Gold, silver,
purple and bronze. Drew McCormick smiled to himself as he looked at the
sun beginning to rise about the horizon. Funny how those tints were so
obvious this morning, in the light shining through the clouds. It was a
new day for the Beetleborgs, and he doubted the changes were over yet.
This morning,
he sat on the front porch of Hillhurst, soaking up the sun and thinking
about everything that had passed. The Shadowborg was history, the Beetleborgs
had a new member, and they'd made allies who would be ready to come to
their aid at a moment's notice.
Drew shifted,
remembering what else the last adventure had brought. He could still remember
all the hate and anger that had consumed him while under Shadowborg's control.
He knew it was going to take him time to work through that, and he wasn't
the only one. Jo was jumpy as hell, especially where he was concerned.
There were still times when she regarded him with apprehension, and he
knew she still relived his attack on her in her dreams.
Frowning, Drew
slammed a fist into one of the support posts for the porch. That was one
of the things that hurt the most, he thought. His sister had always been
the one person in his life he could count on, and vice versa. With one
swoop, Shadowborg had managed to damage that bond almost beyond repair.
With patience, though, Drew knew he could regain Jo's trust. It would just
take time.
From Jo, his
thoughts moved to Josh Baldwin, the new Electric Bronze Beetleborg. Although
he'd never admit it to anyone, Drew was glad that Josh was back, and not
just out of gratitude for his rescue. Josh was an excellent fighter, and
Drew knew him to be a loyal friend, despite all the poison that Shadowborg
had dug up. Their relationship might not change on the surface, but Drew
now knew that Josh would stand beside him until Doomsday, if necessary.
With a sigh,
Drew leaned back against the wall to watch the sunrise continue. Considering
his life, it was likely to be the only peace and quiet that he got that
day.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The sun beat
down on Charterville, cooking the sidewalks, the lawns, and all the people
stupid enough to be outside on a morning like this. People like Roland
Williams, who was finishing up his daily jog. Leaning against a tree, the
tall boy wiped his forehead.
"'Sunny and
cool,' the man says. Yeah, right." Not that the heat ever stopped him.
Running was his favorite way to release tension, and he'd been doing a
lot of it lately.
It was a little
odd to be running alone again. During the Shadowborg fracas, none of them
had ever been allowed to be by themselves, for fear of ambush. And he had
truly enjoyed running with Tasha Young, despite the teasing Drew and Jo
had given him.
He grinned a
little, thinking of the Yellow Turbo Ranger. Sure, he liked her, and he
even thought she was pretty, but she just wasn't his type. Besides, he
had a feeling that her relationship with Justin Stewart ran deeper than
even the two of them knew, and he had no desire to get a first-degree black
belt angry at him.
There'd been
a lot of changes in the last few weeks, and some of them had even stayed
after the Shadowborg had been defeated. Josh was back with the team, and
this time he was going to stay. At first, Roland had been a little worried
about Drew's reaction, but the other boy had absorbed the news with an
equanimity that had surprised Roland. He was good enough at reading Drew,
though, that he could tell the relationship had altered.
The Astral Borgs
were human. That had been the biggest surprise of the whole thing for him,
beyond even Art and Les working together. It would be kind of cool, though.
Now they had adults who could cover for them when something came up.
Roland sighed,
stretching. If he was going to get back to Zoom in time to help his grandmother
open up, he'd better get moving. Looking down at his fingers, he shook
his head. He didn't need his civilian powers for this- he could take care
of it on his own. That decided, he moved off at a quick, graceful lope.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Where do you
want this, Aida?" Jo asked, the large chair hoisted over her head. Ben
and Luke groaned
"She had to
ask," Luke Hino, the sometime Fire Borg declared mournfully.
"Well- maybe
over there by the bookcase," Aida Madison replied. "Or- no, maybe by the
windows. Or maybe-"
"Dear," Sean
Drake broke in, kissing her on the cheek, "pick a place and stick with
it."
"All right,"
Aida sighed. "By the bookcase."
Ben Farraday
shook his head. "I can't believe this. The woman takes on Mantrons without
blinking an eye, but she can't decide where to put a chair?"
"Watch it,"
Luke cautioned, "or you'll wind up eating your own cooking."
Jo giggled.
"It sure was nice of Roland's mom to help you guys find this house," she
remarked.
Sean nodded.
"And it was even nicer of the Turbo Rangers to make sure we had the funds
for it."
Luke grinned.
"I heard one of the older Rangers chewing Justin out royally for that.
Apparently they don't appreciate hacking."
"Grown-ups can
be SO stuffy," Jo sighed with overblown drama. Luke, the only teenage member
of the Astral Borg team, agreed with her whole-heartedly.
Sinking onto
the couch she had helped move in, Jo watched in contented amusement as
Ben and Luke squabbled good-naturedly about just who was stuffy around
here, anyway, and Sean and Aida shook their heads in exasperation. She
was going to like having the Astral Borgs around in regular life, and not
just on the battlefield. Sometimes, it seemed like Lady Borg was the only
one she could talk to about certain things. Oh sure, Drew and Roland were
great friends, but they were guys. Some stuff just didn't translate that
well across the gender gap.
Besides, Jo
didn't quite feel comfortable spilling her guts to her brother anymore.
She knew it wasn't his fault, and that the attack on her had been all Shadowborg's
doing, but- she kept remembering that Lancer, speeding down towards her
as she lay on the ground. The image kept recurring at the worst times,
and she knew that the others had noticed it, especially Drew. The pain
and resignation in his eyes hurt almost as much as the original event had,
although in a different way.
Damn Shadowborg
anyway, she scowled to herself. She didn't often swear, even in her
own head, but it seemed like the only way she could express the emotions
swirling inside her. A lot of good had come out of the whole thing, but
the scars the battle had left were far from healed.
On the bright
side, Josh was back. Jo smiled, remembering how good it had felt to know
that he was one of them again, back on the side of right, fighting against
evil. Even the fact that he was almost wearing her brother's armor couldn't
blunt that. And she could barely remember images from her coma, twisted
and distorted things. Clear among them though was a warm hand grasping
hers, and Josh's voice somewhere out there. Knowing that he had cared for
her had been a great comfort when it seemed as if she couldn't reach the
outside world at all.
Jo's thoughts
were interrupted as a pillow from Luke and Ben's "discussion" suddenly
flew at her head. Hefting it, she threw herself into the battle with a
kamikaze cry, her moment of introspection temporarily forgotten.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Do I want to
know?" Josh Baldwin asked, resignation in his voice as yet another thump
echoed from upstairs. Flabber made a face.
"Probably not,"
the phasm admitted. "House Monster projects can be hazardous to your health."
Josh chuckled,
acknowledging that. Leaning back in his chair, he shook his head. "And
to think, I actually MISSED all this," he grinned. "I must be insane."
"That is an
occupational hazard," Flabber agreed. "So, what's on your agenda for today,
Josh?"
"Nothing, if
I can help it. The guys are down at Zoom, and I'll join 'em eventually,
but- I kind of wanted to get re-adjusted to this place."
The blue phasm
cocked an eyebrow at him. "Josh, I'M not adjusted to this place. I'm not
sure I ever will be."
"So, did the
monsters wreck anything while you were ensconced in the Power Chamber?"
"Well, I checked,
and Charterville isn't missing any pizza delivery people, and the house
seems to be intact- for now," he amended, as yet another thump echoed down
the stairs.
The latest thump
was followed by the unmistakable sound of Count Fangula crying "Tally-ho!"
and the blare of trumpets. Josh looked at Flabber in alarm.
"Don't think
about it, and maybe it won't come down here," was the phasm's advice. "So,
how's things with you and Drew?"
"Pretty good,
now that I've accepted that he's the leader of this team. And I've
gotten over my crush on Heather, so we've pretty much worked everything
out."
Flabber grinned.
"How's things with Jo?" he inquired, summoning a bouquet of red roses and
a string quartet. Josh glared at him.
"Progressing
slowly. Like not until she's at least fifteen." Then he grinned.
"But the roses aren't a bad idea. Can I have some?"
"Red," Flabber
asked, "or purple?" With the last word, the roses flickered and became
a beautiful lavender color.
Josh shook his
head. "Show-off."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"What do you
think, Drew?" Joyce asked anxiously. "The gold earrings or the green?"
Drew shrugged.
"I'm a guy, Mom. Ask Jo."
Joyce stuck
her tongue out at him, then headed to the foot of the stairs. "Josephine!"
she yelled.
"Green!" came
the reply. Joyce shrugged.
"Good ears."
Drew shook his
head. "She just knows you. Mom, I've never seen you this nervous. It's
just dinner- right?"
"Yes, Drew."
Joyce sighed. "I just- haven't wanted to make a good impression this badly
for years."
"Mom, trust
me. You'll knock his socks off- if he's wearing socks."
"It's a nice
restaurant, Drew. He'll be wearing socks. Now, I've left you dinner, and
you know where it is, right?"
"MOM!" Drew
regarded his mother with fond exasperation. "We'll be fine. I'll heat up
a can of Spaghetti-O's if I have to, but we'll be okay. Calm down."
Joyce made a
face. "Who's the parent here, anyway? I'm going to go put on my make-up.
Answer the door if it rings, okay?"
"Yes, Mom,"
Drew sighed. He had just turned back to his new issue of Beetleborgs when
the doorbell rang. Rising to his feet, he reached the door just as Jo bounced
down the stairs.
When he opened
the door, Drew was greeted by a sight he never thought he'd see- Art Fortunes
in a suit. It was a normal dark gray, with a white shirt and a conservative
tie. Drew raised both eyebrows. "Art! You look- normal. But good," the
blond hastened to assure his mother's date.
"Thank you,"
the cartoonist said dryly. "Is your mother ready yet?"
"She's putting
on her make-up," Jo supplied. "She'll be down in a minute."
Drew grinned.
His mother had dated off and on for the past few years, but he couldn't
think of a single one of her boyfriends he liked better than Art Fortunes.
He knew the man would treat her well, and wouldn't run away from any suggestion
of Joyce having kids. And if somewhere down the road, Art and his mother
got married, he knew Art would be a great step-father to the two of them.
Drew looked
up as his mother came down the stairs, locking arms with Art as she reached
the bottom. "Remember, bedtime is at nine," she ordered them. "I don't
care if you're superheroes, you're still growing children."
"Yes, Mom,"
Jo and Drew droned in unison. Then Drew chuckled.
"Remember, Art,
bring her back by eleven," he grinned. Art stuck his tongue out at the
boy, and turned with great dignity to escort Joyce to the car. Left alone
in the house, Drew and Jo turned to each other and grinned. It looked as
if the future was going to be very interesting for everybody.
The End