Vida knocked on the door to Dr Mercer's office and shifted impatiently from foot to foot until she got the invitation to enter. Mercer was sitting behind his desk, working on something on his computer as usual. He looked up and gave her a friendly smile.
"I was wondering how long it would be before you came to see me," he said, "So, which is it? Do you want to go join your sister or do you want to bring her here?"
Vida guessed she must be pretty obvious. After all, she'd spent hours talking to Dustin about Vida, evening though everything he knew could be summed up in ten minutes. She'd heard Hunter and Elsa joking about how they didn't know she had so many teeth when they saw her smiling. But Maddy was safe and free. It was beyond hope and Vida wanted so badly to see her again. When they were little, they'd barely been apart for more than a few hours at a time. The past few months had been torture for Vida, not knowing if she'd ever see Maddy again.
"I'd like her to come here," Vida said, "but I'd have to see what she wants." This place had become home to her. Sure she missed Nick and Xander and especially Chip, but she'd come to like Hunter and Elsa. Even Trent could be tolerable company at times. And Vida really felt like she was doing some good here. Hunter had been half-starved and beaten when they'd rescued him from the slave ship, and he hadn't been even close to being the worst of the prisoners. She didn't want to leave this place behind.
But if Maddy had found somewhere she wanted to stay, Vida would stay with her. Maddy mattered more than Mercer or this place.
"Your sister will be welcome here if she chooses to come," said Mercer, "I hope she does. It will be a shame to lose you."
Vida guessed that was permission to leave. She hadn't really expected otherwise. Despite the rather unorthodox methods of recruitment, Mercer was good man and he wasn't going to hold her here against her will.
Vida turned to leave, but then a thought occurred to her and she looked back at Mercer.
"Did Dustin really become a Ranger?"
"I think so, judging by the morpher he had on his wrist when he left."
"Then the world-crossing machine will work to give powers to anyone who should have powers in this one?"
"I think so. Why? Do you know someone who you think should be a Ranger?"
Should she tell him? Mercer had been willing to help her find a way to get Maddy out of the dark palace. Maybe he deserved to know what Udonna had told her about the Mystic Powers. But their abilities were supposed to be a secret. She ought to at least discuss it with the others before she said anything.
"I was just thinking out loud," Vida said.
She did walk out then. She didn't want to stand in front of Mercer after lying to him. He'd done so much for her and she'd as good as lied to his face. And now she repaid him by walking away. Her sister meant more to her than anything, but Vida couldn't quite be rid of the shame.
She walked through the corridors to her room, where her bag was already packed. She'd head back to Briarwood for her wand and then she'd go and find Maddy with the rebels. Then she'd do everything in her power to convince Maddy to come join Mercer's group. This place was her home. Maddy was family, but Mercer could have been too. He looked after them as well as he did Trent.
Vida swung her rucksack over her shoulder. She looked around her room once more. Her posters were still up on the wall. She straightened the pile of magazines on the bedside table. She went over the shelves and stared at the rows of CDs. She took one to put in her walkman, but she left the rest there. She wanted to come back some day. There were no burnt bridges. Mercer would let her back and then she'd come home.
"So, you're leaving too."
Vida turned to find Hunter standing in the doorway.
"I'm going to find my sister," Vida said, "I'm going to see if she wants to come back here."
"I get it," said Hunter. Vida supposed he did. After all, his brother was missing without a trace. Vida hated this. She hated goodbyes.
"Goodbye, Hunter. Good luck with Blake."
"Good luck with Maddy."
And then Vida had walked past him, heading for Mercer's lab so she could use the invisportal network. Otherwise, it would be a long walk to Briarwood. She kept telling herself it wasn't goodbye. She'd see this place and these people again.
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Jason was in the kitchen with his other self. They were having a cup of coffee and trying to work out how Jason should get by in this world without one of them being arrested for identity fraud.
The situation was still weird, but Jason was getting the hang of it. He thought that the other Jason was too, since there were definitely a lot less awkward pauses in the middle of their conversations. Given that there was as much silence as speech, that said a lot about how things had started.
The coffee cups on the table started to vibrate. The hum that travelled up through the floor reached their ears and then both Jason's were on their feet, rushing to the stairs down into the lab.
No one else was in. Tommy was teaching and Hayley was at the café, after complaining about how she'd been neglecting it for the machine. The two Jasons stood at the bottom of the stairs as the machine came to life, the portal shimmering with energy. Jason hadn't actually managed to see this thing working. The problem with taking long walks to avoid being with Tommy was that it meant he also avoided seeing people come through from his universe.
Jason stared at the boy who stepped out. He was dressed in black leather with a crimson trim. He also looked amazingly familiar.
"Do I know you?" Jason asked. The boy looked between the two Jasons, somewhat awkwardly.
"Um... I was kinda there when Trent kidna..."
Jason didn't let the boy finish his sentence. The memory had returned and Jason punched the guy in the face. The boy went sprawling, reaching up to rub his jaw. The other Jason quickly stepped between them.
"What the hell are you doing?" he demanded.
"It's fine," said Jason, "I'm done." He turned and headed back up the stairs. He didn't want to be in the same room as that kid any longer than necessary.
"Are you OK?" the other Jason was asking.
"Yeah. On the whole I think I got pretty lucky," replied the boy, "I'd have thought he'd try to kill me."
Jason was tempted. But the kid hadn't really done anything much. It had been Trent who'd captured him, Trent who'd tortured him and Trent who'd damn near killed him. Jason couldn't even be sure that this boy even knew what the White Ranger had been doing to his prisoner. Jason gladly kill Trent, preferably slowly, but the kid down in the lab would get nothing worse than a bruise.
Maybe if it turned out the kid had stood and watched while Trent tortured him, Jason would change his mind.
He went back to the kitchen and downed the rest of his coffee. It was still too hot, but not scalding. He'd just stay up here for a while and let the other Jason deal with whatever it was this kid wanted.
"Look, I'm sorry."
Of course, that idea was dependent on the kid staying down in the lab.
"Go away," Jason said, "Do whatever it was you came to this universe to do and then get the hell out."
"We were supposed to capture you to use as leverage against the prince," the boy said, seriously not helping his long-term survival prospects, "but none of us knew what Trent was planning to do to you."
"Do you still work with the White Ranger?" Jason asked.
The kid inspected the kitchen floor very carefully as he answered, "Yes."
"Then get the hell out."
"I really am sorry."
He looked it too, but if the kid still fought beside the White Ranger, he couldn't be all that remorseful. Jason almost wanted to punch him again, for having the nerve to stand there and act like an apology was all that was needed. But the other Jason was standing behind the kid. It was weird, but Jason didn't want to give a bad impression of himself to... himself.
"Why are you here, kid?"
"Dr Mercer was wondering if you guys might know more people who ought to be Rangers in our world but aren't. If they come through like Dustin did then maybe we'll be able to get enough Rangers to fight the prince." The kid looked awkward again. Presumably it had just occurred to him that he was suggesting killing Jason's lover. Thankfully, the other Jason stepped in.
"I know Tommy was planning on compiling a history of the Rangers," he said, "I'm not sure how far he got with it, but I'm sure he'll be able to help you find most of the people who've ever been Rangers here."
"That would be great. Is he here?"
"He's at work." The other Jason glanced at Jason. "You'd probably be best going back to your world now and coming back this evening."
"Yeah. That's probably a good idea." The kid gave Jason one more apology, then headed back down to the lab with the other Jason.
A minute later, they both came back to the kitchen.
"I thought you were leaving," said Jason.
"Yeah, so did I. The portal seems to have closed."
Now that the kid mentioned it, Jason realised that the background hum had died out. The machine must have turned itself off. And Hayley was nowhere near ready for the portal to be opened from this side.
"It looks like we'll have to wait for them to open it again," said the other Jason, his thoughts clearly following the same lines.
"Just great," muttered Jason, heading for the door.
"Where are you going?" asked the other Jason.
"I'm not going to stay around here with a guy who's psychopathic friend tortured and tried to kill me."
"Trent's not my friend," the kid called after him. Jason had thought for a moment that the kid had been about to deny Trent being a psycho. It was probably a good thing he hadn't. Jason really wouldn't have wanted to explain the dead body to Tommy.