Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers.

Chapter 8

Andros woke up feeling truly rested for the first time in months. He'd been unable to think of much of anything besides his conversation with Ashley the day before, and she'd been in his dreams as well. He couldn't remember much of anything, but he knew that he'd been happy just being around her.

He was almost smiling as he crawled out of bed and dressed, his good mood vanishing abruptly as he realized that it had all been a dream. He'd poured out feelings left bottled up for years while she'd held him tight in her arms and rocked him back and forth. Andros growled softly in disgust, his injured hands clenching. How could he have done that?

She was in the holding bay, as he'd known she would be. He was grateful that she at least wasn't alone, but she was there and he felt his face flush as she smiled at him. Andros looked away quickly, keeping his eyes fixed firmly on the ground. He couldn't look her in the eye without his stomach twisting nervously.

"Morning," she said brightly. "How are you?"

"Fine," he mumbled, eyes on his food.

"What happened to your hands?" Cassie asked softly.

Andros glanced down at the bandages, suddenly feeling unbearably foolish. "I, um, I... it's nothing."

"Okay." Cassie shrugged, swallowing the last of her toast and standing up. "I'll see you later, Ash."

"See ya," Ashley echoed, her eyes never leaving him. "How are you doing?"

"I told you," he muttered. "I'm fine."

"Are you?"

Andros forced himself to glance up at her. She smiled at him and he thought he might be sick. "I--I'm fine."

He'd never felt like this before. There had been people who had disgusted him, angered him, hurt him, a few who had cared for him. Andros had no words for what Ashley did to him. The strangest feelings had been running through him the day before as she'd taken care of his hands, feelings he had no name for.

"Andros?" Ashley leaned forward slightly, laying a hand on his arm. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I--I..."

"Morning," Zhane breezed in, momentarily sparing Andros from Ashley's attention. "Did I miss anything?"

"You never miss anything," Ashley teased, laughing when he stuck his tongue out at her. "What are you doing up so early, anyway?"

He shrugged, wandering over to the Synthetron. "Couldn't sleep."

Andros frowned, watching the two of them with an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. It wasn't anything they were saying that bothered him, their conversation was really nothing more than idle chat. But there was something about the two of them together that he found completely unsettling.

He didn't have time to dwell on it. The alarm shrieked and his head snapped up, looking to Deca inquiringly.

"Darkonda has appeared in Angel Grove," she reported, and Andros had to fight not to throw up right there.

"We're on the way," he said, with a quick nod of his head to Ashley and Zhane. "Deca, call the others. Let's go."

Time passed in a blur, with him only distantly aware of himself leading the other Rangers as they rushed up to meet Darkonda. Everything seemed to be in slow motion as he drew his Spiral Saber and moved in to attack, his every blow blocked and countered.

Darkonda was strong, too strong for even the five of them. He must have drunk that potion again. Andros growled in frustration when Zhane was thrown almost into him, struggling to force his mind back to the battle at hand. He couldn't concentrate, memories flashing before his eyes, constant reminders of his own weakness. Onyx...

Andros snapped his head up and parried Darkonda's latest blow. He was not going to think about that. Not now and not ever, if he could manage it.

Darkonda took advantage of his distraction to slash him across the chest, and Andros cried out despite his suit protecting him from the brunt of the blow. It was with an effort that he kept himself from collapsing completely, strength of will keeping him on his feet more than anything else. Now that he was able, he wasn't going down without a fight.

Sensing his weakness, Darkonda let him alone for a moment, whirling around to blast the other rangers backwards with an eruption of electricity. Andros was ready when he was attacked again, this time catching Darkonda's blade.

"You... you took Karone," he hissed, refusing to let his knees buckle. "Tell me... where is she?" he shouted, the sword slipping away. "Tell me!"

"You'll never find her," Darkonda growled, and threw him out of the way.

Andros felt his left foot slip a little and after that he couldn't keep himself from going down. He grit his teeth and picked himself up, horrified to see Darkonda tossing the other Rangers around like paper dolls. They weren't going to last much longer and as reluctant as he was to accept it, he'd become responsible for their safety the moment he'd found them on the Megaship.

"Get out of the way," he shouted, charging at Darkonda, attacking recklessly. He heard Zhane yelling at him and for a split second remembered that terrible day on KO-35, then pushed it out of his mind. This was different.

"Andros, what are you doing?" Ashley rushed forward to help him up while Carlos held off Darkonda. "We're supposed to be a team, remember?"

"This is my fight," he snapped, shaking her off of his arm. "I don't need you to fight for me."

"Andros--" Ashley's voice was cut off by TJ's warning shout, then all around him was darkness.


Ashley opened her eyes with a groan, her head pounding. The last thing she remembered was Andros... Darkonda... She gasped and sat up, immediately wishing that she hadn't when her head throbbed.

Carlos was the first thing she saw, sitting stiffly with his back to the wall. Following his gaze, her eyes found Andros glaring down at his lap, arms folded across his chest.

"W--what happened?" she asked unsteadily, and both their heads snapped in her direction.

"We're on Darkonda's ship," Carlos explained with a sharp glare at Andros. "Last time I ever try to save you."

"I don't need you to save me," Andros snapped back. "This is my fight. You're only in the way."

"Darkonda would have killed you."

"No," Andros said quietly, a shadow crossing his face. "He wouldn't have. That would be too good for me."

"So you'd rather have him kill you slowly than let us help you?" Carlos stared at him incredulously. "Is that what you're thinking?"

"I'm thinking that I don't want to be responsible for you," Andros said harshly, glaring at both of them. "I told you to get away, and you didn't listen."

"We're supposed to be a team, remember?" Carlos retorted. "That means we don't abandon each other in the middle of a fight."

"He's right," Ashley spoke up, earning herself another glare. "We're not going to back off and let Darkonda kill you."

"I told you," Andros muttered. "He's not going to kill me."

"Maybe, maybe not." Carlos crossed his arms across his chest and rearranged himself more comfortably. "But that's not the point."

"It is to me," Andros said quietly. "I need to do this on my own."

"Even if it kills you?" Ashley demanded.

Andros sighed, his gaze dropping back down to his hands. "I... you know I don't want to die," he mumbled, visibly hurt. "But I can't let you risk your lives for me. I have to do this on my own."

"Andros..." Ashley sighed and shoved her hair back from her face. "We're Rangers. We risk our lives everyday."

"It doesn't matter. You're still here."

"Because you wanted to play hero," Carlos snapped. "We could have all attacked together, you know. We were trying to, even. Then you come rushing in trying to sacrifice yourself for us--we don't need that, Andros. We don't want that."

Ashley had to agree. "We work best when we're a team, Andros. You said you wanted to keep us safe, but it didn't happen..." She let her voice trail off when she realized how bad that sounded.

Andros shot a hurt glare in her direction, his mouth opening and closing several times before he looked away, ignoring them completely. Ashley frowned sadly at him, hating to see him looking like that but not able to take back her words.

He didn't look back in their direction until the door slid open. Darkonda blocked the doorway, sword brandished in one hand. Ashley's eyes strayed to Andros, his expression for once telling her exactly what he was feeling. He was terrified, his face pale and his eyes wide and round.

"You're far more trouble than you're worth, Red Ranger," Darkonda growled. "Your little stunt cost me my deals with Divatox and Rita and Zedd."

"I'm terribly sorry," Andros retorted, climbing slowly to his feet. "But you really should have known better than to trust Divatox."

Darkonda chuckled to himself, his eyes straying towards Ashley and Carlos. "Braver with your friends around, I see."

"Leave them out of this," Andros growled, slowly raising his fists. He almost looked fearless now. Almost.

"Then follow me," Darkonda ordered, and Ashley watched every muscle in Andros's body tense.

"You'll leave them alone if I do?" His voice wasn't so calm now, though he was fighting bravely for composure.

"For now."

Andros hesitated, then lowered his hands and shook his head. "I'm not leaving them."

Darkonda struck him across the face before any of them could react, and Andros stumbled. Carlos rushed forward just as Ashley snapped back into motion, both of them running to hold back Darkonda while Andros recovered.

With a growl, Darkonda flung Carlos off of him and drove a fist into her stomach. Ashley doubled over, coughing, unable to breathe as Darkonda attacked Andros again.

"Ash," Carlos gasped, rushing to her side. That was a mistake; Darkonda slammed one fist into the side of his head and he went down.

Ashley cried out in pain as Darkonda caught her with a blast of electricity. She flew backwards and hit the wall, unable to move as Darkonda slowly advanced on Andros.


"This way, Red Ranger." From behind him, Andros heard Darkonda laugh, the hilt of his sword prodding him along. His stomach, already twisting around itself, coiled painfully at the sight of Onyx Tavern. This wasn't going to be pleasant.

Andros kept his head up defiantly when Darkonda pushed him through the doors. His Karovan uniform was unmistakable, and he knew instantly that at least several of the patrons had recognized him.

"Everyone, this is the Red Ranger." Darkonda gave him another shove and added, "Don't damage him too badly."

Too many of these faces were familiar to him, Andros realized with a sinking heart. Too many of them he had fought before, and he didn't doubt that they would revel in the chance for revenge. His fears were confirmed when several dozen chairs were pushed back at once, and he had half a moment to decide what he was going to do.

There was only one thing he could do. If he was nothing else, Andros was a Ranger, and Rangers fought even when there was no hope. Gritting his teeth, he drew himself up and glanced around. The alien to his right held a sword, and Andros moved without pausing to think.

His sudden motion had caught them all by surprise. He had just enough time to kick the sword away and then catch it before he found himself in a defensive battle. This wasn't so bad, he told himself, ducking as something whizzed by over his head, suddenly thankful for all the training sims he'd run in the last few years. There were none of them that he couldn't beat.

Something clipped his sword arm then and he hissed in pain, wondering where that attack had come from. He didn't have time to dwell on it, blocking one side and then another, never having quite enough time to work in an effective attack. The ones he managed to pull off were still far more defensive than he would have liked.

He brought the sword down, cursing silently when it was caught between two others. Someone wrenched his arm from behind and the weapon dropped, a cry of pain escaping his lips. From the front, someone else caught him hard enough in the stomach to send him flying.

He landed hard, the wind knocked out of him. The crowd let him lie there and gasp desperately for air, no one moving to either help him or harm him. Andros pushed down hard and managed to raise himself up off the ground. With a groan, he staggered the rest of the way up, arms coming up to continue defending himself.

He struggled against the aliens that grabbed ahold of him, but it was only for show and he knew it. Andros would fight to the end if he had to--but he really didn't want to die here. He didn't want to die at all.

"Well," one alien sneered. "What shall we do with you, Red Ranger?"

"You could always let me go," Andros suggested, feeling sick to his stomach. "And then--"

He groaned when he was punched hard in the gut, doubling over but falling silent. Darkonda strode across the room as the two aliens hauled Andros up again, holding him firmly in place.

"You won't be causing anymore trouble, Red Ranger," Darkonda growled, his foul breath causing Andros to become sick to his stomach. "Am I right?"

Andros clenched his teeth and tried not to breathe. Darkonda laughed to himself and drew his sword, pressing the tip against Andros's neck. "Have you changed your mind, then?"

Obey or die. Obey or die, obey or die, obey or die... Andros bit down hard on the inside of his cheek, struggling not to let his fear show. He didn't want to die. Slowly, he shook his head. "I haven't."

"Much better." Darkonda smiled. "Will you be causing anymore trouble here?"

Andros shook his head another time. "No," he muttered bitterly.

"Good. Turn your back to them," Darkonda snapped. The two aliens released him and Andros didn't move. "Now, Red Ranger."

Andros moved slowly, almost tripping over his feet when Darkonda jabbed him hard in the ribs to hurry him up. Once he was where Darkonda wanted him to be, Andros stood with his shoulders hunched, waiting for the beating he knew was coming.

He jumped when Darkonda spoke. "Take your shirt off. Show them."

Andros just barely managed not to vomit. Darkonda moved around in front him and slammed a fist into his stomach.

"You're more trouble than you're worth, Red Ranger," he warned as Andros coughed and struggled for breath. "Do it now and maybe you'll still be able to walk in the morning."

Andros bit his lip. Slowly, he shrugged out of his jacket and reached for the hem of his shirt. His back ached as he moved his shoulders, and he bit down hard to keep from groaning. Surprised mutters reached his ears as he dropped the shirt to the ground and Andros stiffened.

"You all know what the brand means, then." Darkonda laughed. "The Red Ranger escaped as a child from the slave world Viton. Remind him what he is."

He screamed as he slipped back into consciousness, the sound rasping from his sore throat. A small gasp not quite a sob slipped out and he drew his legs up to his chest, as if he could somehow hold himself together. Of all the things Darkonda had ever done to him, that night on Onyx had been the worst.

No one had beaten him too badly; they'd hardly laid a hand on him, really. But Andros had never come closer to his breaking point as he had that night, never come closer to actually believing that he was nothing more than the slave he'd been trained to be.

A hand touched his hair then and he flinched away, realizing then that he wasn't in his bed. Darkonda's ship... His stomach churned, forcing him to breathe through his nose.

"Andros?" Fingers brushed his cheek this time, wiping away sweat and maybe a few tears. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine." He opened his eyes slowly, relieved to find that he wasn't crying again.

"You're not," Ashley objected.

Andros didn't argue. As his consciousness returned, he became all too aware of the soreness that seemed to encompass his entire body, from the pounding in his head to the ache in his ribs to the bruises he knew had formed on his legs.

He felt her fingers in his hair and didn't pull away this time, letting her see for herself that he was okay. Or maybe not okay--she touched the skin just below his ear and he moaned before he could help himself. Ashley traced the lump more gently, combing his hair back into place when she was satisfied that the injury wasn't life-threatening.

"Can you sit up? I want to see if anything's broken."

Andros let out a sigh and nodded slowly, frowning as he saw the two jackets wrapped around him. A quick glance at Ashley and Carlos told him that the jackets were theirs, and he bit his lip, fighting hard not to remember how harsh he had been with them earlier.

"You seemed to be in the worst shape," Ashley explained, as she watched him slowly move his arms. "We thought it'd help to keep you a little warmer."

"Oh..." Andros swallowed hard. "Thank you."

Ashley smiled at him a bit, her eyes soft with concern as she studied him. "Do they happen a lot?" she asked suddenly. "The nightmares."

Caught by surprise, he answered before it occured to him to lie. "Every night."

She didn't answer for a moment, just waiting as he flexed his feet and ankles. "Is it always the same one?" she said finally.

"No." He hoped he managed to keep the sharpness out of his voice. Andros didn't want to snap at her again, but she was coming dangerously close to somewhere he did not want her.

"Do you want me to leave you alone for awhile?" Ashley's sympathetic brown eyes bore into his own, and he forced himself to look away

"Yeah." He nodded his head slowly. "Please."

"Okay," Ashley said, and backed away from him.

Andros watched her move across the small cell to check on Carlos, who was, presumably, asleep. With a quiet sigh, he settled back into his corner and tried to make himself comfortable. It hurt to sit up, it hurt to lie down, and he was pretty sure it would hurt to stand up.

"We need a plan," he announced abruptly. "We have to get out of here."

"Ideas?" Ashley inquired, arranging herself in the opposite corner, one knee drawn up and the other bent. She looked far more comfortable than he felt.

"I know my way around the ship," he said. "We just need to get out of here."

"We will," she assured him quietly. "Don't worry about that."

He wished he could believe her.