14
"Tell us the truth."
"I am telling you the truth."
Zack wrung his hands together as Lt. Stone took in a deep breath and leaned back in his seat. He watched Zack as long as Zack watched him. Zack's eyes repeatedly bounced from Lt. Stone's face to the floor, to the walls, to the ceiling, to Lt. Stone then back to the the floor, the walls, and the ceiling. Over and over in a sort of ping-pong match, his eyes unable to hold still as it continued to bounce.
Lt. Stone folded his arms, settling further in his seat. He took in another deep breath and settled himself to watch the black ranger once more. Or, who he was sure was the black ranger. Zack did his best not to look at the power morpher that sat between them, trying not to put too much attention to it just in case Lt. Stone was paying close attention.
Or, maybe, it was what was making Lt. Stone stare at him. That he was being so obvious not to look at the power morpher that he should've been looking at so that Lt. Stone didn't think he was a power ranger. Zack let out a low moan and placed his forehead in his hands. His head was killing him, and he wasn't quite sure it was the hangover he was nursing that was doing it.
He practically had a heart attack when he saw the power morpher in front of him. Not just because of the blood splattered on it. Though that had been a shot through the heart as well. He had no idea whose blood it was. And that was the worst part. He didn't know whose blood it was, he didn't know how his friends were and, at that point, he probably never would.
That is, if he continued to be detained as he was.
"Zack," Lt. Stone said slowly. "We need to get to the truth of what happened tonight," he said. "And the truth will make more sense once we figure out the truth of this." He tapped the power morpher through the baggie it was stuck within. Zack winced with each tap of Lt. Stone's fingertip, wondering if there was going to be some sort of power surge that would shoot through him.
There was always a sort of power that shot through them whenever they morphed. How different would it be if there was some sort of damage that came to the morpher? Actually, he'd seen that, too. There were so many things he and his friends had gone through; evil rangers, the evilest monsters they'd ever faced, certain death, brainwashing, separation and desperation. But it was knowing his friends would still be there, with him on the other side that made it easy to deal with those things.
This time around, he didn't know if they'd be there on the other side.
If they'd ever talk to him again.
He wouldn't blame them if they never did. Not after…well, he wasn't sure all he did, but there was enough that made it so he'd never forgive himself. You're not worthy of forgiveness. Zack shook his head, kept his face in his hands. Not after this. He removed his face from his hands and looked Lt. Stone in the eye.
"I don't know where that came from," he murmured. A solid lie he'd been telling himself and others for years. That he didn't know the Power Rangers. That he didn't know it was him and his friends who'd been running around and saving their city for as long as he could remember.
"Then why was it in your car?"
"I don't know!"
"Zack, I'm trying to help you, here."
"No, you're trying to get me to admit to something I don't know." Zack shook his head, then winced, regretting it immediately. He looked at the morpher once more and clamped his lips together. Big mistake. The splatters of the blood made his stomach lurch so hard to the left that he couldn't even breath without thinking he was going to puke. "I don't know anything about the power rangers. I don't know how that got into my car. I don't know—"
"—I don't know how you can continue on saying you don't know," Lt. Stone interrupted. His voice was measured, but Zack could see the level of emotion that welled up in his eyes. Zack's eyebrows furrowed. He'd never seen the lieutenant act that way in his life. Even when he was around Bulk and Skull—who could be very trying on anyone's nerves—didn't get him to break his façade unless they managed to do something so neurotic that he broke and rolled his eyes. "I don't know how you can sit here and tell me to my face that you don't know anything about being a power ranger when..." he cleared his throat. "When it's probably the only thing that's keeping you alive."
What?
Zack lifted his head.
Lt. Stone shook his head. "If you tell me you're a power ranger, I can tell you that it makes sense. That it's something that will make sense of everything that I've seen tonight." Zack shook his head once more. It wasn't a shaking head to show his displeasure. It was a shaking head for Lt. Stone to clarify. What did he mean? Lt. Stone picked up on it immediately. It was the nature of the man's job to understand the little intricacies of people's faces, to know what it meant when an expression changed ever so slightly. Had to make it a point to see through the lies people placed in his hands to work out the truth. "I may as well have seen a zombie tonight."
"What do you mean?"
Lt. Stone started to laugh. A low laugh that started in his chest and came out in a loud burst that made Zack jump. It wasn't a good laugh, a humor filled laugh. It was a humorless one. One that seemed to only keep himself sane. His laughter slowly faded and he started to speak so rapidly, with so much emotion that Zack could barely hear him.
"I mean, the amount of damage these cars faced, it may as well have been a bomb going off. I've never seen an accident that bad and see people walk away without a scratch. And it's not like you don't have a scratch, you're injured. The rest of you are injured. But you should be dead. All of you. You hear me?" He leaned toward Lt. Stone. "All of you should be dead. You weren't drunk enough that the way the car crumpled around you, your bodies would've flopped around like rag dolls. The way that car looks, you should all be…all of you should be lying up in that hospital with your last breath. But you're sitting here with nothing…it doesn't make sense." He tapped the power morpher once more. "This…This makes sense."
No.
Zack squeezed his eyes shut.
Shook his head.
No.
"Yes," Lt. Stone insisted. "If you tell me the truth, I can make things easier for you."
"I…" Zack's mouth opened and closed. He couldn't find the words. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't think of anything but what was being semi-told to him. That was being teased at him without coming right out and saying it. Maybe…maybe Lt. Stone was so traumatized that he couldn't even articulate the words. "No…" He sucked in a deep breath, then coughed with how sharp it was. "Oh.." The word escaped Zack's lips when the reality struck him. It hit him like a ton of bricks. Like a car crashing into a brick wall. Like…well…like it felt when he slammed on the brakes a moment too late—a lifetime too late—and crashed into the other. And…did something he'd never be able to recover from. "Oh, God…"
"Zack?"
Zack parted his lips, but no sound came out. He shook his head. No. It couldn't be true. And yet…he knew it was. There were too many times they've fought other monsters—the real monsters—that had resulted in them having only cuts and bruises. Sometimes, the worst being a headache that lasted more than a few days, body aches that lasted a week, sometimes a concussion. Injuries that would've destroyed and otherwise normal person. That would've made any normal person killed in an instant, and they bounced back from it.
A car accident like they'd been through, if they were normal…
Zack had a feeling he knew what happened to Angela.
"Zack?"
Zack frowned. Why did that voice sound so familiar? It wasn't Lt. Stone's. The man's was gruff, bothered, worried. The voice calling him was much more worried, much more frantic. Much angrier.
"Where's my son?! You let me to my son right now!"
Zack whipped around, hearing his mother's voice drawing nearer and nearer. He only knew one person who's voice could come in loud and clear like that. There were only a few times Zack managed to hear that voice and not be afraid of the outcome of hearing it. And, for the first time in a long while, the anger in that voice wasn't directed towards him for something stupid he may have done in school, but for him.
"You better get me my son right now!"
"Mom?" Zack twisted around, grasping the back of his seat. "Mom?" He raised his voice, looking for his mother. He leaned back and forth, straining to find his mother in the window. Finally, he saw her barreling towards him and sat up straight. "Mom!"
Mrs. Taylor burst through the door so hard that Zack was sure he saw Lt. Stone jump out of the corner of his eye before he was gathered up in his mother's strong grasp. Zack flung his arm around his mother's shoulders, craning his neck to place his face into her shoulders as the tears started to flow.
He grasped his mother tightly, tighter, tighter, feeling her squeeze him back. Felt his father's presence just after, felt him press a hand to the back of Zack's neck, giving him the reassurance Zack needed. His mother hummed quietly, rubbing his back.
"It's okay, baby. It's okay," Mrs. Taylor murmured. "We're here now. We're here, everything's going to be oaky."
Zack shook his head, started to say something, choked on his words. Couldn't speak around the pain that seized his heart and threatened to spill out everywhere. Zack lifted his gaze and looked up at his father through his watery eyes.
"Dad," he croaked.
Mr. Taylor swallowed hard.
"Hey mom," Zack greeted as he headed into his house via the door that lead to the kitchen. He went to his mother and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Hey, pop!" He patted his father on the shoulder, who grinned, turning away from his newspaper, looking at his watch.
"Zachary Taylor in time for dinner, never thought I'd see the day," Mr. Taylor teased. "Normally we can't drag you away from your friends."
"Normally, I'd agree with you, but I've got some packing I need to do," Zack said. He leaned over his mother's shoulder to look at what she was preparing—homemade pulled pork and fries. Yes. "But I will definitely be down for dinner when you call."
"Oh, but sweetie, do you need to pack now?" Mrs. Taylor asked, frowning at her son. She gestured towards her husband with a pair of tongs before resting her hand on her hip. "There's something your father and I wanted to talk to you about. We know you're excited to go on your trip but—"
"More than excited, mom," Zack interrupted. He backed towards the stairs, knowing if he got caught he would never hear the end of it. His mother would speak a lecture when she got into 'wanting to talk' to him about something. "That's why I need to go pack."
"Son, this is very important," Mr. Taylor insisted. He put his newspaper down and Zack paused. His father always meant business if he could be torn away from his daily reading of he newspaper. Zack always told him that the internet was a thing, but there he was everyone morning, flipping through the sports section to start. "We know that there's not going to be any supervision and us parents have talked and believe we can trust you all without anyone being there."
"And we'll call you if there's an emergency," Zack insisted. He continued to take small steps backward. His father's steely gaze on him made him pause then walk further into the kitchen. "Pop, I know what you're going to say. 'Make good choices', 'Don't get way in over your head'…'Be smart'…"
"You're getting older now and there are more important things to speak about," Mr. Taylor insisted. "Like experimenting. Sex and drugs and—"
"—We already got this from Ms. Appleby, pop," Zack interrupted. "We know how to be careful and everything." He held up his hands. "And besides, I think you're a bit late on the sex-talk, we did have Sex-Ed in school." He hurried from the room, calling over his shoulder. "Call me when dinner's ready, we can talk then!"
"Dad, I'm sorry," Zack whimpered.
Mr. Taylor broke down. First one tear escaped his eye, then another, and another. His lower jaw rapidly trembled, he grabbed his wife and son in his arms, holding them as tightly as they could. Worked to protect them in the way he'd always wanted to.
Just as Zack had wanted to do, having taken on the power of the Mastodon as a means to keep his family safe. It'd worked to keep him safe. It worked to keep his friends safe. But it hadn't made him grow up enough to know that despite being a superhero he was still human.
Humans were vulnerable.
And they paid the price for his actions.
A/N: Well, this one sure was as emotional as the last. I don't do a lot with the rangers' parents (though I think I showed them well enough in the Avalon series) so having them here to (rightfully) see their children is fun for me, especially with the way the rest of the parents react to all of this.
Doesn't mean things are easier for Zack, though.
~Av