The Hunt is On
Hunter glanced up as the phone rang. Kelly leaned over to read the caller id, then settled back into her chair. She picked up the receiver and dropped it back into the cradle. A slight satisfied smile crept over her face as she went back to whatever she was reading.
"I'd really love to know who she's doing that to." Blake murmured as he passed.
The door chimed, making both Bradleys turn. Tori's arrival wasn't surprising, being that she was here everyday. The worried look on her face and the fact that she was chewing on her lip however was. "What's wrong, Tori?" Hunter asked.
"Have you guys seen Dustin or Shane today?" she asked anxiously.
He looked back at Blake, who shrugged. "No." he answered for them both. "Why?"
"Not since Dustin left work yesterday." Blake added. "He seemed really down, but he wouldn't talk about it."
She looked more worried. "I tried to call him this morning to see how things went last night, but his line's disconnected. Then I tried the main one, but no one picked up. Laura and Maggie are *always* there."
"Did you go by?" Hunter asked, even as he wondered who Laura and Maggie were.
She nodded. "There's no one there. I'm really worried, you guys."
They all looked to the counter as the phone rang again. Kelly leaned over, read the id, and hung up without answering again. "What's she doing?" Tori asked with a frown.
Hunter shrugged. "Screening calls. She's been doing it all morning."
"You think something went wrong last night?" Blake asked, returning their attention to the topic at hand.
"Probably. My mom said his grandmother called our house to try and yell at her." Tori admitted. "But I haven't seen Shane, either. Usually he hangs out at the skate park, but no one knows where he is."
"Maybe they're at Ops." Hunter suggested, glancing around as he made sure to keep his voice low. "I mean, they'd go to Cam if something was wrong."
"I'm flattered everyone has such faith in me." a voice commented dryly, startling them all.
"Man, don't *do* that!" Blake told Cam irritably.
Tori looked crestfallen. "You mean you haven't seen them either?"
Cam shook his head as they all turned to him. "As interesting as it is that you all seem to believe you trust me that much, no one comes to me when they need help outside of the usual."
The door banged open as everyone pondered that, but their attention remained on the matter at hand. At least it did until an impatient young voice whined "Tor-ii!"
She glanced down at the boy beside her and offered a distracted smile. "Hey, Ras. I'm kinda busy. Can it wait?"
He scowled and shook his head. "No!" he insisted. "I gotta ask you somethin'. It's important."
Her smile was beginning to look a little strained. "So's this, Ras. I'll tell you in a minute, okay?" She looked back at Cam. "Do you have any idea where they'd be?"
"Tor-iii!"
She closed her eyes as she bit her lip, forced another strained smile, and looked down. "What Ras?"
"What's gay?" he demanded.
She blinked. "Shouldn't you ask someone else?"
He huffed indignantly. "Mom's having another 'episode'," he paused to make quotations with his fingers in an obviously mimicked gesture, "Emi always talks about somethin' else, May's trying to calm Mom down, Vinnie left this morning 'cause she said everyone's bein' stupid, Laura's tryin' to find Dad, and Maggie's trying to keep the Pack from lookin' for Dustin. And *obviously* I can't ask *him*." For such a small boy, he managed to sound extremely putout.
All of them were looking at him now. "You know what happened to Dustin?" Blake blurted out.
Ras scowled and crossed his arms. "I'm not telling until someone tells me what gay means." he informed them.
Hunter was practically twitching; Blake seemed to be fighting annoyance and laughter at the same time. Cam just looked amused. Tori took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm. "Gay is when boys like other boys, and girls like other girls, instead of boys liking girls."
Ras blinked, then let out an annoyed sigh. "Is *that* all? Grandmother made it sound like such a big deal." He wrinkled up his nose. "Who cares if Dustin likes boys? Girls are gross."
"Tori's a girl." Hunter couldn't help pointing out. He tried not to grin in spite of his increasing worry and irritation. This kid was reminding him *way* too much of Blake when he was little.
Ras gave him a 'what-planet-are-you-from' look. "Tori's not a girl. She's *Tori*."
"Ras." Tori interrupted. "What exactly did your grandmother say?"
He paused to consider. "Get out, get out you freak, somethin' about Dad dirtying the gene pool, whatever that means, disgusting, stuff like that. She didn't say anything different when she started callin' people. Well, except for one person. She kept saying something about how your son did this to him, and all that." He glanced up as horror and shock overcame the four Rangers. "Why?"
"We wanted to know where Dustin went." Tori told him at last, looking ill. "I hadn't seen him all day."
Ras shrugged. "I dunno. He hasn't called or nothin'."
Blake looked at the kid oddly. "Aren't you worried about your brother being missing?"
"Why?" Ras asked, blinking. "Dustin leaves all the time. What do I care where he goes?"
Blake looked utterly bewildered. "But...he's your brother."
"So?" Now Ras looked confused. "What does that have to with anything?"
Blake sputtered, completely aghast.
"Ras, what's your Mom doing?" Tori interjected.
"I told you already. She's having another 'episode'." More quotations with his fingers. "She threw Grandmother out of the house about after she started callin' people though." He grinned. "It was really cool. I've never seen her yell like that. 'Cept she started crying after Grandmother left. That's why Laura's tryin' to find Dad."
Now Tori looked startled. "Your mom actually yelled at someone?"
He nodded. "Yup. Well, if you see Dustin, tell him Mom wants to talk to him. I gotta go. Someone needs to feed the Pack while he's gone, and no one else can get near 'em." He rolled his eyes. "Bye, Tori. Bye Dustin's Friends." He ran out as quickly as he'd entered.
"I am totally and completely lost." Cam commented after a moment.
Tori took a deep breath. "Dustin was just thrown out of his house." she told him, struggling to keep her voice calm. "If his grandmother was trying to blame someone else, that means she probably called Shane's."
"And if no one's heard from Shane, something went wrong there, too." Cam finished.
"We'd better go look for them." Tori affirmed.
"Kelly?" Hunter called.
"Go ahead."
"Thanks." It was sort of odd how Kelly never questioned when they needed to leave, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He looked at Blake as they all started out, frowning at the confused expression on his brother's face. "Bro? What's wrong?"
Blake looked up at him, seeming lost. "How could he not care that his brother was missing?" he asked softly.
Hunter wrapped an arm around his shoulders, suddenly intensely grateful that Blake was his little brother, rather than someone else. "I don't know, Bro. I really don't know."
Hunter glanced up as the phone rang. Kelly leaned over to read the caller id, then settled back into her chair. She picked up the receiver and dropped it back into the cradle. A slight satisfied smile crept over her face as she went back to whatever she was reading.
"I'd really love to know who she's doing that to." Blake murmured as he passed.
The door chimed, making both Bradleys turn. Tori's arrival wasn't surprising, being that she was here everyday. The worried look on her face and the fact that she was chewing on her lip however was. "What's wrong, Tori?" Hunter asked.
"Have you guys seen Dustin or Shane today?" she asked anxiously.
He looked back at Blake, who shrugged. "No." he answered for them both. "Why?"
"Not since Dustin left work yesterday." Blake added. "He seemed really down, but he wouldn't talk about it."
She looked more worried. "I tried to call him this morning to see how things went last night, but his line's disconnected. Then I tried the main one, but no one picked up. Laura and Maggie are *always* there."
"Did you go by?" Hunter asked, even as he wondered who Laura and Maggie were.
She nodded. "There's no one there. I'm really worried, you guys."
They all looked to the counter as the phone rang again. Kelly leaned over, read the id, and hung up without answering again. "What's she doing?" Tori asked with a frown.
Hunter shrugged. "Screening calls. She's been doing it all morning."
"You think something went wrong last night?" Blake asked, returning their attention to the topic at hand.
"Probably. My mom said his grandmother called our house to try and yell at her." Tori admitted. "But I haven't seen Shane, either. Usually he hangs out at the skate park, but no one knows where he is."
"Maybe they're at Ops." Hunter suggested, glancing around as he made sure to keep his voice low. "I mean, they'd go to Cam if something was wrong."
"I'm flattered everyone has such faith in me." a voice commented dryly, startling them all.
"Man, don't *do* that!" Blake told Cam irritably.
Tori looked crestfallen. "You mean you haven't seen them either?"
Cam shook his head as they all turned to him. "As interesting as it is that you all seem to believe you trust me that much, no one comes to me when they need help outside of the usual."
The door banged open as everyone pondered that, but their attention remained on the matter at hand. At least it did until an impatient young voice whined "Tor-ii!"
She glanced down at the boy beside her and offered a distracted smile. "Hey, Ras. I'm kinda busy. Can it wait?"
He scowled and shook his head. "No!" he insisted. "I gotta ask you somethin'. It's important."
Her smile was beginning to look a little strained. "So's this, Ras. I'll tell you in a minute, okay?" She looked back at Cam. "Do you have any idea where they'd be?"
"Tor-iii!"
She closed her eyes as she bit her lip, forced another strained smile, and looked down. "What Ras?"
"What's gay?" he demanded.
She blinked. "Shouldn't you ask someone else?"
He huffed indignantly. "Mom's having another 'episode'," he paused to make quotations with his fingers in an obviously mimicked gesture, "Emi always talks about somethin' else, May's trying to calm Mom down, Vinnie left this morning 'cause she said everyone's bein' stupid, Laura's tryin' to find Dad, and Maggie's trying to keep the Pack from lookin' for Dustin. And *obviously* I can't ask *him*." For such a small boy, he managed to sound extremely putout.
All of them were looking at him now. "You know what happened to Dustin?" Blake blurted out.
Ras scowled and crossed his arms. "I'm not telling until someone tells me what gay means." he informed them.
Hunter was practically twitching; Blake seemed to be fighting annoyance and laughter at the same time. Cam just looked amused. Tori took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm. "Gay is when boys like other boys, and girls like other girls, instead of boys liking girls."
Ras blinked, then let out an annoyed sigh. "Is *that* all? Grandmother made it sound like such a big deal." He wrinkled up his nose. "Who cares if Dustin likes boys? Girls are gross."
"Tori's a girl." Hunter couldn't help pointing out. He tried not to grin in spite of his increasing worry and irritation. This kid was reminding him *way* too much of Blake when he was little.
Ras gave him a 'what-planet-are-you-from' look. "Tori's not a girl. She's *Tori*."
"Ras." Tori interrupted. "What exactly did your grandmother say?"
He paused to consider. "Get out, get out you freak, somethin' about Dad dirtying the gene pool, whatever that means, disgusting, stuff like that. She didn't say anything different when she started callin' people. Well, except for one person. She kept saying something about how your son did this to him, and all that." He glanced up as horror and shock overcame the four Rangers. "Why?"
"We wanted to know where Dustin went." Tori told him at last, looking ill. "I hadn't seen him all day."
Ras shrugged. "I dunno. He hasn't called or nothin'."
Blake looked at the kid oddly. "Aren't you worried about your brother being missing?"
"Why?" Ras asked, blinking. "Dustin leaves all the time. What do I care where he goes?"
Blake looked utterly bewildered. "But...he's your brother."
"So?" Now Ras looked confused. "What does that have to with anything?"
Blake sputtered, completely aghast.
"Ras, what's your Mom doing?" Tori interjected.
"I told you already. She's having another 'episode'." More quotations with his fingers. "She threw Grandmother out of the house about after she started callin' people though." He grinned. "It was really cool. I've never seen her yell like that. 'Cept she started crying after Grandmother left. That's why Laura's tryin' to find Dad."
Now Tori looked startled. "Your mom actually yelled at someone?"
He nodded. "Yup. Well, if you see Dustin, tell him Mom wants to talk to him. I gotta go. Someone needs to feed the Pack while he's gone, and no one else can get near 'em." He rolled his eyes. "Bye, Tori. Bye Dustin's Friends." He ran out as quickly as he'd entered.
"I am totally and completely lost." Cam commented after a moment.
Tori took a deep breath. "Dustin was just thrown out of his house." she told him, struggling to keep her voice calm. "If his grandmother was trying to blame someone else, that means she probably called Shane's."
"And if no one's heard from Shane, something went wrong there, too." Cam finished.
"We'd better go look for them." Tori affirmed.
"Kelly?" Hunter called.
"Go ahead."
"Thanks." It was sort of odd how Kelly never questioned when they needed to leave, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He looked at Blake as they all started out, frowning at the confused expression on his brother's face. "Bro? What's wrong?"
Blake looked up at him, seeming lost. "How could he not care that his brother was missing?" he asked softly.
Hunter wrapped an arm around his shoulders, suddenly intensely grateful that Blake was his little brother, rather than someone else. "I don't know, Bro. I really don't know."