Author's Note: Sorry about the unusual lack of updates. My schedule got pretty busy and, just as it starting to slow, I started feeling a little under the weather. At least it hasn't been a full week though.
Anyways, I'm back. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
While Dr. K was busy with Vanessa, Kaylee, Kira and Tori stepped into the Garage as Kaylee grabbed her communicator. She needed to contact Summer to tell her to get Leanne home as soon as possible. She was also going to need to call Ronny to see if the professional driver and her doctor husband would be willing to watch over Leanne as she recovered.
"First things first," Kaylee said, putting her communicator to her mouth, "Summer, are you there?"
"Yeah. What's up?"
Kira smiled, hearing her daughter's voice. It seemed like so long ago since she was able to be a part of Summer's life. Now that Corinth and NewTech could work together, she could look forward to being with her youngest child every day.
"Are you with Leanne?"
"Yeah," Summer's reply came, before there was muttering from Leanne and Dillon on the other end. Kaylee, Kira and Tori just barely made it out.
"Dillon, that's not a wall!"
"Then what the he– ohh... sorry."
"Yeah."
"What the hell are you guys doing?" Tori frowned.
"Nothing," Summer answered quickly before the three mothers heard a loud CLANK. "Dammit, that hurt!"
Kaylee rolled her eyes, "Summer, I need you to get Leanne back home as soon as possible."
"Already working on it," Dillon laughed. "Well, as best as we can."
"Crawling on two legs and one arm is hard as hell!" the mothers heard Leanne complain.
"Okay, seriously, I want answers," Kira growled.
"Oh, hey guys!" Leanne chirped.
"Why are you crawling?" Kira asked.
"We're in the hospital vent system," Summer answered, "But we gotta go. I think we found the exit. We'll meet you back at the base."
"Wait, Summer..." Kaylee started, but she trailed off as Summer's voice interrupted her.
"That's a long way down."
"Wait, I got this," Dillon said, "We'll do like we did to get up, just backwards."
"Here we go again," Leanne sighed, "This is going to be wrong on so many..."
Kira grabbed the communicator and slammed it shut, causing the Hanson girls to frown.
"Every time I end a conversation, I'm left with more questions than answers," Kira explained, "And knowing what direction there's was about to take, I'm really starting to like this streak."
Tori patted the yellow Dino Ranger on the back while Kaylee opened the communicator once more to contact Ronny.
-----RPM-----
Dr. K had finished with Vanessa, running a few tests on her to make sure she was back to normal, before letting her go. Vanessa found her way to the stairs, passing by the three mothers on her way. She made it to the boys' bedroom and knocked gently.
"Who is it?" she heard Hayden ask.
"It's... uh... it's Vanessa," she called nervously, "Is Mike there?"
There was a silence as Vanessa heard shuffling across the floor. Suddenly the door crept open and Hayden peeked out.
"I'm guessing you wanna talk with him, right?" she asked.
"Yeah... do you mind?"
Hayden swung the door open, allowing the older girl to pass as she headed for the stairs.
Vanessa stepped into the room and saw Mike on her bed. It was obvious he had been crying, and she knew why.
"Mikey..." she called sweetly, sitting beside him and taking his hand, "I'm so..."
"I know," Mike smiled through the tears as he wrapped his arms around her, "You were hypnotised. It wasn't your fault."
"Still..." Vanessa sighed, "I didn't mean anything I said to you back then... I love you."
"I know you do," Mike nodded, "It's okay..."
"You're not mad?" Vanessa asked, looking up slightly, "How are you... I turned my back on you and left... I hurt you and..."
"I've seen it all before," Mike smiled, "It's okay."
Vanessa pulled away from her boyfriend. She didn't think he was going to forgive her so easily. She had up and left him to be with another man, then when he went to confront her about it and try to take her back, she dumped him. Though she didn't mean it, she still felt guilty that the words had come out of her mouth when she didn't mean it. She felt terrible because she had caused him so much needless hurt.
Mike noticed her uncomfortable look and smiled softly.
"I love you too," he whispered, "We'll get over this, I promise. That busboy's never going to show his face around this city unless he wants..."
"He hypnotised me," Vanessa explained, "That's why I was acting so strangely."
"I saw the eyes spinning;" Mike nodded, "that's how I knew you didn't mean what you said. I'll admit, it hurt, but knowing what he did to you hurt me a lot more. I love you."
"I love you, too," Vanessa smiled, "But I've got to make it up to you. I know what he wants."
"Yeah, you," Mike said, wrapping his arms around her, as if claiming her, telling the busboy she was his, and only his. Vanessa looked up sadly.
"His name is H-07," she breathed, "He's a T15 attack-bot, made to look like human. He's hypnotised the entire city to rebel against the Rangers and your Aunt using facts. I'm afraid that even after you pull them out of their spell, they'll all have a reason to keep this rebellion going."
-----RPM-----
Hayden's feet touched the Garage floor just as her mother and Aunts got in contact with Ronny. She squirmed her way between Kira and Tori to listen in.
"Ron, think you and Doc could come here and take care of Leanne, we're..."
"Sorry, Kayl," Ronny interrupted, "We've got our own little crisis here."
"A crisis?" Hayden frowned, "Is Dani okay?"
"Yes, thank God for that," Ronny sighed in relief.
"What happened?" Hayden asked with a great deal of concern in her voice.
"Dani tried suicide," Ronny explained, "Don't worry though, we've got this under control. She's about to say why so I've gotta go. We'll be at the Garage once we deal with this."
Suddenly, the line went dead.
Kira looked between her sisters and niece, "We're fucked."
-----RPM-----
Ronny shut off the communicator and looked to Dani, "Whenever you're ready, Nascar."
Dani took a big breath as she prepared herself to tell the events of her trip to the future.
"I landed in the year 2050... Aunt Kaylee just died. Hayden was still mad at her and Mike and it caused this entire family to break apart... Engel talked to me and invited me to the Garage, where the family get-together was being held just after the burial. There I met future Hayden and we talked. That's how I knew how to help Hayden."
"You were in the future?" David breathed in shock. He didn't think it was possible. He knew Kaylee had gone to the past once, and he knew that Dani could run at such a speed she could slow down time for herself, but he didn't know time travel into the distant future was something that would ever happen in his lifetime.
"I saw mom," Dani nodded, looking down at her hands. She couldn't face her parents or Greg, not after what she had done, "I was told you were dead, dad. Mom told me you died in an ambulance accident. You had just demoted yourself to paramedic and it took your life."
"That would explain how you knew before I told you," David said, "So, I guess that had you worried. That's why you didn't want me to go for it?"
Once again, Dani nodded, "You should have seen it, dad... our little family was gone. Because I skipped ahead 23 years, and because you were dead... mom was all alone. She asked me to save you."
"And you did," Ronny smiled, squeezing her husband's hand as she kept her gaze on her daughter, "But what does all this have to do with what you just did in the bathroom?"
"When dad took the paramedic job, Aunt Leanne was promoted... she managed to balance work and family perfectly... or so I was told... that's why I offered her to share your job, dad. So you could be home and you wouldn't die..."
"Okay... go on," Ronny pressed. She could tell there was more to this story.
"I fixed everything," Dani began to sob, grabbing her sheets tightly in her fists, "Hayden, Aunt K and Mike were happy, dad wasn't going to die... but it's still all screwed up."
Greg stood in the corner of the room, just watching, "Dani, what else did you see in the future?"
"It's not what I saw," Dani screamed, "It's what happened! Aunt Leanne was murdered! She was shot five times and the fifth shot killed her!"
David rushed over to Dani's side, throwing his arms around her. He now understood what had her in such a panic.
"Baby girl, you did all you could," he whispered, "If it was meant to be..."
"There were five shots, dad!" Dani yelled, pulling away from her father, almost throwing herself off the bed as she did, "Five bullets were shot when Aunt Leah got hurt! The fifth shot did kill... because of me."
"Dani, you didn't have a choice."
"It was let Aunt Leah die, and have her blood on my hands, or kill that man!"
Ronny grabbed her daughter, "Dani, look at me," she ordered. Dani turned away, but Ronny shook her gently, but forcefully to grab her attention, "Daniela, you don't have blood on your hands. No matter the outcome. If you had let Aunt Leah die, or if you shot that man."
"You don't get it..."
"And I never will," Ronny breathed, "But kiddo, no one expects you to save everyone all the time. Mistakes happen. The way I see it, it was either the shooter's life, or Aunt Leah's. You tried to save your Aunt because you knew what was going to happen if you didn't. Unfortunately, what you didn't know was that by doing so, you killed someone else."
"He wasn't supposed to die..." Dani whispered, "I'm sorry."
Ronny hugged her daughter, "It's okay," she hushed, "Once this is all over with, we'll find this guy's family and you'll apologize to them. Watch, you'll feel much better."
"No... I won't..." Dani muttered, "I can't save anyone. The future was supposed to change for the better... but I made it worst."
"The family's not broken up," Greg said, "You saved us there."
"But once they find out that the man's dead because of me..." Dani sobbed, "They just saw him fall out of the tree... anything could have happened!"
"Dani," David said, sitting beside his daughter, "Don't assume the worst. Your family loves you, no matter what. I'm sure they'll understand the choice you had to make, and I'm positive your Aunt is grateful you gave her another day to live. I know I am."
"If it makes you feel any better, we can give you some community service. Maybe you can help that guy's family for a little while until they're back on their feet," Greg suggested.
"I don't want to feel better..." Dani pulled away, deeper into her pillow, "I don't deserve it. I'm a murderer... I'm not the hero all the future yous thought I would be. I failed everyone."
Ronny looked over at David for a second before letting out a long breath. She turned back to Dani with a small smile.
"What I'm about to say doesn't leave this room, got it?" she asked everyone, keeping her eyes on Dani to make sure her daughter was listening.
"Got it," David and Greg answered, while Dani simply nodded.
Ronny smiled, "Good, now, Dani, who is the biggest hero you can think of?"
"Mine?" Dani asked, "Or in general?"
"Right now. As we all live and breathe, who is the biggest hero?"
Dani shrugged, "The Power Rangers, I guess..."
"More specific, Dani," Ronny smiled, "Name one."
"You."
Ronny blushed, "Okay... Thank you... I guess, but I mean... someone else."
"Uncle Tommy?"
Ronny groaned, "The other green."
"Aunt Kaylee?" Dani asked. Ronny nodded.
"Your Aunt's been saving the world since she was about your age. And now, when all hope for humanity is lost, she and Dr. K are still working their asses off to help and give hope to everyone. Kaylee's been working on your RPM morphers since before you brats were born. She lead many of the evacuations and worked hard to make sure this city was running smoothly. She's not the perfect hero, but don't you think that would qualify?"
"Sure," Dani shrugged, "But what does this..."
"It was in 2007," Ronny started, "When the most legendary team up happened. Tommy Oliver, Adam Park, Tori Hanson, Kira Ford, Bridge Carson, Xander Bly and Kelly Holloway came out of retirement to help the Overdrive Rangers fight off Thrax. Now, I could go on and one about that..."
"I've heard this a million times," Dani groaned, rolling her eyes and turning away from her mother. Ronny chuckled.
"I know you have. But there's something I left out. The monster named Jordan wasn't destroyed. He wasn't even really a monster."
Dani and Greg both leaned in a little closer, curious as to where Ronny was going with this.
"He was a human turned mutant," Ronny said, "And he was Aunt Tori's ex boyfriend."
"Dun, dun, dun," David sang before earning a few glares, "Sorry, it just worked... go on."
Ronny turned back to her daughter, "Jordan cheated and abused Tori when they were going out, until she had enough. She broke up with him. Now, he was back, and he was angry. So was Kaylee. She was so angry, and so full of hate, that she killed him."
Dani and Greg's eyes widened. There was no way their bubbly Aunt could ever do something so dark.
"With her bare hands," Ronny added, "To put it lightly, she beat the shit out of him until his neck snapped and he died."
"That's lightly?" Greg frowned.
"You weren't there," Ronny nodded, "This would be the version I tell the kindergarten kids for story time."
"Aunt Kaylee murdered?" Dani asked.
Ronny smiled, wiping away her daughter's tears, "We all make mistakes, Dani. Sometimes, it's unavoidable. In your Aunt's case, she could have controlled herself a little better, but the situation called for it. One way or another, that was going to be Jordan's last day. It was destined for him. Just like it seems fate wanted that fifth shot to kill. If not Leanne or the shooter, then maybe it would have been you."
"Maybe it would have been better," Dani sighed.
"How?" David asked, "The Rangers would be down one. You saw how bad the future was without you, right?"
"Yeah..."
"Think it would be any better?" David smiled, "Dan, you're my daughter. I love you so much. When you were in the bathroom, I finally understood what fear was."
"I was about to lose my head!" Ronny added, "I heard you playing with the bottle of medicine. I was devastated and you still hadn't taken a pill."
"And I couldn't believe this was happening to you," Greg said, "Dani... you being here saved us. What do you think would have happened if you killed yourself?"
"I... I don't know," Dani shuttered.
"I would be pissed off," Ronny admitted, raising her hand, "I don't know about you too, but I would probably hide away from everyone."
David and Greg nodded.
"The team would fall apart, Dan," David said, "We all love you. If Leanne found out that you saving her life caused you to take her own, how would she feel?"
"Bad?" Dani tried.
"Awful, horrible, terrible!" Greg frowned, "How would the other Rangers react?"
"Sad?"
"Devastated, confused, afraid," Ronny answered, "How would we feel? Your father, Greg and I?"
"Like shit."
"I love you," Ronny whispered, pulling her daughter in close, "Don't you ever pull that stunt again, Nascar."
-----RPM-----
Summer, Dillon and Leanne had made it out of the vent system and through the deserted city. They realised everyone in Corinth was probably rallied together somewhere, allowing them time to get from the hospital to the Garage safely.
Just as Summer was about to swipe her card in the security panel by the door, when she heard footsteps. Afraid it was going to be the rebellion, she grabbed her Aunt's arm to pull her safely behind herself and Dillon.
Dillon turned as well, ready for attack until he saw Ronny, David, Greg and Dani.
"Calm down, Sunshine," he chuckled, "It's just your family. Boy you're jumpy today."
"Shut up," Summer muttered, "What are you guys doing here?"
"We promised we would come here after talking some sense into Dani," Ronny smiled. She turned to Leanne, "How's the arm."
Leanne looked to her shoulder and heart, "As fine as it can be seeing as the entire city is against me and I just got four bullets removed from my body."
"How about you?" Summer asked her cousin, seeing the red head looking a little embarrassed and shy.
Daniela looked up nervously, "I don't wanna talk about it much."
David wrapped his arms around Dani, "She's had a rough time since the shooting."
Leanne smiled, "Hey, kid," she called to Dani, grabbing the younger red head's attention, "I may have been blacking out, but I saw you speed up into the tree. I don't know what you did to keep that final shot from hitting me, but thanks."
"You're welcome," Dani said. It was barely audible, but her Aunt still heard her.
Ronny motioned to Dani so only Leanne would understand. She made a gun with her fingers and pointed it to her, before turning it on herself and pretending to shoot. She wore a look for a brief moment that made her look dead, before recomposing herself and pointing to Dani.
Leanne knew what Ronny was trying to say and nodded. She turned back to Dani, "Look, kid, no matter what happened, it'll work out for the best. Don't worry about it too much."
"Thanks," Dani mumbled.
"I'm serious," Leanne continued, "It takes guts to stand up to a shooter. You really saved me back there. I owe you."
Dani looked up slightly, "I saved you?"
"I told you," Ronny smiled to her daughter, "It didn't work out like you thought it would, but the family is together and your father and Leanne are still alive."
"Okay," Dillon frowned, swiping his car to open the doors, "The rebellion's not going to hold itself off until the rest of us understand what the hell is going on. Why don't we go inside and help the others?"
"Good idea," David laughed, "C'mon, Leah, let me have a look at those bullet holes."
David lead Leanne inside, with Ronny following right behind as they made their way to the medical room. Summer and Dillon went the other way, where Kaylee, Kira, Tori, Dawn, Vanessa and the Rangers were waiting on the couch.
Dani took a deep breath before smiling. She had stopped the miserable future from coming true. Granted, she did go about it in a different way then she hoped she would, but everything was going to work out for the best. Her family was happen, and everything was going to be okay.
She just had to make sure she made it up to the shooter's family: whether he was a murdered or not, the ones who loved him did deserve a little closer. Dani didn't expect them to forgive her, but she did want them to know that she felt terrible for their loss.
But right now, her family still needed her.
"Now that everyone's here I can fill you all in on what's going on," Vanessa said, "Believe me, it's going to be hell."
