Family
Different Directions 5
By Daylight
"Ai-yi-yi-yi! Rangers!"
The condition of the power rangers threatened to fry Alpha's circuits from shock. Never had the diminutive robot seen his friends in such a state. Adam, Rocky, Jason, Tanya and Kat were soaking wet. Drops from their clothes were creating a large puddle across the floor. They, however, weren't bad off when compared to the others. Kimberly and Billy's clothes were splattered thoroughly with mud stuck to all parts of their bodies. But this was nothing in comparison to Tommy. The Red Zeo Ranger looked like he had taken a bath in the sludge and was shivering uncontrollably. His long dark hair, weighed down by the muck, clung to his pale face.
Despite this, what worried Alpha the most was the unconscious Kerovian ranger held up between Billy and Adam. Andros was soaked too, with mud spotting his clothes, but his face was covered with streaks of blood that trailed down from his ears, eyes and nose down to his neck.
"Rangers, I am glad to see you," spoke Zordon as he surveyed the team. "Alpha and I were concerned when we lost contact."
"We'll explain everything later," Jason said taking command while Adam and Billy lifted Andros onto the medical bed. "Right now we need to get things dealt with. Tanya, Rocky, Kim, Kat, get changed into some dry clothes. Adam, Billy, get Andros cleaned up and taken care of, but make sure you get changed later. I don't want anyone getting sick. I'll take care of Tommy."
Turning to his best friend, Jason put a hand on his mud-encrusted shoulder. "I think it's time to hit the showers, bro." With a groan, Tommy let himself be led away still shivering. Rocky, Tanya, Kimberly and Kat hastily followed desperate to get warm and dry, leaving a trail of mud and water behind them.
Meanwhile, Adam grabbed several towels from one of the supply cabinets and started cleaning the blood off Andros' face. The blood, still wet, came away easily leaving Andros' pale skin clearly visible.
"I think the bleeding's stopped." Adam tossed the bloody towels away.
Billy nodded. "Let's get these clothes off him."
The two of them removed Andros' arms from the sleeves of his soaked sweater before gently pulling it over his head.
"What's that?" Adam's eyes had caught a glint of gold. After dumping the sweater in a corner, the green ranger took a hold of the necklace he had seen and rolled the locket over in his hands.
The former Blue Ranger glanced over from where he was checking the scanner results. "He was wearing that when he arrived. Just leave it."
"Right."
While Adam quickly rid the Red Space Ranger of the rest of his muddy clothes and wrapped him in warm blankets, Billy checked Andros' vital signs and tried to understand the bizarre readings he was getting. Alpha hovered near by hoping to be of aid.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Billy frowned. "Zordon can you make sense of this brain wave pattern?"
"What is the problem, Billy?" inquired the interdimensional being.
"There seems to be high levels of delta wave activity, but it's very erratic."
The lines on Zordon's forehead knitted together. "That usually indicates an over-exertion of the extrasensory parts of the brain."
"Is there any treatment for it."
"I'm afraid not. Such brain processes are not yet well understood. The brain waves should return to normal in time, but the over use of such parts of the brain has been known to lead to comas and occasionally permanent brain damage. What was Andros doing?"
"He was saving Tommy." Billy collapsed into the chair by the medical unit and rested his head in his hands. "Tommy was trapped. There was no other way to get him out. I knew of Andros' telekinetic ability, so I asked him. I didn't realize…"
"It's not your fault," consoled Adam putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Andros understood what you were asking. He knew the risks."
"Right. Right." Taking a deep breath, Billy shoved his feelings to the back of his mind. He didn't have time for them. He had to look after his patient. Standing up he went back to the scanner. "He's unconscious, but he hasn't slipped into a coma yet. What worries me more is the fever he's developing."
"Do you think it's from the cold he had earlier?"
"Possibly." Billy grimaced. "I just hope he hasn't developed something worse."
"How's the patient, Doc?" Adam and Billy turned to see Tanya and Kat entering from the Power Chamber's inner rooms. The two were now dressed in the clean clothes they kept on hand for such emergencies.
"I'm not a doctor, Tanya," Billy spoke quietly shaking his head.
Tanya grinned. "True, but if you spend any more time treating our injuries, you could easily become one."
"How is he?" asked Kat. She stood by the bed gazing over Andros' unconscious form.
Billy sighed. "Not great."
"Is there anything we can do?"
"Not right now. We just have to wait and see how things progress."
Kat nodded. Glancing over at her friends' still wet and forlorn forms, she said, "Why don't you two go get cleaned up. We'll keep an eye on Andros."
"Thanks." Adam shivered as he remembered how cold he was in his damp clothes. "Come on, Billy."
"You go ahead. I want to make certain Andros is stable."
Katherine shot Adam a concerned look. He just shook his head and left. Billy, too intent on his readings, didn't notice the exchange.
"Billy…" the Pink Zeo Ranger started to say, but she was interrupted by a sneeze. They all turned to see Tommy had arrived, Jason standing protectively behind him. Tommy was wrapped tightly in a warm blanket and sniffling.
"Looks like you've got another patient, Doctor Cranston."
"I'm fine," Tommy protested before sneezing again.
"Sure," replied Kat, Tanya and Jason in unison.
"It's just a cold. I'll be fine by tomorrow," continued the Red Zeo Ranger as Billy attempted to check him over with a handheld scanner.
"For once you might be right," commented Billy putting the devise down.
Shocked, Tommy forgot to sneeze as he processed the statement.
"But I'd still like you to stay overnight for observation."
The others laughed as Tommy groaned.
Jason gave him a slap on the back. "Don't worry, bro. We'll pull out a cot, so Billy can keep an eye on you while he's working."
"And Tanya and I will drop by your place and tell your Mom you'll be staying at Billy's."
"You just rest and get better," added Tanya with a smirk.
"Yes, mother," grumbled Tommy.
Alpha waddled over with a chair and insisted Tommy take a seat. "I have some tea that I'm sure will make you feel much better."
The Red Zeo Ranger shook his head. "Not you too."
"It's my job to look after you rangers."
"And we appreciate it immensely," assured Kat.
"Or at least most of us do," Tanya muttered ignoring the glare Tommy gave her.
"Billy, man, why are you still in those wet clothes? Get changed." Jason grabbed his friend's shoulders and started steering him away from the medical scans he had been poring over.
"But…" Billy said his eyes still lingering on Andros.
"No buts. Go! Don't make me force you." Jason gave his friend a sympathetic smile. "We'll watch Andros. Don't worry about it."
Slowly, Billy managed to make his way over to the door and left the room behind.
"Finally, someone who Billy will listen to! Now if you could just get him out of the Power Chamber itself."
Jason frowned, but didn't comment on Tanya's statement.
"We'd better go," interjected Kat. "Take care of yourself and look after Andros."
"I will. I promise," replied Tommy with a smile.
The girls waved as they disappeared.
Jason yawned. "I should go too. Make sure my house is still standing after that storm. Take care, bro. Oh, and one more thing, about what we were talking about earlier…"
Tommy rolled his eyes. "I know. I know! I'll talk to her."
Grinning, Jason lifted his communicator and teleported himself away.
"Looks like we're stuck here for awhile, Andros," Tommy said to the unconscious Kerovian. Checking him over, Tommy placed a hand on Andros' forehead and frowned at the heat he felt emanating from the skin. "Keep fighting, my friend. You've been through too much to give in now."
ooooo
"If you girls are looking for Tommy, I'm afraid he's not here," proclaimed Charlotte Oliver upon opening her door. "We haven't heard from him since he left this morning."
"Actually, Mrs. Oliver," replied Kat. "We came by to tell you that Tommy's at Billy's."
"He stopped there to get out of the storm and now he's planning to stay overnight while he helps Billy on one of his project," Tanya added.
"Well, I would have preferred that he called himself, but this is better than a kick in the pants. Don't worry, dears, I'm very grateful you came out of your way to tell me. I just wish this wayward son of mine would stop disappearing." Charlotte sighed, but continued to smile at them. "Anyway, what's this project? Is it…?"
Charlotte was interrupted by a streak of black fur that raced past her and out the door. The kitten would have easily made it out onto the street if it hadn't been for Kat's quick reflexes. Katherine held the cat up so she and it were nose to nose. "Well, if it isn't Ninja."
"These kittens!" Charlotte exclaimed in exasperation. "They're all over the place. It was very noble of Andros to rescue them, but there's no way we can look after them all. I'm afraid we'll have to take them down to the shelter."
"Oh, no," cried Kat stroking Ninja as she cradled him in her arms.
"Now, I know the shelter's not the best place for them, but it'll only be till they find homes for them."
"But the shelter's very full at this time of year, they might have to…"
"We'll take one," Tanya suddenly put in.
"Right," agreed Kat. "I'm sure my parents would love to have a cat around the house. And I'm sure if we looked hard enough we could find homes for the rest."
"If you want to help, go ahead. I'm sure the kittens will appreciate it. You can come round tomorrow to pick one for yourselves if you'd like. Right now, I have to get dinner ready. Thanks again for the message from Tommy. Goodnight, girls."
After Kat had handed over the black kitten and Charlotte had shut the door, the pink and yellow rangers turned to look at each other.
"It's a good thing it's spring break," declared Tanya. "Because tomorrow's going to be a long day."
ooooo
The stars, covering the night sky, also shone across the Power Chamber's viewscreen. The former Blue Power Ranger sat gazing at them lost in his own thoughts. Around him, the lights had been dimmed leaving little but the glow of the various technical instruments. Alpha stood in a corner looking eerily dead as he recharged. Zordon's tube was empty. Asleep, presumed Billy but he was never truly sure with the interdimensional being. Tommy was asleep. He lay on a cot, covered in blankets. The Power Chamber's cots were anything but comfortable but necessary for the few overnight missions required by the rangers. Andros still lay on the medical bed, unconscious. The hum of machinery and Tommy's light snoring were the only sounds until a low moan broke the silence.
Billy looked up quickly glancing over his charges. Both of them appeared still until another moan and a twitch from Andros indicated the source of the noise. Hoping that the Red Space Ranger was finally waking up, Billy moved over to where he lay. A blanket covered Andros up to his armpits. Underneath, he wore a pair of Adam's shorts and one of Tommy's red tank tops. Cables connected to Andros' arms recorded his vital signs and delivered fluids. Andros' locket shone clearly around his neck and sweat glistened on his forehead. Billy silently cursed as he realized Andros' fever had gone up even more. Sorting through the various medications available, he grabbed one he knew would help reduce the fever and filled a syringe shooting the contents into Andros' bare arm.
Billy had just put the medicine away when Andros groaned again. This time he also began to toss and turn though his eyes remained closed.
"Andros?"
The Kerovian ranger continued to thrash about his moans growing louder until they became cries.
"Karone… No, please come back! Karone!!"
"Andros. Andros, calm down." Billy held on to Andros' arms trying to keep him still. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like Andros wanted to calm down.
"Karone!"
The noise soon woke Tommy who quickly joined Billy.
"It's alright, Andros. You're safe." Tommy put a calming hand on Andros' hot forehead continuing to offer soothing words. Slowly, Andros began to relax.
Billy sighed in relief. "You're good at that."
"I've had a lot of practice recently."
The former Blue Ranger frowned. "Does he still have nightmares every night?"
Tommy rubbed his forehead. "Almost every night, as far as I can tell. It's a good thing we share a room. I wouldn't want to try and explain this to my parents."
"Do you know whom he's calling for," Billy asked as he rechecked Andros' vital signs.
"No clue. He often cries for someone called Zhane, but he calls out several other names too and I don't recognize any of them." Tommy ran a hand through his long hair. "Probably the former space rangers, but he hasn't talked to me about them. I guess he still needs more time."
Suddenly, Billy broke into a large yawn.
"I don't suppose you've gotten any sleep."
Billy shook his head as he yawned again.
"Go. Get some sleep. I'll watch over him."
"No. You're still recovering."
"I'm fine." Tommy spread out his arms. "See no sneezes. The power has already cured me."
"But…" Billy hesitated.
"It's not your fault."
Billy looked up in surprise. "What?"
Shaking his head, Tommy smirked at the former Blue Ranger. "Come on, man. You think I can't recognize when someone is blaming themselves. I've done it often enough to myself."
"I know. I just…"
Tommy placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You're not responsible for everything. I thought you'd have remembered that after all the times you've given the same speech to me."
Letting out a small smile, Billy nodded. "Right."
Giving Billy a friendly pat on his back, Tommy grinned. "Keep blaming yourself and working yourself to the bone, and soon you'll become a worn-down, overly guilt-ridden leader like Jason and me."
"Me? A leader?" Billy raised his eyebrows. "Highly amusing."
"I always thought you'd be a great leader."
"Really? I guess somewhere in the back of my mind, I still think of myself as that useless nerd I was when I first became a power ranger."
"You never were, Billy. You never were. Now get some sleep."
Billy started heading towards the cot, but Tommy stopped him. "I meant in a real bed."
"You're sure? But what if Andros…"
"I'll call. You'll only be a short teleport away."
"Fine. Fine," gave in Billy as he yawned once more. "Call me if his fever goes up again. It shouldn't since I just gave him some medication to keep it down, but watch it."
"I know, Doc. I know. Now go."
Billy gave Andros one last look, before touching his communicator and disappearing in a glimmer of white light.
When he was gone, Tommy settled down into the chair Billy had recently vacated and resting his feet on one of the consoles, looked up, gazing through the viewscreen at the stars.
ooooo
When Adam opened his door the next morning, he found Kat, Tanya and a black fluffball, all staring at him.
"Good Morning?"
"Adam!" Tanya leapt forward and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. The Green Ranger was startled, but didn't protest. "We missed you."
"Since last night?" he said with a disbelieving expression.
"Of course."
Adam crossed his arms. "Alright. What are you two up to?"
Kat and Tanya gave each other a quick glance before turning back to Adam. "Whatever are you talking about?" asked Kat.
Adam raised an eyebrow.
"We came to see you," insisted Tanya.
Adam remained silent.
"And…." Tanya trailed off looking at Kat.
"And," Kat continued, "we brought you a gift." Katherine hastily handed over the black kitten. "You remember Ninja, don't you?"
Adam tried to keep a hold of the animal, but it quickly squirmed away and swiftly climbed up his shirt. It stood on his shoulder digging it's claws in to keep itself anchored causing Adam to wince.
"Um…." he tried to say while attempting to keep an eye on the kitten. " Um…"
"Mrs. Oliver couldn't keep the kittens and we didn't want them to go to the shelter, so we decided to find homes for them," Tanya explained quickly.
"But…but…"
"And we remembered how much you loved Ninja and how much Ninja loved you, so…" Kat added.
"But…but…"
"Please, Adam," begged Tanya.
Adam sighed realizing it was impossible to fight both of them. "Fine."
The girls grinned and Kat clapped her hands.
"I suppose it could be nice to have a cat around." He finally managed to prise Ninja off his shoulder and held it in his arms while it purred loudly. "So what about the others."
"Well," said Kat. "We're keeping Bulk, the orange and white one, and Mrs. Oliver is going to keep Karone, the calico, for Andros, so we just have to find homes for the other two."
"Good luck." The kitten started squirming again and Adam resigned himself to the inevitable as it once again attached itself to his shoulder. "Have you heard anything from the Power Chamber this morning?"
"Just before we came here," replied Tanya. "Tommy says they had a rough night. Andros' fever is high and he hasn't woken up yet, but Tommy managed to get Billy to bed."
"Good for, Tom. Billy would've stayed up all night if we'd let him." Adam started absently stroking the cat on his shoulder. "I hope Andros gets better soon. Poor kid could use a break."
ooooo
"You know something, Andros." Tommy glanced down at the pale form lying motionless on the bed. "For a Power Ranger, I sure don't feel very brave right now."
The only reply from the Red Space Ranger was the light beep of the medical scanner as it measured his heartbeat.
"I can face Rita and Zedd, the Machine Empire and any of the monsters they throw at us, but I can't face..." Taking a deep breath, Tommy shook his head. "Sorry. I shouldn't be troubling you with this. Especially considering… My problems probably seem silly in comparison to all you've been through."
The sudden sound of a teleport caused Tommy to jump. Turning around he came face to face with the person he most dreaded seeing. She stood there her arms crossed over her pink blouse her feet shuffling nervously.
"Kimberly."
"What sort of greeting is that? No 'Hi, Kim. How are you?' or 'Kim, it's great to see you'?"
A small smile appeared on Tommy's face as he recalled how she always became flippant when nervous. "Hi, Kim. How are you?" he said obediently.
"That's better." The former Pink Ranger surreptitiously moved towards him gazing around to avoid eye contact. "We need to talk."
"I know." Tommy looked at the ground.
Neither said a word.
But Kim couldn't stand the silence for long. "Say something!"
The red ranger looked her in the eyes and asked one simple question, "Why?"
Glancing at Zordon's tube, Kimberly was glad for once that neither he nor Alpha was in the Power Chamber. "Why what? Why I broke up with you? Why I sent that letter?"
"Yes! I just… Did…did…" Tommy stuttered to a stop. Taking a deep breath, he asked "Are you at least happy with him?"
Kimberly absently tucked a lock of hair behind her ear still refusing to meet his eyes. "I broke up with him a couple of months after I sent you the letter."
"What!"
"I just couldn't stand the guy anymore."
Tommy closed his eyes leaning heavily on the chair. "I thought you left me because you had found someone who you truly cared about…" Looking up he leveled his finger at her. "But instead you tell me it was some guy you dumped after a couple of months!"
"I was lonely! Besides I'm sure you were going out with Kat the week after I left!" accused Kim waving her arms at him in anger.
"How could you think I would be so shallow?!"
"Why not? I was!!"
A leaden silence hit the room. Both breathed heavily as they glared at each other.
Finally, Kimberly closed her eyes and whispered "I'm sorry, Tommy."
Tommy just shook his head turning away unable to look at her. "I need some time to think. I have to…"
Kim nodded. "Go. I'll take care of Andros." She watched Tommy stumble away his head still reeling from what he had learned as he teleported. Sitting on the chair, Kim slumped forward and put her head in her hands. "What have I done?"
Someone grabbed her wrist.
"Karone?"
Kimberly jumped turning to see Andros sitting up and looking at her his eyes bright with fever. He squeezed her wrist with an imploring gaze.
"Karone, I'm sorry. I was supposed to look after you, but I let it take you away."
"Whoa! Calm down, Andros. It's me, Kim. There's no Karone here."
"It took you away and I couldn't stop it. I couldn't stop it!"
"It's alright, Andros. Go back to sleep." Kim loosened the weak grip on her arm and gently pushed Andros back down. The last Kerovian ranger closed his eyes still mumbling apologies until he once more drifted into unconsciousness.
"Are you alright, Kimberly?"
The former Pink Ranger jumped once more, turning around to see Alpha watching her. "I'm fine. I was just startled. Is he going to be okay?" she asked as Alpha ran some checks over the medical equipment.
"His fever has stopped rising, but it would be best if it broke soon. His body can't take much more."
Kimberly nodded taking a hold of Andros' hand. "Poor guy. He's been through so much."
Alpha wandered away leaving Kimberly alone with Andros.
ooooo
Squinting in the morning sun, Jason' eyes finally made out the forms of Tanya and Katherine standing on the front step of his house. He yawned wondering why it had taken the knock at the door to finally wake him up that morning. It seemed as if he was sleeping in a lot more these days. Maybe he just needed more time to get accustomed to being back in the power ranger game.
"Good morning, Jason," announced Kat cheerily.
"Good morning," he replied with another yawn.
"Late night?" asked Tanya. "Sorry, we didn't mean to wake you."
Jason waved off the apology. "Don't worry about it. I meant to get up ages ago. I must have slept through my alarm. So why are you girls here this morning?"
"Cats," declared Kat with determination.
"Cats?" Jason shook his head. His brain wasn't quite awake and didn't appear to be processing things very well yet.
"Exactly."
Sighing, Jason waited for an explanation.
Kat glanced at Tanya before taking a deep breath. "You remember the kittens Andros found? Well, Tommy's mother said she can't keep them and since we didn't want them to go to the shelter, we've been trying to find homes for them. And we were hoping that you'd…"
"That I'd take one in," Jason completed, as he finally understood. "Kat?"
"Yes?"
"Remember my dog, Bruno."
"Yes."
"And how he chased that cat up that really tall tree causing us to spend over two hours trying to get it down only for him to chase it up an even taller one as soon as we succeeded."
"Yes."
"Well, he hasn't gotten any better."
Kat's shoulders slumped. "It was worth a shot." Tanya patted her on the arm in sympathy.
Jason grinned. "Nice try. Now, I'd better get along and check on Tommy. I'll catch you later."
"Bye, Jason."
Turning towards Kat as Jason shut the door, Tanya shrugged. "Still about a hundred more people to go."
Kat let out a quiet groan.
ooooo
The first thing that caught Jason's attention when he transported into the Power Chamber was Kimberly. The former Pink Ranger sat on a chair by the medical bed her feet resting on the seat her arms wrapped around her knees. Her head was titled to the side as she stared off into space. She didn't even noticed when he appeared.
"Kim?"
Startled, Kim unfolded herself and looked around. "Yes?"
Jason came over and rested a hand on her shoulder. "What are you doing here?"
"Just keeping an eye on our sick friend," Kim replied nodding towards Andros.
"Wasn't that Billy's job?"
"Tommy's technically. He sent Billy to bed."
"So why are you doing it?"
Kim just shrugged her eyes remaining on the medical unit.
"Okay, who are you and what have you done to Kim?"
The corners' of Kim's mouth twitched.
Jason kneeled on the ground so he was at the height of his seated friend. "Talk to me Kim. What happened?"
Sighing, Kim turned to Jason and gave him a weak smile. "I talked to Tommy."
"And…"
Kimberly looked away again. "He didn't like what I told him. He said he needed time to think so… I let him go."
Jason nodded in understanding. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders to get her attention. "Alright. Now how long ago was that?"
"A couple of hours," replied Kim frowning.
"Well…" continued Jason. "He's had time to think, hasn't he?"
"I guess…" Kim shrugged and looked at the floor.
Jason was very tempted to roll his eyes. "So go after him."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely."
Wrapping her arms around him, Kim smiled. "Thanks, Jason."
"No problem," Jason replied hugging her back. "Now get going."
"Right." Kimberly stood up preparing to teleport, but hesitated. "You'll watch Andros?"
"Of course."
"Watch his temperature. It was going down, but we should still be careful. Oh, and he woke up before, but he was a bit out of it so he might not recognize you if he wakes up again and…"
"Go."
Kim glanced down at her old communicator kept on her wrist out of habit. Taking a deep breath, she pressed the button that would send her back down to Angel Grove. She disappeared in a flash of white light.
Going over to the medical unit, Jason checked on the equipment attached to Andros. Then, when he had seen all was in order, he gave Andros a light pat on the shoulder and sank into the seat Kimberly had recently vacated. Catching sight of the old white and pink power suits mounted on the back wall, he shook his head. "Those two…"
ooooo
Panting, Rocky opened the front door glad to have caught it before any of his siblings. Outside stood Tanya and Kat smiling at him. He smiled back, but his grin faltered as he noticed something suspicious in their large beaming faces.
"Um…Hello?"
"Rocky," cried the girls each latching on to one of his arms still grinning.
"So…how are my favorite girls today?"
"Rocky, could you do us a big favor?" pleaded Kat.
"Please, Rocky," insisted Tanya starring at him with puppy-dog eyes.
Rocky's head whipped back and forth looking at each of them in turn. "Well…ah…you know I'd do anything I could for you two."
"We were hopping you'd say that," declared Tanya her grin getting even larger.
Feeling nervous, Rocky started looking for a way out, but the Pink and Yellow Zeo Rangers held tightly to his arms.
Kat, ignoring his edginess, finally got to the point of their conversation. "So you'll be happy to take in one of the kittens Andros found."
"What?" exclaimed the Blue Zeo Ranger.
"The kittens need homes and you did say…"
"Wait." Rocky finally managed to get his arms out of the girls' strong grips. "A kitten?"
Both Kat and Tanya nodded vigorously.
"You know I'd love to, but…" Rocky continued ignoring the pouts that appeared on their faces. "My brother, John, is allergic."
The girls hung their heads.
"There's nothing I can do," insisted Rocky.
Kat sighed. "I suppose the kittens will survive, trapped in those small dark cages."
"All alone," added Tanya.
"I'm sorry?"
With a sniff the girls turned and left leaving Rocky confused, but glad to have escaped their clutches.
ooooo
At the sound of the teleport, Jason's head snapped up and realized to his surprise that he had fallen asleep. He gave a quick glance to Andros before turning to the new occupant of the room.
"Hey, Adam," he greeted rubbing his eyes.
"Jase." Adam frowned. "What are you doing here?"
"Same as you. Just came up to check on Andros and Tommy."
Adam nodded. "So where's everyone else?"
"Billy's at home asleep," replied Jason sitting up and stretching his stiff back. "And Tommy is with Kim finally having that conversation they've been avoiding."
"About time. I thought they'd never…"
Adam was interrupted by the sound of another transport. This time it was Billy. The former Blue Ranger hurried over to Andros' side without even glancing at the other occupants of the room.
Jason and Adam exchanged a look. "Good morning, Billy," said Jason pointedly.
Billy didn't look up from where he was going over the medical equipment. "It's past noon. Why didn't somebody wake me?"
"We thought you could use the sleep?" replied Adam with a shrug.
"What if something had happened to Andros?" Billy finally looked up just long enough to give them a glare before he went back to checking on the Red Space Ranger.
"Then we would have called." Jason moved over to stand next to his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We've kept an eye on him and made sure he had everything he needs. We're not idiots."
Leaning against the medical console, Billy bowed his head. "I know. I'm sorry. I was just worried."
Adam smiled. "It's alright, man. We understand."
"Yeah," agreed Jason giving Billy's shoulder a reassuring pat.
"So, how's our patient doing?"
"Kim said he woke up for a short while earlier, but he was completely out of it."
"Not surprising with his temperature this high, but at least he woke up. Thanks for the help guys. I can take it from here."
Jason scowled. He opened his mouth to say something, but Adam beat him to it. "Actually, I have a better idea. Why don't I look after Andros while Jason takes you down to the Youth Centre? I'm sure Jason could use the break and I have no doubt you didn't bother with breakfast on your way here this morning."
"Good idea. Up for one of Ernie's specials, Billy?" Jason inquired with a grin.
"Sounds great, but I really need to go over these readings. I want to make sure Andros' brainwaves are returning to normal."
"You can do that later. Right now you need to get out of here and get something to eat."
"Yeah," Adam agreed. "It'll help clear your head."
"Nice, try guys, but I'm staying here. This is much too important."
"I would recommend listening to your friends."
They all jumped in surprise. Turning towards the glowing tube, they found Zordon had returned and had been listening.
"But Zordon…"
"The scanners indicate that Andros' life is not in immediate danger and your analysis will be far superior with your mind and body refreshed."
Billy sighed unwilling to say no to his mentor. Jason patted him on the back. "Come on, man. Breakfast is on me." The two quickly teleported away.
Shaking his head, Adam looked up to say something to Zordon, but found the interdimensional being had already disappeared. The Green Zeo Ranger frowned his brow furrowing. Zordon seemed to be absent a lot recently. With a shrug, he sat down on the seat at Andros' bedside. Glancing at the sick ranger, he once more caught sight of the locket around Andros' neck.
"Mysteries upon mysteries."
ooooo
The sun shone brightly on the trees of Angel Grove Park. No clouds marred the blue sky. The only signs of the previous days' storm were the fallen branches littering the ground and a few remaining puddles. Kimberly Ann Hart wandered along the edge of the lake knowing that when Tommy went to think this was where he'd be.
Sure enough, she spotted the Red Zeo Ranger leaning against the trunk of a large willow tree. Her steps began to hesitate as she got nearer, not quite sure how to approach him. Her walk hadn't taken anywhere near enough time for her to come up with what to say.
Tommy finally caught sight of her but upon seeing whom it was, fixed his eyes back on the horizon. Sighing, Kim sat down beside him her gaze matching his as she watched the reflection of the sun on the water. After a few moments, Tommy glanced at her again before looking away. Then taking a deep breath, he spoke. "Why did you have to come back, Kim?"
She shrugged. "I needed a break."
Tommy looked at her disbelieving. "So you hopped a flight all the way from Florida to Angel Grove without telling anyone?"
Kimberly pulled her legs up to her chest resting her chin on her knees. "I missed you guys, all of you."
"And you came despite the fact you knew you would have to face me."
Bowing her head, Kim closed her eyes. "I know what I did was wrong. I was going to have to face it eventually. I thought the sooner the better."
"Did you even consider how I would feel?"
Looking up, Kim glared at him. "Of course, I did. Why do you think I haven't come home before now? I was hoping that maybe by now you'd have…you'd have…"
"Forgiven you?" Tommy snorted and shook his head. "I don't know if I can. Not after what you told me." He sighed and dared to ask the question that had plagued him for many nights. "Did you ever truly love me?"
She blinked and simply replied "With all my heart."
"And now?"
Kim shook her head. "I don't know. I just don't know." She turned to him her eyes pleading. "What about you?"
A breeze brushed by his face as Tommy gazed ahead at the shimmering lake. "No. Not that way. Not anymore."
The former pink ranger closed her eyes and placed her face in her hands. "I'm sorry, Tommy."
Placing an arm around her, Tommy pulled her towards him. "Me too, Beautiful. Me too."
The light breeze that waved the branches above them also gently lifted the blond trails of Kat's hair as she caught sight of the pair from a distance. She paused in her walk across the park as her brain processed what she was seeing. Tanya noticing her change in mood traced her gaze and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Kat."
"What?" Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Katherine sighed, "It's alright. Don't worry about it. Tommy and I… We never really found out if there was anything between us. Kim was in his heart for so long and now that she's back… I guess we won't have the chance to find out."
Tanya put a comforting arm around her friend's shoulders leading her away from the couple under the tree continuing their walk across the park. "But you do care a lot for him, don't you?"
Katherine nodded
"You'll be alright. And maybe they aren't together. Maybe they're just friends. Plenty of fish still in the sea, either way."
Smiling, the Pink Zeo Ranger nodded. "Right. And I have the rest of my life to find which is the right one for me."
"Speak for yourself," joked Tanya. "Life is short. I intend to pick up my man the moment I see him."
Kat rolled her eyes. "Then why haven't you asked Adam out yet?"
"Hey!" Tanya gave her best friend a light smack on the arm.
"Well?"
"Just waiting for the right moment. Besides I doubt he thinks of me as anything more than a friend and I don't want to risk ruining that friendship."
"You'll never find out if you don't ask."
"Look who's talking!" Tanya sighed. "We're both hopeless."
Kat nodded. "Completely."
The two girls smiled at each other as they made their way out of the park.
ooooo
Adam's feet rested on top of the scanner console as he twiddled his thumbs. Leaning his head back, he exhaled nosily. He wished desperately for something constructive to do while he waited. If he had realized he was going to be there for so long, he would have brought a book. He could have teleported down to get one, but he didn't want to leave Andros alone and both Zordon and Alpha had mysteriously disappeared. This, of course, also left him with no one to talk to.
A teleport behind him announced the end to his boredom.
"Hey, man. Since when do you pull nursing duty?"
Adam smiled at his best friend. "I'm just filling in for Jason who was filling in for Kimberly who was filling in for Tommy who was filling in for Billy."
Rocky pulled up a chair next to Adam. "I'll just pretend to understand that."
"Sounds good."
"So how's he doing?" Rocky asked indicating towards Andros whose pale face was still flushed with fever.
"Resting peacefully for now. Heard he had a bit of a rough night, but his fever's starting to go down so he should be alright soon."
"Great. What have you been up to?"
"Besides sitting here twiddling my thumbs? I spent the morning helping my Mum fix all the damage the storm did to her garden. It was a real mess."
Rocky raised an eyebrow. "I can imagine. Speaking of messes, are we going back to work on the Megaship tomorrow?"
"Most likely."
"Hell of a way to spend spring break. Not that we could have done much else."
Adam frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Well, it's not like we could have gone anywhere what with us being on 24 hour call."
"I guess not. It's hard to go on vacation when the Machine Empire is just waiting to spoil it for you." Adam sat up. "Do you ever regret becoming a ranger?"
"Never. But I've being wondering about the future. If we defeat the Machine Empire, what happens then? Does another bad guy show up? I mean, when does it end?"
Adam shrugged. "Who knows?"
"Exactly. And maybe it's getting near the time when we should be stepping down."
"You think so?"
"We're graduating in June. After that we're suppose to get on with our own lives. You know I'm planning to open that dojo."
"You've been dreaming about it since we were kids."
"Right. And the time is coming when I'd like to realize that dream. Life's short. Who knows when we might kick the proverbial bucket?" Rocky leaned forward. "Not even rangers are immortal."
"I know what you mean," replied Adam glancing at Andros.
"I'm just not sure how I'm going to run a dojo if I'm dashing off to save the universe every few minutes." Rocky tilted back in his chair. "So what are you going to do after graduation?"
"College, I guess. At least that's what I've always planned on."
"You know, you could always join me at the dojo. I could use the help and it would be a great way to earn money for college."
"Really?"
"Of course, buddy." Rocky slapped Adam on the back. "Who else would I want to work with?"
Adam smiled at his friend. "Thanks man."
"It's going to be so weird not going to school anymore, but we're sure going to go out with a bang of a party."
"I know. You've been planning it since September."
"Right. Ernie's given us the Youth Centre for the evening. They'll be live music, tons of food..."
"Food, of course." Suddenly, Adam got a wicked grin. "And Aisha will be there."
"Yeah," sighed Rocky. Adam just shook his head at him. Rocky caught the look he was giving him and shot back, "Maybe by then you'll have worked up the courage to ask Tanya out to the party."
"Hey!"
Rocky laughed, Adam soon joining him.
ooooo
"Cheers."
Jason and Billy raised their drinks to each other as they soaked in the atmosphere of the Angel Grove Youth Centre from their favorite table.
"Almost like old times," commented Jason before taking a sip of his smoothie.
"Yeah," agreed Billy. "Just missing a few familiar faces."
Jason placed his drink down before leaning forward on the table.
"You miss them?"
"Immensely. But I'm glad they're enjoying themselves."
"They are. Trini and Zack found a place where they could really make a difference. That's why they stayed after the Peace Conference was over."
"What about you?"
The former red ranger shrugged. "I guess something just called me home."
"And we're very lucky it did."
"True." Jason raised his glass again and took a drink. He let out a long breath as he placed it back down. "You remember when we first met."
"Most definitely."
"Back then you were a different person. Kimberly and Trini were always dragging you around with us trying to get you to join in, but often you'd just withdraw and hide in your garage with your inventions." Leaning forward, he leveled his finger at Billy. "But you changed. Being a power ranger helped you gain confidence. You stopped hiding and became part of the world." While keeping an eye on his friend, Jason tilted back in his chair and crossed his arms. "What I want to know is why you started hiding again?"
Shrugging, Billy looked away. "I'm not sure what you mean."
"Come on, Billy. Don't kid me. You spend more time in the Power Chamber than with your friends. It's been that way ever since you gave up your powers and it's only getting worse."
Billy remained silent.
"Listen, man. I know it's tough when you're no longer part of the team, but that's no excuse for ignoring your friends."
"I'm sorry." Billy ran a hand through his short hair. "I just… I don't know who I am anymore."
"Now that you're not a ranger?"
"Exactly." The former ranger took a drink and looked away as he continued to speak. "Since then, I no longer feel like I belong."
Jason leaned forward. "You know you're still our friend, no matter what."
"But I'm not a ranger." He twirled his glass around in his fingers. "I thought I would be more help to the rangers if I stayed behind in the Power Chamber. Instead, I find myself watching helplessly while you face the danger."
"You do a lot for us. I don't know where we'd be without your help."
"But I can't be there when you really need me!" Clutching his drink, Billy glared at it as if it was the cause of his frustration.
"Is this why you've been spending so much time on Aquitar and Triforia?"
"I guess I've just been trying to find my place in the universe."
"I know how you feel," replied Jason. "But have patients. It's not like you're going to discover your destiny overnight. You still have plenty of time. And right now, you should just be enjoying the place you're at."
"When did you get so wise?" asked Billy smiling at his friend.
Jason smirked back. "Since you forced me to by being the dunce for once."
The former blue ranger laughed.
"Mind if we join you?"
The guys looked up to see Tommy and Kimberly had arrived at their table.
Jason waved his hand to the empty chairs. "Have a seat."
The Gold Ranger closely observed their newly arrived friends. They seem subdued but Kim gave him a small smile to indicate everything was okay. The four quickly fell into conversation discussing things from school assignments and graduation to the damage left by the storm and the recent activities of the Machine Empire.
They were busy wondering why there hadn't been the usual racket from Gasket since Andros had arrived when Kat and Tanya strolled into the room. For some reason, the two walked right past their friends and headed towards Ernie.
"Ernie," called Kat. "We've got the perfect gift for you."
"What have you got guys?" Ernie asked smiling at the two of them while he busily mixed a shake for one of his customers.
"Two beautiful kittens," declared Tanya. "Just right to keep you company on your lonely nights at home."
Ernie handed away the drink before turning to them. "You know I'd love to help out, but I'm much too busy these days to look after a cat. I'm sorry."
"It's alright, Ernie," Kat sighed. "We understand."
The two girls dejectedly went over to their friends and sat down at the table.
"No luck?" asked Jason with a sympathetic smile.
"Not since we gave Ninja to Adam this morning," replied Tanya leaning her elbows on the table.
"I just don't understand why no one wants them."
Kim gently laid a hand on Kat's arm. "You know I'd take one in if I could."
"I would too if my landlord allowed pets," put in Billy.
Katherine nodded, but still felt gloomy.
Tommy leaned over and put an arm around her. "Hey, now. Don't give up. I know you can do anything once you put your mind to it."
"Thanks, Tommy."
"I wish there was somewhere…" Tanya trailed off. Suddenly, a smile spread across her face and a gleam began to shine in her eye. "I've got it!" Grabbing Kat, Tanya hurriedly dragged her away from the table and out the door.
The remaining teenagers looked at each other.
"This I have to see," exclaimed Jason.
They trooped out of the Youth Centre quickly following the two girls.
ooooo
The four-way conversation between Adam, Rocky, Zordon and Alpha was interrupted as the familiar sound of a transport was heard by all. When all four of the remaining rangers plus Kimberly and Billy appeared, they weren't too surprised. It was the objects held by both Tanya and Kat that had them completely perplexed.
"Rangers?" questioned Zordon.
Approaching their mentor, Katherine and Tanya each held out a cat, one white, one black and white, and placed them in front of him "Zordon, we have a favor to ask you," spoke Kat.
Zordon raised an eyebrow. He was used to the odd quirks of these earth rangers, but they had never done anything that quite resembled this.
"Now we know you can't really look after these kittens, but they'll be happier here than at the shelter and we would all gladly help look after them." While Kat talked, the kittens began to wander across the consoles exploring all the strange sights and scents of their new world. "So, we were hoping you'd let us keep them here. If it's not too much trouble."
All the rangers looked pleadingly at Zordon who frowned back at them. "This is a very unusual request." He frowned as he watched one of the kittens slide off the consoles onto the floor. "But I do not see a problem with it. I'm sure we'll all enjoy having some more life around here."
The rangers cheered. Tanya and Kat hugged glad their quest was finally complete, but Tanya suddenly broke away. "Wait! We haven't named them yet."
"Right they need names!"
Rocky caught the black and white kitten as it skidded past him. "How about Zedd?"
"You're kidding!" Jason laughed at the Blue Zeo Ranger.
"Just think how Lord Zedd would feel if he found out," replied Rocky with a wicked grin. He stroked the kitten as it purred. "Cute, little Zedd."
Kim giggled. "Oh, my god. That's hilarious."
"One more," declared Tanya glancing at the white cat.
"Dulcea."
The rangers looked up at Zordon in surprise. "That's a beautiful name," pronounced Kat.
The antics of rangers and kittens were interrupted by a mew that surprisingly came from the direction of Tommy. A little head peeked out from where it had been hidden in Tommy's large arms.
"Oh, I forgot," Kat rushed over to Tommy and plucked the calico kitten from his arms. "We brought Karone to keep Andros company." She went over to the unconscious ranger and placed the kitten on his stomach. Karone lightly padded her way over to Andros' face. Sniffing she touched her nose to his, before turning around and curling up on his chest.
Suddenly, Andros sighed and his head rolled a little to the side. Billy rushed over and let out a smile as he gazed over the medical scanner. "His fever's broken and his brain wave pattern is almost back to normal."
"Cat magic," Tanya exclaimed.
Katherine agreed. "And to think no one wanted them."