Disclaimer: Very few of the characters within belong to me. You'll know which is which. I'm not making anything on any of them anyway, so nobody should get excited.

Many thanks to Rach. Dagmar, this ending is for you.

Angel with Two Faces

Chapter 8

"Hey, Ba'altesch… hang on a minute." Miri stopped and looked at the door of the landing they'd just reached.

He turned a kindly face to his friend. "Are you tired, Miri? We can rest, if need be. You did take quite a blow to your head."

She shook the head in question. "No, I'm fine. No more rattling. But isn't this the level with the gymnasium and storage lockers?"

"Feeling a need to work out?" This was Jason, crossing his arms across his chest.

Miri made a face at him. "Funny, aren't you? Listen, you two, I know I only had a cursory tour of the facility, but I seem to recall that this level had a western entrance stairway, which could conceivably be a lot less dangerous than this one." She nudged a chunk of debris for emphasis. "Might be worth a check anyhow."

Jason nodded. "After you." They picked their way to the gymnasium, a large, open facility. Jason looked around in something approaching wonder. "How big is this ACC, anyway?"

Miri shrugged. "I'm not positive, but it's got full living facilities for several hundred Rangers, not to mention weapons and vehicle storage. It's pretty big." Jason whistled, impressed.

The gym was deserted, though it was obvious that it hadn't been when the shockwave hit. Abandoned water bottles and exercise equipment, evidence of injury in the form of bandage wrappings and spots of blood here and there, discarded sports clothing and a lone sneaker stood in mute testimony to the thriving community that the ACC was used to housing.

Miri rubbed her chin. "Evac must be well underway. We should probably get moving, but as long as we're here…" She hurried off in the direction of a storage closet and returned, moments later, with three small uniforms and her cheek full of something crunchy. "Here. You've been wearing that t-shirt for quite a while."

Jason eyed the uniform she held out to him dubiously. "That looks like it might fit a child, but…"

She swallowed and grinned. "They stretch. Trust me. If it'll fit Ba'altesch – " and she nodded after the departing blue alien, who was headed for the men's locker room, blue uniform clenched in his fist. "Oh, and here." She handed him a foil-wrapped granola bar. "I'm starving, and it's only been a day or so since I ate. You must be at least a little hungry."

Jason opened his mouth to reply, but a loud rumble from his midsection settled the question. He grinned and grabbed the granola bar and the scrap of red and followed Ba'altesch.

The ladies' locker room afforded wet wipes and an abandoned comb. Miri tossed out her scrubs, including the little green cap she'd had over her head and made grateful use of both. She returned to the gym floor reasonably clean, her honey-colored hair tied back in its usual braid, to find Ba'altesch and Jason already waiting for her. She eyed the red-clad man. "Very nice. Told you it would fit."

He grinned. "I should have known better than to doubt a Cranston." Jason looked down at himself. "Red, huh? It's been a while since I've worn this color. What made you pick red instead of gold or black?"

Miri snorted. "Are you kidding? You're Jason Scott, the legendary first Red Ranger. Your story is known all over the galaxy, on the same scale as the once and future king." The look of horrified dismay that crossed his handsome face was so comical she began to giggle. "Blame it on Uncle Tom. But red is definitely your color, buckaroo." They headed up the western stairs. "In fact if you want your old uniform it's housed in the library here."

Jason stopped and stared. "You're kidding, right?"

Ba'altesch beamed. "Indeed not. I made a point of viewing the display case in the library upon my arrival. Ranger history is something of a passion of mine. It was very exciting to see the original uniforms."

"What, they're all there?"

Miri nodded. "Yep. All the original five in the main showcase, right as you go in. Uncle Tom, Uncle Rocky, Aunt Kat and the rest of the second wave have their own case. The rest of the retired uniforms are in the museum on Eltar."

"Museum on – oh, Lord." Jason shook his head.

They climbed in silence for a few minutes.

Then Jason said quietly, "Miri? Will you tell me about Kim, please?"

~*~

The conference room in the best repair was easily and efficiently turned into an emergency ops/comm center, where ACC command was attempting to make sense of what had happened.

Trini finished analyzing the data from the Interceptor immediately before the explosion and turned to the rest of the room, her expression shadowed. "No life signs aboard her when she entered the atmosphere."

Billy glanced up. "I hear a but."

Trini nodded. "But Carter was on board."

There was a moment of silence, broken by a pungent oath from Eric. Billy merely nodded, his expression stony.

He spoke into his comm. "Okay, Cole, emergency relief is all yours. Deploy whatever you think is necessary. Areas in greatest need include Japan, the Pacific Islands, Hawaii, and California; they're still feeling aftershocks there. The Station should be entering Terran orbit in thirty-six hours, and you'll be able to increase relief efforts then. Also, Qetre, Eltar and Mirinoi are on standby. Got all that?"

"Got it covered, Admiral. Cole out."

Billy shoved his fingers into his hair. "My God," he said, his voice hollow. "And the death toll is still climbing."

The door slid open. "Then we just have to get this guy, whoever he is, and make him pay."

"Don't even tell me," Billy said exasperatedly, without looking up. "What'd you do, threaten the medic into pumping that leg full of novocaine?"

"Pretty much," Tommy said, wincing as he made his way forward on crutches. He lowered himself into a chair gingerly with the help of his son and Kailey.

"You know," Kailey said conversationally, "I didn't pull you out of there for you to act like an idiot."

Trini looked up sharply, but Tommy only chuckled and patted the younger woman on the shoulder. "I always act like an idiot if given the chance. Ask your mom."

Trini gave the ghost of a smile. "Apology accepted."

Maya leaned forward, her gaze focused on her monitor. "Incoming transmission."

Eric joined her. "From?"

Maya frowned. "The moon." There was a collective intake of breath; Maya's fingers played over the computer console. "It's encoded, Admiral. For you and Commander Oliver, eyes only."

"Whose code?" Tommy snapped.

"It's…" Maya glanced up at him, her expression filled with surprise. "Commander Katherine Oliver's, sir."

Tommy hissed in a breath. "Everyone out." Scott protested, but was quelled by a look from his father. "It's eyes only, Scott. She had to have a reason. You know your mom."

They filed out slowly, Eric bringing up the rear. "This is a highly suspicious action for the moon recon to take, given the explosion and Grayson's death. On the record, I don't like it, Admiral," he bit out.

Billy raised his brows. "Noted." The door slid shut behind them, he activated the decryption code, and the holoscreen flickered to life. Billy shot to his feet with an oath; Tommy gripped the arms of his chair, turning his knuckles white.

"Hello, Thomas, my old friend. You got my message, I think?"

~*~

Once in the hall, Kailey threaded her fingers into Scott's and pulled him a short distance away. "What?" he said, a trifle impatiently. "I want to – "

"You want to know what that message is about," she cut him off. "I took honors in communication tech. Find me a terminal."

Scott grinned and tugged on a strand of her hair. "I think you're in the wrong div. Let's see if the library terminals are working."

The others were too busy discussing possible strategies to notice the two younger Rangers slip away. They found a terminal that had more or less survived damage from the blast; Kailey worked some magic on the console, and the encrypted communiqué unscrambled before their horrified eyes.

~*~

The group in the hall jumped visibly as the door shot open and Billy strode out, followed at a short distance by Tommy. Trini recognized the lines of strain on Tommy's face and knew the news had been bad.

Tommy spoke shortly. "Myers, you've got command until further notice. Put the ACC on high alert in exactly six hours and put together an offensive for attacking the lunar base in the meantime, but there is to be no action until the six hours are up, you got that?"

"What the – ?" Eric expostulated. "Where are you going to b – oh, no. There's no way in hell that I'm going to let you two go haring off to the moon alone! Let me put together an offensive now, and we can – "

"I don't have time for this," Tommy growled. "Either you follow orders or I find someone who will."

Eric stood stock still, his dark eyes blazing. "This is suicide, Commander, Admiral. Sheer lunacy. I won't allow it."

And then Billy did something Trini had never seen him do before: he pulled rank.

He turned to Eric, his blue gaze icy, pinning the younger man in place. "You're out of line, Commander. Need I remind you who is the superior officer here?"

Eric stared for a moment, mouth open. Trini knew how he felt.

Billy nodded. "You have your orders, Commander. I expect you to carry them out to the letter." His gaze softened as he looked at Trini. "Tell Miri – "

She shook her head. "You tell her, when you get back."

Billy's lips twisted in a wry smile; he nodded. He slipped his shoulder under Tommy's arm. "Come on, Tom. There's not much time."

In the library, a computer terminal went on automatic standby, but the ones who had been using it were no longer there to see.

~*~

"I feel like I've died and hell is a never-ending stairway," said Miri, panting slightly.

Jason chuckled. Ba'altesch, who was ahead of them, called back buoyantly, "Level one!"

"Oh, are you serious?" Miri took the last few steps two at a time and clapped her hands as she read the sign on the stairwell door. "Hallelujah! My two absolutely favorite words in the language: level one!" She burst through the door, Ba'altesch hard on her heels. "Dad! Dad?"

The spacious common area was deserted, barring a clump of people outside one of the conference rooms. Miri ran forward and grabbed her aunt around the midsection; Trini turned and hugged her, hard, crying a little.

"Miri! Sweetheart! Thank goodness…" Trini's voice died away completely as she caught sight of a red-clad figure walking slowly toward them. Color drained from her usually serene countenance.

"Jason…?" she whispered, her voice thick.

Beside her, Rocky muttered what Miri assumed was a quiet prayer, though the words were in Spanish. Taylor looked at them in confusion, and Miri could tell the exact second she figured out who Jason was: her jaw dropped, her blue eyes grew round. Eric made the same realization at the same time, sliding an arm around his wife. Maya was talking quietly to Ba'altesch, but from the way she stared at Jason, it was pretty clear the blue-skinned man had explained who he was.

Jason offered an embarrassed smile. "Hey, guys. Sorry I'm late."

Trini was the first to recover from her paralysis, flying at Jason, crying incoherently. Rocky grinned hugely and embraced them both, and for a long time nothing was said.

And then explanations and expostulations tumbled over each other in chaotic abandon as everyone began speaking at once; but eventually Miri got the whole story, and she frowned. "And you just let them go?" she challenged Eric, who frowned back.

"No choice. Doesn't mean I liked it." The Black div. Commander was clearly chafing at the thought.

"Tom left you in charge, huh?" Jason wanted to know. At Eric's nod, Jason grinned at him. "Then give yourself an assignment."

Eric stared at him, and then a slow smile spread over his face. "An excellent idea." The two dark-haired men clapped each other on the back, obviously highly pleased with one another. Miri looked at them, pretty sure where this was leading. Eric's next words confirmed her suspicions. "Rocky, the ACC's all yours until further notice." He ignored Rocky's expression, the taller man's brows climbing practically off his forehead. To Jason Eric added, "We'll need to find out what they plan to do if we're going to back them up."

Taylor touched her husband's arm and nodded shortly. "I'll go prep Nemesis. Meet me there when you're ready." To Miri, Eric looked like he wanted to protest, but Taylor's earlier self-assessment as the best pilot in the fleet was fairly accurate, next to Kat Oliver, and Eric knew it. To his credit, he simply watched her go.

She had a thought. "Hacking into an encrypted comm would be on Kailey's list of skills. Where is she?"

Trini looked around, surprised. "She was right here a minute ago. Scott too."

Miri stared, her blue eyes wide. She knew where she'd be if she were in Kailey's yellow boots. "Just when did you lose track of her?"

"I – we left the comm room when the coded message came in, and…" A tiny frown appeared on Trini's smooth forehead. "This isn't like her."

"On the contrary, it's exactly like her," Miri said. "I could be wrong, though."

Trini raised her wrist. "Kailey? Honey, come in. Are you there?" She looked up at her niece, her expression troubled. "No answer."

Jason shook his head. "If she's your daughter, Tri, she's backing up a friend regardless of cost."

Trini looked at him doubtfully. "You know about –?"

"Yes. Miri told me. Kim's DNA. Doesn't mean she's not your daughter."

Trini shot him a grateful look while Miri was busy fiddling with her comm. "There!" She looked up at her aunt. "Emergency override code. She'll buzz me back if she's still in range."

Trini was mildly affronted. "Why don't I have that?"

Miri rolled her eyes. "You're her mom." Miri's comm buzzed, and she answered it. "What the heck are you doing, pipsqueak?"

"Trying to save the world, brainiac," came Kailey's tart response. "What are you doing, eating bonbons and painting your nails?"

Miri growled. "Yeah. I was thinking sort of a bright red, like your blood when I get my hands on you. Just as a point of curiosity, do you doofuses have a plan of any kind, or were you just winging it?"

There was a pause. "Well…"

"I thought so, Miss Go-Off-Half-Assed."

"That's supposed to be 'half-cocked'."

Miri snorted. "Not in your case. You hacked the comm while it was incoming, didn't you?"

"'Course." At this nonchalant reply, Kailey's mother groaned audibly and Eric muttered something incoherent. Miri wasn't sure, but it sounded like 'ought to be in Black div. where I can keep an eye on her'.

Miri grinned. "Anyone notice?"

It was Kailey's turn to snort. "Please."

Miri chuckled. "Dumb question. OK. Send me the decryption info, willya? We need to see this little love note."

There was a pause, then Kailey said, "Done. Anything else?"

"Dad and Uncle Tom haven't the faintest idea you're there, do they?"

"No."

"Good." Miri glanced up at the others. "Keep it that way. We're coming after you. I'll be in touch as soon as we have something figured out, okay?"

There was a muffled consultation on the other end, and Kailey agreed.

"Okay." Miri's voice gentled. "You be careful, small one. Can I talk to our friend J. Scott Oliver?"

Scott's voice came through space. "What can I do for you?"

"Funny you should put it that way." Miri's voice hardened. "Take care of my little sis, J. Scott. Point of fact you bring her back to me with nary a hair out of place or I'll personally skin you alive, you got that?"

Scott's voice was clear and steady. "Miri, if I bring her back to you in anything other than pristine condition, I'll let you."

Miri's smile was soft. "You be careful too, Scott." She lowered her arm. "I like him. He's a good guy."

"Damn well better be," growled Trini.

"You got that decryption sequence?" Eric was already at the door to the comm room.

Miri nodded and followed him in. Jason was close on her heels; close enough to whisper, "J. Scott Oliver?"

"Uncle Tom's oldest," she whispered back. "Named for you." The grin that piece of information generated was bigger than the ACC, Miri reflected. And a darned handsome grin it was.

She brought up the encoded transmission and input Kailey's information. The holographic scenario that unfolded before the collected group could not, in Miri's considered opinion, have been worse.

"Hello, Thomas, my old friend. You got my message, I think?"