Episode 9: Midday Blackouts
Chapter 26: Old Friends
"It's been years since I have been to this end of Anacostia." Morgan mused out loud as he watched the houses move past as Dr. Rhode drove him through his old neighborhood.
"Must feel nostalgic to be back, huh?" Dr. Rhode commented.
"Yeah... just not the good kind..." Morgan sighed before turning back and looking out the windshield before letting out a tired yawn.
"You should really get some sleep when we get back." Dr. Rhode suggested.
"I'll only sleep when I get this behind me." Morgan stubbornly declined and Rhode sighed.
"Well... here we are." Dr. Rhode pulled her car into the driveway of an old looking house amongst similar looking buildings all the way down the street on both opposing sides. Morgan immediately paled at the sight of the house and familiar surroundings that filled him with dread. "Are you ready?" Morgan looked a bit worried but slowly nodded nonetheless. "Okay. Let's get going, shall we?"
Morgan nodded before opening the car door with Dr. Rhode in synchronicity. Dr. Rhode walked up the walkway, her heels tapping on the concrete in a rhythm that was as perfect as a metronome while Morgan quietly lagged behind. He just realized that out of all of the former Rangers, she was the one he knew less about. She talked the most but never about herself. She always conducted herself in the utmost proper and respectful manner which always seems too practiced to be normal.
She rang on the doorbell and immediately, a young woman who looked European. "Ah... hello!" She greeted.
"Good morning, you must be Miss Terra Milano." Dr. Rhode said.
"Actually it is Mrs. Turk now." She corrected with a smile.
"Right, my apologies." Dr. Rhode said. "My name is Dr. Adrianne Rhode. My patient and I agreed to meet you and your husband today."
"Ah... the Gold Ranger." She nodded with a smiled before looking past Rhode's shoulder to look at Morgan who was standing a bit away from Rhode. "Nice to meet you, Gold Ranger."
Morgan scratched his head. "You... can call me Morgan..." He nodded slowly.
"Right." She smiled. "Please, do come in! You must've traveled from far."
"Thank you." Rhode nodded before leading Morgan inside while Mrs. Turk stayed back to close the door. Morgan looked around and almost didn't recognize anything. The furniture was different, the flooring, fixtures, fittings... even the walls were different.
"Go on in and make yourself comfortable, I will go get some beverages." She offered and the two nodded in agreement before walking into the living room. Morgan was still observing the area that he did not notice a young man standing up from a couch and coming over to greet them.
"Hello, my name is Harold." The man greeted.
"Nice to meet you." Dr. Rhode nodded. "My name is Dr. Adrianne Rhode and this is my patient, Morgan Rockdale."
"Nice to meet you as well." He said. "Please have a seat." He insisted to the two and they sat down. "Thank you for meeting us on such short notice."
"It's a pleasure." Dr. Rhode nodded.
"It... must've been a shock to you." Mr. Turk said to Morgan. "Calling you here so suddenly... but we are glad to meet you."
"You... wanted..." Morgan trailed off, feeling slightly sluggish.
"Oh..." Mr. Turk smiled nervously, scratching his head. "We had... recently found this house on the market and purchased it despite the rumours but we found a lot of things belonging to your family. My wife and I thought it'd be unfair to throw things out so we kept everything in the garage."
"Uh... you could've thrown them out." Morgan pointed out. "It's not like there's anything important there."
"There are photos and souvenirs, precious family mementos..." Mr. Turk said. "They looked very important to me."
"Well they aren't." Morgan hissed.
"Morgan..." Dr. Rhode cautioned before looking to Mr. Turk apologetically. "I apologize, Mr. Turk. He is very restless today so he is quite irritable."
"I understand." Mr. Turk said before turning to Morgan. "Considering what happened to you and your family, if I were in your position, I too would not want anything related to it. But if you were to be really honest with yourself... are you not a little curious?"
Morgan looked at Mr. Turk with a calculated look, contemplating what his next move should be and sighed, nodding his head. Mr. Turk smiled before standing up and leading the two to a door in the foyer which he unlocked, revealing a dark, cluttered garage. He was not kidding when he had said they kept everything that was there.
"You could've tossed out the heavy furniture." Morgan said, denoting to the sillhoette of couches and beds which were stacked along the edges on the room.
"We wanted your permission first before throwing things out." Mr. Turk said as he walked over to the garage door and opening the shaft upwards to let light in. "They are your belongings."
"Right..." Morgan nodded before looking around. He spotted a box and randomly opened it out of curiosity. It was filled with pictures and home videos. He pulled out one picture hesitantly and it was a family picture; his grandmother and grandfather seated in the middle with him and his little sister Sandra seated on each of their laps respectively and mom and dad standing behind them with Nadine in the middle. Everyone was smiling. His dad was clad in a shiny new police uniform because it was the day he had gotten a promotion.
Morgan put the picture down, starting to feel a little sick to his stomach. Something pink amongst the videos and photos caught his eye and he pulled it out; a mechanical ballerina statue. He hesitantly pressed the red button and it started to spin, playing a classical tune. He flipped it over and saw the initials N. R. on it. The song rang in Morgan's head and it started to pound as flashes came to his mind.
His dad was lifeless on the ground with several stab wounds on his chest, bloody footsteps leading a up the stairs, a woman shot in the chest and forehead in the middle of the hallway upstairs, a six year old girl also dead in bed with red soiling the pink bed linen. Morgan started to hyperventilate and he got to his feet, an insistant pounding against his ears blocking the voices around him.
Morgan sprinted out of the garage and onto the lawn where he dropped to his knees and began to pant heavily with an insistent pounding against his skull. He heard the laughter of a little girl in the back of his head and spots in his vision. He began to find it harder and harder to breathe.
He held his head and his hand clenched the grass around him with his other. He almost didn't realize it but he felt someone put a hand on his head, softly running a hand across his head before wrapping their arms gently around his neck and pulling him into their shoulder, stilling soothing his head with their hand. "I'm here for you, Morgan." He froze at the sound of their voice; a voice he had not heard in a long time. He pulled away and looked at the person. She was of Indian ethnic with long brown chestnut hair, a darker skin tone of brown, big brown eyes and a grin on her face.
"T... Te-ssa?" Morgan asked.
Tessa's smile seemed to become wider. "Glad to see you still remember me!" Her smile fell when she noticed the confusion on his face. "... Or... not?"
"I..." Morgan huffed. "I..."
"Tessa, can you come help me with your father?" A shout sounded from the next door house, cutting Morgan off.
"I... have to go." Tessa said before attempting to stand up but Morgan clasped onto her hand. "Huh?"
"You... still live here?" Morgan asked.
Tessa smiled before shaking her head. "I'm a college student at Georgetown now so I have an apartment there. I come here to take care of my dad. He had a stroke recently."
"Oh... I... I'm so sorry." Morgan said.
"It's okay..." Tessa smiled reassuringly before frowning. "Have you been well? Do you know how many times I called Kennedy? How could you disappear like that you selfish cow?"
Morgan chuckled a little before ruffling her hair. "I'm sorry, Tess. I got busy."
"I can see that." Tessa pulled his offensive hand off with a giggle.
"Morgan..." The two's attention was captured by Rhode who came over. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Morgan nodded as he stood up, still holding her hand. "Uh... this is my friend, Tessa Hussein. Tessa, this is my... doctor, Dr. Rhode."
Tessa gave her a look. "She was assigned to you for... your Ranger team?" She asked without looking at him and Morgan looked taken aback. "What?" She noted. "I watch the news."
"Uh... yeah..." Morgan said.
"At least." Tessa said with a hint of disdain in her voice. "Well... I have to go."
"Okay." Morgan nodded, letting go of her hand. "It was... nice seeing you."
"Well don't be a stranger." Tessa said with a wave before walking back towards her yard before stopping and running back over.
"What now, dork?" Morgan asked.
"Shut up..." Tessa hissed, taking hid hand and pulling a pen out of her pocket. She wrote her numbers on the palm of his hand. "Here, call me some time if you want to catch up and stuff." She said before to running back over to her house.
"So... what happened to Dr. Manson?" Finley asked as she ate – or attempted to eat – the food placed on the bed tray in front of her while Wyatt sat in a chair right next to her bed, doing something in a notepad, barely focusing on his surroundings. When he didn't hear her question, Finley frowned before throwing a piece of haloumi at his forehead, hitting exactly the temple then falling down. Wyatt frowned at her and Finley glared back at him. "You are yet to answer my question, Leader."
He turned back to her then back to his notebook. "We handed him over to the military since he is no longer an issue for us, Subordinate." He did not anticipate her glaring daggers at him due to his comment before tossing another block of haloumi at his face. "Are you going to eat or continuously attack me with those?"
"The food is bad." Finley grimaced at her plate.
"Well, you have to eat if you want to be back on the team soon." Wyatt said. "Doctor's orders."
"Kepler doesn't scare me." Finley said.
"Sure but Drewmore does." Wyatt pointed out and Finley winced. Nothing scared her like the wrath of angry, parental Drewmore. He literally called from wherever he was and threatened her on the million different ways he would end her if she doesn't stay put.
"Don't remind me." Finley shook her head with a frown before looking in Wyatt's direction and craning her neck over to see his notebook. "What are you working on?"
"Upgrades for our arsenal." Wyatt said.
"Wyatt, stop." Finley huffed. "You have been at that for a week now nonstop. If I wouldn't have known better, I'd say you are creating an army for world domination."
"I'm not." Wyatt retorted. "If Harton is going to raise the stakes then we should be prepared."
"Prepared is one thing, obssessed is another." Finley said but Wyatt ignored him. Finley sighed before moving the bed tray away from her and wriggling the sheets off of her lower body. She gingerly moved out of bed with a wince before setting her feet on the ground and standing up, trying to keep balance as she wobbled. She slowly walked over to him with a wobble in her step before pulling the book out of his hands.
"What the..." Wyatt's eyes froze as a look of horror took over his face. "Fi... Finley, wh... what are you do... doing out of bed?"
"Getting you to stop this madness." Finley said with a small wince and a wobble. "And I need to stretch my legs." She started to lose balance but Wyatt stood up and snatched the book away before holding her before she tumbled over.
"Do you ever listen?" Wyatt huffed in somewhat annoyance and a bit of discomfort because he was touching someone. Finley looked up, noticing how close he was before looking down with her face turning red.
"You should listen to me too, idiot." Finley muttered.
"Fine, I'll stop working on weapon upgrades for now if you go back to bed." Wyatt said. Finley nodded into his shoulder and Wyatt lowered her back down to her hospital bed. He noticed Finley staring at the floor with a tint of red on her face. "Are... you okay?"
Finley nodded. "I... Morgan hasn't been passing by lately." Wyatt suddenly shut down. Finley immediately forgot her embarrassment and stared at him. "Wyatt... where's my brother?"
"He... hasn't been doing well." Wyatt said and Finley looked worried.
"Where is–" Finley's question was cut short as Wyatt's C.O. Morpher began to beep.
"Sorry, Finley." Wyatt quickly stood up.
"Wyatt, wait!" Finley tried but Wyatt was already gone.
"Is this all you had planned for today?" Dunvall asked as they went from chamber to chamber in the ship's quarters to see how the Amystheans who lived on the ship were fairing. It was Dunvall's regular duty since Harton was too busy being... paranoid these days but today, she insisted they go together.
"Somewhat..." Harton said absentmindedly as she bounced an Amysthean baby in her hands whilst the mother was busy with something else. The little boy cooed at Harton, grabbing her finger and wrapping his little hand around it. "He is such a handsome young boy... I didn't even know that Utara gave birth."
"Because you barely check in on them." Dunvall said. "But no one can blame you, you have been busy."
"But the people are my priority also." She sighed. "I must be up to date with what happens in their lives." She then smiled down at the child. "So beautiful. It saddens me... the idea of a baby being born and growing up under such... hard circumstances."
Dunvall looked around the dodgy chamber they were in and realized just how worse for wear the ship they are on is. He knew it was a flying rust bucket but reality only hit him hard now. "I... see." He cleared his throat.
Harton slipped him a glance before looking back at the child. "You may not see reason for the policies I adopt and the way I adopted to them but I can tell you why. Should this child be subjected to a life without a home or a complete family?"
Dunvall looked at her silently before changing the subject and approaching the baby himself who cringed at his sight. Dunvall tsked at the child. "Brat."
"You're just upset he doesn't like you and your stone cold face." Harton mocked him with a giggle.
"Stone cold?" Dunvall echoed.
"You smile seldomly." She clarified.
"I smile quite often." He countered.
"Once in a blue moon." She said. "And it's a shame too. You look more youthful when you smile."
"I am an old man." Dunvall said.
"Keep telling yourself that." Harton said. "And to think you were quite the heartthrob back in the old days. Ladies cried about you in all quarters of the palace."
"Really now?" Dunvall inquired curiously.
"Oh yes." Harton said with a taunting look on her face. "I remember quite the heated debate amongst the kitchen maids about who truly had your heart because you had toyed with all them. They even talked about how exotic you were and how skilled you are with your–"
"Shhh!" Dunvall hushed her. "You are with child, woman!" He reprimanded.
"Did I strike a nerve?" Harton giggled.
"To think I thought you were mature now." Dunvall shook his head. "You're still rather childish." Harton laughed.
"Nice to hear you are still quite merry, your Excellency." The mother of the baby, Utara said after reappearing back into the main area of the chamber. "It has been a while."
"Well, it has been a while since I had something to laugh about." Harton said.
"Well, I have completed my task." Utara said. "I will take Plonare out of your hands." She reached out to cradle the baby into her hands. "I hope he was not troublesome."
"He was an angel." Harton cooed.
"He was rude, a burping bag of faeces." Dunvall cringed and Harton bumped him on the head. He glared at her, ready to start something that was most likely to start an argument between them but Utara giggled.
"Ah, young love." Utara sighed, grabbing their attention. "I remember me and my dear husband when we were younger." The two looked at each other, a red tint covering both their faces before they looked away with indignant expressions on their face.
"What love?" Dunvall scoffed. "I'm more akin to a babysitter than a lover... let alone a friend."
"Besides, he is far too old for me." Harton countered. "He is old enough to be a fossil."
"Just remember to invite me to the wedding, your Excellency and Crowned Guardian, sir." Utara giggled. "In a matter of fact, come sit. I will make some tea and we will–"
"Thank you for the offer but we had better decline." Dunvall cut her off, taking Harton by the hand. "We have a lot to do today." With that, they quickly walked out, much to Harton's dismay as she only managed a quick, awkward bow to say goodbye before being dragged out.
"You are so rude." Harton huffed.
"I apologize, my queen." Dunvall said sarcastically. "You are welcome to go back and assist her plan our wedding."
"Walk quicker, guardian." She commanded, flushing red.
"It is faster, your Excellency." He corrected.
"Do not correct me." She growled.
"As you wish, my queen." He said, hiding the amusement evident in his tone.
There was a commotion around the Central Park area as Helfigler, a blue and white man that looked in a robotic armour who stomped around the place, letting out freeze rays that froze things around him except people "I hope the Empress will be pleased with my efforts." The monotone voice came from the machined man as he moved all over the place.
Wyatt, Thalia and Dante arrived, already in the suits. "Whoa... are we... really going to fight that?" Dante shivered in fear. Despite fighting Korcitroids, getting along with TROOPER and helping the commander with building his robots, they still freaked him out.
"Stay calm, Dante." Thalia said. "This overgrown waffle iron is going down."
"Ah... the Rangers are here." Helfilger said, as he turned to face them. "I wonder how you plan to attack me." He said. The three unleashed their personal weapons and charged for Helfilger but were quickly thrown off. Thalia rolled backwards before firing arrows at him but he easily blocked them. "That will not work, Yellow Ranger." He said before shooting a blue ray that hit her and rammed her into the floor. She shivered heavily as the cold blast heavily impacted her body.
"Thalia!" Wyatt called out in concern.
"I-I-I-I'm f-f-f-ine." She shivered as she mustered all her energy to stand up.
"You're going to pay for that." Dante hissed before both took out their blasters and inserted the neutralizer canisters, spinning the wheels.
"Neutralizers, engage!" The two exclaimed before firing at Helfigler who was hit and sparked slightly before a beeping sound was emitted from his body and he rebooted.
"That will not work again, Power Rangers." He exclaimed as he shot a blue ray at them but they rolled out of the way. "Soon, you will be in my domain. But for now, you will deal with my ice spikes." He claimed and spikes of ice started to shoot up from his body and towards Wyatt and Dante before he fell to the ground.
"Hey, get back here!" Thalia claimed as she charged for Helfigler but he grabbed her by the leg and tossed her to the side.
"That will not work, Yellow Ranger." He said. "Now leave me be. I have more important issue to attend to."
"Not if I can help it." Thalia looked up to see the Gold Ranger dropping down from a nearby building and slamming down Helfigler. He crashed to the ground and Morgan landed safely like an agile cat.
"Nice!" Thalia exclaimed as she high fived Morgan.
"Thank you, thank you very much." Morgan gave a mock bow but were brought back to reality by a beeping sound as he rebooted and stood up.
"That will not work again, Rangers." He said before releasing ice blades from his body and firing at Morgan and Thalia who were hit. "For Power Rangers, you are extremely pathetic."
You're pathetic! A voice rang in Morgan's mind, grabbing his attention instead. "Now... if you will excuse me." Helfigler teleported away, leaving them and surprisingly cutting the fight short.
"Hey! What was that!" Thalia complained.
"I don't know about yoy guys... but short fights frighten me." Dante said. "Long fights too."
"Because every fight has a specific plan." Thalia groaned. "And unless were are psychic or fucking psycho to know what goes on in the head of she-who-craps-lightning."
"Well we have to think and strategize." Wyatt said. "What could the Amystheans be aiming at next?"
"We should head back, huh?" Dante sighed before turning to Morgan who has been quiet and noticing that he was still on the ground, making no move to stand up. "Morgan?"
The Red and Yellow Rangers turned curiously and immediately saw where Dante's concern was coming from. "Morgan?" Thalia questioned at his limp body before rushing forward to his side with Wyatt close on his tail. "Morgan?" Thalia began to shake Morgan but he stayed limp.
"What is going on–"
"Power Rangers!" The three were attracted by a voice and the sound of multiple footsteps rushing forward. They looked up to see Lisa Pertain and her crew rushing over. "Could we have a minute with you?"
"Do you not see we are in the middle of something?" Thalia hissed at the nosy reporters before turning back to Morgan.
"Yellow Ranger... or should I call you Miss Turunen–"
"No comment." Thalia said and the males decided to pull his limp body to his feet and supporting him. "Neither on our identities nor anything else." She said in finality.
"S... should we call the paramedics?"
"No!" All three exclaimed.
"Ugh! Dramatic heroes!" The cameraman muttered. "Wake up, Gold Ranger. You hardly did a thing!".
"Excuse me but–"
"No!" The cameraman huffed. "Acting like we are an annoyance when all we want to know is the truth. Stop acting all high and mighty. You're being petty."
Petty, petty, petty-petty-Rockdale, petty, petty, petty-petty-Rockdale... The voice taunted.
"Now hold on a second–" Thalia started to fume.
"Just because you suddenly are in the limelight doesn't mean you have to act like you're the shit." He continued. "Underneath those suits, you are just as weak and helpless as we are."
Shame! Weak Rockdale... such a weakling... so sad... The little girl in his head laughed before the world around him went black.
"We do not have time for this so we will be taking our–" Wyatt was stopped mid sentence as Morgan immediately woke up and lunged for the cameraman, grabbing him by the neck and causing him to drop his camera.
"Gold Ranger!" Dante gasped and Lisa Pertain screamed at the scene and Wyatt and Dante sprung to action prying him off the cameraman in which they succeeded to do and pulling him back, causing him to fight and push against them with grunts and growls like a caged lion wanting freedom.
Thalia wasted no time in joining ths group and teleporting them out before matters got worse.
A/N: Sorry, about the delay but here it is. I am working on chapter 27 though. When it will be updated though, I am not sure. I am currently in school so life has become hectic again meaning updates will be in moderation.