Title: Family Ties
Part Eight: Fights and Taunts
Author: Kryptonite
Disclaimer: The idea of Power Rangers itself belongs to Sabaan Entertainment (I think) and I'm using the *idea* for the basis of this. Danni is my own character.
Spoilers: Kinda hard not to have them since they aren't all my original characters.
Summary: Dustin sees Cam in his kitchen. Cam finds out about Danni's condition and more about the 'drug'. Lothor yells at his nieces. Everyone at Ninja Ops finds out who 'Ashes' is and Cam admits that they need Danni's expertise.
A/N: Sorry about the whole no A/N last time, it was an accident, I swear! Anyway, here's the next chapter. And like I've said, it's not a drug you'd find in real life since I'm not a drug addict and as far as I know, no drug could save a person from a brain tumor or whatever it is that Danni has. So, enjoy and I hope my loyal reviewers come back (hint, hint guys and gals!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" Morning Danni." Dustin yawned, shuffling into the kitchen, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes.
" Sleep well?" She asked, flipping through the newspaper.
" Yeah actually-" The coffee cup in Dustin's hands slipped and splintered on the floor with a crash. He had seen Cam sitting at the table, his hair messed up and glasses resting on the table.
" Before you get any ideas he slept on the couch." Danni never looked up from the paper.
" But- but- why- I-"
" Don't strain yourself thinking. Especially this early in the morning. Sit, drink caffeine and wake up first. Then get a headache." Dustin meekly and quietly obeyed his sister's calm and bored words as she turned the page in the news. The only sounds were from the rustling paper, Dustin drinking his caffeine fix and Cam eating breakfast.
Danni read the paper, front to back, as Dustin and Cam ate breakfast and cleaned up after themselves. Once they were done and the silence was stretching she set the words down and looked at the two boys.
" Before you say anything let me explain." Dustin nodded his head, still partly asleep. " Cam went with you and the rest of your little group last night. Then he went with me and my friends to this place. It was really late when we got back and he didn't have his car. I offered our sofa for the cause. End of story. Nothing happened."
" I'm going to choose to believe that because anything else would require me kicking your butt." Dustin said, having woken up in the half a minute it had taken Danni to say her paragraph.
" Just try it." Cam challenged, just a little bit cranky about being awake at the moment.
" Either of you try anything and I'll be forced to duck tape you to the chairs and shave your legs, got it?" Danni spoke up from her seat at the kitchen table.
" You wouldn't... would she?" The last comment was directed at Dustin who nodded quietly in agreement.
" Try me Cam. I am so not in the mood for any arguments this morning. Now if you'll excuse me." As if on cue, her hand flew up to her mouth as her cheeks bulged and she bolted from her chair to the bathroom. Dustin and Cam fidgeted nervously.
" Honestly though Dustin. Nothing happened. It was late and I was too tired to use my powers to get back to Ninja Ops." Cam had started speaking to cover the faint but distinct sound of Danni losing the contents of her already empty stomach.
" I believe you. Just a shock to see you sitting at my kitchen table looking like you just woke up. And you and my sister sitting together. You have to look at it from my perspective. Little sister, older guy, kitchen table, messed up hair, spent the night, you tend to get a little suspicious."
" I don't blame you, I would be too if I had a little sister. But you can look on the couch if you want. The pillows and blankets are folded up on the end."
" I trust you." The two stood in silence, contemplating their individual thoughts, both seemingly finding the floor and their shoes fascinating.
" Why is she so sick?" Cam finally asked the question he had been wondering since meeting her.
" She hasn't told you yet?" Dustin asked wearily, almost as if everything was too much and he was slowly but surely giving in.
" No. I haven't been able to work up the courage to ask her." Cam admitted shamefully.
" Not many people can work up the courage. She has something closely resembling a brain tumor. It's rare so the doctor's aren't sure what it is exactly, all they know is that it is the cause of her headaches. The medicine they give her which is chemotherapy once a month and these pills are what cause her to throw up."
" What causes her to act like she's on an adrenaline rush?"
" Neither of us are really sure what it is. Danni was given the drug when she first started showing symptoms three years ago."
" A week after the car crash, right?"
" Yeah. How'd you know that?"
" Ashes told me." Dustin did a double take and looked at Cam with surprise.
" *You're* Camera?"
" Yeah, so?"
" Nothing, nothing. Anyway the drug seemed to work. Then we went to the doctor told him about the miracle drug and he couldn't detect anything. So he prescribed his own medicine to take when the 'miracle drug' wore off. It took two months before she had to start taking the pills."
" What's this miracle drug called?"
" Ghost. It acts like a ghost. It goes in, does what it's supposed to and then vanishes without a trace. The side effects are similar to an adrenaline rush. Increased heart rate, increased breathing, heightened senses, increased speed and strength. The side effects only last for a day or two before she throws up a time or two and then she's good for a couple of months. Recently the time has been dwindling, slowly, but she's also getting worse.
" The doctor's have no excuse for it. With all the medicine she's taking, she should be better by now but she isn't. And to make things even worse, I think Danni's addicted to Ghost." Danni had been listening into the conversation from the other side of the doorway. The boys hadn't realized she had stopped retching.
" That is bad. Wish there was something I could do to help." The boys were standing side by side, leaning against the counter with their arms folded over their chests, heads pointed resolutely towards their shoes. Danni rolled her eyes at the stances and simply walked as quietly as possible from the kitchen.
'I'm not addicted... I just can't stop using it if I want to live.'
~~~~~
" Zurgane!" Lothor bellowed over his shoulder.
" Yes, milord?" The monster came scurrying up, trying to maintain what little dignity it had left.
" Get ready to summon the next batch of warriors. I'm tired of waiting!" Lothor sounded like a spoiled child who was being told to eat his broccoli.
Zurgane ducked and bobbed more than a rapper during their own concert as he stumbled, " Yes- yes sir, Lothor sir!"
With his cheek rested against one fist and his other fingers drumming against the arm of the throne Lothor sighed. " Why do I surround myself with such idiots?"
" We're not idiots Uncle." Lothor's eyes closed involuntarily as his nieces' voice reached his ears.
" Well, I'm definitely not an idiot Uncle but we never can be too sure with Marah." Kapri sneered at her sister behind their Uncle's back and throne.
" Hey! If anyone's the idiot it's you."
" Who can't figure out how to call a simple monster. Or make it grow?" Kapri taunted back. Suddenly Lothor's throne spun around, squealing and sending smoke billowing away from him.
" WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP!" The girl's stared wide-eyed at their uncle and slowly nodded their heads up and down. " Thank you. Now if I can just get some peace and quiet around here. I can barely hear myself think in all this racket."
From that point on, for a few hours at least, the ship was so quiet you could hear the proverbial pin drop a mile away.
~~~~~
" Cam did you figure out the calculations for the energy blocker?"
" Nope." He sighed and spun the chair around. " I need help on this and as far as I know, Danni's the only one smart enough to give it." Tori shook her head at his news.
" Last resort alone."
" If we wait to long it'll be too late. We need to put the block up now and make sure it works because if it doesn't, we're going to be swamped. Literally."
" Cam has a point. If we wait to long we stand the chance of not being able to win." Hunter put in, finally moving from his position leaning against the door and coming closer to the rest of the group.
" But so does Tori. How do we know Danni won't tell anyone?"
" Because she wouldn't." Shane scoffed.
" You meet her once and you're an expert on Dustin's sister?"
" Yep. And what's to say I haven't met her before? Or after?" Cam questioned, deciding to go off topic for a minute.
" Dude you're crazy." Dustin's head kinda twitched to the side in a look that said 'Yeah, but it's true'. Cam sighed and turned the swivel chair back to the computer.
" Everyone. I'd like you to meet Ashes." A picture popped up and Danni was smiling at the group.
" Hey." 'Everyone' was strangely silent.
" She's going to help us save the planet." Cam paused then added, " Again."
Part Eight: Fights and Taunts
Author: Kryptonite
Disclaimer: The idea of Power Rangers itself belongs to Sabaan Entertainment (I think) and I'm using the *idea* for the basis of this. Danni is my own character.
Spoilers: Kinda hard not to have them since they aren't all my original characters.
Summary: Dustin sees Cam in his kitchen. Cam finds out about Danni's condition and more about the 'drug'. Lothor yells at his nieces. Everyone at Ninja Ops finds out who 'Ashes' is and Cam admits that they need Danni's expertise.
A/N: Sorry about the whole no A/N last time, it was an accident, I swear! Anyway, here's the next chapter. And like I've said, it's not a drug you'd find in real life since I'm not a drug addict and as far as I know, no drug could save a person from a brain tumor or whatever it is that Danni has. So, enjoy and I hope my loyal reviewers come back (hint, hint guys and gals!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" Morning Danni." Dustin yawned, shuffling into the kitchen, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes.
" Sleep well?" She asked, flipping through the newspaper.
" Yeah actually-" The coffee cup in Dustin's hands slipped and splintered on the floor with a crash. He had seen Cam sitting at the table, his hair messed up and glasses resting on the table.
" Before you get any ideas he slept on the couch." Danni never looked up from the paper.
" But- but- why- I-"
" Don't strain yourself thinking. Especially this early in the morning. Sit, drink caffeine and wake up first. Then get a headache." Dustin meekly and quietly obeyed his sister's calm and bored words as she turned the page in the news. The only sounds were from the rustling paper, Dustin drinking his caffeine fix and Cam eating breakfast.
Danni read the paper, front to back, as Dustin and Cam ate breakfast and cleaned up after themselves. Once they were done and the silence was stretching she set the words down and looked at the two boys.
" Before you say anything let me explain." Dustin nodded his head, still partly asleep. " Cam went with you and the rest of your little group last night. Then he went with me and my friends to this place. It was really late when we got back and he didn't have his car. I offered our sofa for the cause. End of story. Nothing happened."
" I'm going to choose to believe that because anything else would require me kicking your butt." Dustin said, having woken up in the half a minute it had taken Danni to say her paragraph.
" Just try it." Cam challenged, just a little bit cranky about being awake at the moment.
" Either of you try anything and I'll be forced to duck tape you to the chairs and shave your legs, got it?" Danni spoke up from her seat at the kitchen table.
" You wouldn't... would she?" The last comment was directed at Dustin who nodded quietly in agreement.
" Try me Cam. I am so not in the mood for any arguments this morning. Now if you'll excuse me." As if on cue, her hand flew up to her mouth as her cheeks bulged and she bolted from her chair to the bathroom. Dustin and Cam fidgeted nervously.
" Honestly though Dustin. Nothing happened. It was late and I was too tired to use my powers to get back to Ninja Ops." Cam had started speaking to cover the faint but distinct sound of Danni losing the contents of her already empty stomach.
" I believe you. Just a shock to see you sitting at my kitchen table looking like you just woke up. And you and my sister sitting together. You have to look at it from my perspective. Little sister, older guy, kitchen table, messed up hair, spent the night, you tend to get a little suspicious."
" I don't blame you, I would be too if I had a little sister. But you can look on the couch if you want. The pillows and blankets are folded up on the end."
" I trust you." The two stood in silence, contemplating their individual thoughts, both seemingly finding the floor and their shoes fascinating.
" Why is she so sick?" Cam finally asked the question he had been wondering since meeting her.
" She hasn't told you yet?" Dustin asked wearily, almost as if everything was too much and he was slowly but surely giving in.
" No. I haven't been able to work up the courage to ask her." Cam admitted shamefully.
" Not many people can work up the courage. She has something closely resembling a brain tumor. It's rare so the doctor's aren't sure what it is exactly, all they know is that it is the cause of her headaches. The medicine they give her which is chemotherapy once a month and these pills are what cause her to throw up."
" What causes her to act like she's on an adrenaline rush?"
" Neither of us are really sure what it is. Danni was given the drug when she first started showing symptoms three years ago."
" A week after the car crash, right?"
" Yeah. How'd you know that?"
" Ashes told me." Dustin did a double take and looked at Cam with surprise.
" *You're* Camera?"
" Yeah, so?"
" Nothing, nothing. Anyway the drug seemed to work. Then we went to the doctor told him about the miracle drug and he couldn't detect anything. So he prescribed his own medicine to take when the 'miracle drug' wore off. It took two months before she had to start taking the pills."
" What's this miracle drug called?"
" Ghost. It acts like a ghost. It goes in, does what it's supposed to and then vanishes without a trace. The side effects are similar to an adrenaline rush. Increased heart rate, increased breathing, heightened senses, increased speed and strength. The side effects only last for a day or two before she throws up a time or two and then she's good for a couple of months. Recently the time has been dwindling, slowly, but she's also getting worse.
" The doctor's have no excuse for it. With all the medicine she's taking, she should be better by now but she isn't. And to make things even worse, I think Danni's addicted to Ghost." Danni had been listening into the conversation from the other side of the doorway. The boys hadn't realized she had stopped retching.
" That is bad. Wish there was something I could do to help." The boys were standing side by side, leaning against the counter with their arms folded over their chests, heads pointed resolutely towards their shoes. Danni rolled her eyes at the stances and simply walked as quietly as possible from the kitchen.
'I'm not addicted... I just can't stop using it if I want to live.'
~~~~~
" Zurgane!" Lothor bellowed over his shoulder.
" Yes, milord?" The monster came scurrying up, trying to maintain what little dignity it had left.
" Get ready to summon the next batch of warriors. I'm tired of waiting!" Lothor sounded like a spoiled child who was being told to eat his broccoli.
Zurgane ducked and bobbed more than a rapper during their own concert as he stumbled, " Yes- yes sir, Lothor sir!"
With his cheek rested against one fist and his other fingers drumming against the arm of the throne Lothor sighed. " Why do I surround myself with such idiots?"
" We're not idiots Uncle." Lothor's eyes closed involuntarily as his nieces' voice reached his ears.
" Well, I'm definitely not an idiot Uncle but we never can be too sure with Marah." Kapri sneered at her sister behind their Uncle's back and throne.
" Hey! If anyone's the idiot it's you."
" Who can't figure out how to call a simple monster. Or make it grow?" Kapri taunted back. Suddenly Lothor's throne spun around, squealing and sending smoke billowing away from him.
" WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP!" The girl's stared wide-eyed at their uncle and slowly nodded their heads up and down. " Thank you. Now if I can just get some peace and quiet around here. I can barely hear myself think in all this racket."
From that point on, for a few hours at least, the ship was so quiet you could hear the proverbial pin drop a mile away.
~~~~~
" Cam did you figure out the calculations for the energy blocker?"
" Nope." He sighed and spun the chair around. " I need help on this and as far as I know, Danni's the only one smart enough to give it." Tori shook her head at his news.
" Last resort alone."
" If we wait to long it'll be too late. We need to put the block up now and make sure it works because if it doesn't, we're going to be swamped. Literally."
" Cam has a point. If we wait to long we stand the chance of not being able to win." Hunter put in, finally moving from his position leaning against the door and coming closer to the rest of the group.
" But so does Tori. How do we know Danni won't tell anyone?"
" Because she wouldn't." Shane scoffed.
" You meet her once and you're an expert on Dustin's sister?"
" Yep. And what's to say I haven't met her before? Or after?" Cam questioned, deciding to go off topic for a minute.
" Dude you're crazy." Dustin's head kinda twitched to the side in a look that said 'Yeah, but it's true'. Cam sighed and turned the swivel chair back to the computer.
" Everyone. I'd like you to meet Ashes." A picture popped up and Danni was smiling at the group.
" Hey." 'Everyone' was strangely silent.
" She's going to help us save the planet." Cam paused then added, " Again."