Turtle Cove was surprisingly exactly the same as Merrick remembered it; he did not know how to categorize the feelings that this realization created in him. It seemed, for every aspect that mattered, as if nothing ever changed and he thought of the day he had last been there, coming with the desperate wish and hope that his team was safe only to see that dashed. Automatically his gaze moved to Taylor and she too had not changed, not since they had left the temple, their mission clear to them all. Her eyes were still downcast, her hand clenching tight to the trio of crystals as if to release the grip a little would let them disappear; he would not doubt if that was her concern and he thought of what had happened. It seemed almost a miracle to him even now, the restoration of the Eagle, Black and White Bear crystals, the orbiting crystals that seemed almost to lend power to their brethren. Tsuki insisted she had no way to communicate with the Wildzords, and he did not doubt her truly that she could maybe not hear their voice or call on their power. Still there was a definite connection if they had still been willing to answer what he could only guess was her wish to show Taylor some semblance of kindness. Whether or not she deserved it.
"We're almost to the meeting spot; let's hurry you two." Merrick winced a little hearing the edge in his sister's voice, knowing full well it was his own fault. Though all three had Growl Phones, Ileana ended up being the only one able to call Princess Shayla and discuss with her the need to meet up: Taylor seemed ready to panic at the mere thought of calling the princess, an odd sight in the woman who once was the de-factor leader of the Wild Force Rangers before the arrival of Cole, and as for Merrick he did his best not to look his sister in the eye as they walked. He could not call Shayla, he would not, too much time had passed and too much had happened; the excuses of the past had piled up further with newer and more unfair ones and he was left with the sense that he was still unworthy.
His hand closed around the communicator around his wrist and rubbed it for what felt like the thousandth time in just the last few hours. The wolf warrior never did take off the black Mighty Morphin communicator and it's presence had a ghostly effect on him, not quite positive, certainly not negative. As they made their way quickly through the city, trying not to be noticed, he found his mind spinning around the things that had happened since that wrist band had been tightened for the first time and then on top of that all the way back to when he had first woken up as Merrick Baliton rather than Zen Aku. Fights and pain and death and blood, friendships and love and excitement, home found, home lost, and now on their heels a war. It made his throat dry but he focused on the mission on hand. They had to reach the meeting spot so that they could converge with the princess, tell her their plans, get her help to put a protective barrier around Zandar and potentially save not only their own lives but many more. Hopefully...hopefully...
The forest off the edges of the city brought back the darker memories and he felt Zen Aku itching in his mind. A small growl left him but he felt his sister's hand enclose his own and her warmth and heartbeat brought him some relief, not much but a little. A gentle wind blew through the trees, causing him to lift his head and stop for a moment; the voice of nature whispered to him, in the plants, in the wind, in the heartbeats of all living things around him. It was something others had teased him about, how he went where the wind told him, he appeared only when the wind told him to; even Ileana had on occasion but he knew she understood him at the same time. It was really less about the wind and more about the pulse of the world around him, telling him what he needed to know when he needed to know it, wiser than he could hope to be, wiser than he certainly was.
Closing his eyes he breathed in the forest for a moment and convinced himself that everything was fine, that he didn't have an important mission to fulfill, that he hadn't spent the last year and a half-two years running and fighting and suffering. That was he wasn't about to do something he had been avoiding for a very long time: see the princess who still was immensely important to him.
"Merrick." Her voice sent electric shocks through his body and he could not disobey the mental command to open his eyes, to look, to see. Princess Shayla was in all regards the same as always and this made him all the more aware of how much he had changed. She was beautiful, her gown as pristine as ever, her eyes set upon him and he wondered what he looked like to her. Scruffy more than usual, injured, that precious jacket that denoted who and what he was long since been torn and ripped to be almost, almost, unrecognizable. He was tired and he wondered if that showed, he was scared and he hoped to Animus that didn't; he felt Taylor move to actually try to hide behind him and Ileana squeeze his hand ever more but for a second in time all that existed for the knight and the princess was just them.
But duty caught up with form and letting go of his sister, with some difficulty, he bowed to his sovereign. "Princess Shayla, I am glad to see you unharmed."
"Oh Merrick," she said and there was a deep regret and sadness there, one that made him want desperately to comfort her in whatever way possible; he fought against that instinct hard.
"Princess Shayla," Ileana spoke and attention was finally drawn away from the wolf and to his sister; he didn't realize he had been holding his breath until he took that sudden new intake of air and felt it fill him. Ileana bowed as well and gave a small smile, "We are sorry to call you down here away from the Animarium, we wouldn't if-"
"No no no, Lana, I understand," Shayla said and that warm smile he knew so well graced her face, filling his heart, "I'm just so glad to hear from you; I was so worried about you, both of you. You're both so precious to me and after you left and I heard nothing, I was so fearful for what might have happened. And Wolf and Cheetah were both worried sick of course."
"We did not mean to cause anyone to worry over us," Merrick stated bowing his head.
The princess chuckled, a noise that made his heart leap. "Of course not, Merrick, you never mean to cause anyone any sort of worry."
He gave her a look, causing their eyes to meet and he shook his head before turning his gaze to behind him. Taylor would not move but he was certain Shayla had followed where he looked. For her credit Shayla did not seem angry, not when he looked at her; instead there seemed to be a deeper yet regret than what she looked at him with, and pain, plenty of pain.
The princess took a step closer then another and another and another, more until finally she was so close Merrick felt the sudden urge to straighten up at the flood of her scent so close. But she wasn't looking at him, not even paying him any mind, and he hated how disappointed that made him feel; instead it was the yellow ranger behind him, looking anywhere but at him, that she was watching and Shayla held out a hand as she spoke in the softest of tones. "Taylor."
"I'm sorry," Taylor answered and shook her head, refusing the hand, "I'm...so sorry, princess. I'm sorry..."
"Taylor," she repeated but the woman neither listened nor looked at her; Shayla only then turned her gaze to Merrick, her eyes seeming to be asking something.
He shook his head. He knew Taylor's feelings, at least a little he was sure, and remembering his own crimes and guilt, he could not bring himself to force her into coming out of her shell in the moment; he wondered if this was how his sister felt as she had dealt with him and Shayla over the years, trying to get them talk, trying to get them back together, but damnit if her brother wasn't extremely stubborn. Merrick though didn't want to force Taylor right now and let her continue to hide, all while Shayla stared at him and made him feel like they were back in Animaria, back in the old days. And had managed yet again to get mud in her hair right before an important ceremony.
Ileana, as expected, had to save her twin from the awkwardness. She took a step towards the princess and spoke, "Perhaps it would be best if we went to the Animarium, the conversation we wish to have is important after all and we don't want any one to potentially overhear us."
They couldn't let the plan get back to Senators Morgan and van Dran; they didn't have a lot of time left to get things done and admittedly every second wasted moving or simply mulling about was another second in which they could be doing more but more important in her mind was the need for them to keep this secret from their enemies. The Renegades had so few advantages in this fight, they needed to assure as many as possible.
This seemed to be acceptable and with minimal issue they arrived in the old familiar temple space of the Animarium with its statues and plants and warmth, the old picnic table still standing, the air still so clear. Taylor had had to hold tight to Merrick, the disconnect between her and her crystals causing her some difficulty in coming up but the wolf warrior was easily able to compensate for that.
Merrick waited for a moment on instinct, not entirely why he did until a rumble was heard and a familiar massive wolf appeared and with a growl reached down to grab him by the jacket collar with its teeth. He stiffled a noise of surprise and allowed this to happen, hanging his head as he was shook a few times and set down; the disapproval words of his guardian Zord Wolf, not so much spoken directly as felt in his heart and known in his mind, made him nod along. It was always better not to argue with the being, especially when he knew it was all justified.
"I apologize, Wolf, I did not mean to make you worry," he spoke finally and looked up at the zord who had protected him since his earliest days. Wolf gave a quick growl that to Merrick said much but most of all that "it better not happen again pup or I will make sure you are sorry" before Wolf lowered their head to allow him to place a hand against their muzzle. There too was a sense of comfort in being near his zord and turning around he noticed Cheetah had done similar to Ileana who was smiling as she hugged her own protector. Taylor sat awkward at the picnic table, her eyes downcast again, and Shayla stood near her, her gaze up towards the Zords rather than down on her forsaken Ranger.
Merrick continued to stroke his protector's muzzle but the reason they were there had yet to be forgotten and he looked around at the others once more before speaking. "Princess, we require your assistance in protecting somewhere."
"That kingdom Zandar correct?" He was surprised and his face showed it; she chuckled in response. "I haven't simply been sitting up here unaware; I have been watching you through the water as I did back when you all were fighting the Orgs. I've seen...much."
The implication was clear and he bit his lip, not sure what to say to that. He wasn't even sure there was anything to say to that but he settled for nodding and continuing on. "Yes, well, they need our help. We need to put up a barrier around the kingdom which will admittedly be quite a bit larger than the one around the Animarium but we have the assistance of our Mystic Force comrades and our science minded allies are trying to find out if there's anything they can do as well so I believe that with all of us we can surely figure out some way to protect them."
"Merrick, I hardly have control over the Animarium's protections; as much as I would like to help, I'm not sure what I would be able to do."
"You at the very least have more magical training and ability than we do," Ileana said smiling lightly, "Even if only a little bit, you can do more than Merrick or I in this regard, and it's not as if we're expecting you do everything on your own; as my brother stated, we have the assistance of some capable sorcerers who have already put up one such barrier, albeit on a smaller scale. But because of what we're trying to do, we need as much help as possible and considering the Animarium and your connection to it..."
She let that sink in and Shayla didn't speak immediately, seeming to be mulling that over in her mind. Merrick hoped she would agree though a part of him also hoped not; the Animarium obviously was safe, the state of the place had said as much, and the knight in him did not wish for the princess he had sworn to protect to be put in danger. Not like how the rest of them had been for some time. But in the face of everything that had happened thusfar, and what was possible to come, he knew that he could not simply act as the protective knight to her. If her powers could help them even a little, give them a little more of an edge in this, then it was important that they take advantage of it.
"I do not want Zandar to suffer as Animaria did." These words spoken by Merrick caused both of the female Animarians' heads to lift and they stared at him in shock; he ignored it though and went on. "I could not protect Animaria, I could not protect its people or its land when Master Org came; I could not save Lana's and my parents from their fate nor could I really do anything but tap into powers I should not have. This is my greatest regret, this I will never allow to occur again. Astor Morgan and Katina van Dran may not be Master Org, they may not have powers, but they have armies and people and I will not allow them to win. If it is within my power, I will never allow that tragedy to ever happen again. This I swear."
"Merrick," Ileana said softly, sadly, and her eyes were filled with emotions best left unsaid.
"You were not at fault for Animaria's fall, Merrick," Shayla spoke and approached him, reaching out to touch his cheek; Wolf nuzzled his chosen and the knight allowed himself a soft mournful smile.
"I did not cause it but I could not prevent it either. As a knight of Animaria, as your knight, princess, I cannot simply accept that I could not do anything to protect my home. Thus having found a place that is willing to take me and my allies in, who has treated us with kindness in this time of turmoil and pain, then I cannot help but wish to take my second chance and do better."
"Oh Merrick." There was love to her tone that made his heart lurch. There was sadness that he could understand. But it felt like it needed to be said and he took her hand in his, looking her in the eye for the first time in what felt like eternity.
"Please princess, please say you will help us."
No one spoke at first but he already knew the answer. There was a kindness to the princess that he knew would preclude allowing anyone to be harmed when she could do something; this was one of the many things that made her hold his heart. But while the part of him begged that she not be endangered and the rest of him tried to justify that this was for the best, she squeezed his hand in hers and looked over at Taylor and he did the same. The yellow was silent and staring at the skies; there was no question of what she was searching for. Shayla sighed and turned away again.
"I cannot possibly deny you, Merrick; that's just not fair," she said with a light smile, causing another from him in response.
This was a weight off his chest and turning to Ileana he saw that she felt the same. Taylor even broke a tiny smile, almost unnoticable, and the Wild Force quartet got to work figuring out how this would work.
An hour passed before the three Renegades and their princess teleported into the town center of Zandar's capital city, the same place that fateful press conference had been. They found their teammates already there, Udonna and Leanbow giving gentle directions to the Mystic Force Rangers who ran off in various directions with varying levels of excitement and determination in their eyes. Shelby was stationed with Kendall and a bunch of machinery in the square, the two women speaking in low tones, and Zedd stood on the platform watching over everyone. It was the first time that Merrick found himself thinking how technically, according to his old title, Zedd had been a ruler of sorts; there was a grandiose air about him, the sense of someone who was in charge and could not be challenged on that front.
"Merrick, Ileana, you're back," the voice of Billy Cranston welcomed them and the blue approached, wires and cords wrapped around him like snakes. His glasses were askew and for a moment Merrick forgot about the darkness that had infected his fellow wolf; he just looked like the same man who had crawled around the Megaship and accidentally set off alarms in the NASADA building.
It was enough to make him smile and he welcomed the approach. "Billy, how are things here?"
"Truth be told? It could be worse; the Briarwood magical residents have spread out across Zandar with the help of maps and the Mystic team and are apparently gonna act as anchors or something to create the barrier. According to Zedd, in order to make one of the size we need, we are gonna need set up a lot of different things to channel the magic out. Prince Phillip figured that this would be a good place to act as the center point so Nick and his team are supposed to be doing something, I don't actually fully understand." The blue laughed at that, seeming amused by the idea of not understanding something.
Merrick chuckled then gestured to Shayla who was currently standing between him and Ileana. "We have brought Princess Shayla to assist."
She curtsied, ever the elegant princess, and Billy stumbled in his bow. Shayla chuckled lightly then looked around. "I am not certain of what I can do but I am here to help."
"Your magic I assume likely centers around you; it would be best if you come over here." Zedd's voice drew attention and Merrick saw the way she jumped seeing the heavily bandaged man. Honestly he could not fault her; if he had not seen the progression of his injuries over time and only seen this result he too likely would have been startled. But Shayla's kindness and love for others still shone through and she made her way quickly to Zedd, starting to fuss over his injuries which he of course waved off. Merrick felt a little less uneasy watching this and after some time turned his attention to Billy. "What shall we do?"
"If your people could check on everyone on the border that would be very helpful," Billy said with a light smile, "I think between everyone we should be able to do something but I can't help but be worried, you know?"
"Of course Billy," Ileana said chuckling, "That sounds pretty reasonable."
Merrick nodded in agreement. It certainly suited him better than just standing around doing nothing; he hated the idea of it. There was too much to do, still too much they didn't know, and he didn't like it. The thought of asking Billy about the others, the ones who had gone into the belly of beast and were possibly taking on the most dangerous mission of all, but the words died on his lips. He knew who was with that group, he knew that reminding him might only cause Billy more undue stress. Instead he reached out to pat the boy's shoulder and as he looked at him he smiled then turned to leave, possibly to see about finding about the border. Ileana gave a small bow, and a teasing reprimand to keep an eye on Shayla for them, then followed after him.
Billy took a breath; things were moving, seeming to fall into place, yet still he couldn't bring himself to relax. On autopilot he started looking for Abby among everyone; the woman had chosen to help out with the movement of the people at the temple to Zandar, seeming to prefer that over the alternatives. Part of him wondered if it was so that she could keep a better eye on Tyler but when he did find her it was with Zack not her own son and his heart fell a little.
He liked the boy a lot, he was usually such a ball of energy and emotion, friendly to all and trying his best to keep people's spirits up. But what had happened to him...no, what Katina had done to him had been bad and what was left was very much a child afraid of something he didn't really want to talk about. With Tsuki gone Billy had admittedly been worried about what Zack would do, he seemed to prefer staying close to her as much as possible, but Abby it appeared was more than an acceptable alternative to the boy. He stood beside her as she talked to a few people, a portal leading to the Pai Zhua temple right beside them through which Camille and Fran were bringing through supplies. Abby looked stern but it didn't escape Billy's attention the fear in her eyes; she was worried, they all were, and he approached carefully.
"Make sure that the kids are situated somewhere safe just in case, alright," she said and the people she had been addressing nodded before turning to walk away; a sigh left her and a moment passed before she spoke again, "Something up, Billy?"
"No, not particularly," he admitted and gave Zack a smile that the boy did not reciprocate.
Abby turned to look at him then sighed once more and looked to the portal. "You're feeling it too then."
Billy didn't answer and she continued. "We only have so long to get everything done and so many people to move around. Then we have the Megaship and I can't help but worry about Tommy and his team, for more than just being Tommy. I don't know, I just have this sense of something that I can't shake."
"We've gotten used to constant attacks; it would be stranger if we didn't feel uneasy while doing something of this magnitude." This was as much for him as for her.
She gave him a look and he got the sense that she knew that. Billy still tried to smile at her though, refusing to let the sensation rule him in this already stressful situation. The young mother shook her head then run a hand through her hair before gesturing to the portal. "We still need to move a few more things out of the temple; you want to help me with that?"
"Better than standing around doing nothing; Kendall and Shelby nearly bit my head off when I tried to get too close," he said shrugging then chuckled, "It's a bit odd to me, being kept out of science things; I've always been everyone's first stop in such regards and now...it feels strange."
"I'm sure they have their reasons." He was sure they did too; maybe the girls saw how stressed he was, maybe they wanted to give him a break. Or maybe like some of the others, they were afraid of what he seemed to be now; he certainly knew that he was afraid of it. But a part of him couldn't help but feel upset over it, because he built the communicators originally, he helped make the Turbo keys, he put together the barrier that had once been around Tommy's house at the start of all this; he should be trusted more and yet he wasn't and that hurt. Abby looked at him in a way that seemed almost pitying but he refused to believe that; she nodded and the trio walked through the portal, back onto the temple grounds.
Things were deathly silent, as if the world no longer existed, as if nothing existed. The temple loomed before them and Billy wondered if it had always been so large and imposing or it was simply was the knowledge of what was going on and the fact it was now as empty as could be that made it terrifying now. He also wondered if in the end it really mattered either way.
Abby led them inside and through what were now familiar hallways, full of remainders of their time there. A broken doll lay discarded on the ground, a few sheets of paper; the place looked rightfully abandoned but they entered what he knew to be the makeshift infirmary and found still some of their equipment. One of Dustin's wheelchairs was there and Billy found himself thinking about the yellow Ninja Storm and of his surviving teammates: no one had seen Hunter, Tori or Laura in days, not hide nor hair nor anything else. He had theories, they all did, but none of them were spoken within earshot of Dustin and the yellow with all of his kindness pretended not to think of them either. But Billy knew that the truth was far less favorable than Dustin might want to act like it was. He just also didn't want to be the one to say it aloud and ruin the hopes of the boy; it was warming to know at least one person still had them.
They used the wheelchair to move supplies, piling them onto the seat and letting Abby take them out while Billy and Zack both carried what they could in their arms. He felt almost like a scavenger doing so, the temple's current state and the lack of others making him feel guilty until reminding himself that it wasn't his fault this was happening, nor was it Zack's. He told himself over and over that the boy did nothing wrong and he glanced at the still silent teenager, watching his feet with a blank expression. He wanted to ruffle his hair, tell him it was okay, ask him to tell him one of his favorite jokes, but all the ideas died before they could come to pass and he was left with a pit in his stomach. He did not blame Zack but he knew not everyone agreed. Some didn't understand, some didn't want to; Lauren asked how he could do that at one point to which Andros had told him that sometimes there is no other choice but to do something terrible. Among the Renegades the general consensus was that the boy was a victim; among the civilians the consensus was far more complicated.
"Zack," he said softly as they walked out of the entrance to the temple, his voice barely above a whisper; still the boy seemed to notice and his head twitched, eyes moving to meet Billy's, and the older Ranger smiled, having nothing else to say or do. He could not say anything not said before, he could not express condolences yet unspoken; he could only say his name and smile at the boy in hopes he'd understand that he was not alone and not uncared for.
"Aw I see that the comradrie of the Renegades is not simply a myth, how heartwarming." Billy knew that voice. In unison unspoken he and Abby both stepped forward to stand in front of Zack, shielding him, the blue dropping the things in his arms, Abby holding tight to the wheelchair's handles, and both glared before them.
Astor Morgan stood between them and the portal. Katina was a beauty, a lovely lioness in human guise whose movements were like water and whose voice was like poisoned honey. Astor was not unattractive but there was an unassuming aspect to him, as if the man with the dark brown eyes and the tusseled brown hair, the playful smile and the marginally unkempt suit, was simply what he seemed. He looked like a friend, like an ally, like a human, he stood with ease, a sense of calm and contentment that was disarming. Katina made the body stiffen and the blood chill because there was a knowledge there that she was dangerous, she was cruel, she could as easily laugh as you die as she could bring you some sort of salvation. But Billy found himself more afraid of Astor seeing the man for himself. Because Astor, Astor was anything but dangerous looking and Billy knew that if he didn't know who he was dealing with, what he had done, and experienced it for himself he might never have believed any of it.
"What are you doing here?" Abby had her morpher out but had not transformed; Billy was uncertain on both accounts but he reached into his pocket to feel for his own morpher and felt a sense of relief at finding it easily. His friend's voice was harsh, she did not like this man either and did not wish to hide it.
Astor's smile never faltered, there was never a moment that any emotion but amusement and strangely enough kindness filled his features; a step forward from him was met by a growl from Billy, something he did not expect to do but regret it he did not. This elicited a blink of surprise then a small chuckle and Astor put up his hands. "Oh my, I seem to have upset you."
"Answer the question, Morgan."
"Why do you think I'm here?" The tone he used was teasing and he raised an eyebrow at them.
"I think you're here to do something terrible to us," Billy said, watching the man. He noted that he was alone, there was no soldiers with him, no companions, certainly no other Rangers; he remembered the Lightspeed team and Jason's explanation about their plan to leave but he felt a deep guilt as he realized that he had been worried about the possibility and who the potential traitor Rangers, Renegades, would have to be.
"That depends on your definition of terrible," Astor mused and the blue caught his head tilting just a bit, almost unnoticably. Towards the portal, and Billy's heart fell deep into his gut.
"The others are fine," Abby whispered to him and Billy's eyes widened a little; she kept her eyes on Astor though, "They are fine."
She didn't know. If she knew for certain then she'd give reasons, she knew he needed reasons, but her words were that of belief, not conviction, that they had nothing to worry about. He thought of Zedd on the other side, and of Udonna, Merrick, Ileana, Kendall and Shelby, the Renegades inside, the people working to make Zandar a safe haven. They were fine, they would be fine, they had to be fine. He could not let himself believe that they were anything but fine.
"I must say I think it's rather impressive what you all have accomplished thusfar," Astor said and his smile grew, "Surviving aboard a semi-derelict ship, finding allies, evading arrest, fighting, living, even managing to restore your connections to the Morphing Grid. And making an entire nation your haven, what a lovely spark of inspiration. I feel the need to applaud you for all your efforts."
"Excuse me if it doesn't fill us with much satisfaction hearing that the man who ordered our deaths and declared war against Zandar is impressed with us," Abby snapped narrowing her eyes at him.
"Oh I don't much care for your destruction, do not get me wrong my dear Abigail Navarro," he said, "Katina is the one with the abhorrence for you and yours; she's the one who took your friend there and tortured him and she's the one who was in charge of that disastrous mishap in Briarwood-"
"How dare you!" Billy's temper flared and Abby saw the dark energies start to surge about him and felt the anger coming off him. Desperate she tried to grab him and calm her friend down but his arm was cold and he pulled away from her to step forward. Astor watched him causally, even as the wind blew and sliced his cheek cleanly. "You monster, you sociopath, that was a massacre, not some small accident!"
"We did not mean for such a thing to happen, I assure you; certainly Jason told you as much, before he ran off of course." His voice was calm, Abby's heart was racing in her ears, and Zack was still as the grave, silent as always.
"You," Billy growled and started to transform but seemed to stop and scream, taking a step back. A conflict occurred inside him, the man trying his hardest to hold on while the darkness just wanted to reach out with it's sharp claws and rip the throat of this monster out.
"Billy!" Abby exclaimed and rushed to his side, leaving Zack behind; Astor looked to the last of them and Zack looked back with an empty expression. Astor smiled in return then turned to the two active Renegades, Billy forcing back his energies and collapsing to his knees, Abby trying to help him, arms wrapped tight around her old friend.
"As I said, I do not want the Power Rangers destroyed, and Zandar's current situation was not solely my decision. It was decided with all the evidence of all the events involving your group and their apparent choice to stand with you despite all the death and destruction that follows you that such a nation must be an enemy. And for the record we are not the only nation who feels such."
"What do you want then if you don't want us dead?" Abby asked in a soft tone, "Why are you doing this to us, why are you doing this to everyone?"
"Would knowing my motives really make you feel better?" There was no mocking to his tone, it was an honest request. His eyes gleamed with something mischievous but he spoke truthfully and they both knew it. His motives didn't matter, his reasons for hurting them, hunting them, killing their friends and families and destroying their homes, none of it mattered in the end. It did not change anything, it did not heal anything; what had happened still happened, no matter why.
Still it did make her frustrated and he seemed almost amused by such, chuckling and turning entirely to face the portal. She felt Billy move and she let go, the two taking a step again but he raised a hand. "I must warn you that if you try anything I will be forced to do something especially unpleasant."
"Moreso than you have so far?" Billy asked.
"William, I have been decidedly kind I think thusfar. For instance, Chase Randall's family has not been reported to the authorities in New Zealand as being connected to a wanted criminal. Nick Russell's adoptive parents have been left unquestioned about their son. Captain Mitchell and Abigail Navarro-Phillip's brother have not been hunted down, arrested and court marshalled for their connections to known Rangers."
Abby paled visibly. "You leave my brother out of this!"
"I have, Abigail, promise. Only those who put themselves into the path to bringing you to justice have had to be involved but I don't want you to think that we have just left them alone. We know where they are, even as they think they can run and hide, and we could always deal with them if needed. But we haven't, because we're kind despite what you might think."
Astor certainly sounded kind and he acted kind. But Billy remembered the Ninja Academy and the Samurai team and Briarwood and every last moment and second of this wild year or two of time; hell he had lost track of how long they had been running, fighting, hurting. It felt like an eternity and he reminded himself of it all, all in hopes of fighting against the fact that Astor looked so very trustworthy. Billy knew he wasn't, he knew it and he refused to forget it.
"You never answered why you're here," Abby spoke again, her voice smaller but Billy believed that she would not let this monster in lamb's clothing make her cower. She was after all stronger than that.
"I just came to thank you for making things all the easier for us," Astor said chuckling, "Zandar is a far easier target and considering you let your greatest power asset run off on a suicide mission...oh I suppose I should also thank you for handing the Morphing-"
His gratitude was real but that sentence would never be completed. Abby could not grab Billy fast enough to prevent what happened; her hand moved but the beast moved faster and Astor was thrown to the ground, his chest bleeding and those sharp claws of Billy's dark form wrapped tight around his throat. Abby called out his name but the boy could not hear, nor did she think he'd respond even if he could. Growling, the shards of a suit flickered around Billy as he narrowed his eyes, his canines strangely exposed.
"If that bitch touches a hair on Tsuki's hair, if she hurts any of them." There was a terrible treble to his voice that made it sound very much not like him. Abby ran to grab him, finding the dark energy biting at her and she screamed but tried still.
"Billy! Billy, stop it, Billy!" She called out his name but the dark ranger's claws just tightened and Astor laughed, a weak sound that came with splatters of blood. But he was pleased, he was happy, and Abby could only guess why.
"Billy please!" she sobbed and grabbed hold of him from behind, trying to pry her friend off but the power hurt. It ripped at her and it was just so...angry, and cold. And sad. She could feel his sadness and his fear and his pain. She thought of the past for a moment, just a moment: the five of them together, Kimberly, Billy, Tommy, Abby, Tsuki, sitting in Ernie's Juice Bar and eating, laughing, talking. Jason, Zack and Trini had stopped spending as much time with them and she remembered suddenly the feeling of being abandoned yet the unspoken knowledge that none of them would say it aloud. How could they when to do so would be to admit that they didn't want their friends to go?
"It's okay Abby, it's okay." That voice was not one she immediately recognized but it brought forth three new faces. Rocky who had accepted his new role as red with the same heart as Jason. Aisha who was just as warm and caring as Trini. And then...
"Adam?" She opened her eyes but the hooded figure only smiled before grabbing both her and Billy and dragging them through the portal. She saw the way the dark energy ripped at him too and tore apart his cloak, the hood falling to show a face she hadn't seen in decades. Adam Park only smiled though, not showing any pain, no fear, but the expression of happiness changed quickly enough as he entered the town center, causing some surprise and confusion from those who saw him arrive. Zack ran through the portal, grabbing hold of Abby once there and Adam raised his voice in hopes of being heard.
"The portal needs to be closed and the barrier needs to be pulled in as close as possible, now!" People murmured and Abby felt confused but a glance at Billy, who was thrashing and growling, told her that there were far more important things to be worried about than what her ex-teammate might be thinking.
As RJ made his way over, the wolf master seemed to have a sixth sense for things like this, and started to calm Billy, Abby tried to straighten herself up. This was difficult with Zack on her but she managed; she took a deep breath and added her voice, "You heard the man! Udonna, we need the portal closed; Zedd, Shayla, see about getting a message out to the magic users out on the order; we need to pull it in and around the city immediately!"
"Wait, what do you think you're doing?!" Phillip exclaimed running over, a desperate look on his fac; Zedd and Shayla looked at each other but seemed to get started on what they were asked and the prince stared at Abby, "Pull back the barrier?! But without the barrier we can't protect the rest of the nation; what about my people, all those people still out there?!"
Abby turned to Adam who gave a solemn look in return. "We have no choice, Prince Phillip."
"Who are you? What do you think you're doing giving orders?"
"This is Adam Park, Mighty Morphin Black Ranger," Abby said and Zack seemed to perk up just a tiny bit.
"We just came from the temple; Astor Morgan is injured but made it clear that something bad is going to happen. You need to consolidate your energy rather than to spread it out," Adam spoke calmly though she saw his hands clenching at his side, "If you can, bring as many people to the capital, save as many as you can, but if you want to survive what's to come, you need to listen to me. Recall everyone and pull the barrier in around the city as tight as possible."
"Astor Morgan is injured?" Shelby's voice shook and Kendall held her tight.
"I thought there weren't any unaccounted for Power Rangers left," Phillip said narrowing his eyes, stepping towards Adam.
"That's..." Abby started but found she could not argue that. She had thought the same, she had been certain of that, but as she thought about it she realized that she did not have a definitive answer for what Adam had supposedly been there. Rocky, Jason, Kimberly, Trini, the other Zack, Katherine, even Tanya, she knew where they were supposed to be. But somehow Adam just...slipped her mind. She too stared at him and he was silent for a moment, looking at Phillip before shaking his head.
"We do not have time for that but I promise we'll explain later." We. He said we. Adam turned to Kendall and Shelby and approached, "There's a technological aspect to the barrier too?"
Kendall stared at him suspiciously. "Yeah but how did-"
"How strong can you make it in roughly ten minutes? What kind of force can it handle?" The girls looked at one another and Abby furrowed her brow, not liking the implication. Adam didn't sound panicked but there was something certainly wrong.
Above her she saw the sky change color slightly, seem to darken just a little, and she could hear Merrick and Ileana's voices as they asked what was going on, Nick and his team's as they walked over to Udonna only for Zedd to tell them to go back to the city limits and ground the magic there. But her eyes felt stuck on the sky, even with all the voices, all the questions, even the one in particular that felt unable to unstick from her mind. Adam was there but she didn't understand how or why, only that there was a bleeding senator back in the temple and a sensation that their world was about to change forever.
She closed her eyes and prayed. Don't let this be the last dawn of the Power Rangers.