Disclaimer: 'Power Rangers' is property of BVE or someone along those lines. No infringement is intended.

MAD SEASON

By Etcetera Kit

Chapter Four: Protectors of the Right

"I go out with girls. You know the ones at school that smell really good with the nice hair and the make-up?"

"I can't concentrate with you blowing things up in my ear."

"I told him no video games!"

"Give me another chance?"

"I have you all beat. I'm completely caught up with my homework… but my mom wants me to take her Christmas shopping weekend."

"I'd be spaced out too… more than usual."

"I have it narrowed down to three lists."

"Our little Conner's all grown up."

"It's what's inside that counts."

"You have to be true to yourself. Others might think that you're being weird at first, but then they'll respect you. Have you ever really wanted to have a new girlfriend every other week?"

"Conner, if you find another woman—or man—that will love you completely and make you happy, then promise me you won't pass up the opportunity."

He had been a Power Ranger. Now it looked like he was going to become the pleasure slave for a group of crazed terrorists and, no matter how much he had grown up, it wasn't going to do anything to save him now. May the power protect him… that was a joke. His morpher and Dino-Gem were back at his apartment. He didn't wear his bracelet anymore, simply because it seemed unnecessary and it brought back memories… too many memories… Maybe he should start wearing the thing again, since bullets didn't penetrate their uniforms. Everyone would have been out of here already.

Conner sighed, wondering if this was going to end.

"You know Chang, you're starting to piss me off."

He shook his head at the loud voice in the hallway. He had a pretty good idea of who they were talking about and it was their one supposed ally. So the guy's name was Chang. It didn't ring any bells with him. At least the man had tried to get him out, even if those morons had foiled his plot.

"I'm just suggesting the obvious. You want the gay marriage laws not to ever exist, then you'd better be ready to make concessions."

"Like what?"

"For starters, you can't eradicate homosexuality all together. People are going to be gay and there is nothing you can do about it."

"I thought that is what this was all about?"

"Then why do you keep threatening to rape that boy?"

Conner bristled inwardly at the diminutive, but kept listening. Their voices grew softer, before Chang started up loudly again.

"This isn't ancient Greece! Anyone who sleeps with someone of the same gender is either considered gay or bi." There was a pause. "Don't tell me you think you can be like a Roman aristocrat and have a wife, along with a mistress and a boy on the side."

The reply was inaudible.

"Jesus Christ, am I working with idiots?"

"We're not idiots, you dumb fuck of a chink. If you'd knock off you're damned Socratic method, we might get something done."

"Just quit threatening to rape a man. That undermines the cause much more than my damned Socratic method will."

"Fine!" Then the man muttered under his breath, "Fucking chink."

"And I suppose since you think all gay people should be crucified, you think that all Asians are smart, successful and like anime?"

"You don't fall into that category."

"It was a metaphor you son of a bitch."

The voices grew soft and inaudible. Conner breathed a sigh of relief, not knowing why knowing their cause made this any easier to deal with. He personally didn't like to interfere with anyone else's rights. People did what they wanted and he didn't care. It was the American way or it had been at one point in time.

He glanced at Tommy and saw a look of glazed fear. He couldn't be sure if it was because of their recent enlightenment or just plain fear. It unnerved him a little to see Tommy afraid, since Tommy had always stayed calm and glued together when they had been active rangers. He had been the one to come up with strategies and plans, while they just wanted to get their zords and turn whatever was bothering them into road kill.

There were so many memories intertwined with their time as active rangers. He had grown up during that time, had learned so many things about himself and the world around him. Ethan and Kira had beat some lessons into his head and Krista had picked up where they left off. Tommy had just been their leader, advising them in a way akin of that of a teacher, parent or respected older sibling. He fought the urge to sigh. His sisters were completely in the dark about him, as were his parents. During high school, he had spent most of his time at soccer practice, with the other rangers or with Eric.

He shifted against the wall, trying to regain some feeling in his legs and rear end. Sitting on an industrial carpeted floor was not exactly comfortable and he wasn't entirely sure exactly how long they had been in here. He turned to face Tommy.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

Tommy turned to him, the glazed look receding some. "I just thinking…" He let the statement trail off and gave a pointed glance to the others sitting near them within ear shot. Conner didn't have to be told what he was thinking of—his years as a Power Ranger.

"Those were some great times," Conner said softly.

The former Black Ranger nodded. "They were." He paused. "It's strange how we never realized the danger then. We always assumed that we would come out on top."

He was right. They had always morphed and counted on that to protect them in the face of certain doom. The only times when the danger seemed real was when they had involuntarily powered down during a battle. That had only happened a few times, mostly when they were facing the evil White Ranger. The naked fear had shone in those moments. But it wasn't like now, when someone else held all the cards. Take a chance on a promise, take a roll of the dice… They had taken a huge gamble becoming rangers, but all that experience and close calls as rangers could never have prepared them for this.

"We did," he agreed. And they had always had some kind of advantage or held some sort of incentive for their enemies. They had bargaining chips… But here there were no bargaining chips. They were floating, almost drowning and hoping that a friend would come.

"You guys were so funny in the early days," Tommy said softly. "All of you so different, yet trying to forge friendships and getting used to… what we were."

"We were lucky to have you," Conner whispered. "We would have been lost without that kind of leadership."

Tommy smiled. "I like to think I did something to help you guys."

"All of us grew up, learned who we were." He shook his head. "Nothing can replace that lesson. I hate to imagine what would have happened otherwise."

"You all probably would have remained with what you had been doing, never being aware of one another, never becoming friends." He paused. "I used to think it was all my fault, if I hadn't done that island research, hadn't let Anton work on that formula…"

"You couldn't have predicted that."

"No," Tommy agreed. "But some good did come of it."

Conner didn't answer, he just smiled. If he had remained a soccer player and a dumb jock, what he learned about himself in college would have remained buried, never to see the light of day. Indirectly, he supposed, because he had been a ranger, he had also become a writer and learned about what he really was.

"So what did you get out of it?" he asked. Tommy looked thoughtful.

"I learned that I would make a terrible parent."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Conner snickered. "You wouldn't have made a bad parent," he said, still chuckling a little. "I could think of worse people to have as a parent."

"Anton?"

Conner grinned, nodding. He felt sorry for Trent, having to put up with his father changing from Anton to Mesogog and back again and having to keep that secret. He wasn't sure he would have been able to cope if it had been him instead of Trent.

"Let's just kill all these damn hostages and be done with it."

He froze at the voice in the hallway and felt Tommy tense next to him. These terrorist were not going to start a killing spree were they?

"Can't do that," came the familiar voice of Chang. "Do you want their blood on your hands?"

"No one is yielding. The government people we want haven't come."

"No, they haven't."

"It's been an hour. We said we would kill one every hour our requests didn't go through."

"So?" Change said in a bored voice. "Kill one. Just know that you're killing innocent people who didn't want to get involved in this."

One of the other terrorists came into the room, his gun aimed at them. Conner felt panic seize him as the gun barrel passed by him. The man aimed the gun at a businessman huddled in the corner and pulled the trigger.

A loud gunshot echoed through the small room, causing a sharp pain in his ears. He closed his eyes without knowing exactly what he was doing. Words and images came dancing back to him in a charade that didn't seem to end.

"It's morphin' time—Dragon-Zord."

"Time to wake up, Beautiful."

"It's morphin' time—Tiger Zord."

"Ninjetti—the falcon."

"Nice to meet you, Tommy, I'm Katherine."

"Zeo Ranger 5—Red."

"Shift into turbo—red lightening turbo power."

"TJ, if it weren't for your courage and strength, I wouldn't be standing here. I choose you to lead the team as the new red ranger."

"Guys, this is going to be a very dangerous misson, butI can't force you to go. This is a decision you have to make on your own."

"We've been talking and decided we need a distress signal."

"No man who is completely straight can decorate a house this well."

"I know you three come from different worlds, I get it. But you're going to have to work together. Please."

"I may be old, but I can still pull it off."

"Dino thunder, power up! Brachio!"

"Some of your biggest blessing are unanswered prayers…"

He didn't quite realize Conner was shaking him, until he felt a sharp jab between the ribs. "Ow," he muttered, reaching down to rub his side. He opened his eyes and met Conner's panicked stare. Those light brown eyes were glazed with fear. He was shaking. Tommy looked over to the businessman. He was slumped against the wall, eyes closed. If it hadn't been for the large wound in his chest and the blood spattered on the walls around him, he might have been able to convince himself that he had just fainted or was sleeping.

Bile rose in his throat. He forced it down, not wanting to be sick in front of these terrorists and give them a reason to target him for more abuse. He gently touched Conner's arm, getting his attention and nodding slightly to get him to stop looking at the dead man. There was nothing they could do.

Tommy softly sang the song of sorrow that David had taught him. He felt relieved when the soft words caused Conner's panic to recede and he felt the younger man next to him relax, some of the tension leaving his body.

None of them wanted to die.

He wished he had his bracelet, even if it was debatable whether or not the gem still held any of the power. He had stopped wearing the bracelet a few years ago—when all of the Dino Rangers left Reefside. It meant nothing to anyone outside of that group and seemed pointless when the others were gone. Now, he saw the value of always wearing one's morpher. Even if it seemed paranoid to other rangers, it paid off in the long run.

"I didn't expect him to do it," Chang said softly.

Tommy looked up at the man in the green vest. He hadn't even noticed that Chang had come back in the room. The man was shaking his head slowly.

"No one was supposed to die, but those guys are trigger-happy." Those dark almond-shaped eyes alighted on him once more. "Don't worry," he said to himself and Conner, low enough that only they could hear. "I'll make sure you get out of here alive."

"Why should we trust you?" Conner snapped, his voice shaking.

"Because you trusted me once, years ago," Chang replied.

"Who are you?" Tommy asked.

Chang shook his head. "You'll find out soon enough." He stood up and walked out of the room, to the hallway where the other terrorists were gathered.

Tommy felt Conner's gaze, rather than seeing it. "Do we know him?" Conner asked softly.

"I don't know. He seems familiar, but I can't place him."

Conner didn't reply, but Tommy could see the gears turning through his head, trying to figure out where he knew someone with blatantly Asian eyes like Chang. He was starting to get the feeling that Chang was not the man's real name.

"Stop coddling them," a voice said from the hallway. "They have to know the danger of the situation, what can really happen to them." That obviously had been in the direction of Chang.

"Killing was not a part of this," Chang replied angrily.

"It was a part of this from the first bullet fired in the food court," was the reply.

Tommy felt ill. The chance that he or Conner would walk out of here alive was suddenly starting to seem slimmer and slimmer. If one of them were to pull a trigger on him, would he have any regrets, things he wanted to do differently? Well… that was a big question. The only thing in his life that he wasn't slightly sorry or ashamed of was becoming a ranger. Everything else—his past girlfriends, his friends, even his degrees—held a taint. He felt like something could have been done better in all those situations. At least when certain people had come back into his life, like Billy, they hadn't expected things to be as they were. They seemed to understand that he was not the same person he had been in high school.

So many people had come in and out of his life in an intricate dance that dazzled him every time he thought of it. Kim, the first person he ever met when he moved to Angel Grove, or more, the first person to befriend him… Kat, his second girlfriend and the catalyst for the final stake in the coffin that sent him to Academia… Billy and Trini, coming back into his life at UCLA and showing him that seeming mistakes could become joys and blessings… Hayley, his first friend on the UCLA campus and constant companion and support from their undergraduate years and into the present… and then finally, Conner, Ethan, Kira and Trent, the four teenagers that showed him that he could not escape any stage of his life, no matter how hard he tried.

No. In the long run, he really couldn't decide what he would have done differently if he had it to do all over again. If something fell out of the picture, he wouldn't be where he was today and he was perfectly happy where he was. He glanced to Conner. Well, maybe 'perfectly happy' wasn't the right term. He was content.

Conner started shaking again.

Oh God, Conner was not going to hyperventilate, was he? He gently laid a hand on Conner's shoulder. "Breath," he said in a soothing voice. "You're not going to be able to think clearly if you don't breath."

The younger man slowly took some deep breaths. Tears stained his cheeks. Tommy mentally kicked himself for spacing out while Conner had been crying. He gently placed his hand under Conner's chin, forcing him to look straight at him. He hoped that the gesture seemed innocent enough to Conner. The last thing Conner needed was for him to start hitting on him. That would put his nervous system into overdrive and no one wanted to deal with hysterics. And that guy out in the hallway would probably just shoot him.

Using his thumbs, he gently wiped the fresh tears away from Conner's cheeks. Conner looked stunned and, if Tommy was seeing things correctly, a bit pleased. Was there something that he had overlooked, underestimated in his former student? They were so close. It would be so easy to lean forward and kiss him, taste those silky lips against his. He could feel the heat from Conner's body, smell his cologne and shampoo. He wanted to so badly. The ache seemed to go to the depths of his soul, as he struggled mentally.

In the end, after a few very long moments, he fought the urge and didn't do what he so badly wanted to. He settled back, minutely away from Conner. Disappointment clouded those light brown eyes. Tommy felt confusion creep up into his mind. What was going on? Hadn't Conner been the chick magnet? The girl crazy one?

"We have an audience with the governor," came Chang's voice.

"Fine, release more of them, but keep the two fairies."

A bolt of panic hit his stomach. There was no doubt that the man had been talking about himself and Conner. Chang walked into the room. Like all the other times, his gun was casually over his shoulder and not pointed at anything. He gave them an apologetic look, before motioning to two teenaged girls who had obviously been enjoying their Christmas break before this. Tommy wished that he would take off the mask, so he could see who was trying to earnestly to help them.

He heard footsteps retreat and come back. "You don't know that those two are fairies," Chang said in a nonchalant tone.

"Do you know of any straight men that are writers?"

"Yes." Chang's reply must have stopped him in his tracks, because there was silence from the hallway.

Tommy took a deep breath, trying to coax some feeling back into his legs. Chang walked into the room and went to the conference table. As he leaned over the table, rummaging through the pile of cell phones, wallets, purses and keys, a necklace fell out of his shirt. It looked like a normal enough thing on a black cord, kind of like those mood necklaces that girls wore… He sucked in a breath. It was the samurai amulet.

No… It couldn't be the samurai amulet. That belonged to Cam Wantanabe and he was a teacher at the Wind Ninja Academy in Blue Bay Harbor. Who was this guy? Had he helped the terrorists rampage through that school and kept the amulet as a token of conquest?

That couldn't be it either. He would have known if something happened to the Wind Ninja Academy, because he would have been the first one they contacted.

Things are not always as they seem…

Perhaps, if one masqueraded as a teacher at a ninja academy, with the support of one's supposed fellow staff, one could actually be some kind of undercover agent for the police or the FBI or something along those lines.

Chang turned to him and smiled briefly, before gathering up the two purses and walking out of the room.

Tommy had to keep himself from saying something aloud.

Cam?

To Be Continued...

Author's Note: Ah-- the quotes aren't exact. I didn't have the time to match them directly with what happens on the show, but I shall go back and do that with the next update. Finals are over! Yah! sticks tongue out at college No more of you until next semester! But as per usual, thanks to all my reviewers. And if you guys want to know anything or ask me a specific question about this fic then please e-mail me. I don't have the review alert e-mails turned on, so I have to come here to check for reviews and its highly unlikely that I'll get back to you with a question. So please e-mail me! You guys rock! --EK