Disclaimer in part one.
Note: Insane Beta Reader needed for insane writer. Inquire within.
Another Time and Place
by Smittysgirl
part 4
Conner McKnight liked to think his mind was once his most stalwart companion. He wasn't a 'brain' by any means, and his middling grades were often the result of coasting on the barest amount of information possible, but his mind was hardwired for intuitive strategic thinking. He knew the mechanics of soccer the way Ethan knew the inner workings of computers.
As the effects of the antipsychotics set in he reflected that his mind was now an unreliable narrator, eager to color events to suit the convenience of his paranoia. He hated it. The cold, detached logic with which he could dismiss the lives of others. That sense of perverse other which breathed down his neck whenever he let his concentration slip.
A shiver ran through him. The others were still about, with the exception of Kira, who had been pissed at what he'd said. Whatever he'd said. Devin, their newest Ranger, was playing with his lenses, Cassidy was fiddling with her palm pilot, Ethan was doing something for Dr. T, and Dr. T was trying to stitch up Trent's shoulder. Again.
It was so easy for him to hate Trent. Hate him for what he'd done to all of them, hate him for betraying their trusts as the White Ranger, hate him for not stopping his father when he had a clear opportunity. It was so easy to hate him, Conner knew, that the rage wasn't entirely born of himself.
He was changing. Cassidy was right. He was losing himself to whatever Mesogog had done to him, leaving him lost. He wondered if it was because Trent was who he was that he hated the other Ranger, or if somehow, he was under Mesogog's control.
Fresh rage surged through him, rage he knew was directed to the mutant. Mesogog had violated him in a way Conner could have never imagined. It had been only moments after their arrival at school the morning after discovering their Dino Gems. Dr. Mercer had taken him aside before class while Kira and Ethan spoke to Dr. T on the playground.
Conner almost chided his ignorance in retrospect, though he never could have suspected his science teacher was the man- the creature that had dedicated itself to the retrieval of the Dino Gems.
He remembered only collapsing, and then waking up in the chair in Mesogog's lab. Had Mesogog changed him at that point? Or was he still Conner McKnight then, and the true torture had come later?
For a vague second, he wondered if Trent would have suffered the same fate if he hadn't been Anton Mercer's son. For all he knew, Trent could have been going through the same programming.
Conner sighed heavily, getting Devin's attention. He nodded in the direction of a juice box Hayley and Cassidy had procured earlier. "You mind?"
The Triassic Ranger shook his head, scooting over and extending the straw to Conner's mouth. He drank, smiling gratefully afterwards. "Appreciated."
The next words caught in his throat, and he forced them out. "Dev, I'm - sorry for the trouble I've been causing you guys."
Devin shook his head. "Thanks. But not the guy you need to be apologizing to, man."
"You mean...." Conner nodded over towards where Dr. T spoke softly to Trent. The other looked likely to bolt at any moment, shirt or no.
Devin nodded. "For starters. You don't have to like him. You don't even have to trust him. I'm not sure I trust him, really. We're a team. We have to work together or we're never going to stop Mesogog."
"It hurts," Conner said. "That he could have stopped it so easily...."
Devin nodded. "I know. That's part of why I can't trust him, really. But I also know shooting a man in the back isn't honor, and right now personal honor is all that's keeping Trent from taking his life."
Conner raised his eyebrows. "Trent? Honor?"
"Have you TALKED to him since he left Mesogog? Not fought, I know you both love to do that. Have you had a conversation with him? Have you seen the stuff he's drawing?"
Conner shook his head. "He still draws?"
"He does," Devin sighed. "It's all D&D stuff. Paladins, knights on horseback. Real medival vibe. The stuff they're fighting is just ..."
Devin struggled for words. "Bleak. Shapeless. I've had some experience with depression myself, Conner. I know what that's like."
"I feel so sorry for him." Somewhere in him, he should feel pity, but something was preventing him from do so.
"You should, man. Depression's serious business. Dr. T had to do some serious counseling, or Trent wouldn't be here now."
Conner sighed heavily, leaning back on the cot. "When'd you get wise, anyway?'
Devin smiled. "Always was. Never had a venue for it."
"Yeah, I guess that would happen, as Cass' right-hand man... erm."
"Hey, Cass has her own attractions. And it's cool that she and Ethan are dating. He's good for her." There was a wistfulness in Devin's voice that Conner couldn't quite understand. "Besides, dad doesn't like her. Too... blonde."
"Hey, she's a nice ... Aryan girl." Conner finished lamely.
Devin looked at him askance. "My parents are Asian, or did you forget?"
"I keep forgetting you're adopted."
Devin considered that for a moment as he started unfastening the restraints along the cot. "Most of the time I forget it too. Dad, however, has never remembered. He wants me to marry a nice botanist or middle manager somewhere."
"Not Cass?"
"Definitely not Cass. He wants me to have a quiet life, have 2.5 kids, keep the family line going...."
Conner clasped his friend on the arm once he was released. "I'm sorry, dude. Are you managing?"
"Yeah. I'm just glad Mom'n'dad don't know what I'm really doing...."
"Maybe they'd let up a little if they knew the truth? Not, you know, that I could tell mine or anything."
"The first thing mom and dad would do, especially dad, is ground me until I was 18. And what would you guys do for the Triassic Ranger then?"
"Me?" Conner asked mischievously.
"No chance, Dude, power doesn't work that way," Devin said.
Conner gave him a small smile. "Too bad," he said.
To Be Continued.
Note: Insane Beta Reader needed for insane writer. Inquire within.
Another Time and Place
by Smittysgirl
part 4
Conner McKnight liked to think his mind was once his most stalwart companion. He wasn't a 'brain' by any means, and his middling grades were often the result of coasting on the barest amount of information possible, but his mind was hardwired for intuitive strategic thinking. He knew the mechanics of soccer the way Ethan knew the inner workings of computers.
As the effects of the antipsychotics set in he reflected that his mind was now an unreliable narrator, eager to color events to suit the convenience of his paranoia. He hated it. The cold, detached logic with which he could dismiss the lives of others. That sense of perverse other which breathed down his neck whenever he let his concentration slip.
A shiver ran through him. The others were still about, with the exception of Kira, who had been pissed at what he'd said. Whatever he'd said. Devin, their newest Ranger, was playing with his lenses, Cassidy was fiddling with her palm pilot, Ethan was doing something for Dr. T, and Dr. T was trying to stitch up Trent's shoulder. Again.
It was so easy for him to hate Trent. Hate him for what he'd done to all of them, hate him for betraying their trusts as the White Ranger, hate him for not stopping his father when he had a clear opportunity. It was so easy to hate him, Conner knew, that the rage wasn't entirely born of himself.
He was changing. Cassidy was right. He was losing himself to whatever Mesogog had done to him, leaving him lost. He wondered if it was because Trent was who he was that he hated the other Ranger, or if somehow, he was under Mesogog's control.
Fresh rage surged through him, rage he knew was directed to the mutant. Mesogog had violated him in a way Conner could have never imagined. It had been only moments after their arrival at school the morning after discovering their Dino Gems. Dr. Mercer had taken him aside before class while Kira and Ethan spoke to Dr. T on the playground.
Conner almost chided his ignorance in retrospect, though he never could have suspected his science teacher was the man- the creature that had dedicated itself to the retrieval of the Dino Gems.
He remembered only collapsing, and then waking up in the chair in Mesogog's lab. Had Mesogog changed him at that point? Or was he still Conner McKnight then, and the true torture had come later?
For a vague second, he wondered if Trent would have suffered the same fate if he hadn't been Anton Mercer's son. For all he knew, Trent could have been going through the same programming.
Conner sighed heavily, getting Devin's attention. He nodded in the direction of a juice box Hayley and Cassidy had procured earlier. "You mind?"
The Triassic Ranger shook his head, scooting over and extending the straw to Conner's mouth. He drank, smiling gratefully afterwards. "Appreciated."
The next words caught in his throat, and he forced them out. "Dev, I'm - sorry for the trouble I've been causing you guys."
Devin shook his head. "Thanks. But not the guy you need to be apologizing to, man."
"You mean...." Conner nodded over towards where Dr. T spoke softly to Trent. The other looked likely to bolt at any moment, shirt or no.
Devin nodded. "For starters. You don't have to like him. You don't even have to trust him. I'm not sure I trust him, really. We're a team. We have to work together or we're never going to stop Mesogog."
"It hurts," Conner said. "That he could have stopped it so easily...."
Devin nodded. "I know. That's part of why I can't trust him, really. But I also know shooting a man in the back isn't honor, and right now personal honor is all that's keeping Trent from taking his life."
Conner raised his eyebrows. "Trent? Honor?"
"Have you TALKED to him since he left Mesogog? Not fought, I know you both love to do that. Have you had a conversation with him? Have you seen the stuff he's drawing?"
Conner shook his head. "He still draws?"
"He does," Devin sighed. "It's all D&D stuff. Paladins, knights on horseback. Real medival vibe. The stuff they're fighting is just ..."
Devin struggled for words. "Bleak. Shapeless. I've had some experience with depression myself, Conner. I know what that's like."
"I feel so sorry for him." Somewhere in him, he should feel pity, but something was preventing him from do so.
"You should, man. Depression's serious business. Dr. T had to do some serious counseling, or Trent wouldn't be here now."
Conner sighed heavily, leaning back on the cot. "When'd you get wise, anyway?'
Devin smiled. "Always was. Never had a venue for it."
"Yeah, I guess that would happen, as Cass' right-hand man... erm."
"Hey, Cass has her own attractions. And it's cool that she and Ethan are dating. He's good for her." There was a wistfulness in Devin's voice that Conner couldn't quite understand. "Besides, dad doesn't like her. Too... blonde."
"Hey, she's a nice ... Aryan girl." Conner finished lamely.
Devin looked at him askance. "My parents are Asian, or did you forget?"
"I keep forgetting you're adopted."
Devin considered that for a moment as he started unfastening the restraints along the cot. "Most of the time I forget it too. Dad, however, has never remembered. He wants me to marry a nice botanist or middle manager somewhere."
"Not Cass?"
"Definitely not Cass. He wants me to have a quiet life, have 2.5 kids, keep the family line going...."
Conner clasped his friend on the arm once he was released. "I'm sorry, dude. Are you managing?"
"Yeah. I'm just glad Mom'n'dad don't know what I'm really doing...."
"Maybe they'd let up a little if they knew the truth? Not, you know, that I could tell mine or anything."
"The first thing mom and dad would do, especially dad, is ground me until I was 18. And what would you guys do for the Triassic Ranger then?"
"Me?" Conner asked mischievously.
"No chance, Dude, power doesn't work that way," Devin said.
Conner gave him a small smile. "Too bad," he said.
To Be Continued.