Disclaimer: If I were me, which coincidentally I am, I would change my outgoing phone message. And if I were my sister, which I'm not, I would say, "I can do everything a spider can!" The actual point of my disclaimer, which tends to get lost in the chaos, is this: SOTPR.

Wake Up
by Starhawk

It was the phone that woke him up. The ring was fairly innocuous, but it was set to ring and vibrate simultaneously and the vibrate function made it jump whenever it wasn't in his pocket. The sound of a phone skipping across the surface of his desk and finally tumbling off onto the floor was enough to rouse him, and TJ rolled over onto his side to squint at the clock.

It was quarter past seven. His alarm clock should have gone off more than an hour ago, and he scrambled out of bed with a muttered curse. He grabbed for his phone and wasn't surprised to see Tessa's name flashing on the screen.

"Hey," he mumbled, stifling a yawn. "Sorry; my alarm clock didn't go off."

"Hello, class at eight!" she retorted, no trace of sleep in her voice. She'd probably just gotten back from the gym. They'd planned to go together and then eat afterwards, before she had to be in class. "Do you want breakfast, or should I go alone?"

"Give me ten minutes," TJ promised, fumbling with his shirt. He managed to get it on over his head without letting go of the phone, and he started looking around for his keys. "I'll be right there."

"See you soon." She didn't sound skeptical, or even annoyed, which was one of the things he loved about her. No matter how much of a morning person Tessa was, she didn't insist that anyone else be.

"See you," he agreed, hanging up and dropping his phone on the bed while he searched for his sneakers. His ID was clipped to his key ring, which he had left on the desk with his phone, but his shoes were nowhere to be found. He jammed his feet into the sport sandals he'd dropped by the door instead and shuffled across the hall to the bathroom.

There was coffee already made in the kitchen, and mostly gone too. Max had a harder time waking up than he did, so he assumed there had a been a teacher workshop at the local elementary school today. School was the only thing that got his uncle out of bed early on a regular basis, and the regular school year didn't start until next week.

The screen door slammed behind him on his way out, and he grabbed the helmet off his handlebars before turning his bike away from the steps and wheeling it down the driveway. The locked clinked briefly as it slid down the steering column, but he ignored it as he swung out into the road and headed for campus. It was a ride he could make in eight minutes on a good day.

It was a good day. He arrived at Tessa's door sixteen minutes after her phone call had woken him up, and she was slipping her bag over her shoulder as she opened the door for him. "Hey," she said, kissing him in welcome and thrusting a piece of paper into his hand as she pulled him out into the hallway. "Let's go. You can read this on the way."

"What is it?" he wanted to know, glancing down at it while she locked the door behind them.

"E-mail from Ashley," she answered. He kept pace with her easily as she hurried toward the stairs, the garbled text at the top beginning to make sense in light of her words. "The subject line is 'Hell In A Handbasket,' if that tells you anything. I don't think she's too happy."

TJ blinked, scanning the recipients' list. It had been sent to him, Carlos, and Tessa, with a CC to Cassie that was almost an afterthought. Cassie didn't check her e-mail anymore, as far as TJ knew, but she still had a screen name on the Hammonds' account.

We were only gone for one day! The e-mail started out indignantly and only became more so as it went on. How did you guys manage to restructure the universe in 24 hours? And what on Earth did you do? KO-35 is threatening to disown the Astro Rangers and IN is having a field day!

TJ laughed. He couldn't help it. He saw Tessa shoot him an odd look, and he shrugged as he held the door open for her. "What can I say?" he asked, trying to suppress a grin. "They weren't here. We did what we thought was right. Who'd have thought Ashley would be the one to flip out..."

Tessa smiled a little at that. "I have to admit, I was more worried about Andros than Ashley. From what Kerone said, I thought she was on your side."

"Zhane did say Andros wanted us to keep the morphers," TJ remarked thoughtfully. "But now Ashley has to choose... I guess it's not surprising she'd be upset. It's too bad we couldn't have warned her beforehand--where were they, anyway?"

"She says something about Eltare later on." Tessa gave the e-mail a token glance, but he didn't try to read any more while they were walking. "Between Justin and the Psychos and some connection to the weird things you've all been seeing, I didn't really follow what she was talking about."

"Justin has something to do with it, huh?" TJ shook his head in amusement. "I should have guessed. He got us into almost as much trouble as he got us out of when we were Turbo Rangers."

"Has he been on Eltare long?" Tessa asked, frowning a little. "I didn't even know he had left until Ashley mentioned it."

"Beats me," he admitted. "I haven't seen him all summer. It wouldn't surprise me, though... Justin was so far ahead of the rest of us that school was like a hobby to him. He went because everyone else did, not because he needed to."

"But he graduated, didn't he?"

"Sure," TJ said with a chuckle. "He skipped eighth grade, which almost no one does anymore, and he finished high school a year early. He could have been in college at sixteen, but it sounds like he found something better to do."

Tessa was quiet a moment. "What about his dad?" she asked at last. "I thought he didn't go with you last year because he wanted to stay with his dad."

"He did." TJ sobered a little, wondering about that himself. "I don't know what happened. Maybe he and his dad bonded long enough. Or maybe he still lives with his dad and just visits Eltare on the side; I don't know."

Tessa giggled, and he looked at her in surprise. "Visits Eltare on the side?" she repeated, her eyes sparkling with laughter. "That's what I love about the Rangers. You make these things sound so normal."

"That's what I like about college," TJ countered with a grin. "It makes these things sound so interesting."

"They are!" she exclaimed. "How can you not think that going to other planets is exciting? And meeting aliens, and seeing other dimensions, and--"

"And fighting aliens, and being cloned, and getting e-mails from your teammates that accuse you of sending everything to hell?" he suggested. "Yeah, it's one big party. Remind me to give you a morpher next time one's free and you can see how you like it."

"Put me on the list for Kerone's," she said impishly. "Pink is my second favorite color."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "After blue, you mean?"

She gave him a look of wide-eyed innocence. "How did you guess?"

They were approaching the dining hall by now, and he glanced down at his watch. "Well, you may love me a little less when you see what time it is," he said ruefully. "Should we try to sit down and eat, or do you want to take breakfast with you?"

Tessa looked at her own watch and shook her head. "Plenty of time," she said firmly. "Especially for someone who inhales his food. And it's not like there will be a line."

"Why doesn't anyone eat breakfast?" TJ wanted to know, as they climbed the steps to the main doors. "I don't get it. It's not like there aren't morning classes."

"This from the guy who thinks breakfast is orange juice and coffee!" Tessa retorted. They foyer was predictably deserted, and as they tossed their backpacks in cubbies she added, "No one eats breakfast because no one on campus is civil enough to interact with other people until at least ten, that's my theory."

"So how do you explain eight o'clock classes?" He followed her across the foyer, paying no attention to the bulletin boards and display cases announcing various campus events. The card reader was unmanned this early in the morning, further testament to the lack of traffic in the dining halls at breakfast time.

"Eight o'clocks were thought up by someone who had no idea how universities actually work," Tessa informed him. "Probably an administrator--or maybe a scientist, since all the science classes are offered at eight. Somebody who works nine to five, anyway."

"Or eight to four." TJ paused to swipe his ID before picking up a tray and silverware. "That's another question. Why do all the support staff come in and leave an hour earlier than the rest of the country?"

"They're probably trying to make up for the students," Tessa answered over her shoulder. "Since we get up at noon and go to bed at four in the morning, the OS is engaged in a futile effort to normalize through balance."

"All right, Physics Girl." TJ snapped the tongs in one of the heated buffet dishes at the serving bar, holding up something that was vaguely pancake-like. "If you're so smart, identify this."

Tessa was already waiting at the end of the bar, with nothing but a hard-boiled egg on her tray. "Hash browns," she said immediately, and he gave it an odd look.

"Are you sure?" he asked doubtfully. It didn't look like potatoes.

She rolled her eyes. "There's a reason I don't eat from the bar at breakfast," she reminded him. "My stomach can't take the uncertainty this early in the morning. I'll meet you in the back."

He shrugged, taking two of the potato pancakes, some bacon, and a couple of hard-boiled eggs. He stopped to get both orange juice and coffee, just because he could, and he grinned in anticipation of Tessa's reaction. She thought the combination of fruit sugar and caffeine was what had addicted a state of sports' extremists to Surge. While TJ tended to agree, he didn't see why it was a bad thing.

She was already eating when he joined her, her spoon in a bowl of cereal and her fingers wrapped around a glass of apple juice. TJ frowned in mock disapproval as he sat down across from her. "That," he told her, "is a disgustingly healthy breakfast."

Tessa smile beatifically. "Excuse me," she said, pushing her chair back with careful dignity. "I forgot to get my fruit. I'll be right back."

He rolled his eyes, but he was grinning as he dug into his own food. He was almost as hungry as if he had gone to the gym with her, and he was willing to take his chances with dining hall food. It wasn't up to Max's standards, but it was better than anything TJ could have done on his own. Besides, if something didn't measure up there was always more. He had no trouble believing the "freshman fifteen" jokes about how much weight students gained during their first year.

His gaze drifted back to Ashley's e-mail, and he pulled it out from under his plate so he could skim it while he ate. He hadn't had time to check his e-mail before he left this morning, but Tessa must have thought it was important if she'd printed it out for him. Besides Ashley's ranting about them making decisions without her, not to mention her confusing references to Justin and the Robot Rangers, there was a something at the end that made him sit up and take notice.

If KO-35 really does disown the Astro Rangers, you know, Andros will have to leave. Kerone too, and probably Zhane. He spent years trying to get his home back, and now he could lose it all over again. How would you like being exiled for the rest of your lives?

TJ frowned, alarmed not only by the words but by the sentiment behind them. He hadn't realized how seriously Ashley was taking this. Or how seriously KO-35 was taking it, if what she was saying was true. Wouldn't Kerone have said something if she thought that splitting the team could get her and her brother exiled from their home planet?

"Read the rest of the e-mail?" Tessa asked sympathetically, dropping a banana on her tray as she sat down again. "She sounded pretty worried there toward the end."

"Yeah," TJ said slowly. "I didn't realize it was that big a deal. Why didn't Kerone say anything last night?"

Tessa peeled her banana halfway down and started slicing off pieces into her cereal. "About KO-35 disowning them, you mean? Maybe because it's not very likely? I mean, no matter how upset they are, I can't really imagine a planet exiling its own Rangers. Especially one like KO-35. They're not exactly the safest place in the universe as it is."

TJ couldn't disagree with that. "Isn't disowning their Rangers kind of counterproductive anyway?" he mused. "Their whole point is that they want more Rangers, not less."

"And definitely not none," Tessa put in. "The forces of evil would just love that. 'Oh, look, a helpless little planet in the middle of nowhere! Not only does it have no Rangers, but it's already been overrun twice before!"

"Third time's the charm?" TJ agreed with a chuckle. "I see what you mean. What would make them threaten to do that, then? They must be a lot more upset about this morpher thing than we thought."

"They're bluffing," Tessa said with certainty. Before he could answer, she added, "Or maybe Ashley's exaggerating. I mean, I love her, but she is a little..."

"Dramatic?" TJ suggested.

"Yeah." Tessa swirled her spoon around in her bowl some more, drowning the remaining cheerios in milk and picking out one of the banana slices with her fingers. Popping it into her mouth, she continued, "Maybe she's just upset and trying to lay on the guilt, you know? Worst case scenario stuff."

TJ had already finished off his hash browns and bacon, and he rolled one of his eggs over the tabletop as he considered that. "But why is she so upset? We should have told her, sure, but she wasn't here and Kerone made it sound like she and Zhane and Ashley had already decided basically the same thing the night before anyway. If she knew this was going to happen, why is she swearing at us every other line?"

"I thought she was joking at first," Tessa admitted, glancing at the paper on his tray once more. "The only time I've heard her that indignant is when she's kidding, so I didn't realize she was serious until the end."

"Oh, I've seen her mad before." TJ concentrated on peeling his egg, debating whether this instance really fell into that category. "I can't tell if she's totally serious or not--I feel like it might be a little of both, but it's hard to tell in an e-mail."

"But you do think she's angry at having to choose," Tessa said, the statement more of a question when coupled with the expression on her face.

"Sure," he agreed readily. "In fact, maybe that's why she brought Andros into it; I don't know. She has to join either Earth or KO-35 now, and she's not going to want to. Earth is her home, but..."

"But Andros wants her on KO-35?" Tessa finished. "It's like she has to take sides. I didn't think of that yesterday."

TJ grimaced. "I didn't either." He put salt on the last bite of his egg and reached for the second one as he swallowed. "It doesn't change things, though. I'm sorry for what it means to her, but the team had to split. We did the right thing--the only thing we could do, without leaving Earth unprotected."

Tessa nodded in silent agreement, and for a moment neither of them said anything.

Then TJ brightened deliberately. "Speaking of Homecoming," he remarked, raising his eyebrows at her. "What are you doing this weekend?"

She laughed, though whether at the change of subject or his expression it was impossible to tell. "This weekend... Let's see, I'm working in the lab, going to a study group for Differential Equations, and, from the looks of the textbook, reading about three hundred pages for Thermodynamics."

TJ waved his hand dismissively. "I mean after Friday night. What are you doing the rest of the weekend?"

She made a face at him. "Jock," she accused. "Do you know how much Ned teases me for going out with an athlete? Honestly, it's like you're from another planet or something."

"You're confusing me with my friends," he replied, smirking at her. "So are you going to the game? Because I'm working all Saturday, and I'll let you into the tailgate party if you come keep me company."

"How did you get assigned to the tailgate party?" she demanded. "You can't even drink!"

TJ grinned. "Strange campus, isn't it? But Max is bringing the grill, some friends, and a lot of hamburger, and I know Tommy and Kat are planning to be there. Rocky was even trying to talk Penny into it, last I heard, and Jason went to Homecoming last year."

"Oh, so lots of my friends," Tessa agreed, straight-faced.

"I'll let Karen in if you bring her," he coaxed. "And Jay, if you can pry him away from the lab long enough. Come on; I'll be so bored if you aren't there!"

"You are such a bad influence on me," she muttered, but he could see her trying to hide a smile. "I'll think about it, all right? I have to get to class."

"I'll walk you," he offered, gulping the rest of his coffee as he stood up. "Where are you going? Brandon?"

"You don't have to do that," she protested. "It's halfway across campus."

"I'm just trying to make up for missing our gym date," he assured her, setting his tray on the conveyor belt behind hers. "It's the least I can do. And I promise not to bug you about Homecoming for another--" He took a quick look at his watch. "Three or four hours, or until lunch, whichever comes first."

She laughed. "I guess that's fair," she conceded, pushing open the heavy fire doors that let out into the foyer. "Want to meet out front?"

"Sounds good to me." He swung his backpack over his shoulder, holding the main door for her on the way out. "I'm going to try and track Ashley down before class, see if I can find out what's going on."

He felt his phone hum as they started down the stairs. Fishing it out of his pocket, he raised an eyebrow at the screen. "Message from Carlos," he said, by way of explanation. "Probably doesn't think I'm awake yet," he added with a grin.

The message said simply, Checked your e-mail recently?

He relayed the question to Tessa, then punched Carlos' number into his phone and held it to his ear as they walked. There were more people around now, proving that no matter how many complaints there were about eight o'clocks, some students still got up. At least at the beginning of the semester.

"Hey," Carlos' voice greeted him over the phone. "Did you get Ashley's e-mail?"

"Yeah," he said, glancing at Tessa. "Or at least Tess did, and she showed it to me. She sounds ticked."

"She may be ticked, but she doesn't have any room to complain." Carlos sounded a little irritated himself. "Two-thirds of the team voted to split up. We can't stay together just because she doesn't want to choose between us and Andros."

"I thought that might be what she was really upset about too," TJ said, switching his phone to the other ear so he could take Tessa's hand. He squeezed it apologetically, but she just smiled at him. "I wonder what Andros thinks of the whole thing."

"Did you follow any of that stuff about Eltare?" Carlos asked abruptly. "With Justin and the Psychos?"

"Not much of it," TJ admitted. "I'm heading over in a few minutes to see if I can get some answers. Are you in the dorm?"

"Yeah," Carlos confirmed. "I'll meet you there."

"Right." He hung up and dropped his phone back into his pocket, looking up and down the street automatically as they crossed toward Brandon Hall. "Carlos is going to meet me at Ladd in a few minutes," he told Tessa, turning to her when they paused in front of the building. "I don't know if Ashley's there or not, but maybe we can work things out."

"Good luck," she said with a smile, going up on her tiptoes for a kiss. "It'll be all right, TJ. You did the right thing."

"Thanks." He smiled back, stroking her curls lightly. "Have fun in class."

She rolled her eyes, indicating what she thought the likelihood of that was, but she waved as she turned away. "See you at lunch!" she called over her shoulder.

He waved back, watching until she disappeared through the doors. Then he headed back the way they'd come, wondering whether Carlos would actually wait for him or if the Black Ranger was already knocking on Ashley's door. He'd bet on the latter. Carlos wasn't one to wait around after making a decision.

TJ wasn't disappointed. By the time he reached the third floor of Ladd, Ashley's door was open and it was clear from the conversation inside that she wasn't alone. He stuck his head in, knocking on the door to get their attention, and he smiled when she and Carlos looked up at the same moment.

"Morning," he offered, hoping their closeness was a good sign. "Can I come in?"

"Sure, of course," Ashley said, jumping up. "Missy's off doing yoga somewhere, so I have the room to myself this morning. Carlos said you got my e-mail."

"Yeah," he said, raising an eyebrow at her as he let go of the doorframe and claimed her desk chair. "I read it."

She actually looked a little uncomfortable, and he waited expectantly. "I'm sorry," Ashley said at last, still standing. "I didn't mean it to sound so... huffy. It's just that we didn't get back until really late last night, and then when we saw the news--Andros just got this look on his face, and I guess I kind of freaked out."

"How is Andros taking it?" Carlos wanted to know. "Since you brought it up."

Ashley shifted, frowning down at the floor. "I don't know, exactly," she said at last. "He didn't look mad. He didn't look... anything. He just looked... detached, like he didn't care anymore. And he only looks like that when he's about to do something really drastic, but he won't tell me what it is. It scares me," she confessed, looking over at Carlos.

"Wait a minute," TJ interrupted. "I get the feeling I'm missing something here. Andros got all weird when he heard we'd split up?"

"No," Ashley said quickly. "I think he saw that coming, to tell you the truth. But," she added, glaring at him, "I didn't expect you to do it without us here! Thanks a lot!"

TJ shrugged. "It's not like we didn't make the effort. We had DECA running bioscans of the whole planet, but the clock was ticking and we couldn't find you guys anywhere. Next time leave a forwarding address."

For a moment her expression didn't change, but finally she sighed. "Okay, that's fair, I guess. But for the record, we didn't expect to be gone that long. Justin showed up with some wild story about interdimensional travel, and somehow we ended up on Eltare before I even figured out what he was talking about. I still don't really understand it, to tell the truth."

"Which explains why your e-mail on the subject was one of the most confusing things I've ever read," Carlos put in, and she shot him a look that said she was two seconds from sticking her tongue out at him. "What? It was!"

"So why are you worried about Andros, again?" TJ asked, making an attempt to force the conversation back into some sort of linear progression.

Ashley hesitated, diverted. "He's going to do something," she murmured. "I just don't know what."

"KO-35 released some kind of statement last night," Carlos answered, when TJ gave him an exasperated glance. "Ashley says they refused to sanction the Astro Rangers' decision. Of course, the rest of the universe doesn't care whether they sanction it or not, but basically it's their way of saying they disapprove."

"Well, we didn't expect them to throw us a party," TJ commented. "Why did it surprise Andros?"

"It's not that it surprised him," Ashley said with a sigh. "It's the fact that IN is making a huge deal out of it, and KO-35 isn't doing anything to stop them. It's all over the news that the Kerova system is two steps away from disowning their Rangers, which it turns out no one in the history of the League has ever done."

TJ found himself at a loss for words, but Carlos didn't have that problem. "At least we know where Andros gets his stubbornness," he quipped. "Too bad we can't tell whether it's genetic or cultural."

Instead of protesting, Ashley seemed to relax a little. Sinking back onto the bed, she wrinkled her nose at Carlos. "Definitely cultural," she said, with surprising good humor. "The whole Council can't be related, and they're the ones that started this mess."

"As long as we have someone to blame," Carlos replied. "Aren't there a few other things we could pin on them while we're at it? World hunger, the existence of evil, that sort of thing?"

Ashley actually giggled a little. "Intergalactic news?" she suggested. "Homework? The creation of oatmeal?"

"Sounds just like them, the sneaky devils," Carlos agreed. "And I can't believe I just said 'sneaky devils', so you'd better cheer up or it will have been for nothing."

Ashley laughed again, then leaned over to hug him impulsively. "I do feel better," she admitted. "Thanks, Carlos. And TJ. I missed you guys this summer," she added, smiling at them both. "It's nice to have you around again."

"We aim to please," TJ said good-naturedly, putting the rest of his questions about KO-35 on hold and choosing a safer subject. "And speaking of missing persons, what's going on with Justin? What made him kidnap you and Andros yesterday?"

"Where is Andros, anyway?" Carlos interrupted, derailing TJ's effort. "I thought he'd be here--did he take off to try and intimidate the Council in person? I wouldn't put it past him."

"He didn't say," Ashley said slowly. At least she looked more pensive than concerned this time. "He left for KO-35 this morning, but if he had a plan he didn't tell me what it was."

***

Zhane woke up. That was all he was sure of at first, though eventually it did occur to him that there was light. It looked like sunlight, even, which meant that it was probably daytime. He added that to the list of things he knew and rolled over, hoping for a better glimpse of his surroundings.

The light pierced his eyes as he came face to face with a window, and he flinched. It was harder to see with his eyes closed, but he figured the tradeoff was one he was willing to make. His head throbbed as he struggled to sit up, and between that and the stabbing pain that had come with the light he didn't notice how sore he was until he tried to swing his legs over the edge of the bed.

He stifled a gasp, wondering if getting up was really worth all this effort. Maybe he could just stay in bed until he felt better. Unfortunately, the major flaw in that plan was that this didn't seem to be his bed, and since he didn't actually know where he was he couldn't be certain he wanted to stay here. He cracked his eyes open once more, considering the part of the room that he could see.

It was a nice enough room, he supposed, not much neater than the one he shared with Andros but larger and better lit. Sunlight streamed in through two large windows on the south side, but he found that as long as he didn't look directly at them the light didn't bother him so much. It certainly didn't bother the plants that crowded the corners and stretched out across every available surface, and he wondered briefly why they weren't clustered around the windows.

The windows... he didn't dare glance back at them, but it suddenly occurred to him that he wasn't wearing anything. He looked around carefully, not sure he was up to anything more than a visual search. Despite the fact that the floor was littered with clothes, none of them seemed to be his. He was just trying to decide what to do about that when he realized his silver t-shirt and dark trousers had been folded neatly and placed on the other side of the bed.

There were a lot of things that Zhane wasn't very clear on about the night before, but he was pretty sure he hadn't done that. Presumably, then, he hadn't gone to bed alone. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that he had woken up during the night--and that he hadn't been alone then, either.

Great, he thought with a sigh. Not only did I get drunk enough to sleep with someone, I don't even remember who it was. That's going to go over really well. He was guessing from the unfamiliar surroundings that it hadn't been Astrea, and from the way he felt he suspected it hadn't even been a "her".

On the plus side, he was less likely to offend a guy by forgetting his name than a girl.

He reached over to retrieve his trousers, wincing when the movement threw off his tenuous equilibrium. He persevered, though, managing to pull them on and push himself into a standing position somewhat simultaneously. He stopped there, congratulating himself on the accomplishment while he eyed his shirt warily. It smelled of smoke and it was dirtier than it was wrinkled, which was saying something.

He couldn't convince himself to put it on. Instead he made his way toward the only doorway as he was, avoiding the windows as best he could and hoping he didn't look quite as ragged as he felt. He took a deep breath by the door, steeling himself for the uncertainty of the other side before pushing it open.

A boy with wavy chestnut hair looked up from the table, his gaze flicking across Zhane's bare chest before catching his eye. He put his mug down and got to his feet, smiling a little in welcome. "Morning," he said, then shot a look toward the window and amended, "Well, afternoon, anyway.

"I'm Ty," he added, lifting his shoulders with a self-consciousness that seemed uncharacteristic somehow.

Zhane relaxed slightly. "I'm Zhane," he offered, smiling in return. "Thanks, uh--thanks for letting me sleep."

"Just woke up myself," Ty assured him, but his freshly washed appearance and the steaming mug in front of him gave the lie to his words. "I made some tea, if your head's bothering you. And there's hot water if you want a shower."

"That'd be great," Zhane agreed gratefully. "Thanks."

Ty was already taking another mug out of the drainer and filling it with something that steamed as he poured it. He cocked his head at Zhane, indicating that he should follow, and led the way into a bathroom near what seemed to be the front door. He caught a glimpse of open fields through the window, and he wondered again exactly where he was.

"The showers are in the back," Ty was saying, setting the mug down between the sinks and pulling a clean towel out of one of the cupboards. "The other guys aren't up yet, so you should have the bathroom to yourself."

He tried to remember if he knew anything about how the agrec crew lived, or more specifically what size groups they lived in, but he could call nothing to mind. In lieu of asking, he said simply, "Sounds good," and waited until Ty pulled the door shut behind him on his way out.

He didn't hear the door open again, but Ty must have been back through because by the time he emerged from his shower there were clean clothes by the sink. He was still alone in the bathroom, so they were obviously intended for him--but his trousers were there too, making it clear that it was just an offer, not a suggestion. He decided to take Ty up on it, since his own clothes weren't in any condition to be smelled--let alone worn--right now.

Between the tea, the shower, and the clothes, he felt almost decent by the time he left the bathroom and found Ty fussing over the stove. The other boy lifted his head when the door opened, and there was an appreciative look in his eyes when he caught sight of Zhane. "You should think about joining agrec," he joked. "Black looks good on you."

Zhane grinned. "Not as good as it looks on you," he tossed back, falling easily into the tease-compliment routine. This was a game he knew. "If I'd known this was where all the good-looking people were hiding, I'd have come out here a long time ago."

"Just as well you didn't," Ty answered over his shoulder. "I only volunteered a couple of months ago, and I'd have been disappointed if someone else got to you first."

"You and me both," Zhane agreed, dropping his towel over the back of a chair and running his fingers through his still damp hair. That was when he noticed the peculiarity of Ty's appearance. "Hey, when did you get up, anyway? Your hair's dry!"

Ty laughed, not turning around. It was a pleasant sound, and Zhane found himself grinning again. It was nice to meet someone who knew levity when he heard it. The world took itself entirely too seriously these days.

"There's a hot air compressor out back," Ty said, gesturing with one hand. "We use it on our clothes when it's raining out. Keeps my hair from taking hours to dry when I'm not outside."

Zhane studied him for a minute. The brown waves of Ty's auburn-streaked hair fell to his shoulders, and it was probably longer when water added weight to straighten it out. He wondered suddenly what it looked like in the sun, if the highlights glowed red the way they promised to in the muted indoor light. He wondered, too, what color Ty's skin was in the real light of day, without dark shadows or flickers of firelight--

"What?" Ty was asking, giving a half-smile over his shoulder. "Just because your hair probably takes five minutes to dry, don't begrudge me my vanity."

Zhane flashed his most charming smile in return. "I was just wondering what you look like in the sunshine," he said frankly. "Because if you're anymore beautiful than you are now, I won't be able to look directly at you."

Ty laughed again, shaking his head as he turned back to the stove. "You're good," he admitted, a note of admiration in his voice. "You're really good. So are you going to let me feed you before you sneak off, or should I leave the extra food for my housemates?"

Zhane's smile faded a little. "Am I sneaking off?" he asked, making sure his voice was neutral. "Is there a time limit, or do I just have to be gone by the time your friends get up?"

"Well--" Ty flipped the old burner off on the stove and glanced back at him, wariness on his face. "No, I mean... I thought you had one. A time limit, I mean."

Zhane frowned, trying to remember what he could possibly have said the night before.

Ty must have misinterpreted his silence. "I wasn't sure if you wanted to be seen here, that's all," he said quickly. "I understand that what happened last night was just a--a thing, and I don't... I don't want you to feel like you have some kind of obligation."

Zhane stared at him, and a sudden revelation overwhelmed whatever he had been about to say. "Wow," he breathed into the silence. "Your eyes are gold!"

Ty blinked, looking startled, and Zhane shook his head. "Sorry," he apologized, drawing back. "I only know one other person with gold eyes, and it surprised me.

"I don't feel like I have an obligation," he added, before Ty could answer. "I won't pretend I remember all of what happened last night, but if you're offering breakfast, don't think I won't take you up on it."


"It's actually closer to lunch, now," Ty murmured, but he looked pleased. "And I'm not much of a cook, but I can make omelets with the best of them. Or maybe the most mediocre of them--it's sort of a toss up."

Relieved to be back on familiar footing, Zhane commented, "Well, I'd offer to help, but I'm told I shouldn't be allowed to boil water, much less prepare food. My role in the kitchen is more that of the unconditional complimenter than anything else."

Ty grinned, looking more sure of himself as he agreed, "I can live with that. There are plates in that cupboard over there, if you want to grab something to eat off of. Do you want anything to drink?"

"Yeah," Zhane said ruefully, then paused. "I was going to say, 'more of that tea', but my headache's gone. What's in that stuff, anyway?"

Ty shrugged, pulling a couple of glasses out of a drawer. "Just some herbs... it's a local remedy, I think." He caught Zhane's knowing expression and his lips quirked. "Of course, we add a stimulant and some serious painkillers."

"Of course," Zhane agreed good-naturedly. "No reason to be miserable."

Ty lifted a glass in salute. "Exactly what I say!"

They had the table and the room to themselves for most of breakfast, and despite Ty's warning the food tasted exceptionally good. Zhane supposed it helped that he couldn't remember the last time he had eaten, but on the other hand, the mere fact that he couldn't remember was linked to the idea that food of any kind ought to be making him nauseous right now. So he stopped wondering and just enjoyed it, trading jokes and the occasional snide comment with the resident chef while they ate.

One of the housemates Ty had mentioned wandered through as they were finishing up, but his eyes were only half open and he didn't acknowledge them in any way as he headed for the bathroom. Another boy appeared a few minutes later, looking considerably more awake, but he poured himself some tea and headed outside without a word. Their lack of curiosity put Zhane back at ease, and he released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"If they weren't so hung over they might at least have said hi," Ty offered apologetically. "None of us are very social in the morning."

Zhane waved it away, getting to his feet to help Ty with the dishes. "I make it a habit never to speak to anyone for at least half an hour after I wake up," he commented. "No matter where I am, I always wake up disoriented and mean. It's bad for my image."

Ty chuckled. "Does that mean you were lying awake in my room for half an hour before you came out here?"

Zhane smirked at him. "Does that mean you don't think I was disoriented and mean? I like you better the longer I talk to you."

"I have that effect on a lot of people," Ty remarked. "My sister calls it brainwashing."

"Consider me brainwashed," Zhane said agreeably. "You'll have to teach me sometime."

Ty paused, an odd smile on his face. "I think you've got it down," he replied. "Trust me." As he took Zhane's plate and put it on the wash rack, he added, "So are you in a hurry, or can I give you a hover tour? There's a lot of land out there, and most of it's in full bloom right now."

"Can't," Zhane said regretfully. He couldn't remember what Astrea had said the time difference was, but he knew it was later in Keyota than it was here. "I'd better go make sure the others haven't disbanded the Council or something. Blown it up, maybe; Astrea would probably like that."

"Right, of course." Ty offered a token smile. "We've even heard about that out here. Good luck with--everything."

Ty actually looked disappointed, and that was enough to convince Zhane that he wasn't just being polite. "Hey," he said impulsively. "Are you busy tonight? We don't have any hay parties, but Keyota's kind of a fun place... I bet we could find something to do."

Ty's smile widened. "I'd like that," he agreed. "I've never been to Keyota."

"I'll pick you up so you don't have to fly into the city alone," Zhane suggested. "The traffic's a nightmare. Do you want dinner? I promise not to cook."

"Sure," Ty said with a laugh. "That sounds great. Is seven all right?"

Zhane tried to do the math in his head, but he didn't even know where to start. "I have no idea what the time difference is," he confessed, giving Ty a rueful grin. "Tell me how many hours that is from now, and I'll be here."

***

The words were starting to blur together on the screen. She blinked, refocused, and watched the letters sharpen once more. She got through a few more sentences before they began to waver again, and she lowered the reader with little regret. She hadn't really felt like reading anyway, but it seemed lazy to lie around doing nothing.

Kerone turned her head so she could watch the sun slant across the courtyard. The light was more adventurous than she felt this morning. Stretched out on the windowseat in the common room, she was only barely motivated to keep her eyes open, let alone do anything constructive. She wondered idly if she could justify taking a nap so soon after getting up.

She didn't think she dozed off, but she started when the door slammed across the hall. For one panicked moment, she thought someone had gotten past Ecliptor and come for her, but the common room registered as "friendly" before she could follow through with the assassin reflex. She took a measured breath as her heartbeat started to slow, and she wondered if she would ever get over that.

"Kerone?"

At the sound of Andros' voice, she closed her eyes again, hoping he would go away if he thought she was napping. It wasn't so much that she wanted to avoid him as it was that she just didn't want to talk to him. She knew what he was going to ask, and she doubted he would be pleased with the answer.

"Kerone?" Andros' tone was gentler now, but it wasn't going away. "Kerone, wake up. I need to talk to you."

She barely kept herself from sighing as she opened her eyes. "About what?" she murmured, surprised when she didn't have to feign the fog in her voice. She must have been asleep longer than she thought.

"About your morpher," he answered, sitting down beside her on the edge of the windowseat.

She blinked up at him. "What?" That wasn't what she had expected at all.

"I need to talk to you about your morpher," he repeated patiently. "The Council is pretty upset about us 'giving' Earth three of our morphers, and since I wasn't there when you voted, I want to know what you think."

She did sigh this time, putting one hand behind her head and staring deliberately up at the ceiling. "Andros, can't we have one day where we don't talk about the Council? Just one day."

He was quiet for a moment, and she couldn't help glancing at him to see what his expression looked like. It wasn't brooding or resigned, as she had expected. In fact, it was so out of context that it took her a moment to recognize it, but when she did, she sat up abruptly and stared at him harder.

Andros looked smug. She hadn't seen him look smug in weeks, maybe longer. Yet here he was, the smirk on his face faint but unmistakable as he gazed out the window.

"How about more than a day?" he suggested at last, his eye drawn back to her when she sat up. "How about several at a time? Starting tomorrow."

She narrowed her eyes at him, her mind racing as she tried to figure out what he was up to. He didn't want to talk about the Council. It must have something to do with Ashley. Had she told him what they had discussed the night the Council first tried to recall the morphers? Could she somehow have convinced him that ignoring Kinwon would be more effective than trying to fight him?

But he had asked about the morpher Cassie gave her, and he'd mentioned the vote--was he having second thoughts? Did he want her reassurance that the team was doing the right thing, or did he have something else in mind? She hadn't been able to outthink him as Astronema, and she couldn't do it as Kerone either. It drove her crazy.

"Kerone," he said, watching her intently. "I need to know. Did you vote to split the team?"

She nodded without hesitation. "I voted to make the split that already existed official, yes. TJ and Carlos should keep their morphers, whether Earth needs them right now or not. So should Ashley."

Andros smiled, surprising her again. "Yeah, they should. How did the others vote?"

"It was unanimous." She was still trying to figure out where he was going with this, futile though the effort might be. "If you agree, then..."

"You just said you weren't sure Earth needed Rangers right now," Andros interrupted, when she trailed off. "What about KO-35? Do you think it needs Rangers?"

Kerone frowned. "You mean militarily? In terms of planetary defense? No, I don't think either planet needs a Ranger team right now. But that's not all the Rangers are."

"No, it's not," Andros agreed. "The Alliance seems to know that, don't you think?"

She glared at him. "Andros, if you're trying to say something, just say it. This is stupid."

Instead of glaring back at her, her brother grinned. "I know. But I had a lot of time to think about it on the way here, and I'm trying to see if it makes as much sense out loud as it did in my head."

"If *what* makes sense?" she demanded. "If you're saying that the Council doesn't appreciate the Rangers, I'm not arguing. But I don't see what difference it makes. We can't change the Council."

"But we can change the Rangers," Andros replied. "If the Council doesn't like the way we're handling things, why don't we just resign? You've always said you don't want to be a Ranger, and I'm getting really tired of this fight. It's not like there are lives at stake."

Kerone gaped at him. As the meaning of his words sank in, she gave him a suspicious look. "Who are you, and what have you done with my brother? Since when do you quit? You've been a Ranger all your life, and you're going to give it up for good?"

Andros shrugged idly. "Zhane says you can't fight every little battle that comes along or you won't have enough left for the ones that count," he said, and the moment he mentioned the Silver Ranger she knew he wasn't considering this just to spite the Council. He actually had thought about it.

"Lately I feel like we've been fighting an endless series of little battles," he added, glancing out the window before looking back at her. "They don't mean anything, but the Council never lets up. I'm tired, it's wearing Zhane down, and I know you hate it. So let's stop."

"I'm not disagreeing," she said slowly, trying to work through the implications in her head before she committed herself to either side. "And I'm certainly not a Ranger. But you will be whether you resign or not, probably for the rest of your life. Are you sure you wouldn't regret giving up the Power?"

"No," Andros answered. He shrugged again, giving her a response so typical of him that she almost laughed. "But I think it's the right thing to do."

"Strangely," she said, feeling a smile play about her lips, "that makes me feel better."

The door slammed again, and a black blur bounded down the hallway toward the stairs. There was something vaguely familiar about it, but she hadn't quite gotten her mind past its energetic bounce when Andros called out to it. "Zhane, wait up!"

Kerone winced. She wished now that Andros had asked the question she'd been dreading earlier. She had come to some alarming conclusions about an hour after climbing into bed this morning, and she was going to make sure Zhane paid for her lost sleep later. In the meantime, she could think of very few ways for this to go well.

There was a thump in the hallway, which she guessed meant Zhane had made it up three or four of the stairs before hearing Andros' shout. He was still running when he hit the common room, grabbing the doorframe and swinging to slow his momentum as he galloped into the room. He had a huge grin on his face and his good spirits were so contagious that she laughed aloud.

He threw himself down on the windowseat beside her, winking when he let his head fall back on her shoulder. "Hello," he said cheekily. "Is this space taken?"

"It is now," she said, trying to stifle another giggle. "Having a good day?"

He threw his arms out to the sides, stopping just short of hitting the window. "How could you tell?" he demanded dramatically. "I thought I was being so subtle!"

"About as subtle as you always are," she retorted, seeing Andros grin out of the corner of her eye. His change of clothes hadn't escaped her, but she hoped that if she didn't comment on it, Andros might not ask either. "Listen up," she suggested. "My brother has something interesting to say for once."

Zhane let his head roll to the side so he could regard Andros upside down. "Hey, Andros," he offered, no discernible change in his tone. "I haven't seen you in years! Well, days," he corrected, as though it were almost the same thing.

"Looks like Kerone's been keeping you busy," Andros answered with a grin.

She blinked, and then she realized that Andros had no way of knowing that the agrec genetics symbol on Zhane's shirt was any different from the general crew logo she had worn. As far as he was concerned, agrec was agrec. She glanced at Zhane, but he didn't seem inclined to enlighten Andros either.

"Had to find something to do," he said instead. This time she noticed the slightly less enthusiastic note in his voice, and she wondered if he sounded cooler only because she was listening for it. "So what's your exciting news?"

She glanced at Andros as Zhane sat up, giving the Red Ranger an expectant look as he straightened. Whether intentionally or not, Zhane radiated impatience by virtue of his sheer energy, and that Andros noticed. If he hadn't picked up on the change in his friend's tone, he didn't miss the implication that Zhane was about three seconds from leaping to his feet again.

"I think we should resign," Andros said, making no attempt to soften his declaration. "Give up our morphers, let new Astro Rangers take our places. There are better things we could be doing, and I'm tired of the Council."

"Me too," Zhane agreed, bouncing up off the windowseat. "But I'm not giving up my morpher. Good idea, though; let me know how it turns out." And he sauntered out of the room without another word.

Kerone stared at the door for several seconds before it occurred to her to go after him. Obviously, Andros wasn't the only one who'd had enough--leave it to Zhane to snap cheerfully and completely without warning. She scrambled up from her place by the windows and darted toward the door, but Andros' voice stopped her before she could reach the hallway.

"Kerone?" He sounded utterly bewildered. "What's going on?"

She rolled her eyes. "Does it look like I'm the one you should be asking?" she demanded, turning back to face him. "Why did you ask me what I thought but not Zhane? Why did you explain it to me and not him? Is he just an extension of you now?"

"That's not fair!" Andros protested. "I know how Zhane thinks, okay? I wasn't sure how you'd react, so I asked. I don't have to ask with Zhane. I just know."

"You just know," she repeated, staring at him. When he glared back at her, she rolled her eyes. "You can't really think that's my shirt he's wearing, Andros." She left the common room without waiting for his answer.

fin