"This is Now, Officially a Problem"
After a long hike up to the Command Center, the Final Force rangers attempted to pry the doors open. No dice.
"Come on!" Gen grunted desperately, pulling with all her might. Joel put a hand on her shoulder.
"Gen, it's hopeless. It isn't planning on letting us in." Maggie gave him a quizzical look.
"Were you implying that an inanimate object like the doors have thought?" She asked.
"Alpha does."
"Alpha is not inanimate." Gen ignored the two, and pulled again. This time, her act of desperation was met with help. Rose and Theo helped, but this time, the doors opened. The rest of the adults inside were helping from the other side of the doors. Gen stared seriously into their faces. All but Billy had been pulling. Billy was pressing buttons on the computer consoles frantically. All the systems were down. He was holding his hand to one side of his head, as if it hurt. Gen rushed inside.
"Billy, what happened?" She asked, sternly. She knew she would have to be the voice of reason between the two. Billy was definitely in no shape to calm down. Gen gently pulled his hand away. A large, bleeding lump was on his head. He snapped his hand back over it, not even acknowledging Gen's presence. She looked around. A small unit was in the middle of the floor. Everyone else was with their parents. She cast a glance sideways, and did a double take. Alpha was not functioning, and Zordon was gone. She looked to the other parents. "Can someone tell me what the heck happened here?" she shouted. For the first time, something seemed to get through the adults' shock. Adam walked over.
"The Green Ranger teleported in, and activated that thing on the floor, whatever it is. Then BAM, mass unconsciousness. It looks like he deactivated Alpha, destroyed the computers, and blocked Zordon."
"What happened to Billy?" she nodded her head in his direction.
"Don't know. He hasn't said a word since we woke up, but it looks like his head hit a console when he passed out." A thumping noise made them turn their heads. Billy had collapsed on the floor. Gen ran over.
"Billy, wake up. Come on, Billy! Don't do this to me. Not now." She was cradling her brother's unconscious body in her arms. She looked up. Tommy was standing over her. Picking up Billy's limp form, he carried his friend out of the Command Center. He looked over his shoulder at Gen.
"Billy did tell you about the modifications to his truck, didn't he?"
~~
As it turned out, Billy had actually taken Radbug to the Command Center. Gen had her permit, even if she didn't do much driving. Anyway, Radbug was easy enough to control. About an hour later, Gen and Tommy brought Billy into the trailer. Tommy shooed Gen out of the room to tend to Billy. That was how Gen found herself pacing the living room. After a while, Gen realized that someone was watching her. She turned her head.
"What? I'm nervous." She snapped at Tommy, who was definitely surprised.
"I've only been here a few seconds."
"I'm a telepath, like Billy, remember? I've been monitoring you the whole time."
"That's unnerving." He mumbled. "Gen, if Billy doesn't wake up in an hour or so, call us, okay? I really don't like the idea of you two staying here alone."
"I take it you would veto my going back up to the Command Center for repairs, huh." She said glumly.
"It isn't the best of ideas. Look, I know some of Alpha's schematics. I can try to put him back online if you want me to. I'm not promising anything, though."
"See what you can do, okay? The sooner we get the Command Center working, the sooner we can get back to stopping the Green Ranger." She seemed deadly intent. Tommy couldn't say no.
~~
Billy woke up less than an hour later, and Gen made sure he stayed in bed. She knew enough to make sure he didn't sleep for more than two hours at a time. Neither of them would be getting much sleep tonight. Gen was beginning to work on the unit she had found in the Command Center. Maybe it had more to it than mass unconsciousness. She was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Who thought not having a doorbell was a good idea?" she muttered to herself as she went to the door. Drew Taylor was standing there. Gen jumped. She wasn't expecting anyone tonight, much less Drew. And why would he be here anyway?
"Um, hi, Gen right?"
"Yes, what can I do for you?" the door was being held mostly shut by a chain lock.
"I just heard about your dad and it turns out our dads used to be friends."
"He's my brother, not my dad." She said. She was definitely still wary of him. Mostly because of the fact that she was convinced that no boy could be attracted to her, and because of what Joel had said. Joel had seemed so serious for once; she just couldn't ignore his worry.
"Sorry. I didn't know. May I come in?" Gen realized that she was being rude.
"Sure, hang on." She closed the door so she could unlock the chain. She let her guest inside, and gestured to the living room. For the first time, she was embarrassed about the old furniture in their home. Drew just seemed happy enough to sit down. "So, um, why exactly are you here?" She asked him.
"Well, Maggie's mom told my dad, your brother might have mentioned him as Zack, that Billy was hurt, and dad couldn't come, so he sent me over here to see if you guys needed anything."
"Oh, um, we're okay, really. Hang on." Her watch beeped. She had to go wake Billy up.
~~
The Green Ranger watched Gen go into her brother's room. All he had to do was wait. The set up was perfect. Hurt her brother enough so she would be tired from taking care of him, and then watch as her defenses fell. She would be his soon enough. He smiled to himself. This would be too easy.
~~
Gen felt a jolt of something fire through her head. There was something wrong. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew. Her telepathy was trained to sense good, so when evil was nearby, it lit up on her mental radar like a Christmas tree. She turned back to Drew in the living room. She would have to be careful. Joel's words rang in her mind like a proverbial bell: "It's like he knows something about us, and he's using it to his advantage." Maybe she could get some information out of him. She sat down on a worn armchair across the room from Drew, who was sitting on the couch.
"So, do you take any sports?" she asked awkwardly. This flirting thing was new to her.
"Karate, mostly. And my dad taught me to dance, but that's pretty well it. You?"
"Um, I do some Karate too, just because Billy did though. I also like lacrosse quite a bit." Drew raised an eyebrow.
"Tell me about lacrosse. I don't know anyone else who does it."
~~
At least four hours flew by, by Gen's watch beeping to remind her about Billy. Drew was fascinating. He was intelligent, strong, and a perfect gentleman. He called home to tell his mom he would be late for dinner, so she wouldn't hold it. It turned out his dad would be late too, so there wouldn't be any dinner. Gen found out he was an only child, but had a dog named Joe. He was interested in becoming a director, and made independent films with his old friends back in his old hometown. Then he asked something unexpected.
"So, Gen, if you don't mind my asking, where are your parents? I mean you live with your brother, so something had to have happened, right." Then something hit Gen: this was all a set up. He was there on some sort of dare, trying to get some dirt on Gen to tell his other friends so they could tease her. Not this time. The kids at the home in Boulder, Colorado had been enough.
"It's none of your business, so you can just tell your little inebriate friends that I really think this is juvenile and cruel." She led Drew to the door. "So you can just tell them that I've been around the block a few times, and this is not funny." Drew's face was a mask of shock.
"Gen, you've got this all wrong. I don't have any friends here, yet. I just moved here last week." Gen shoved out her emotions again, so she could think objectively.
"Haven't you met your neighbors yet?"
"Not friendly."
"No one at school?"
"You're the first."
"No relatives, old pen pals, or your dad?"
"None of the above." Gen sighed.
"I don't like talking about it. That's all." No need to let him know that her dad was being held by Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd in a castle on the moon. "Look, I need to get back to work. I have a whole mess of homework to do, and I really have to get back to it."
"Sure. I should be getting home, anyway." He turned to leave. "Hey, Gen?"
"Yes?"
"Could I have your number?"
~~
Gen was practically walking on air. A boy -- an attractive boy no less -- wanted her phone number. Gen smiled as she went to the kitchen to make some canned soup. She genuinely smiled. She couldn't remember the last time that had happened. As she took the can down from the cabinet, the phone rang.
"Gen?"
"Speaking."
"Gen, it's Tommy. You need to get down to the Command Center with Billy. And bring some of your tools and wiring. We could have a potential problem." Gen groaned mentally. She did not need this.
"I'll be right there." She hung up the phone, and woke up Billy.
~~
"Okay, what's up?" She asked, immediately getting down to business. Joel and Tommy looked up from the wreck Alpha was.
"Gen, the Green Ranger practically tore out all of Alpha's wiring. We can replace it, but it won't be easy." Gen swore in her head.
*Gen, what have we said about your language? * Her brother's voice rang in her head.
"Sorry." She muttered. "Okay, what have we got on Alpha's wiring schematics?"
~~
Hours later, Billy had to call Gen in absent from school. She worked tirelessly trying to put Alpha back online. Then, something happened, and she knew her efforts had not been wasted.
"Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi! Everybody run! The Green Ranger is- Gen, what's going on?" Alpha sat up and asked. The noise had momentarily startled Gen, and she looked at the hyperactive robot.
"Alpha, it's a long story, and none of it is good yet."
After a long hike up to the Command Center, the Final Force rangers attempted to pry the doors open. No dice.
"Come on!" Gen grunted desperately, pulling with all her might. Joel put a hand on her shoulder.
"Gen, it's hopeless. It isn't planning on letting us in." Maggie gave him a quizzical look.
"Were you implying that an inanimate object like the doors have thought?" She asked.
"Alpha does."
"Alpha is not inanimate." Gen ignored the two, and pulled again. This time, her act of desperation was met with help. Rose and Theo helped, but this time, the doors opened. The rest of the adults inside were helping from the other side of the doors. Gen stared seriously into their faces. All but Billy had been pulling. Billy was pressing buttons on the computer consoles frantically. All the systems were down. He was holding his hand to one side of his head, as if it hurt. Gen rushed inside.
"Billy, what happened?" She asked, sternly. She knew she would have to be the voice of reason between the two. Billy was definitely in no shape to calm down. Gen gently pulled his hand away. A large, bleeding lump was on his head. He snapped his hand back over it, not even acknowledging Gen's presence. She looked around. A small unit was in the middle of the floor. Everyone else was with their parents. She cast a glance sideways, and did a double take. Alpha was not functioning, and Zordon was gone. She looked to the other parents. "Can someone tell me what the heck happened here?" she shouted. For the first time, something seemed to get through the adults' shock. Adam walked over.
"The Green Ranger teleported in, and activated that thing on the floor, whatever it is. Then BAM, mass unconsciousness. It looks like he deactivated Alpha, destroyed the computers, and blocked Zordon."
"What happened to Billy?" she nodded her head in his direction.
"Don't know. He hasn't said a word since we woke up, but it looks like his head hit a console when he passed out." A thumping noise made them turn their heads. Billy had collapsed on the floor. Gen ran over.
"Billy, wake up. Come on, Billy! Don't do this to me. Not now." She was cradling her brother's unconscious body in her arms. She looked up. Tommy was standing over her. Picking up Billy's limp form, he carried his friend out of the Command Center. He looked over his shoulder at Gen.
"Billy did tell you about the modifications to his truck, didn't he?"
~~
As it turned out, Billy had actually taken Radbug to the Command Center. Gen had her permit, even if she didn't do much driving. Anyway, Radbug was easy enough to control. About an hour later, Gen and Tommy brought Billy into the trailer. Tommy shooed Gen out of the room to tend to Billy. That was how Gen found herself pacing the living room. After a while, Gen realized that someone was watching her. She turned her head.
"What? I'm nervous." She snapped at Tommy, who was definitely surprised.
"I've only been here a few seconds."
"I'm a telepath, like Billy, remember? I've been monitoring you the whole time."
"That's unnerving." He mumbled. "Gen, if Billy doesn't wake up in an hour or so, call us, okay? I really don't like the idea of you two staying here alone."
"I take it you would veto my going back up to the Command Center for repairs, huh." She said glumly.
"It isn't the best of ideas. Look, I know some of Alpha's schematics. I can try to put him back online if you want me to. I'm not promising anything, though."
"See what you can do, okay? The sooner we get the Command Center working, the sooner we can get back to stopping the Green Ranger." She seemed deadly intent. Tommy couldn't say no.
~~
Billy woke up less than an hour later, and Gen made sure he stayed in bed. She knew enough to make sure he didn't sleep for more than two hours at a time. Neither of them would be getting much sleep tonight. Gen was beginning to work on the unit she had found in the Command Center. Maybe it had more to it than mass unconsciousness. She was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Who thought not having a doorbell was a good idea?" she muttered to herself as she went to the door. Drew Taylor was standing there. Gen jumped. She wasn't expecting anyone tonight, much less Drew. And why would he be here anyway?
"Um, hi, Gen right?"
"Yes, what can I do for you?" the door was being held mostly shut by a chain lock.
"I just heard about your dad and it turns out our dads used to be friends."
"He's my brother, not my dad." She said. She was definitely still wary of him. Mostly because of the fact that she was convinced that no boy could be attracted to her, and because of what Joel had said. Joel had seemed so serious for once; she just couldn't ignore his worry.
"Sorry. I didn't know. May I come in?" Gen realized that she was being rude.
"Sure, hang on." She closed the door so she could unlock the chain. She let her guest inside, and gestured to the living room. For the first time, she was embarrassed about the old furniture in their home. Drew just seemed happy enough to sit down. "So, um, why exactly are you here?" She asked him.
"Well, Maggie's mom told my dad, your brother might have mentioned him as Zack, that Billy was hurt, and dad couldn't come, so he sent me over here to see if you guys needed anything."
"Oh, um, we're okay, really. Hang on." Her watch beeped. She had to go wake Billy up.
~~
The Green Ranger watched Gen go into her brother's room. All he had to do was wait. The set up was perfect. Hurt her brother enough so she would be tired from taking care of him, and then watch as her defenses fell. She would be his soon enough. He smiled to himself. This would be too easy.
~~
Gen felt a jolt of something fire through her head. There was something wrong. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew. Her telepathy was trained to sense good, so when evil was nearby, it lit up on her mental radar like a Christmas tree. She turned back to Drew in the living room. She would have to be careful. Joel's words rang in her mind like a proverbial bell: "It's like he knows something about us, and he's using it to his advantage." Maybe she could get some information out of him. She sat down on a worn armchair across the room from Drew, who was sitting on the couch.
"So, do you take any sports?" she asked awkwardly. This flirting thing was new to her.
"Karate, mostly. And my dad taught me to dance, but that's pretty well it. You?"
"Um, I do some Karate too, just because Billy did though. I also like lacrosse quite a bit." Drew raised an eyebrow.
"Tell me about lacrosse. I don't know anyone else who does it."
~~
At least four hours flew by, by Gen's watch beeping to remind her about Billy. Drew was fascinating. He was intelligent, strong, and a perfect gentleman. He called home to tell his mom he would be late for dinner, so she wouldn't hold it. It turned out his dad would be late too, so there wouldn't be any dinner. Gen found out he was an only child, but had a dog named Joe. He was interested in becoming a director, and made independent films with his old friends back in his old hometown. Then he asked something unexpected.
"So, Gen, if you don't mind my asking, where are your parents? I mean you live with your brother, so something had to have happened, right." Then something hit Gen: this was all a set up. He was there on some sort of dare, trying to get some dirt on Gen to tell his other friends so they could tease her. Not this time. The kids at the home in Boulder, Colorado had been enough.
"It's none of your business, so you can just tell your little inebriate friends that I really think this is juvenile and cruel." She led Drew to the door. "So you can just tell them that I've been around the block a few times, and this is not funny." Drew's face was a mask of shock.
"Gen, you've got this all wrong. I don't have any friends here, yet. I just moved here last week." Gen shoved out her emotions again, so she could think objectively.
"Haven't you met your neighbors yet?"
"Not friendly."
"No one at school?"
"You're the first."
"No relatives, old pen pals, or your dad?"
"None of the above." Gen sighed.
"I don't like talking about it. That's all." No need to let him know that her dad was being held by Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd in a castle on the moon. "Look, I need to get back to work. I have a whole mess of homework to do, and I really have to get back to it."
"Sure. I should be getting home, anyway." He turned to leave. "Hey, Gen?"
"Yes?"
"Could I have your number?"
~~
Gen was practically walking on air. A boy -- an attractive boy no less -- wanted her phone number. Gen smiled as she went to the kitchen to make some canned soup. She genuinely smiled. She couldn't remember the last time that had happened. As she took the can down from the cabinet, the phone rang.
"Gen?"
"Speaking."
"Gen, it's Tommy. You need to get down to the Command Center with Billy. And bring some of your tools and wiring. We could have a potential problem." Gen groaned mentally. She did not need this.
"I'll be right there." She hung up the phone, and woke up Billy.
~~
"Okay, what's up?" She asked, immediately getting down to business. Joel and Tommy looked up from the wreck Alpha was.
"Gen, the Green Ranger practically tore out all of Alpha's wiring. We can replace it, but it won't be easy." Gen swore in her head.
*Gen, what have we said about your language? * Her brother's voice rang in her head.
"Sorry." She muttered. "Okay, what have we got on Alpha's wiring schematics?"
~~
Hours later, Billy had to call Gen in absent from school. She worked tirelessly trying to put Alpha back online. Then, something happened, and she knew her efforts had not been wasted.
"Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi! Everybody run! The Green Ranger is- Gen, what's going on?" Alpha sat up and asked. The noise had momentarily startled Gen, and she looked at the hyperactive robot.
"Alpha, it's a long story, and none of it is good yet."