Why… why had he come to be in this position after all he'd done for the Rangers. Why was he imprisoned like he was the dangerous one? Billy sat and brooded on that while he listened to whoever had come to talk at him this time. He was angry, and his mind was too busy conjuring scenarios of payback for all he'd gone through in the last month.

He opened his eyes to see Tommy staring at him with barely held contempt. Billy smiled at his former leader, a cold thing of beauty with the fangs just peeking out when he smiled like a wild animal that had been caged. He stared at Tommy as he wondered if the young man in front of him felt any remorse for what he'd been turned into. Billy nearly died after a creature of Zedd's creation had attacked him and infected him with its bite. Billy didn't want to become whatever it was he'd turned into, but there was no reason for them to cage him like he'd been since coming back to consciousness.

He sat down on the bed, and absently brushed his hand over the collar they'd put on him when Tommy, Rocky and Adam had put him into this holding cell. It dampened his powers and allowed them to knock him out if he seemed like he was going to get violent, again. He decided to let Tommy speak or leave, he didn't care for Tommy anymore so he wasn't inclined to speak with him about the situation they found themselves in.

Tommy finally spoke after some time of staring at Billy, then the walls and floors. He sat in a chair and looked at his former team mate for a bit before he spoke. "Billy, why are you so pissed off still? Don't you realize that keeping you in here is for your protection as well as ours? You know what happened when you came to, and it's just a precautionary measure to keep you in here."

Billy spat on the floor at Tommy's feet and growled under his breath. "Don't bullshit me Tommy. This isn't to keep anyone safe, it's to keep me under your thumb now that you can't control me anymore. I'm no longer a meek little whipping boy that you can relegate to the sidelines so I'm a threat to you. You and I know what happened when I came to was a result of being changed into whatever the hell I've become. You won't let me near a lab or any kind of equipment that would let me help myself. You've deluded yourself into believing your own lies Tommy. You've conned them into thinking I'm some dangerous animal and not in my right mind. Actually that's the opposite of what's going on here. I've never had more clarity on what a manipulative asshole you really are Thomas; and hopefully the others will see it sooner rather than later."

Billy stood and paced a bit, deliberate in keeping away from Tommy. He didn't want to succumb to his desire to rend the boy limb from limb or better to drain him of his powers which he had the desire to do since the attack. He sat down finally and stared with contempt at Tommy, he was tired of this charade of care that they had put on for the last month. He was ready to go home to his own bed and to not be questioned and caged like an animal.

"When are you going to end this farce Tommy? I've done nothing untoward for the duration, nor have I attacked anyone no matter how much you'd deserve it. I'm the one who was attacked and changed, yet I'm locked up in the holding cell here as if I've wronged the team. I'm no longer amused, nor willing to play your games. I want out of here." Billy turned on his back and looked up at the ceiling, and refused to further acknowledge Tommy's presence.

Tommy hit the wall and stalked out. He never got anything from Billy but anger and contempt. He had started to lose his resolve in keeping Billy caged like a dangerous creature, but if he let him out now, what would Billy do to them once he was free? He let his mind work that out while the others awaited his return in the strategy room. He sat in a chair dejectedly while all the Rangers who were present looked at him, none of them looked pleased at his continued imprisonment of their teammate. Jason looked like he was going to blow a vein after he'd witnessed the "questioning" of Billy earlier by Tommy. He'd been called home after the attack to see if he could help out if Billy was no longer able to wield the Blue Power; he wasn't needed as Billy couldn't give up his Power if he tried.

The attack had done something to the Power Billy held, and mutated it to something none of them could identify as theirs but it wasn't entirely new either. The mutation had caused physical changes in their friend as well as causing his power levels to spike erratically before becoming stable in a week after the attack. Billy was no longer himself, at least not if you allowed Tommy to give his version of what had happened when Billy came to in the med bay. None of that mattered as the other Rangers watched him with a mixture of curiosity and anger at how Billy had been confined.

Jason felt something wasn't right here, and he flinched when Billy accused Tommy of treating him as a dangerous animal instead of allowing him to run tests and see what had been done to him. Kim was in no better shape, she had born the brunt of Billy's outburst in the Med bay, she wasn't angry at her old friend but she had gotten increasingly angry at her boyfriend at how he had kept Billy under lock and key for the last month.

Jason stood and went over to Tommy, and stopped once he'd pinned Tommy to a wall. "What the hell is going on here Tommy? Billy hasn't done anything to you, and he apologized for what happened to Kim when he came around. No one but you seems to think he's dangerous, no one but you seems to be convinced he's going to murder us all if he's let out of that cell. I've known him long enough to know the only one he'll be after is you Tommy for caging him like a beast. I saw your attempt at interrogating him earlier and its all bull Tommy. You are going to release him, and you're doing it today. You will take that fucking collar off of him do you understand me?" Jason spoke in a low voice, in clipped and dangerous tones that belied the rage simmering in his heart that was itching to get out.

He backed up and stared Tommy down until he had to bark out orders to his former brother in arms to get him to move. He may love Tommy like a brother but Billy was his little bro', and he'd be damned if this would continue. He spared a glance at Kim, Jason would speak to her soon enough about letting this go unchecked for so long. "Tommy, move your ass before I knock you into a wall!" Jason barked out when he noticed Tommy was in no hurry to let Billy out. Tommy moved a little faster until Jason was behind him half dragging and half pushing him back down to the holding cells in the lower levels of the Command Center. Once Tommy had opened the cell door, he pitched the keys to the collar Billy wore at Jason and teleported out in a blaze of White. He knew when to pick his battles and this was one he'd lose no matter what. Jason caught the keys and turned to his oldest friend with a sad smile on his face.

"Hey, sorry it took me so long to get here bro'." Jason gestured for Billy to turn around so he could get the leather collar off of his friend. Billy let him remove the collar and rubbed his neck where it had started to chafe a bit. He looked at Jason with a little bit of suspicion, but mostly with gratitude for getting him out of the cell and taking that damned collar off.

"Better late than never Jase, it's always better late than never. Where's everyone else?" Billy said as he grabbed his rucksack and followed Jason as he lead the way back to the strategy room where he could get a handle on what had been going on while he was being held captive by their leader.

"They're in the strategy room. They called me to help out in case you couldn't resume your duties, but when I got here Adam explained what happened with your powers when they tried to take your coin. Once I saw that so-called questioning by Tommy, I'd seen enough." Jason stopped and turned to face Billy. "Why was he so hell bent on believing you were a monster?"

Billy looked up at Jason and smiled, letting the gleaming fangs show in the brightly lit hallway. "Partially its because of these additions to my physique as well as some other interesting changes; mostly because I nearly drained Kimberly of her life force by way of her powers when I awoke in the med bay. She was watching over me and I wasn't aware of anything other than a need to feed my hunger for power. Like a vampire I thirsted, not for blood but for the Power. Whatever has changed in me, I craved the Power like water. Once I came back to myself I realized what I'd done and freaked out.

I hid in the lower chambers until they found me and Tommy was shouting for my head or for my spot on the team at least. He was convinced I was now evil and a pawn for Zedd. I was dazed and allowed them to cage me; I thought it would be best especially when I saw what I'd done to Kim. Once I was back to myself, and they hadn't let me out I realized something was amiss. When I felt the collar on my neck, I knew I was in too deep but I couldn't get out of the cell or get that damned collar off no matter what I did. The hunger hasn't come back, but that doesn't mean it won't Jase."

Jason reached out and hugged Billy close for a moment and then smiled. "I'm sure we'll figure something out Billy. I know Kim's not angry at you and the others are going to be glad to see you I'm sure."

Billy snarled a bit at Jason's last words. "If they figured such a travesty of justice had occurred it certainly didn't keep them from letting me out of there or opposing Tommy. I'm sure they think I'm the monster Tommy painted me to be in some way; otherwise they'd have disagreed from the start. Once I've gotten some equipment to test myself with I'm going home to a hot shower, and to sleep for a week."

Jason couldn't argue with Billy's anger nor did he want to, as he'd be just as furious if not more so. Instead he led Billy up to the strategy room and entered with a heavy heart. He suspected that things were about to go sideways pretty quickly. Billy entered the room and sat at the head of the table, letting his gaze linger on everyone present for a moment, and dipped his head for a brief second when he saw Kim sitting a few chairs down. He wasted no time in letting them know he wasn't happy with them allowing his incarceration but now wasn't the time for pointing fingers.

"I'm not going to waste time with a long rant on how you all let Tommy cage me like a dog and didn't raise a voice in protest. Right now I'm too tired, sore and angry to give a whit. I'm going to take some equipment so I can run tests and try to figure out what's been done to me, and if there's any hope of reversing it. I'll be in touch after I've caught up on sleep and feel more like myself. I'd appreciate it if you all left me alone until I've contacted you."

Billy stood and left the room without another word. Everyone present looked at each other for a moment before looking to Jason for some guidance. Instead he let his gaze drop on all of them accusingly before speaking. "Don't look at me for absolution. You all let Tommy bulldoze you into believing what he fed you. If I were Billy I wouldn't speak to any of you again, and I'd kick Tommy's ass into next week. I'll be in touch when I feel like it. I'm thoroughly pissed off with all of you and disappointed beyond words." Jason then teleported out to his back yard, and entered the house. He kicked off his shoes, turned on the TV and flopped down on the couch so he could think about what had transpired.

Billy in the meantime had gone home and taken a long hot bath and think about the last few hours. The hunger hadn't returned since he attacked Kim, but that didn't mean it was gone. Whatever was done to him, he needed to figure it out and soon. Removing the Power coin he carried wasn't an option and probably would kill him if his earlier rage was any indication of how his powers had mutated. After soaking a bit, he got out and went to see if his father was around.

From what Adam told him, the Rangers had paid his father a visit and let them know that Billy had been injured in a monster attack and he was being healed in their facility. It was the truth, but with the omission of what exactly had happened to him when the monster dug its fangs into his shoulder during the fight and rendered him unconscious.

After seeing that his father wasn't home, Billy left a note and headed to his garage lab to start some tests on himself. He hoped that whatever sort of mutation had occurred it could be reversed. He flipped on the lights and set up the equipment to draw blood and test his power levels against what they should be.

While Billy went about his tests, Jason was working off some of the anger he was still feeling at how Billy had been mistreated by the other Rangers. He punched the heavy bag for every harsh word that he saw exchanged between Billy and Tommy earlier that day. He punched the bag for the guilty looks on everyone's faces when he showed up earlier in the day. They were wrong, and knew it. He was so pissed off he didn't know what to do with himself. After abusing the heavy bag for a while, he set off for a shower and to pop in to see if his folks were home. If they weren't around, he was going to have a chat with Kim about what transpired between her and Billy. He had bitten her in his frenzy but she showed no signs of changing into what Billy had become.

Jason wandered the house after his shower, and after he found no one home he called up Kim to see if she was up to a serious talk. "Hi, may I speak with Kim please?" Jason said as Mrs. Hart picked up the phone.

"Jason what a pleasant surprise to hear from you! Kim told me you were in town for a bit. I'll see if she's home, hold on please." Jason thrummed his fingers on the desk while he waited for someone to answer him. He was pleased when he heard Kim's voice on the other end of the line.

"Hi Jason, let me guess why you're calling me, and its not to share tales of your time overseas is it?" Kim said with an uncharacteristic bitterness in her voice which surprised Jason.

"Since you want to cut to the chase Kim, yes that's why I'm calling you; do you mind if we meet up and talk, or if you can't talk about it yet, I understand."

Kim was taken aback, but she had started the conversation off with her shot at Jason, so it was only fair that he'd match her tactic. "I can, but not now we're about to sit down to dinner. Want to meet for lunch tomorrow?"

"That'll be fine Kim; I'll be over around one if that's ok."

"Sure, that'll be fine Jason. For what its worth, I am sorry for what happened to Billy and for what Tommy did. I know it isn't much but I am sorry for this."

Jason sighed internally. "Don't apologize to me Kim, I'm not the one who needs to hear it. I'll see you tomorrow, good night." Jason hung up and wandered around the house aimlessly until he decided to go see how Billy was doing. Jason left a note for his parents and went straight to the garage lab and found Billy intent on his laptop and not paying attention to Jason's knocks at the door.

"Have you checked the flux capacitors for anomalies?" Jason said as he went up to Billy and sat in front of him. It was an old joke between them, one that normally got at least a smile from Billy; instead he only got a growl of acknowledgement from his friend. After a while Billy snapped his laptop shut and raked his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Not going as you expected I take it?" Jason queried as he handed Billy a coke, and waited for the wave of anger that he was sure was coming from Billy. Instead Billy took a long swig of the drink, and grimaced before he spat it out on the floor. "Sorry Jase, but whatever has happened to me, sugar no longer agrees with my system. I spent a good amount of time honoring the porcelain god after having a couple of cokes and a sandwich. I didn't think twice about taking the one you offered." Billy sat on the couch that took up one wall of the lab and groaned, and took the water that Jason had put in his hand.

"Here, that should agree with you." Jason finished off the coke and joined Billy on the couch. "Any progress, any idea what the hell is going on with you?"

Billy shook his head dejectedly and let his hands rake through his hair, a few shades darker since the incident. "No idea Jason; none whatsoever. All I do know is that my body is rejecting a lot of things, I have fangs and my hormones are out control, totally fucking out of control." Billy looked at Jason with a slight tinge of embarrassment, as he stood and went to get his laptop. He opened it to the latest results of his testing and handed it to Jason.

"According to this, my powers are no longer mutating but I'm unsure about this hunger for the Power. I don't feel a need to "feed" off anyone but there's nothing to guarantee I won't need to do so again. I'm lost as to what to do next." Billy leaned back and rubbed his eyes, he was tired, annoyed and for whatever reason he felt a compelling urge to jump Jason and kiss him. The mutation of his powers was playing havoc with his emotions and baser instincts, and he didn't like it one bit. Instead of giving in, he stood and went to the door leading into the house.

"Jase, I hate to be rude but I'm still wiped out from all of this. I think I'm going to get a nap in, feel free to hang around but I need at least an hour or so to rest." Billy tightened his grip on the doorknob to keep his hands to himself as he hoped Jason left without questioning his odd behavior too much.

Jason looked up at Billy, he sensed something was off but he didn't question it for the moment. Instead he put Billy's laptop on the table and went over to say goodbye. He went to give Billy a brief hug, but was met a very stiff and tense hug in reply. He looked down into Billy's eyes for a clue as to what was going on. "What's wrong Billy? You're not much on touching I know, but you usually don't tense up like that."

Billy looked down, at a loss for words. He didn't know how to tell Jason what his problem was without humiliating himself. Instead he opted for bolting to his room, and hoping he made it there before Jason caught him. It was a good try, but even with the Power Billy didn't get a good enough jump on Jason to beat him to his room. Instead he found himself shoved onto his bed, and a very loud "click" as Jason locked the door and turned to look at him. "Ok, what was that about Billy? You have never run from me, and unless I missed something there was no reason for you to bolt. What gives?"

Billy took a deep breath, and avoided looking at Jason as he mumbled his explanation. He backed away to the other side of the bed and put it between himself and his oldest friend. "I… I need to be alone Jason. I'm don't feel like I can trust myself with you right now. Please go Jason, please." Billy said this as he backed away from Jason until he was between his desk and his bed. Jason stayed where he was and looked at Billy, he hadn't heard all of it but he got that Billy wasn't in the mood for his company for some reason.

"Look, I don't know why you ran like that but I'm not going to hurt you Billy. What is it, what's got you bolting like that from me?" The hurt in Jason's voice cut Billy to the core, but he wouldn't allow whatever was changing him to let him hurt Jason. "Jason, please leave. I'm not worried about you hurting me; I'm worried about what I want to do to you. Now, please just go." Billy dug his hands into the pillow on his bed, as he hoped Jason left soon before he lost all control of himself.