AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Thank you all for the wonderful feedback, and even the threats. (wink) I'm sorry this took so long, but I've gotten tied up with trying to put together a D20 Vampire game so my time is suddenly spent with my head in WotC products. Danny ************************************************************
Kim felt more than saw the attack coming. The creatures came out of the blue, literally dropping on them from above, as she and Adam walked through the small alleyway separating her apartment from the next building. Kim felt something slam into her like a truckload of bricks. She rolled forward with the momentum the blow imparted to her, turned it into a front handspring, landed and twisted to face whatever had hit her.
They were huge humanoids with jet-black skin broken by electric blue lines that seemed to run circuit-like along its surface. Their faces were formless with only two slight indentations where their eyes should have been, no mouth, and a slight protuberance for noses. More freakish than their visage was the eerie high-pitched keening that they made. It was spookier than the gobbling noises the putties used to make.
Two had Adam pinned against the wall with a third getting ready to pound him, while two more advanced on her position. "Oh, no. Aren't you guys supposed to go after the present Ranger team now?" She front-kicked one of them where it should have done the most good and felt the jarring impact of her foot against something with the consistency of reinforced concrete as the creature lunged at her.
Realizing that her kick had been ineffective, she took the better part of valor, ran up the creature's outstretched arm, and leaped over the other's head in a front aerial. Coming down on her feet behind the one about to pound Adam, she side kicked it in the small of the back, sending it reeling into one of the others holding Adam's arm. "No, no, no. No messing with my man, this one's a keeper," she grabbed Adam by the arm and yanked him away from the last creature holding him. "Get your own frog to play with. This one's mine."
Adam gave her a quick peck on the lips, saying, "Thanks," and then front kicked one that was charging up behind her. The look on his face told her that his kick had been about as effective as her own. "I think this calls for just a little of the old Ninjetti touch." Kim could see his grin fade behind the black mask that appeared on his face. Kim always had liked him in black. Without thinking, she too reached out with her mind to the Crane, and felt its Power flow through her. She had very little time however to enjoy the feeling, as the fight closed around them again.
Even with their Ninjetti powers, these creatures were tough; tougher than any putty she'd ever fought. It was like kicking concrete and punching brick- with about as much effect. She watched out of the corner of her eye while one tried to keep up with the Adam's bouncing form, as he literally leapt from the ground, to bounce off one wall, then another to finally come spinning around in a flying kick that caught one of his pursuers in the back of the head. There was the satisfyingly crunch as it dissolved into sand and bits of plastic. "Yech!" Adam commented, "They're worse than cogs."
Realizing that Adam had discovered a weakness, Kim glanced over at the two closing with her, slapped them good and hard upside the head, and turned and ran full tilt toward the back wall of the alley where the gate leading to parking lot was. As the two followed, she ran up the wall, leapt backwards to grab a pipe running overhead, and twisted herself around the bar to build momentum before going up into a hand-stand. Taking careful aim, she folded her body inward and pulled her toes back, to expose the balls of her feet, just before they slammed into the back of each of her attacker's skulls. Again, there was a satisfying crunch as the two dissolved into more sand and plastic. She grinned behind her Ninjetti mask, as she landed in a crouch "I always did love the uneven bars."
Looking over, she saw a creature grab at Adam, as he leap-frogged over its head. Landing in a low crouch, the former Black Ranger sprang up into a double sidekick that sent one of the attackers to the pavement, and the other crumbling. Before it could recover Kim almost casually axe kicked it in the back of the head, watching it too dissolve.
Adam came running up to her, "You okay?"
She nodded at him, grinning like a fool through her mask. "That was fun."
Adam pulled down his own mask and pushed the hood of his Ninjetti costume back before saying, "There was something missing from it though. It just didn't seem right."
Kim smiled and pushed her own hood back, and pulled the mask off. "I know what it was," she told him still grinning.
"What?" Adam asked.
"I wasn't screaming for Tommy to rescue me," she said, taking his arm and willing her Ninjetti costume away.
"More importantly, you weren't screaming for me to rescue you either. Actually, you were rather impressive," Adam said. "But then again, you always have been." He stopped and looked at Kim, his eyes shining seriously, "Do you think this has anything to do with what Billy's after?"
Kim nodded, "I'm certain of it. We've been reconnected to our spirit animals for less than two days and we're already attacked. I think this has everything to do with the rogue Ranger."
She held his arm tighter, as Adam mused, "Those things were tough though. I just hope that Billy can handle them."
"I get the feeling that Billy's not going to be handling them alone," she told him looking around. "I know Tommy's got his back," she saw a look of mischief in his eyes and cut him off with a playful warning, "-and don't you dare say what I know you're thinking."
Adam gave her an innocent grin that wasn't quite convincing, "What? All I was going to say was that Tommy's probably got his backside too." He ducked out of the way of the jab she threw at him.
"I think we should call Billy and let him know we were attacked," Kimberly told her boyfriend.
His countenance grew serious, "I think maybe you're right."
********************************************************
Billy followed Jason into the house, wondering what he was going to go about finding the assassin. Between the attack on himself and Tommy earlier this morning; and Justin being hospitalized he realized that he had to move fast before other former Rangers became targets as well. He also was worried about exactly what was missing from his lab- there was some technology there, that he really didn't want to fall into the wrong hands. Some of his experiments had delved into areas that the US government was just now getting around to regulating if not outright banning.
He was also worried about clearing his best friend. Although, their talk over breakfast had eased his mind somewhat, it still wasn't the empirical evidence he needed to convince the Master Warriors of the former Ranger's innocence. Looking down, he checked his watch- not quite eight a.m. yet. Tommy had been right, there really wasn't a whole lot he could do right now so he forced himself to relax and enjoy his time back on Earth.
"So," Jase asked as he wearily sat down on the sofa of the den, "I take it things are going well with Tommy."
Billy smiled as the memories of last evening washed over him like a warm wave, "I never had a clue that he might reciprocate my feelings for him."
"I take it that means yes," Jase said.
"Affirmative," Billy grinned as he sat in the chair next to the sofa.
"So, what do you plan to do after you find the assassin?" Jase asked neutrally.
Billy thought about his friend's question for a moment, "I hadn't given it much consideration. My healing on Phaedos is nearly complete. I'd like to return home, and move on to graduate school."
"Whoa there," Jase asked, "Don't you need to finish your undergraduate degree first?"
Billy grinned at him, "What do you think I was doing by correspondence while working in the Command Center?"
"You finished your undergraduate degree in a year?" Jason asked.
Billy nodded, "I had enough credits to graduate high school by my sophomore year. My last two years were all college credit classes. It wasn't that hard to finish the degree between maintenance on the 'zords."
"Any idea where you might want to go?" Jase asked, again his voice was neutral.
Billy shook his head, "Anywhere with a good science program, I guess."
"And what are you planning to do about Tommy while you do this?" Jason asked.
Billy stopped and listened to his friend, not just his words, but also his tone. "Are you worried that this might be some kind of fling for me, Jase?"
"I don't know, Bill," Jase told him. "You two both are so quiet about how you feel about things, it's hard to read you."
"Jase, I've loved Tommy since I first laid eyes on him. I kept quiet while he dated one of my closest friends, because I didn't want to lose his friendship. Now that I have him in my life in the manner I've always desired, I'm not going to relinquish him quite that easily." He leaned back and sighed, "As for my plans for school and life in general, they will include Tommy as a primary component for as long as it is his desire to be so."
"What about HIS career?" Jase asked. "Can you deal with being part of the background there? I mean, NASCAR drivers do have a certain reputation you know."
"Jase, are you talking about the idea of him being unfaithful, or of it becoming common knowledge that he's involved in a homosexual relationship, and what that might do to his career?"
Jason shrugged, "Both I guess. I love both you guys like brothers, and I don't want to see either one of you hurt."
"Well, I trust Tommy," Billy told Jason, "and if he needs me to fade into the background, I can do that." He chuckled, "Let's face it, it's not like I've ever really been all that noticeable before, anyway."
"Yeah, but you deserve more than just being in the background, Billy. You've been in the background all your life. You deserve to be noticed, and I'm sure Tommy wouldn't want to keep you from being noticed," Jase told him.
"I'm happy the way I am, Jase. Besides, being noticed for what I've accomplished is very different from being noticed for whom I love. I don't want Tommy's career to suffer because I'm there."
"That doesn't quite seem fair," Jase told him.
"Life's not fair, Jase. If it were, I wouldn't have aged rapidly. If were, there would have been six Zeo Crystals instead of five. If it were, Trini would still be alive. I can cope with this little thing, as long as I know that he loves me as much as I love him," Billy told Jason.
Before Jason could say anything the doorbell rang. "Wonder who that is," Jason said as he went to answer the door.
A few minutes later, Billy heard the voice of Jason's partner, Jack, "Jason, I'm really sorry about this."
"What?" Jason asked.
"I'm going to have to ask you to come down to station to answer some questions. We got a DNA match to the skin found under the Stewart kid's fingernails. It was yours. I'm afraid I'm having to place you under arrest, for attempted murder."
Thank you all for the wonderful feedback, and even the threats. (wink) I'm sorry this took so long, but I've gotten tied up with trying to put together a D20 Vampire game so my time is suddenly spent with my head in WotC products. Danny ************************************************************
Kim felt more than saw the attack coming. The creatures came out of the blue, literally dropping on them from above, as she and Adam walked through the small alleyway separating her apartment from the next building. Kim felt something slam into her like a truckload of bricks. She rolled forward with the momentum the blow imparted to her, turned it into a front handspring, landed and twisted to face whatever had hit her.
They were huge humanoids with jet-black skin broken by electric blue lines that seemed to run circuit-like along its surface. Their faces were formless with only two slight indentations where their eyes should have been, no mouth, and a slight protuberance for noses. More freakish than their visage was the eerie high-pitched keening that they made. It was spookier than the gobbling noises the putties used to make.
Two had Adam pinned against the wall with a third getting ready to pound him, while two more advanced on her position. "Oh, no. Aren't you guys supposed to go after the present Ranger team now?" She front-kicked one of them where it should have done the most good and felt the jarring impact of her foot against something with the consistency of reinforced concrete as the creature lunged at her.
Realizing that her kick had been ineffective, she took the better part of valor, ran up the creature's outstretched arm, and leaped over the other's head in a front aerial. Coming down on her feet behind the one about to pound Adam, she side kicked it in the small of the back, sending it reeling into one of the others holding Adam's arm. "No, no, no. No messing with my man, this one's a keeper," she grabbed Adam by the arm and yanked him away from the last creature holding him. "Get your own frog to play with. This one's mine."
Adam gave her a quick peck on the lips, saying, "Thanks," and then front kicked one that was charging up behind her. The look on his face told her that his kick had been about as effective as her own. "I think this calls for just a little of the old Ninjetti touch." Kim could see his grin fade behind the black mask that appeared on his face. Kim always had liked him in black. Without thinking, she too reached out with her mind to the Crane, and felt its Power flow through her. She had very little time however to enjoy the feeling, as the fight closed around them again.
Even with their Ninjetti powers, these creatures were tough; tougher than any putty she'd ever fought. It was like kicking concrete and punching brick- with about as much effect. She watched out of the corner of her eye while one tried to keep up with the Adam's bouncing form, as he literally leapt from the ground, to bounce off one wall, then another to finally come spinning around in a flying kick that caught one of his pursuers in the back of the head. There was the satisfyingly crunch as it dissolved into sand and bits of plastic. "Yech!" Adam commented, "They're worse than cogs."
Realizing that Adam had discovered a weakness, Kim glanced over at the two closing with her, slapped them good and hard upside the head, and turned and ran full tilt toward the back wall of the alley where the gate leading to parking lot was. As the two followed, she ran up the wall, leapt backwards to grab a pipe running overhead, and twisted herself around the bar to build momentum before going up into a hand-stand. Taking careful aim, she folded her body inward and pulled her toes back, to expose the balls of her feet, just before they slammed into the back of each of her attacker's skulls. Again, there was a satisfying crunch as the two dissolved into more sand and plastic. She grinned behind her Ninjetti mask, as she landed in a crouch "I always did love the uneven bars."
Looking over, she saw a creature grab at Adam, as he leap-frogged over its head. Landing in a low crouch, the former Black Ranger sprang up into a double sidekick that sent one of the attackers to the pavement, and the other crumbling. Before it could recover Kim almost casually axe kicked it in the back of the head, watching it too dissolve.
Adam came running up to her, "You okay?"
She nodded at him, grinning like a fool through her mask. "That was fun."
Adam pulled down his own mask and pushed the hood of his Ninjetti costume back before saying, "There was something missing from it though. It just didn't seem right."
Kim smiled and pushed her own hood back, and pulled the mask off. "I know what it was," she told him still grinning.
"What?" Adam asked.
"I wasn't screaming for Tommy to rescue me," she said, taking his arm and willing her Ninjetti costume away.
"More importantly, you weren't screaming for me to rescue you either. Actually, you were rather impressive," Adam said. "But then again, you always have been." He stopped and looked at Kim, his eyes shining seriously, "Do you think this has anything to do with what Billy's after?"
Kim nodded, "I'm certain of it. We've been reconnected to our spirit animals for less than two days and we're already attacked. I think this has everything to do with the rogue Ranger."
She held his arm tighter, as Adam mused, "Those things were tough though. I just hope that Billy can handle them."
"I get the feeling that Billy's not going to be handling them alone," she told him looking around. "I know Tommy's got his back," she saw a look of mischief in his eyes and cut him off with a playful warning, "-and don't you dare say what I know you're thinking."
Adam gave her an innocent grin that wasn't quite convincing, "What? All I was going to say was that Tommy's probably got his backside too." He ducked out of the way of the jab she threw at him.
"I think we should call Billy and let him know we were attacked," Kimberly told her boyfriend.
His countenance grew serious, "I think maybe you're right."
********************************************************
Billy followed Jason into the house, wondering what he was going to go about finding the assassin. Between the attack on himself and Tommy earlier this morning; and Justin being hospitalized he realized that he had to move fast before other former Rangers became targets as well. He also was worried about exactly what was missing from his lab- there was some technology there, that he really didn't want to fall into the wrong hands. Some of his experiments had delved into areas that the US government was just now getting around to regulating if not outright banning.
He was also worried about clearing his best friend. Although, their talk over breakfast had eased his mind somewhat, it still wasn't the empirical evidence he needed to convince the Master Warriors of the former Ranger's innocence. Looking down, he checked his watch- not quite eight a.m. yet. Tommy had been right, there really wasn't a whole lot he could do right now so he forced himself to relax and enjoy his time back on Earth.
"So," Jase asked as he wearily sat down on the sofa of the den, "I take it things are going well with Tommy."
Billy smiled as the memories of last evening washed over him like a warm wave, "I never had a clue that he might reciprocate my feelings for him."
"I take it that means yes," Jase said.
"Affirmative," Billy grinned as he sat in the chair next to the sofa.
"So, what do you plan to do after you find the assassin?" Jase asked neutrally.
Billy thought about his friend's question for a moment, "I hadn't given it much consideration. My healing on Phaedos is nearly complete. I'd like to return home, and move on to graduate school."
"Whoa there," Jase asked, "Don't you need to finish your undergraduate degree first?"
Billy grinned at him, "What do you think I was doing by correspondence while working in the Command Center?"
"You finished your undergraduate degree in a year?" Jason asked.
Billy nodded, "I had enough credits to graduate high school by my sophomore year. My last two years were all college credit classes. It wasn't that hard to finish the degree between maintenance on the 'zords."
"Any idea where you might want to go?" Jase asked, again his voice was neutral.
Billy shook his head, "Anywhere with a good science program, I guess."
"And what are you planning to do about Tommy while you do this?" Jason asked.
Billy stopped and listened to his friend, not just his words, but also his tone. "Are you worried that this might be some kind of fling for me, Jase?"
"I don't know, Bill," Jase told him. "You two both are so quiet about how you feel about things, it's hard to read you."
"Jase, I've loved Tommy since I first laid eyes on him. I kept quiet while he dated one of my closest friends, because I didn't want to lose his friendship. Now that I have him in my life in the manner I've always desired, I'm not going to relinquish him quite that easily." He leaned back and sighed, "As for my plans for school and life in general, they will include Tommy as a primary component for as long as it is his desire to be so."
"What about HIS career?" Jase asked. "Can you deal with being part of the background there? I mean, NASCAR drivers do have a certain reputation you know."
"Jase, are you talking about the idea of him being unfaithful, or of it becoming common knowledge that he's involved in a homosexual relationship, and what that might do to his career?"
Jason shrugged, "Both I guess. I love both you guys like brothers, and I don't want to see either one of you hurt."
"Well, I trust Tommy," Billy told Jason, "and if he needs me to fade into the background, I can do that." He chuckled, "Let's face it, it's not like I've ever really been all that noticeable before, anyway."
"Yeah, but you deserve more than just being in the background, Billy. You've been in the background all your life. You deserve to be noticed, and I'm sure Tommy wouldn't want to keep you from being noticed," Jase told him.
"I'm happy the way I am, Jase. Besides, being noticed for what I've accomplished is very different from being noticed for whom I love. I don't want Tommy's career to suffer because I'm there."
"That doesn't quite seem fair," Jase told him.
"Life's not fair, Jase. If it were, I wouldn't have aged rapidly. If were, there would have been six Zeo Crystals instead of five. If it were, Trini would still be alive. I can cope with this little thing, as long as I know that he loves me as much as I love him," Billy told Jason.
Before Jason could say anything the doorbell rang. "Wonder who that is," Jason said as he went to answer the door.
A few minutes later, Billy heard the voice of Jason's partner, Jack, "Jason, I'm really sorry about this."
"What?" Jason asked.
"I'm going to have to ask you to come down to station to answer some questions. We got a DNA match to the skin found under the Stewart kid's fingernails. It was yours. I'm afraid I'm having to place you under arrest, for attempted murder."
