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Tommy awoke and looked down at the sleeping form curled against him. It took several moments before the memories of the night before crystallized in his mind. _It wasn't a dream_, he thought to himself. _I'm really here, he's really here._ He felt his heart suddenly start to race as the memories of last night unfolded across his mind. He realized that it had taken him too long to come to peace with himself, and to accept that he wanted this man in his life this way. Now, he knew that he wanted him forever.

Looking over at the clock, he saw that it read just a little past four in the morning. He had to be at the track in two hours, but couldn't quite bring himself to roll over and simply fall back asleep. Instead, he lay there listening to the steady rise and fall of Billy's breathing, soaking in the peace that permeated the house and his soul. He thought about all the times he'd watched Billy work in the Command Center or the 'Zord bay. He remembered the way he looked tutoring the junior high kids with the sun glinting off his honey colored hair. He could remember the way the young genius would become flustered by anything that even bordered on emotional- how he would avoid physical contact with most of his friends as not being the "Cranston way". Most of all, he remembered how those images made him feel, and as he looked down to the sleeping form lying next to him, he felt happy- truly happy for the first time in his life. He put his arm across Billy and pulled the blond to him, lying there quietly until the alarm went off an hour later.

Three years on the racetrack had taught Tommy to be more responsible with his time- as a racecar driver time was a major component of his life. He realized that his friends would be surprised to find out that he'd not been late for work a single day since he started driving for his uncle. Sliding out of bed quickly, he turned the alarm off and briefly considered breaking that particular streak, but decided against it.

He quietly padded to the bathroom for a shower, and briefly regretted that it would wash away Billy's scent that seemed to permeate his skin right now. When he came out of the bathroom, Billy was sitting on the bed tying his shoes. "I didn't mean to wake you," he told the blond as he dried his hair.

Bill smiled up at him, "I was already awake, three years on Phaedos makes one a light sleeper." Standing up, Bill leaned into Tommy and kissed him rather seriously. Tommy felt his body beginning to respond to the kiss and reconsidered his decision about being late. Bill pulled out of the kiss and smiled at him. "Besides, I have a few things I need to do this morning, and an early start won't hurt me."

"Bill, it's five-twenty on a Sunday morning. What can you get done at this time?"

"I can meet Jase for an early breakfast and he and I can talk," Billy told him. The tone of worry in Billy's voice disturbed Tommy.

"You haven't cleared Jase yet?" Tommy couldn't believe that his best friend was the traitor.

Billy shook his head, "No. I've managed to reconnect all the Ninja Rangers to their spirit animals except Aisha. The fact that she's in Africa makes that a little difficult, and also tends to make her less of a suspect." The look of worry on his face increased, "But, I'm unsure of how to go about clearing Jason short of kidnapping him and taking him to Phaedos to quest for his spirit animal."

Tommy chuckled at that until he realized that Billy was absolutely serious, "I don't think that would be a good idea Billy." He leaned back, "Look I know that you and Jase are close, and I know how much this is hurting you, but it's part of your job. It's not a nice part, but it's a part that has to be done." He reached out and put a hand on his lover's shoulder, "I know you'll figure out some way to make it work. You always do." He leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips

"Is that what you and Jase felt like when you led the team?" Billy asked. "Not always liking what had to be done, but doing it anyway because it's your job?"

Tommy nodded and answered, "That about sums it up." He then quickly added, "It sucks doesn't it."

Billy shook his head and smiled mischievously, "No, I suck. This gnaws." Then he grumbled to himself, "I never understood why people used the term for something so pleasant to describe something unpleasant. Of course up until last night I had absolutely zero experience with it either way."

Tommy laughed at his lover, "You do have a way with words, Cranston."

Billy just smiled and headed toward the door. "Could you drop me off at the precinct?"

Before Tommy could answer, his phone rang. Kissing Billy quickly he nodded and picked up the receiver by the bed wondering who would be calling at before six. "Oliver residence, this is Tommy," he said into the receiver.

"Tommy, it's Jason," his best friend's voice replied. "I've got some bad news for you. Justin Stewart is in intensive care at Angel Grove General. He's been beaten pretty badly. He's in a coma."

"When? How?" Tommy asked wondering if this had anything to do with Billy's mission.

"Some time early this morning. We got the call from his dorm roommate who found him in the gym after he never came home last night," Jason told him.

"Are you at the hospital?" Tommy asked.

"No, I'm back at the precinct. I'm getting ready to go off shift and meet Billy for breakfast."

"Bill's with me," Tommy told Jase. "What say you pick him up at the hospital?"

"He stayed with you last night, huh?" Jase teased him. "I wonder how much sleep either of you got."

"Yes, he stayed here last night," he watched the young blond man across the room blush. "You know, we're both over twenty-one and everything. Besides, that's none of your business."

"Just teasing my best Bro, man," Jason said. "I'll meet you at the hospital in about an hour."

"That's cool with me," Tommy said. "I'll see you there."

Tommy looked over at Billy who said, "Justin was the Turbo Blue Ranger?"

Tommy nodded, "How did you know?"

Billy smiled and tapped his ears, "I'm a lot closer to my spirit animal than you are. Wolves have an excellent hearing."

Tommy smiled weakly, "I'll have to remember that." Then looking at his lover her asked, "Do you think this might have anything to do with what you're looking for?"

Billy shrugged, "It sounds like it might, but I don't know for sure. Do you mind if I come along?"

Tommy ushered him from the bedroom, as he picked up his jacket, "I thought you might want to."

It was one of those clear January mornings, when there was just enough cold air blowing off the cold Pacific to be chilly. Tommy put an arm around Billy as much for emotional comfort as physical. Justin had been like a little brother to him, and he always felt just a little responsible for getting him involved with the Rangers in the first place. Now, he was worried that that involvement might have brought him into danger long after he stopped being a Ranger. Billy looked down at the arm and snuggled closer as they walked along the path to the drive.

Suddenly the world exploded into thousands of points of light as something hard and heavy slammed into the back of his head. Rolling forward, Tommy used the momentum from the blow to come back up and spin around facing the attacker. To his horror, there were at least half a dozen of them; half of them were swarming all over Billy and the other half charging him. Built like putties, but more massive and their jet skin broken by what appeared as silver and blue circuitry, these creatures reminded Tommy of something from cyberspace on steroids.

Old habits die hard and even Tommy was surprised how easily he was able to slip back into fighting mode. As the first one charged him head on, he snap kicked it in the groin and prepared for a follow up punch to the head, only to miss. It didn't curl collapse over as a creature made of flesh and blood would. Instead, it was like kicking concrete, and as he snapped his foot back he felt the force of the blow reverberate up and down his lower leg. Out of habit, he glanced off to the side to check on Billy, only to discover that the former Blue Ranger was having as little success as he was in dealing with these things.

Two more closed with him from the front and he was force to deal with the situation at hand and hope that Jason was correct about Billy's fighting ability improving over the last few years. Every punch was like hitting a solid wall, every kick felt like it was going to break his leg, and they still came at him. Tommy suddenly found himself very much on the defensive, as he and Billy were forced back against the wall of his house.

Ducking a vicious blow to his head, he heard the wall of his home collapse as the attacking creature punched through the brick behind where his face just was. _This is not good! Nothing seems to be able to stop them! It's like fighting statues or something!_ Then he remembered another time he fought creatures made of stone, and an idea came to him. If only he could get into the clear!

Leaping with all his might, Tommy used the shoulders of the two in front of him to go into a handstand and propel himself up and over them. Coming down on the other side of the attackers, he smiled to himself when he realized that Billy had performed a similar maneuver and was standing beside him. The former Blue Ranger winked at him and said, "Just like old times huh?"

Tommy smiled and nodded back, "Let's do it." Sending his mind out he felt himself reconnect with the Great Power as he called to the sky, "Ninjetti White Falcon!" Suddenly, he felt the old Power flow through him again, as he was once again garbed in the fighting gi of a Ninjetti Adept. Glancing over, he saw Billy wearing his old Blue costume as well. It felt good, even better than the Red Turbo and Zeo Powers.

It didn't take the attackers long to recover and regroup. Setting for the charge the cyber-warriors suddenly made- he wondered if they ever learned a different attack form- Tommy crescent kicked the lead attacker in the floating ribs and followed up with a spinning back kick. This time he felt the concrete crumble under the blow.

Off to the side, he watched as Billy turned a pressing block into a wrist lock, and then a hammer fist to his assailant's elbow. He quickly followed up with a knife hand to the throat, and a palm heel strike to the face. As his target reeled from the force of the blow, Billy reached behind it's neck with both hands and pulled it's face down into a devastating knee strike. As his hands came away with a small piece of circuitry embedded in the back of the creature's neck the assailant dissolved into an arc of electricity and a puff of burning ozone.

Billy looked down at the shorted circuitry in his hands and then smiled up at Tommy saying, "There's a control board at the base of their skulls. A sufficient amount of force applied directly to it, and they should dissolve like putties."

Tommy nodded and smiled behind the Ninjetti mask. "In other words, hit 'em in the back of the head!" Tommy replied as he sidestepped another attack and delivered a hammer fist to the back of its head. He felt a strong surge of relief as the creature dissolved like Billy's.

"Precisely," Billy said as he closed with another attacker.

From that point forward, the fight although still very difficult, became more manageable. A good ten minutes later, they were standing in Tommy's side yard willing the Ninjetti costume away as the sun was rising in the East. "Do you think this has anything to do with the Justin's attack?" Tommy asked.

"I can't be certain at this minute, but at this time the probability of that being an accurate assessment is very high," Billy smiled at him and said, "Why don't we go talk to Jase about Justin."