Disclaimer: 'Power Rangers' (all incarnations) are property of 'Saban', who are in some strange way related to Disney, who run the show on ABC. No infringement is intended.
ROARING ON THE WIND
By Etcetera Kit
Chapter Ten: We'll Make It, I Swear
Leo awoke in the middle of that same night to a raging storm. He glanced over at the digital clock in the room. The numbers read 4:03. What was he doing awake at four o'clock in the morning? Outside, there was a flash of lightening and a crash of thunder. He started and glanced towards the window in the hotel room. The wind howled outside. No, it wasn't howling. It was roaring once more. He glanced over to the other bed in the room. Carter was still dead asleep. He looked back to the window. After a moment's indecision, he threw off his covers and opened the door to their hotel room.
Maya had always told him to listen to nature, to listen with his heart. The world was always willing to reveal secrets, she had told him, as long as we are willing to listen. He looked out at the raging storm.
"Leo? What are you doing?"
He turned to see Carter sitting up in bed and looking at him. He had temporarily forgotten that Carter woke up so easily. He shook his head at the firefighter. "It's not important. Just go back to sleep, Carter."
Carter stared at him. Leo felt temporarily guilty for snapping at Carter. However, the Lightspeed Ranger knew him too well for that. Carter ignored the barb. "You can't tell me that you want to go outside in that!" He gestured to the rain pouring off the roof of the porch.
"Just trust me," he replied. "There's something out there. I want to find out what it is."
"What's out there?" Carter asked, confused. "What's going on?"
Ever the rationalist to the end. Leo shook his head. "I can't describe it. There is something on the wind out there."
That stopped Carter dead. Andros had said something earlier about having a bad feeling about what was going to happen. Cole had agreed with it later on. Leo knew what they were talking about and Carter would too, if he would let go of rationality for just one moment. He knew that they all had felt it in one way or another. Carter had probably just chalked it up as anxiety over something.
"You know what I'm talking about," Leo said. "I know you do. Just let go of logic and reason for one moment and listen to the wind, listen with your heart."
He turned and left Carter gaping at him. He stepped out onto the porch, feeling the cold wind of the rain whip around him. He wasn't dressed to be in the rain—barefoot and wearing only a pair of pajama pants, but he swung himself down the steps and out into the middle of the parking lot. The wind roared and the rain was coming so fast and hard that it stung his skin. He could barely see. Lightening streaked the sky and briefly lit up the dark parking lot. The following thunder boom was enough to rattle his very bones.
"What do you want to tell me?" he cried into the wind and rain. "I'm listening! What's going on?" He flung his arms out and looked up at the stormy sky.
The wind roared around him. He heard the familiar roaring again—the rage, the indignation, even the pain. But it wasn't directed at him. It was directed at something far more removed than him, something that wouldn't be listening to this. He closed his eyes and concentrated hard on that howling wind. Lightening flashed again and behind his eyelids he could make out the outline of an island, but where was the island?
The rage and pain were about that island.
"What about the island?" he yelled. "What's going on?"
But the wind had died back down to a normal howl. He sank to his knees on the asphalt parking lot. He was soaked through the little clothing he had on and his limbs felt numb with the cold. The water streaked down his face and chest. There was an island… but what about the island? What about an island could make the wind roar like that? For the first time since coming back to Earth, he really wished that Mike and Maya were here. Maya would be able to tell him what the wind was saying, what it all meant.
He slowly stood up and turned back to the stairs. He wasn't surprised to see Carter standing on the porch. From the look on his face, Carter had heard it too.
Cole was happily transferring toast to a plate while stirring scrambled eggs when Andros walked into the kitchen that morning. Coffee was brewing in the percolator and a bowl of sliced fruit was already on the table. Andros smiled to himself. He needed to get Cole an apron that read 'kiss the cook' for Christmas.
"Morning!" Cole said cheerily.
"Morning," Andros replied while grabbing a mug and pouring himself some coffee.
"Do you know when Wes said they were getting here?"
Andros shook his head, blowing gently on the coffee to cool it. "He didn't say," he replied knowing that Cole was referring to everyone staying at the hotel. "Although Carter called me this morning and said Leo was staying at the hotel."
"Why?"
"Apparently he had an escapade in the rain last night and now has a cold."
Cole looked up from the scrambled eggs, his blue-gray eyes wide. He knew what that probably meant. "I know he's felt it too, but why go out in the rain?"
Andros shook his head again. "I don't know. All I got was Carter's explanation which was devoid of any supernatural details."
The Wild Force ranger rolled his eyes. "We should probably go over there and talk to him the first chance we get." He paused. "We could go right after breakfast. It's not like we have anything pressing to do this morning."
"And bring him orange juice and NyQuil," Andros muttered. He glanced out to the empty living room—the sleeper sofa was back in place and the air mattress was against the wall with all the blankets folded. "So where are Eric and TJ?"
"Eric's in the shower and TJ's out working on Tommy's car."
"It died again?"
"Yeah, TJ said something about a new battery." Cole shrugged. "I don't know. I don't own a car."
Andros took another sip of his coffee just as the front door banged open. He glanced towards the archway connecting the living room and kitchen, expecting to see TJ barging in from fixing the car. However, the person he saw was not TJ. It was the Dino Thunder Red Ranger, Conner. He grinned when he saw them.
"Doctor O said something about us being invited to breakfast this morning," he said and then glanced at the clock on the wall of the kitchen. "I don't have much time though. Gotta be at school."
Andros exchanged a glance with Cole. "Why the sudden change of heart?" Cole asked.
Conner shrugged. "Me and Ethan and Kira and Trent talked about it last night and decided that it wasn't worth being angry about." He paused. "Besides, when Doctor O was doing the powers tests with Billy and Adam and Kim, I was watching the archives, before I fell asleep, and there were lots of times that help came when no one or only one person called for it."
Cole laughed while Andros just smiled. "Welcome to the club," Andros said dryly.
Conner grinned. "Dude, can I be a part of the red ranger distress signal thingy?"
"I think that requires a group vote," Andros replied.
"Well, vote when I'm in school and tell me when I get here after school." He stopped momentarily and stared at them. "You guys are Andros and Cole, right?" When they nodded, his grin widened. "I knew I had everyone's name down after reading the archives!" He paused. "So why aren't any of the Ninja Storm rangers part of your distress signal?"
"They weren't on the mission where we established it," Andros explained as Conner got himself a cup of coffee. "None of us really know them that well."
"They weren't even rangers yet when we were on that mission," Cole added. "Everyone on the mission was really tight, which is part of the reason we established it." He gestured to the toast and scrambled eggs. "You guys get some food before Jason gets here."
Conner looked startled. Andros laughed.
"There are certain members of the red ranger distress signal group who eat anything that doesn't eat them first. Among them are Jason," he explained.
Conner shook his head. "And everyone says I'm bad. I mean, come on! Doctor O ate my Bagel Bites!"
Andros started laughing. "Maybe you shouldn't store food in his fridge. He might think you put it there for him."
Conner gave him a look that clearly said, 'that's not the point, it's the principle of the thing,' although Andros was not entirely sure he could articulate that.
"Andros…"
The three of them turned to see Ashley standing in the doorway of the kitchen. He hurried over to her, leaving his plate and coffee mug on the counter. "What's wrong, Ash?" he asked taking in the panic in her brown eyes.
"My water just broke," she said softly.
There was a crash in the background. Andros turned towards Cole and Conner and decided that it was a collective crash between the two of them. He rolled his eyes at them.
"Any of you want to come along?" he asked, not expecting an answer.
To his eternal surprise, Cole volunteered, quickly turning off all the burners and the coffee pot and grabbing his flip-flops from the living room.
"I'll go tell Doctor O so he can spread the word," Conner volunteered and raced up the stairs two at a time.
Andros exchanged a glance with Ashley. "Are you ready for this?" he asked softly.
She grimaced. "Too late to do anything now," she replied sarcastically and her face contorted into another expression of pain. Andros wrapped an arm around her waist and waited for the contraction to pass. When it did, he ushered her out the door and to their car. On the way to the hospital, Cole ended up timing contractions while he was driving as fast as he dared. As the hospital came into view, he felt the familiar anticipation and anxiety. He could only hope that this birth would go as well as Brian's did.
Carter sat in the waiting room of the hospital, trying to read an old issue of Reader's Digest while there was a constant stream of people in and out of Ashley's room. The morning had started out interestingly enough. Leo woke up sneezing and running a temperature. In spite of it, he was ready to go before the rest of them. Carter, with some help from Wes, had made him stay at the hotel, promising to tell him anything that went on. The minute he, Wes and Jason left the hotel, they got a call from Tommy saying that Ashley and Andros had gone to the hospital because Ashley was going to have the baby. They had come straight to the hospital and that is where they remained.
His stomach growled, reminding him that it was after one in the afternoon and he had yet to eat anything today. Oh well, he figured that some things took precedence over eating. Eric came out of Ashley's room and parked himself in the chair next to Carter.
"They are naming that poor girl Karone," he said with disgust in his voice.
Carter looked up from the magazine mildly. "What's wrong with it? Isn't that Andros' sister's name?"
"It sounds like a brand of beer!"
He laughed. When Eric was right, he was right. "I hope you didn't tell that to Andros and Ashley. Andros might be offended."
Eric rolled his eyes. "I didn't tell them. I told Wes. He agrees with me. Maybe Karone is a common name on KO 35, but around here it sounds too much like 'Corona'." He paused. "Speaking of Coronas, I could go for one right now."
"All this birth stuff makes you feel old?"
Eric blinked at him. "Not in the way you mean. It doesn't bother you because you have two kids already and probably watched both of them being born." Carter shrugged. "And you have insane in-laws."
"They could be worse."
It was the Quantum Ranger's turn to shrug. "Look, if I ever get married, I wouldn't want my wife to go through that unless she really wanted to. Half the time, I don't think women really want to."
Carter looked back to the magazine. "I am the wrong person to talk to about this. You might want to enlist Ashley or Dana in this research."
Eric glared at him, while Cole bolted out of the room and skidded to a halt in front of them. He was carrying a legal pad and pen. "I can't believe they're naming that little girl Karone," Cole was muttering. "It sounds like a beer brand."
Carter laughed as Eric elbowed him. "See, it's not confined to me," he said. "Even Captain Planet here thinks that's what it sounds like."
"Did I ever disagree with you?" Carter asked mildly, still pretending to read the Reader's Digest.
"No," Eric replied.
Cole waved the legal pad in front of their faces. "I need everyone's opinion on something and I figured I'd do it while almost all of us are in the same place."
"For what?" Carter asked.
"We are deciding whether or not to let Conner be a part of the red ranger distress signal." He paused. "So I need a 'yes' or 'no' from you guys."
"Did I miss something?" Eric asked. "I thought that those kids hated our guts because we came here without them knowing."
Cole shrugged. "I think they talked about it and decided that it wasn't worth remaining angry over. I like Conner, he's a decent enough kid."
"You would," Eric muttered.
Carter rolled his eyes at Eric's sarcasm. "It's okay with me," he told Cole as he scribbled something on the legal pad.
"I guess its okay," Eric said grudgingly. "But we should make him go through an initiation right or something." He leaned back in his chair with an evil smile. "Hazing…"
Carter rolled his eyes again. Why was it that he always seemed to get stuck with the world's most sarcastic people? Cole scribbled something else on the legal pad and dashed down in the direction of the cafeteria where several of the former red rangers were hiding. It was a good thing too, because the moment Cole disappeared, Conner appeared.
"Hey, dudes," Conner said. "I came to see the baby."
Eric opened his mouth to say something but Carter beat him to it. "They're in that room," he said indicating the room across the hall. "Are the others coming?" he asked, referring to the rest of the Dino Thunder rangers and Hayley.
"I think so," Conner replied. "I told Dr. Cranston during science and he said he'd come right after school. That's when I told Ethan and Kira. I'm pretty sure that Kira told Trent and Hayley. I think Kira said they were meeting at Hayley's before coming over here." He paused. "And Doctor O said he would call Kim and Coach."
Carter found it slight amusing that Conner referred to all the male rangers who were his seniors by some kind of title, while he didn't seem to find it necessary with the female. He wondered if that was conscious or not. Maybe the diminutive meant something.
"Was the baby a boy or a girl?" Conner asked.
"Girl," Eric said.
"What did they name it?"
"Karone," Carter replied.
Conner shrugged. "Sounds like a brand of beer."
Eric started laughing. Conner sidled off into Ashley's room. Carter shook his head at Eric. "Are you telepathic or something and put that thought into everyone's head?"
"No telepathy, I swear. It just does sound like beer." He stood up. "Well, I have to go round up the kid. We're taking a trip to see Leo and the kid wants to bring him some medicine and juice." He smiled wryly. "Isn't it great that Cole and I are so alike?"
"Rocky and Bullwinkle," Carter muttered.
Eric looked at him with some interest. "Who's Rocky and who's Bullwinkle?"
"I'd better not say. It'd either offend you or give you ideas."
"You are fucking unbelievable," Eric replied with a smile. "I'm going on my field trip with the kid. See you later!" As he walked off towards the cafeteria, he could hear Eric yelling, 'COLE! We have to go NOW if you want to see Leo!'
Carter shook his head and went back to reading the dumb magazine. How he ever got associated with this bunch of lunatics was beyond him.
Lord Mesogog had been correct. All they had to do was wait for the opportune time to plant the virus on the zords. And the time could not have been more perfect. One of the former power pukes had her baby and all the other power pukes had to go to the hospital to see her and be there for her. That left no one at the lab or in Doctor Oliver's house for that matter. Perfect… she could scarcely believe that the trusting fools had not even left one person behind to guard the lab, the zords and that gem…
Getting into the lab had been one of the easiest codes she ever had to break—pulling down on the skeletal jaw of the tyrannosaurus gave her entrance to the lab. The computers were still on with the surveillance going, but no one was around or watching them. Oliver had not even put a password on the system. Fools… She went to the zord bay and saw that all the zords were in there asleep. Good, this would be much easier if the zords were asleep.
She went over to the computer and sat down in one of the chairs. Fingers flying over the keyboard, she brought up the zords on the computer. She pushed a CD into the drive and waited as the computer brought up the contents. Downloading the contents onto the zords, she let a satisfied smile drift over her face. This had been all too easy.
She took the CD out of the drive and put the computers back to the screens she had found them on. They would not detect what she had just done until it was too late. She stood up and teleported out of the lab.
Cole jumped out of the car with the bag containing the orange juice and NyQuil almost before Eric turned the car off. He was at as much of a loss as the others to explain his friendship with Eric, since they were polar opposites. Eric could have cared less that Leo was sick, mostly because the circumstances pointed to one fact—Leo got himself sick by running around in the rain last night. Cole felt sorry for him and wanted to see him get better, since he knew that each one of them hated being left out of any action.
He bolted up the steps two at a time and knocked on the room number that Wes had told him was the room Leo and Carter shared. There was some shuffling and then Leo cracked the door open. He looked terrible—pale with dark circles under his eyes. He smiled when he saw Cole at the door.
"Hey," he said weakly.
"Get back in bed," Cole ordered as he entered the room and Eric caught up to him. Leo went back in the room and flopped down onto his bed.
"What the hell were you doing out in the rain?" Eric asked coldly as he shut the door and leaned up against the wall. Cole gave him a withering look as he poured out a dose of NyQuil for Leo and handed it to him.
Leo smiled gratefully at Cole as he handed him the NyQuil and downed it. "There was roaring on the wind," he told Eric simply.
"What?" Eric said.
Cole nodded. "What did it say?"
"Do you guys mean to tell me that you were listening to the wind? How can the fucking wind tell you anything at all?"
Cole ignored Eric's outburst. "What did it say?" he asked again, taking in Leo's slightly disgusted look at Eric.
Leo looked from Eric back to him, shaking his head. "I couldn't tell. All I could see was an island, but it stopped before I could find out what the island was about."
"An island? That could mean anything," Cole replied softly.
Leo nodded. "I know. I know."To Be Continued...
Author's Note: And now we get to the title of the fic! (Took me long enough!) At any rate, thank you so much for the kind reviews! I went to read them and was astounded at the sheer quantity (not the mention the quality.) You guys are amazing! No reviewer responses this time-- homework and the cable internet on campus has gone out meaning I have to resort to my dial-up. Huzzah. But to the person who told me they think they know who's going to get the purple gem (Phantom Zeo perhaps?), all I have to say is 'really?' (with a raised eyebrow.) But once more, thanks for all the feedback and keep it coming!