Disclaimer: Oh, you know.

And for the record, noogies are when you dig your knuckles into someone's scalp. Nookie is something else entirely and Bulk is not doing that in this fic. Just so we're clear. Thanks to Carrie for pushing Trini to the edge, and to Rach and ScarletDeva for all the encouragement. And to Dagmar, who is making me write longer chapters, so if it takes longer you know who to blame. Go read their stuff too.



Legacy, part 22

"All I'm saying is, there's something weird about this picture," hissed Rocky through the side of his mouth to Adam. The pair stood in the Command Center, watching Bulk learn the basics of their communications array. Trini was in the docking bay, going over supply lists with Zordon; Tanya and Kat were with the new recruits somewhere in the Center, Rocky wasn't sure where. He and Adam had planned to check on the search for Kim's captors but had been stopped by the sight of their old nemesis.

Adam shrugged. "People change, Rocko. And we can use all the help we can get right now."

"Yeah, but it's still weird."

"I heard that." Bulk glanced up from where he stood leaning over the console, his gray eyes amused. "And I agree, Rocky. If you'd told me back in high school I'd be helping the Rangers go into space to save the world I would have chased you down for a noogie party you wouldn't forget." He straightened. "But here I am, and I'm glad to help. I just wish I could go with you."

Adam offered a shy smile. "Maybe another time. How's that frequency scan coming?"

Bulk frowned down at the console. "Slow. At least we don't have the barrier to contend with anymore; Alpha said it was a real pain getting through that. But the base isn't where it was, so I'm having to scan the whole planet and its moons. It'll be a little while, unless they contact us first."

Adam seated himself at an adjacent console and began to tap the keys. "Any luck tracing the ship that took Kim, Alpha?"

"Not so far, Adam," the little robot beeped. "Until they materialize outside the teleportation field I can't get a lock."

"It's not like we don't know where they're going," Trini cut in, stalking past Rocky and leaning over Adam.

Adam twisted to look up at her. "It's exactly like we don't know where they're going, Trini. I agree that they were probably Xeryan in origin, but –"

"But nothing. This is a waste of time, Adam. We should be out there already, hot on their tail, instead of sitting here waiting for information we already know," she muttered, drumming her fingernails impatiently on the console deck.

Adam frowned. "This isn't like you, Trini."

"And how would you know that, Park?" she exploded. "My best friend in the world is out there, powerless, captured, maybe even dead, and I had to watch them take her. I couldn't do a bloody thing to help. I have to DO something! Now! Not later!" Trini huffed out an impatient breath, smacking her hand on the back of his chair. "Do you know what it's doing to me, imagining what might be happening to her?"

Adam jumped to his feet, getting right in Trini's face. "And what? You think I don't care? That I can't imagine the same things? Listen, Kwan, you have a lot of nerve, thinking you've got a monopoly on being upset about this!" he shouted. Rocky's jaw dropped in surprise; Adam rarely raised his voice. The Blue Zeo Ranger glanced at Bulk, who watched the exchange uncomfortably as Adam went on, his voice harsh. "I don't like waiting anymore than you do, but what if we're wrong and it's NOT So'Vran? A wild goose chase is a hell of a lot more likely to get Kim killed than waiting to see where they take her now. We already lost one and I am not going to lose another of us, so Red Ranger or not, we are going to do this the right way, because it's our best chance at getting Kim home safe!" Adam poked a finger at Trini. "Now back off!" he snarled.

Astounded by his friend's vehemence, Rocky swung his attention back to Trini, who was scowling, eyes narrowed, breathing harshly through her nose. Her voice was deadly quiet. "You'd better move that finger if you want to keep it."

"All right, break it up, you guys!" hollered Kat from the door. Rocky jumped about a foot in the air, clutching his chest. He hadn't heard Kat enter the command chamber. "We don't have time for this!" She ran forward and interposed herself neatly between the two, facing Trini down.

Tanya followed on the Pink Ranger's heels, pushing Adam back from the fray. "Come on, honey, stop this. We're all upset about Kim, but we need to fight together, not amongst ourselves!"

A moment more ticked by, with Trini and Adam eyeing each other; then Trini spun on her heel and left in the direction of the docking bay. Kat turned to Rocky, who closed his mouth with a snap. "Nice intervention, Rocko. Why didn't you do something?" she said, her normally modulated voice seething with irritation.

He blushed shamefacedly. "Tell you the truth, I didn't know what to do. I've never seen Adam like that, not to mention Trini. And it snowballed so quickly…" Rocky sighed. "The thing is, I kinda know how she feels, Adam." He watched his friend bristle and rushed to explain. "I'm pretty upset as it is; if it was you out there, instead of Kim, I'd be going nuts too."

Kat shook her head, throwing up her hands. "Great. Just great." She stalked off after the Red Ranger, only to return a few moments later, her brow creased with concern. She sought out Tanya, who raised a questioning eyebrow. Kat nodded as though in confirmation.

"Adam, honey," Tanya said gently. "Go after Trini."

He looked at her mulishly. "I am not going to apologize."

"I don't think you'll have to. Just go."

***************

Adam entered the docking bay warily. The brand new interstellar pod waited there, packed with supplies and ready to go as soon as they had the coordinates confirmed. He ran a hand over its gleaming side absently, wondering where Trini had gone.

A sniff from the corner behind the ship answered that question. He peeked around the side.

Trini sat, her back to the wall, her knees drawn up, her sleek dark head bowed. Her elbows were resting on her knees; her fingers thrust into her hair, her very posture one of abject misery.

"Ah, don't," Adam whispered.

Trini looked up, her eyes already swollen and red, her nose running. "S- sorry," she managed. "Didn't m-mean it."

In answer he knelt by her and gathered her close, cradling her head on his shoulder. "Me either," he murmured, and with that she broke down completely. Adam rocked her gently, nodding at Tanya when she poked her head around the ship to see how things were going. She gave him a small smile and a thumb's up and retreated, but the sound of footsteps brought Trini around, and her sobs faded to hiccups.

After a while she spoke. "I'm getting snot all over your uniform."

"It's okay." He chuckled. "It's supposed to protect us from toxic substances."

Trini giggled. "Shut up." Then she sighed. "Are we okay now?"

"Yeah. We're okay." As if to confirm his words, their communicators went off simultaneously.

"We've got a lock on 'em," said Bulk's voice. "Time to move out."

**************

"Almost got it," Billy muttered, more to himself than to the anxious man standing next to him. They were huddled in the makeshift comm room of the new base, hidden in the mountains near the Citadel. Taia was with her father, Jason and Aji were having some much-needed private time, Billy was working on the communications system and Tommy was hovering, driving him crazy. He sighed, gritting his teeth.

"Can we raise Zordon?" Tommy leaned in eagerly, shouldering Billy out of the way.

The scientist sighed in aggravation, rubbing the back of his neck wearily. "Tom, don't take this the wrong way, but if you don't get the hell out of here I'm gonna drop you like a bad habit." Tommy scowled; Billy scowled deeper. "Honest to God, Tommy, you are not making this any easier. I know what's at stake; he's my dad, after all. And I love Kim too. I will call you the second I get hold of anyone, okay?" Tommy looked at his friend mutinously. "Look," Billy continued, his tone less harsh, "I can do this faster without an audience."

Tommy sighed, his shoulders drooping. "Okay. I'll go… do something or other." He slowly made his way to the door, his feet dragging, his attention on the communications array, willing it to work. Now.

"Go, Tom," said Billy, not looking up.

"Going." He hesitated anyway.

"Out, Tommy." The scientist glanced up. "Don't make me go all Sentinel on you."

"Hah," but it was a halfhearted protest, and Tommy finally left the room. Billy shook his head, trying to concentrate. He didn't blame Tommy, not really. With Peter in danger Billy only wished he had someone else to drive nuts, instead of the responsibility resting with him.

Odds were, though, that Peter would be safe enough for now, if they were right about the mindscan. It was useless to demand a ransom if your bait was destroyed. And if there was a chance to prevent Kim being taken as well, then their best hope lay with getting this array up and running. The problem was that the base had been dismantled in such a rush, some of the systems had gotten damaged, and repairs were tedious to track and complete.

However, Billy was nothing if not tenacious. He bent his head to the task again, his lip caught between his teeth.

**************

Cold. She was freezing, colder than she could ever remember being. And her head… ohh. Kim sat up slowly, grimacing, shivering, whimpering with cold and fear and pain.

So she hadn't dreamed it all, then, the attack, the soldiers looking for someone, looking for her. Quarry established, one of them had said, and then they'd all surrounded her. She'd cried out for Trini, she remembered seeing the Red Zeo Ranger launch herself toward her, but the teleport had taken hold.

Ugh. Come to think of it, she still felt queasy. Either she had a concussion, or they were still teleporting. She got up, felt her way around the darkened cell. Nothing. No seam in the wall to denote an exit. No way out. Kim wrapped her arms around herself, leaning back against the wall.

"HEY!" Shouting hurt, too. She made a mental note, then ignored it. "HEY! I'M FREEZING MY ASS OFF HERE!" Kim pounded a fist against the wall. "ANYBODY HEAR ME?"

Somebody did; the cell was slowly illuminated and a bundle appeared on the floor. She bent to it; inside were a pressure suit like the ones they'd prepared for the Rangers to wear in their pod, and a metallic blanket. Thankfully she exchanged her clothes for the suit and pulled the blanket around herself. And if she wasn't mistaken, the ambient temperature of the room was rising as well. Hmmm.

"I'm also ravenous and I have to pee," she ventured in a more normal tone, and was rewarded moments later with some steaming, unrecognizable food and a receptacle with an obvious function.

"Interesting." Kim made use of the receptacle and watched as it disappeared. "I hope you spill it on yourselves, you jerks," she said quietly, and tried the food. Disgusting texture, no flavor at all. But filling. The tray and cup disappeared as well, and Kim curled up in a corner, covering herself with the blanket. She could wait. She would watch, and wait, and learn their weaknesses, and when there was a chance, a place to go, she would get out of there. Or die trying.

**************

"Is everyone here?" Trini asked the person behind her distractedly, inputting the flight plan Bulk had calculated for the other ship.

"Yeah, I think we're ready to go," said a voice she hadn't expected, and she swung her chair around.

"Zack!"

The handsome black man grinned. "You didn't think you'd be doing this without me, did you?" He gave her a brief hug. "Alpha called us; Aisha's here too. She's gonna stay and help Bulk out, and remind me to ask you what the hell's up with that when we have a minute. Zordon was cool with me staying or going, so I thought I'd hitch a ride. You mind?"

A slow grin spread over Trini's face. "No way."

"Good." He sat in the copilot's chair. "'Cause it wouldn't matter if you did."

"I figured." She chuckled, opening the commlink. "Rocky? All set back there?"

"Yep," came the eager response. "We're all here, ready to rock and roll."

Trini nodded. "Commencing teleport sequence. We're a go, Zordon."

"Ai-yi-yi!" a tinny voice sounded over the commlink. "Be careful, Rangers! And bring Kim back safe!"

Zack grinned at Trini. "You bet, Alf. Catch you later."

After the initial teleport, he looked at his copilot. "You hate that as much as I do?"

"Yep." She made a few adjustments to the flight plan. "Our best chance of making good time means we do a series of teleports along the Eltaran grid, finishing up by pirating the Xeryan grid. It's pretty new, so there's a chance they won't catch us at it."

He frowned. "A chance, huh?"

Trini shot him a half smile. "Yeah, well, what's life if you don't take a chance now and then?"

Zack thought about that, returning her smile. "Good point. Let's live a little."

"Commencing second teleport sequence," Trini announced, listening with amusement to the groans coming over the commlink.

*************

"Zordon! Alpha! Come in!"

Aisha ran to the communications console, jabbing at it with her thumb. "Bill? Billy!"

"Aisha? That you?"

"Yeah, it's me. You guys okay?"

"The base was attacked. My dad's a prisoner; at least I hope that's all he is." There was a muttered conversation on the other end, then Billy continued. "Listen, 'Sha, there may be a problem. Kim may be in danger."

Aisha sighed. "Too late, Bill. They took her. The guys went after them."

Another voice broke in with a loud and explicit epithet.

Aisha exchanged startled glances with Bulk. "T-tommy?"

Another string of muttered curses, then Tommy spoke again. "Yeah, I'm alive, 'Sha. Long story. Did they hurt her?"

"Knocked her down, but nothing serious as far as I could see," interposed Bulk. "I'm sorry, Tom, I tried to get to her. Trini did too, but there were too many of them."

There was a long, silent pause.

"No, it can't be," said Billy.

"Bulk?" said Tommy incredulously.

"You've got five seconds to get over it," said Bulk briskly. "I'm gonna patch you through to the pod just as soon as they're between jumps, which should be in about – three – two – one – Tri! Hey, Tri, you read me?"

"I'm here, Bulk. What is it?"

"I got Billy and Tommy on the comm. Hang on, patching them through. Go ahead, guys, but make it count."

Trini sounded completely floored. "Did you say Tommy?"

"I'm here, guys, I'm okay," Tommy said, and cheers erupted through the link as Bulk and Aisha grinned at each other. "Listen, what happened to Kim?"

"So'Vran's uglies just showed up and took her, Tommy," said Trini. "We're going after them now."

Billy jumped in. "Sending you coordinates of the new base, guys. What's your flight plan?"

"Is this a secure frequency?" Trini wanted to know, laughing slightly at Billy's long-suffering sigh. "Sorry, I should have assumed. Sending flight plan and ETA."

"All right, we'll see you soon. Be careful, you guys, okay?"

"Will do, my main brain," put in Zack irrepressibly.

"ZACK?" the Xeryan duo said in stunned unison, their only reply Zack's hearty laughter as the pod jumped back into teleport.