Down for the Count
Disclaimer: I don't own a thing, I'm just borrowing.
Note: Consider this AU. Just an idea I had. I know re-telling the events in 'C2D' has been done to death, but I have this thing about beating dead horses… umm…not literally, of course.
A/N: Another long wait, I know. I wish I had more free time to write and write and write... well, you get the idea. Thanks to everyone for the reviews. I love your enthusiasm! It makes this fanfiction thing all the more enjoyable.
11: Raise Up
... ley...
... A ...ley...
Huh?
... Ashley... ten... me...
Who--?
... kay... he ...
Karone?
... way... hang...
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The first thing to penetrate Ashley's senses was his touch...
Cool, calloused fingers, gently brushed the hair from her forehead, lingering for a moment, as if knowing the relief it gave her heated skin. She turned her head, trying to draw out the contact when the soothing hand began to slip away.
"Andros…" she mumbled.
"Ssh… It's alright, Ashley. You're safe."
Though the man's voice sounded warm and comforting, the deep, unfamiliar tone was like a slap in the face. The yellow ranger's eyes snapped open, brown orbs widening in shock as another pair of equally dark eyes stared back at her, mirroring her own surprise.
"Well, you're-" A hard fist cut him off in mid-sentence, the unexpected right cross causing him to stagger back a few steps.
"Who the hell are you?" Ashley demanded to know, wincing with pain when she tried to sit up too fast. She placed a hand to her side, taking notice of the tape now wrapped around her ribs. Her angry, panicked gaze, faltered for a moment, and she looked up at the young man she'd struck, who was rubbing his jaw and watching her. Is he smiling at me?
"Wow, you pack quite a punch for someone who was unconscious ten seconds ago."
The adrenaline boost quickly diminished and Ashley's fatigued body slumped back against the gurney. She remained propped on one elbow, trying to catch her breath. Since she had no idea where she was, hitting the first person she saw was probably not the best thing she could have done… especially since someone, maybe even this man, had obviously come to her aid.
She closed her eyes, waiting for a wave of dizziness to pass. After a few seconds, she opened them again and looked at him, cautiously. When she spoke this time, however, her voice sounded more tired than angry. "Who are you… and where am I?"
Seeing her considerably calmer, the young man grabbed a nearby stool and moved it closer, though he wisely kept some distance between them. He leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees, obviously trying to look as non-threatening as possible. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a black tank top which exposed a heavily-muscled physique. For a moment, Ashley thought she might have seen him somewhere before.
"My name's Jason." His ruggedly handsome face melted into a disarming smile. "And we're in a cave at the base of Hasper Mountain." Ashley's eyes widened again, and she finally took notice of her surroundings.
Indeed, they were in a cave. The stretcher she was lying on sat in the center of a hollowed-out cavern, surrounded by rough, jagged stone that glistened, faintly, with dampness. Her eyes scanned the walls, which climbed so high they simply disappeared into the darkness far above her. The yawning space did have light, however, provided by a half-dozen lanterns placed on several tables around her. The area appeared to have been set up as some kind of makeshift medical center. There were even a few pieces of equipment lying around. It reminded Ashley of a more primitive version of the science lab at Angel Grove High.
She shivered. High school suddenly seemed like something from another life.
Sensing his eyes on her, Ashley met the young man's gaze again. There was an aura about him, a sense of stillness that helped put her somewhat at ease. She also appreciated the fact that he seemed to be giving her some time to absorb everything at her own pace.
"Where's Katherine?"
"Not far," Jason replied, suddenly getting to his feet. "In fact, I promised her I'd let her know the minute you woke up. It was the only way I could convince her to get some rest, so I better go find her."
"Wait," Ashley called as he turned to leave.
Jason looked back at her, expectantly. "Yeah?"
"Have… have we met before?"
There was that smile again.
"No, we haven't," he told her. "But, you could say we've traveled in the same circles." At her puzzled look, he winked at her. "Stay put. Kat's anxious to talk to you." He headed into a tunnel that opened up on the far side of the cave, and Ashley watched his shadow lingering on the wall, growing larger until it finally melted into the darkness.
She laid back on the gurney again, wondering how much time had passed since she and Katherine escaped the youth center. If they'd traveled all the way to Hasper Mountain on horseback, a journey that, given her apparent condition at the time, would have taken at least an hour or more, there was no telling how long she'd been out of it.
Time was running out.
Mom… Dad…
Once again, she was reminded of the real reason she was here. Astronema was expecting her – no, forcing her to betray her friends. But, Ashley knew that was not an option. She could no more turn on the Rangers than she could her own flesh and blood.
Still, she had to think of something. But, what could she possibly do on her own? As a fully powered team, the Rangers had been unable to stand against the Alliance. How could she save her parents when she couldn't even manage to save herself?
"Ashley!"
Katherine suddenly emerged from the tunnel, Jason trailing just behind her. Ashley managed to sit up again as Katherine approached, and the two young women shared a heartfelt embrace.
"How are you feeling?" the pink ranger immediately asked when they finally broke apart.
"Better, thanks." Ashley caught the blonde's hand in her own and gave it a firm squeeze. "If you hadn't come along when you did…" Katherine smiled at her in mute understanding, and for the very first time Ashley noticed just how utterly exhausted the young woman looked. She diverted her gaze as a wave of guilt suddenly crashed over her.
Katherine rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Actually, you're the one with impeccable timing. Danny and the others were lucky you were there. All I did was help clean up the mess." Her smile grew wider. "And give you a lift, of course."
"Kat's in love with that damn horse," Jason announced, flashing the blonde a teasing grin.
"Excuse me," the pink ranger shot back in mock indignation. "But, 'that damn horse', as you refer to him, has saved your butt on more than one occasion, Jason Scott,"
He made a show of glancing over his shoulder. "You mean, what's left of it."
"I can't help it if you don't know how to post."
"Here we go, again."
At the sound of a new voice, the three of them turned to see another young man had just entered the room. He was yawning, tiredly, and scratching at a head full of sandy-blonde hair. He was also wearing a strange looking blue and gray jumpsuit. When Katherine spotted him, she immediately went over and tugged on his arm, pulling him over to Ashley.
"Billy here is the one that took care of you," she said, her tone filled with pride and affection. "Billy Cranston, meet Ashley Hammond." He held a hand out to the yellow ranger, who shook it, firmly.
"I owe you a big thanks," Ashley said.
Billy smiled somewhat awkwardly when their eyes met. "Actually, most of your injuries were already well on their way to being healed by the time Katherine made it back here, although there was a substantial bruise along your right side…" His brow suddenly creased in a frown. "Without the proper equipment I can't tell if there are any fractures, so I thought it best to ere on the side of caution."
When he gestured to her bandaged side, Ashley got the distinct impression that he wanted to step forward and examine her again, but keenly sensed that doing so would make her uncomfortable.
"It hurts, but I can live it," she assured him, then fixed Katherine with a serious look. "What's going on, Katherine? Where did you get that morpher?"
"Well, that's still a little unclear…" The blonde glanced at Billy with a look of unease before turning back to Ashley. "A couple of days before the invasion, Tommy and I came home on holiday-"
The yellow ranger sat up straighter. "Tommy's here, too?" Katherine nodded and placed a restraining hand on her shoulder.
"Lay back, now," she admonished. "You still need to rest."
"I don't have time to rest!" Ashley nearly shouted, ignoring the pink ranger's instructions and swinging her legs over the side of the stretcher. She grunted in discomfort, but quickly shrugged off the pain. "Astronema's taken over, my friends are in trouble... I don't even know what's happened to Andros." Her mind was suddenly racing with thoughts of storming the Dark Fortress. After all, even a suicidal plan was better than no plan at all.
"Ashley, calm down."
The yellow ranger fixed Jason with a furious glare. "Don't tell me to calm down!" She surprised Katherine by suddenly hopping off the gurney and grabbing her by the upper arm. For the first time in days, she felt a desperate surge of hope. "Katherine, please, we have to do something. Maybe we can try to hijack a patrol cruiser and get onto Astronema's ship to rescue the others. She won't be expecting us to commit an all out assault, and once we have a few more Rangers-"
"We can't do that."
The voice was unmistakable: Calm, but firm. Determined, yet heavy with the burden of leadership.
It made Ashley's heart ache for her own red ranger.
"Tommy…" Katherine's soft voice called to him with a sigh of relief. "We were getting worried."
"I'm fine," he told her, approaching the small group and quickly making his way to Katherine's side. He was dressed in a white t-shirt and khaki pants, both of which had definitely seen better days. The young man slipped an arm around Kat's waist and squeezed her, gently, while holding a hand out to Ashley, who let go of Katherine's arm to clasp it. "Man, Ashley, it's really good to see you. What happened? How did you get away?"
"It's a long story, Tommy," Ashley sighed, wishing she didn't have to lie, but knowing she didn't really have a choice. Her brown eyes held his for a moment, the silent plea so clearly evident. "Look, I know the odds here, but we have to do something."
"It's not like we don't want to," he said, exchanging looks with the others. "But, to be honest, we've had our hands full just trying to get people out of the city."
"Well, you certainly did a good job, because I didn't see a single person in all of downtown."
"It wasn't easy," Katherine responded tiredly. "Especially with the Alliance patrols breathing down our necks. We were lucky that so many people pitched in to help." She cast Jason a meaningful glance.
"I never thought I'd be so grateful for sewers," the former gold ranger remarked soberly.
Ashley turned her attention to him, just then, her gaze softening. They'd only just met and she'd already managed to hit the guy, and yell at him... twice. It was obvious that Jason had been an integral part of the rescue effort. He'd probably saved more lives than she in the past few days, and regardless of whatever Ashley was going through, he certainly didn't deserve to bear the brunt of her anger and frustration.
"I'm sorry I hit you."
Billy, Tommy and Kat exchanged startled looks at Ashley's sudden confession while Jason merely offered her a friendly grin.
"Don't worry about it," he replied. "It isn't the first time I've been beaten up by a yellow ranger."
At Ashley's confused look, Kat touched her arm. "Jason used to be a Ranger, Ashley."
In the space of a few seconds, Ashley finally made the connection. "You were the Red Ranger," she said softly, her voice sounding somewhat awestruck. "The first one."
Jason nodded and clapped a hand onto Billy's shoulder. "And Billy here was the first one to wear blue."
A pained look flashed across Ashley's face and she dropped her gaze. "Blue… God, Justin…"
"I'm sure he's alright," Katherine said.
"Yeah," Tommy agreed. "He's a smart kid. And he knows how to take care of himself."
"No," Ashley countered, now shaking her head, emphatically. "You don't understand." Her brown eyes flicked to each of them in turn, and she suddenly felt sick to her stomach.
This was exactly what Astronema had been expecting – the old rangers pulling together, rallying the people to fight back. Her only obstacle in rounding them up was that she didn't know where they were. At the time of the invasion, she'd been utterly focused on the active Ranger teams. They had been the immediate threat, and the Alliance had made an all out effort to neutralize them.
But, now, the Kerovan was on a new hunt. And Ashley was the bloodhound.
"She's looking for him… for all of you."
Billy's face was drawn tight. "Who's looking for us?"
"Astronema."
Ashley looked at Tommy. She should have known he'd already anticipated such a move.
"You're the only threat left," she announced. "The rest of us are…" Her face darkened as she wrestled with a mixture of anger and guilt, as well as an overwhelming sense of failure. "Well, she pretty much took us out of the fight, didn't she?"
Katherine took her hand and squeezed it, encouragingly. "Not entirely."
Ashley quickly withdrew from her and turned away from the group, ashamed that she didn't have the courage to tell them the truth.
"I couldn't save them," she whispered, brokenly. "I couldn't save anyone." The yellow ranger squeezed her eyes shut, trying, desperately, to hold back the tears. Now was not the time to fall apart. Her parents, her friends... everyone was counting on her.
"That's not true."
Two pairs of brown eyes locked. Ashley stared at Jason, trying to read his face. There was something in his expression, the way he was looking at her... and almost immediately, she recognized it.
Respect.
An irrational flare of anger burned within her at the thought of being the object of this man's woefully misguided admiration, particularly when she didn't deserve it.
"How the hell would you know?" she demanded.
"Because, I was there."
Everyone in the room was now looking at Jason as he stepped forward, his dark, earnest gaze fixed solely on Ashley.
"You and the other Rangers, you fought as hard as anyone could have," he continued. "Even when we all knew it was hopeless, you guys never gave up. And when Astronema forced you to surrender..." He stopped, suddenly, and looked at the others. "Well, it was just about the bravest thing I've ever seen."
Ashley looked stricken. "You call that bravery? Because I got on my knees in front of that—"
"You were willing to lay down your life to save them, Ashley," Jason said forcefully. "You showed the Alliance what a Ranger is really made of." His gaze softened, but there remained more than a hint of steel in it, as well.
Then he said, "Zordon would have been proud. I know I was."
Katherine could see that Ashley was trying not to lose control of her emotions and she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around the young ranger and holding her, tightly. That was all the encouragement Ashley needed, and she seemed to crumple against the tall blonde, seizing her in an almost desperate grip.
"It's alright, Ashley, just let it out," Kat soothed, feeling the young woman's emotions uncoiling against her. Ashley's entire body hitched as she struggled to hold it all back, but with each gentle whisper of consolation from the pink ranger, all of her self-imposed restraints finally gave way.
Tommy drew closer and placed a hand on Ashley's back, adding his strength and understanding. After a moment, his strong arms embraced both young women, and the three of them stood together, drawing comfort from such a profoundly simple – and utterly human – act of intimacy.
"Don't worry, Ashley," Tommy said softly, his hand now rubbing her back in a slow, calming motion. "We'll think of something."
Jason and Billy remained silent while Ashley poured out her anguish, though it was obvious from the former blue ranger's expression that he was thinking of another ranger, one far away from Earth, who likely lost her battle against the Alliance, as well.
"You'll see her again, Bro."
The hand on his shoulder brought Billy out of his own dark thoughts, and he turned to Jason, his blue eyes shining with emotion.
"Everything happened so fast," he said softly. "When we sent out a distress call, that's when we found out that it was happening all over. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to come back to Earth, but I didn't want to leave her." He rubbed his thumb and forefinger against his weary eyes, discreetly wiping away the moisture that had gathered in them. "But, she told me there was nothing I could do there, that I should go where I was needed... and then she used the very last ounce of power they had left to send me back."
He stopped talking for a moment, suddenly aware that the others were now looking over at him. He met Ashley's gaze first. She was standing between Tommy and Kat, who still had an arm draped over her shoulders. Even in the gloomy light of the cave, he could see that her dark eyes were red and puffy, but they were also filled with a fierce kind of resolve. And anger. He realized that the latter was for his benefit, and it touched him, deeply.
For a fleeting moment, she reminded him of Cestria.
"When I left Aquitar, I promised her that I'd find a way to stop them." Billy looked at each of his friends as he spoke, but eventually his eyes came to rest on Ashley's face, once again. "Now, I'm not sure exactly how to do that, yet, but I think I may have an idea on where to start."
As he began to explain exactly what is was he had in mind, Tommy and Katherine exchanged knowing glances. No matter how desperate the situation, this was what Billy always did best: he used his smarts to outmaneuver the enemy.
He was still the Wolf, after all.
To be continued...
