ZEDD - SIX MONTHS LATER
Things have gotten better between Thomas and myself. Still not perfect, but then I don't feel we're all that far. Feeling a surge of happy through the bond, I can't help but smile. Wonder what he's up to? Just as I'm about to return my attention to work, I stop as the bond suddenly goes - blank. What the hell? It's like he's shut down again. Swiftly, I leave my office and go to find my mate.
He's on the move and I catch up with him in our room. "Thomas? What is it?"
He comes out of the closet with a suitcase which he tosses on the bed before diving back into the closet. "I have to go." He comes out with an armload of clothes that he starts stuffing in the bag. "Need my ship."
What now? "Wait a minute, Thomas. Go where? Why?"
He heads into the closet once more. "I don't have a minute, Zedd. I have to go."
Once he dumps the next armload on the bed, I pull him around to look at me. I'm about to question him when the pain and fear on his face stop me. Quickly, I pull him into my arms, holding him tightly. "I'll go with you, wherever you're going. I'll go tell Dar to check your ship and then I'll pack too."
"No, Zedd. You have some big jobs coming due and you need to deal with that."
I let him go and head for the door. "It wasn't a question."
I head for Dar's office at a run. I still don't know what's going on, but for it to affect him this deeply, I'm guessing either Ranger or family related. What could have happened? The last time we were on Earth was for the children's graduation and everything seemed okay then. Equally true the last time we saw Trey and Andros. My family wouldn't have contacted him first if something was wrong there.
I slide into Dar's office. "Ready Thomas' ship, please, Dar. Something's wrong somewhere and he's intent on leaving."
Without hesitation, he stands and moves to the door. "You going with him? Will you need us?"
"Yes and I don't know." He nods as we head down the hall.
"I'll get the ship ready and then let Pina know. Keep us updated."
I nod and head back to the bedroom. He's zipping the bag. "Dar's checking the ship now, Thomas. Give me a few minutes to pack."
He grabs the bag and heads for the door. "I'm leaving as soon as the ship's ready, Zedd, whether you're on it or not." I know that I can be packed in time, as I know how long it takes Dar to check the ship over. Even an emergency check takes a bit in spite of how well we maintain them.
When I reach the hangar, Dar is just finishing up the checks and Thomas is pacing, occasionally throwing a glare at Dar or the ship - I'm not quite sure which, maybe both. "Thomas-"
"Ship's ready" Dar calls out. Thomas snatches up his bag and heads for the ship. "Let us know if you need anything, brat."
"Will do" Thomas answers absently. I exchange looks with Dar before I hurry on board. I leave him alone to get the ship moving. Once we're out of the atmosphere, he switches to autopilot. "Computer, set course for Earth, top speed." He recites a set of coordinates that I recognize as on his property where we always land. Top speed? Smaller ship, so it can take routes that my much larger ship can't plus he paid to upgrade the engines so that he can certainly get better speed. We should arrive on Earth in three days or so - possibly less.
"Thomas, why the haste? What's wrong?" Him not telling me is making me anxious, as is the tight hold he has on his emotions once more. He hasn't done this in a very long time.
He keeps his gaze on the view screen as he answers me. "Hayley called. Jason's-" He stops and takes a shuddering breath. "Jason's been shot and they don't know if he'll make it."
I know as well as he does that the powers are not the end all be all of safety, but still... "The powers he now carries are different than the Red or Gold Ranger powers, Thomas. He has a better chance than most, love."
"I know. I just - I can't lose him, Zedd. It'd be almost as bad as losing you - bond or not." In spite of my concern for him, it does please me that I rank above Jason - if only barely. "Right about now I wish you could see the future, Zedd. If for no other reason than to prepare myself if the worst happens."
"I've known a few future seers in my time, Thomas. The way I understand it, even those that can see, they see all possibilities and choose the most likely when they make a prediction. Something as simple as someone finishing their cup of coffee can drastically affect the outcome of the future, as it changes the timetable."
"What?" He finally looks at me, albeit oddly.
I think about this for a minute. "Okay, suppose a nurse takes an extra minute to finish her coffee. That has her leaving the house a minute later than normal. Now that extra minute forces her to stop at a light that she'd normally get through on the yellow. But today, she has to stop which avoids an accident that she would have been in had she left on time because of someone else rushing because they finished their coffee. Now, she arrives at work a couple of minutes later because of waiting for that light. With me so far?" He nods and I continue. "Now, because she got to work later than usual, she starts her patient checks later. Just as she arrives at a room, she finds that patient in distress - something that the machines wouldn't pick up for a few minutes yet and she'd be far down the hall when the alarm goes off. But because of that cup of coffee, she's right on hand to trigger the alarm herself, thus saving the patient any more damage or even from death."
"Okay, but-"
"Now, suppose none of that is supposed to happen until tomorrow morning. That nurse hasn't made her decision about that cup of coffee yet, nor has the other driver that might cause the accident. There are a thousand different decisions by a thousand different people that haven't happened yet that can change the outcome - or even force the outcome that saves the patient's life. Maybe that driver that causes the accident doesn't finish his coffee, but instead takes a different route to run an errand before work instead of after. There are still a hundred other people with a hundred other decisions that could still put that nurse at risk. Thus the need to guess."
"So, you're saying it wouldn't matter a damn if you could see the future or not."
"Sorry, love, but probably not." He turns back to the view screen and I take the opportunity to shoot Dar a quick message from my cuff before we're out of range. I have no doubt that the information will have Dar packing a bag in no time, as he and the former Red Ranger seem to have developed a rather solid friendship. No doubt due to their ability to commiserate over their best friends' issues and problems.
I stand and move behind him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. He laces his fingers with mine. "I've never heard Hayley so - frightened, Zedd. And lost. I don't even know if she's gotten hold of the other original Rangers. I should probably try them."
I hold him as he makes his call. I don't know what to do for him. Until he knows one way or the other what's happening with his brother in arms, there really is nothing to do and that fact frustrates me to no end. If I can't help my mate when he needs me most, what good am I to him? He ends his call and leans back against me. Softly, he says, "Thank you for coming with me, Zedd. I know you have things to deal with, but I don't really know if I can cope without you if things go badly."
"All you ever had to do was say the word, love. You know that."
"I know, but it's not like you can do anything to help him. I'm not too sure that Pina even could."
"When we get there, we'll get all the information we can and I'll get it to her. If she can do something, you know that she and Dar will be on a ship faster than you can blink."
He stands up and moves into my arms fully. "Thank you, mate."
TWO AND A HALF DAYS LATER
Well, I do have to say that I'm impressed with Thomas' ship. I also have to admit that the upgrades that I didn't think were necessary have certainly proven their worth as well. Had we taken my ship we wouldn't even be halfway by now, but Thomas is landing us right now.
I'm also extremely thankful that I came with him. I know he's not gotten much sleep and what he has gotten has been troubled at best. Not to mention that he's barely eating enough to keep a child alive and functioning. If I wasn't here to practically force him to eat, I doubt that he would have bothered at all.
When he's finished landing and shutting down the ship, we quickly head for the house. Hearing the sound of the lawn mower, has us slowing a bit so we can determine who is at the house. Much to our surprise, we find the three boys doing various yard work. As we clear the tree line, the Blue Ranger catches sight of us and shuts off the mower. "Hey, Dr. O, Zedd. You guys made good time."
"What are you guys doing here?" Thomas asks.
When the three exchange fast looks, I assure them, "We know about Jason being in the hospital."
The sag in all their shoulders show their relief. Trent speaks up. "I was afraid that you didn't know and we'd have to be the ones to tell you. With Jason in the hospital and Hayley spending all her spare time with him like she did with you, Dr. O, the yard was starting to look a little ratty. We thought, since it was killing us to sit around and do nothing but wait, we'd help them out a bit."
"Where's Kira?" I ask, surprised she isn't here as well. Hell, I'd almost have expected her to be leading them in their venture.
Once more they trade looks, this time obviously keeping something back as the red one says, "She's with Hayley."
My mate realizes something is off as well and tenses further. "What aren't you saying?" he demands, his voice taking on the tone of a teacher. "Tell me."
Finally, blue boy says, "Look, Dr. O, we still don't know the whole story. We know that Kira was nearby when everything went down. We know that she says that her shoulder is hurt and she's wearing a sling. She's refused to tell us anything else, no matter how much we ask. She just keeps swearing she's all right." Sounds like something that Thomas would do. He pulls a set of keys out of his pocket and tosses them to Thomas. "Here. I filled up the tank last night for you and made sure it was in good shape."
"Thanks, Ethan." That's his name! "We'll see you guys later. If you guys are still here when we get back, we'll bring pizza if you want."
"We'll worry about that later" Trent answers. "Just get going so you don't miss visiting hours. Also, Jason's parents have been there a lot."
It's not all that long before we're at the hospital and headed for the waiting room on the floor that Jason's on. The only ones here at the moment are Hayley and Kira. The female is pacing while the girl is huddled on the couch, arm in a sling and head down. "Hayley, Kira!" Thomas' voice is loud in the otherwise silent room.
Hayley hurries over and buries her face in my mate's chest as the girl cringes slightly. Knowing that she needs the comfort and it's not any kind of an attempt to lure him away from me, I let them be, instead turning my attention to the Yellow Ranger. I sit next to her. "Kira?"
Her tone is steady, but soft. "You guys made good time."
"Thomas' new ship is smaller and faster than mine. And don't try and distract me child. I'm a master of it. What happened?"
"I - I screwed up, Zedd. I tried to help Jason and instead got him shot. He's in there because of me."
My brow furrows. "I very much doubt that. Tell me exactly what happened and don't skip parts."
She plays with her fingers nervously, just like Thomas. Again, if I didn't know better, I'd swear that she was related to him. I realize that Thomas and Hayley are paying very close attention but are keeping their distance. "After graduation, I picked up a part time job doing deliveries. Nothing major, but since I have no real expenses, I can put it all away for college."
"What about your music career?" I'm very surprised that she'd just abandon her dream as good as she is at it.
"Zedd, thousands of people try to make it in the music business and only a handful make it. If I'm one of the thousands that doesn't make it big, I'll need something else to fall back on." And there's that wisdom again. "Anyway, I had a drop and pick up to do in the warehouse district. When I got out of the truck, I noticed a car that looked like Jason's not too far away with a couple other cars. Just as I was about to go into the building, I heard something that sounded like gunshots. Nosy as I am, I went to investigate."
I take her free hand in mine, unsure if this is okay or not. A quick glance at Thomas, who gives me a brief nod, reassures me. "What did you see?"
"I didn't realize that Jason was working but through a gap in the slightly open door, I saw him surrounded by men who all had guns pointed at him. I wanted to use my sonic scream so badly, but I didn't dare. Instead, I slipped in the door and worked my way as close as I could without being seen. I attacked them when I saw an opening. Between Jason and I, we managed to take them all down - or so we thought. I headed over to him but he suddenly shoved me out of the way. I landed badly, dislocating my shoulder. I heard a gun go off and turned over in time to see Jason kick one of the guys in the face. He fell to the ground. I got to him as fast as I could. I put pressure on the wound as best as I could with my good hand. I heard him say, 'Agent down, civilian wounded.' That's when I realized that he was working a case and I'd screwed it up for him."
Hayley speaks up. "Actually, you didn't, Kira. He was wired and his boss was listening in. This is a big case that they've been working on since before the problems with Tommy. What you don't know is that the whole thing turned sour and they were about to execute Jason. At least he has a chance now. If you hadn't done something, if you had assumed that he had things under control, we'd be burying him right now."
The girl looks up and I can see the remains of the bruises and scrapes from the fight. "Please, Hayley, don't lie to me. I know you're just trying to make me feel better."
"It's the truth" the woman insists. "The agents had to be far enough to away so that they wouldn't be detected but that also means that Jason was at greater risk because it would take them longer to get to him. Quite frankly, had they started moving in a bit sooner, they would have been able to stop you from going in the building and getting hurt in the first place."
"Still-"
"Stop it, Kira" Thomas commands. "How much worse would you feel if you hadn't done anything and Jason-" He stops and swallows hard, unable to finish his sentence.
A new voice enters the conversation. "And our son died?" The male, obviously Jason's father as his build is similar to Jason's, shakes his head at her. He has his arm around a much smaller female that I'm guessing is the former Red Ranger's mother.
"He still might" Kira responds, subdued.
"He's strong. He'll pull through. Like Tommy did." The woman gives my mate a warm smile. "Jason will be glad to see you when he wakes up."
"How bad is he, Mrs. Scott?" Thomas asks anxiously.
She sobers quickly. "Truthfully, half an inch to the right and he'd have died in that warehouse - and probably instantly. The bullet would have gone right through his heart. The best anyone can guess is that the gunman was actually aiming for Kira and when Jason shoved her out of the way, it put him in the line of fire, but with him being in motion, it screwed up the jerk's aim."
Jason's father speaks again. "I'm surprised you got here so quickly, son. Hayley said it would take you about a week."
Thomas shrugs lightly. "You know I used to race cars, Mr. Scott. Quite frankly, I was speeding the whole way." A clever deception on the part of my mate, leading them to believe he was driving, although the speeding part is certainly true. "I started packing a bag as soon as Hayley called me."
Mrs. Scott smiles with a glance at me. "And who have you brought with you?"
I can feel how nervous Thomas gets at the question and instinctively take his hand, giving him what reassurance I can while remaining silent and letting him answer how he sees fit. "Sorry, I forgot that you didn't meet him at Christmas. This is Zedd. He's my - boyfriend." Silence falls and then the parents speak at the same time.
"Boyfriend?"
"Zedd?"
"That's right" I agree to both of their questions with what I feel is a rather charming smile.
"Your name is Zedd?" the man asks, eyes narrowing.
"For as long as I can recall, yes. Why? Is there a problem?"
"As in Lord Zedd?"
Unable to help myself I answer out of habit more than anything else, especially given the fact we have been away from Earth for a fair amount of time and when conducting business I do tend to use my full title. "Again, correct."
I hear Kira mutter under her breath, "Oh hell."
Giving her a confused look it takes me a minute to realize just what the problem is and how I really need to learn to keep my mouth shut when on this planet.
"Zedd we really need to work on you talking to people" Hayley mutters softly. No kidding. This might not go well at all especially with how Thomas pales slightly, and the two adults look almost ready for a fight.
Before I can even think of a way out though, Kira speaks up quickly. "What's the problem?"
Jason's mother shakes her head apparently still focused on Thomas and his first revelation and not quite on the same page as her husband whose focus is much more centered on me now. "Tommy, honey, boyfriend?"
Jason's father interrupts. "No, wait. This is much more important than if Tommy's chosen to be with a man. Lord Zedd?"
Kira jumps in again, rolling her eyes and gaining everyone's attention. "Oh come on. Living in Angel Grove when all those attacks happened and you don't realize that there are other species in the universe?"
"Well, yes, but-"
The girl cocks her head. Once again, she shows her wisdom - not to mention a bit of deceit. "I mean, really. On this planet alone there's probably a dozen girls named Kira, another dozen named Hayley, a hundred males named Tommy or Tom or Thomas. You really think that out in the whole wide universe that there's only one person named Zedd?" And I'm starting to think that we really need to trace her genealogy to make sure she's not related to Thomas - or me somehow. Clever girl.
I nod. "I am a Lord Zedd, just not the Lord Zedd that you are no doubt thinking of." In my head, I silently add the word 'anymore'. The slightly amused glances I'm getting from Thomas and Hayley tell me that they added the same word themselves.
"But you're not human?"
Shaking my head at the male's question I quickly work out a decent excuse for being on their world. "I'm a closely related species to what the Red and Silver Space Rangers are. Not exactly the same, but close. I was actually doing some work related to theirs on the planet the first time I met Thomas."
"What work exactly?"
Giving the female a steady look, I thankfully have learned enough about my mate's past field of study by now to be able to answer with little concern. "I was attempting to acquire a fossilzed specimen of a prehistoric reptile that a client of mine was fond of after learning of your planet from a previous Ranger team. Due to my lack of knowledge on such things, I ended up being refered to Thomas by a man I'd done business with in the past."
"Which would be?"
"Anton Mercer" I reply without missing a beat.
"He's not the best person to do business with" the woman states, not faltering either.
Leveling her with a look, I thankfully have little trouble keeping up now that I'm focused on the conversation and situation at hand. "Neither am I."
"So you met Tommy when he worked with Dr. Mercer. That was a while back."
"It was, and unfortunately we were just getting to know each other when I had to leave to tend to some other things."
"What things?"
"Business."
"You do a lot of business."
"I like to make certain I can provide well for my mate. Even if he insists he doesn't need to be taken care of. That aside, I was finally able to come back to see him, though as it turned out, it was when he was injured."
Mr. Scott frowns. "You're the one who took him from the rehabilitation center."
Uh oh. Now tense myself, I however answer calmly, "I am. And with the charges that have been leveled at the center and personnel, I've been cleared of any wrongdoing. Not that it honestly would have mattered if I hadn't, given I'm not from here, and truthfully give very little concern to those that enforce your laws, but still, it seemed important to Thomas and Jason that I was so…"
The elder female looks at Thomas, concern clear on her face. "Tommy, honey, are you sure about this?"
"Mrs. Scott, I know it's a bit of an odd situation, and I can't deny Zedd is a bit…different, but sometimes his being how he is, is exactly what I need. Plus, I do love him. I know you always teased me and called me a hopeless romantic, but this is different."
"All right, but I mean, sometimes it's easy to think you love someone when you don't. Especially when they've rescued you from a very terrible situation and taken care of you."
I bristle at this, ready to fight, as I'll be damned if I'm going to have anyone, the Red Ranger's parents or not, try and convince Thomas he doesn't actually belong with me, however a sharp glance from my mate as well as the girl's hand on my arm, keep me still and silent for the moment. Thomas addresses the woman, his voice steady and sure. "I know this is a bit of a shock, Mrs. Scott, and you're right it is easy to confuse gratitude with love, but I promise you this isn't that. Look, you of all people know how many girlfriends I've had and this is so much different - so much more. Now that I'm better, we balance each other and keep each other in check. He doesn't let me sleep in my lab and I don't let him get lost in his paperwork. We teach each other about our species and customs and languages. And yes he is a pain at times." Shooting me a smile, he shakes his head. "But he was also the one who literally dropped everything when I got Hayley's call about Jason, grabbed a bag and refused to let me take off and deal with it alone, all before even knowing what was wrong, but just knowing I was really upset. I'm happier with him than I have been in a very long time, Mrs. Scott. With anybody, really, since high school with Jason and the gang." He frowns. "Although I'm rather surprised that Jason hasn't mentioned it to you before now."
"He said that you'd met someone, that you were happy and that he'd already made the usual threats if somehow you were not. But he didn't mention that your someone was another man."
Thomas bites his lip looking between both parents in clear worry now. "Is - it really a problem?"
Instincts once more flaring up as I feel his sudden fear and upset through the bond, not to mention see it flash across his face, I'm not held back this time by the girl as I quickly move in front of Thomas, not about to let a repeat of what happened with his ex-girlfriend happen here with Jason's mother.
Sighing as she watches me get between her and my mate, as well as hears the worry in his tone I'm sure, the female is fast to reassure us both. "No, of course it's not, Tommy. I'm just very surprised. And, now that I think about it, I'm also more than a little mad at you. You were home at Christmas and couldn't even be bothered to bring him around and introduce him then?" She gives him a very hurt look. "When you were young, you always said that we were like second parents to you, we treated you like our own son and - not only did you not come by, but we didn't even get to hear from you that you'd found someone? Shame on you."
My mate stutters out an apology even as she turns her focus to me. "And as for you, if I hear that you've hurt him, what my son will do to you will seem like child's play compared to when I get hold of you. Understood?"
I look at her steadily, knowing she has no idea that I really am that Lord Zedd and could easy break her and her husband with a flick of my wrist. Still though she does seem to care for Thomas and I suppose that alone earns her my respect. "Unfortunately, you'll have to wait in line and hope there will be anything left of me to make sorry."
She scoffs. "Mother's privilege. I get to line jump."
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were companions with my own mother" I mutter rolling my eyes, but allowing Thomas to move away from me now that I see her as no longer being a threat to his emotional wellbeing.
Ignoring me for the most part now, she turns back to Thomas. "Why don't you go in and see him for a bit before they throw us all out." Said in a way that makes it definitely not a suggestion, Thomas heads down the hall with Jason's father to show him the way. Once they're out of earshot, the woman once more turns to me. "Now that Lee is out of the way, how about you tell me the truth - Lord Zedd?"
"Meaning?"
She pins me with a look. "Like how you are - or at least were - that Lord Zedd and why you're so taken with Tommy."
I exchange looks with the other two females. What do I do now so that none of us appear to be liars? Answering the easiest question first, I give her a steady look. "I love him."
"Why?"
"Why do you?"
"Because as far as I'm concerned, he is as much my child as Jason, and that being said if you do hurt him I am deadly serious about hurting you in return. Lord Zedd or not. Now answer my question.
"Why do you think that I am - or was – the Lord Zedd in question?"
She gives me a superior look, which irritates me. "Wouldn't you like to know? I'll tell you what - quid pro quo. You tell me what I want to know and I'll tell you what gave you away."
Grudgingly, I agree. "Fine. What do you want to know?"
