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Chapter 54 – Mission Impossible
The Lightspeed Aquabase was functional once again, though at a greatly reduced capacity and it would likely be years before the base could be truly said to be fully operational after the extensive damage wrought upon it by the rampaging Dragonzord.
This had been an undeniable boon for the city of Mariner Bay, as a hub of technological development and research that had begun to outstrip silicon valley in recent years; owing in no small part to influx of interplanetary immigrants and students from across the Alliance being the former home base of multiple teams of Power Rangers and still housing their base of operations, a facility which created a plethora of jobs was considered vital to the cities' economy; even if many of the locals who had called Mariner Bay home for longer periods of time often grumbled that they would trade all of that to simply know that they would never be at risk of attack by another giant monster.
For Doctor Justin Stewart, former Blue Turbo Ranger the steady progress in repairing and repopulation of the Lightspeed Aquabase meant several things; not least of which was an almost Herculean workload. The Dragonzord had destroyed the bases' personal power station during its' attack and reworking the various backups and redundancies that existed as short term workarounds for such a solution to serve as a long term alternative whilst a new power source could be built by the teams of hundreds of engineers and construction workers hired from within the city along with a seemingly endless tide of Lightspeeds' own experts all of whom reported to the former Turbo Ranger directly had taken a considerable amount of time, to say nothing of the endless list of other tasks that needed to be attended to. The reconstruction effort had also been far from the only thing to demand Justin's time with other projects such as the design and creation of the Quantum Rex Zeta, a Zord that had been destroyed on its' first field test during the attack on Unus requiring his attention.
Along with his time his privacy and solitude had also been forfeit.
The countless people involved in the reconstruction effort had been joined by those who had and would continue to call the Aquabase home, whilst the children who had lived on base would not be returning unless and until it was deemed safe to do so and the base was fully functional again many of of the older Silver Guardian Cadets, several of whom were apprenticing under Justin and his co-workers to become engineers or take other specialist roles had returned and along with them the various teachers, drill instructors and plethora of other staff that their presence required along with a limited amount of the rank and file Silver Guardian soldiers who had been stationed in Mariner Bay. It was this steadily returning bustle that had seen Justin retreat to his workshop and laboratory which had once served as an impromptu Command Centre for the Aegis Rangers to operate from and designate the area as even more highly restricted than it had been previously in an effort to converse in private.
Specifically a conversation that would be occurring any second now if the sounds coming from his computer were any indication.
"Billy" Justin nodded in acknowledgement as he answered the incoming video call, noting to himself that the former Blue Power Ranger's face was stoic and bore fresh frown lines, carved into it like trenches whilst any warmth that his features had once held had been drained and replaced with only cold pragmatism and Justin, considering the circumstances could not find it in himself to blame the man for an instant
"Are we secure?" Billy asked bluntly and without preamble.
"Jesus Christ" Justin hissed through clenched teeth "Whenever you ask me something like that it hits me, what we're doing here-"
"We're doing what needs to be done and nothing else, the Alliance needs its' Rangers but they don't need our Rangers, our children specifically" Billy countered before repeating himself "So, are we secure?"
"As secure as I want to make it" Justin answered eventually "If I put too much into making us untraceable then it's going to draw suspicion, the best way to not get caught is to not look like you're doing anything wrong in the first place"
"Logically sound" Billy nodded
"So I'm guessing that this isn't just a social call" Justin breathed out, almost wavering before asking "Status update?"
"I spoke with Zebidiah earlier, he didn't know but he suspected and with him that's effectively the same thing….He's been told what he needs to know which is very little" Billy gave Justin a moment to process that information before changing topic "Repairs on the Zords are ongoing, I haven't involved myself directly in the process so that if we have to leave before they're completed there won't be any errors or delays caused by the handover-"
"But they won't be needed anyway" Justin added, a bitter edge creeping into his voice "Because we've still got no idea where the kids are"
"Not yet" Billy admitted "Although I trust you've built the remote teleporter to my specifications?"
"I have" Justin admitted, he had been confused when Billy had asked his fellow former Blue Ranger to build a small, easily concealable teleporter that could be keyed to his own communicators' teleportation beacon and activated remotely; once the plan had been explained to him Justin found himself almost preferring the confusion but if this plan would, as Billy had explained bring them closer to finding the Aegis Rangers then any price was worth paying.
"Good" Billy nodded "It took me longer than I expected, Cruger's cyber-security is impressive but I've found her"
"So this is it then, this is happening?" Justin asked, knowing the answer and almost dreading it so instead asking another question to delay hearing the inevitable "Do you think she'll help us?"
"Given her current circumstances I fail to see any other outcome" Billy answered coldly "She'll help us because it's the only choice she has….I'll send you the co-ordinates and the details that I've acquired, use encryption key eighty-seven and inform your contact. Move as soon as possible, it makes no sense to wait"
"You got it" Justin nodded simply, debating the idea of correcting Billy on his use of the cold and detached word 'contact' in regards to the man who would actually be taking the riskiest part of this operation before deciding against it. In the few moments that he remained silent the older man had apparently found something else that demanded his attention and ended the call; leaving Justin with stolen and classified information in his possession as considered what needed to be done next and wondering when exactly everything had gotten so complicated.
On reflection he supposed that it was the moment he had hidden under Rocky DeSantos's hospital bed and learned the identity of the Power Rangers that had been the first catalyst.
Mercy made her way through the safe house which was admittedly larger than one might expect and featured several rooms of not inconsequential size despite its' overall dinginess and the precariousness of their situation despite the shelter that it afforded.
It had been several hours since her brief verbal altercation with Rocky and since then the lost and clearly spiritually broken Power Ranger had left to perform some sort of patrolling of the surrounding area though it was clear that this was being done out of simple paranoia and an urge to vent frustrations rather than any semblance of an actual plan; Rensa had accompanied him in on this outing, the Black Aegis Ranger clearly believing that he could be some sort of calming or at least limiting influence on the unstable Rocky. Kay and Panthera were also absent, the Pink and Green Aegis Rangers were yet to return from their own scouting expedition into the deepest reaches of the Capital City of Mercator in an effort to learn anything that might be of use to them whilst Tempestus was still unconscious after collapsing as he worked on something that he had allegedly been highly excited about, though in his feverish state it was unclear how much of that excitement was warranted and Marigold had continued to watch him and ensure that his condition didn't deteriorate any further.
Leaving Mercy and Aslaug effectively alone within the safe house. The Red Ranger entered what could loosely be considered a living area, in that it was largely devoid of clutter, equipment and general detritus save for a handful of crates that had been used as seats and as she did so she saw a sight that would freely admit, if only to herself was more than a little distracting.
Aslaug was working out.
"H-hey" Mercy croaked, throat suddenly dry at the sight of her girlfriend in the middle of a press up, the sculpted muscles of her back and shoulders straining against her tank-top with the exposed skin being decorated with the faint lines of old scars and tattoos that were more private than the stylised beast adorning her left forearm and pure black band across her eyeline. Mercy herself had been unable to focus on training after her attempt at reasoning with Rocky though it seemed that Aslaug had plenty of energy to spare.
"Want me to spot for you?" Mercy offered, staring shamelessly at her girlfriends' muscles and figure "I'm sure we can use something here as weights"
"Honestly, I'm not sure it's helping" Aslaug admitted, her low and gruff voice tinged with rare doubt as she rose to her feet and stretched out, the flexing of her arms causing Mercy to swallow thickly despite herself though the taller woman seemed not to notice as she slunk onto one of the crates that served as seats nearest to a partially collapsed wall and let out a slow sigh that prompted Mercy to break from her own distraction and take a seat beside her, lacing her fingers though Aslaug's and leaning into her
"Talk to me" she requested gently, Aslaug allowed her head to loll tiredly onto Mercy's and paused for a moment to choose her words before obliging her
"I've made camp in enemy territory before, been surrounded on all sides and outnumbered before…..But this feels different" she paused and pulled back a moment, as she did so allowing Mercy to see the haunted look in her icy blue eyes as she added "I'm afraid we might all die here, put down like animals instead of warriors' deaths"
"No" Mercy said simply, forcing as much conviction as she could into the single word "Not gonna happen, I don't have a plan yet but I'll get us out of here; I'll find a way"
"I've never doubted your abilities to lead, only my own ability to follow" Aslaug murmured gently, prompting Mercy to pull her close once again; this time into a crushing hug as she buried her face in the larger woman's neck
"You're the strongest person I know, there is nothing you can't do" she insisted earnestly as she tightened her own grip on Aslaug, arms wrapped around her waist until Aslaug's hands gently cupped Mercy's cheeks and pulled her up into a slow, gentle kiss
"I love you"
"I love you too" the pair stared at each other in silence, eyes locked and silently asking permission which was readily given; the days that they had spent trapped on this hellish planet had taken a toll on them and with this being the closest thing to privacy they would likely be given the sudden need for release and to both give and take whatever comfort they could was overwhelming.
The next kiss was not gentle.
Their lips came crashing together, Aslaug's teeth grazing Mercy's lower lip until the darker skinned girl all but dragged them both down from the crate and onto the hard floor to straddle Aslaug as she kissed every part of her she could reach; in response the taller woman's arms snaked around Mercy's back and pulled her down on top of her, Aslaug kissing and biting at her neck and collarbones as she frantically pulled her lovers' clothing away from her shoulders with Mercy taking Aslaug's hair out of its' tied back wolf-tail, her fingers tangling in the dusty blonde locks as she threw her head back and bucked her hips against Aslaug's thigh when Aslaug kissed and teased way down to Mercy's breasts, lovingly taking each nipple in her mouth in turn
Only for the moment to be spectacularly ruined by the sound of a door being thrown open
"Shit!" Mercy's exclamation could only be described as a panicked yelp, she leapt to her feet and quickly readjusted her clothes before pulling Aslaug to her feet; the two of them managing to share an abashed look with Mercy reaching up on the tip-toes to kiss the Yellow Ranger briefly before the source of the intrusion made itself known, Panthera and Kay came skidding into the room and if the fact that the Pink Ranger didn't immediately begin tormenting the still flushed and dishevelled pair and giving them knowing glances wasn't enough indication that something was amiss then the fact that both she and the Green Ranger were panting and out of breath after clearly running some distance was.
"What's wrong?" Mercy demanded, forcing herself into the role of leader and pushing her own feelings aside to better focus.
"We ran into Putties and Empire security, don't worry we weren't identified" Panthera managed to gasp out between breaths, holding a hand up to silence Mercy before she could interject "That's not the important part, get the others….I think I know how we can get off of this planet"
The twin suns of Mercator were setting at opposite ends of the horizon, causing the pale sky to steadily darken behind the veil of smog, ash and dust that was belched and churned endlessly into the worlds' atmosphere; the twilight casting long and sinister shadows along the ground which only served to make the Capital City of the Dark Empire world ever more foreboding and frightening in appearance, the influence of the Empire corrupting a sight that had once been beautiful the way it always had. To Rensa that sight was still a novel one however, being born and raised on the prison world of Dread whose atmosphere was entirely impenetrable and whose surface was trapped in a permanent artificial night had meant that sunrises and sunsets were things he was entirely unaccustomed to and the contact lenses that Billy had made allowed to appreciate the sight without being blinded by light that his eyes were never meant to see.
At the moment however the Black Aegis Ranger was currently preoccupied with more important matters, namely following Rocky DeSantos.
"Being alert is good, especially on a world like this….I understand it, but there comes a point when you have to admit that you're chasing shadows" Rensa noted, his quiet and surprisingly gentle voice conversational in tone as he trailed a few paces behind Rocky and using his unnatural ability to cling to any surface and contort himself in order to do so more easily, the lost Power Ranger himself was currently clad in ragged robes not too dissimilar to those worn by those who served as enforcers on Mercator which, judging by the way many who saw them shrunk aside in fear was likely a conscious decision Rocky had made.
"Did you follow me just to lean over my shoulder like Jiminy Cricket?" Rocky grumbled irritably
"What's a Jiminy Cricket?" Rensa asked without missing a beat, drawing a sigh from the older man as the two of them continued to prowl through the streets. Following his earlier brief and somewhat heated discussion with Mercy Rocky had left the safe house and ventured deeper into the city with seemingly no rhyme or reason in the various twists, turns and shortcuts he was taking though from the constant stream of mutterings that spilled from him Rensa had learned that someone had been watching the safe house as if scouting ahead of some pending attack, or at least that was what Rocky believed as it had been several hours and no sign of any would be trespasser had been found. The Black Ranger had followed after him as he saw and recognised far too many of the signs that Rocky stood on a precipice and was on the verge of doing something that he would not be able to retreat from, his mental state being something that Rensa was painfully and intimately familiar with made all the worse by the years of isolation and trauma that he had suffered though so far each of Rensa's awkward, stumbling attempts to speak with the veteran Ranger and broach the subject of their shared experiences and common ground was halted by Rocky's scathing indifference.
Any further attempts the Black Ranger wished to make were prevented as he followed Rocky around a corner into an alleyway only to be weave aside on instinct alone as a metal bar was swung at his face.
"Grab them!" Rocky snarled, wasting no time and simply lunging at the attacker himself and tackling them to the ground with ease before wrestling the bar they had used as an impromptu weapon from their grip and pressing it down on their neck.
The attacker was a small and scrawny creature, barefoot and clad in rags; largely humanoid in appearance save for their electric blue and entirely hairless skin and a decidedly alien face featuring oversized, elliptical eyes that were blood red in colour and without pupils and a mass of fleshy tendrils in place of a mouth; despite this the creature could still speak and it was at this point that Rensa realised that the attacker was young, likely an adolescent no older than himself
"Why are you following me?"
"Don't play dumb" Rocky growled, pressing the bar down onto the aliens' neck more forcefully to choke them "You were spying on us! Who do you work for? Is it the authorities? ANSWER ME!" the alien kicked and struggled for several moments before realising the futility of the situation and choking out an answer
"Not the authorities" they continued to struggle "The Talon Cabal, they knew someone was living there and wasn't paying them protection...they just wanted me to find out how many people"
"Extortionists" Rocky sneered, a smile formed on his face at the notion of such a simple and commonplace answer to his worries though it was one that lacked any warmth and its' predatory nature served only to alert the alien of how doomed they were; Rocky rose to his feet and kept the adolescent alien trapped underfoot as he hefted the pipe and swung.
Only for it to be sent flying from his hands.
"No" Rensa hissed savagely as he intervened, appearing between Rocky and his intended target in a blur of motion to strike Rocky's wrist and force him to release the pipe whilst at the same time kicking the spy in the head and rendering them unconscious before glaring at the former Power Ranger with his pitch black eyes narrowed "There, now they're unconscious and can't tell anyone anything….But you would have killed them"
"You don't understand how things work here" Rocky snapped furiously "This isn't like-"
"I was born on a Dark Empire Prison World and raised by Andros of the KO-Thirty Five guerilla resistance; I understand better than you think" Rensa shot back, cutting across the tirade before it could begin
"I understand that sometimes what people who've lived peacefully think is right will get them killed, I understand the hard choices but I also know that there are some things a Power Ranger can. Not. Do." his glare became more intense as he added "And so do you"
"Then maybe it's a good thing I'm not a Power Ranger any more" Rocky scoffed
"Yes you are" Rensa's answer was blunt and his tone made it clear that he would brook no argument yet it was clear that Rocky would likely try and argue regardless and so he continued
"If you weren't you wouldn't have spent so long trying to repair your Morphers and you wouldn't still carry that" he pointed to the pocket he knew the remains of the Tyrannosaurus Power Coin were carried in and as Rocky scowled Rensa followed up without hesitation "If you weren't still a Power Ranger you wouldn't have put yourself at risk to help us"
"There's a long way between being a Power Ranger and being some guy who didn't want to see a bunch of kids get killed"
"Maybe not as much as you think" Rensa shrugged before gesturing to the unmoving form of the adolescent alien who had been compelled to spy on Rocky's abode by the local criminal element and adding "But what's one more kid? Killing them won't stop whoever sent them" Rocky paused for a moment, fists clenching into white-knuckled grips as he considered; haunted looking eyes narrowing before finally he relented
"Find somewhere to put them, if we leave them in an alleyway someone else will kill them for whatever they have in their pockets" Rensa nodded in agreement as he turned towards the alien and took hold of their ankles, preparing to drag them somewhere out of view in a display that would, on most civilised worlds have been a cause for alarm whilst Rocky shook his head and sighed, offering an opinion from behind Rensa
"Andros, Billy, Kimberley….everyone who was left" he swallowed thickly and Rensa knew without looking that Rocky was wiping his eyes "They did a good job with you kids, a really good job"
The inner sanctum of the Fire Ninja Academy was an odd place, ancient scrolls and magically infused weapons and artefacts older than recorded history itself stood side by side and juxtaposed sharply against the latest technology Earth and the galaxy-spanning Alliance that it was part of had to offer. The inner sanctum served as a personal chamber for the current head of the Fire Ninja Academy and in its' centre was a small wooden table, low to the ground and surrounded by soft cushions; its' surface buried beneath countless scrolls and trinkets along with more modern documents including various blueprints and staff rotas, the possession of which would be an immediate cause for suspicion if anyone within a position of authority at Project Lightspeed were to learn of them; the table was illuminated by several candles placed around the room and, more prominently by the light cast by a large screen positioned in the wall at such an angle to allow anyone appearing on it to take part in any meetings held at the table.
A lone figure was knelt at the small table, knees resting on one of the cushions and their gaze snapping up from the documents as the screen was activated. The figure was a man in perhaps his mid thirties, he was tall and slender though beneath his black cloak he sported a defined and athletic physique, his skin was light brown and his features were sharp with high-cheekbones and eyes that softened from their hawkish intensity after a moment and his jet black hair was tied back into a tight bun; the man was known to his students as Sensei Kazama and he was the head of the Fire Ninja Academy as well as a former aide to a team of Power Rangers, though to Justin Stewart he was known by many other names; many of them not uttered in the presence
"Hey handsome" Justin yawned wearily as he appeared on the screen, his words causing the flames of the various candles around the room to flare and shine a little brighter for a moment as Kazama's innate abilities affected them.
"Justin I received your….package" he murmured cautiously only to roll his eyes as Justin snorted
"Phrasing" the former Turbo Ranger chuckled
"I am in love with a man-child" the ninja sighed, though a soft smile tugged at the corners of his mouth; the moment between them being all too brief before the seriousness of the situation asserted itself and both men's expressions hardened and were filled with sudden tiredness from the weight they were forced to carry
"I got it" Kazama nodded "A remote teleporter, keyed to Billy's communicator, can't be activated by the recipient, completely undetectable….this is happening"
"It's happening" Justin nodded in confirmation "It was set in stone from the moment Billy made the decision"
"And yet he isn't the one taking the risks-"
"He's risking enough" Justin countered "Besides it's not about who risks what, the Rangers have risked more than any of us and we need to get them back….I need to get them back and I'll do whatever it takes"
"I….damn it I want to say I understand" Kazama sighed "I understand part of it, I would have done anything for my team but that was different, they were my students, they were in my care….You and Mercy, it's-"
"Complicated" Justin nodded, summing up the situation between himself and the Red Ranger who had been made from the combination of genetic material from at least a dozen former Power Rangers, himself included "I'm not her dad and even if I was I haven't been much of one….But I refuse to leave them out there; and that's why we need her, if anyone has the intel we need it's her"
"You know that you're going to have to go into hiding for this" Kazama noted "The Shadow Ninja Academy would offer you safe passage"
"You spoke to them about this?" Justin was suddenly concerned, though only for a moment as Kazama's silent assurance relieved him
"I had to" he explained "You're asking me to break into a maximum security Lightspeed prison that doesn't officially exist, I can handle their cyber-security but actually getting in and out is going to take a level of expertise I don't have; the Shadow Ninjas do. I'll be the one to speak with the target though"
"Okay" Justin nodded, a dozen emotions playing across his face as having the truth of what it was they were planning spoken aloud so frankly forced him to confront exactly what it was he, Billy, Kazama and anybody else Billy had enlisted in his plans were soon to be guilty of; treason, espionage, aiding and abetting those whose crimes should see them reviled by the galaxy as a whole and as his stomach churned he forced himself to remember that it was all to save the Power Rangers.
He would do it all a thousand times to protect them.
"We move out tonight" Kazama said gently "Have your things ready"
"They've been ready since Billy told me what he's planning" Justin assured him "I'll lay low until we find the Rangers but then-"
"I know" Kazama nodded in understanding "And may the Power protect you" the two of them shared tender looks and a single moment of peaceful silence which lasted until Justin chose to speak, his next words ruining the mood expertly
"You too hot stuff"
Tempestus had awoken to the sound of shouting, something that under normal circumstances would have seen him intervene and attempt to diffuse the situation through less combative means but currently he was simply far too preoccupied by the task before him.
Trying to perform incredibly delicate work, with potentially dangerous tools all whilst his vision blurred and swam with fresh waves of nausea as his condition steadily worsened.
It was clear that those who had been absent earlier in the day had returned and that whatever news they had returned with had become a major source of contention for the Rangers with, as far as Tempestus could tell, Rocky attempting to be a voice of reason tempering what he doubtlessly considered recklessness or foolishness on Mercy's behalf with the rest of the Aegis Rangers, again from what the Aquitian could decipher each agreeing with their leader to various degrees; Aslaug predictably being the most gung-ho and open in her support whilst Mari, clearly shaken by everything she had experienced in her short time as a Ranger erred more on the side of caution.
It was obvious that Tempestus would have to cause a paradigm shift in the situation soon
Royal blue light of a similar shade to that of his own armour flashed and crackled as he worked, an intense energy charging and pressurising the air as he focused, his pale and coral pink eyes overcoming the glassy and unfocused look that had overcome them in recent days as the dark-skinned alien teen recited an endless slew of calculations and parameters in a slurred and jumbled mutter under his breath until finally the entirety of the dingy and makeshift workshop that he had sequestered himself away in was illuminated by a blinding light that was almost as bright as Tempestus's own tired smile as he gazed down at his work and saw that it was a success.
What lay before him on the table was the union of a Power of Morpher and Zeoniser, the proof of concept that he had completed earlier expanded and developed into something far more complete in a matter of mere hours as the Blue Aegis Ranger's mind and hands raced with fanatical zeal and inhuman fervour despite his slowly worsening condition. The top half of the device was largely rectangular in shape though its' edges were rounded, the resemblance to Tempestus's own Aegis Morpher being owed entirely to the fact that this was in fact one the Morphers that the Aegis Morphers had been based on; the once gleaming silver finish of the Power Morpher had been stripped away by time and mistreatment which left the thing with a blackened, pitted and scratched exterior whilst its' bottom half had been ripped away entirely in a way that almost certainly been violent and left the jagged, tooth like track through the centre of the device with the appearance of a twisted mechanical overbite. The damaged section had been replaced with the gutted and reforged remains of Rocky's own Zeoniser; the circular attachment to one of the gauntlets sat over the indentation intended to hold a Power Coin on the Morpher, clearly intending to hold one in place whilst the rest of the device which has once channelled a fraction of the power of the Zeo Crystal sat beneath the rest of the chimeric device in a mass of circuitry and blinking lights that had been crudely covered over as well as possible with what limited material was available to make a rudimentary casing.
"Groovy" Tempestus finally murmured to himself as he lifted the device from his now scorched workbench and carried proudly into the part of the safe-house that had become an impromptu meeting place, where raised voices threatened to give away their location to any who wished to know it.
"THIS IS THE ONLY PLAN WE'VE GOT DAMN IT! IT'S BEST CHANCE WE'VE GOT!" Mercy yelled as she and Rocky stood mere feet apart, not quite within striking distance of one another despite how painfully obvious it was that tempers were dangerously close to spilling over, Rocky's scarred and lined face twisted into a sneer with his retort, shot back with equal volume and exasperated anger
"YOU'LL HAVE PLENTY OF CHANCES TO DIE KID, THERE'S NO SENSE IN RUSHING TO TAKE THIS ONE" Mercy's knuckles clenched and audibly cracked, a wave of anger and tense nervousness radiating our through her into the other Aegis Rangers scattered around the room who each visibly bristled at the slight against their friend; the Red Aegis Ranger simply remained silent for several seconds and chose her words carefully, yet clearly without any consideration for her current adversary's feelings
"So what do you want us to do?" she demanded icily "Stay here and waste away with you?" Rocky let out a low, guttural snarl that could only be the product of having spent so much time away from humanity before answering
"Not here, we need somewhere else….Between the spy Rensa and I dealt with and these two being seen" he gestured to Kay and Panthera whose expressions were defiant and unapologetic "We can't stay here-"
"All the more reason to move-"
"You're not listening to me! Rocky interjected forcefully, his tirade about to begin again in earnest when Marigold, who had been largely quiet and withdrawn over the last few days stepped forwards and cleared her throat loudly; having seen Tempestus out of the corner of her whilst the others were preoccupied with the ongoing argument
"Hey Tempestus" she exclaimed brightly, effectively ending the heated debate "You should still be resting"
"Couldn't rest, had work to do" the Aquitian answered simply, voice hoarse and rasping "What's going on?" at this question Marigold turned to Mercy and Rocky, giving them both a glare that both implored them to be reasonable and at the same time dared them to be otherwise. The current and former Red Rangers exchanged glances before coming to some unspoken agreement, with Rocky being the one to answer the question.
"Kay and Panthera went scouting, they've found a communications tower and they think they can use it to contact the Alliance-"
"That's bodacious, it's certainly a workable idea" Tempestus muttered, the gears already begin to turn in his mind; though it was admittedly a slow process
"Workable, but not smart….not right now" Rocky shook his head "They were seen by the Ragged Ones, security was already going to be tight around there, not it's going to be stepped up even more….Even with seven Rangers you won't be able to make it-"
"What about with eight Rangers?" Tempestus asked carefully "Would eight Rangers be able to do it?"
"What are you…." Rocky trailed off, falling silent and staring in rapt amazement as he stared at the cobbled together Morpher that Tempestus revealed and held out to him.
"Only Billy's son" the veteran and lost Ranger muttered as he took the proffered hybrid Morpher and slipped it into its' rightful place around his waist before taking the Tyrannosaurus Power Coin, shattered as it was and carefully arranging the broken fragments into the closest approximation of their proper shape as he inserted them into the indent they had once rested in, using the makeshift cover made from part of the Zeoniser to hold them in place. Several seconds passed as the tension in the air was replaced by a low thrumming that emanated from the device as it lurched into some semblance of life and Rocky, for the first time in decades felt the power of the Morphing Grid coursing through his body; he didn't morph, he didn't dare risk this moment being snatched from him and instead wore an expression that went beyond happiness, and reached a state enlightened and euphoric rapture, it was as though all the truths of the universe had been revealed to him in the form of an old friend and none of the younger Rangers had the heart to interrupt the state of pure bliss that left tears of joy streaming down Rocky's face for several moments.
Mercy eventually found herself compelled to speak, though her tone was gentle now
"Rocky….we're doing this either way, but we'd appreciate it if you chose to help us" Rocky's eyes regained some of their focus and when he gazed at Mercy it was as though he himself were much like his Power Coin; broken to the point of utter destruction and yet still carrying on against all odds. He nodded silently and turned his attention to Tempestus for a moment, wiping his eyes as he spoke
"I can't tell you how much this means to me, there really are no words….I don't know if eight Rangers will be enough, but I say we give it a try" he then turned to Mercy "Yeah kid I'm in and if you're half the Red Ranger your friends clearly think you are then I've got no problem following your lead on this"
"Okay then" Mercy nodded as she held out a hand to Rocky, a grin forming on her face despite the situation "Back to action?"
Author's Notes:
Okay so it feels like this arc is definitely taking longer to get the motor running but at the same time it's needed and it still works.
Still getting into my new writing routine, but the RWBY story I've been working on for three and a half years is now officially complete so Aegis is now my only ongoing project.
I feel like there's something I want to say here but I can't for the life of me remember what it is, it's been a long week.
So anyway, let's summarise shall we?
The Lightspeed Aquabase is cool but thinking about how it affects everything around it is an interesting bit of world building.
Justin has been a very busy guy.
Common sense, the best way to not get caught is to look like there's nothing to catch; someone sneaking around draws more attention than just putting a hi-vis jacket on and walking straight in.
So, Billy's plan is continuing and Justin has a part in it….And we're using pronouns instead of names because it's a surprise but one of my readers has already figured out who's coming soon.
Look….sometimes thirst is eternal, even in crazy situations. Aslaug is built like a tank and Mercy finds that hot, no judgement.
It's rare Aslaug looks vulnerable.
See, if you've read my writing in the RWBY fandom then you'll know that cock-blocking is an art I have completely mastered.
And now the Rangers have a plan, Billy has a plan and the boss of Empire security on this planet has a plan.
Rensa following Rocky makes sense, he's had his own issues and was raised on an Empire Prison World, he has the most experience of what Rocky's dealing with and can talk to him in a way that the others can't.
"What's a Jiminy Cricket?"
So Rensa is really good at tracking and hunting people down….He didn't even see who Rocky was following for several hours, that's how good Rocky is.
So that's where Rocky's been at mentally for a while now, willing to kill someone to stop a potential problem.
The talk between Rensa and Rocky was interesting t write, because Rensa by a lot of standards is not a morally good person, but with where Rocky is at he still looks like light at the end of a tunnel.
What you thought Justin was gonna be involved in a jailbreak and not involve his literal ninja of a boyfriend?
"Package" and that's all I'll say.
Kazama was never a Ranger, he was a tech guy; like Cam if Cam never became the Samurai Ranger.
Shadow Ninjas next chapter.
Waking up to arguments, fun times.
So Rocky isn't on board with the plan.
And now we have a, presumably working hybrid Morpher….Because as Tempestus noted in his heart to heart with Billy a few arcs back; he doesn't invent a lot of new stuff but he can repair anything.
Mercy threw a few barbs in that argument.
Mari is the Mum friend and it shows even when she isn't actively doing it.
I like the idea that the hybrid Morpher just constantly hums and buzzes, like the Dark-Sabre from Star Wars because of how cobbled together it is.
I think Rocky's reaction was appropriate.
It felt right that Mercy stepped up and said that the plan was going ahead either way, this is her without Mission Control to fall back on, this is Mercy being forced to grow into a more independent leader.
And now Rocky is ready….Back to action indeed, I really do love using that line to emotional effect.
Thank you to Blue Legends for their review on the last chapter.
You're right to be excited
You're also right to be worried.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.
