AUTHOR'S NOTES: I want to thank everyone for their kind thoughts, and
your feedback. Just a few notes here: First, I just read Rap's
rules for writing Power Ranger's stories on Mele's site. I think I
broke at least seven of them with my first story. Oh well. Second,
I want to credit Mele for the Bunny Vacuums in this chapter. I stole them
from her story Elemental Bonds. If you want to find out about them find that
story and read it. I would suggest reading it even if you don't want
to know- it's that DAMN GOOD.
Danny
Commander Ben Storm watched the Ranger Team as he entered the Base Commissary at five a.m. and filled his plate at the buffet. Like a small ship, this base had an excellent galley. He was fascinated by the interplay between all of Bill's old friends. There was a strong bond among them that seemed to cut across racial, social, and sexual barriers. He smiled to himself thinking that these men and women were the finest examples of what humanity could accomplish when pushed to the limit.
He had no illusions about what they'd been through. He'd had his own experiences with spandex a few years ago, and understood the bonds that it could forge between those who put their lives on the line in protection of others. Still, the depth of commitment they all exhibited toward each other awed him. Bill was a case in point. They were all rallying around him to try and solve what they perceived as the distance that had grown between him and his oldest friend. They couldn't stand to see their friends hurting and were determined to ease that pain.
Watching them closely, he noticed that all of them seemed somewhat bleary eyed- like they'd gotten little to no sleep last night. He shook his head as he joined them at the table. Looking over, he couldn't help but smile at Rocky's plate piled high with eggs, pancakes, and sausages. Billy had warned him about the second Red Ranger's famous appetite. Smiling he said, "Why do I get the feeling that I'm the only person who got a full night's sleep?"
Adam smiled at over at him, "I don't know what you're talking about. I was in bed by eleven."
Before anyone else could reply, Bill and Commander Scott entered the room quietly talking between themselves. They stopped and looked at the rest of the team and Ben could see his friend stiffen for a moment. Jason said something to him quietly before they both went and filled their plates.
With a quick guilty look up at him, Rocky said between bites, "It looks like those two at least are talking again."
Ben noticed Rocky's wife, Aisha's gaze shifting nervously from him, to Commander Scott, and Billy and then back. He'd read the woman's psyche file and understood that she was uncomfortable with military uniforms. Hell, if he'd been through what she'd experience in Angola, he would too. Smiling, he gently reached up and removed the rank insignia from his epaulets, as well as his service ribbons, and put them in his pocket- regulations be damned. Rocky seemed to notice the gesture and smiled at him.
"Yeah, Jase and Billy sat down last night and started reconnecting," Tommy said. Ben got the feeling from the somewhat chagrinned look on Bill's face that maybe some serious communication happened last night. He was glad for friend. Bill deserved a little happiness in his life.
"So Commander Storm, what's on the agenda for today?" Kat asked.
"Please, Mrs. Oliver," he looked over at Aisha DeSantos quickly, "call me Ben. I only get called by my rank when I'm in trouble with Brass."
"And how often is that?" Tommy asked incredulously.
"Oh, once, twice a year.."
Kat commented, "Somehow you don't strike me as the type who'd have his superiors mad at you."
Ben smiled, took a deep breath and answered her honestly, "Oh, trust me. I can get into all kinds of trouble."
Adam chuckled as Billy and Commander Scott sat down next to Ben, "He's a friend of Billy's alright. You know the scientist types, always blowing up labs."
Before anyone could reply, two techs entered the room, one saying, "Man, I told you we shouldn't have done that."
"Wasn't me, it was Sanchez," the other replied.
"Oh no, you don't pin that one on me." another said coming in behind him.
Looking over at the group at the table, all three nodded nervously. One said, "Commanders, Major, sirs, ma'ams." They looked at each other in confusion as they noticed Ben out of uniform.
"Sanchez, what have you done?" Bill asked. Ben noticed them exchange a quick conspiratorial look.
"I didn't do it, Major," the man held up his head hand, "I swear on my mama's gumbo recipe, I didn't do it."
Bill chuckled at the man's antics but before he could reply, Mic came into the room singing off key and off tempo, "We're off to see the techies, the wonderful Ranger techies. Oh we're off to see the techies in the bay!," She worked her way toward the buffet with a strange smile on her face.
Bill and Ben looked at each other and then looked up for the three now vanished technicians. "This is NOT good, Ben." Bill said to him.
Ben just shook his head, "I didn't do it. I was asleep last night."
"Prove it, Ben," Bill accused.
"I was. However," he looked at his bleary-eyed friend meaningfully, "Sounds like you might have though," Ben replied.
Bill shook his head, looked over at Commander Scott and blushed. "I didn't do it, I have a witness and an alibi."
Commander Scott added, "What ever it was, he was with me all last night, Doc." Ben noticed the Commander's eyes resting on his missing rank insignia.
Ben just raised an eyebrow at the comment, as Mic approached the table. Stopping between Bill and Commander Scott, she bent down, lightly kissed Bill on the cheek and said in her best Glenda the Good voice, "Are you a goooooood dragon slayer," then looking over at Commander Scott she added, "or are you a baaaaad dragon slayer?" To everyone's at the table surprise she then kissed Red Ranger One on the cheek, came over, sat between Ben and Bill and cradled her coffee. "Ahhhh coffee."
Bill took his life in his own hands as he calmly reached over and took the coffee cup from her hand, "I think you've had enough of this McKenzie."
She grinned at him, crinkled her nose and threatened, "You really want to have to requisition new uniforms don't you William."
Mrs. Park looked at Ben and Bill in shock, "What's this all about?"
Mic gave Bill an angelic look and said, "It's decaf."
Ben smiled, "I'm sorry," he gestured to Mic, "This is my sister, McKenzie Storm. She's chief technician on the project and the financial backer."
Mic waved at them and smiled, "Hi ya'll."
Bill added, "And currently has ten percent blood in her caffeine supply." He then looked over at the short red-head and asked, "How much have you had? How long have you been up?"
She looked up and asked, "Uhhh, what's today?"
"Thursday," Rocky answered.
"Uh what's the date?" she asked.
"The third," Rocky replied.
She giggled, "Remarkable, I seemed to have lost a week." She counted mentally, and then said, "Uh, four days."
"Mic…" Ben warned.
Mic cut him with a rapid-fire explanation, "When I got here yesterday, I had planned on going to bed," she looked over at Commander Scott accusingly, "But somebody got dragon's blood in my engine, so I had to clean them out and rebuild the armor and calibrate them, and I promise I'll go to bed right after I eat- No I can't, because I've got a briefing, but I promise I'll go to bed right after that." She smiled up at him, "You can even escort me to my quarters." She quickly added to Ben, "Oh and by the way, the Japan job is done." At the last, Ben mentally sighed relief. The less time she spent in Japan the better. He wanted at least the Pacific Ocean between Robert Kilpatrick and his sister. Quickly she looked over at Bill and said, "Seven chocolate bars, five pots of coffee, six Mountain Dews, and half a case of Jolt." Smiling she quickly added, "In the past twenty-four hours."
Commander Scott raised an eyebrow, "Billy that woman's a bigger caffeine addict than you are."
Ben chuckled, "You should seem them when they get together."
"We're good!" both Bill and Mic protested simultaneously.
Between bites of egg, Mic looked up to where Bill and Commander Scott were sitting next one another. "You two bury the hatchet?" His sister was normally one of the most polite people in the world, never saying anything to embarrass another, but when she was on one of her weeklong tech jobs she tended to speak her mind, regardless of the company. She'd managed to insult about half of the International Corporate community at one time or another. But she's the best at what she does, so she can usually get away with it.
Bill nodded, and blushed, "We're talking Mic."
She smiled, "Good." She looked over at Commander Scott, "You hurt him again, I'll kill you." she's also extremely protective of her family and friends, and Bill had graduated to family status.
Jason just smiled, blushed, and nodded, remembering that civilians held the highest rank of all, "Yes, ma'am."
Mic looked over at Bill and whispered, "He thinks I'm joking."
"Mic, behave." Ben and Bill said simultaneously.
"Okay," she said. "By the way, here." She handed Bill a small vial.
Bill looked at it but before he could reply she said, "You too Commander Scott. You should see this stuff under the microscope. The proto-phyre count is off the chart."
Bill calmly put his vial in his fatigue tops and smiled, "I'll tell you what, Mic. You can tell me all about it AFTER you've gotten some sleep." He looked over at Commander Scott and smiled.
The Commander looked at the vial in his hand, "What is it?"
"Dragon's blood silly. I thought you might want a souvenir of the first successful encounter with a Draconic."
Commander Scott looked at the vial carefully and said, "Uh, thanks."
"Smile Commander, I'm mostly harmless," she said. "So's that stuff, although is should give us an idea of how to defeat the Draconics on an individual basis."
Ben pushed back from the table and took his sister by the arm, "Look Mic, I'll cover with you for Admiral Hazard. You go get some sleep. I'll even take you to your quarters," he told her. He hoped it wouldn't take a sedative to get her to wind down. He knew why she did this. Every time she went to Japan, she came back wound tighter than a clock, and it took several days to get her to come down- just one more reason for him to eventually kill Robert Kilpatrick.
Jason watched the Commander leave with the hyper red-head. "Is she really his sister, and is she always this hyper?" he asked Bill.
Bill smiled over at him. "Yeah, she's really his sister. Together they're Storm Avionics. You know, the people who dominate the aviation field."
"How did you get hooked up with them?" Tommy asked.
"It's a long story, Tom." Bill said wearily. "One I really don't want to go into right now. It's not for general public consumption. I'll be glad to tell you some time when I've had a little more sleep, and we're somewhere we won't be overheard." He sighed, "Let's just say that if it weren't for those two, I'd still be trying to scrape together enough funds to put the walls up around here."
Tommy nodded at him, but said, "Okay, Bro. But I DO want to hear it. All of it."
Billy said, "Sure thing." He smiled and threatened, "I'll even get Mic to help me tell you."
Suddenly Tommy added as he looked at the door nervously, "Take your time Bro."
"Don't worry, she's not this hyper all the time," Billy told him. "She has a remarkable intelligence." He looked over at Trini, "In some ways, she reminds me a lot of you Trini. Not as calm, but she has the same kind of inquisitive mind."
Trini smiled, "Thank you Billy. It's obvious that she's a good friend of yours, and anyone who you trust, I'm sure I'll like."
Jason sat quietly listening to his friends talk, enjoying the sensation of just being part of the whole group again. He and Billy had ended up talking most of the night- between long sessions of necking that is. They'd managed to clear the air on a lot of things, and were beginning to just touch the edges of not only renewing their friendship but taking that next step. Zack leaned in next to him and asked, "You two all right now?"
Jase smiled over at him. "We're working on it. We talked."
To his surprise, Zack tilted Jase's head back and seemed to look at something on his neck. "Yeah, better keep your collar up today, Commander."
Jason reached up and touched the tender spot on the side of his neck. Looking over at Billy, he saw the Blue Ranger blush deeply. He whispered lowly, "Oops. Better watch out for those bunny vacuums."
Danny
Commander Ben Storm watched the Ranger Team as he entered the Base Commissary at five a.m. and filled his plate at the buffet. Like a small ship, this base had an excellent galley. He was fascinated by the interplay between all of Bill's old friends. There was a strong bond among them that seemed to cut across racial, social, and sexual barriers. He smiled to himself thinking that these men and women were the finest examples of what humanity could accomplish when pushed to the limit.
He had no illusions about what they'd been through. He'd had his own experiences with spandex a few years ago, and understood the bonds that it could forge between those who put their lives on the line in protection of others. Still, the depth of commitment they all exhibited toward each other awed him. Bill was a case in point. They were all rallying around him to try and solve what they perceived as the distance that had grown between him and his oldest friend. They couldn't stand to see their friends hurting and were determined to ease that pain.
Watching them closely, he noticed that all of them seemed somewhat bleary eyed- like they'd gotten little to no sleep last night. He shook his head as he joined them at the table. Looking over, he couldn't help but smile at Rocky's plate piled high with eggs, pancakes, and sausages. Billy had warned him about the second Red Ranger's famous appetite. Smiling he said, "Why do I get the feeling that I'm the only person who got a full night's sleep?"
Adam smiled at over at him, "I don't know what you're talking about. I was in bed by eleven."
Before anyone else could reply, Bill and Commander Scott entered the room quietly talking between themselves. They stopped and looked at the rest of the team and Ben could see his friend stiffen for a moment. Jason said something to him quietly before they both went and filled their plates.
With a quick guilty look up at him, Rocky said between bites, "It looks like those two at least are talking again."
Ben noticed Rocky's wife, Aisha's gaze shifting nervously from him, to Commander Scott, and Billy and then back. He'd read the woman's psyche file and understood that she was uncomfortable with military uniforms. Hell, if he'd been through what she'd experience in Angola, he would too. Smiling, he gently reached up and removed the rank insignia from his epaulets, as well as his service ribbons, and put them in his pocket- regulations be damned. Rocky seemed to notice the gesture and smiled at him.
"Yeah, Jase and Billy sat down last night and started reconnecting," Tommy said. Ben got the feeling from the somewhat chagrinned look on Bill's face that maybe some serious communication happened last night. He was glad for friend. Bill deserved a little happiness in his life.
"So Commander Storm, what's on the agenda for today?" Kat asked.
"Please, Mrs. Oliver," he looked over at Aisha DeSantos quickly, "call me Ben. I only get called by my rank when I'm in trouble with Brass."
"And how often is that?" Tommy asked incredulously.
"Oh, once, twice a year.."
Kat commented, "Somehow you don't strike me as the type who'd have his superiors mad at you."
Ben smiled, took a deep breath and answered her honestly, "Oh, trust me. I can get into all kinds of trouble."
Adam chuckled as Billy and Commander Scott sat down next to Ben, "He's a friend of Billy's alright. You know the scientist types, always blowing up labs."
Before anyone could reply, two techs entered the room, one saying, "Man, I told you we shouldn't have done that."
"Wasn't me, it was Sanchez," the other replied.
"Oh no, you don't pin that one on me." another said coming in behind him.
Looking over at the group at the table, all three nodded nervously. One said, "Commanders, Major, sirs, ma'ams." They looked at each other in confusion as they noticed Ben out of uniform.
"Sanchez, what have you done?" Bill asked. Ben noticed them exchange a quick conspiratorial look.
"I didn't do it, Major," the man held up his head hand, "I swear on my mama's gumbo recipe, I didn't do it."
Bill chuckled at the man's antics but before he could reply, Mic came into the room singing off key and off tempo, "We're off to see the techies, the wonderful Ranger techies. Oh we're off to see the techies in the bay!," She worked her way toward the buffet with a strange smile on her face.
Bill and Ben looked at each other and then looked up for the three now vanished technicians. "This is NOT good, Ben." Bill said to him.
Ben just shook his head, "I didn't do it. I was asleep last night."
"Prove it, Ben," Bill accused.
"I was. However," he looked at his bleary-eyed friend meaningfully, "Sounds like you might have though," Ben replied.
Bill shook his head, looked over at Commander Scott and blushed. "I didn't do it, I have a witness and an alibi."
Commander Scott added, "What ever it was, he was with me all last night, Doc." Ben noticed the Commander's eyes resting on his missing rank insignia.
Ben just raised an eyebrow at the comment, as Mic approached the table. Stopping between Bill and Commander Scott, she bent down, lightly kissed Bill on the cheek and said in her best Glenda the Good voice, "Are you a goooooood dragon slayer," then looking over at Commander Scott she added, "or are you a baaaaad dragon slayer?" To everyone's at the table surprise she then kissed Red Ranger One on the cheek, came over, sat between Ben and Bill and cradled her coffee. "Ahhhh coffee."
Bill took his life in his own hands as he calmly reached over and took the coffee cup from her hand, "I think you've had enough of this McKenzie."
She grinned at him, crinkled her nose and threatened, "You really want to have to requisition new uniforms don't you William."
Mrs. Park looked at Ben and Bill in shock, "What's this all about?"
Mic gave Bill an angelic look and said, "It's decaf."
Ben smiled, "I'm sorry," he gestured to Mic, "This is my sister, McKenzie Storm. She's chief technician on the project and the financial backer."
Mic waved at them and smiled, "Hi ya'll."
Bill added, "And currently has ten percent blood in her caffeine supply." He then looked over at the short red-head and asked, "How much have you had? How long have you been up?"
She looked up and asked, "Uhhh, what's today?"
"Thursday," Rocky answered.
"Uh what's the date?" she asked.
"The third," Rocky replied.
She giggled, "Remarkable, I seemed to have lost a week." She counted mentally, and then said, "Uh, four days."
"Mic…" Ben warned.
Mic cut him with a rapid-fire explanation, "When I got here yesterday, I had planned on going to bed," she looked over at Commander Scott accusingly, "But somebody got dragon's blood in my engine, so I had to clean them out and rebuild the armor and calibrate them, and I promise I'll go to bed right after I eat- No I can't, because I've got a briefing, but I promise I'll go to bed right after that." She smiled up at him, "You can even escort me to my quarters." She quickly added to Ben, "Oh and by the way, the Japan job is done." At the last, Ben mentally sighed relief. The less time she spent in Japan the better. He wanted at least the Pacific Ocean between Robert Kilpatrick and his sister. Quickly she looked over at Bill and said, "Seven chocolate bars, five pots of coffee, six Mountain Dews, and half a case of Jolt." Smiling she quickly added, "In the past twenty-four hours."
Commander Scott raised an eyebrow, "Billy that woman's a bigger caffeine addict than you are."
Ben chuckled, "You should seem them when they get together."
"We're good!" both Bill and Mic protested simultaneously.
Between bites of egg, Mic looked up to where Bill and Commander Scott were sitting next one another. "You two bury the hatchet?" His sister was normally one of the most polite people in the world, never saying anything to embarrass another, but when she was on one of her weeklong tech jobs she tended to speak her mind, regardless of the company. She'd managed to insult about half of the International Corporate community at one time or another. But she's the best at what she does, so she can usually get away with it.
Bill nodded, and blushed, "We're talking Mic."
She smiled, "Good." She looked over at Commander Scott, "You hurt him again, I'll kill you." she's also extremely protective of her family and friends, and Bill had graduated to family status.
Jason just smiled, blushed, and nodded, remembering that civilians held the highest rank of all, "Yes, ma'am."
Mic looked over at Bill and whispered, "He thinks I'm joking."
"Mic, behave." Ben and Bill said simultaneously.
"Okay," she said. "By the way, here." She handed Bill a small vial.
Bill looked at it but before he could reply she said, "You too Commander Scott. You should see this stuff under the microscope. The proto-phyre count is off the chart."
Bill calmly put his vial in his fatigue tops and smiled, "I'll tell you what, Mic. You can tell me all about it AFTER you've gotten some sleep." He looked over at Commander Scott and smiled.
The Commander looked at the vial in his hand, "What is it?"
"Dragon's blood silly. I thought you might want a souvenir of the first successful encounter with a Draconic."
Commander Scott looked at the vial carefully and said, "Uh, thanks."
"Smile Commander, I'm mostly harmless," she said. "So's that stuff, although is should give us an idea of how to defeat the Draconics on an individual basis."
Ben pushed back from the table and took his sister by the arm, "Look Mic, I'll cover with you for Admiral Hazard. You go get some sleep. I'll even take you to your quarters," he told her. He hoped it wouldn't take a sedative to get her to wind down. He knew why she did this. Every time she went to Japan, she came back wound tighter than a clock, and it took several days to get her to come down- just one more reason for him to eventually kill Robert Kilpatrick.
Jason watched the Commander leave with the hyper red-head. "Is she really his sister, and is she always this hyper?" he asked Bill.
Bill smiled over at him. "Yeah, she's really his sister. Together they're Storm Avionics. You know, the people who dominate the aviation field."
"How did you get hooked up with them?" Tommy asked.
"It's a long story, Tom." Bill said wearily. "One I really don't want to go into right now. It's not for general public consumption. I'll be glad to tell you some time when I've had a little more sleep, and we're somewhere we won't be overheard." He sighed, "Let's just say that if it weren't for those two, I'd still be trying to scrape together enough funds to put the walls up around here."
Tommy nodded at him, but said, "Okay, Bro. But I DO want to hear it. All of it."
Billy said, "Sure thing." He smiled and threatened, "I'll even get Mic to help me tell you."
Suddenly Tommy added as he looked at the door nervously, "Take your time Bro."
"Don't worry, she's not this hyper all the time," Billy told him. "She has a remarkable intelligence." He looked over at Trini, "In some ways, she reminds me a lot of you Trini. Not as calm, but she has the same kind of inquisitive mind."
Trini smiled, "Thank you Billy. It's obvious that she's a good friend of yours, and anyone who you trust, I'm sure I'll like."
Jason sat quietly listening to his friends talk, enjoying the sensation of just being part of the whole group again. He and Billy had ended up talking most of the night- between long sessions of necking that is. They'd managed to clear the air on a lot of things, and were beginning to just touch the edges of not only renewing their friendship but taking that next step. Zack leaned in next to him and asked, "You two all right now?"
Jase smiled over at him. "We're working on it. We talked."
To his surprise, Zack tilted Jase's head back and seemed to look at something on his neck. "Yeah, better keep your collar up today, Commander."
Jason reached up and touched the tender spot on the side of his neck. Looking over at Billy, he saw the Blue Ranger blush deeply. He whispered lowly, "Oops. Better watch out for those bunny vacuums."
