Disclaimer: The Power Rangers are not mine.
Chapter 7
The silence was too loud. Ashley shot a glance at Cassie, who was staring straight back at her. The other girl tilted her head towards the front of the table and Ashley followed her gaze, frowning. They'd all been surprised to see Andros show up to eat with the rest of them after his words the night before. No one had spoken since he'd stepped into the room and he hadn't taken so much as a bite of food. Instead, he was doing what they all seemed to be doing--staring down at his plate uncomfortably.
Ashley studied him for a moment longer, just taking in everything that she could. His shoulders were slouched now, making him look smaller than he was, and he was on the short side to begin with. She'd been surprised to realize just how short the day before; he really did seem taller most of the time.
He looked up then and froze when he caught her staring at him. Ashley couldn't help thinking that he looked trapped as she gazed into his wide eyes, and she suddenly wondered how old he was. A moment before she would have said that he was older than Zhane; now he didn't look like much more than a scared little boy.
It took an effort to look away. Ashley glanced back at her plate for a moment before giving up and admitting that she wasn't hungry. When she shoved her stool back from the table, everyone but Andros quickly followed suit, all of them hurrying out of the room.
"Wait." Andros called after them, and the scrape of metal against metal signaled his standing up. "Please, wait one minute."
After some quick glances between each other, they stopped. TJ turned back to him first, the other three following his lead. Zhane was either still asleep or he had opted to skip breakfast.
"Did you want something?" he inquired, his tone chilly. They'd agreed between the four of them to give Andros a chance to explain himself but that didn't mean that they were in a particularly forgiving mood at the moment.
"I did, actually." Ashley had never heard Andros sound so small as he did now. He wasn't even looking at them, his eyes fixed off somewhere to the side. "I owe you all an apology for what I said yesterday," he said with obvious difficulty. He closed his eyes briefly, then muttered, "I--I'm sorry."
No one responded to that. A look of confusion passed over Andros's face when they began exchanging glances with one another, then it was a deep hurt that made Ashley's heart ache for him. It hadn't been easy for him to say those words and they were standing here ignoring him.
"Hey, it's okay," she heard herself say. "Don't worry about it."
"We've all said stupid things before," Cassie agreed, shooting a sideways glance at Ashley. "It's no big deal."
"It's... not?" A tiny smile appeared on his face, and Ashley almost melted. His smile was as gorgeous as his eyes.
"Just forget about it," TJ told him, another collective glance passing between the four of them. "But we still want to know what it is Darkonda wants with you."
"That's fair," Andros said reluctantly. "I, um... well..."
His head hung forward slightly as he clasped his hands behind his back. "Sit down," he said heavily. "It's a long story."
Ashley slid back onto her stool, not taking her eyes off of him. There was a wild, trapped look in his eyes that told her he was doing this only because he had no other choice.
"You all know that Darkonda was the one who captured me," he began slowly, his voice soft. He hardly betrayed any emotion as he continued. "He gave me a choice--I could either serve him as his slave or I could die. He's after me now because I escaped from him."
"So you took the deal?" Ashley couldn't hear any condemnation in Carlos's tone, but Andros practically bristled defensively.
"If you'd ever watched Darkonda kill a man, you would have done the same," he said stiffly.
"Hey, I didn't mean..." Carlos paused. "Does that mean you have watched him kill?"
"Yes." Andros closed his eyes briefly and shuddered, fists clenching. "There was someone at one of the spaceports on one of the border planets, I don't remember which one. A young officer. He tried to stop Darkonda from taking me and my sister into enemy space."
"Sister?" Ashley blurted out. "You have a sister?"
"I don't know." Andros let out a deep breath. "I should start at the beginning. Darkonda kidnapped us from a park on KO-35 when we were six. He sold Karone to Ecliptor and then--" He bit his lip, letting out a slow breath before he could get the words out. "Then he sold me to the slave traders."
"He did what?" Cassie looked stunned. "But... wow."
Andros studied her carefully, his eyes traveling over each of them in turn. Ashley caught her breath as he looked her straight in the eye for the second time that day, the urge to wrap him up in her arms doubling. The thought that he was just a scared little boy suddenly didn't seem so far off the mark.
"I escaped six years later," he continued. "There were two just captured Karovans, Val and his son, Eiran. They had been returning to KO-35 for Eiran to resume his training to become Red Astro Ranger when they were captured, and it was with their help that I escaped."
"But you're the Red Ranger," TJ observed. "What happened to Eiran?"
"Their shuttle was shot down," Andros answered distantly. "If they weren't killed in the crash, they were killed by the guards. By the time I made it back to KO-35, they were desperate to find someone--anyone--who the Red morpher would respond to. Desperate enough to give the Red morpher to a runaway slave when the Power responded."
"Wow," Cassie murmured again. "But hey, you've done a pretty good job, haven't you?"
Ashley smiled at her friend, but Andros suddenly looked down at his hands. "Zhane didn't tell you guys, did he?"
"Tell us what?" Carlos asked him, frowning slightly.
"About what happened to the Karovan team." His voice was small, almost frightened.
"He said you were a good leader," Ashley said. "That you all fought your hardest, but your teammates died in battle."
"He lied," Andros told them flatly. "There was no team. It fell apart after I became Red Ranger. The Blue Ranger left the team and the Pink and Black Rangers went with her. Zhane and I defended half of KO-35 and they took the other half."
No one spoke for what felt like a very long time. Ashley was actually relieved when TJ broke the silence, though his words caused her stomach to flip nervously.
"What?" His eyes narrowed. "You split up the team?"
"It wasn't my idea," Andros protested quietly, eyes on his lap again. "But I couldn't stop them from leaving."
"But the team split up under your leadership?" Carlos pressed.
Andros nodded wordlessly. His hair fell across his face, hiding his expression, but Ashley thought his eyes were closed.
"But you still defended KO-35 for three years," she pointed out. Carlos glared at her; she ignored him. "That counts for something."
"Does it?" Carlos eyed Andros suspiciously. "If your planet was falling, how could you not notice that you needed a team?"
"I... I made a mistake," he said softly, a plea in his voice for them to understand. "It's not something I'd ever do again."
"No," TJ said slowly. "It's not."
Ashley frowned at his tone but before she could speak up, Carlos added, "Because if you ever do something stupid like that again, it's you who's going to leave."
"The Megaship belongs to me," Andros said coldly. "If I leave, I'm taking it with me."
"Hey," Ashley said loudly. "No one's leaving, right?"
Cassie hesitated. TJ and Carlos were too busy glaring at Andros to hear her. Andros didn't seem to care that she was trying to help him. He shoved his stool back and stalked off, his back tense as he walked away.
"Don't you think that was a little harsh?" Ashley demanded. "You didn't have to threaten him."
"Ash, he just admitted that he can't be trusted as a leader." Carlos shrugged. "The Power wasn't meant for him, either--KO-35 chose that Eiran guy, remember?"
"But the Power chose him," Cassie pointed out, and Ashley stood up.
"I'm going to talk to him." She glanced over Deca. "Where is he?"
He'd really thought that they would have understood. Andros let the door slide shut behind him, wishing that he could slam it. Kicking the door just wasn't the same, it didn't relieve the anger bubbling over within him. What gave them the right to speak to him that way? They had no idea.
Growling softly, he stormed into the bathroom just to have something to do. He caught sight of himself in the mirror, trembling with anger, face flushed. He looked like a mess. Andros bit his lip as he glared at his reflection, then balled his fists and slammed them both against the glass.
He was surprised when the mirror shattered. Andros stared in confusion as the glass cracked, his eyes widening when blood oozed out of the cuts on his hands. You put your hands through a mirror, what did you expect?
He didn't feel any pain, the rush of adrenaline keeping it at bay for now. Slowly, he drew his hands back and hit the mirror again, harder this time. He didn't stop until the frame was empty, the shards of broken glass in the sink, on the floor, everywhere.
"Andros?" Her soft voice caught his attention immediately, his head snapping up to meet her concerned brown eyes. "What happened?"
"How did you get in here?" he demanded, flinching away when she reached out to him.
"Your door was unlocked." Broken glass crunched quietly beneath her feet as she inched closer. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine." He took another step backwards and felt the edge of the tub against his legs. "Get out of my room."
"Let me see your hands," she insisted, just walking up to him and grabbing his wrists when he shook his head. "Andros..."
"I don't want to hear it," he snapped, wrenching his hands away from her. "Just leave me alone."
"Come on." She gave his arm a gentle tug, pulling him back into his room. "You need to take care of those."
Andros glared sullenly at the back of her head when she dragged him out into the hall. He could take care of himself, he didn't need her to do it for him. Just turning around and locking himself in his room was a much better idea. So why the hell was he still following her?
"Sit," Ashley ordered, pointing to the toilet seat in her own bathroom. "Stay there. I'll find something to clean those cuts with."
He did, realizing that the cuts were stinging now. Andros winced and wondered what he'd been thinking. Blood covered his palms and wrists now, staining the cuffs of his jacket a bit.
"Here," Ashley said, coming to sit on the edge of the tub across from him. "Give me one of your hands."
He offered her his left hand reluctantly, sitting quietly while she rolled up his sleeve and washed away most of the blood. He eyed the bandages next to her on the tub but instead of reaching for them as he'd expected her to do, she picked up a pair of tweezers instead.
"You've got glass in your hands," she informed him, tightening her hold on his wrist when he tried to pull away. "It has to come out."
"I'll do it myself," he insisted, glaring at her when she only pulled his hands closer. "I don't need you to--" He bit down hard on his lip to keep from making any noise. That hurt.
"Sorry," Ashley murmured. "And I'm sorry for what they said to you earlier. That was totally uncalled for."
"I understand," he muttered, taken aback by the sudden flood of emotion. "I don't trust you. No reason why you should trust me, i--is there?"
His breath hitched and he found himself fighting for his composure. If Ashley heard his voice break, she pretended not to notice, her focus still on his cut and bleeding hands.
"I trust you," Ashley said quietly, setting the tweezers to the side and tearing open a sterile wipe. "This might sting a bit."
He hissed softly as she finished cleaning his hand. Of course it stung, and more than a bit--there was alcohol in it. Ashley bandaged his hand quickly and then motioned for his other one. He didn't protest this time, realizing that he'd been wrong yesterday.
Her touch wasn't repulsive after all. His skin did tingle where her fingers brushed against him but it wasn't an unpleasant sensation the way he'd thought. Reluctantly, Andros admitted to himself that he almost wanted her to touch him.
That thought kept him distracted while she cleaned and bandaged his right hand. Andros almost didn't feel the sting anymore, just lost in staring at her. He snapped out of his trance when she lightly kissed his fingers after bandaging them, his eyes widening as she looked up and met his gaze calmly.
"There." She smiled at him, adding gently, "Next time, just scream into a pillow. It works just as well and there's less clean up."
"I... thanks," he muttered, annoyed when he felt himself blush. "I... didn't mean to... I mean... I just..."
"I know." Ashley smiled at him again, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "Sometimes you just want to hit something. I almost broke a window when my mom told me that my dad wasn't coming home."
"Your father's dead?" Once the question was out, Andros winced at how it sounded but Ashley didn't seem to mind.
"He might as well be," she muttered. "He and my oldest brother haven't been seen or heard from since they left five years ago. For all I know, I've got a whole other family somewhere, nieces and nephews and a few brothers and sisters."
He looked at her for a moment, thinking back to his conversation with Deca the day before. Was it too much to hope for that she'd understand? Andros took a deep breath, never taking his eyes off of her. "I..."
"What is it?" Ashley prodded, touching his arm when he stopped talking. "Andros?"
"I--I--I did have another family," he told her. "I guess."
Ashley waited, watching him silently until he was ready to speak. "My parents went to Eltare after Karone and I were taken," he explained hesitantly. "They had a little boy. He died five years ago and I didn't know about him until yesterday, and Karone... s--she's--" He choked.
Ashley didn't say a word, just gathering him into her arms and holding him close. The feel of someone's arms around him was the last straw. He'd already strained his defenses too far, and as the strange sensation of having someone so close swept over him, Andros did the only thing he could do. He clung to his friend and cried.
How long had it been since he'd last felt... anything? Arietis couldn't remember. He stared down at the datapad clutched in his hand, the coordinates blurred together. Maybe he'd made a mistake in leaving.
No, he reasoned, it was unimaginable to stop searching just so he could go running off to pursue some ill-fated love affair. Being a Ranger demanded certain sacrifices, as he'd known full well when he'd accepted the duty. The complete lack of a personal life was one of those sacrifices and it had never bothered him until now, as he'd never felt much of an inclination to socialize.
But on the other hand... No. There was no other hand. He had a duty that he had promised to do, and Arietis intended to see it done. That's all there was to it, and if always wondering what might have been with Cassie was the price to pay for that...
He had to stop thinking about that. Arietis sighed and squinted again at the datapad, finally making sense out of something. Two of the five locations Tan had pinpointed he had already searched half a dozen times and found nothing. Another was halfway across the universe, between Aquitar and Earth.
The last two, however, he knew exactly what he would find upon arrival. The first was a desolate, inhospitable planet, the second an asteroid large enough to build a shelter on. He had visited both locations frequently before Divatox had set her sights on Earth.
Hope flared up within him before his mind caught up fully. Tan would just kill him if Divatox was running around the galaxy with Zordon, especially after the incident with Andros.
Arietis frowned to himself. He cared far too much lately what Tan thought of him, to the point where he would waste his time on wild goose chases that impeded the real search. This was not what he was supposed to do.
Without pausing to think, he swung his ship around and headed off in the opposite direction. He'd given his word to find Zordon before Dark Spectre drained him and he was going to do it, Eltare be damned.
"Deca!" TJ poked the wilting spinach on his plate with a finger. "What did I do this time?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, TJ."
"Deca..." TJ groaned, sighed, shoved the plate back into the Synthetron, and waited. "Do you think you could find it in your heart to just give me a slice of pizza?"
"'Course she will," Zhane yawned as he stumbled into the holding bay. "So long as you give her a day or two to forget about whatever it is you've done."
"I do not forget, Zhane," Deca reminded them all.
"And that's the... Hey, you," TJ snapped, pointing to Zhane. "You lied to us."
"Did I?" Zhane looked genuinely confused.
"Yes," Carlos insisted. "About Andros."
"Oh." Zhane sighed. "That."
"Yeah, that." Carlos glared at him. "Andros breaking up the team just slipped your mind, huh?"
"Hey," Zhane said sharply. "That wasn't him."
"Look, Zhane, we'd all lie for our friends," TJ said. "But he told us himself that the team broke up after he joined."
"It wasn't his fault." Zhane sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Look, he never should have been put in charge of that team, and we all knew it. He didn't want to be leader of that team."
"Then why--"
"Because on Karovan teams, the leader had always been the Red Ranger," he explained heavily. "And tradition won out."
"Why didn't he just refuse?" Cassie wanted to know.
"I think he was afraid that if he did, they wouldn't let him be a Ranger at all," Zhane said slowly. "You have no idea how much that morpher means to him."
"He still should have--" Carlos began, and Zhane rounded on him.
"What would you have done?" he snapped. "If you were twelve years old, used to being beaten every time you didn't do exactly what someone else wanted you to do, handed a chance to be somebody--what would you have done?"
Carlos hesitated. "He was twelve?"
"Two years younger than me, five years younger than Reya and Leyton, six years younger than Aerynn."
"Wow." Cassie just stared at him. "And they put him in charge?"
"Yes." Zhane sighed. "Look, everyone who had a part in this made mistakes. Big ones. I'm not denying that. But Andros grew into it during the three years we were a team. He knows what he's doing now."
Carlos grumbled something under his breath. Cassie smiled faintly and nodded her head. TJ looked between them, knowing already how Ashley would answer. He sighed.
"We'll take your word for it," he decided reluctantly. "One last time."
