Episode 12: Operative Status: Removed

Chapter 35: Old Heroes, New Problems

"This is amazing!" Alarik exclaimed to the others as he scanned through a computer fine with the other former Rangers in the room. "The vitality tests show that your genes have evolved due to the amount of morphine infused with your chromosomes and now, you seem to be more resilient to the effects of our old Blade Morphers."

"Sweet." Chassity smiled and Drewmore sighed with relief. "Now I can use that thing without fear that it will kill me."

"Despite the positive vitality, it is important that you don't push yourself too hard." He emphasised. "Remember, that if the effect of morphine accelerates your hormone action too much then your systems can shut down so make sure you demorph immediately when you start feeling strain."

"I have a daughter." Hendrick said. "The last thing I need is to leave her when she needs me most."

"Let's go finish up training." Chassity suggested to both her teammates.

"Wait... I need to run one more test with Joseph just for confirmation." Alarik said and the three looked rather confused but complied anyway, with Potter and Drewmore leaving the room.

"Let's begin." He said. "Shirt off." Joseph looked sceptical but complied anyway before letting Malachi run some tests.

"Joseph, are you sure you wanna do this?" Alarik asked the commander as Stanton put on his shirt after examination. One of Alarik's biggest concerns regarding their old morphers and whether they can be utilised was Joseph. Once they found the cheat to charging their morphers, they could easily morph and fight but during vitality tests, Joseph's was not looking as good as Potter's and Drewmore's.

"Yes." Joseph said. "If I don't do it, who will?"

"Well..." Alarik huffed. "Your vitals did drop drastically after the last battle."

"It's been years." Joseph said. "I have recuperated."

"Jo..." Alarik tried but Joseph simply walked off without. Malachi sighed, shaking his head before heading back to his console.

"They are really good. Got any twos?" Thalia said to Wyatt as they played Go-fish together. Today was Wyatt's last day at G.I. headquarters and being that she was the only person left, she wanted to have one last quality time session with her old leader before he leaves.

"Go fish." He said and Thalia nodded before reaching out to the card pool "Well, I guess we expected it. They are the professionals. Fives?"

"Fish." She said and Wyatt drew a card.

"Is Stanton treating you well?" Wyatt asked.

"Mm," She hummed alongside an affirmative nod. "He is very sweet."

"Sweet?" Wyatt raised an eyebrow at her. "There's a word I thought you would never use unless in regards to ice cream."

"Well, I just did." She said before looking at her cards. "Tens?"

"Go fish." He said. He looked intently at Thalia. "Will you be fine here alone?"

"I guess I will." She pulled out the card and showed it to Wyatt, revealing a ten before placing it in her stack. "Have you thought about what you are going to say to your mom?"

"No..." Wyatt sighed. "I'm terrified, even. The fact that she met her son and didn't even know it was him... Where do I even start explaining to her."

"Well she seems like a nice woman." Thalia said. "I'd like to meet her someday."

"With the way you keep claiming to be my future ex wife, you'll definitely put some unwanted ideas in her head." He chuckled, realizing that their running gag—as annoying as he found it – was coming to an end. He expected a joke from Thalia but she looked serious. "Thalia?"

"I like you, Wyatt." Thalia admitted. "At least... That's what I thought."

"What?" Wyatt chuckled but from the look on Thalia's face, he could tell it was no laughing matter. "I... I... We... But... I... Pluh... Whi... Huh... Bleh?"

"I think I broke you." Thalia said with a light giggle but Wyatt was shocked beyond belief.

"Wh... Wh... Why... M... M... me?" He asked.

"Because... You treated me with decency." She sighed. "I was never around a person of the opposite gender without them trying to move in on me; from teens to older men to even married folk. Remembering so much about my past has made me realise that I never had a male friend who doesn't look at me like I'm some kind of... sexualised object. So I looked to you, because you never tried to make advances at me."

"Bu... But Dante –"

"Doesn't even know what BJ is, remember?" Thalia laughed. "I'd corrupt the poor boy, he wouldn't even stand a chance." Wyatt let off an amused smile.

"And Morgan?" He asked.

"Morgan..." She trailed off before shaking her head. "He is a dick I have learned to accept for his asshole tendencies." She said.

Wyatt nodded. "Right... So... What made you change your mind?"

"You... I suppose." She said.

"Me?" She nodded.

"You like Finley, don't you?" She asked and Wyatt's eyes widened.

"What makes you think that?" Wyatt asked. "I don't like her like that."

Thalia nodded. "At least you don't think you do. But you were always taking care of her, always talking about her or speaking to her. It surprises me because she is the most capable out of all of us yet you still protect her. It's amazing."

"But–"

"You won't understand it today or even tomorrow because you have never experienced love or longing before but someday you will." She said. "Take me for example; falling for guys I know I can never have all the time when that one person who treats me well comes along. But when you realize it... Promise me one thing."

"What?" Wyatt asked.

"Be open to it." Thalia said. "At least for the girl's sake; Finley or anyone for that matter." Wyatt opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a beeping noise from Thalia's watch. Rhode had given it to her to make sure she is on schedule for therapy sessions and medication administration. She was being seriously monitored but she knew she needed it. She was more of a danger than even Morgan and Dante combined and she needed to get better soon. "I have to go to see Rhode now." She said as she stood up.

"Um, Thalia..." Wyatt pulled a book from under his bed before handing it over to her.

"What's this?" She asked.

"Just in case they do decide to replace us, that book has designs for a power up I was working on." Wyatt said. "Give it to Alarik. I'm pretty sure he would find it helpful." She nodded. "Goodbye, Natalia." He finally said.

Thalia smiled. "Hyvästi, Wyatt."

"I forgot how good of a cook you are." Finley looked up to see her brother Ezra getting seated in the small table by the kitchenette. "Did you sleep well?" Finley nodded but he looked unconvinced. Ezra was like a male carbon copy of Finley, some even thought that they were twins at times despite the five year gap. Ezra was even as tall as her – but that helped his case considering that Finley was pretty tall for a eighteen year old girl. "You haven't said a word to me since I picked you up. Are you okay?"

She nodded before serving him part of the omelette on the plate and giving it to him. "Thank you." He said. Finley took her own and sat opposite of him. "So... How was it? Being a Ranger?"

Finley looked up at him. "It was difficult." She took the bread plastic from him and took out two slices. "But... It felt like I had purpose. Now? I really don't know."

Ezra sighed. "I could find you work in the force again. You were one of the top tier cadets." She shook her head. "Why not?" She said nothing as she poured her tea into a cup. Ezra sighed. "Well... Let's say grace, then." He held out his hands and Finley took them in hers. Ezra then closed his eyes and began to pray but Finley only watched him, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "... Amen." He ended.

"Amen." Finley echoed before pulling her hands away and digging in.

"Oh... The tea is finished." He said as he took the last teabag.

"I'll buy some." Finley offered. "Malleys is just around the corner."

"Are you sure?" Ezra asked and Finley nodded. "Okay... But don't talk to any strangers."

Finley let out a small giggle. "I'll be fine."

Ezra said. "I know. I don't want to lose you again."

Finley frowned. "I thought you hated me... Because of... You know..."

"Can we not talk about Henry?" He said. "He hurt you and yes, you did some bad things too but you're my little sister and you matter more to me than anything else. Alright?" She nodded. The two continued to eat.

An hour later, Ezra left for work but left Finley some money to do grocery shopping. Finley had gotten ready and was about to walk out the door but as soon as her hand touched the door handle, she stated to pant with an anxious feeling rising in her chest. She slammed the door closed before rushing back to where her room was and searching her bags frantically. She sighed with relief once she found the black material. She looked at it closely then at her face in the mirror before she started to fold it.

"Increase the motor speed." Alarik said to his helpers as they sat in one of the labs. "We're testing the horsepower within the pistons."

"Yes sir." They said and Alarik frowned. When he used to work in these labs, he always used to tell them not to call him sir. It has been months since he worked this division and he didn't feel as comfortable.

"Dr. Alarik?" Alarik turned around to look at his junior scientist. "The transformer is overloading with power." She said.

"Reverse it." He said. "Turn it off, transfer the coils to make it a step down transformer."

"Yes sir." She said and he sighed before walking off. He heard a knock against the window next to the door of the lab and turned to look at it before seeing Thalia wave over to him. Alarik smiled before walking out of the room.

"Thalia, came by to say hello?" He asked.

"Yeah." She said. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"Are you on your way to see Rhode?" She shook her head.

"I came to see you, limpy." She joked and Alarik scowled at her. "First impressions always count. Just saying." Alarik rolled his eyes. "Here." She showed him the book.

"This is Wyatt's." Alarik said as he took the book.

"Yes... And he wants you to have it." She said.

"Me?" He asked in confusion. "Why?"

"Just in case you want to replace us." She said. "He has some really cool power ups he was working on and it could do some good."

Alarik frowned. "Thalia, we're not looking to replace you guys."

"You say that now but when push comes to shove, you should consider." She said. "We won't be angry, we support any decision you guys make." Alarik looked down at the book before opening it up and seeing ask the sketches and designs that Wyatt made.

"This... Looks incredible." He smiled sadly.

"Of course it does." She said. "This is our fearless, scaredy-cat leader we're talking about." Alarik nodded. Thalia looked up at him as he went through the book. "Hey, Al?" He looked to her. "How's Dante doing?"

Alarik looked down for a split second before smiling. "He is fine. He is adjusting but he is doing well."

Thalia smiled. "Well, I'm glad. He was the one I was worried about the most." Her watch beeped and she looked at it. "I have to take my meds." She waved goodbye at him and began to walk away. Alarik's smile faded as he felt guilty take over for lying to her like that. For fooling all of them like that. He looked down at the book.

"Those kids... Deserve better." He sighed sadly.

A short, blonde lady sighed as she stood next to a door, unsure of whether to enter or not. She sighed before knocking and then entering. "Dante?" She peeked in and v saw the former Blue Ranger sitting in a corner, reading a book. She had borrowed them from the library yesterday because Malachi had told her that he loved philosophy books. He looked up at her and said nothing. "I'm about to start making lunch. You haven't eaten since morning. Any requests?"

"I'm not hungry." He muttered before turning back to his book.

The lady slowly walked in, closing the door behind her. She walked over to the blinds and opened it, letting light in. "Don't..." He moaned at the light stinging his eyes.

"I can't let you read in the dark." She said before opening the window as well to let air in. "You'll damage your eyes."

He said nothing and turned back to his book. The blonde huffed before going over to him and sitting next to him. "What are you reading? Das Kapital?" He said nothing but she could tell from the cover. "It was one of my favorite reads in developmental studies class back in college; how this man predicted how society would evolve into what it is today." He said nothing. "You can continue reading it downstairs." She said but he didn't reply. "Dante..."

"Would you just leave me alone!" He screamed at her, taking her aback and when Dante realized what he had done, he started to hyperventilate and the lady was worried.

"Dante?" She put her hand behind his back and started to try and soothe him like she was adviced. "Calm down, it's okay." She tried her best to coax him. "Breathe, okay? Just breathe." He started to take deep breaths, trying his best to calm down as he clutched at the book.

"Wh... Why?" He choked out.

"Why?" She echoed. "Why what?"

"Why am I still alive when I don't have a purpose?" That had caught her completely off guard.

"Ah, Empress! Welcome back." Rontico greeted Harton as she walked into the throne room before sitting down, ignoring him the entire time. "No greetings?"

"First of all, Rontico; I apologize for not being there when I was supposed to and moving onto a different plan without your consultation." She said. 'But I hope you do pray to your ancestors. "

"I'm not follow–"

"Next time you call me a brat I bluff you not, I will make sure you will chew on your own excrement as you wallow to your death." She said in a menacing tone. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Your Excellency." He grumbled. "So... What is my mission today?"

"Nothing much." She claimed. "A simple scavenge for information. Do listen very carefully... Because this next stage is very vital to our plans."

"You have my unwavering attention." Rontico grinned.

"I called Rhode. She's... pissed but she is on her way. Are you okay?" Alarik asked the blonde over the phone and she nodded. "How is he?"

"Calm." She said. "Watching cartoons."

"Really?" He asked.

"I found your old Jetsons video tapes." She said. "Didn't know he would love it so much."

"Well... he has had a traumatic childhood so... he is rather underdeveloped mentally in terms of social interactions despite being a genius so it makes sense." She silently nodded listening to his explanation. "Look, I'm sorry..." He said with a sigh. "I'll be back soon. I didn't mean to..."

"Malachi." She sternly said, calling his attention. "I really don't mind him staying with us... I'm just concerned with whether he minds."

"But Savannah-"

"I'm just not sure if you guys are making the right choice here; removing them from the team." She said. "I can't help but think of how the others feel."

"But... they were all rather fine with it..." Alarik said with difficulty.

"Because they probably thought that they weren't good enough." She said.

"They need to get better." Alarik stressed.

"But they're not ready for society yet." She said. "Malek , you've been in rehab before. You know how hard it is to land back on your feet after a crash."

"Well this isn't like that!" He stressed.

"Yeah, well it's worse because they have no idea where to land!" She started getting angry at her stubborn husband. "Do they even know where the ground is?"

"Bu-"

"Babe, you are talking about children who have barely faced the realities of society even without their problems." She sighed. "Just look at Dante. He has been locked up his entire life and you want to leave him out to world now?" She said and the other line of the phone was silent. "Malachi, I know how you feel but did it ever occur to you that them being Rangers was the best thing that could have happened to them... because they started to slowly fight their way back into society?" The silence continued. "I'm really with Rhode on this one; this is a bad idea. Only three of you guys can fight because Rhode thinks this is a bad idea and you can barely lift your own morpher without getting traumatised by fear."

"But-"

"Have you checked Jo's vitals?" Malachi was silent once more. "You didn't?"

"He doesn't want to." He said.

"You guys are idiots." She scoffed.

"It's not my fault he's stubborn." He sighed. "It's the only part of him that remained after that day on the stupid rig." There was a sound of alarms blaring from the other end of the line. "Yeah, I gotta go."

"What is it?" She asked.

"Attack, I'll talk to you soon." He said.

"I-" The phone hung up and Savannah looked at it in disbelief. "I love you too, honey." She scoffed at the phone in disbelief before placing it back in the receiver and turning to the living room where Dante was laughing at a gag in the cartoon. Savannah barely knew what was going on because she never liked this cartoon growing up. Even the subtlest idea as to what was going on was lost to her. "You seem to be enjoying it."

"It's really funny." He laughed. "You should save these tapes for your kid. They are going to love it."

"Kid?" She raised an eyebrow at him as she sat down on the couch next to where he was seated on the floor, next to the television set like a four year old. She actually thought it was really adorable.

"Yeah, you're having a baby, aren't you?" He pointed to her stomach. Normally, any woman would be offended if someone out right claimed that they were pregnant... provided they weren't correct.

"How did you know?" She asked. She was barely showing because it had been three months. She was not even sure if her husband knew. Malachi has been so busy at G.I. lately, he rarely comes home anymore so she never even had a moment to tell him. Now was the fact that her coach told her to stay at home and away from intense training for the health of her baby. She still did play tennis but not to the extent she normally plays at.

"I remember one of the luncheon ladies on G.I. being pregnant and you kind of... look like her in that sense." He said before turning back to the screen.

"You're very perceptive." She said. "Kinda wish Malachi was that."

Dante looked up at her with his big, wide eyes that were the equivalent of a child's. "Mrs. Alarik-"

"Savannah is fine, kiddo." She smiled softly to encourage him and he nodded.

"Savannah..." He tested it on his tongue. "Sorry for acting that way earlier."

Savannah smiled. "It's okay." She said. "You are still uncomfortable with the environment. You have been at G.I. so long and a strange lady is here."

"Well... I did take a while to adjust." He said, recalling back to when he had hated TROOPER with a passion. "It feels.. Felt normal." He corrected himself. "Kind of wish I was a Ranger again." Savannah sighed but said nothing as he went on. "What do I do now?" He asked her.

She tried her best not to look somber and smiled. "Someday... It will present itself to you."

Drewmore drove himself, Potter and Stanton all the way to the site of interference but the fact that it was an abandoned warehouse made the three a little uncertain. "Do we have the right place?" Chassity asked.

"After seeing the weirdness the kids faced, I think we're in the right place." Drewmore said as he unbuckled his seat belt. They stepped out of the car and Chassity who was sitting at the back unloaded their armaments, handing it go then individually as they geared up.

"Ready?" Joseph asked them and they nodded. "Hope you guys don't break a hip." He smirked before being the first to move towards factory.

"Psh! Cocky child!" Drewmore hissed and Potter smiled.

"Remember when we used to make fun of him for being young?" She mentioned.

"What I'd give to be twenty six again..." He huffed before the two followed Joseph towards the factory.

"Alarik, status on our position." Joseph asked.

"Markers are going crazy." He replied.

"Wouldn't be surprised if this is an ambush." Potter said only to be caught off guard by Drewmore firing his blaster at something only to see a Korcitron go down.

"Is it experience or are these bad guys predictable?" He asked as Korcitrons started to pop out from hiding spots in the bushes.

"And who might you be?" The Amystheian leading them asked. "I wanted the Rangers." Chassity rolled her eyes at him before being the first to shoot at him and he leaped backwards. "Hey! Where are my answers?"

"We owe you none." She said. "So leave before we force you to."

"Korcitrons!" He declared. "Destroy these imposters!" He claimed and the foot soldiers charged. The three charged forward as well. The three cut through the Korcitrons at a speed that Rontico failed to understand. They were the advanced foot soldier of their arsenal; not just regular Korcitroids yet these old people were taking them down without breaking a sweat.

"What in the world?" Rontico questioned. "Who are these people?'

Drewmore used mostly his arms and legs in combat, beating down any foot soldier that came his way. Chassity was more focused on using her blasters and she was quite skilled at using them, shooting soldiers at awkward but effective angles... Some of which were, dare he admit it, quite improbable. Stanton was using both his limbs as well as his arsenal to attack but he seemed to be more mobile than the two combined. He quick to move, quick to switch and even quicker to think. Soon, they took down there last one but Rontico had called upon more.

"Great." Chassity said as she fired at them. "They never run out."

"We should morph." Joseph said and the three unsheathed the swords on their back in unison before pulling out a cylindrical shaped gem from their pockets.

"By the power of the Blade," they claimed in unison before inserting the gem inside the handle if the sword and the blades glowed in different colours. "Crusaders of justice, arise." They stabbed their swords into the ground and at that moment, they morphed into their Ranger spandex.

"What? More Rangers?" Rontico gasped at the Black, Blue and Green Rangers standing before him.

"Trust me," Chassity smiled from behind her green helmet as she picked up her sword. "There are plenty more where we come from."

"Korcitrons! Get them!" He commanded and the foot soldiers marched forward while the three leaped into the air and landed in the very centre. Chassity used her blade in quick successions to beat the Korcitrons. Rontico observed that her fighting style was very unorthodox and akin to that of a brawler with the way she blocked attacks, used her sword and performed aerial stunts. Drewmore seemed less brutal to the fact and more calculating as he did use force but after long intervals. But the one who seemed to be the most calculating was in fact the Black Ranger who barely used his sword but had such precision and accuracy in his fighting style that he barely needed to use it.

"Who are these Rangers?" Rontico wondered in shock as he watched them dominate the best arsenal of foot soldiers they had before shaking his head and snapping out of the shock. That was the point of the mission – for these foot soldiers to be destroyed.

Rontico smirked before turning on his heel and walking away but this did not escape Joseph's eye. He moved away from the Korcitrons he had just taken down and charged for Rontico. He raised his sword and aimed for his head but Rontico raised his saber and stopped the blade from reaching him. "You impostors don't scare me." He cackled.

Joseph narrowed his eyes at him from behind his visor before breaking his sword from the hold. Rontico swung his sword at Joseph but he neatly ducked under each blow before he raised his leg and caught him by the torso before anchoring his hands on the ground then caught him by both legs before flipping him over.

Rontico landed on the ground with a loud thud and Joseph placed his foot on his chest, bearing down on his ribs. "What are you planning? Making us fight foot soldiers while you sneak off?"

Rontico let out a cry before pushing him off and quickly getting back to his feet. He grabbed his sword and swung at the Black Crusader but Joseph quickly disarmed him once more before striking him with his sword and pinning him to a tree. "Answer me..." Joseph said before turning him and throwing back on the ground then pointing his sword at his neck. "What is Harton's plan?"

Joseph was caught off guard by a blast from a different direction that hit him in the chest. He flew backwards and crashed into a tree before landing on the ground. "Rontico, are you do pathetic as to be taken down by him?" Joseph looked up to see a short woman in a hooded coat approach. "And who might you be? A veteran I presume? You fight like one."

Joseph made way to move forward but she made a blade out of energy in her hand and threw it, cutting into his shoulder. He let out a cry as he held his shoulder as the blade dissolved into him, making it even more painful. "Where are the regular Rangers we face? I had high hopes for them." She smirked before taking off her hood. "Couldn't stay out of the limelight for long, right... Joseph Stanton of the Blade Crusaders?"

"How?" He tried to force himself forward but another blade landed on his other shoulder and he was forced backwards, letting out another cry.

"I know everything about G.I." she said. "You don't think I would go into battle without knowing who my adversaries are? But because you are trying to get the rust off your joints, I'll throw you a bone as you earthlings say." She placed her hood over her head. "Those Korcitrons weren't meant to fight you... They were carriers."

"Carriers?" Joseph echoed in confusion. He tried to move forward but despite the pain stopping him, Harton made another blade using energy from her hand.

"Should I aim for your legs this time around?" She asked, challenging him to move and Joseph hissed at her, staying put. "Good boy! Now, take a look at the ground where you fought and tell me what you think." With that, she and Rontico flashed out.

Joseph was utterly confused and trudged back to where Chassity and Hendrick were. He watched as they finished off the remaining foot soldiers. Potter was the first to spot him. "Stanton! Where did you go?" She said before striking a Korcitron to the ground. He was about to speak until he noticed sparkly, glassy grains on the ground.

"Guys! Get out of there!" He warned.

"What?" Hendrick questioned but when he saw what he was looking for, he moved away from the Korcitron and grabbed Potter's hand and ran.

"Hey! What the..."

"Run!" He said as the three rushed out of the zone before it was engulfed in an explosion with high flames rising into the sky. The three were pushed forward due to the explosions and landed on the ground.

"What was that?" Chassity questioned.

"No clue..." Hendrick huffed. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah..." She sighed. "What about Jo?" She turned to her other side to see the Black Ranger demorphed, unconscious, bleeding from both shoulders. "Jo!"

Morgan was standing near the baseball field where he used to play as a kid. Morgan had to stay incognito for a while because he was still rather wanted by the community for the ranger stunts but staying in at home was driving him crazy. He decided to go out for a jog but everything felt suffocating and he has no idea how to get a sense of relief. He moved towards the bleachers and planted himself on the ground as he watched one of the kids hit a home run. It was only then when Morgan realised that it has been eight years. He is literally twenty years old and was the equivalent of a dead beat. Time flies when your in prison... And if made perfect sense to him now on why there is such a thing as second offenders.

He remembers having conversations with his father about how black guys in the neighbourhood who are released from prison are bound to go back because they can't leave the life of crime. Maybe because laws holding back offenders barely leaves them no choice... Morgan thought with a scowl. Compared to fending for yourself outside, prison provided shelter, food and if you know your way around inside, you can easily live a stress free life without someone looking to kill you. And with the death penalty gone, no one feared jail anymore.

But Morgan would never stoop so low; partly because he didn't believe in harming for any ulterior motive, and partly because he would be sent to a mental institute because he still has issues. He had Rangering to prove to him that he had so much potential in him to contribute to the world. And surprisingly enough, he was no longer bitter about the removal because he realised that if not then, they would have been dismissed eventually. They weren't going to stay fighting Harton forever, and then what would they do? Morgan decided he was going to dictate his own life.

"Were you waiting for me?" Morgan turned to see Tessa after being brought out of his reverie as she jogged over to him.

"I was just curious how much this place changed." He said.

"Has it?" Tessa asked and Morgan shook his head. Tessa looked at him curiously and sighed. "So... you hungry?"

"Hmm?" Morgan hummed in response.

"Let me go grab my coat." She smiled at him before going back in the direction she came from.

"Well, is it that time of year where I say this was a bad idea or I told you so?" Rhode said to her foster siblings that were holding ice packs to their sore joints and Chassity glared at her while Drewmore raised an eyebrow at her. "I see Tweedledum and Tweedledee... Where's Tweedle?" She turned her attention to Alarik who was at the console, skimming through some files.

"He is with Kepler." He answered.

"He got hurt?" She tutted. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Adri-sweetie," Chassity let out an exaggerated sigh as she put down her ice pack. "Your little brother is hurt. You could be a little bit sympathetic about it."

"He brought it upon himself, why should I be?" Rhode scoffed.

"Because he is suffering and you may not agree with him and his decisions but it's not like he is doing it over his own expense." Potter snapped.

"So because he makes bad decisions, I should be supportive?" She scoffed.

"Rhode, get out." Drewmore suddenly said out of the silence, drawing everyone's attention to him and that phrase alone made the tension in the room excitement l extremely thick.

"Excuse me?"

"I said get out." He said "If all you are going to be is insensitive and mocking about it then you may as well leave. Jo has already done the damage and we can't do anything about it. So unless you have solutions rather than making the situation worse than it already is with your useless 'I told you so's' then you may as well go."

Everyone looked to Drewmore then to Rhode and the back and forth continued until Rhode turned on her heel and left the room. "She... Still hates you?" Chassity asked, breaking the silence that followed afterwards.

"If she does then I really don't care." He said. "We're adults for Christ sake. It's about time we grow up and get over it." Despite the harshness in his tone, he seemed genuinely annoyed. Chassity and Malachi looked to each other but said nothing. "Al, what's wrong with Jo?"

"Huh?" He questioned. "Until Kepler gives the re–"

"I wasn't born yesterday, bro." Drewmore interjected. "You've been calling Stanton for a heck lot of vitality tests than me and Chassity. Something is wrong with his morphin genes."

Chassity turned to him in expectancy after hearing Drewmore speak and he sighed. "You always were the perceptive one." He said. "Joseph's anaemia has... Evolved with his morphin gene."

"Give is the lite version, please." Chassity said.

"He is carrying a double edged sword." He explained. "He has more resilience to the morpher's effects than you... but if he does reach his limit, he will shut down faster than you even when out of the suit due to his make up."

Finley shivered against the cold fall air that night as she stood in the telephone booth, trying to get a hold of her brother. He did not day he was going to be late that night yet it was already eight. She sighed as she heard his office phone ring endlessly without any response and eventually, Finley gave up and placed the phone back on the receiver. She felt cold as she was assaulted by the breeze, strong e out of the booth. D.C. always started getting colder in October and Finley wished she had worn something a tad bit heavier. The telephone booth was two blocks away from her brother's apartment.

She let out a breath of air and hugged herself to keep the cold off but as she neared a darker corner of the street, she was stopped as four men stepped out of an alleyway and surrounded her. "Sweetheart, what are you doing roaming these streets at night?" One asked, wearing a dirty smirk on his face that Finley could not see due to the lack of streetlight.

Thalia sighed as she got back to Stanton's quarters late that day. She was so tired of staying put and doing nothing and decided to spend some time in the earth room like she used to to just relax and have a breather but she has fallen asleep by the pond. She only woke up a few minutes ago a rushed here. "Commander?" Thalia asked as she entered and looked around, seeing it was empty.

Maybe he is working overtime... Thalia shrugged before closing the door behind her and took off her sneakers. She walked towards the living area and noticed a leg sticking out behind the couch near the stairway. Thalia rounded the couch and gasped, noticing Joseph collapsed on the floor. "Stanton!" She cried before dropping to her knees next to him and shaking him. "Stanton!"

She felt his pulse and then placed her ear near his mouth to check whether he was breathing. His pulse was there – but he was barely breathing. "Shit!" She cursed before starting to perform CPR. She was glad that Hendrick taught them how to perform CPR during earlier training sessions because in moments like this, the person could be dead in her care if she was useless.

She pressed her hands against his chest and pushed downwards over and over again, hoping to get a response before opting for mouth to mouth resuscitation. She tipped his head backwards and opened his mouth before blocking his nose and breathing into his mouth. She pulled back twice more and on the third, he started to choke and cough. Thalia sighed with relief, pulling away from him. "Thank God!" She said before heading to the couch and getting him a fleece to cover him. "Don't worry," she said. "I'm calling Dr. Kepler." She stood and rushed for his home phone but something he breathed out caught his attention.

She heard him sigh and groan some things. She could have sworn she heard him say 'Nelly' and she stared at him. "Who is..." She stopped her thoughts from straying before dialling the number

A/N: As you noticed, I took down the other stories from my account. I am working on Blade Crusaders and will only start posting when it is complete. Hunters of Divinity is still being revamped but slowly. Until then (whether I start a new series altogether for posting or finish this first) happy reading!