Mic watched the recorded transmission from Aquitar end.
Even through an alien language, she could sense the sorrow in the speaker's
mind. This was a man who'd just been forced to choose between duty
to his teammates and duty to his friend, and in the end friendship had won
out. She understood how Bill and Cestro could have been close on Aquitar-
the alien was obviously a man of honor. She'd listened to Billy's presentation
earlier. It made sense. It would at least explain her own abilities
if not Ben's. Then again, Ben's abilities came with their own built
in explanation. Then it hit her, My God! This is what Ben was shown!
This is why he became what he is! To help stop this kind of madness!
"You're telling me, that the dragon's are what is causing human jumps in evolution?" Jase asked.
Bill nodded. "Affirmative."
"And the Alien Rangers are threatening to destroy humanity if we kill the dragons." Jason shook his head, "I can't believe that of Trey; or Andros and Zhane for that matter."
"Who are Trey, Andros and Zhane?" Admiral Hazard asked.
"Prince Trey of Triforia is the original Gold Ranger. Andros and Zhane are aliens who where Space Rangers. They live here in on Earth now." Jason replied.
The Admiral looked closely at Bill, "Exactly how much of this technology is alien based?" she asked and then added, "You all do realize that it's in violation of federal law for any US citizen to have contact with aliens."
"Admiral," Tommy began, "I should care why?" He sighed, "What's done is done. We were chosen by an alien named Zordon to wield the Power when we were fifteen. We defended the planet from a crazy sorceress and her giant ape for years. Later we fought against the machine empire," Tommy looked at Billy, "some of us without powers. If you want to toss into jail, that's fine. We'll wait for either the Alien Rangers to bomb it out of existence, or the dragons to burn it down."
"Or, I'll break them out," Mic added to the room general.
"Tommy is correct Admiral Hazard. Without our contact with aliens, this planet would be a slave world by now," Billy told her. "Whether you like it or not, we're dealing with extra-terrestrials and the technology I gleaned from my contact therein."
Mic could tell this wasn't sitting well with the woman. She didn't need to be what she was to know the Admiral was unused to dealing with situations out of the normal realm of reality. "Admiral, recriminations about the failure of the US Intelligence Services to keep the existence of aliens away from the general population are not getting us anywhere. The dragons are here, the technology is here, we're here, and the Alien Rangers are going to be here soon. The question is how we're going to deal with it."
Admiral Hazard harrumphed, and looked at the twelve faces in front of her. This was supposed to be an easy job. Mic understood that she hadn't expected this team to unite like this. She knew the woman had been told this group would form a tight knit team and work together. What she hadn't been told her was that they would also shut out the command staff, and the two leading military officers would might form an even tighter relationship. Mic understood how that might make the woman uncomfortable.
Mic knew she was no fool and that she'd known what was going on between Bill and Commander Scott the moment she laid eyes on both of them. Leaning forward onto the table the woman locked eyes with Bill and then Commander Scott, "I need to know one thing right now gentlemen." Her voice slipped into command mode, "I need to know where you stand. You both are officers in the United States military. You've sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution and to follow orders." She looked back and forth between the two men, "Can you do your duty, no matter what? Are you going to follow orders?" Then looking over at the doctor she asked. "You too, Commander Storm."
Billy swallowed hard. He understood what was happening. He was about to be put into the same situation Cestro had been. Duty to his country, his oath as an officer verses what he knew was right. Looking over at Jase, he felt something pass between the two of them. A strength that he'd felt missing from his life for too long flowed back into him. Jason had something Billy had always admired; an innate sense of what to do and when, and he felt that shared between them. "Admiral, I understand my duties as an officer, and the oath I took. However, if you ask me to embark on a course that would certainly result in the death of every man woman and child on the planet," he suddenly found himself looking over at Ben for support. Receiving it in the form a gentle smile at the corner of the flight surgeon's mouth, he continued, "I would have to question your fitness for command, ma'am." He watched as the woman hid the shocked look in her eyes very well. He understood that one did not make such a suggestion lightly to one's commanding officer. However these were desperate times. "I hope it doesn't come to that, ma'am. I hope you can really understand what we're up against."
The admiral swept her gaze over to Jason. "And you Commander?"
"Admiral, please don't make me choose between following orders and doing what I know is right. I don't think you really understand the ramifications of what Billy… uh… Major Cranston is trying to say."
The Admiral leaned back against her chair, "Okay, then make me understand." It wasn't yet the time to remind these two where their duty lay. Not here, not in front of their old team. Looking back at Major Cranston she said, "Find me another way. A way that will stop the dragons from ravaging North America, and that will keep the Alien Rangers off our backs until we can deal with them on equal footing." Looking over at Ms. Storm however she realized that woman could cause problems later when it came time to move. The woman before the Rangers had no intentions of letting the technology in the Command Center fall into anyone's hands other than hers. She too had her orders, and they came from much higher up than the Admiralty.
Picking up that stray thought, Mic hid her surprise. This was NOT a good situation. Ben, Bill, and Commander Scott were being put into a no-win scenario, and like an even more famous Admiral, Mic didn't believe in the no-win scenario. It was time she made some phone calls herself. Storm Avionics was not without its own allies in the military command structure.
Billy smiled and nodded, "First I would suggest we change our tactics slightly." He looked over at Jase, "Commander, it will put us in more danger, but if we fight to drive them off, not to kill them, then we might be able to buy some time with the Alien Rangers. They can't be completely devoid of compassion, they're Ranger's for God's sake."
"Major," Jason replied, taking his cue from Billy. If they kept their conversation in front of the Admiral on a professional level, that would give her one less thing to use to override whatever Billy came up with. "I have to admit to being wary of any plan that would needlessly put my team," Jason didn't have to say friends- they all knew that, "at needless risk." Then looking at the Admiral, he said, "However, under the circumstances, if they're amiable to the situation, then I'll go along with it. As long as the risk isn't too great." He looked around the room, at each of his former comrades. Finally, his midnight eyes stopped at Tommy. The two former Ranger leaders nodded to each other. Tommy understood.
"Admiral," Tommy spoke up.
The woman turned to face him, "Yes, MISTER Oliver?"
"May we have a moment to discuss this among ourselves." Before the woman could reply, he quickly added, "We understand that you can order Billy and Jason, uh.. Commander Scott and Major Cranston to do anything you want, but we're all civilians. We joined this to stop the dragons, not fight our old friends from space."
The Admiral sighed. Mic knew she was no fool, she understood that something was happening, and she was close to losing her team's cohesion. The situation was quickly slipping out of her control. Mic could feel her debating several options in her mind before quickly she nodding, "Very well, MISTER Oliver. You may discuss it privately." She turned to look at the three officers in the room. "Commander's Scott and Storm, Major Cranston. You will come with me."
"But Admiral, we'd like their input…," Trini protested.
Admiral Hazard stopped and looked at the woman, "Mrs. Taylor, YOU have a choice in this matter. These three men are under my command." She locked gazes with the young Asian woman, "let there be NO misunderstandings, they DON'T. They will follow orders, or I'll have them at Leavenworth so fast that it'll make their heads spin." Then turning back to the three men, "Major, Commanders."
Mic watched as the four uniforms disappeared through the briefing room door. Suddenly the room erupted into an explosion of chatter.
"She can't do this!" Mrs. Oliver protested.
"Oh yes, she can!" Zack offered. "To get Jase and Billy on the team, we had to agree to a military advisor. They have to ANSWER to somebody."
"I knew this was going to happen," Aisha said quietly. "The military was just waiting for its chance to take over." If she added the line: They knew we were all alone here; Mic was going to lose it.
Rocky put an arm around her shoulders, "It's going to be alright. Jase and Billy will find a way out of it. For all of us."
"I can't believe we're sitting her talking like this, while Earth is threatened by both the dragons and the Alien Rangers," Trini said.
"Guys," Tommy interrupted, "Listen to me." Mic noted that old habits die hard, and that every one of them immeadiately turned to Tommy. "Are you willing to follow Jase if he only tries to drive the dragons off, not kill them? Even if it's only until Billy can come up with another solution?" He sighed, "It could make it much more dangerous."
Mic watched as each of the former Rangers looked to one another. Zack was the first to nod his head, followed by Trini, then Kimberly. One by one, Tommy's gaze circled the room as each of his old teammates nodded in affirmation. It was a mute testament to their faith in their friends. Finally, Zack voiced what it was obvious they all felt, "I trust Jase with my life. I'll follow him where ever however." There was a murmur of agreement that followed his comment, and Mic slowly began to understand just how much being a Power Ranger had bound these ten together. Zordon had chosen wisely.
"What about you Ms. Storm?" Tommy asked. "Are you willing to go along with us?"
Mic smiled at him, "Please I told Kim to call me Mic."
"Permission to my friend, is not necessarily permission to me, Tommy smiled back at her, "But thank you, Mic. Still, my question stands."
Mic laughed, "If Bill trusts your Commander Scott enough to follow him, who am I to argue with the most intelligent man I've ever met?"
Tommy laughed. "Good. Then we're all agreed. We stay on, and fight to drive the dragons off until Billy can figure out another way of dealing with them."
"However," Mic said quietly, "Admiral Hazard and I are going to have a little talk." She smiled heading toward the door. "If she thinks she's going to run roughshod over Storm Avionics and its assets, then she's got another thought coming." Hitting the keypad she said, "I'm not exactly without my own resources and I can pull rank too."
Mic smiled to herself as she overheard Mr. and Mrs. Taylor speaking, "Somehow, I get the feeling we're not getting the whole picture from that woman."
Zack replied, "I'd love to be a fly on that wall when she talks to the Admiral."
Jason stood at attention next to Commander Storm and Billy, as the Admiral sat at her desk. This was not going well. For long moments the three officers stood there waiting for the Admiral to say something, anything. Finally, Commander Storm spoke, "Permission to speak ma'am?"
Opening a file on her desk, she didn't look up. Jase noticed a single eyebrow rise at his request. Her only reply was, "Denied."
For what seemed like an eternity they stood there at attention while the Admiral read the file in front of her. Finally satisfied with what she saw, she dropped the file on her desk in front of the three men leaned back in her chair and smiled. "You three are unhappy with not having an input in your friends' decision."
"It's not that Admiral," Billy said. "We're a team. We've always made big decisions like this as a team."
The admiral smiled, "But Major, now you're on another team. My team." She indicated the documents. "Do you have any idea what those authorize me to do?"
"No ma'am," Billy replied.
She smiled again, and Jason felt his blood run cold. "I have three options here." She held up her little finger, "One, I can confiscate this base and all equipment and technology inside it under the State Secrets Act of nineteen ninety-four. Two I can declare martial law and press any individual who's believed to have access to such technology and equipment or knowledge thereof into service under the same act." She smiled wickedly, "Or, I can do both." She locked eyes with Bill. Jase wondered why she was focusing on him. Billy wasn't the team leader here, why was she going after him? "What do you think of that?"
Jase watched as Billy reached some kind of decision in his head. He'd seen that look before. It meant that the stubborn side of the Blue Ranger was about to come into play. "I think that all three options would be unadvisable at this juncture ma'am. You would be creating a conflict where one need not exist yet."
The Admiral stood and walked around behind him, "Are you trying to tell me how to run my command, Major?"
"No, ma'am." Billy looked straight ahead, "The Admiral asked my opinion, I gave it. Was the Admiral simply wishing me to agree with her, no matter what my opinion?" That took some major balls. One didn't suggest to a Flag Officer that she was looking for a "yes man" casually.
"How would you suggest I handle this situation then, Major?"
"Let us work to find a way to deal with the dragons in a non-lethal manner, that would keep us out of conflict with Alien Rangers."
The Admiral smiled wickedly, "I have a better idea. We use the Commander's suggestion to keep the Aliens off our backs until you and Ms. Storm can come up with a way of destroying the Aliens, Rangers or not." Jason was shocked. The idea of ordering Billy to kill the Aquitian Rangers was unthinkable. They were his friends- all the Earth Rangers owed the Aquitians their lives.
Billy took a deep breath and said, "No ma'am."
"What did you say?" the Admiral asked incredulously.
"With all due respect, ma'am, you can order me to work on a project." Billy swallowed, "And I'll obey. However, I can guarantee that such a project will fail. Ordering me to do so would be a futile attempt at exercising power for the sake of power."
The Admiral sighed, and the smiled, "And what if I told you that if you didn't, I'd take one of our former teammates out and had them shot?" She leaned back against the desk, "Starting with that pretty little brunette you arrived at the base with this afternoon. I wonder if Mr. Park knows you're making time with his wife?"
Jason was seeing red. How dare this woman make such a suggestion?! It was completely against the Geneva Convention. You did not hold civilian hostages in order to coerce military personnel. Before he could say something he felt Commander Storm grab his arm. Breaking discipline he looked over and the Commander asked, "Commander Scott, Major Cranston? Would you say that the Admiral is making an irrational suggestion?"
"About as irrational as I've ever heard!" Jason shot off his mouth before thinking. Not something, he was normally prone to do. "It's also in complete violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice." Realizing what he'd just said he snapped back to attention.
"Major Cranston?" Commander Storm continued in a very formal voice. Jason had the feeling that he was missing something, but he was fighting his anger so hard, he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was, "Would you concur that the Admiral just threatened to execute a civilian to gain your cooperation?"
Smiling Billy said, "I do, Commander."
Commander Storm then turned to the Admiral, "Admiral Hazard, by the witness of two officers of Command Rank and in accordance with the UCMJ, as Chief Medical Officer of this base, I hereby certify you as unfit for Command. You will be placed under arrest pending an official investigation." He turned and faced the Admiral for the first time, "And trust me Admiral, my sister has enough pull with the Brass that I can guarantee you that it will be less of an investigation and more of a witch hunt."
The Admiral looked at the three men standing there, and put her hands on her hips, "You wouldn't dare." Smiling she said nodded toward the folder on the desk, "Besides, by the authority of that document, I can't be relieved by anyone less than a flag rank."
Jason had come to a conclusion. This woman had become a threat to his mission, his friends, and even his planet. She was acting irrational, and with the Rangers facing a dual threat from the dragons and space, he didn't have time to deal with the niceties of military protocol. He realized it would probably cost him his career, definitely his commission, he acted anyway. Faster than the others could follow, faster than even he realized was possible, his hand whipped out and seized the folder. Holding it up, he put on his best poker face, "What document?"
"Storm, Cranston, Scott, you're playing a dangerous game here. You sure you want to go through with this. It won't end well," the woman's tone was level and threatening.
"I realized that the moment you threatened me with executing a civilian," Commander Storm said. He leveled his gaze at the woman, "It's three against one, Admiral."
"Storm, you already have a reputation as a trouble-maker. Nobody will believe you over me." She smirked, "Besides, I've got friends, powerful friends."
Jason raised an eyebrow. There was a treat there that it was obvious the doctor hadn't heard. "What kind of friends?" Jason asked.
She smiled, "Wouldn't you like to know." Leaning forward, eyeing the folder in his hand suspiciously, she said, "The Commander and his bratty sister aren't the only one with corporate ties." She glanced back over at the doctor, "I can make a phone call. You know the kind of call, Commander. The kind that led to the incident on the Caribbean Princess."
Jason saw the other man's face go white. Something the Admiral said had set him. A low guttural sound escaped from the other man as a hard look came into his eyes. Jason had seen that look before; seen it in Tommy's eyes when he'd faced the evil Green Ranger in the Dark Dimension. It was a look that said there was murder to be done. Even before he could react, he felt Billy dive for the doctor as a he yelled, "Ben! No!"
The two men went down in a clump as the Admiral ran for the door. She was fast, much faster than any woman on the far side of fifty had a right to be. But, fast as she was, she was no match for the reactions Billy's treatments had imbued him with. As the woman reached the door, Jason grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled back.
With a flexibility that surprised Jason she ducked charged headlong through the door. Jason felt something tear in his hands, and her hair came away. Looking down in shock, for an instant Jason thought he'd accidentally scalped the woman. Then he realized he was holding a wig. Dropping the wig to the floor, he raced out the office door nearly tripping on the high-heeled shoes the imposter had left behind.
He'd barely reached the end of the corridor when and explosion behind him slammed him forward into the bulkhead. Just before the darkness took him, his last thoughts were, what if Billy and the Doc had been coming out the door then?
Tommy felt twin explosions rock the Command Center and headed toward the door to outside hallway only to find that in a black blur Zack had beaten him there. He vaguely remembered Kim saying something about not trying to race Zack anytime soon as the two men went down in a tangle of limbs and two more explosions from the direction of the 'Tech bay hit.
Looking up, he saw, Kim, Trini, and Mic pick their way over him and Zack as they headed out the door ahead of them. "Somehow Bro, I get the feeling they're not going to let us live this down," Tommy told Zack.
Zack smiled up at him sheepishly, "I think you're right."
Kim skidded to a halt along side the other Rangers at the door to the devastated 'Tech bay. Every ship was lying in a twisted crumpled mass of metal on the deck below their launching cradles. Acrid smoke filled the air, and the low sounds of people moaning in pain wafted across the bay. In the distance she heard the low whine of an aircraft's engines powering up.
Beside her, Mic suddenly said, "Commander' Scott's Harrier!" Suddenly the small red-head was tearing across the jumbled wreck of the bay leaping over piles of debris and metal. Without thinking, Kim followed in hot pursuit. As the two rounded the bay doors, they saw the Harrier slowly lift off, wobble and hover momentarily as its engines rotated to flight mode and then streak off.
Kim heard a gasp of surprise and looked over to where Kat was pointing. It took a few seconds for Kim to realized that she wasn't looking at someone's peeled face lying there in a bloody clump, but instead a very high-tech facial mask. As Mic bent down and picked up the flexible material, Kim realized that it was Admiral Hazard's face she was looking at. Mic began cursing lowly under her breath, but the only name Kim could make out was, "Kilpatrick."
Suddenly, Trini grabbed both women and literally threw them behind a pile of rubble as she dove for cover herself. Looking over the edge of the pile of gravel and stone they'd landed behind, Kim saw the Harrier turn, streak back toward the base and fire two of its missiles at the main tower of the Command Center- the part that housed the Admiral's office.
The world slowed to a crawl around Billy as he felt the explosion pick him up and slam him through the outer wall of the Admiral's office, through the inner wall, and into the tiled wall of her lavatory. He felt something pierce his back, and flash of pain shot through his body, and then there was only numbness. For long moments, he lay there trying to get his head to stop spinning, and trying to determine what the red haze in front of his eyes was. Then as if his mind became hyper-alert he started noticing small details around him as the world slowed to a crawl.
Some part of his mind noted a flash of light, in the office area, and he thought; Oh, great! Something's started a fire. Suddenly a tall strawberry blonde – Her hair is the same shade as Bens' - wearing what looked like a one piece white swimsuit with an off center belt and blue cape and boots. Billy noted that she vaguely looked like the woman in the poster in Ben's office; Lynda… something or another…. Was she really wearing bracers and an tiara? Damn! That's it! I must have hit my head harder than I thought!- crashed through door, swept him up and started to carry him to safety. He heard what sounded like a low whistle as the woman suddenly curled her body around him as a second explosion from the outer wall shook the building. Before the darkness took him, he wondered to himself, Why is she wearing Old Spice cologne?
"You're telling me, that the dragon's are what is causing human jumps in evolution?" Jase asked.
Bill nodded. "Affirmative."
"And the Alien Rangers are threatening to destroy humanity if we kill the dragons." Jason shook his head, "I can't believe that of Trey; or Andros and Zhane for that matter."
"Who are Trey, Andros and Zhane?" Admiral Hazard asked.
"Prince Trey of Triforia is the original Gold Ranger. Andros and Zhane are aliens who where Space Rangers. They live here in on Earth now." Jason replied.
The Admiral looked closely at Bill, "Exactly how much of this technology is alien based?" she asked and then added, "You all do realize that it's in violation of federal law for any US citizen to have contact with aliens."
"Admiral," Tommy began, "I should care why?" He sighed, "What's done is done. We were chosen by an alien named Zordon to wield the Power when we were fifteen. We defended the planet from a crazy sorceress and her giant ape for years. Later we fought against the machine empire," Tommy looked at Billy, "some of us without powers. If you want to toss into jail, that's fine. We'll wait for either the Alien Rangers to bomb it out of existence, or the dragons to burn it down."
"Or, I'll break them out," Mic added to the room general.
"Tommy is correct Admiral Hazard. Without our contact with aliens, this planet would be a slave world by now," Billy told her. "Whether you like it or not, we're dealing with extra-terrestrials and the technology I gleaned from my contact therein."
Mic could tell this wasn't sitting well with the woman. She didn't need to be what she was to know the Admiral was unused to dealing with situations out of the normal realm of reality. "Admiral, recriminations about the failure of the US Intelligence Services to keep the existence of aliens away from the general population are not getting us anywhere. The dragons are here, the technology is here, we're here, and the Alien Rangers are going to be here soon. The question is how we're going to deal with it."
Admiral Hazard harrumphed, and looked at the twelve faces in front of her. This was supposed to be an easy job. Mic understood that she hadn't expected this team to unite like this. She knew the woman had been told this group would form a tight knit team and work together. What she hadn't been told her was that they would also shut out the command staff, and the two leading military officers would might form an even tighter relationship. Mic understood how that might make the woman uncomfortable.
Mic knew she was no fool and that she'd known what was going on between Bill and Commander Scott the moment she laid eyes on both of them. Leaning forward onto the table the woman locked eyes with Bill and then Commander Scott, "I need to know one thing right now gentlemen." Her voice slipped into command mode, "I need to know where you stand. You both are officers in the United States military. You've sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution and to follow orders." She looked back and forth between the two men, "Can you do your duty, no matter what? Are you going to follow orders?" Then looking over at the doctor she asked. "You too, Commander Storm."
Billy swallowed hard. He understood what was happening. He was about to be put into the same situation Cestro had been. Duty to his country, his oath as an officer verses what he knew was right. Looking over at Jase, he felt something pass between the two of them. A strength that he'd felt missing from his life for too long flowed back into him. Jason had something Billy had always admired; an innate sense of what to do and when, and he felt that shared between them. "Admiral, I understand my duties as an officer, and the oath I took. However, if you ask me to embark on a course that would certainly result in the death of every man woman and child on the planet," he suddenly found himself looking over at Ben for support. Receiving it in the form a gentle smile at the corner of the flight surgeon's mouth, he continued, "I would have to question your fitness for command, ma'am." He watched as the woman hid the shocked look in her eyes very well. He understood that one did not make such a suggestion lightly to one's commanding officer. However these were desperate times. "I hope it doesn't come to that, ma'am. I hope you can really understand what we're up against."
The admiral swept her gaze over to Jason. "And you Commander?"
"Admiral, please don't make me choose between following orders and doing what I know is right. I don't think you really understand the ramifications of what Billy… uh… Major Cranston is trying to say."
The Admiral leaned back against her chair, "Okay, then make me understand." It wasn't yet the time to remind these two where their duty lay. Not here, not in front of their old team. Looking back at Major Cranston she said, "Find me another way. A way that will stop the dragons from ravaging North America, and that will keep the Alien Rangers off our backs until we can deal with them on equal footing." Looking over at Ms. Storm however she realized that woman could cause problems later when it came time to move. The woman before the Rangers had no intentions of letting the technology in the Command Center fall into anyone's hands other than hers. She too had her orders, and they came from much higher up than the Admiralty.
Picking up that stray thought, Mic hid her surprise. This was NOT a good situation. Ben, Bill, and Commander Scott were being put into a no-win scenario, and like an even more famous Admiral, Mic didn't believe in the no-win scenario. It was time she made some phone calls herself. Storm Avionics was not without its own allies in the military command structure.
Billy smiled and nodded, "First I would suggest we change our tactics slightly." He looked over at Jase, "Commander, it will put us in more danger, but if we fight to drive them off, not to kill them, then we might be able to buy some time with the Alien Rangers. They can't be completely devoid of compassion, they're Ranger's for God's sake."
"Major," Jason replied, taking his cue from Billy. If they kept their conversation in front of the Admiral on a professional level, that would give her one less thing to use to override whatever Billy came up with. "I have to admit to being wary of any plan that would needlessly put my team," Jason didn't have to say friends- they all knew that, "at needless risk." Then looking at the Admiral, he said, "However, under the circumstances, if they're amiable to the situation, then I'll go along with it. As long as the risk isn't too great." He looked around the room, at each of his former comrades. Finally, his midnight eyes stopped at Tommy. The two former Ranger leaders nodded to each other. Tommy understood.
"Admiral," Tommy spoke up.
The woman turned to face him, "Yes, MISTER Oliver?"
"May we have a moment to discuss this among ourselves." Before the woman could reply, he quickly added, "We understand that you can order Billy and Jason, uh.. Commander Scott and Major Cranston to do anything you want, but we're all civilians. We joined this to stop the dragons, not fight our old friends from space."
The Admiral sighed. Mic knew she was no fool, she understood that something was happening, and she was close to losing her team's cohesion. The situation was quickly slipping out of her control. Mic could feel her debating several options in her mind before quickly she nodding, "Very well, MISTER Oliver. You may discuss it privately." She turned to look at the three officers in the room. "Commander's Scott and Storm, Major Cranston. You will come with me."
"But Admiral, we'd like their input…," Trini protested.
Admiral Hazard stopped and looked at the woman, "Mrs. Taylor, YOU have a choice in this matter. These three men are under my command." She locked gazes with the young Asian woman, "let there be NO misunderstandings, they DON'T. They will follow orders, or I'll have them at Leavenworth so fast that it'll make their heads spin." Then turning back to the three men, "Major, Commanders."
Mic watched as the four uniforms disappeared through the briefing room door. Suddenly the room erupted into an explosion of chatter.
"She can't do this!" Mrs. Oliver protested.
"Oh yes, she can!" Zack offered. "To get Jase and Billy on the team, we had to agree to a military advisor. They have to ANSWER to somebody."
"I knew this was going to happen," Aisha said quietly. "The military was just waiting for its chance to take over." If she added the line: They knew we were all alone here; Mic was going to lose it.
Rocky put an arm around her shoulders, "It's going to be alright. Jase and Billy will find a way out of it. For all of us."
"I can't believe we're sitting her talking like this, while Earth is threatened by both the dragons and the Alien Rangers," Trini said.
"Guys," Tommy interrupted, "Listen to me." Mic noted that old habits die hard, and that every one of them immeadiately turned to Tommy. "Are you willing to follow Jase if he only tries to drive the dragons off, not kill them? Even if it's only until Billy can come up with another solution?" He sighed, "It could make it much more dangerous."
Mic watched as each of the former Rangers looked to one another. Zack was the first to nod his head, followed by Trini, then Kimberly. One by one, Tommy's gaze circled the room as each of his old teammates nodded in affirmation. It was a mute testament to their faith in their friends. Finally, Zack voiced what it was obvious they all felt, "I trust Jase with my life. I'll follow him where ever however." There was a murmur of agreement that followed his comment, and Mic slowly began to understand just how much being a Power Ranger had bound these ten together. Zordon had chosen wisely.
"What about you Ms. Storm?" Tommy asked. "Are you willing to go along with us?"
Mic smiled at him, "Please I told Kim to call me Mic."
"Permission to my friend, is not necessarily permission to me, Tommy smiled back at her, "But thank you, Mic. Still, my question stands."
Mic laughed, "If Bill trusts your Commander Scott enough to follow him, who am I to argue with the most intelligent man I've ever met?"
Tommy laughed. "Good. Then we're all agreed. We stay on, and fight to drive the dragons off until Billy can figure out another way of dealing with them."
"However," Mic said quietly, "Admiral Hazard and I are going to have a little talk." She smiled heading toward the door. "If she thinks she's going to run roughshod over Storm Avionics and its assets, then she's got another thought coming." Hitting the keypad she said, "I'm not exactly without my own resources and I can pull rank too."
Mic smiled to herself as she overheard Mr. and Mrs. Taylor speaking, "Somehow, I get the feeling we're not getting the whole picture from that woman."
Zack replied, "I'd love to be a fly on that wall when she talks to the Admiral."
Jason stood at attention next to Commander Storm and Billy, as the Admiral sat at her desk. This was not going well. For long moments the three officers stood there waiting for the Admiral to say something, anything. Finally, Commander Storm spoke, "Permission to speak ma'am?"
Opening a file on her desk, she didn't look up. Jase noticed a single eyebrow rise at his request. Her only reply was, "Denied."
For what seemed like an eternity they stood there at attention while the Admiral read the file in front of her. Finally satisfied with what she saw, she dropped the file on her desk in front of the three men leaned back in her chair and smiled. "You three are unhappy with not having an input in your friends' decision."
"It's not that Admiral," Billy said. "We're a team. We've always made big decisions like this as a team."
The admiral smiled, "But Major, now you're on another team. My team." She indicated the documents. "Do you have any idea what those authorize me to do?"
"No ma'am," Billy replied.
She smiled again, and Jason felt his blood run cold. "I have three options here." She held up her little finger, "One, I can confiscate this base and all equipment and technology inside it under the State Secrets Act of nineteen ninety-four. Two I can declare martial law and press any individual who's believed to have access to such technology and equipment or knowledge thereof into service under the same act." She smiled wickedly, "Or, I can do both." She locked eyes with Bill. Jase wondered why she was focusing on him. Billy wasn't the team leader here, why was she going after him? "What do you think of that?"
Jase watched as Billy reached some kind of decision in his head. He'd seen that look before. It meant that the stubborn side of the Blue Ranger was about to come into play. "I think that all three options would be unadvisable at this juncture ma'am. You would be creating a conflict where one need not exist yet."
The Admiral stood and walked around behind him, "Are you trying to tell me how to run my command, Major?"
"No, ma'am." Billy looked straight ahead, "The Admiral asked my opinion, I gave it. Was the Admiral simply wishing me to agree with her, no matter what my opinion?" That took some major balls. One didn't suggest to a Flag Officer that she was looking for a "yes man" casually.
"How would you suggest I handle this situation then, Major?"
"Let us work to find a way to deal with the dragons in a non-lethal manner, that would keep us out of conflict with Alien Rangers."
The Admiral smiled wickedly, "I have a better idea. We use the Commander's suggestion to keep the Aliens off our backs until you and Ms. Storm can come up with a way of destroying the Aliens, Rangers or not." Jason was shocked. The idea of ordering Billy to kill the Aquitian Rangers was unthinkable. They were his friends- all the Earth Rangers owed the Aquitians their lives.
Billy took a deep breath and said, "No ma'am."
"What did you say?" the Admiral asked incredulously.
"With all due respect, ma'am, you can order me to work on a project." Billy swallowed, "And I'll obey. However, I can guarantee that such a project will fail. Ordering me to do so would be a futile attempt at exercising power for the sake of power."
The Admiral sighed, and the smiled, "And what if I told you that if you didn't, I'd take one of our former teammates out and had them shot?" She leaned back against the desk, "Starting with that pretty little brunette you arrived at the base with this afternoon. I wonder if Mr. Park knows you're making time with his wife?"
Jason was seeing red. How dare this woman make such a suggestion?! It was completely against the Geneva Convention. You did not hold civilian hostages in order to coerce military personnel. Before he could say something he felt Commander Storm grab his arm. Breaking discipline he looked over and the Commander asked, "Commander Scott, Major Cranston? Would you say that the Admiral is making an irrational suggestion?"
"About as irrational as I've ever heard!" Jason shot off his mouth before thinking. Not something, he was normally prone to do. "It's also in complete violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice." Realizing what he'd just said he snapped back to attention.
"Major Cranston?" Commander Storm continued in a very formal voice. Jason had the feeling that he was missing something, but he was fighting his anger so hard, he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was, "Would you concur that the Admiral just threatened to execute a civilian to gain your cooperation?"
Smiling Billy said, "I do, Commander."
Commander Storm then turned to the Admiral, "Admiral Hazard, by the witness of two officers of Command Rank and in accordance with the UCMJ, as Chief Medical Officer of this base, I hereby certify you as unfit for Command. You will be placed under arrest pending an official investigation." He turned and faced the Admiral for the first time, "And trust me Admiral, my sister has enough pull with the Brass that I can guarantee you that it will be less of an investigation and more of a witch hunt."
The Admiral looked at the three men standing there, and put her hands on her hips, "You wouldn't dare." Smiling she said nodded toward the folder on the desk, "Besides, by the authority of that document, I can't be relieved by anyone less than a flag rank."
Jason had come to a conclusion. This woman had become a threat to his mission, his friends, and even his planet. She was acting irrational, and with the Rangers facing a dual threat from the dragons and space, he didn't have time to deal with the niceties of military protocol. He realized it would probably cost him his career, definitely his commission, he acted anyway. Faster than the others could follow, faster than even he realized was possible, his hand whipped out and seized the folder. Holding it up, he put on his best poker face, "What document?"
"Storm, Cranston, Scott, you're playing a dangerous game here. You sure you want to go through with this. It won't end well," the woman's tone was level and threatening.
"I realized that the moment you threatened me with executing a civilian," Commander Storm said. He leveled his gaze at the woman, "It's three against one, Admiral."
"Storm, you already have a reputation as a trouble-maker. Nobody will believe you over me." She smirked, "Besides, I've got friends, powerful friends."
Jason raised an eyebrow. There was a treat there that it was obvious the doctor hadn't heard. "What kind of friends?" Jason asked.
She smiled, "Wouldn't you like to know." Leaning forward, eyeing the folder in his hand suspiciously, she said, "The Commander and his bratty sister aren't the only one with corporate ties." She glanced back over at the doctor, "I can make a phone call. You know the kind of call, Commander. The kind that led to the incident on the Caribbean Princess."
Jason saw the other man's face go white. Something the Admiral said had set him. A low guttural sound escaped from the other man as a hard look came into his eyes. Jason had seen that look before; seen it in Tommy's eyes when he'd faced the evil Green Ranger in the Dark Dimension. It was a look that said there was murder to be done. Even before he could react, he felt Billy dive for the doctor as a he yelled, "Ben! No!"
The two men went down in a clump as the Admiral ran for the door. She was fast, much faster than any woman on the far side of fifty had a right to be. But, fast as she was, she was no match for the reactions Billy's treatments had imbued him with. As the woman reached the door, Jason grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled back.
With a flexibility that surprised Jason she ducked charged headlong through the door. Jason felt something tear in his hands, and her hair came away. Looking down in shock, for an instant Jason thought he'd accidentally scalped the woman. Then he realized he was holding a wig. Dropping the wig to the floor, he raced out the office door nearly tripping on the high-heeled shoes the imposter had left behind.
He'd barely reached the end of the corridor when and explosion behind him slammed him forward into the bulkhead. Just before the darkness took him, his last thoughts were, what if Billy and the Doc had been coming out the door then?
Tommy felt twin explosions rock the Command Center and headed toward the door to outside hallway only to find that in a black blur Zack had beaten him there. He vaguely remembered Kim saying something about not trying to race Zack anytime soon as the two men went down in a tangle of limbs and two more explosions from the direction of the 'Tech bay hit.
Looking up, he saw, Kim, Trini, and Mic pick their way over him and Zack as they headed out the door ahead of them. "Somehow Bro, I get the feeling they're not going to let us live this down," Tommy told Zack.
Zack smiled up at him sheepishly, "I think you're right."
Kim skidded to a halt along side the other Rangers at the door to the devastated 'Tech bay. Every ship was lying in a twisted crumpled mass of metal on the deck below their launching cradles. Acrid smoke filled the air, and the low sounds of people moaning in pain wafted across the bay. In the distance she heard the low whine of an aircraft's engines powering up.
Beside her, Mic suddenly said, "Commander' Scott's Harrier!" Suddenly the small red-head was tearing across the jumbled wreck of the bay leaping over piles of debris and metal. Without thinking, Kim followed in hot pursuit. As the two rounded the bay doors, they saw the Harrier slowly lift off, wobble and hover momentarily as its engines rotated to flight mode and then streak off.
Kim heard a gasp of surprise and looked over to where Kat was pointing. It took a few seconds for Kim to realized that she wasn't looking at someone's peeled face lying there in a bloody clump, but instead a very high-tech facial mask. As Mic bent down and picked up the flexible material, Kim realized that it was Admiral Hazard's face she was looking at. Mic began cursing lowly under her breath, but the only name Kim could make out was, "Kilpatrick."
Suddenly, Trini grabbed both women and literally threw them behind a pile of rubble as she dove for cover herself. Looking over the edge of the pile of gravel and stone they'd landed behind, Kim saw the Harrier turn, streak back toward the base and fire two of its missiles at the main tower of the Command Center- the part that housed the Admiral's office.
The world slowed to a crawl around Billy as he felt the explosion pick him up and slam him through the outer wall of the Admiral's office, through the inner wall, and into the tiled wall of her lavatory. He felt something pierce his back, and flash of pain shot through his body, and then there was only numbness. For long moments, he lay there trying to get his head to stop spinning, and trying to determine what the red haze in front of his eyes was. Then as if his mind became hyper-alert he started noticing small details around him as the world slowed to a crawl.
Some part of his mind noted a flash of light, in the office area, and he thought; Oh, great! Something's started a fire. Suddenly a tall strawberry blonde – Her hair is the same shade as Bens' - wearing what looked like a one piece white swimsuit with an off center belt and blue cape and boots. Billy noted that she vaguely looked like the woman in the poster in Ben's office; Lynda… something or another…. Was she really wearing bracers and an tiara? Damn! That's it! I must have hit my head harder than I thought!- crashed through door, swept him up and started to carry him to safety. He heard what sounded like a low whistle as the woman suddenly curled her body around him as a second explosion from the outer wall shook the building. Before the darkness took him, he wondered to himself, Why is she wearing Old Spice cologne?
