A Small Problem

Disclaimer: Power Rangers is not and has never been mine.

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This little fic came from me wondering where the hellTrent was staying during Dino-Thunder. Obviously not with Dad- teeny weeny little Mesagog problem - so where? There may be a second part, showing what Trent thinks of all this.

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"Knock, knock."

Tommy looked up and instantly tensed. Mercer stood in the office doorway, smiling that smug, all-knowing smile of his. He was carrying a briefcase.

"Anton," the ranger said cautiously.

Mercer's smile widened a fraction. It reminded Tommy uncomfortably of a shark spotting a tasty snack.

"Tommy," he said. "Settling in alright?"

"Yes."

"You're over that flu of yours?" He persisted. "No remaining symptoms?"

"I'm fine."

"That's good. I heard you were hospitalized and I wanted to make sure you were completely recovered."

Tommy instantly felt bad for his terse replies. Maybe Anton wasn't there on his own agenda for once. Maybe he had been genuinely worried about his old friend.

"Don't worry," he said. "I'm as fit as a fiddle."

"Good. That's good."

Something twitched in Mercer's smile. As he moved into the room, Tommy realized the man wasn't as calm as he'd originally thought. He was sweating, his face strained and pale.

"Actually…" He said, sitting down on the spare chair. He set the briefcase down on the floor beside him. "I wanted to ask you a favour."

Tommy sat back with a sense of weary disappointment. Anton wanted something. What's new?

"What is it?" He asked, with little enthusiasm. Whatever it was, he was willing to bet he wouldn't want in on it.

Mercer began cracking his knuckles. It was unnervingly loud in the silence of the room. Pop…pop…pop. The sound grated on Tommy's nerves.

"I don't know if Trent mentioned it," Mercer said at last. "But I have a small…problem to take care of. Some of my more…ah, lucrative business dealings turned sour and now some of my business associates have a grudge against me."

"I see." Tommy felt a flicker of concern. He and Mercer might not be so close as they once were, but he didn't want him to get hurt. "What do you want me to do?"

Mercer pounced on his moment of weakness with the ruthlessness of a wolf singling out a crippled sheep.

"I want you to take Trent in."

"What?" Startled, Tommy stared at him. "Mercer I'm not sure that's such a good idea. Think of how it would look – me with a teenage boy in the house…"

Mercer pulled a sheaf of documents from his briefcase.

"I had my lawyer draw these up this morning," he said. "It'll be perfectly legal."

It took Tommy a moment to recognise the look in his former friend's eyes. It wasdesperation. There was adefinite pleadingnotein his voice as he went on.

"I can't emphasise enough to you how dangerous these people are, Tommy. I don't want my son caught in the crossfire. You're the only person I trust to protect Trent."

Tommy felt as if the floor was being whisked out beneath him. He grabbed the first thing that came to mind, trying to retain some control of the meeting.

"How do I know this won't put me in danger as well?"

A hard expression flicked across Anton's face. For a moment, Tommy saw the powerful, domineering man of a few years ago. Totally ruthless in both his business and personal lives. If begging didn't gain protection for his son, he'd resort to blackmail.

"Oh I think you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, Tommy," he said coldly, calmly.

The words sent an icy thrill of fear down the back of Tommy's neck. He'd never been absolutely sure how much Anton Mercer knew about his past.

It was unlikely that the man knew about him being a ranger back in high school, but not impossible. Anton had a lot of lucrative contacts. And it would explain the interest he'd taken in a clumsy, forgetful second-year student that was barely scraping through his classes. Without Anton's help (and that of a certain red-headed genius doing a palaentology subject in her spare time), Tommy wouldn't have made it through university – at least, not so quickly or so well as he had. Anton had kept an eye on him all through the years. He'd helped him get back on track when he was despondant and wanting to quit. He'd encouraged him to do extra classes and get into the honours program years ahead of his time.

But why? There had been other, much more promising students to pick out and mentor. Smithy, for instance.

And if Mercer knew who he had once been, did he also suspect that he was responsible for the current band of superheroes protecting Reefside?

It wasn't a huge leap of logic, and he'd be a fool to think Mercer hadn't at least considered it. If so, did he have any idea who the other rangers were? Mercer knowing his own identity was bad enough – the idea of him knowing the kids' identities was like a cold hand gripping Tommy's entrails.

Tommy tried to keep a neutral face, gazing steadily back at Mercer. Inside, his mind was racing.

Mercer had had access to the school rolls too. He'd know who had been absent, and when. Eventually he would've had to have noticed whose absences consistently coincided with monster attacks.

Kira Ford, Conner McKnight, Ethan James…

…And his own son.

The knowledge that Mercer wouldn't do anything to deliberately harm his own son wasn't reassuring. Wes Collin's father had tried to take advantage of his son's identity to further his own ambitions. What had been most frightening was that he had been absolutely convinced that he was doing what was right – not just for himself, but for his son.

Tommy knew the type of men than Anton and Mr Collins were, and he was rightfully wary of them.

The stand-off lasted for a few more moments before Tommy finally picked up the documents. The rustle of paper was very loud.

"How long would it have to be for?" He asked.

Anton shrugged, but he was fairly humming with tension.

"I'm hoping no more than a year, but there's now way to tell with these things."

Tommy nodded, scanning the fine text. Maybe…just maybe…this would work out for the best. It would certainly save a lot of time having the White Ranger on hand at the Lair.

He picked up a pen.

Mercer gave an audible sigh of relief as he signed it. Then he scribbled his own signature under Tommy's.

"I'll leave this with you," he said. "You can keep the original and send a copy to me."

He pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Tommy.

"He's living at this address," he said. A bitter smile twisted his lips. "I judged it best to put some distance between us."

Tommy felt a shiver of unease. Just how dangerous were these 'business associates'?

"I suggest you move him out of there as quickly as possible," Mercer continued. "Tonight, if possible."

Tommy glanced at the address and winced. Yep. Definitely moving Trent out of there. No kid should be living in that part of Reefside alone.

"Tommy."

The ranger looked up to see Mercer lingering in the doorway. He had gone very pale all of a sudden, leaning on the doorway, sweat oozing out on his forehead. He looked sick.

"Whatever happens," he said. "Tell him it wasn't his fault. It's mine. And that I understand what he has to do."

Then he was gone, leaving Tommy more worried and concerned than ever.