk away when Summer stopped him again. "Dillon…"
He turned back to her. "I know we need to talk but can we not do it right now?" he begged. Summer looked at him for a few minutes, obviously caught between her need to talk to him and her wish to take care of him. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips together. Ziggy looked between them before nodding to himself and walking away, heading towards the twins.
;You better talk to her or I will hurt you.; Ziggy warned him briefly. Dillon sent the boy an annoyed look at being abandoned but turned back to Summer. "I guess we're talking." He muttered.
"We can have a real talk later if you want but, just tell me one thing." Summer requested. He nodded in agreement. Summer took a deep breath and asked him, looking very much like she didn't want to know the answer. "Is it even worth the effort of trying to get you back? Of trying to break you and Ziggy up?"
He blinked at her in confusion before glancing over to where Ziggy was chatting with the twins. Ziggy was laughing at whatever they were saying, bright smile still spread across his face. Dillon looked back at Summer and shook his head. "No. Don't bother." He told her.
"You love him." She whispered, sounding surprised and awed. Her eyes were wide. "Just like he loves you."
He couldn't stop the small smile from forming on his face. He glanced over at Ziggy again. Ziggy looked at him this time as well, his smile sweet and his eyes warm and rich. He said something to the twins that made them look at him as well. "Summer, you don't know the half of it." he told her quietly. She watched him for a moment.
"Something happened out there didn't it? In Egypt. We all know something did."
"Something did. But I'm not ready to talk about it yet." He told her quietly. She nodded, a few tears welling in her eyes. "When you are, let's finish this talk." She whispered. He nodded in agreement. Summer made to turn away from him but Dillon grabbed her shoulders, holding her in place. He looked closely at her. "I do care about Summer. A very great deal. Just not how you want to. And I am sorry about that but I can't help it."
She nodded, still looking like she was going to cry. He let her go, wondering if he should have told her that. It might, he realized, have done more harm than good. He was no good at this.
-0-0-
Ziggy sat down in front of the twins, trying to give the two behind him some semblance of privacy. He really wanted them to work this out. Summer was a great girl and he liked being her friend. He didn't want to lose her because of all this and he knew Dillon didn't want to either. It was hard on all three of them but he thought that, despite the virus and Tenaya, some things were starting to look up and he hoped the situation with Summer would be added to that list.
"What are you two up to?" he asked. Gem and Gemma looked at him with identical wide grins. Ziggy was relieved to notice they were real. The three of them knew each other's tells. They were the only ones who could tell when their smiles were genuine; Dillon didn't count, he had the unfair advantage of the bond and he couldn't read Gem and Gemma. The two started talking rapidly about what they were doing, occasionally adding in a few jokes that made him laugh.
After a minute, he became aware of Dillon's eyes on him but he ignored the man, letting him finish his talk with Summer. Gem and Gemma noticed it as well and looked at him in concern. "Is everything okay between you two?" Gem asked him, tone serious. The two always showed how serious they were by actually using complete sentences. "Because if he's hurting you," Gemma added. "We'll make him regret it."
"Everything's fine." He told them, smiling. They stared at him for another minute before smiling identically again. They were willing to trust him to handle himself.
"Hey Ziggy," Gemma asked him. "Do you-"
"Believe in wishes?" Gem ended, both looking at him curiously.
He watched them for a minute before turning his head to look at Dillon. Dillon was already watching him with a small smile. He couldn't stop the sweet smile that crossed his face in response, feeling his eyes soften. Wishes… "Yeah, yeah I do."
