Tommy already regretted splitting up. The entrance was not difficult, the space between their starting point behind the storage spot to his chosen point of egress turned out to be less about difficulty and more about simply not being loud as he did it. The guards were not especially vigilant and as he separated from his team to make his way in, he only came across a second of true worry as he accidentally knocked over a box and caused a crash that brought multiple personnel running; as they did he ran for the entryway and swung himself through the doorway and rushed down the dark stairs leading into the underground and into exactly what Billy had assumed: a service tunnel, complete with hanging lightbulbs that flickered and buzzed, connected by heavy wiring that led further forward into the distance.
No it was not the act of getting inside that left the ex-green with a bad taste in his mouth, walking quietly as he could manage down the pathway and finally, after what felt to be an eternity, through a door that brought him directly into the main facility, into what looked to be for the most part an employee lodge of sorts, empty at the moment. It was loneliness that made him stop for a second to take a deep breath and contemplate truthfully whether or not he should call up the others.
He stared at his communicator for a good minute or too, standing there with his finger hovering over the buttons to let him call up the other four members of his team, any of them, all of them. He knew he shouldn't, he knew that whatever it was that had him feeling such, like he was uneasy and unsettled, that it was just some point in his mind screaming out against the logic of not calling up his friends. They had had to split up; they were safer this way, and the communicators were for making sure if they did find anything, or anyone, they could talk to each other. Not because Tommy feeling odd on his own inside the NASADA building without Kira or Billy or Merrick or Tsuki there beside him; he was the original sixth man Power Ranger, he could handle being without a team. Though admittedly he had been a red too...and black...
Hearing footsteps he quickly moved, slipping under a nearby table and made himself as small as he could, listening.
"So you hear about wha' happen in Reefside?" said one voice, a low gruff sort of thing with the weight of years upon it, the tone of an man who had seen much and was waiting for a fight, not to hurt but to calm the flames.
"You mean the Rangers that ran off?" This one was softer, younger, clear with optimism and a scoff to his words akin to one who knew by second hand accounts; this was one who wanted a fight, and did not want to wait.
"Tommy Oliver," said the first voice, a correction, that led on, "As well as one of his students and his girlfrien'."
"I heard another Ranger was with them," said the second, urging more.
A grunt and a sigh. "Heard tha' too; no one knows who though. 'Pparently they were seen running in tha forest but tha military guys lost track of them."
"Or maybe that Jason guy let them get away." Tommy felt some coldness in his blood. He understood and he knew that sort of thing would make sense; a Ranger would protect other Rangers, should protect other Rangers. But Jason didn't; Jason tried to bring them in. He had chased them, tried to catch them, had helped to bring in the others, had helped the government to capture other Rangers.
Jason had been there when Ethan had died.
He bit back all the words he could say, and wanted to say, and swallowed them all, along with a breath in hopes of staying unseen. The older voice seemed to scoff and grumbled as he spoke, "Yeah well tha' I know nothin' about but heard they migh' make their way 'ere."
"Well bring it on I say," his comrade said and Tommy could practically hear the excitement in the man's voice, "We never get any action around here anyway, not since the last shipment and that kid..."
The green ranger stopped for a moment and wondered what they meant by that; of course the shipment they mentioned, that had to be the Rangers who were caught and brought here, hopefully including Merrick's sister and other Rangers that his group could rescue tonight. And there was a flash of frustration...no anger, plain and simple, at the notion that they, living beings, humans, would be called a "shipment", like they were less than that now. But a kid distracted Tommy and made him stop for a moment and think what kid.
As his mind tried to filter through all teams he knew of, and if there were any who were young enough to be called a "kid" or had any kids, he missed the older one's response and the subsequent changing of subject to more mundane subjects. The return to the conversation left him with a sense that he might be there for a while and Tommy silently groaned, hoping this wouldn't take too long at least.
Elsewhere Kira was in minor shock. Her entrance had led her straight into the building and despite some quick stops that left her heart pounding in her chest, nearly crossing directly with wandering guards that by miracle or chance ended with her escaping notice, she managed to get to a zone devoid of any guards.
It was not devoid of people though; a large open space, perhaps once holding the large machinery and devices that a space program should have, it was filled now with large crates. In each one wall had been removed and replaced by what may be glass or perhaps clear plastic and locked doors, letting her see within a few of them bodies. Living, perhaps: breathing, probably: she heard a groan come from one and her head spun around to look at one of the nearest ones in which a familiar form lay upon the floor of their crate, dressed in old clothes that no doubt had been worn since the day she had been thrown in there.
Kira rushed over to the door without hesitation, leaning down with her hands against the glass with a frown. "Hayley!"
She did not know if the computer genius could hear her, it occurred to her that possibly she couldn't, but Kira didn't care at that moment; it was Hayley, alive if maybe not so well, one of her friends, one of her allies. Tears welled up in Kira's eyes without her thinking, moreso as Hayley lifted herself and looked at her with a pained look and she heard her old mentor's voice, strained and confused, "Kira?"
Kira nodded and Hayley forced herself to sit up, wincing as she did so. "Oh god...they grabbed you too..."
"No!" Kira exclaimed and shook her head, smiling weakly, "No, I-I came here with Tommy...Dr. O. He and Tsuki found me first, they saved me-"
"That's good to hear," said the other woman and a soft smile crossed her lips, "I'm glad. Though that quite doesn't explain how you're here."
The ex-yellow bit her lip. "We came here to rescue Andros."
"Andros? Astro Red Andros?" Kira nodded. "Why?"
"I don't really know; it was Dr. O's idea, him and Billy's-"
"Wait, Billy? As in Billy Cranston, Billy, the original Blue Ranger?" Hayley frowned some as Kira nodded. "When did he get back? What is going on out there?"
Hayley's response to this news surprised Kira and she furrowed her brow, uncertain how exactly to answer that question. She hesitated in responding for a moment before finally speaking once more, "Billy arrived a little before I was rescued; I don't know exactly when. He was at the house when they brought me there. As for what's going on in the world outside..." She paused once more, thinking hard what she wanted to say before shaking her head. "It's weird; it seems so calm when you look at it, then there's the military that attacked the house, Jason Scott was there and he and Tommy nearly got into a screaming match. And we got here to find Billy's lab in tatters and this place is supposed to be some space program base but it looks like a discount Fort Knox..."
Hayley chuckled at that and Kira stared at her for a moment. The redheaded woman smiled. "It's nothing, just nice to hear some humor since I've been stuck here."
A question bubbled up in Kira's mind but she couldn't bring herself to ask it. Hayley looked at her and seemed to read it in her eyes, in that way that Hayley always seemed to read everyone, because her smile turned sad. "It hasn't been fun. Though I guess why would it have been considering. But...we never expected them to actually come after us; we never thought..."
She became quiet for a minute and Kira put her hand on the glass again, wishing she could hold her old friend, to be close, to not simply have to sit there with Hayley looking so sad. The woman shook her head though, as if to shake the sadness off and spoke more, "He died helping me, Kira. Ethan I mean. He...he told me to run, to take the back way out; I tried to argue but he kept telling me he wasn't a kid anymore, that he could handle himself and...I ran." Regret and Kira shook her head.
"It wasn't your fault," she said.
"I remember hearing the front door get kicked in and yelling and screaming and a lot of different voices but there was so much blood pumping through my ears that I couldn't separate them out," Hayley continued and closed her eyes, pulled away; her hands sat in her lap and fingers clenched around the fabric of her jeans as she spoke, tears welling up, "Then I heard the gunshot and I froze; that's probably why they caught me to tell the truth but I couldn't bring myself to move when I heard it. It sounded like thunder and I just froze. I guess...I guess that just goes to show the difference, between a civilian like me and a Ranger like you, between a mentor like me and one like...well." Hayley laughed, a bitter hurt sound, a broken sound as she wept. "Tommy wouldn't have been so weak, I'm sure of that, and Billy probably would have never left Ethan behind. And you and Conner; you both would have done anything to protect your friend, your team. Yet me, brilliant MIT educated computer savy me, all I could do was run and hide and listen in terror as they killed him. I couldn't do a damn thing as someone important to me was shot and killed, not a single thing."
Kira was silent for a moment, not sure what to say or do after hearing that; she didn't even know if there even was anything she could say to that. She wanted to comfort her but something felt sour in her mouth as the words even tried to form, not because of some bitterness towards Hayley but for the simple fact that those words might never be enough to soothe the pain within her old mentor's soul. Instead she let her eyes turn to the door and the locks upon it and she stood up, trying to get a better view. It was electronic, of course it was, and she wondered if maybe one of the others could disrupt it. "Hayley, can you tell me what kind of thing I'd have to do to break this lock?"
"You can't," she said with a soft sigh, "Believe me, I've looked it over countless times since I've been here and it's clear it is not going to come undone easily," she turned her face to look at Kira, "You'd need to get into the control room for this section to get it open."
"And where is that?" Kira did not plan on leaving her friend here; the plan was to rescue as many people as possible, if possible. She glanced around the other crates, these makeshift cells, and wondered just how many of them they could get out of them; Andros and Merrick's sister seemed to be givens, and they should try to save as many people as humanly possible. But they couldn't even go in together, so how would they get a bunch of people out safely?
Still, she told herself, biting her lip lightly as Hayley seemed to hesitate and search the ex-yellow's face for something, some understanding perhaps or rather chance to disparage her from this task; still I have to try, the young woman thought to herself as she stared the older woman in the eyes, we have to try. A Ranger never gives up; more than the fighting, the power, the courage Hayley seemed to believe was inherent within them, the sense of right and wrong that so many seemed to be questioning now, it was that simple fact that Kira knew defined them before all others. A true Power Ranger never gave up and nor would Kira.
Finally after a moment of silence Hayley gave a sigh and smiled, wiping away the tears finally, a spark of light returning to her eyes. "Once a Ranger always a Ranger huh?" The comment made Kira flush a bit before the woman continued on, "The control room shouldn't be too far from here, just down the hallway past the last of the cells and to the right; there will be quite a few guards around it though. Will you be okay?"
Kira touched the communicator on her wrist and smiled lightly before nodding. "Yeah I should be. Just hold on okay and we'll get you free in no time."
"I can't exactly go anywhere currently," Hayley responded and watched as Kira rushed off down the path, not seeing her fingers play with the buttons on the communicator.
Billy had also managed to get inside only to be surprised by finding his path quickly crossed by Merrick. In all truth the two ex-rangers nearly crashed into each other as they came in from two separate ends of a four-way hallway; it was ultimately a combination of Billy's sharp observational skills in seeing Merrick first and Merrick's honed reflexes in stepping back seconds before the possible collision that had prevented it.
For a second in time both simply looked at one another, Merrick wondering how exactly from two points of entrance they had managed to meet up here, Billy calculating the possibilities and what sort of turns Merrick theoretically had to have taken to reach this point as well; the second was broken by the former speaking, "So what now, Billy?"
"It would seem as if we both successfully infiltrated the facility," Billy responded and continued to think, "Based on the evidence I could then make the educated assumption that our comrades have done the same."
"Which is?"
"The static status of the security around us. Since our intrusion into the compound we have not perceived any sounding of alarm, nor any increase in personnel in the areas; this hallway for one is currently occupied thus far by merely my presence and yours. In addition our communicators have remained muted, which to me appears to be a sign of lack of necessity and thus lack of need of assistance."
This seemed to make sense to Merrick and the wolf warrior nodded, the two continuing down the hallway together now. Billy for his part found his attention all over the walls, and most notedly the lack of visible surveillance; where the cameras so small they were borderline invisible? They seemed to still be in the clear as of now, still no sign of any guards even as they got further and further within, no sound of alarm or noise at all; it was quiet, dangerously so, and Billy wondered what it meant for not only them but their friends.
"They should be fine," Merrick spoke and Billy was startled by the noise, turning his head to look at him; Merrick smiled, "You are concerned about the others; it is clear upon your face."
The scientist rubbed his head awkwardly. "I apologize."
He shook his head. "No, do not do so; it is perfectly natural to be concerned for your friends. I truthfully find it a comforting sight after everything that I have experienced up to this point.
"I must admit to being startled when you four fell from the hole to where I was," he continued on and Billy looked to him, watching him as the Animarian spoke, "I did not expect anyone else...to be here."
The connotation was clear and Billy bit his lip. "Was it really so lonely on the way here from Turtle Cove?"
"Yes." His voice was clear and his answer was quick and unambiguous. "After what I saw happen to Danny I made my way here as quickly as possible, I wanted to find Ileana and maybe help Danny and anyone else I could. But...there was no one else on the road to this place; merely words and rumors, and there were so many that before I met you four, I had started to think that perhaps maybe there were no more free Rangers."
The thought, voiced aloud by Merrick, made Billy take a deep breath. He had thought it himself honestly, multiple times since the more recent events that brought him here, but voicing them, that felt as if it could make it real. Made it true. But Merrick was free and had been, and they had been able to find one another; even with the words out there, and all the people who seemed against them, Billy told himself that if one escaped and survived...
"There must be others still," Billy said and gave a short nod, to which the ancient Ranger responded in kind.
"Indeed," Merrick spoke and put a hand on Billy's shoulder, "We cannot be the only ones left free after all. Perhaps when everything is said and done here we could go and find them, try and come together in some way."
A smile crossed Billy's lips and he chuckled lightly. "Yes, perhaps..."
There was silence between the two for a moment before, just as they reached the ending of the hallways, both of their communicators went off at the same time; a familiar ring to Billy, a six note tune that both made him smile and his heart to nearly explode, sounded off and both boys stepped back quickly in hopes it went unheard otherwise. At the end of the hall was a large space, open and clear, and Billy was unsure if it was paranoia or reality that convinced him that the twin chimes had rung and amplified within the acoustics of the room.
Merrick looked to Billy for instruction and the ex-blue by instinct clicked the side buttons, causing him to do the same, before speaking, "Billy here."
"Merrick is here as well," Merrick spoke and they both waited.
Some static, light crackles that worried Billy for a second before a voice; it was Kira. "Guys, I think I might have found something."
"Really?" There was a second voice and Billy could tell it was Tommy's, almost a murmur but still clear.
"What is it?" Tsuki's voice chimed in, also soft, like a whisper; Billy wondered what the two were up and where they were that they might have to be quiet. He feared but at the same time trusted them both to be smart and safe. He didn't really have a choice otherwise.
"Well first I found Hayley," Kira said and there was a sigh that Billy had to guess was relief.
"Hayley?" Merrick asked and looked up at Billy.
"A friend of Tommy, Kira and Tsuki's," he answered, "She was a mentor to Kira's team, along with Tommy." An immensely intelligent woman and someone that they were lucky enough to be able to locate it seemed.
"Yeah, she's in this big space with a bunch of crates," she continued on.
"Let me guess, missing a wall, has some clear glass over the hole with a locked door, basically like makeshift cells?" Tsuki asked.
"Yeah, you found more?"
"Unfortunately. Go on."
"Anyway I found Hayley and she told me about the control room for this area; I assume there's another one near the ones you found, Tsuki, but anyway, if any of you are nearby..."
"You want assistance with getting into the control room?" Merrick guessed, finishing her request for her; there was no immediate answer, nor for a minute or two.
"Yeah" finally came her response and Billy looked at Merrick for a moment.
"Where are you exactly?" Came Tommy's question.
Kira hesitated for a moment then the sound of movement, though in the connection it was hard to say who it was that was moving. She answered though, "Not sure; there's a sign that says 'East Control Room' but that doesn't really say much about where outside of, you know, the obvious."
Merrick frowned and looked to Billy for the moment. The ex-blue was silent for a moment, contemplating; he then nodded before speaking, "I am currently with Merrick; we can likely arrive near you within a short amount of time, if that is agreeable."
"You guys got this then?" Tommy asked.
"Affirmative," said Billy.
A crackling like laughter then shouts through the communicator and a soft cursing before Tsuki spoke, "I trust you guys. Got to go."
Her line went dead and Billy furrowed his brow in concern. There was a noise over the communicator and Tommy seemed to go quiet as well; Kira spoke once more, "I'll see you guys soon."
Then she too was gone and the two looked at one another. Merrick nodded, watching him carefully, noticing the concern plastered on the genius' face. "If you would prefer we could go look for Tsuki."
"No," Billy said carefully and sighed, fiddling with his communicator for a moment, half embarrassed that he was still so easy to read, so simple for others to know what he was feeling even if they didn't always understand him. At the same time he knew he couldn't allow those feelings to affect what he knew he had to do, and he knew what that was right now, "I am certain that wherever her current location within the facility, Tsuki can tend to her safety needs and respond to any difficulty as necessary and appropriate."
The ancient warrior's expression did not say he believed Billy, and Billy would admit he did not fully believe it himself but he wanted to. He started off again, followed closely by his fellow wolf. "Come; Kira still requires our assistance. Let us locate the eastern control room."
Tsuki took a deep breath and quickly teleported, reappearing on the top of one of the crates in the room; leaning over the edge she saw the forms of the two guards who had been following her run by. It seemed Jason hadn't yet informed anyone of her abilities yet, a good sign she supposed, and a sense of relief came over her. One good thing she supposed.
Her entry had not been easy; she had been as careful as possible but all the luck, unbeknownst to her, had gone to her friends. Coincidence and fate had conspired against her and before she knew it she was being chased by two burly men; speed, luck and her power were ultimately what saved her and kept her a step ahead, or two. The communicator conversation had happened at an unfortunate time, right as she had previously escaped but instead gotten her almost caught again; it wasn't her friends' faults, she didn't blame them, but it had made narrow her escape from her pursuers. If they had seen her teleport, she'd have been in more trouble, this she knew for certain.
She stopped for a moment and waited, continuing to watch and to listen. The girl did not plan on leaving her perch, not until this time she was sure, unless she could know she was safe this time. The sound of footsteps, the grumbly voices of the guards as they searched the room for her; they stopped right in front of the crate she was on top of and she peered over the edge as she witnessed one, the larger one, bang on the glass wall of the makeshift cell. The guard sneered and spoke, "Hey wake up!"
No response; he slammed his fat fist against the glass, harder this time. "Get up, you lazy little-"
"Give it up," grumbled his partner, "Kid's been out like a light since yesterday."
"Lazy bums," said the first but withdrew his hand, the look on his face seeming to Tsuki to be a mix of disgust and resignation.
She tilted her head but stayed quiet, did her best to stay hidden unseen and unheard; watching the men, she felt anxious but she bit that back, refusing to let it come out in any way it might push her to make herself know, and wishing, hoping that they would disappear soon without looking up. By now her friends were probably already on the way to the control room; if there was an eastern control room it stood to reason that there would then have to be other ones. Tsuki wondered if one was perhaps near here and what she might need to do to get inside. Likely guarded, something relatively speaking she would have an easier time in dealing with compared to her friends. A glance around the room she was in gave her no clue to exactly where it theoretically would be but the room was large and the crates were all about, blocking portions of the lower view of the room. A map could help; no, a map would certainly help but she wasn't too sure how to get one. One look downwards, where Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dummer were standing below still, looking for any sign of her. Pickpocketing was not her forte, and she couldn't easily see where they might have maps if they did have them on her. It occurred to her maybe there was one on the wall somewhere, places usually had that sort of thing right? They didn't honestly expect to be broken into, not by one person and not by five, so it seemed possible at the very least that they would have layouts somewhere on the walls to help people find their way around the large building.
"Come on." One of the guards gestured and started off, his partner hesitating for a second before following suit. Tsuki blinked and watched as they walked off, down the path between the crates and turned past one, out of sight, not quite out of mind but certainly out of her hair. For now at the very least.
Tsuki did not move, not for a minute or so; paranoid or cautious, it didn't matter which but she was not about to jump down and end up being seen for a third time because she was too impatient. The minute passed, then another, and no sign of return. She was careful, and as quiet as she could be, but she finally got down off the crate. The red eyed woman stopped to look over at the resident of the cage she had been hiding above and who the guard had been attempting to accost.
It was a boy, and a young one at that. He was probably no older than a senior in high school, and he was no one she knew. One of the Rangers she knew little or nothing of perhaps? This was possible but unlikely, not with Tommy's information network, and yet something felt off about him, strange. Her fingers tingled and she became aware that the sensation that started to come over her in that moment was familiar; it was the same as when she teleported, when she accessed her powers and transferred her body, mind and soul, suddenly connected to another spot, the buzzing of air and the weightlessness of space before returning to the gravity of a place.
She examined him harder. Asian, dark hair, well built, something that a Ranger would likely be, but beaten up; his clothes were torn up, still easily able to cover his body but still not particularly in the best state. There were bruises, and scratches, and cuts, and a particularly bad gash on his cheek that had every bit of her caretaking brain itching to get to him; he was dirty and he was laying on the ground in a pile that made her fear he was dead but no, she could just barely see breathing. Whatever had happened to this boy, whatever had been done to him, it wasn't good.
Her attention went to the lock next and she narrowed her eyes; nothing obvious of how to open it and she cursed lightly before hearing a voice, soft, scratchy, almost unnoticable. But the familiarity made her heart race. "Tsuki?"
The girl turned and looked around her, trying to pinpoint the source. It took her a minute; a few crates away, just barely visible from the angle, she could see familiar bicolored hair and Tsuki ran over. "Andros!"
The Kerovian has seen better days, this much was obvious to her; like the other boy Andros was pretty beaten up, dried blood adding a third color to his blond and brown colored hair. He was conscious though, a cursory glance over his person made her smile as she saw his Astro Morpher still firmly attached to his wrist, though that arm tucked under him in an protective manner, and it hurt her almost more to see the concern on his face; he was not happy to see her, not like she was to see him, to know where her friend was and that he was still alive. Still her own happiness was offset by the state of him; yes he looked beaten like the other boy but at the same time to say it was in the same way would be an understatement. His past was obviously not unknown to those who worked here and the parts that reacted to the stranger also called out towards Andros, wanting to tend to the injuries inflicted on the red ranger.
"Tsuki," he said and his voice was so hoarse, it almost made her wince, "Why are you here? What is going on?"
"We came to rescue you," she said and looked over his lock too, starting to fiddle with what she could get to; it seemed to be ingrained into the glass itself and highly advanced.
"We?"
"Tommy's here too, as well as Kira and Billy, oh and we picked up another ranger, his name is Merrick."
The frown already on Andros' face deepened. "You all came here...for me?"
"Well you and anyone else we could find here; Merrick's here for his sister but primarily? Yes rescuing you is the main reason we arehere," she said and bit her lip before turning her gaze back to him, "You happen to know where a map is? I assume your cell is connected to a control room?"
He paused for a moment then nodded slowly, the pain it incurred not going unnoticed by Tsuki; seeing him wince and put a hand to his neck made her feel worse. "Andros..."
"When they threw me in here I saw one on the wall; it's over by the main entrance to this room," he said, another pause happening before he continued, "You shouldn't do this; it's dangerous."
"You're my friend, of course I'm gonna want to help you," Tsuki said with a smile.
"And the others?" Andros searched her face; she knew what he was looking for there and she gave him a smile, friendly and open.
"Tommy stood up for you, you know," she said softly, "When Jason came to find us, when he attacked the house; Tommy told Jason that you're a Ranger just like they are, that you did what you had to, that what happened was no excuse for what was done to you. And Billy didn't have a simple argument against why we should retrieve you from this place. Kira only really knows what me and Tommy have told her about the past events, about Zordon and what happened, and as I said Merrick is mainly here for his sister."
He didn't respond and Tsuki turned around, looking about; she wasn't too sure where the main entrance was supposed to be but she supposed there was nothing to do but to look. "I'm gonna go look around; just sit tight 'kay?"
There was still no response; she wondered what it was he was thinking, what it was that was going through Andros' mind as he processed what she had said. The girl started off, walking towards one end of the room. Once she had reached it, having found a pathway but no map in clear sight she started to walk along the edge, hand brushing against the wall. Was it that Andros was surprised? She knew how many Rangers saw him, she knew how many spoke of him; Power Rangers had never before and not since had to do what he had, not even close, and as she had told Kira, not many had been able to see the necessity of the act. She didn't know much of the Forever Red incident; Tommy never liked to talk about it and Andros hadn't been very willing either, and that ultimately was fine by her. Tsuki knew though that after everything was sad and done, the Red Astro Ranger had been left alone for the most part. Was it then a surprise to hear that Tommy, the man who had been a part of so many teams, to some the epitome of Power Ranger, would be on his side? That Billy Cranston of what was the first known Power Ranger team had seen no problem with rescuing the man who killed his mentor? That a newer generation of Power Ranger had never been taught to see him as anything less than a fellow Ranger and that he was to them worth putting their lives in danger to save? She hated to think of Andros of thinking lowly of himself.
It didn't take more than a few minutes for her to finally find the map; it was pretty rudimentary, obviously made and set up in a hurry. Similar to the "cells" she supposed. Labeled on it were many things, the eastern control room that Kira had gone to and Billy and Merrick planning on meeting the yellow at and help out with, the various entry ways they had actually all come in which explained to her how she had managed to get seen, a mess hall near the middle of the facility, a bunch of rooms with various labels like "office" or "storage". And two of interest; the first, and more important at the moment, was "western control room" and according to her own mental map was just down the pathway she had found first in this room. The second was one that caused her to remove the map from the wall, incidentally ripping the paper some but not enough to affect it by any considerate extent; she shoved it into her pocket and headed back towards the other entryway. She took a semi-shortcut, stopping by Andros' cell and telling him what she was doing; in the way to the hall she passed the first cell, the one with the mystery boy and she glanced in, No movement; she frowned then shook her head and bit her lip. She decided she definitely had more than one person to let free.
Kira's and Tsuki's ingresses to their respective control rooms were very different; as the ex-yellow made her way down the hallway, stopping as she heard the sound of footsteps only to see Billy and Merrick appear down one end, she was faced by exactly what Hayley had spoken of and more. There were more than a few guards around the control room and the new trio stopped to look at one another, trying to figure it out.
The final choice, suggested by Merrick and baring no argument was thus: the wolf warrior, rushing out from their surveying spot around the corner of a crossroads in the hallway, yelled and drew the attention of the guards. Who in true fashion of guards yelled back at him and came running right at him, at which point Merrick ran down the hall, away from the branching path that the others were standing in; Kira and Billy both held their breath and flattened themselves against the wall, trying to make themselves as unseen as possible as the group of roughly eight or so guards, an inconspicuous amount of guards in Billy's mind, ran by. And when finally they were gone, and the two could just barely make out Merrick's voice, yelling and taunting, both hurried down the hall towards the control room and made their way inside. Kira was surprised to tell the truth that it was unlocked but supposed maybe they never expected eight guards to be tricked like they were.
As for Tsuki it was far easier; there were as many guards to the one she found as Kira's. Eight men and women, all wielding guns and looking rather bored; the news of the intruders were still not spread she supposed, which considering she had been seen was a bit troubling to her. Was this what their government agents were, the people the populace paid, careless enough to not make sure when an intruder is found to inform their fellow guards in some way of the situation? What shoddy security work.
Still she was far from worried; a moment's concentration and a deep breath found her past them and in the control room itself. She stopped for a moment, putting a hand on a nearby chair as she tried to breath. It was starting to hit her; after all the usage throughout the last 24 hours, not to mention the teleport from the forest near the house to the middle of Reefside. Her head was starting to spin and a headache was starting to set in. She tried to focus; she had a job to do, she had a mission to accomplish. She had found Andros, the primary reason for coming here, and Kira had found Hayley which was definitely excellent news, and there was no telling who else they might be able to find and recover if they just opened up the "cells" and looked.
All four though were faced with a new challenge upon getting within the control rooms: the finding of how to actually accomplish that last thing. Kira and Billy split up once within the albeit small room, taking a look at each device and button they could find; in the western room Tsuki was doing the same, humming tunelessly to herself as she tried to reason out which levers might open up Andros' and the boy's cells.
It was Billy who pressed the button ultimately and it was Kira who first recognized what the blaring lights and the screaming sirens meant. And it was Tsuki who screamed and got to watch, wide eyed, as the guards outside her room turned to look and saw her.
"Fuck" was the only thing she could think to say before quickly running her hands over every surface she could, flicking every switch, pushing every button and flipping every lever.
If Tsuki had even a minute to actually think, she might have thought the result was hilarious, as overhead sprinklers went off and the door started to open and close quickly, trapping two guards in it as they had tried to force their way through. The rest were trying to push past and Tsuki managed to barely suppressed snort of laughter at the dogpile that resulted; she allowed herself to smirk as she noticed something else and ran at them, watching the guards' eyes widen as she squeezed past them and through the small opening to one side of them, around and wiggling out of the reach of the other six guards before rushing past them down the hall.
"Fuck!" was their response and she ran as fast as her legs could carry her, doing her best to put as much distance as possible between them while returning to the room with all the cells. Andros in his looked up, frowning some; elsewhere Hayley did the same in her own and hoped that Kira was okay.
Kira and Billy were also running, after doing something eerily identical to Tsuki, and before they knew it they found Merrick, kicking a guard in the stomach and sending them to the ground before rejoining their group.
"That was reckless!" Kira yelled at him, "You could have been caught!"
"Why are there alarms going off?" Merrick asked and Billy turned bright red, not wishing to answer.
The trio made their way back to the holding area and were glad to see that the cells were all open as they had been hoping for; Kira rushed over to where she remembered Hayley was, helping the older genius to her feet.
"Kira," she said and looked at the girl, relief reflected in her brightened smile.
"No time, we gotta figure out how to get out of here," Kira said, looking around, "Who knows how long it might take before more military types show up?"
"We must be expedient in our efforts," Billy agreed nodding.
"But how do we get out of here?" asked Merrick.
They didn't hear the crackle of the communicators over the alarms but they did hear Tsuki's voice, strained and yelling. "Everyone, meet me in the central area of the facility; I know how we're blowing this Popsicle stand!"
That was all and Kira and Merrick both looked to Billy, who sighed and nodded. "I highly suggest we follow the instructions of that girl."
The wolf warrior turned his attention back to Hayley. "Can you walk, Ms.?"
"I'll be fine, don't worry about me," Hayley responded, rolling her arms slightly, "Follow me, I think I know where it is she meant."
With that, and a notable limp, the older woman started off, the trio glancing at one another once more before quickly and without hesitation following.
Tommy wondered what it was that his friends had done that had caused all this; narrowly escaping the detection of a group of soldiers running down the hall he was in, he cursed slightly then continued on his way.
This was not the plan, though he had to admit he had never had a very coherent idea for what would actually happen once inside the facility. He hadn't expected to find Merrick and have him join them of course, and he hadn't really thought out that they would likely split up; he was worried about the others, especially when, after he had escaped the employee's lounge and had been in the midst of trying to locate where Andros might be, the alarms started going off and personnel seemed to be everywhere suddenly. He thought of Kira, who he assumed had been joined by Billy and Merrick, two people he thought were capable though he still worried about even a trio of them walking around, and he thought of Tsuki who was likely alone then; when he heard Tsuki's voice over the communicator he was relieved but his worry didn't entirely dissipate. He looked around him, the halls starting to look all the same with the adrenaline rush coursing through him and he frowned. "Where the hell is the central area?"
The paleontologist choose to follow the guards; it seemed troublesome but it occurred to him that if they were going towards the control rooms, they might end up passing through said area. Not the best logic he supposed but it was what he had right now. A deep breath and he ran towards where he had seen them going; he made sure to be careful though. He knew this was dangerous after all, hence the problem with the logic, and while he had handled stressful, dangerous situations before, he knew he couldn't treat this the way he had before. He couldn't just fight his way through; this had to be as nonviolent as possible, they had to try and not give the government more reason to think of them as a physical danger. Who knew what they might do after all, if it got out that the Rangers who snuck in beat up a bunch of guards, if those in power had the excuse of "they got violent and we didn't" however correct or incorrect that might end up being. They needed to be able to escape with as few problems as humanly possible. He supposed though, considering the alarms, that things might be past that point already...
His thoughts were interrupted as he bumped into someone and his instincts kicked up, moving to jump up and ready to fight.
"Tommy, calm down." He blinked for a moment as he looked at the person. Andros was standing there, giving a semi-confused, semi-tired look, carrying a stranger on his back, a kid that at once both made him wonder who he was and remember the conversation he had overheard. Beside them was Tsuki who too was carrying someone piggyback, also unconscious; Tommy took a moment to recognize the woman with her two gold streaked bangs, looking so young yet he knew her true age was far greater than it seemed.
"You found Ileana?" he asked eyes wide.
"She was in one of the cells near Andros," Tsuki said and shifted the sleeping woman carefully, "Merrick will be happy."
"Can we continue this conversation later?" Andros said before Tommy could, frowning, "We have guards after us and it would probably be for the best that we get going."
Tommy nodded quickly and took Ileana from Tsuki, holding her bridal style in his arms. "Lead the way."
A smile crossed Tsuki's lips and she went off quickly, unburdened as she was now by the added weight of the Animarian; Andros and Tommy followed as quickly as they could.
Neither man spoke as they moved and Tommy took the chance to look over Ileana and wonder. The woman didn't look like she had gone through much, not like Andros and the boy on his back; she was relatively untouched though Tommy noticed the rope burns on her wrists and he frowned. "Was she tied up?"
"She kept fighting back when they brought her in," Andros answered and they took a turn, "I think they had a hard time actually grabbing her because her hands were tied up and they only removed them after she tired herself out trying to break her way out of her cell."
"Of course she was trying to break out; she was locked up in a cage," Tsuki said darkly and she was frowning, making another move down a side hallway and Tommy watched her carefully, "And Jason probably put her there too..."
His heart sunk. He had no answer for that. Silence fell again between the group, though the alarms were still blaring and Tommy was starting to wonder how much further it was, holding Ileana close and careful in his arms, as they reached the end.
He was startled by what he saw and as Kira and her group came in from their own pathway, Billy's eyes widened and Merrick blinked for a moment. Andros froze before stepping forward, silently, almost hypnotised and he spoke, "My ship..."
The central area was massive and it occurred to Tommy that he recognized it now; this was the warehouse from the Forever Red incident, where he had met up with Andros and the other reds so many years ago. And as then, once more, the spaceship known as the Astro Megaship stood parked before them; of course it was different now, there hadn't been chains and hooks attached to whatever the military could find to attach them on the alien ship, and there hadn't been bunch of machinery, lifts and the like around it, makeshift computer stations with empty chairs only feet away from it. The whole large group met in the middle and as Billy rushed over to one such station Merrick turned to Tommy and exclaimed, "My sister!"
"Tsuki found her apparently," The ex-green responded and handed Ileana off to her brother, the young woman never once waking.
Merrick held her tenderly and he hugged his sleeping sister to him tight as he closed his eyes and murmured to her. "I am so sorry Ileana, I should have protected you better."
"Something wrong?" Tsuki asked Billy, noting the way his expression seemed to darken behind his glasses.
Andros walked over with her and the others as Billy spoke, "They are attempting to find ingress to the information banks of DECA, primarily the navigational intel."
"Navigational intel?" Merrick asked frowning.
"They're trying to read my ship's navigation records?" Andros asked and moved closer to try and read the screen as well; he seemed confused for a second then paled as realization dawned over him, "No..."
"What?" Kira questioned, looking to the Astro Ranger.
"They're looking for Mirinoi," he said.
Merrick looked confused. "And what is Mirinoi?"
"Another planet, outside our Solar System; it's near the Lost Galaxy," Tommy responded, "One of the other teams, the actual Lost Galaxy team, is stationed there," he furrowed his brow, "One of which is your sister Karone, correct?"
"You never mentioned that Andros had a sister who was also a Ranger," Kira said to Tommy; more and more she found herself wondering how much was actually left out.
"He also didn't mention that his sister Karone was actually for the majority of her life Astronema, the enemy of his team," Tsuki offered up and Kira stared at Tommy in disbelief.
The ex-green cleared his throat. "Anyway why are they checking DECA? I thought they would have the coordinates for Mirinoi through the information from Terra Venture."
"I erased all of the data on Terra Venture and Mirinoi," Andros answered, frowning, "When I heard about their manhunt I had to; I destroyed every electronic trace of the space colony and the planet so that Leo and his team...so that my sister could be safe at least. I was not about to let anyone touch her ever again."
No one responded to that and Billy started to type away quickly. His glasses started to sag but he didn't stop, a serious and intent look upon his face; Tsuki went over and pushed them up for him before regarding the screen again. "Science?"
"The prime attack is that of brute force; I am simply redirecting the strikes inversely, displacing the current target database, being as DECA, and enacting the supplanting of the central network as destination," he said quickly, never looking away from the screen.
"You're turning their hacking attempt on them," Hayley said her eyes lighting up, "Instead of the ship, you're making them hack themselves. Beautiful."
There were shouts and footsteps could be heard, causing Tommy turn his head to look around with a frown. "Can you speed it up then?"
"I am nearly complete with my efforts," Billy responded, frowning.
Tsuki frowned as well and directed her attention to the others. "Andros, Merrick, take Ileana and the boy inside; we need the ship started up and we need it quick. Hayley, Kira, you go with them."
"What about you?" Kira asked.
"Me and Tsuki will protect Billy until he's done," Tommy said nodding, "Then he can join you while we get these chains off the ship and keep the baddies at bay."
"So we're taking the Megaship out of here," Hayley said as Andros tapped away at the device on his arm, getting the loading dock open so they could get inside.
Tsuki nodded as the shouts got louder and she reached behind her for her blue bag. "Now go, we can handle this."
Kira was tempted to argue but there was something in Tsuki and Tommy's faces that stopped her dead; Andros called out for her as the ship opened up for them and she hesitated for a moment, looking at the two then at Billy before finally and reluctantly making her way inside, calling back. "Be safe!"
Tommy chuckled and turned to Billy. The man seemed to be lost in his world and it honestly made him want to laugh; Tsuki disappeared from his side, no doubt starting what was needed to be done to remove the chains on the ship. The ex-blue tapped away at a computer as enemies were coming their way, the teleporter jumping about to get things done; Tommy took a deep breath and as the guards appeared, a massive wave comparable to the small army that had attacked his home. Yet with all this, the knowledge of time running quickly out, the dangers, the risks, he felt almost calm; it felt right to him in a way and he understood why. It made him smirk, a reaction he just couldn't resist. As he heard a few of them yell and point, seeming to realize what was going on, and Billy jumped up yelling "Done!", he grabbed his friend.
"Good." Tommy then threw Billy as hard as he could into the ship, making the mental promise to apologize later for if he accidentally caused Billy to get hurt. He turned back to their enemies, who froze up unexpectedly and he spoke to Tsuki, "Tsuki!"
"Almost done." Her voice was weak, barely audible even as the alarms seemed to finally stop and he frowned.
"Get inside."
"But-"
"Now!" he didn't like yelling at her like that but the sternness of a teacher seemed all that would work; she stopped and frowned over at him, ready to tell him off but she saw his face. She cursed, also noticing the forces against them; a glance told her how many chains were left, a quick calculation caused a second cursing but she jumped down from the crevice she had been holed up in, pushing the hook out of it she had been disconnecting and ran to the loading dock. She heard the ship come to life almost in time with her foot first touching the ramp; the red eyed girl was almost entirely inside when it started to move, lifting shakily and slowly.
"Tommy!" Tsuki called out, looking down at where he was.
He didn't respond or move; the crowd stared at the lifting ship, many with wide eyes, others simply stunned. One, the one who he had seen in the cafeteria, the one who he had thought had wanted a fight, pointed at him with anger and excitement in equal parts in his eyes. "Get him before he can get away too!"
Tommy smirked and listened to the sound of the ship straining against what chains were left, trying to get free, trying to fly. Still he wasn't concerned and as the guard moved so did he, causing a chain reaction; the whole force rushed, trying all to grab him, even get aboard the ship. Tommy jumped and dodged as much as he could, wincing as finally, to prevent the invasion of the men into the Megaship, he had to actually fight back. Kicking a few away he backflipped at the attempted retaliation, landing as it was onto the landing ramp; it started to lift, leaving him to think that perhaps the others became aware of what was happening. Or at the very least didn't want to have the bottom of the ship open while they were trying to fly out of there, it didn't matter to him which it really was, simply the fact that it was happening and none too soon.
He noticed a few had managed to grab hold of the ramp and frowning he let himself slide down some, trying his absolute hardest to control his descent; Tommy saw the look in their eyes, equally fear and anger, followed soon by pain as he gave each a swift kick to the face, forcing them off. He could barely hear their screams over the sound of the engine of the Megaship; it lurched as it reached the end of the chains length and the teacher yelled, "Book it!"
Tommy chalked it up to coincidence as the Megaship gave another much harsher lurch before the feeling of quickly moving, forcing him back against the ramp; it closed completely and he was left laying there, hands clenching at his sides as he stared up at the ceiling of the loading dock. The only sound he could hear now was blood rushing through his ears and the ship itself, then finally, after a minute, two, five, had passed, Tommy Oliver started to laugh a deep laugh.
Safe.
(WOO! Done XD The fifth...fourth...WHATEVER chapter is here; any and all spelling and grammar problems will be fixed in time like all the chapters.
Ileana belongs to my friend Ash; go to .com to see a proper picture of her and more information on this woman of animals
As for the mystery boy...well if I said anything more that might warrant spoilers soooooo that's something for you to figure out XP)