A/N: cries Okay, now, this is a very short chapter. You've also possibly recieved two author alerts. Hopefully not because I cancelled very quickly but...exams have fried my brain and I've gone wrong somewhere. I think I forgot this chapter and wrote chapter 38, which is finished but now needs to be re-written because of the forgetting of this chapter. And if you did get two author alerts it's because I uploaded chapter 38 by mistake and...it's just all been going wrong.
Anyway, this chapter is set during House of Cards, and in it Mesogog's identity is finally revealed.
"Trent, we're a team," said Dr. O. "Doing something that takes the ultimate trust in each other."
Trent had asked if they could go back to the Dino Lab before talking. They were now back in the Dino Lab, and the wait to find out what was up hadn't done much for Conner's mood, adding to the normal hangover he felt after using the battelizer. Normally when he felt like this he would go off alone, to avoid saying anything he'd regret. But he couldn't leave now. "If you're holding back on us, how are we supposed to trust you out there in battle?" Or at any other time, though Conner didn't want to bring up anything non-business now.
Trent just nodded. "You're right. Okay, look, this is how it is. I went to Mesogog's lab to get the card back."
Conner couldn't have just heard that. "You what?" said Kira, looking as shocked as he felt. "By yourself?"
"I found an invisiportal that took me right there. I was just trying to help you out, Ethan. So I took a shot."
"That wasn't a real smart thing to do." Dr. O sounded mad, but not as mad as Conner thought he should.
"Yeah, it was stupid," Trent agreed. "I got knocked out by that thing, I barely made it to help you guys."
"Look," said Ethan, in a voice suggesting he didn't see this in exactly the same way as the rest of them, "He was just being a good friend. Any of us would've done the same thing."
"Well none of you better in the future, that's all I can say," said Dr. O.
"It won't happen again, I promise."
"So, that's your big secret?" asked Kira.
Trent hesitated a second. "Yeah," he said, dropping his eyes. "Look, I gotta go, my head's still feeling foggy."
"Okay," said Dr. O. "Get some rest."
Trent nodded, not glancing at Conner as he turned away. "Okay. See you guys later."
Conner watched as he walked out, before realising he wasn't the only one: Kira stared after him too, but for clearly different reasons: her face was scrunched in suspicion. Dr. O noticed: "Something on your mind, Kira?"
"I don't know. There's just something that's not quite right with him."
"He's had a good knock to the head," Conner pointed out. "I'd be feeling kind of spacey too." Kira raised an eyebrow, the suspicion replaced by amusement. "I meant, more than usual," he said, before she or Ethan could get in with the gag.
He would have continued, but the alarm beeped behind them. The Ruby Dragon appeared on the screen, outside the city in what looked like wasteland. "Let's go," said Dr. O.
"What about Trent?"
Dr. O just shrugged in response. "Let him get his head back together. We'll call him if it gets really ugly."
Even as they morphed, Conner hoped Trent's head wasn't too bad. He had the feeling they'd be calling him soon.
----
"Well, did you learn something from this Ethan?"
"Yeah," Ethan muttered, sounding much more serious than Dr. O had. "Leave the card games at home from now on."
"Dude, how about leaving it to the kids from now on?"
The glare Ethan got him suggested that wasn't appreciated, but did he really just expect Conner to stand and say nothing?
Or Kira, for that matter, who got the glare turned on her when she said, "Yeah, seriously, you're much too smart for them."
"You guys still don't get it. But hey, that's alright, I don't expect you to understand."
They probably would have continued if they hadn't rounded the corner to almost bump into Trent and his father. Conner's eyes went straight to Trent, but Dr. O held out his hand for Trent's father. "Hey, Anton. How are you?"
Conner felt relieved as Trent grinned back at him, completely ignoring the others as his dad responded, "Tommy! I'm fine. Hey, I understand you're looking for a new principal?"
"Why? You interested?"
Okay, that got Conner's attention. Luckily Kira jumped in before he yelled 'NO' or anything stupid like that. "I'm sure Dr. Mercer's far too busy to run a school."
"Yeah," said Ethan. "Far too busy."
"Hey, relax everyone. She's right." His pager beeped, and he smiled, reaching into his pocket. "See? Proved as we speak."
He pulled out his pager, and with it came a piece of card. It fluttered to the ground, lying facing upwards, and they all recognised it instantly.
The Ruby Dragon card.
Ethan bent down to pick it up. He looked at it as he stood up, as if unable to believe what he held. "How did you get this?"
Dr. Mercer didn't realise; he looked blank. He took it, meeting Ethan's eyes as he did. "Honestly, I don't know. Trent, is this yours?"
Trent recognised it. He had to recognise it, they'd spent most of yesterday fighting it! But he grinned, a fake grin even Conner could see through, and shook his head. "No. I don't know how it got there."
Beside him, Mercer gasped, stumbling forwards. Dr. O reached out to catch him. "Anton! Are you alright?"
Conner remembered before, when he'd visiting Trent's house. This was the same thing, he was sure of it. Except this time Mercer didn't get the chance to walk away before he stumbled to his knees, gasping out the words, "I'm fine. Just leave me alone."
"We should get you some help!"
"No!" He found sudden strength, pulling away from Dr. O and running down the hall, almost stumbling several times. Dr. O didn't hesitate before running after him, the rest of them following.
"Leave him alone!" Trent yelled after them, and Conner heard him start to run too. "He'll be fine!"
"Anton!" Dr. O yelled. "Wait!"
But Dr. Mercer ran, down the school hallways, through double-doors and on till he reached Dr. O's classroom. There they caught him, with no other way out. He leant against one of the tables, body shuddering. He turned away, gasps jerking his body. Conner started to wonder if it was some kind of fit, thought about suggesting they call an ambulance.
That was before the yellow light flashed about him, and it was no longer Anton Mercer they stood facing.
"No way!" he said, feeling himself grow cold in shock. "Mercer is…"
"Mesogog," Dr. O whispered, sounding not half as shocked as Conner felt. More like facts were starting to fall into place for him, and he was realising something that somehow made sense.
"Oh, this is one crazy week," said Ethan.
Conner hadn't even started to think about Trent, but Kira, as usual, was several steps ahead of him. "This is your big secret? You knew this all along?"
"He's my father! How could I tell you?"
"You will pay for betraying me, Trent!" Mesogog's voice boomed around the classroom, too big for the enclosed space. "You will pay dearly."
"I never betrayed you!"
"He betrayed us, if anything." The words came before he thought about them, anger bubbling up to replace shock, and he felt no guilt when Trent sent him a look of dismay.
"Silence!" Mesogog cried, but the yellow light was reappearing: and just to confirm that Conner hadn't been dreaming, there stood Anton Mercer once more.
He staggered, slumping to the floor and clutching his head in his hands. But only for a second: then he looked up, at Trent. "Trent, I'm sorry."
He raised a hand, and green light flashed above him. Conner shut his eyes as it grew too bright, and when he opened them Mercer – Mesogog – was gone.
A/N: Sorry for any mistakes. I have proof-read but I managed to miss out a scene break in the last chapter (very sorry) and like I said exams have completely killed my brain, so...take this as an advance apology. One thing that might bring comfort is that this is almost certainly the third last chapter: after this only two more, and like I said 38 is sort of written. Thank you for all your reviews for last chapter! I really do love getting them. It's probably very sad but they're sometimes the best part of the day :).